Quote:
Originally Posted by SlyStone63
What went wrong with so many artists/bands that had huge success commercially and critically throughout the 60s and 70s once the music world entered into the 1980s? Commercially or critically they fell off badly in the 80s.
I'll name a few... Stevie Wonder, Donna Summer, Joni Mitchell, Earth Wind and Fire, Elton John, David Bowie, Queen, Aerosmith, Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Barry White, AC/DC, Bob Dylan and many more?
Was it because of MTV? The technology of the 80s? Trend chasing? Creative juice was out?
What do you all think?
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I think it was a mix of all three of those factors I have quoted in bold.I would add Yes and Genesis to that list.
MTV - because it suddenly became a requirement to look youthful and attractive in order to get the MTV watchers interested.
Technology and trend chasing - because so many artists got seduced by the possibilities of what you could do with computers and synthesisers. What they did not realise was that just because you CAN do something does not mean you SHOULD. Adoption of new technology is not a bad thing in itself, but it won't make something sound great that was not a great tune to begin with. Of course I am not referring to artists like Kraftwerk, where the technology was kind of the point.