The 21 Best New Wave Albums of All Time

Skinny ties, drum machines and a lot of nervous energy. These records took punk's attitude and gave it hooks, synthesizers and a dance floor.

1. 1
   Business as Usual

   Men at Work's 1981 debut, a worldwide hit with a quirky Australian pop sound.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Talking Heads: 77

   The 1977 debut that introduced the band's nervy, minimalist art-school funk.
   897pts
3. 3
   Remain in Light

   Talking Heads' 1980 Eno-produced album fusing art rock with polyrhythmic Afrobeat grooves.
   846pts
4. 4
   Kings of the Wild Frontier

   Adam and the Ants' 1980 tribal-drumming, theatrical pop album.
   636pts
5. 5
   Rio

   Duran Duran's glossy 1982 second album, built on sleek synth-pop and cinematic videos.
   636pts
6. 6
   Fear of Music

   Talking Heads' jittery 1979 third album that bridged their early quirk and later rhythmic experiments.
   636pts
7. 7
   Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

   Devo's 1978 debut, a jerky, satirical take on de-evolution with synths and spasmodic guitars.
   636pts
8. 8
   Power, Corruption & Lies

   New Order's 1983 album that locked guitars and sequencers into a new dance-rock template.
   538pts
9. 9
   Synchronicity

   The Police's 1983 final album, a chart-topping mix of pop, jazz and paranoia.
   538pts
10. 10
    Pornography

    The Cure's bleak, claustrophobic 1982 album, the darkest entry in their early trilogy.
    538pts
11. 11
    The B-52's

    The Athens, Georgia party band's 1979 debut of campy surf-rock and kitsch.
    418pts
12. 12
    Vienna

    Ultravox's 1980 album with its grand, romantic synth-and-strings title track.
    418pts
13. 13
    Beauty and the Beat

    The Go-Go's 1981 debut, a sunny chart-topping landmark for all-female rock bands.
    418pts
14. 14
    Songs from the Big Chair

    Tears for Fears' 1985 smash with big choruses and anxious, thoughtful lyrics.
    418pts
15. 15
    Parallel Lines

    Blondie's 1978 breakthrough, a polished blend of punk energy, pop hooks and disco.
    0pts
16. 16
    Disintegration

    The Cure's lush, melancholy 1989 masterpiece of gothic dream-pop.
    0pts
17. 17
    New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)

    Simple Minds' shimmering 1982 album of atmospheric, widescreen synth-rock.
    0pts
18. 18
    Violator

    Depeche Mode's 1990 breakout, with dark, sleek synth-pop and several worldwide hits.
    0pts
19. 19
    Dare

    The Human League's 1981 synth-pop landmark that went to number one in the UK.
    0pts
20. 20
    Outlandos d'Amour

    The Police's 1978 debut combining punk speed with reggae-tinged melodies.
    0pts
21. 21
    The Pleasure Principle

    Gary Numan's 1979 synthesizer-only album that helped define electronic pop.
    0pts

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