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It appears that the long-awaited eighties are about to rush into history a year and a half early—nothing could be better.
Without question this is going to be the best rock and roll summer in years. In the last several months there have been brilliant new releases from Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Cheap Trick, Patti Smith, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Seger. Furthermore, almost all of these artists have made or have plans to make Southern Californian appearances this summer.
But what actually makes these six artists, their new records, and their upcoming performances so important is the fact that they currently represent, in terms of both creativity and popularity, the crest of the new wave. Punk rock is dead, the new phrase is "power pop." Basically all this means is that only those bands who know how to play their instruments are going to survive. Yet punk rock was essential to the re-vitalization of rock and roll because it reminded everyone just how important urgency and energy are to the music. The best new wave songs replace melody for monotony while still maintaining an angry edge. Ultimately, a more marketable product is produced. And if the new wave is going to survive, it's going to have to sell.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are one of the few new wave bands who have actually made good on the charts. Their single, "Breakdown," reached number 40 nationally and after "American Girl" got a lot of FM airplay, the entire album started selling well. Now hopefully, the even better new album, You're Gonna Get It, will continue Petty's march up the charts. You're Gonna Get It is real rock and roll but it also contains several tracks that could easily be great singles. And, as Petty said in a recent interview, "I think it's great for a band like ours that's playing rock and roll to crack the Top Ten or the Top Forty or even the Top Hundred because this kind of rock and roll isn't on the AM radio and I want to put it there. I'm after it. I want to get it. It's only going to take one or two artists of the rock mold... to go into the Top Ten before we might see a turnaround in music. Kids love rock and roll — real rock and roll — on the AM radio."
Another artist who shares Tom Petty's conviction is Elvis Costello. Being the sort who likes to come away from every show he goes to feeling it's the best he's ever seen, I was not at all disappointed by Costello's show last Thursday night at Millikan High School.
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