10 Perfect New Wave Albums With No Bad Songs

Several years before the synth-pop thing really took off, American group, Blondie was churning out easy but edgy pop records. Their sound drew from the early '60s but took on the DIY of post-punk. 'Pop' has come to represent a kind of music that has little substance and relies on formulaic and predictable song structuring... But it wasn't always so. Blondie were undoubtedly a pop group, but they had a huge amount of talent. They were savvy enough to draw from emerging trends, but they also had a distinctly classic sound.

The record explored different themes and styles. One Way or Another, was outright punk. Picture This sounded like a classical love track but dressed itself up in a new wave outfit. Fade Away And Radiate, utilised the instrument of the moment, the synth. It's one of the more brooding tracks on the record - it straddled the realms of space rock, but Debbie Harry's classically romantic voice, kept everything grounded.

And then you have the new wave anthem for the ages: Heart Of Glass. A rumbling bass line gave the song motion; etherial synthesisers, sprinkled a little futurism across the background, and layered vocals helped to hold up, Harry's tenderly sung lyrics.