1980s: A Superb Era of Music

SoggyFrog · February 05, 2010 11:53 AM

SoggyFrog's Guide to the Alternative 80s

When people look back on 80s culture, it's often with a distanced fascination or outright contempt. The popularity of mullets, gaudy fashion, and synthesized music are just a few cringe-inducing characteristics of the decade. As far as music goes, most characterize the 80s as a period of new wave, hard rock, and the rise of the MTV era. That's not all bad, but as I'll try to illustrate here, it's unfortunate because the 80s also saw some extraordinary contributions to alternative rock that still define music today. And this music wasn't only innovative, it was good, really good, and sounds astonishingly fresh even over 20 years later.

There's a lot of iconic and accomplished musicians whose activities during the decade people like to discuss: Michael Jackson, Madonna, David Bowie, AC/DC, Queen, Talking Heads, U2, Guns N' Roses, Duran Duran, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, R.E.M., etc.

What all these artists have in common, aside from their contributions to the decade, is that I am not going to be talking about them. Who will I be talking about then? Read on!

Part One (Part Two) (Part Three)
Starting with 1985, if no one minds my skipping the first half of the decade.

Two Scottish brothers form a band, The Jesus and Mary Chain, with the vague dream of becoming stadium rock stars. They take on a drummer and a bassist, and with their first album Psychocandy end up starting a novel movement in rock music that would continue well into the 90s. JAMC showed that the idea of rock n' roll was as alive as ever, and they seized an ethic that was worth hating and loving.

"We always were lazy and we always will be", Jim Reid later told an interviewer, and they didn't mind alienating others, infamous for beginning their career with 10 minute shows. They drank too much and embraced drugs, of course, but in part of their story was also the realization of hopelessly childlike fantasy.

I'm explaining this because the music of Psychocandy embodies that spirit. At the heart, they're simple feelgood pop songs (the innocent aspect), but they're drenched in layers of distortion and feedback (the in your face rebellious aspect). The first single off Psychocandy, "Never Understand" (yeah, that's a YOUTUBE link for your benefit), and probably better known, if you've seen Lost in Translation, the lead track "Just Like Honey". For s&giggles, a live (not concert) version of "In a Hole" with JAMC looking as lazy as ever. If you find that video somewhat appalling, good on ya.

It's far from being a full realization of what can be accomplished when guitar effects are abused, but the innocence of JAMC's music is something that can't be reproduced. That contrast that makes this music so unique, and was quite essential to the modern regeneration of rock music.

1986

Talk Talk was a new wave/synthpop act pretty typical of the era, similar to Duran Duran. Their music was quite a strong representative of the genre, but the genre hasn't aged well, and they'd be just another forgettable 80s band had they not afterwards radically departed from the style that characterized their first two albums, The Party's Over and It's My Life. 1986's The Colour of Spring was the first step, but it was also their most successful album, producing the hit "Life's What You Make It" (don't actually click this link unless you like the genre). What's so intriguing about TCOS is that it also included sparser, progressive compositions that predicted their new direction, including "Chameleon Day", "I Don't Believe In You" (from Live at Montreux 1986) and "April 5th".

Their label, EMI, was so pleased with the success of TCOS that they gave Talk Talk free rein to create their next album, which would be completed 2 years later...

One more note for the year: My Bloody Valentine, a heretofore inconsequential band whose brand of psychadelic flavoured post-punk wasn't particularly notable, releases their third EP, The New Record by My Bloody Valentine. They're now mimicking JAMC's use of guitars, and while they're not the only one following the Scottish brothers, we will be tracking their progress because they go a long way from their sound on songs like "Another Rainy Saturday".

Here concludes Part One, I'm saving the best for last of course.

therussian · February 05, 2010 03:14 PM

Michael Jackson - ok, I'll give you that one
Madonna -

David Bowie - not a fan of glam
AC/DC - always sucked. Decade doesn't matter
Queen - LOVE Queen, but their heyday was in the 70s
Talking Heads - don't know em
U2 - I can't help but feel like/feel like I'm listening to a douchebag whilst listening to U2. Probably because I am
Guns N' Roses - sucks
Duran Duran -

Tom Waits - ok, got me there
Leonard Cohen - love, heydey in the 60s and 70s
R.E.M. - don't listen to them.

Oh, i'm going to love this thread. Thanks for this SoggyFrog

IMPERATOR_5 · February 06, 2010 03:21 PM

Psychocandy and the first cd of the "The power of negative thinking" box are their best work

Originally Posted by therussian

David Bowie - not a fan of glam

He wasn’t glam any longer in the 80s now was he. But he wasn’t great during the 80s. In fact, he wasn’t glam by the end of the 70’s neither but I prefer his work during his “Berlin period” (Low, Heroes) than his earlier albums.

Anyway, here are more artists and albums from the 80’s that I think deserves a mention too:
Bauhaus – In the Flat Field