The boring 80’s

Wow, thanks guys! What I’ve learned from all this is that the 80’s seem to have been boring only to those of us old enough to have lived through the golden age of prog. I happened to grow up during that golden age, so I found the 80’s quite a let-down in comparison. Perhaps it’s all relative, proving once again that the music we grow up with will always be the best. As Sigod put it: “if this music all you know, it's all you need baby”.

 

Still, I admit you’ve brought me back some fond memories: Dire Straits, Talk Talk, Gowan, Simple Minds, Supertramp, Peter Gabriel’s Biko, etc.

Darren: you’re right about many of us thinking of the 80’s in terms of mainstream pop. The problem is, mainstream radio did play Yes, Genesis and ELP at some point in time; and we did not have to scour piles of bargain bins to find lesser known prog bands (yes, I, too, have stayed up nights listening to the CBC hoping to hear something a little different).

What it comes down to, I think, is that my generation was spoiled rotten when it comes to prog: it was handed down to us on a silver platter (and anything less interesting was discarded as 'boring'). You, on the other hand, have had to work hard to get at the goodies; and you know the price of a good album (not only in terms of $$$). And for this reason, I tip my hat off to you, as I do every time I hear people in their teens, 20's or even 30's admit they're into prog.

Keep those 'ramblings' coming .

 

I gave up on Rock in the 80's.

I spent the decade listening to Jazz (ECM) and to New Grass (The New Grass Revival).

Sean Trane wrote: [QUOTE=Hibou] salut Lise, ça boume?

Yes, Sean, ça boom très bien. In fact, I think we baby boomers are becoming the champion whiners of the world (what else is new ).

You say: So i have a better image of the 80's musically-speaking now than back then, only by retrospect because I know groups now , I had no idea even existed then.

 

That I can relate to very well. There are so many bands I’ve just discovered lately, thanks to the internet and in particular to this very site - bands I never knew even existed back then. That’s what I thought when I read Sigod’s list. I know practically all of the bands he mentions but most would have drawn a big blank in my mind had I seen their names back then.

Thank God for the internet and for ProgArchives !

I can remember the word BORING in the Eighties but that was from Phil Colins in an interview in the Melody Maker when he talked about Pink Floyd: that kind of music was "boring" he said after beiing attacked for making the sound from Genesis so polished and commercial!

For me The Eighties were far from boring: I'm from 1960 and was ready for the neo-progressive movement that emerged in those years: Marillion, Pendragon, Twelfth Night, IQ, I've seen them from the beginning and followed especially Marillion fanatically, as so many young progheads who were mesmerized by the gentle giant Fish, a great performer who knew how to entertain his audience!

During The Eighties I visited outstanding concerts from Steve Hackett (80-85), Peter Gabriel (83-88), Rush (81-86), King Crimson (Discipline tour), Jethro Tull, Manfred Mann's Earth Band (Angel Station tour), Camel (Nude tour), Santana (Moonflower tour), Rainbow, Pink Floyd (The Wall), Barclay James Harvest (Turn Of The Tide tour), in fact it was a very interesting period because all the big names and interesting progrock bands came to Holland and I can only remember sold out venues and progheads (known as pragmatic and rational) who reacted very enthousiastic and emotional, GREAT TIME THOSE EIGHTIES  !

 

Well unlike some, for me 90125 had enough in it with Changes, It can happen and Leave it to keep me hopeful for something better in the future. I also must admit to liking elements of the Joshua Tree, Rattle and Hum and Metallica moments along with Jon and Vangelis but I also remember thinking that in that decade I spent alot less on music than I did in the others. Bascially, I hardly bought anything so I guess that sums it up.

Good call on NWOBHM and thrash... 

NWOBHM is basically metal with prog influences (the guys from Iron Maiden are openly vocal about bands like Jethro Tull and Van Der Graaf inspiring them), and thrash bands (the good ones) would "compose" songs in the same way that prog bands did, with lengthy instrumental sections, etc. etc.

darren wrote: Sean Trane wrote: darren wrote: There was almost a bit of an explosion of diverse music at the time. There was a lot of 70's pop plugging up the airwave and New Wave, as well as other musical styles came in like a fresh breeze. Dire Straits hit full stride. There was a lot of Ska influenced music around. I'm kind of shocked that you lumped U2 and The Police in with Duran Duran. The Police had some pretty complex stuff, or "used a lot of expensive chords" as Andy Summers put it. U2 may not have been remotely prog but they could put political statements in with such dazzling music better than most. Those three bands you mention are 70's band that had more success inthe 80's. The 80's were poor in prog (outside neo -prog) U2 is a 70's band? How so? Anyway, yes, these bands did start in the 70's but they still released great groundbreaking albums in the 80's. I would hardly classify the 80's as boring but then, I didn't spend a lot of time listening to mainstream radio. I guess when people say 80's, some think of mainstream pop. There was a whole world that existed outside of the mainstream. Word of mouth was still large, just not as instant as the internet age. Maybe I was just luckier than most. Growing up in Canada I could listen to CBC radio late at night and there were several radio shows devoted to obscure and experimental music. I also watched MuchMusic on tv. They had a show "Citylimits" (later renamed "The Wedge"), also a great source of great music. Originally the show "The New Music" was devoted to more obscure, less mainstream than later years. Of course I lived not far from Winnipeg and there were several "hole in the wall" music stores that had a lot of great stuff. I guess very little was labelled as "Progressive rock". It was more "Art rock" or "experimental". Oops. I'm rambling again.

Actually if you can believe it I also listened to CBC radios but never heard much interesting ujntil late night.

And I used to hang arounf a bar called The Wedge = actually we suggested the name change from the Wedgewood cafe. It was halfway over a dry area limit in Swansea Toronto (Bloor Street West just before the Humber River valley and the Old Mill Auberge)

 

 

U2 groundbreaking? When? Artistically and aesthetically sane surely, but groundbreaking? I love what they did from Unforgettable Fire until Achtung Baby (included) but I hear nothing groundbreaking!

I really can't tell you how the 80s where because I was born in 89.

THE 80's WERE NOT BORING, I HAD SOOOOOOOO MUCH FUN EXPEIRIMENTING WITH MY KNEW FANCY MICROWAVE!!!!!!!