Orlando, FL Music from the 1980s

Are you using "band" literally, or can we name any musical performer? If the latter, that's easy, Michael Jackson hands down, if the former, I'll have to think on that a while.

L8r

 

Okay, how about this?

Favourite band
Favourite performer
Favourite song

Ha, now you have more thinking to do!


And having thought over mine, I would have to say . . .

Favourite band: still thinking on that one
Favourite performer: Richard Marx
Favourite song: Right Here Waiting, by Richard Marx

Dana

 

After recovering from a weird sort of stasis remembering Richard Marx's hair, I have to say these are some really insightful responses.

A couple of songs I'd add to the list of favorites would be "Opportunities," by Pet Shop Boys, and the video for "Everybody Have Fun Tonight," by Wang Chung. Not only was it an interesting video, but it got a lot of press for causing seizures in those with epilepsy; even the Star Wars movies didn't do that. Also, anybody remember the day they released the video for Yes' "Leave It?" There were about 9 versions, and they played them all that same day. Other big "event" videos I recall were "Blue Jean," by David Bowie, and the granddaddy of all big videos, "Thriller," by Michael Jackson.

In the 80s, if I were to pick a favorite band "of the 80s" I might have picked Adam and the Ants. With hindsight and current tastes tacked on, my favorite band of the decade, and it should be yours too, is Depeche Mode.

Lastly, if Richard Marx is allowed on here, I'm going to drop all pretenses and mention that Don Johnson's "Heartbeat" hourlong longform video rocked. One of these days I'm going to own that bad boy on Laserdisc.
-Campbell

 

What 3rd world country are you from?

I remember more than I want to remember prior to 1989, so I reckon I count.

I think that every decade produces beneficial music, not just from the 1950's and on. I just stated that imo, the music from the 70's was not to my liking. To me it was boring and repetetive. Mind you, not all of it, just a good deal of it. What I did like from the 70's was The Ramones, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, The Sex Pitstols, The New York Dolls. Otherwise, growing up in the rural South and having to listen to Lynard and the Allman Bros for most every hour was suicidal. That and mainstream FM "let's play another Fleetwood Mac song". The advant of Punk, which grew out of garage band music and The Velvet Underground music was what I enjoyed from the 70's.

80's music DID NOT grow out from 70's music. It was a backlash to 70's music pretty much the way alternative rock from the 90's with it's pessemistic viewpoints and lyrics, at most, were a backlash to music from the 80's It was called "New Wave" for a reason. Most, but not all, artist were British pretty much like from the 60's on whose artists they derived their inspiration from. I am talking beat music from the early to mid 60's; not the acid stuff like the early Pink Floyd aka as Syd Barrett age or the 13th Floor Elevators from Texas.

I have no arguement with you about your liking 70's music. Music is a matter of taste, and what you like it okey dokey for you. Just because I don't like it, doesn't mean that it's bad. Simply that to me it has very little appeal.

jedigirl99

 

Favourite band
Favourite performer
Favourite song

From the 80's or overall?

Favorite Band from the 80's: REM
Favorite Performer: David Bowie
Favorite Song: Stepping Out by Joe Jackson

How about we add favorite 80's video since this was the Golden Age of Music Videos: Yin and Yang The Flower Pot Man by Love and Rockets. Boy, that was bizarre and so kewl when I saw it!

jedigirl

 

Favorite band - tie -U2 or INXS
Favorite performers -Tie between Janet and Paula Abdul
Favorite song -ugh! that's the toughest. I can't just choose one or even just two because I was in middle, high school & then college. Depending on where I was, I always had a different "favorite". In Your Eyes - has stayed consistantly in the top 5 so that'll be my pick.

U2, Eurythmics, INXs, THe Cure, Depeche Mode you've all named my favorite groups and then some. I liked them all and still do. Yes, there are songs you hear over & over and need a break from but then later after not hearing them for awhile, want to hear again. You just miss them.
Campbell, you mentioned Miami Vice but then don't mention Phil Collins? What's up with that? Wasn't his music or Genesis (I forget) predominately featured?
Music soothes the savage beast, so boys, listen to more music!!
Melanie

 

Yes, it was new wave. It was completely different as far as mood, lyrics, even instruments. Yet, as a musician, the aspects of music from the 80's were built on the foundations established in the 70's. The same form, chord progressions, etc. gave birth to the music that we love so dearly. If you listen to examples of classical music, you will hear techniques used in pop music now. They are in NO WAY similar genres, yet they contain form, repetition and certain qualities that make them sound like they do. It's all the development of western music, which dates back to the god of theory, Bach. That's why it is popular music; it all has similar characteristics that give it a hook in order to grab the masses. It all builds from each other.

 

New Wave was not much different from the Punk-Garage-Beatnik music from which it derived. As a wife of a former musician who toured with Iggy Pop and an formerly trained musician myself, I can for certs state that New Wave was NOT built on the foundations established in the 70's. It was established in the 50's-60's. If anything, at all, it followed in the footsteps of those 70's bands such as The Ramones. The Sex Pistols and to an extent David Bowie who were in themselves revolting against the mainstream music of the 70's that received repetetive airplay time after time on your daily FM dial.

While your association of pop music with classical music progession and tonality has a great deal of merit, it is the harmony and melody of the "Punk-New Wave" music that ties it directly with the garage bands of the 60's and early 70's. Bands such as the Kinks, The Seeds and early Mott the Hoople. This is the connection of which I speak.

Perhaps we are saying the same thing in a different way.

What the early punk movement represented was a group of people who rejected the drudgery of the mid 70's "classic rock" and disco. The music that came from this movement was generated by people who rejected the notion that in order to express themselves musically, they needed extensive training or competency in order to generate emotion through music. New Wave was the logical progression from the hard emotion of punk rock to a more generally accepted genre of emotional music based on relationships and modern anxiety. What made New Wave different was that the music was generally crisp, simple melodies that were familiar and fun. Nothing about bands like CSN&Y, or The Winter Bros., or YES , could possibly be associated with bands like Depeche Mode, Gang of Four, Blondie or INXS. There just is no corelation other than basic instrument variety.

As for Bach, it can be argued that all western music has derived in some fashion from early Baroque music. But the analogy is lost through time much as the relationship between the steam locomotive and the airplane is lost. Baroque music was never the popular music of the masses. Rather, that was left up to the Romantic Movement that produced Beethoven to cover that area.

jedigirl99

 

You people are too old for me to be hanging out with. Way too old!

 

Then don't hang out with them all... I don't think anyone will miss you. Sorry if this breaks your heart, well maybe not.

 

James Ill be missed a lot more than you would there buddy. And you need to come up with some of your own lines. And I dont mean to hurt your feelings either, but I dont think youre wanted at the canoe trip. Youre just not a likeable person. Ill be honest with you, no one really likes you hanging out with us, they might not like me either for some of the things I say, but I know I edge you out. Maybe you should stay with the Melbourne group that loves you so much! Becasue youre just such a cool guy.

 

Too old? LOL. Oh well, with age comes wisdom. So, I dare ya! Double dare. Come meet with us on the 14th at MGM and then make an evaluation!

Okay boys, be nice. ;-p

jedigirl99

 

Yeah be nice Dale, we don't want James to run out on us...or do we?

Anywayz. Well, I don't really think you understood my point on FORM. Everysong has a form, whether it be binary, tertiary, rondo, etc. (I assume you are familiar with this, and the rest of you, well you guys are newbs! ) Eitherway, modern music, especially rock (which is the music I am comparing, not disco and stuff. I am taking into account music like Led Zeppelin's for the 70's and the Eurythmics for the 80's), contains a form which is attractive. You mentioned repetitive melodies and such. All rock is made of polyphonic and semi-homophonic forms which generally have a binary form (in this case, verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus or some variation). In each case, ALL ROCK (except maybe .0001% of the songs) contains a repetitive chorus which acts as a hook to grab the listener. Harmonically, the verses may change, yet the chorus stays relatively anchored in order to remind the listener that, "hey, I've heard this before." Also, most modern songs, stemming from rock in the 60's through present times, contain a centered key which is not complex at all. Most riffs on guitars are a common progression based on tonic. If you sit at a piano and play IV, V and I chords over and over in different patterns, you have a brand new hit single. Thus, techniques in the 70's carried on to the 80's.

What I meant by Bach being the god of theory: He was the bridge between the late Baroque and early classical, when music was becoming more accesible to middle and lower classes. Bach's form created the basis for music theory studied today, and his music follows every single rule in 18th century music theory (used to analyze music later on in the classical and romantic periods, yes even Beethoven.) He established form in his repetitive use of choruses and sequences which allowed the familiar tunes to hook people to his music. Bach established the "new wave" music of his time which led the pathway to classical.

 

Gee alchy do ya think I used your line to insult ya? Oh wait.. your too stupid to get that? You are such a vain individual.. if you really believe what you say, you are a very, very sad individual. You know you have only met me once, and when I first saw you, I knew right away you were a dick. You make me wanna vomit everytime I see you post. Atleast you realize no one likes you too. I sure don't. I hope this doesn't break your heart, well maybe not.

 

You are absolutely correct. However, you missed the essential characteristics of how New Wave bands like the Eurythmics fundamentally differed from Led Zep, The Beatles, Bach, BTO, The Atlanta Rhythm Section and later Bee Gees *aka a disco*. The fundamental characteristics that sets New Wave and Punk Rock apart is the total lack of formal training. Ask any real punk rocker the difference between phonic and polyphonic and you'll receive nothing more than a non-sequeter answer. Another word, these musicians are expressing from an internal sense of rhythm, melody, timing and balance. They do not rely upon music theory and/or classical teachings.

Please review the following links:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/encyclopedia/new_wave_music

http://www.nwoutpost.com/nwhist.html

http://library.shastacollege.edu/music/hrj/chap29.html

While it is possible to draw a logical and correct correlation between the repetetive nature of music from the classical period forward (used in broad sense) in terms of established patterns and progression, the reality is that New Wave is a departure from the natural consequences of music that dominated the early and middle 70's. In other words, comparing the standard "Pop" format developed so long ago to early Punk and New Wave is akin to comparing a modern automobile to a horse drawn carriage. They both have four wheels and a power supply, and they transport people faster than walking, however the sad reality is that they are two different things only remotely related.

jedigirl99

 

Thank you for the links. I am impressed with both of your indepth music knowledge. Thank you both for sharing and keep it up. I'm learning which is always a good thing. I just used to listen to music and enjoy it. I recognize the beats, the underlying sound but never really analyzed it. Taking a different sci fi quote "fascinating".
Good topic Brandon!

Melanie

 

Im too stupid? Im a dick? James Ive never liked you before I even met you. I heard the stories about how obnoxious you are. You say when you met me that you knew I was a dick? How could you come up with that assumption, because I didn't say one word to you? You are just the piece of crap that Im sorry to have protected while serving in our military. Its people like you that disgust me, your nasty, dirty, smelly you have no life. You act as if you're gods gift to women. You hit on every girl at the meetings and on this board and they all are disgusted by you. You're nasty, and what makes you think that you're smarter? First of all you need to learn how to dress. Those black boots you were make you look like some kind of deformed looking Klingon from Star Trek. And could your T-shirt be any tighter? Shows off you belly really well. Im not making fun of people that are over weight, but if I was a lazy fat ass like yourself, I damn sure would wear some lose fitting shirts. You drive all the way from Melbourne to our meeting because no one likes you over there, well heres your wake up call, no one likes you over here either. Where you going next? Tampa? Daytona? And I mean come on now, who puts bullet hole STICKERS on their car? Losers that's who. You hate me because Im everything you want to be. Im in great shape, Im good looking, Im good with the ladies, got a nice car, good paying job, and most important friends. Now about no one liking me, I was being sarcastic. I may have made one person mad at one of my posts and we had an argument, but we apologized and everything is behind us. How he feels about me I don't know, but we are not arguing anymore, and things seem to be fine. But for you, I couldn't care less what you think about me, because you're everything in life that I don't want to be. So go back to your pathetic boring loser life and vomit all over yourself.

 

Okay, Ruckus and Jediscout, please tone down your exchanges. If it is a joke, folks who are not regulars at this board may not realize it is. If you two are being serious, please move your disagreement off the boards.

Again, if you two are joking, make it a bit more obvious. Otherwise, keep things civil on the boards.


Now, to kinda be on topic, I'll just say that Corey Hart's "I wear my sunglasses at night" video is one of the things I remember about the 80's. Why, I don't know. I guess it amuses me on some strange level.

 

Before anybody gets discouraged from making more music theory conversation, I'll add that I find it fascinating as well. I've taken only a few courses on music, and have a rather sizeable collection of recordings, but have always somewhat regretted my lack of formal training.

And in response to Corey Hart. My favorite bizarre line from that song is, "Don't mess around with the guy in shades, Oh No." Imagine if a bully came up to you with that line. The stuff of nightmares. -Campbell

 

One more thing real quick, what does alchy mean? Cant seem to find in the dictionary. Did you by chance mean ouch or ouchy? Or something to that extent, becasue I dont think ouchy isreally a word either, just understood slang. Just wondering. Thanks.

 

Here's another line from "Sunglasses at Night" for you...

"Don't switch the blame cause the guy in shades will know."

The fact that I know that is really rather sad.

 

The one video I just can't forget is video killed the radio star. I remember when mtv debuted with that video. I thought that was the coolest thing. Mtv rocked back then!

 

band: Anthrax

performer: Tom Petty

song: Dead Mans Party - Oingo Boingo

 

Susan, you might like hearing The Presidents of the USA's cover of Video Killed The Radio Star. Pretty faithful rendition, with a nice rocky energy.

I've recently been bequeathed a huge box of 80's tapes. Have listened to about 20 and seem to've barely scratched the surface.
Some of the keepers in this collection are:
Book of Love - Lullaby
The Glove - Blue Sunshine
The Smiths
Sinead O'Connor - I Am Stretched on Your Grave remixes
Electronic
Suede.

I also found one of my old favorites that nobody would have ever mentioned: TEST DEPARTMENT. Definitely not for everyone, but it was a big part of my late-teen listening.
Good times...

 

Safety Dance

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