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I'm very out of touch with music you might call 'tuneful' or whatever. Can someone assist here? I mean you're not just gonna toss him a Birthday Party record and be like, "here ya go, kid", and have that be it.

You can start with The Cure's happy/poppy songs and advance gradually from there.

Early U2 may work too.

There are hundred of things worse than HL & the News to listen to.

Not sure I get the idea of the thread.

I agree with FM Vibracobra here; seems kind of an odd topic for a thread, but I'll bite.

Huey Lewis and the News: straight-ahead, family-friendly, upbeat rock & roll band with a main dude up front and a horn section. Nothing innovative, nothing offensive. Massively popular in the '80s. Probably a fun act to see live.

If you're asking for a possible bridge between Huey Lewis and the News and what is the epitome of post-punk, it's probably stuff like U2, R.E.M., The Police, and The Clash - other massively popular rock & roll bands around that same time period that are incrementally closer to post-punk than Huey Lewis and the News.

Assuming said kid is oftentimes around you, possibly in a car or whatever, you could also just play certain records to the point where they are exposed to them constantly and they'll learn to like it. This worked with my daughters, who knew the first few records by Devo and The Ramones by heart before their eighth birthdays.

My son loved The Ramones, The Fall, Stereolab, Interpol, Bloc Party.

My dad used to listen to Dire Straits in the car.

With 5 years old or so I totally loved "walk of life" and LOl'd with every Knopfler's "uh uh!"

Fortunately I also had a cool uncle who had tons of AcDc and Iron Maiden records.

THE FALL duh. The Clash, The Ramones, The Police, why didn't I think of this stuff. Early Misfits singles will work too. Keep the recommendations coming.

Elvis Costello’s My Aim is True was recorded with backing band Clover, (some of?) who would go on to be in the News, so not a bad connection to explore!

Also I agree you could do worse than Huey Lewis. Obviously very commercial and lyrically light, but it’s pretty serviceable pop played by human beings. Stylistically, I might try gently encouraging Costello, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds,Knack, Only Ones, Plimsouls, Blondie who all had catchy stuff but intersected punk a little more closely.

Tomorrow I am absolutely gonna start a private Spotify session and play Sports though.

The obvious choice is Elvis Costello-My Aim Is True, right?

falsedichotomy wrote: Sat Jul 02, 2022 2:55 pm Keep the recommendations coming.

Talking Heads.

I was also thinking maybe INXS, due to format similarities w/ the News. But on second thought I think that leads you more to Duran Duran than PiL.

My daughter grew up hearing all of the good stuff. Once she reached about 9 or 10, she hated all of it, and continues to show no interest in it to this day (she’ll be 20 in a couple of months). Each kid will be different, but if your kid has a strong contrarian streak, I’d hold your musical cards close to your chest