WTD 2008 Week 6 - 1st Wave

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Aaron

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Oct 10, 2008
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First Wave plays the great songs that helped bring “alternative rock” to the forefront of pop culture and awareness in the 1980s. It plays music when individual expression thru music trends was first accepted, and everyone wanted to look like the video stars of MTV. Hear the first wave of alternative music from the era that defined alternative. If you ever wore a skinny tie, had spiked hair, or pogoed to the beat, 1st Wave is for you. Longer on synthesizers than guitars, First Wave makes it okay for rock fans who want to dance!

What we play: The Clash, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Echo & the Bunnymen, Morrissey, New Order, The Police, Psychedelic Furs, The Ramones, REM, The Smiths, Squeeze, Tears For Fears, U2 and many more.

Channel 22 on Sirius, 44 on XM

* Please indicate how much you like this channel by assigning it a rating. Simply use the thread rating system found at the top of the thread and give it a vote. :)

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Wolf

Well-Known Member
Oct 11, 2008
33,309
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Phoenix
I never really listen to 1st Wave often and this is the first time, I been listening to the channel for over an hour and I'm enjoying it! I'll keep giving it a shot and if I like it, I might make it a preset?
 
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MadisonRadio1

MadisonRadio
Oct 17, 2008
7,793
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Madison, Wisconsin
Hey, the music of my college days in Madison. There were a lot of good places to go. Church Key, Headliners, Bogie's, Halloween on State Street. But there was a small dance bar named Fifties, that didn't play 50's music but rather the music that's on 1st Wave. Those MTV videos were really hot back then. Everyone was watching them. Even my current favorite artists Swing Out Sister, who's music today would not be on this channel, were MTV stars. This station may be a better alternative for me than listening to 80's on 8. But no Martha Quinn. Madison is on here though.
Not that I reminist through music. As far as older music, I still prefer 60's rock. But this is without a doubt a good station.

:siriusdog:
 

hexagram

Medicinal & Recreational.
Oct 11, 2008
2,760
97
48
Seattle, WA
3.5 stars and a preset for this one.

I've been listening to it for awhile and I haven't tuned out once so far. The playlist is a balanced spectrum of classic alternative rock (including artists like David Bowie, Billy Idol, and more).

Good pick for Week 6. :)
 

Aaron

Moderator
Oct 10, 2008
15,634
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South Louisiana
Anyone know if the Saturday Night Safety Dance and Dark Wave are still around?

They are still listed on the Sirius website, but not on XM's. Makes me think they are no longer there anymore. :idunno:
 

IdRatherBeSkiing

Sherbet is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
Oct 11, 2008
27,230
13,833
168
Toronto, ON
I enjoy this channel. It is one of my presets. They play music I recognize. Its like an 80s channel without the crap. The only downside is the playlist does seem to be a bit shallow but that has been improving over the past month or so.
 

Bandit 5160

Member
Oct 31, 2008
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I have always listen to this sation, but as I said elsewhere on this board earlier today, I've found it to be more 80s pop/rock oriented than 70s/80s alternative. That does not mean it's a bad station, though. It's enjoyable. And I like Madison- she's funny sometimes. 4 stars from me (good).
 

Aaron

Moderator
Oct 10, 2008
15,634
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South Louisiana
1st Wave has been a favorite of mine the entire 4 years I've had Sirius. Great channel... no complaints. I like all the artists that get played here. The dj's are cool too.

:bigthumbup:
 

semipenguin

Cheeseburger Connoisseur
Oct 11, 2008
25,162
9,251
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Janesville, MN
New Wave and Classic Rock are the two types of music I grew up listening to, and it was really hard to get a station that played New Wave Music where I lived. KROQ was the closest station that played New Wave, but I rarely could listen. Richard Blade was a regular DJ there.

I love the music and the format. I get to hear a lot of songs that I didn't get to hear when I was growing up. Some good, some bad, but for the most part all are enjoyable. I hoped that with the merger they wouldn't start flooding the channel with obscure, never before heard music from New Wave artists. I like that you can listen to shows like Party 360 and Dark Wave to hear those obscure songs...:)

I enjoy the DJ's. Madison is one of my two favorite DJ's on satellite radio...:D

Overall, I give this channel 5 out of 5 stars. Although I don't listen all the time, when I do, I always enjoy it...:)
 

goreds2

Well-Known Member
Oct 14, 2008
6,163
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OH H.....EYE OH
I have been listening for the past hour. It plays better music than I thought. More time will be invested in this channel.
 

squigy0

Member
Oct 14, 2008
152
20
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Baltimore, MD
squigy0.ch00ns.com
Sounds: 70s and 80s alternative, 80s new wave

Positives: Channel presentation is definitely more punchy than it was when it was Fred, and DJs (British one(s) especially) are far more engaging. This format is not represented in its entirety anywhere on radio, however...

Negatives: ...most of the songs that are now played on this channel can be heard in various different formats on various different stations. The DJs do sometimes have the tendency to babble about nothing having to do with the music but have provided some useful facts too at times. A lot of artist repeats

Blastability: Very high, when you're not hearing a song you've heard millions of times before and are sick of it

Overall: When I was in the mood for this format I did occasionally end up on Fred for a few days at a time. I agreed with most that checked out the channel at the time that they did go way too obscure way too often. However with the merged version of the channel, I'm now finding they've too far reduced their obscure songs and are playing all the ones I could hear on various different FM radio stations and that's not so good!
 

kingchuck69

Joker! Joker! Joker!
Oct 11, 2008
5,860
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Grand Rapids, MI
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First Wave is a decent channel, though I'm kinda pissed about the situation regarding Dark Wave. Instead of a real host, they have a canned voicetracker named "DJ Lestat" trying to sound all goth. It sucks that Christopher the Minster's gone; he WAS Dark Wave.

However, the music mix on that show keeps improving.
 

Steel Cranium

Well-Known Member
Nov 12, 2008
1,004
49
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NorthEast Ohio
A high position preset on my radios. Now even higher since Boombox is gone.

Would like to hear more alternate cuts from often played CDs to lessen repeats and make the playlist deeper. Also, more remixed versions sprinkled in. Most new wave releases during that time had remixes/extended mixes released on 12". Safety dance show played the mixes, but quite a bit of repetition week to week. Mixing them in throughout the week keeps things somewhat fresh.

Would also like to see a show dedicated to more recent releases from first wave artists. There aren't too many places on SiriusXM where new releases from new order, the cure, or depeche mode receives airplay (first wave's fast forward - or something like that).
 

Road Hog

Member
Nov 9, 2008
106
7
18
Massachusetts
Good suggestions, Steel.

A definite preset, since this was what was "cutting edge" music for me when I was young. Still love it.

I do miss the show with the guy from the B-52's that used to be on Friday nights.
 

dlnester

Active Member
Oct 15, 2008
407
35
28
Overland Park, Kansas
I've been a First Wave listener since I got Sirius in 2004. I got XM a year ago and started to listen to Fred and actually started to like it better due to shows like "One Revolution Around The Sun" and "Surface Noise" and hoped they would make it to the combined channel but it didn't happen. First Wave is my #1 preset and always my "go-to" channel whenever I can't find something else on.

Saturday Night Safety Dance is an awesome show. I love Dark Wave as well, and after The Minister left, I liked it without a DJ at all. I stil give it 4 out of 5 stars.
 

limegrass69

Confused
Oct 12, 2008
6,079
245
63
New York
I like First Wave a lot. It's a "B" preset for me. The Saturday Night Safety Dance is always a good listen. Reminds me of my high school days fiddling with my antenna trying to pick up WLIR/92.7 with my radio in NJ! 4/5 stars.
 

Aaron

Moderator
Oct 10, 2008
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