Notable New Bands And Artists: Devo, B·52's, The Clash, Oingo Boingo, XTC, Squeeze

Carroll's new "Rock of the Eighties" format also helped launched the success of many new bands, the most notable, at least in 1980, was Devo. The band derived their name from the word "de-evolution" and sported a punk/new wave fusion sound. Their track "Whip It" was the top song of the year among L.A.'s "Modern Rock" audience, and became a fairly successful pop hit as well. Devo also became instrumental in the early success of MTV the following year.

Several other bands - the B·52's, the Clash, Oingo Boingo, XTC, and Squeeze - saw their first successful albums and tracks hit the airwaves in 1980, largely thanks to Rick Carroll and KROQ. All of these bands would see success with Modern Rock radio listeners throughout the remainder of the 1980's.

Early on, The Clash was the most notable of these bands. The band hailed from the UK and projected a "wrong side of the tracks" image to audiences. Their musical style fared very well with American audiences, though, with their track Train In Vain (Stand By Me) gaining popularity with not only Modern Rock listeners, but Album Rock fans and pop music fans as well. The Clash would produce another successful album, Combat Rock in 1982, with an even larger following in the U.S.!

The B·52's were the only band listed above who later scored a number one pop hit in the U.S. before decade's end. With Modern Rock fans, this band saw success during the entire decade, starting in 1980! With their tracks Give Me Back My Man, Private Idaho, and Strobe Light, the B·52's took the early L.A. Modern Rock audience by storm!

Missing In Action: The Kings and Split Enz

Two bands missing from the KROQ year·end chart were Canada's The Kings and New Zealand's Split Enz. Their tracks, mentioned below, received much airplay on radio stations nationwide during that year. Bear in mind, the KROQ year·end chart was listener·based and showed a year·end bias, and the two bands mentioned above released their best·selling songs toward the middle of 1980.

The Kings' medley of The Beat Goes On/Switching To Glide showed a fusion of new wave and 1960's pop. This track received airplay on album rock radio stations, as well as some success on Top 40 radio, although nationally, it never made the top 40 on Billboard's Hot 100 pop chart despite charting on the Hot 100.

Split Enz, like the Kings mentioned above, had their track I Got You played both on album rock radio and top 40 radio, and scored a place on Billboard's Hot 100 pop chart, but not within the top 40. Split Enz used a fusion of new wave and pop to produce their sound, and, the following year, would find their way on KROQ's Top 106.7 Songs of 1981 with the track Hard Act To Follow. Two members of Split Enz - Neil Finn and Paul Hester - would later form the group Crowded House, who found success in the U.S. on both the pop chart and with rock radio audiences a few years later.

Warner Cable launches MTV

Warner Cable, wanting a music channel, launched MTV (Music Television) on August 1, 1981. Bands and artists produced video footage to go with their songs, and MTV became the first network to play these videos 24/7. Warner billed this as "radio with pictures" and even had "VJ's", instead of DJ's, to announce them. A revolution in music was born!

MTV also proved to be a boon to the emerging punk/new wave/modern rock scene, and helped launch the "Second British Invasion" of the American music scene the following year.

The first video shown on MTV? Video Killed The Radio Star by the Buggles.

Adam & The Ants A Huge Success in L.A.

The most notable success story for any band in the modern rock world in 1981 was Adam & The Ants and their many hits on L.A.'s KROQ. The band placed 5 songs in on KROQ's Top 106.7 Songs of 1981 year&end countdown, more than any other band! Tha Ants' rise to the top mirrored the success the band had in their native UK the same year.

Adam & The Ants formed in London in 1977 as part of the emerging punk rock scene of the era. The band's debut album, Dirk Wears White Sox was a huge failure. The band members then hired Malcolm McLaren as manager, who helped the band The Sex Pistols become popular. McLaren then persuaded the band members, minus leader Adam Ant, to leave Adam & The Ants and form the band Bow Wow Wow. McLaren then assembled a new band to backup Adam Ant. The "new" Ants saw immediate success in the UK^[1], which, as mentioned above, carried over "across the pond" to the L.A. audience, and any other stations playing modern rock at the time.

Their most successful song in the U.S. in 1981 was Antmusic. Watch the video to the right.

Adam & The Ants' music videos also contributed greatly to the early success of MTV^[2].

Notable New Bands And Artists: Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, U2

The UK's Depeche Mode sported a "macabre" dance sound, with a new wave flair. The band took their name from the French phrase for "fast fashion". In the U.S., most of their success came from modern rock radio audiences throughout the 1980's and early 1990's, starting with their hit Just Can't Get Enough in 1981.

Also from the UK, Duran Duran found early success in the U.S. on modern rock radio. Their single Girls On Film scored #25 for the year on KROQ's Top 106.7 Songs of 1981 year&end countdown, and helped launch their career in the U.S. The band became enormously successful in the U.S., not only with modern rock listeners, but with pop music fans as well - they went on to have 2 number one hits on Billboard's Hot 100 pop chart, as well as many other top 10 hits through the early to mid 1980's!

Many also credit Duran Duran as one of the pioneer bands ushering in the "Second British Invasion" of the American music world starting in 1982.

Ireland's U2 also saw their first success in America on KROQ in Los Angeles. Their single I Will Follow ranked #21 for the year on KROQ's Top 106.7 Songs of 1981 year&end countdown. The track also enjoyed modest success on many AOR radio stations nationwide as well.

In addition to modern rock radio, much of U2's early success came from the emerging college rock radio scene, with their "socially·conscious" lyrics faring well with more liberal "post·hippie" era college students^[3].

Later in the decade, U2 became one of the most successful rock bands worldwide, with a huge following among both rock and pop music fans alike!