VOL. 1, TRACK 10: CLASSIX NOUVEAUX, “GUILTY”

This is a decent song that got a decent video — a good New Romantic video, at that! (New Romanticism being just the other side of the New Wave coin.) Here’s the description (from TheNouveauxdecadence) that I cut and pasted from the video. A “New Romantic extravanganza,” indeed!

A New Romantic extravaganza filled with the signature New Romantic dance, Flowing Red Fabric, Extraordinary Outfits and Make Up. This video was directed by the legendary Russell Mulcahy and filmed in London. Russell was also responsible for a long list of CLASSIC 80's videos from Duran Duran, Ultravox, Culture Club, Boy George to Kim Carnes, Spandau Ballet, Bonnie Tyler and MANY more!

But the question is, if this song got such a real-deal New Wave music vdeo treatment, then why wasn’t the song or the band more popular? Honestly, I had never heard of either one, before last month. I didn’t have Volume 1 of Living in Oblivion as a teenager, so that’s why this song went undetected for me, for so long.

And I have a theory about why Classix Nouveaux didn’t blow up, at least not with this video: it’s pretty, and yes, it’s very New Romantic (as evidenced by the flowing red fabrics and pink/lavender lighting), but it is largely derivative, and lacking in its own personality. And that’s too bad, because I can tell that Classic Nouveaux’s lead singer, what with his bald head and dramatic makeup and terrifying eyes, has TONS of personality!

What a shame all that got fed into some generic Spandau/Duran music video machine, where it was ground up into flavorless sausage. I’m giving “Guilty” a 5/10 for not having the New Wave balls to make its own music video, its own way. Because, you know, that would have been a very New Wave thing to do.

💘