The Waves "Shock Horror!" 1983 first mini LP [Katrina and the Waves]

Their first, a test, rare and rough - simply their best! Thanx Kimberly Rew!
Like ex-bandmate Robyn Hitchcock, Kimberley Rew survived the end of the Soft Boys to take further forays into melodious '60s folk-rock and psychedelia, as the eight tracks (seven previously released) on his 1982 solo release prove. Working with the dB's, ex-Soft Boys and a new group called the Waves, Rew doesn't pursue weirdness as avidly as Hitchcock does, but the singer/guitarist/keyboardist has a neat winner with The Bible of Bop.
Rew and the Waves subsequently became a fulltime proposition, a sympathetic and commercially potent outlet for his ace songwriting. The Anglo-American quartet's other major asset is singer/guitarist Katrina Leskanich, a Kansas native with a strong, flexible voice equally suited for full-tilt pop harmonies and belt-it-out rock'n'roll. The band melds a diverse collection of styles, personalities and ethnic backgrounds.
The low-budget Shock Horror! contains early versions of eight songs, only a few of which have since surfaced on the band's albums. "Strolling on Air," cut with a former bassist, is an especially rich find; the other tunes (except for an MC5-ish raver, "Atomic Rock'n'Roll") are typically engaging but not particularly well recorded. Interesting and certainly no embarrassment.
NOTES:
The Bangles covered this Kimberley Rew tune for their 1984 LP 'All Over The Place'. Because Katrina And The Waves' version became popular in 1985 on their world-wide release 'Katrina And The Waves', many people had assumed that the Bangles had recorded it first. That wasn't accurate. The fact was that Rew's band had originally released it on their debut record 'Shock Horror!' in 1983 when they were simply called The Waves, on an independent label in the UK and Canada. However, the Bangles recieve an important credit: since their version of the song was played on the radio on both sides of the Atlantic, it caught the ears of the major record label Capitol Records. Because of that, Katrina And The Waves had a new record deal, "Going Down To Liverpool" was re-recorded and released on their 1985 self-titled LP and the rest is history.

The Waves:
Katrina Leskanich-voc, guitar / Alex Cooper-drums, voc / Vince de la Cruz-bass, voc / Kimberly Rew-guitar, voc

traxfromwax:
1 Going Down To Liverpool 2 Strolling On Air 3 Riding My Bike 4 I Caught The Milk Train (she took the Deux Chevaux) 5 Brown Eyed Son 6 You Can't Stand Next To Judy 7 Atomic Rock 'N' Roll 8 Saturday Week