Katrina and the Waves

Katrina and the Waves

Kimberly Rew left the Soft Boys and struggled to find his footing. A naturally adept pop songwriter, Rew needed the right commercial hook to make his presence known. The ‘80s were a difficult time for guitar-pop bands that had serious debts to Alex Chilton and Big Star. One listen to such gorgeously arranged pop tracks such as “Brown Eyed Son” (here in a faster, deeper version than on the Waves’ Shock Horror! release), “Que Te Quiero,” “Spiderman” and “Don’t Take Her Out of My World” and it’s obvious just how good Rew could be. Katrina Leskanich was the perfect frontwoman, cooly taking the mic on a number of crucial cuts, none more important and career-defining than “Walking On Sunshine” (here in a brighter, rawer form than the U.S. hit), which would prove to become one of the most well-known songs of the ‘80s and a favorite into the next century. The Bangles had a hit with “Going Down to Liverpool” and the band show off their dance steps with “Dancing Street,” “I Really Taught Me To Watusi” and the b-side bonus track, “She Loves to Groove.”

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