Best 80s New Wave

I think technically Violator was 90’s?

Talking Heads - what a great band
Howard Jones - still plays great live
OMD - sounded great on last tour
Devo - Did we forget Devo
Thompson Twins - A single "twin" still tours
ABC - still playing live
Spoons - still play live
Psychedelic Furs - saw live. 4 great songs, 90 minutes of misery
Boy George
Cyndi Lauper    Berlin
English Beat
Yaz
Cure
Cult (sort of Rock new wave)
New Order - possibly the worse live act ever, but great music
TransX
Talk Talk
Split Enz
Crowded House
A-ha
The Fixx
Flock of Seagulls
Falco
Nina
Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Could go on and on. It was a happy time for music.

@maxnewid 
just reading through this thread again as it seems to have regained some life. 

If you like Chameleons, its probable you’ve also heard Abecedarians.  However, in the event you haven’t heard them I wanted to bring them to your attention.   LA band with similar sound (haunting guitars).  Another one of my all-time favorites.  You can download one or two EP or LPs on i-tunes or Spotify, but their vinyl (or cd) catalog is a bit more comprehensive and well worth getting.  

Similar, but not as ‘accessible’ is Drowning Pool.   Song writers from Abecedarians and Downing Pool did some writing together and released a few cassettes.  

@gunners01 Thanks for the heads up. I will check them out. I have been going through the Catherine Wheel catalogue during the quarantine. Another great "wall of sound" band and certainly under appreciated. I like "Ferment" and "Adam and Eve".

@maxnewid  
Big Catherine Wheel fan.   Saw a Fontana triple billing at First Ave in Minneapolis with Ocean Color Scene, Catherine Wheel and House of Love.  HoL one of my favorites as well.  What I’m finding, sadly, with the Catherine Wheel is they just weren’t recorded well.  Correct me if you think I’m wrong, and I get the “wall of sound” comment, but I never feel like I’m getting the full effect of the “wall”.  I don’t have that problem with similar bands like Ride or My Bloody Valentine.  

Not sure if you are a Porsche fan, but if you are, I assume you know Dickinson from CW started “Singer” porsches.   Completely rebuilds old 911’s and sells them for $250-$500k. 

@audio2design You're correct about DM's Violator---it was released in 1990. My bad. :)