I see your “Fuck the 80’s” and raise you one “Fuck the 90’s”.
Check back in five years and I bet “Fuck the 00’s” beats them both.
I hated the 90’s when it was still cool to do so, back in post 11.
The 80s sucked ass.
As proof, I submit the following fact: In the 70s, ELP released Brain Salad Surgery. in the 80s, they released Love Beach. Need I say more?
No doubt.
Where, oh where, are the Joplins, Hendrixes, Morrisons, and Claptons of today? Are we going to see a pool of talent like that ever again? If I try to mention those names in the same breath as Britney Spears, I feel a bit sick to my stomach.
IMHO, I think the bad popular music of the 80s was merely reflective of the general nadir into which the popular culture sank during that time. Everything was bad - the clothes, the hair, the music. Did I mention the hair?
But of course there was plenty of good music, as betenoir, andros, woodstockbirdybird, and others have mentioned. I heartily second R.E.M. and The Replacements, among other groups named.
I love the 80s too. And 80s music. 
Hmm, I interpreted it the same way Gary Kumquat did. Derleth said “punk, from hardcore to pop”, which looks very much to me like he was giving varying degrees of punk, including poppier punk, and stating that Duran Duran is an example of punk that is more on the poppy side.
Let us not forget Anthrax, Slayer, Metallica (they were fucking bad ass back then…before Cliff died), DRI, SOD, MOD, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pantera, G ‘n’ R, GWAR, Camper van Beethoven, The Misfits, Samhain…
and the list goes on and on.
And since I am actually turning 31 years old today, all of this has made me feel especially old. Thank you all very much for the stroll down memory lane.
That’s the same things adults were saying when Elvis and The Beatles were popular.
“Why these kids today and their horrible music. The Beatles with their long hair and Elvis with his gyrating. What’s wrong with the music we liked? Perry Como can’t be beat!”
I personally liked a good deal of 80’s music. Although most of what was presented on radio and MTV was pop oriented, there was more of a variety in style and presentation than I had ever seen before or since.
Early MTV showcased many performers that never would have been seen by the American public if not for the novelty of music videos. Some of those one-hit wonders had some good music, whether the hit video or other cuts from their album.
One thing that people seem to forget is that rock started out being fun and was supposed to be fun. By the mid to late 70’s, a lot of rock had become too serious and “message” oriented - there wasn’t much fun to it anymore. The only exception was the disco sensation of the late 70’s. Disco may not have been a high-point in American rock, but it was fun and fast and opened the door to a lighter form of pop.
Consequently, much of 80’s music was friendlier and fun and had an exuberence that was a welcome change to the more drug and war influenced music of the 70’s. Rock music, particularly on radio and television, was exciting, upbeat and expressed itself in many different ways by many different performers.
When rap music emerged from the shadows and went mainstream, rock and pop was pushed to the back and its variety waned. Popular radio-play music went from having catchy hooks and colorful performers to having no tune or melody at all spoken by performers who, by comparison, were clones of each other. Pop on the radio became limited to boy-bands and girl-divas, a dull representation of the performers who came before them.
Everybody has their own preferences and likes, and whether its pop, hard rock or rap, thankfully, it can all be found out there somewhere. Even the 80’s style of rock is out there if you look for it. However, I for one miss having it mainstream and thought that a lot of 80’s music was among some of the best rock music ever produced.
Unfortunatley, because VH1 and nostalgia radio stations have saturated us with the cheezy digital synths, gated snares, and overused reverb that became the hallmark of 80s pop, we forget that the 80s were in fact one of the most innovative and greatest decades for music all around.
As ultrafilter mentioned, you had the genesis of modern heavy metal, with Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, et al. Granted the roots of the style can be traced to the 70s, but it didn’t really flourish as a distinct genre (separate from what today would be simply called “hard rock” or even “classic rock”) until the 1980s.
Furthermore, hip hop. The biggest musical revolution since the birth of rock and roll was nursed into adulthood in the 80s. I don’t care if you don’t think it’s music or if you don’t like it. The influence and pervasiveness of this genre is undeniable.
The, of course, you had all the great alternative/college rock artists, like Sonic Youth, REM, the Pixies, Wire, Gang of Four, the Smiths, The Cure, etc… The birth of house…the development of industrial…etc…
There was A LOT of fun, innovative, and interesting music going on in the 80s.
And, personally, I like A-HA’s “Take on Me.”
Hodge, I so totally mentioned Killing Joke! And Ministry, and Metallica! So neener!
matt_mcl, re: Pet Shop Boys, I had a moment of pop drone mindlessness and bought Please in 1986 based on the radio cut of “West End Girls” alone. I became desperately hooked. (I confess I don’t understand their status as gay music icons, but I don’t much care.) I haven’t heard their last couple albums, unfortunately.
I would say their status as “Gay Music Icons” is due to the fact that they make good music, consistently, instead of just some of the times, and the fact that one of them, (both?) is gay.
But you have to remember: comtemporary to Joplin, Hendrix, Morrison and Clapton were Bobby Goldsboro, Mac Davis, and Glen Campbell. There’s always been enough mindless pap to go around in any musical era.
Roger that… thanks for the welcome/tip. But when someone invites me to blow them… I consider that the first toss of the fag moniker. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
As for the rest, you can throw out every name of every band I never heard for the whole decade, and i would still tell you: THE 80’s SUCKED. Musically, Spiritually, Psychologically, Physically, Emotionally… totally … AND WITHOUT ABANDON.
Did I mention I also hated that stupid fucking Valley Girl Movie, with Nick Cage in it? You know why? Well, not only did the movie suck ass, but he looks JUST LIKE every member of the band I started this thread off with, AHA. And I hate the look of the 80’s. I hate the look of every member of the band. And I also hate the look of Nick Cage in the 80’s.
The blonde he played across from was pretty cute though.
Stupid fucking polo shirts (oh, if you didn’t have the crocodile, you just weren’t in the club, as I recall), those gay (NTTARWT) penny loafers people wore with white socks at the end of jeans that were too narrow at the base and also too short, so that you saw the doofuses white socks, and then to top off the bowl of fruit loops look - a nice little sweater thrown over the back with the arms twisted around the neck.
Sometimes acid wash jeans would be added if the above wasn’t disgusting enough.
Parachute pants, Flashdance, Challenger, The stock market, Inflation, War, Global pestilence, AIDS, Removing credit card interest as a tax deduction, Michael Jackson, That dumbass movie where Kevin Bacon looked like every member of the band AHA and saved the town from not being able to dance, Mosquitoes covering Africa, Chernoybyl, Tylenol/product tampering, Killer earthquakes in Mexico City and Northern CA, and floating around in the Indian Ocean for up to 3 months at a time without the possibility of getting laid by anything other than my right hand whilst at age 18-21 are all gifts from the 80’s that come to mind without effort. If you would like, I’ll be happy to enumerate the things about the 80’s that REALLY pissed me off.
Did I mention I spent the better part of the first half of the 80’s on a carrier in Alameda, CA? Is it possible this contributed to my hate of the 80’s?
I’d say yes.
Regardless - I say (loudly and with a clear steady voice) Love the fat people. Hate the 80’s.
I did like FTARH though.
…The Housemartins, Madness, Talking Heads, Thomas Dolby, Kajagoogoo, the Pacman song, Depeche Mode, Flock of Seagulls, Peter Murphy, New Order, Men at Work, Men without Hats, Echo and the Bunnymen, OINGO BOINGO (had to be mentioned again), Love and Rockets…
True enough, although I give Glen Campbell props for his guitar work.
It’s probably a matter of perspective. For one thing, the 80s for me was the decade of bitterness. I hated life in general. I also separated from the rock scene to explore jazz and classical, so the only 80s music I got was what was played on MTV. So from my perspective, here’s a brief history of music:
The 60s: Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors
The 70s: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant
The 80s: Hall and Oates
The 90s: Nirvana
Can you blame me?
Is this a joke? Seriously, is it?
Listen, pal, you can dance if you want to, but please leave me behind. shudder
tdn, you ain’t **no ** friend of mine.
Not only will I dance, I’ll do it safely.