Who hated the 80's?

Squonk · 2008-10-15T23:13:59+00:00

Which decade of music do you detest the most? For me it was the 80's, and I am not even going to mention the fashion. The music was awful. Huge drums, horri...

Who hated the 80's?

iceman83

I don't staunchly hate the 80's so much

my brother would obviously have several heart attacks hearing that someone's dissing the 80's (loves Brian Ferry and the Eurhythmics more than any married man should), however, if ever rock music had a jittery, slipshot (if not outright crap) decade, it'd be the 90's in my humble opinion.

I'm sorry, but I can't believe that my teen years were spent growing up in the decade that brought us Rave, disco-biscuits, Ecstasy, and real-live energizer bunnies who suck lollipops so hard they could cause cabin decompression in a 737.

Which is exactly why I listen to OLD music and NEW music (in a desperate effort to avoid THE OTHER DAY, aka the 90's)

other than that, I'm easy...

Satriani

wow, this is a touchy subject for me, and yes, you may point to the fact I was born in 79, and was a kid when the 80's was around, but I would be absolutely nowhere inspirationally if it weren't for the 80's.

What I've never understood is why people can't just admit that some pop music is absolute genius. Do you have ANY idea how hard some of these pop artists have worked their whole lives to get where they are. It's very unfair to discard them because it's 'uncool' to tell people you like some of their songs. Steering away from the 80's, bands like The Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears. You can say whatever you like, these people have influenced millions of people. The songwriters behind their songs are pure legends in the songwriting world. I grew up listening to ABBA, Roxette, Queen, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard etc...

I don't think there are many better songwriters than Jon Bongiovi around today. His lyrics are always incredible. Listen to the harmonies of Def Leppard singing. It's not ALL about guitar playing guys. There is more to music ?

NorioDS

I'm an 80s die-hard fan. (Yep I realise you concede defeat but this is an interesting topic ?)

I love Roxette, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, etc. And a lot of my FAVOURITE stuff from these guys came out of the 80s.

The 90s are another story altogether but I think the fact of the matter is that it comes down to taste. There will never be an era that is totally crap, simply because if somebody's creating it, somebody out there likes it.

But all philosophical crap aside, I LOVE 80s music!

Renesongs

I have been watching this thread with quite a bit of amusement. I if you asked me 10 years ago what was the worst era in music I would have said the 70's because of Abba, Cliff Richards, Olivia Newton John, The Bee Gee's and other commercial drivel that was around then and is equally pervasive today. There would be no mention of the good stuff Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton, Chick Corea, Weather Report or the obvious wealth of really good music about.

As I've grown away from those years and can objectively see where I was emotional in the 70's I realize That I characterised the music as bad because I was in my turbulent teens at the time and my life was quite messed up. It makes me wonder if anybody that has contributed negatively or positivity to this thread would be so emotive to an era of music outside of there person experience say the 40's or the 50's ?

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote: Hey Chad

I already conceded defeat in this topic ???

The strange thing is that most of the people who were against the 80's, you included were too young or not even born yet to make a fair comment.
As I previously stated I was 17 in 1980 and it was an awful decade, also remember there was no internet so knowledge and access to music was very limited, acts like Dream Theatre might have started in 80's but not many people had access to them.

Well I was 23 in 1980 (oops! Gave the game away again. Got to remember to take those pills in the morning). I lived through it. Whilst my knee-jerk reaction is to break out in rash when people mention the eighties, I think that it was another case of their being good and being bad and nostalgia tends to dwell on the good. This is certainly the case with the 60s (even though it WAS a special era). The problem the 80s have in this regard is that they are much better archived - the good and the bad.

Squonk wrote: Music in the 80's was becoming very processed and huge big productions, Trevor Rabin from Yes was devastated that Nirvana could go into the studio for a couple of days and produce an album, whereas Mr Rabin would take months to produce a Yes album.

Blame The Beatles and The Beachboys for that! The 60s was when the whole idea of using the studio as a creative tool rather than just a way to record a performance started then. In fact we should probably all be pointing the finger of blame at Phil Spector (major influence on Abba). There have been great albums made that way, but it's not a surefire recipe for success and/or megabucks.

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote: Who did Bon Jovi inspire with their music?

Horny teenagers who wanted to run away from home.

Then there was a gap of some years, and then they became inspirational to young adults who had a mortgage to pay and kids to take to school and a 9-to-5 and who wanted to rekindle memories of when they were horny teenagers who wanted to run away from home.

Matt-White

I detested the 80's, have to admit! But maybe it's related to the fact that it was a difficult time all round: national service etc. U2 saved my soul, but we musn't forget about other great bands like The Cult, The Cure and the brilliant Talking Heads! What did happen, is that it forced me to look for something different and I found the old blues masters via Clapton. (Had already gone through the classic rockers by then, like Sabbath et al. And dont knock Kiss! Great, simple riffs...) And it also made me discover brill local bands, like Dog Detachment, The Cherry Faced Lurchers, Radio Rats, as well as local Afrojazz. So, if it hadn't been for 80s c**p, my musical tastes would have looked a lot different!

Bob-Dubery

Bob Dubery wrote:
Squonk wrote: Who did Bon Jovi inspire with their music?

Horny teenagers who wanted to run away from home.

Then there was a gap of some years, and then they became inspirational to young adults who had a mortgage to pay and kids to take to school and a 9-to-5 and who wanted to rekindle memories of when they were horny teenagers who wanted to run away from home.

Which brings to mind the song "1985" by Bowling For Soup.

Debbie just hit the wall
She never had it all
One Prozac a day
Husbands a CPA
Her dreams went out the door
When she turned twenty four
Only been with one man
What happen to her plan?

She was gonna be an actress
She was gonna be a star
She was gonna shake her ass
On the hood of Whitesnake's car
Her yellow SUV is now the enemy
Looks at her average life
And nothing has been alright since

Bruce Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that shes uncool
Cuz she's still preoccupied
With 19...
19...
1985

Shes seen all the classics
She knows every line
Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink
Even Saint Elmos Fire
She rocked out to Wham
Not a big Limp Bizkit fan
Thought shed get a hand
On a member of Duran Duran

Where's the mini-skirt made of snake skin?
And who's the other guy that's singing in Van Halen?
When did reality become T.V?
What ever happen to sitcoms, game shows?
On the radio was

Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that shes uncool
Cuz she's still preoccupied
With 19...
19...
1985

She hates time make it stop
When did Motley Crue become classic rock?
And when did Ozzy become an actor?
Please make this stop
Stop!
And bring back
Bruce Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that shes uncool
Cuz she's still preoccupied
With 19...
19...
1985

Still_Missing

I'm starting to think we need a group called "who hated the 90's?" with all the 90's comments going around ?
One thing's for sure. For me, if Blink182 and Offspring had not been in my youth, I'd be one hell of a different person.

Riaan-Combrink

Bob Dubery wrote: She rocked out to Wham
Not a big Limp Bizkit fan

And who's the other guy that's singing in Van Halen?
When did reality become T.V?
When did Motley Crue become classic rock?
And when did Ozzy become an actor?
Please make this stop

These are such sharp lyrics. Love it. ?

Matt-White

I agree: Check this line, haha!

And who's the other guy that's singing in Van Halen?

Immediately going to look for this tune, don't know them at all...

Trav101

Just my observations on this interesting thread……

I find it odd that people always categories music by the decade it was release in. It seems we adhere to the MTV depiction of the 80’s as being Cindy Laupers “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and Wham's “Wake me up before you go go!” when it was also as the era of Motorheads "Ace of Spades" and AC/DCs- "Hell's Bells" not to mention all the speed and thash metal that was floating around. ???

Grunge was as much an 80’s movement as it was 90’s for the chaps in Seattle as well. The first appearance of a mainstream grunge release was as far back as 1986 in the form of a compilation album called Deep Six (available though reissue by A&M.) The album featured Green River, Soundgarden, Skin Yard, and The Melvins among others grunge pioneers.

I see a lot of people have also listed KISS as an 80’s band as well when in fact they released several of their most successful albums between 1974 and 1980 and spent most of the 80’s out of their make-up releasing compilation albums…... Sies!!! So is their music 70’s/80’s or 90’s for that matter?

For me personally bands like Guns ‘n Roses, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Bon Jovi (over 100 million albums sold so leave me alone on this one please ☹ ) Megadeth and Metallica rocked my very early years but I don’t think of them at 80’s or 90’s bands. Most of them are still around today releasing albums and actively touring. Rolling Stones formed in 1962 so where would they fit in?

With every decade come the good, the bad and the ugly and if you look back with an open mind you will see that there's as much of it in equal quantities no matter what decade you look at.

Bob-Dubery

Trav101 wrote: Just my observations on this interesting thread……

I find it odd that people always categories music by the decade it was release in. It seems we adhere to the MTV depiction of the 80’s as being Cindy Laupers “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and Wham's “Wake me up before you go go!” when it was also as the era of Motorheads "Ace of Spades" and AC/DCs- "Hell's Bells" not to mention all the speed and thash metal that was floating around. ???

The problem is the SIXTIES. I think you can make a case for that being a special time - not just musically but in terms of social changes. Once you accept that (and it's valid) then people being what people are then we need to start talking about the 70s, the 80s etc. Also I would think that there's a syndrome of people like me who were too young to really experience the 60s to start asserting the decade in which they grew up and started experiencing life because if those old hippies can do it why can't we?

Trav101 wrote: With every decade come the good, the bad and the ugly and if you look back with an open mind you will see that there's as much of it in equal quantities no matter what decade you look at.

Absolutely. There was plenty of crap music in the sixties - just listen to "Solid Gold Sunday" for the proof.

The problem with music and nostalgia is that most people remember the music in the context of their first date with their wife or whatever. That might bring back pleasant memories, but it doesn't make the music good. And when they start rambling on about such-and-such a magical time it was magical to them because that's when they did all their jolling, formed lasting friendships, had their first serious relationships, got their first speeding ticket and so on. And we all go through that at some time.

arjunmenon

Chad Adam Browne wrote: Dream Theater came out of the 80's in fact they started in 1986 and have had a huge influence on alot of today's modern metal music and they're still going. Personally I wish I were alive and in my teens for the 80's so that I too could have heard the uprise of shred. I mean come on Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, Nuno Bettencourt, Steve Vai etc... these are all names associated with the 80's and being inspirational and amazing guitarists. I would also like to point out Shrapnel records and the massive effect they had on the instrumental side of guitaring, we didn't have to wait until our lead break moment to have uor voice heard or our message perceived anymore because it was now okay for the entire song to be lead by us for once.

The 90's however were a joke...guitaring standards dropped so low and anyone who could play a pentatonic and scream was now MTV material, besides the rise of awful pop music such as britney spears and the backstreet boys the world of rock was also looking pretty damn bleak. Before anyone says it, yes I know it's not about how many notes you can play etc... it's about the music but still I find it shocking that people who could barely play an A minor pentatonic were now the new guitar heroes of the day.

+1 with you all the way dude. JP rules! A few other names..Steve Morse, Steve Lukather, Reb Beach, George Lynch, the various guitar players who played for Whitesnake, Warrant, Twisted Sister, Kingdom Come etc etc..(Sorry, i was raised on glam rock) ?

In a nutshell, i think popular music post 1995 -7 sucks big time and its getting worse.