Music Banter - Do the 80's Deserve their Bad Rep?

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- - Do the 80's Deserve their Bad Rep? (https://www.musicbanter.com/rock-metal/57977-do-80s-deserve-their-bad-rep.html)

i'll just sum it up as this:-

you had to be there

otherwise, it doesn't make much sense

Quote:

Originally Posted by Necromancer (Post 1094976)

I would personally think that the 90s produced more "Weak" genres of music and bands/artist than the 80s did, but that's just my opinion, and to be honest, good music can be found in all decades.

I agree. With the 90s I find I often have to dig a bit deeper to find my preferred records, the most famous ones (which may have nostalgia for others) often don't impress me that much. And although some often seem to equate metal with the 80s, I don't that much. I might like more metal from later as it might be slightly more elaborate or progressive. But the decade had lots else besides the big US rock sound anyway.

The 90s for me are immortalized in the math rock, indie rock, post hardcore, noise rock, post rock, hip hop, ambient house and IDM that the decade spawned. Still a great 10 years of music, and actually one of my favourites.

When I think of the 90s though, I think of Grunge and Britpop as being what they're remembered for.

I didn't really listen to newer popular music in the 90s so none of it holds nostalgia for me. That just leaves me even more free to just explore and pick out what from scratch what actually appeals to me. So with Britpop while I like, for instance, some Oasis songs I'm also quite critical of some of their stuff and don't really think by my estimation that they have done a truly classic album.

Elliott Smith released his best albums in the 90s too, that immediately brightens my view of the decade. Trip Hop and Shoegaze are further sub-genres I neglected to acknowledge.

The hair and makeup were considered over the top then.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tore (Post 1094303)

To some extent, I do think the 80s deserve a bad rep. In the late 70s, popular opinion turned against the ambitious and often experimental rock music of the 70s. A lot of great bands disappeared around the start of the 80s when their creative sparks started fizzling out or their music couldn't be sold anymore, for example Procol Harum and Caravan. Those who did survive often changed their sound and style in an attempt to remain sellable to fans of the new and increasingly synthesized pop music, for example Yes, Heart, Genesis, Magma or Gentle Giant.

Also, the least appreciated parts of the discographies of bands that kept going like Pink Floyd or Camel are typically from the 80s. The problem with the 80s production is that it sounds more dated than it did before because they were playing around and experimenting a lot with technology, but technology gets old while the sound of a guitar or a flute is a lot more timeless as instruments don't change that much. As a result, music from the 80s sounds, to me, often more outdated than music from previous decades.

In the end, it is of course about perspective and what you look for. If you like the metal or alternative rock that came about during the 80s (f.ex), then perhaps it's a decade full of merit, but if you're like me and like bands and artists from earlier decades who disappeared or turned to **** in the 80s with big hair and shoulderpads, then the 80s is in many ways a pretty sad decade.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stu (Post 1094456)

If you're into Gothic rock, hardcore punk, dream pop, College rock, Indie pop, Post-Hardcore, Noise rock and Industrial, the 80s also rule. Every decade has it's awful chart music, the 80s is no worse than the 70s, 90s or 00s. In fact, the 60s was the only decade wherein pop music was of a consistently high quality, and even then there was a lot of shit

I feel both of these comments perfectly summarize my opinion of the 80s (especially Tore's). Although, I would add post-punk and experimental music (in general) to Stu's list of genres...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Il Duce (Post 1094979)

i'll just sum it up as this:-

you had to be there

otherwise, it doesn't make much sense

I don't know if that argument really applies though.
I mean, I like music from the 50s through the 70s, and I wasn't born in that timeframe. But the 80s? There's VERY little that I like from that time period. And I was born in 81, so what's up with that?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freebase Dali (Post 1095091)

at least a teenager in the 80s

i dunno, just being swept by the tide at the moment

in retrospect, i don't think many people who were younger could get caught up in big hair, parachute pants, NES-like synths or videos shot in Sri Lanka