Why do the 80's get such a hard time?

[loopie]

MTV killed music in the 80's.
MTV took music out of the hands of record producers (long time music machine), and took total control.
During the early 80's you had bands that were awesome sounding, i.e. "Eagles, Fleetwood Mac,Toto etc.", but didn't make for good video.
On the other hand you had "Video Bands" like Duran Duran that musically weren't very good, but made good video, and drew in viewers and music sales. (more please).
It's the same thing that happened when we jumped from Radio to TV. Most of the radio era stars were not good on screen and got left behind.
Some bands, i.e. "Van Halen" were sonically superior and made for good video. They kicked A**.
But MTV learned that they were expensive and following typical "recording industry standards", MTV found it was much more profitable
to crank out video friendly bands that was musically inferior, i.e. Twisted Sister, Big Hair Bands, etc.
For the "video stars", there were setup to be one hit wonders and enjoyed their lives knowing it was all in fun and expected to be short lived. They didn't take it seriously as no one was expected to.
Some said "F**K it, we kick A**" and made music as sonically best they could regardless of the "MTV music machine". i.e. Guns N Roses.

Then a whole new group of players started making the rounds. They were into the making music for the love of music and the emotions it portrayed.
Often they dropped all the technical musical playing and went for pure emotion, good or bad. This was the "grunge" movement. It reminded me of the "folk" movement in the late 60's to early 70's. The idea was to get back to basics and enjoy basic music and bringing people together.
Alas, MTV determined that it was not making much money on selling music and could enjoy higher profits by "enhancing" their programming to include non-music videos, animations, etc. until there were no music videos left.

I lived/loved/hated the 80's with all the awesome bands and the bad synth pop bands. Some was fun "Men Without Hats, Warrent, Bay City Rollers", but it was candy and after a time we wanted some Meat! We got VH, GNR, SRV, tons of killer Metal, etc.

Seems like the same cycle over again with new players and a different era.. But I could be wrong..

Loopie..

 

[luke]

MTV killed music in the 80's.
MTV took music out of the hands of record producers (long time music machine), and took total control.
During the early 80's you had bands that were awesome sounding, i.e. "Eagles, Fleetwood Mac,Toto etc.", but didn't make for good video.
On the other hand you had "Video Bands" like Duran Duran that musically weren't very good, but made good video, and drew in viewers and music sales. (more please).
It's the same thing that happened when we jumped from Radio to TV. Most of the radio era stars were not good on screen and got left behind.
Some bands, i.e. "Van Halen" were sonically superior and made for good video. They kicked A**.
But MTV learned that they were expensive and following typical "recording industry standards", MTV found it was much more profitable
to crank out video friendly bands that was musically inferior, i.e. Twisted Sister, Big Hair Bands, etc.
For the "video stars", there were setup to be one hit wonders and enjoyed their lives knowing it was all in fun and expected to be short lived. They didn't take it seriously as no one was expected to.
Some said "F**K it, we kick A**" and made music as sonically best they could regardless of the "MTV music machine". i.e. Guns N Roses.

Then a whole new group of players started making the rounds. They were into the making music for the love of music and the emotions it portrayed.
Often they dropped all the technical musical playing and went for pure emotion, good or bad. This was the "grunge" movement. It reminded me of the "folk" movement in the late 60's to early 70's. The idea was to get back to basics and enjoy basic music and bringing people together.
Alas, MTV determined that it was not making much money on selling music and could enjoy higher profits by "enhancing" their programming to include non-music videos, animations, etc. until there were no music videos left.

I lived/loved/hated the 80's with all the awesome bands and the bad synth pop bands. Some was fun "Men Without Hats, Warrent, Bay City Rollers", but it was candy and after a time we wanted some Meat! We got VH, GNR, SRV, tons of killer Metal, etc.

Seems like the same cycle over again with new players and a different era.. But I could be wrong..

Loopie..

What on earth are you talking about? MTV played the videos record companies provided, MTV had no hand in that end of the business.

The reason MTV stop playing videos is simple: people flipped over to MTV to avoid commercials on the shows they were watching, thereby not watching MTV's commercials, lowering their ratings by comparison.

 

[Vhalen50]

Like any genre, there were the originators and the impostors. The first real assault was the Winger t-shirt on the dork on Beavis and Butthead. However, the cave in to do ballads to attract the women was seen as pandering by all.

Mike Judge pretty much killed Winger at that point. They could have been up there, but even they said that their sales absolutely tanked at that point because no one wanted to be the "Stewart" in their town.

I saw them play at a go kart track up in the middle of nowhere ohio the other day (no lie). And it was probably the best show that i have ever seen. Better than Van Halen, better than vai, waaaaaaaaay better than Tesla who i saw a few days earlier.

 

[Ben.Last]

What on earth are you talking about? MTV played the videos record companies provided, MTV had no hand in that end of the business.

That's not really true. MTV basically acted as an advertising outlet for record companies, providing them substantial power over what got played and what didn't. And, for a period, getting that MTV airtime was essential for a band to make it.

 

[Rook]

On the other hand you had "Video Bands" like Duran Duran that musically weren't very good, but made good video(...)

I gotta disagree with you about Duran Duran. I wasn't tuned in to them at the time, but when I went back and really checked them out I realised that they had a lot more going on musically than a lot of their contemporaries. Them and A-ha: not just a bunch of pretty boys dancing in front of keyboards that were really played by Trevor Horn.

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

As someone who couldn't give less of a crap about flashy solos, not so much. Any time I hear the verses from popular 80's metal bands, I just go, "Wow, this is some of the most boring and inane shit I've ever heard."

And THAT is why you need to check out the music these guys put out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFR92pRotWo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjseUt1is-o

All choruses, gang vocals, and guitar solos. NO VERSES. 3 guitars and up to 20 singers on stage at once.

 

[shemihazazel]

And THAT is why you need to check out the music these guys put out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFR92pRotWo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjseUt1is-o


All choruses, gang vocals, and guitar solos. NO VERSES. 3 guitars and up to 20 singers on stage at once.

So basically I get all the flashy solos compressed into one song. LOL

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

So basically I get all the flashy solos compressed into one song. LOL

Yep! It's a shame these guys aren't around anymore. I really wanted to go seem them when they passed by. By all accounts they were a blast.

 

[Narzugon]

I gotta disagree with you about Duran Duran. I wasn't tuned in to them at the time, but when I went back and really checked them out I realised that they had a lot more going on musically than a lot of their contemporaries. Them and A-ha: not just a bunch of pretty boys dancing in front of keyboards that were really played by Trevor Horn.

"I wasn't tuned into them at the time" is a good way of putting it. \m/

Now that I've out grown the guitar virtuoso snobbiness of my youth - that means realizing that there are a lot of talented musicians other than EVH/Holdsworth that may also play other genres - I've enjoyed looking back at bands/players in a different light and discovering/appreciating what they had working for them. Funny how that happens. Bands that then I wouldn't have been caught dead listening to now populate my music collection. However, I can say with confidence that Ah-ha isn't one of them. Lol Sorry. I had to take that jab. \m/

 

[cragginshred]

Focus people the 80's began with VH, Scorps, Priest, Ozzy, then Maiden. Then Shrapnel records shredders like Yngwie and Vinnie.....Then the LA shredders namely Lynch and Demartini. Vivian and few others of course. Don't loose sight of where it began despite it's tragic ending. Ok,....it never ended or this thread would not exist.

 

[Suhrfer]

Back in Black and For Those About to Rock also kicked off the eighties. :encouragement:

 

[Rex]

Listen to us old farts: "Music was great, then it really sucked." Or "Music sucked before..."

Bottom line: the music you listened to in your late teens and early twenties was "the" music. The rest is crap.

 

[shemihazazel]

Listen to us old farts: "Music was great, then it really sucked." Or "Music sucked before..."

Bottom line: the music you listened to in your late teens and early twenties was "the" music. The rest is crap.

Get off my lawn!

 

[luke]

That's not really true. MTV basically acted as an advertising outlet for record companies, providing them substantial power over what got played and what didn't. And, for a period, getting that MTV airtime was essential for some bands to make it.

Fixed it for you. Michael Jackson had already "made it", no doubt MTV converted him to deity status, but he was doing ok beforehand. Guns N Roses on the other hand, were bucking the trend of music at the time and without their constant air play I think they would have never taken off, but at the same time, Metallica was able to make it with little MTV support.

And lest not forget music's never ending saga of "pay to play", as in kickbacks.

 

[jlynnb1]

what cracks me up is when people try to act like GNR was somehow different and above the rest of the scene...have you ever actually looked at cd insert? Axl's hair is teased is high as CC Deville's. They weren't different or better, they hit at the end tried to play themselves as some dirtier less polished of what was happening at the time, but let's be real, they put out one great album, a maybe decent follow up then fell apart. I'd argue any number of hair bands had a much better career than GNR.

 

[funny_polymath]

I actually prefer the 80's music to today's guitar driven stuff - it's mostly dark at the heavy end and 'look what a virtuosso I am' at the more melodic end

I agree with you here, but I like 60's, and 90's rock much more than 80's. Especially all the synthy rock. Hasn't aged well IMHO. P.S. I am 54.

 

[funny_polymath]

Actually, in my case, the music I listened to in grade school, and in my late 20's, early 30's is the stuff I like the most. I was born in '59, and the 60's were the greatest music decade of my lifetime, so far at least, IMHO. Then came Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and a host of lesser-known bands to create another great decade...

Listen to us old farts: "Music was great, then it really sucked." Or "Music sucked before..."

Bottom line: the music you listened to in your late teens and early twenties was "the" music. The rest is crap.

 

[luke]

what cracks me up is when people try to act like GNR was somehow different and above the rest of the scene...have you ever actually looked at cd insert? Axl's hair is teased is high as CC Deville's. They weren't different or better, they hit at the end tried to play themselves as some dirtier less polished of what was happening at the time, but let's be real, they put out one great album, a maybe decent follow up then fell apart. I'd argue any number of hair bands had a much better career than GNR.

A photo doesn't translate to GNR = Poison.

Poison were pretty boys, GNR announced themselves as lowlifes from the start, their target audiences were different IMO. In fact, I would argue GNR were the stepping stones to grunge, by bringing the style down several notches.

VS

 

[Sixstring]

Focus people the 80's began with VH, Scorps, Priest, Ozzy, then Maiden. Then Shrapnel records shredders like Yngwie and Vinnie.....Then the LA shredders namely Lynch and Demartini. Vivian and few others of course. Don't loose sight of where it began despite it's tragic ending. Ok,....it never ended or this thread would not exist.

Don't forget about AC/DC and Def Leppard two of my most favorite early "Mutt" Lange productions... wel the first 3 albums anyway :lol. The point you bring though is the beginning of the 80's, before it was polluted with hairspray and makeup. The Alice coper Kiss and David bowie wannabes didn't help 80's music but rather tato'd it like the Ronald McDonald Clown did for McDonalds.

Late 70's Rock had a good run into the 80's but was eventually over run by Clown syndrome. Pop culture sucks some times, I guess we all have to take a bite of the crap sandwich at some point.

 

[jlynnb1]

A photo doesn't translate to GNR = Poison.

Poison were pretty boys, GNR announced themselves as lowlifes from the start, their target audiences were different IMO. In fact, I would argue GNR were the stepping stones to grunge, by bringing the style down several notches.

VS

I didn't say they were equal, just that they weren't as different as they tried to pretend...sure they were sleazier/dirtier whatever....but it was still schtick, just like the big hair and lipstick.