Hatin' on the '80s

Kansas City Star ^ | 3/3/05 | Jeff Leeds

[Army Air Corps]

Gads, they are little hard to find unless you go to Ebay. Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass are sometimes tricky to find.

[Army Air Corps]

Herb Albert = Herb Alpert

[stands2reason]

I think the 80's taught us that.

Remember Starship? They should have stuck to reunion tours and played "White Rabbit" ad nauseam....

[GatorGirl]

There's hardly anything on iTunes, which I use far more than anything else, including buying cds. I just download and burn my own. I was never one to listen to a whole album, I was always more happy with mixes or greatest hits albums.

I did, however, just find Wild Wild West, which hadn't been there for a long time. Now I can go to bed happy!

Nice "chatting" with ya tonight.

[stands2reason]

You said it.

[narses]

MacArthur Park, remember?

[Army Air Corps]

De nada. I am always glad to chat about music with others whose tastes are as varied as mine.

[Nowhere Man]

I'm one of those dinosaurs who can't get over the 80s. Yeah, my teen years left a lot to be desired, BUT, the music was awesome and how can you go wrong with 8 years of Reagan? There seemed to be a lot more optimism then, but maybe I'm just a little biased.

Then the 90s came along, with its cynicism and irony and everything just seemed to go all to suck, you know?

I know what you mean, I was born in 1966 so I'll be 39 this year. I was a teenager and young adult back then. It was a cool time although I had my rough times too. My favorite part of that era besides the music was the computers, we used to spend endless hours on our Commodore 64's, TRS-80's, Apple //e's and ][+'s, and games all the time on our Ataris. I remember when I was a junior, we had the "Mother of all School Strikes" so we basically programs games into the computer and played Atari until our retinas became bleached. B-) Ah yes, we had many a late night role playing game session too.

The 1980's were an optimistic time, with Ronald Reagan, how can we go wrong? I think things started to crack after Reagan left office and completely blew chunks by the time Clinton got into office. Today with the Republicans and Bush in office, I got some optimism back but I feel a bit schizoid because the optimism wasn't as intense as it was then. It was an interesting time indeed.

[Nowhere Man]

I graduated in '82 and I recall the music was great during that time.

It's not just nostalgia. I recall feeling that way back then.

Even up 'til 88 or so, the music was great.

But the prime years had to have been 1980-1985.

You feel the same as I do, I graduated in 1985 though.

[Army Air Corps]

"The 1980's were an optimistic time, with Ronald Reagan, how can we go wrong?"

Amen! Viva la Reagan Revolution!

[Nowhere Man]

Do you realize that freshman in college today (born 1986) would basically have no memory of RR?

Or record albums or life without VCRs or the freakin' Berlin Wall?

I know what you mean, I had to explain "Smokey and the Bandit" to a freshman girl who works as a cashier at the drugstore I develop photos at. I know "Smokey...." was made in 1977 so it doesn;t quite make the 1980's cut although the two sequels did, but she said, "it was before my time." Dang, makes me feel old, I saw the movie at the theater when I was 11. Come to think of it, I have a cat almost as old as her, Pansy will turn 18 in August. B-)

Where's my walker and dentures? B-)

[KneelBeforeZod]

Launch.com has a really cool streaming music service... free!

I've heard New Order, Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, Psych. Furs, etc....and somehow Def Leppard snuck in there.

If you rate the songs within the genre you choose, it will tailor the songs it streams to you. very cool

[Nowhere Man]

As bad as the music of the 80's supposedly is, the 90's are far worse. There are almost no artists of note that came out of the 90's, at least when talking about popular music. There are some indie bands or performers that did some interesting things in that decade, but that is music that reached a smaller audience.

I'm afraid if you had to ask me to name one good band from the 1990's, I think all you'll get is a "South Park Stare" (TM) and the sounds of crickets chirping.

Actually, most anyone trashing the 80's is usually a liberal. Their hatred of Reagan is the primary reason for hating the decade.

Mega-Dittoes on that. I remember the libs' hatred of Reagan then and even now although it is only surpassed by the hatred of President Bush (43).

[Tribune7]

I had to explain "Smokey and the Bandit" to a freshman girl who works as a cashier

That must have been a project -- CB radios & smuggling Coors beer. :-)

[CARDINALRULES]

I am listening to it now on the Big Hits of the 80's station.

My station is full of the 80's music with a lot of 50's, 60's, 70's some 90's, country and Big Band thrown in.Also comedy like Jeff Foxworthy.

Nelly is the only rapper I have on my list of what I like.

[LongsforReagan]

"I was a very young man in early 80"s and that time was the best time of my life.
No bills, no worries, no killings, no PC'sness just pure, raw fun time.

It was school, GIRLS, and party, be happy. Sometimes I found myself walking home at 2 AM. Try that nowadays without been robbed or shot!
I am a Rock and Roller and every time the radio plays certain songs it brings back fond memories of the bygone good ol' times."

Man, I couldnt have said it better. I miss the 80s!!!!

[laceybrookesdad]

"I loved the 80's too. I was in college, no mortgage, no job, no bills, great music, great President."

You mean there was actually a time in my life that I had no bills!!(sarcasm) Not that I don't love my life now but life sure was a lot more simpler back than.

[JasonC]

These people simply have no idea which bits were actually good, and which were fleeting trash. Almost everyone mentioned in the article is in the latter category.

Not because there wasn't great music in the 80s, there was. But because these jokers wouldn't know it if it bit them. Oh, and that ironic wink is a killer, not a way to get through. The way to get through is to not play edgy crap that was crap the first time around because you think it is more with it still, and to instead play something that is actually good.

For instance, the reason Santana works has nothing to do with age. The guy can just plain play.

[JasonC]

Blondie, Cars, Bangles, Go-Gos, B-52s, Dire Straits, Men at Work, ZZ Top, Police, Talking Heads, Clash, Cure, REM - geez you mean there is music that isn't prancing ninnies or hoodlums or ...

[Betis70]

I can go from Ozzy to Metallica to Duran Duran to Debbie Gibson to Ana Gabriel to Van Morrison to El Grand Combo to Tito Puente to Sarah Brightman to Paco de Lucia to Alison Kraus to Ricky Skaggs.

All in one afternoon with my iPod on shuffle. Great music is awesome.