New Wave exploded into the eighties evolving from Punk and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. The movement snowballed as the first generation of MTV addicts soaked up images of their favorite bands. Short spiky hairstyles, thin neckties and innumerable quantities excessively worn low budget jewelry became the rage. The look reinforced the music and the music reinforced the look. By the mid-eighties, New Wave was synonymous with Pop.

New Wave & Pop: 1980 – 1989 personifies this era. Many of the artists on this disc ventured on to achieve massive musical legacies. In ’81 and ’82, Phoenix-based band, The Jetzons, packed venues nightly with infectious synths and big hooks. Their hit “You” emanated from FM dials across the Southwest. Sadly, the band’s skyrocketing success abruptly crash-landed as a result of drugs and management disputes. Keyboardist Brad Buxer promptly rose from the ashes to parlay his synth prowess into an illustrious career with Mathew Wilder to Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Michael Jackson’s Musical Director. Front man, media darling, and Rock n’ Roll wonder kid, Bruce Connole became the Godfather of the Tempe music scene that would further blossom in the early nineties.

Bartock & Lansky inked their undeniable Pop sounds to MCA Records. In true record biz fashion, the music behemoth’s incoming label-head cleaned house to focus on emerging New Wave icons, The Fixx. Ultimately, Craig Bartock’s talents prevailed, working with an endless list of superstars including Madonna, Tupac, Heart, Simply Red and Brandy.

These are a few of the stories chronicled on this double disc. In Fervor Records tradition, the inside liner notes detail the history of these brilliant songs and artists. Please enjoy Fervor Records’ slice of American music culture!

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