New Wave summer hits Boston shores

By Jed Gottlieb

It’s a miracle! It’s a mir-ra-cal! And New Wave dreams are made of summer shows and reissues.

Celebrate New Wave Summer with a series of local concerts and landmark album anniversaries. From Culture Club to the Church, INXS to A Flock of Seagulls, this is what you need, we’ll give you what you need,

Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, House of Blues, July 7

There are three types of OMD fans. Those who favor perfect pop anthem “If You Leave.” Those who favor perfect electropop gem “Enola Gay.” Those who love both and will talk your ear off about how 1985 LP “Crush” is a lost masterpiece. Be the third type on July 7.

“Colour by Numbers,” Culture Club, reissue

New Wave? Yes. Soul? Yes! Long out of print, this vinyl reissue reminds that Culture Club was the first great soul act of the ’80s. The band’s second LP is full of originals that sounded like a modern takes on Motown. Sure, “Karma Chameleon” is awesome. But go and listen to the quiet storm of deep cut “Changing Every Day” and the Stevie Wonder-inspired “Church of the Poison Mind” featuring guest vocalist and secret weapon Helen Terry.

“Remain in Light” redux, the Wilbur, July 25

Talking Heads guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Harrison and guitarist Adrian Belew get back to the light with more tour dates celebrating the Heads’ 1980 album. To recreate the landmark record, the pair enlisted an 11-piece band from former members of disco revivalists Turkuaz with a dash of Belew’s solo group.

“Crowded House,” Crowded House, reissue

New Wave? You bet. The best Beatles album not made by the Beatles? Quite possibly yes. With a tunefulness and experimental streak that’s downright reminiscent of “Rubber Soul,” Australian-New Zealand import took over the States with this 1986 album. Hits “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and “Something So Strong” are immaculate. But dig deeper and you’ll find a drunken circus music bridge in “Hole in the River” and the dreamy, wandering melodic asides in “World Where You Live.”

The Church, Somerville Theatre, Aug. 1

The Church never got its due. The Aussie band was like another Echo & the Bunnymen. It predated and predicted everyone from the Smiths to the Strokes. Give the crew its due at this rare Massachusetts show.

“Listen Like Thieves,” INXS, 40th anniversary edition

“Kick” gets all the credit because, well, “Kick” is awesome. But 1985’s “Listen Like Thieves” sees the band winding up to the mega stardom it would achieve a few years later. The LP is more packed than you probably remember: “What You Need,” “This Time,” “Kiss the Dirt,” the title track. It’s also got more range than anything the band had done to date — see the snaky, sexy “Good + Bad Times” and heavy and furious “Red Red Sun.”

Richard Blade Presents Lost 80’s Live, Wang Theater, Aug. 1

The legendary DJ presents an evening where you can hear “I Ran (So Far Away),” “Big Country,” “Tenderness,” and “Turning Japanese.” So many songs, so many bands (10!), so many memories.

“Discography: The Complete Singles Collection,” Pet Shop Boys, reissue

No dance-pop band has dropped a collection of hits as intellectual, odd, and wonderful as Pet Shop Boys did between 1985 and 1991. It’s fascinating to follow the duo’s progress from “West End Girls” to “Suburbia” to “It’s a Sin” to “Being Boring.” Not a single track misses. Everything makes you think. Everything makes you dance.

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