New topic: How many of you feel that there is a general dislike abut 80's music in general amongst the music press. I can safely say that the 80's music scene is the most reviled decade in the press. This is particularly the case, say of the New Romantic scene which is always thought of as tacky. My fave band Depeche Mode for example are only thought to have had one hit and done nothing else since.

Maybe all the journalists who were running around in the 80´s with their hair spiked up and wearing pointy shoes with all the lashes are now feeling a bit ashamed when they reflect on those times...*LOL* :D

Actually, the 80´s are having some kind of comeback now, at least here in Germany.
Certain clothings and accessoires are now available again, and even some artists are releasing tracks which roots are based clearly in the early 80´s (Anthony Rother 'Little Computer People', Tok Tok vs. Miss Soffy 'Missy Queen´s Gonna Die').
Not to forget all those bands who are still holding on to the sounds of the 80´s, like Wolfsheim, Mesh and so many more.

Since even the 70´s aren´t considered as fauxpas in design and music anymore, there´s a little hope that also the 80´s will find a deserved place not only in the heart of the 'Die Hard'-fans again.

Originally posted by wavemaster:
...with their hair spiked up and wearing pointy shoes ... :D


Hey, what's wrong with spiked hair and pointy shoes? :p

I have one thing to say to those critics. If eighties music was so bad, then why are all these new artists sampling and remaking 80's music?

Exactly! Everybody's ashamed of the decade, and it's not just in the press, either. You watch and read interviews with 80s artists, and everybody from Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna to Boy George and Pete Burns from Dead Or Alive, want to forget that the decade ever happenned. (Sarg, you could probably prove me wrong on the Pat Benatar thing, right?) What I noticed is that the musicians who look back in terror on the decade had their greatest fortunes back then. Most 80s singers who say that the decade was bad and they're glad it's over...Hey, they were playing arenas...IN THE 80S, they had money out the wazoo...IN THE 80S, and everybody wanted to date them...IN THE 80S. Now, these musicians (whom I will always love, in case you thought I was too angry)...Some are in Chapter 11...TODAY, Their former fans now scoff at them...TODAY, and they're playing state fairs, amusement parks and meatpackers' conventions...TODAY. All of a sudden, the 80s seem a lot better, don't they?

Sorry if I sound bitter, but I regard this 80s criticism as both a shoddy attempt to rewrite history, and in the case of the famous, biting the hand that fed them. I will always love the 80s, as will most everyone on this board. I just want the famous and those in the mainstream to give the decade its' proper respect.

I guess they call that shooting for the moon. :(

Sincerely,

John "outofplacechild" Kilduff

Originally posted by Bogie:
<STRONG>

Hey, what's wrong with spiked hair and pointy shoes? :p</STRONG>

Nothing, Bogie...only that my feet had hurted after a night in the disco. :D

OPC, I agree with you.
I think it´s because a general shift in the media. Since 'trends' are faster out than being invented, the focus is set on what´s next and not on what was yesterday. If anything from 'Yesterday' is re(dis)covered, it´s a part of style which is cool for the moment without capturing the mood and the emotions behind. See what has happened when the trendseekers dug out the 70s...all of a sudden, the clothing was hip, the design was oh-so-stylish again (in all the screaming colours...), and even the music was celebrated as 'important and cool'. Now...who´s talking of Disco? Who is wearing those unbelievably ugly trousers and shirts with oversized collars? No one does anymore. This trend is over...hop on the next train to ride.

Yesterday is 'bad', an absolute no-go area for the media. And some artists simply fear that this might doubling back on them, outing them as being 'out'. The 80´s were known for outrageous styles and the one or another excess...today, with everything being calculated for profits to the max and even the toiletpaper holder features an 'I-MAC'-design, you can´t do that on stage anymore. Besides...for the most kids, everything their parents liked was 'bleech' ;), so I guess it´s hard to sell it to them - unless the nevertired trendseekers spots it as a trend, then it´s cool again.
And the music? Currently, the music from the 80´s, be it Pop or Rock, is in heavy rotation of all the sampling machines hard disks. If the kids ever recognize the bits which were featured, they say 'Well...nice, but old'. If they would ever care to dig deeper, they might be also 'out' suddenly - the late 90´s drilled them to be good consumers, always on the jump for the next big thing.

But, it seems that the 80´s aren´t that exploitable as the respective industries are wishing...although many 'trendmakers' called out several times that the 80´s are coming back again, the people who are usually running for the latest hype are rather reluctant.
Maybe the 80´s are still 'too fresh' in the memories, or it slowly dawns on the consumers that you can´t bring back everything for the sake of profits.

Personally, I rather stay as a member of a 'geeky' community who still value the times when music and clothing was innovative instead of being exploited to support fast (and empty...) trends which are made up by the entertainment industry.

It irks me as well when both artists and critics slander the music from the 80s. I would have to say the music then was a lot more creative and interesting than anything being put out today. As usual, the critics prove they have no taste at all!!!

80sTrivia: Official Stalker of DD86 :D

Originally posted by outofplacechild:
<STRONG>Exactly! Everybody's ashamed of the decade, and it's not just in the press, either. You watch and read interviews with 80s artists, and everybody from Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna to Boy George and Pete Burns from Dead Or Alive, want to forget that the decade ever happenned. (Sarg, you could probably prove me wrong on the Pat Benatar thing, right?) What I noticed is that the musicians who look back in terror on the decade had their greatest fortunes back then. Most 80s singers who say that the decade was bad and they're glad it's over...Hey, they were playing arenas...IN THE 80S,..... </STRONG>

That must be my cue...
I don't think every 80's artist is ashamed of what they did in the 80's or
that they want to forget that decade.
I think a lot of 80's artists (those who are still preforming) want to be known as musicians who have not stopped making new music. They don't want to be classified as JUST an 80's music artist.

In Pat Benatar's case, she enjoys doing her 80's music in concert as well as doing her new songs, but she doesn't want to be pigeon-holed only as an 80's artist when she has much more music to make. Her last record label (CMC) didn't put out the big bucks it takes to promote their artists and so the word didn't get out when new CD's by these 80's artists came out.
Pat Benatar released an album in 1997 called "INNAMORATA", but not too many people knew about it, including me. The only reason I found out about it, was because I never saw her live in the 80's and she just happened to be doing a concert at the House of Blues in Orlando. My wife and I decided to go see her show, and I was hooked again after hearing her new music, and her vocals still being very strong.

80's artists don't want to be cast aside today because they were popular in the 80's. Most want to embrace their past successes, without having to feel like the music they made in the 80's are the only music they are ever to perform again. Pat says, she and Neil get tired of performing twenty year old songs the same way all the time and change the arrangements of some songs so that the audience hears their favorites without being boring for her and Neil to perform, and there are lots of artists who do that same thing for the same reasons.

I'm sure that there are 80's artists that are very bitter about the way that they are treated. VIXEN is a good example, they reunited for a short time only to gave it up because the audiences at their shows were nearly non-existant. Who's to blame?... The artist?...The record label?... or The promoters?
Record companies have not helped to promote their money-maker stars of the 80's, and some of those artists then have the attitude that they can't grow because of this box they get put in.

Pat & Neil have started their own record label, and are doing their own promoting or hiring their own promotional agencies these days, and that's why we're hearing more things about them in recent months, and they plan on heavily promoting their new album when its ready to be released.

The 80's decade is not the problem...
80's artists record labels ARE!
That's my opinion.

Yeah, the labels have given the 80s artists short shrift. Sorry for being an ass, Sarg. I didn't mean it.

Sincerely,

John "outofplacechild" Kilduff