The 80s -- Love them or loathe them?

[Candy Kane]

Just so you know, I'm in the 80s camp, but if you're not, post some vids or links and tell us why.

Or just post vids and links for us to enjoy.

Or discuss the subject. That's good too.

[Candy Kane]

I mean, come on -- does anybody not love The The?

I know the name is a bit silly, but I believe Matt Johnson is underrated as a singer and a songwriter. Case in point:

[shireling]

I don't remember ever seeing or hearing this, but this is good.

Love the 80s very much, but not as much as I hated the 70s. I was 14 at the beginning of them and 25 at the end - the best years of my life, I'd been told, and it was disco-this, disco-that, disco-away! Sorry, I doth digress into spam.

I don't own any music from the time. It was during Reagonomics, and we newly-weds were a-waiting the "great trickle-down from on high" (still waiting, btw). But I loved the hair, the clothes, the truly unique women's voices that were out there (like Blondie, Heart, Annie Lennox & Pat Benatar), and bands like Simple Minds, Def Leppard, Pet Shop Boys and Tears for Fears.

[Candy Kane]

This is one of the many things we have in common, dear. Most of your musical needs can be met on YouTube so you don't need to buy a thing.

[TomCotton]

The 1980's weren't too bad although I got very annoyed with all of the one name "singers" . MTV started out OK but rapidly fell off. VH-1 was better until MTV absorbed it. The techno-rock stuff was entertaining sometimes.

I went into a C&W bar in San Diego once. A bunch of big hats, big shiny belt buckles, and fancy boots - none of which had ever stepped in a pile of cow sh*t. All flash, no substance.

Break dancing was another annoyance, especially when the idiots would set up on the sidewalk so the crowd would block the way.

To me the 1970's were not disco. It was Jethro Tull, Yes, Pink Floyd, Eagles, Eric Clapton, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Queen, John Lennon, George Harrison, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Jim Croce, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, stuff like that. Real music with actually talented performers.

[shireling]

...To me the 1970's were not disco. It was Jethro Tull, Yes, Pink Floyd, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Queen, John Lennon, George Harrison, The Allman Brothers Band, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Jim Croce, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, stuff like that. Real music with actually talented performers.

Humbly, I ask your pardon for I stand corrected, Mr. Cotton. You have become one of the two that stands between me and total memory collapse .

[TomCotton]

I'm lucky I can remember the 70's.


I was around 16 at the beginning, cwrap like The Carpenters were starting to get air time on AM radio. FM radio was the place to be at that time; and 8-tracks.

[Candy Kane]

Ah, the beloved 8-tracks. Simon and Garfunkel for the win.

[PatriotBlade]

I was a child of the 80s (was born in 82), and I like SOME of the music and movies, but mostly I watch old tv shows or movies and laugh about how ridiculous everyone looked, from their big hair and multi colored or bright blue eyeshadow to their pegged jeans and three pairs of bright colored socks and white sneekers.

[Halasian]

8-tracks.... it was 1975 & we were at a kegger at a friends house. The tunes were crankin' & someone always managed to change the tape cartridge when it startid repeating itself.. that is until every last one of us passed out in a beer-induced coma. It was then Black Sabbath Sabbath Bloody Sabbath played again and again and again and again through til morning. Gotta love 8-tracks.

The 80 eh? Heart went glam, and and these guys defined the decade for me

[ashbow]

I think with every decade you'll find lots of crappy popular music, but if you know where to look, there is something for everyone...it was just finding a radio station that played it!!

[TomCotton]

I remember some FM stations would play whole albums at once, both sides.

The hair and spandex on many of the 80's bands got to be a bit redundant. Nothing new or innovative. They even started doing the same schtick up on stage. Some of that stuff was still catchy, though.

[Candy Kane]

Yeah... Stock, Aitken and Waterman, anybody? I thought not.

[Shuggy]

The 80's (UK certainly) take a lot of flak from serious 'Muso' journalists as being creatively dead, and the period is often treated with hostility or derision. The same journalists, or magazine/website then go onto proclaim The Smiths, Joy Division, New Order, The Stone Roses, etc as some of the most important music acts ever. Which is it, hipsters?!

[Candy Kane]

The 80's (UK certainly) take a lot of flak from serious 'Muso' journalists as being creatively dead, and the period is often treated with hostility or derision. The same journalists, or magazine/website then go onto proclaim The Smiths, Joy Division, New Order, The Stone Roses, etc as some of the most important music acts ever. Which is it, hipsters?!

Pretentious gits. I gave up on reading them ages ago. I'm an Eighties fan, particularly of the indie stuff but I don't make a fuss about it, just play a bit of The Smiths, etc., from time to time.