[Enverxis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel The mainstream top 40 of any decade will always be rather bland "safe" choices that appeal to broadest cross section of public........but what was happening below the shiny polished veneer, in the trenches, in the underground? The 1980's had incrediblely creative, diverse and extreme underground that in many ways is unmatched even today. You must seek it out, it is not in top 40 or greatest hits of 1980's collections, these bands do not have videos on MTV, VH1 etc but they pushed the limits of music like never before.......I am constantly searching out previously unknown groups from the 1980's that are much better than any current darlings of the music/video industry.

White Zombie 1985-1989 New York Underground Years

 

[nickchen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel I am constantly searching out previously unknown groups from the 1980's that are much better than any current darlings of the music/video industry.

There is quite some 80's stuff I remember from my

fierce fierce milksop days (brain dump):
[size=xx-small]- Fingerprintz
- Devo
- And also the Trees
- Chameleons
- Felt
- D.A.F.
- Echo & the Bunnymen
- Classics Nouveaux
- Midnight Oil (only the "10987654321" Album)
- THE EARLY Simple Minds before the "Don't you forget about me" era [garp, again]
- THE EARLY O.M.D (Debutalbum, Organisation)
- THE EARY Human League (Travelogue, Reproduction)
- Siouxsie and the Banshees
- Cocteau Twins
- The Church
- Bauhaus[/size]

I wouldn't say that this music is better than anything that has been made afterwards, but it's at least good & creative music --- that sometimes sounds kinda cheapish for having been produced with the 80's stone-age methods. I never liked the "Venyl" sound. "Remastered" Versions brought out later are quite a good thing IMO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fewtch IMO the 90s were very mixed... if you think of "alternative" music as really being mainstream (alternative music for the mainstream that is) they were pretty good, at least the first half of the decade.

I personally prefer the second half of the 90's when all that electronic & Trip Hop Stuff gathered momentum. That's where I actually feel home.

 

[bong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickchen There is quite some 80's stuff I remember from my fierce fierce milksop days (brain dump): [size=xx-small]- Fingerprintz - Devo - And also the Trees - Chameleons - Felt - D.A.F. - Echo & the Bunnymen - Classics Nouveaux - Midnight Oil (only the "10987654321" Album) - THE EARLY Simple Minds before the "Don't you forget about me" era [garp, again] - THE EARLY O.M.D (Debutalbum, Organisation) - THE EARY Human League (Travelogue, Reproduction) - Siouxsie and the Banshees - Cocteau Twins - The Church - Bauhaus[/size] I wouldn't say that this music is better than anything that has been made afterwards, but it's at least good & creative music --- that sometimes sounds kinda cheapish for having been produced with the 80's stone-age methods. I never liked the "Venyl" sound. "Remastered" Versions brought out later are quite a good thing IMO.

great list of artists you have there. a lot of people don't realize that there were many bands in the 80's that made thought provoking, provocative, and intelligent music. it need not be mindless, meaningless pop music.

there's also this misconception that synth based music lacks depth, a substitute for real musicians, and was a fashionable trend. i find it annoying when people conjure up bands like A Flock of Seagulls to represent 80's synth. IMO early synth records like The Human League's "Reproduction" and "Travelogue," as well as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's self-titled debut and "Organisation" was more punk than The Sex Pistols and The Clash ever was. they were playing traditional instruments in the same basic guitar/bass/drums format (not exactly revolutionary) while these synth experimentalists were truly creating something new and exciting. but of course when something catches on there will always be "fashionable copycats." heh... even John Lydon, Joe Strummer, and Mick Jones dabbled with synths along the way.


heh, as for synth experimentalists before going down the pop route:
i'll pick "Someone Somewhere in the Summertime" for Simple Minds over "Don't You Forget About Me."
i'll pick "Messages" for OMD over "If You Leave"
i'll pick "Being Boiled" for The Human League" over "Don't You Want Me." (although i still adore Dare! to death).

 

[tortoise]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Masonjar No. While many of your big acts sucked mightily in the 80's, and most top40 was pretty yucky, esp the 2nd half of the 80s with all the lame hair bands, most of the good stuff was bubbling under the surface. To me, these bands are why I think the 80s were a pretty amazing decade for music: Husker Du Dinosaur Jr. Sonic Youth Minutemen Replacements The Cure Depeche Mode Siouxsie and the Banshees Bauhaus Love & Rockets Cocteau Twins Joy Division New Order They Might Be Giants XTC The Clash R.E.M. The Feelies Camper van Beethoven Meat Puppets fIREHOSE The Jesus and Mary Chain The Pixies The Throwing Muses The Pogues Public Image Ltd. Nick Cave Violent Femmes Ministry Skinny Puppy Einsturzende Neubauten Black Flag Minor Threat Dead Kennedys Soul Asylum I could go on but I have to go. I love the 80's.. those that didn't like the 80's probably never will. I know that there is a lot of music that I missed from the 70's that I'll never get around to going back to discover. I think it has a lot to do with the decade you came to love music. If the 60's was you decade, any that follows will probably be weaker. Though I love the 90's probably more than the 80's so take that how you will. -jar

I hate to quote an entire post just so I can say "you rock", but: you rock. I would add a few to your list (Tom Waits, especially), but it's an excellent overview of an incredibly fertile time for "left of the dial" music.

Yeah, commercial music largely sucked in the '80s (with a few exceptions such as the Talking Heads, which were popular, MTV friendly, and incredible, at least in the beginning), but it was just that sucking that made the underground music necessary, gave it life.

If I had to pick a single 5 year stretch that resulted in more (to my ears) essential music than any other since the late '60s, I think it would be somewhere along the lines of '88-'92. I consider myself extremely lucky in that my formative years coincided almost exactly with that amazing period (I graduated high school in '88). Just off the top of my head, that stretch produced the following unqualified masterpieces:

1. Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova
2. Daydream Nation, Goo
3. If I Should Fall From Grace With God
4. Nevermind
5. Workbook
6. Loveless
7. Laughing Stock
8. Spiderland
9. Slanted & Enchanted
10. Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head
11. Bone Machine

I'm probably forgetting a bunch, but it's a start.

 

[bong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tortoise If I had to pick a single 5 year stretch that resulted in more (to my ears) essential music than any other since the late '60s, I think it would be somewhere along the lines of '88-'92. I consider myself extremely lucky in that my formative years coincided almost exactly with that amazing period (I graduated high school in '88). Just off the top of my head, that stretch produced the following unqualified masterpieces: Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, Bossanova Daydream Nation, Goo If I Should Fall From Grace With God Nevermind Workbook Loveless Laughing Stock Spiderland Slanted & Enchanted Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head Bone Machine I'm probably forgetting a bunch, but it's a start.

Happy Mondays - Bummed (1988) and Pills n' Thrills and Bellyaches (1990)
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (1989)
The Cure - Disintegration (1989)
New Order - Technique (1989)
Primal Scream - Screamadelica (1990)
Ride - Nowhere (1990)
Jesus and Mary Chain - Honey's Dead (1992)
Pixies - Doolittle (1989) Trompe Le Monde (1991)
My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything (1988)
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (1989)

 

[Jahn]

And don't forget the Sugar Cubes - Bjork before she went solo folks - I had my "wailing women" period in the 80's where I listened to "Birthday" by the Sugar Cubes, "Dizzy" by the Throwing Muses, "Mandinka" by Sinead O'Connor (She isn't just a Prince cover girl, folks) etc etc - and how about some chilled out pleasures like "Twist in my sobriety" by Tanita Tikaram and "Marlene on the wall" by Suzanne Vega? And long live Mary's Danish!

edit - shame on folks. I decided to buy all of Mary's Danish's CDs on amazon used (all 3 of em lol) and the total came to...4 bucks. LOL! talk about underappreciated!

 

[s m @]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bong Happy Mondays - Bummed (1988) and Pills n' Thrills and Bellyaches (1990) ........ Pixies - Doolittle (1989) Trompe Le Monde (1991) My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything (1988) Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (1989)

Jane's Addiction: Nothing's Shocking, Ritual
Neil Young: Freedom, Ragged Glory, Weld

That period is bulletproof. But c'mon, even Neil went to heck in a handbasket for the beginning of the 80's.

 

[Cyclone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloyd I thought 80's music was bad at the time but, looking back, it's a truckload better than the crap pap that's being produced at the moment and that's a very worrying thought....... I wonder what people will make of the "2000" decade in years to come........ (where's the "vomit" smilie?) Pinkie.

I completely agree. It seems like there are so few bands that are truely great right now. There are very few current bands that I listen to because most of it is just synthasized, plasticy generic music. I think a big part of the reason why most people consider the 80's bad for music is because there wasnt that one big stand out band that everyone thinks of when you say "(X)0's music". 60's it was the Beatles, 70's it was Zepp, 90's it was Nirvana, 80's....uhhh as much as I love the Cure i dont think they are well known enough to stand along side those other bands (although im sure everyone has heard them in movies at least). What the 80's were great for was the creation of new genres and being creative even if it meant that your music sounded crappy to alot of people. Im hoping bands like Tool and NiN (alright they are older than that but im going to count them anyways) will save my decade from being brushed under the rug. And at least there's always hope for the future we've only got 5 years left though people, get going before bands like Good Charlotte kill my soul and then devour it.

 

[kramer5150]

A lot of my favorite bands hit it big in the 80s. Most are guitar-centered....

Eric Johnson
Joe Satriani
Dokken / George Lynch
Living Color / Vernon Reid
Iron Maiden
Van Halen
AC/DC
Steve Vai
Dreamtheater / Petrucci
Mr Big / Paul Gilbert
Ozzy / Randy Rhoads
Def Leppard / Phil Collen
Metallica
Motley Crue
Bon Jovi / Richie Sambora

I was a teenage punk with my iron maiden tshirts... beating up on all the madonna and cindy lauper fans... LOL I thought it was soo cool

 

[nickchen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bong IMO early synth records like The Human League's "Reproduction" and "Travelogue," as well as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's self-titled debut and "Organisation" was more punk than The Sex Pistols and The Clash ever was. they were playing traditional instruments in the same basic guitar/bass/drums format (not exactly revolutionary) while these synth experimentalists were truly creating something new and exciting.

Part of the early Human Leage or OMD sorcery is the fact that they did not exactly know how to handle their synths. They had no *****ing clue how music works (in common sense) and just headed towards some "playchild" attitude, which finally lead to that great minimalistic & experimental result we adore so much.

Guess we've all stolen that thread meanwhile. Maybe someone should start an anti 70's thread in order that the hippie empire can strike back...

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclone I completely agree. It seems like there are so few bands that are truely great right now. There are very few current bands that I listen to because most of it is just synthasized, plasticy generic music.

...this is what happens when you start to get old, the newer the music, the worse it sounds...

 

[Cyclone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasper994 ...this is what happens when you start to get old, the newer the music, the worse it sounds...

Damn, and im only 17. at this rate i'll be going into the fetal position at age 30 when they play linkin parks re-interpritation of Floyd....

 

[stevesurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloyd (where's the "vomit" smilie?) Pinkie.

A little late, I know

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyclone Damn, and im only 17. at this rate i'll be going into the fetal position at age 30 when they play linkin parks re-interpritation of Floyd....

it's too late for me. i already own linkin park's re-interpretation of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence," and i'm sucking my thumb.

 

[erix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel The mainstream top 40 of any decade will always be rather bland "safe" choices that appeal to broadest cross section of public........but what was happening below the shiny polished veneer, in the trenches, in the underground? The 1980's had incrediblely creative, diverse and extreme underground that in many ways is unmatched even today. You must seek it out, it is not in top 40 or greatest hits of 1980's collections, these bands do not have videos on MTV, VH1 etc but they pushed the limits of music like never before.......I am constantly searching out previously unknown groups from the 1980's that are much better than any current darlings of the music/video industry.

Indeed. I would respectfully argue with one point though:

If there is one thing to be said about the music of our current time, is that the proliferation of internet radio/MP3/satelite radio has given everyone a hundred college radio stations right on their desktop. Diverse music from the relatively unknown to the obscure to the what-the-hell-is-THAT is much more available now than it was 20 years ago.

This is a double-edged sword, however, because now that you have so many choices, you have to look even HARDER for it!

ok,
erix