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80s music - was it really that bad.


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Ok, yes it mostly was......but it was my era for growing up, finishing school etc, so it's special. Does any of it stand the test of time? Could the song that was cool back in the day still be cool now or is it a total cringe fest hearing those songs again. Answer: Mostly, not always.

What about Bronski Beat, Small town boy. I remember ( here we go ) I was out with a boofy Yugoslavian mate on afternoon helping him buy a second hand hifi to get him through Uni. He had no idea that this was a bit of a gay anthem, I don't no that I even had the heart to tell him at the time. His favourite saying was " no no can't be" :-) what I do recall is how powerful this song sounded when he played it loud on a little Aiwa mini system. It was the 12 inch version and that demo has stuck in my head all these years.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=huavJMGUbiI

When I saw a 2014 reprise of the song On YouTube today I thought "this is going to sound terrible." I was so surprised I thought I would post it here. Funny, to this day I still don't own a copy of this track. Maybe that's why it still has that power it once had. Simple, tinged in sadness but in that kind of liberating way because it's not whimpy. So, 30 odd years later......

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CNhLOfUPHa8

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i had a similar experience with Nena

 

 

i wanted to catch a train all the way to berlin (along with all the associated train in a tunnel imagery and symbolism)

 

yawohl Nena

 

:thumb:

 

 

30 years later

 

 

still hot !!! (and she brought a friend)

Edited by montreal
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No, the 80's were ok,both the Comsat Angels and The Ophelias were great bands! There were many more of course. The commercial side of the 80's could be a bit meh,but if you dig around there's musical gems to be enjoyed for sure. Having said that, on reflection,the fashion trends, fluro, hypercolour t-shirts, boofy hairstyles etc,man they really sucked. :)

Edited by Blk plastic
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wash your mouth out!!      so much great music in the 80's, there are too many to list

 

to name just a few

 

Depeche Mode

 

the Cure

 

New Order

 

The Smiths

 

Prince

 

INXS

 

Midnight Oil

 

U2

 

Madonna

 

Pet Shop Boys

 

Simple Minds

 

Talk Talk

 

Guns and Roses

 

Men Without Hats   :unsure:

Edited by metal beat
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Hyper Colour was the nineties. I turned 18 in 89 so have fond memories of the 80's. Most of what @ has listed, plus

Crowded House,

I think Jeff Buckley just sneaks in,

Hoodoo Gurus,

Hunters & Collectors

Etc etc etc

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Try living through an era when the radio programmers thought that "music" meant disco and the Bee Gees. 

 

In any era you have to dig to find gold.  If you are trying to find it using the radio dial and limit yourself to the handful of radio stations that are measured for commercial audience ratings purposes, well then.

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Always strikes me that the 80s is remembered for and associated with a certain type of sound - clean, overproduced and shiny. But was the '80s sound' really the sound of the 1980s? Hmmm, looking at my list now maybe it was!

Anyway, to the list supplied by @ I would add

Killing Joke

Tom Waits - Rain Dogs could be the highlight of the 1980s

Beastie Boys

Slayer - or maybe Reign in Blood is...

The Police

Japan/David Sylvian

King Crimson's red blue and yellow trilogy

Danzig

Godflesh

massapeal

And I reckon Steve Reich's output throughout the decade wasn't so bad either - I think electric counterpoint and his first triple quartet were composed in the 80s?

Edited by blackangus
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Guest Mr Thorens

How about U2, Simple Minds, Sade, the Jam, the Church, Style Council, the Triffids, Dire Straits, Metallica, the Angels, Sting, Simply Red, ZZ Top, Tracey Chapman... There was quality to be found.

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A couple more

 

Ministry

The Necks

The Pogues

Beasts of Bourbon

New ACDC ? ( as apposed to the real ACDC) - no Bon Scott no ACDC

Nick Cave and the bad seeds

Holly Cole

REM

 

That's about it as my glass is empty and I need another Jack Daniels.

 

Cheers

Dave

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Yeah heaps of good stuff from the eighties (except the stuff 125dBmonster plays :P  and a couple that metal beat put up....Madona and MWOH really?) I bought the Bronski Beat album back in the day, I still play, is a great album.

 

Also

Died Pretty

The Gun Club

Violent Femmes

Bouhaus

The Cult

Jonathan Richman

Light House Keepers

The Go- Betweens

The Church

Nick Cave and the bad seeds

etc...

Edited by awty
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Bugger, almost forgot one of the greatest that formed in the 80's - Sonic Youth

 

Yeah

Like there more commercial Goo and Dirty (double orange vinyl), but some of there other stuff is just for the dedicated.

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Yeah heaps of good stuff from the eighties (except the stuff 125dBmonster plays :P  and a couple that metal beat put up....Madona and MWOH really?) I bought the Bronski Beat album back in the day, I still play, is a great album.

 

 

Bronski Beat, "Get that perfect beat boy's"  :unsure:

I'm a bit more 90's

 

;)

Edited by Guest
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Gents, i was joking re Men Without Hats.   I really meant Limal  :D

 

 

Have to add

 

Sisters of Mercy

 

Dead can Dance

 

Coctea Twins

 

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

 

The The

 

Caberet Voltaire

 

The Divinyls

 

Ed Kuepper

Edited by metal beat
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