[k-krack]

Originally Posted by Hip Priest

I have to disagree about the mainstream thing. Think of people like Tears for Fears and Heaven 17 - they may not be to everyone's taste, but they (especially TFF) managed to combine being genuinely mainstream with writing songs about a variety of things ie not just about boy/girl stuff. That hasn't happened since. Heaven 17 were very political (lefties - not my politics, but hey ho).

And, now, you see, I have to say this: Duran Duran, during their 2nd and 3rd LP's, whether you like them or not, filled a very important role insomuch as they were the first pop band to genuinely come close to matching the Beatles for popularity. That gave pop music a kind of legitimacy.

Aside from pop, there was also the after-effects of punk. Also, we saw for the first time the breakdown of clear stylistic delineations as bands started to mix rap and rock, dance and rock, pop and punk and just about everything else.

That said, there was some right shite too of course, I won't try to deny it.

some of that i suppose is true. i have never heard/of Heaven 17... but im a leftie... TFF, i never thouhgt of them as mainstream.. but i guess one would have to be alive in the time...? TFF is great though. i cannot stand Duran Duran... and the punk stuff, there was liots of super good stuff, i suppose some that came from the 70's.. but whatever.. i'm thinking stuff like the Damned and Husker Du... not so much mainstream, no?
anyways, i suppose the 80's sucking for mainstream or not is a matter of taste.

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Cantankerous

the fashions of the era certainly left something to be desired, though.

And seem to be making some sort of comeback amongst 'hip young things' everywhere.

[k-krack]

Originally Posted by DemonBox

I tend to find most mainstream of the 80s too slick and overproduced, and that horrible drum sound... But I won't disagree with you Hip, cause you seem to have alot more knowledge on the subject than me.

couldn;t agree more. just that overly compressed sound of everything. it's terrible. especially in the american music, and some british rock stuff. the "post-punk" (mainly out of britland) was awesome, though.

[Cantankerous]

Originally Posted by Iain

And seem to be making some sort of comeback amongst 'hip young things' everywhere.

god, i know! WHY?!?!

[DemonBox]

Yeah, the drum sound is cool with Devo, but with bands like Bon Jovi, yuck.

[Hip Priest]

Originally Posted by k-krack

some of that i suppose is true. i have never heard/of Heaven 17... but im a leftie... TFF, i never thouhgt of them as mainstream.. but i guess one would have to be alive in the time...? TFF is great though. i cannot stand Duran Duran... and the punk stuff, there was liots of super good stuff, i suppose some that came from the 70's.. but whatever.. i'm thinking stuff like the Damned and Husker Du... not so much mainstream, no?
anyways, i suppose the 80's sucking for mainstream or not is a matter of taste.

Tears for Fears were absolutely a mainstream pop chart band. But they were also quality, interesting songwriters - that's what defines that era's pop for me.

The Damned, during the phase where they did 'Phantasmgoria' and the LP after whose name escaped me, were regulars on television pop shows too, even those aimed specifically at younger people. Other than that, you'd never hear of them.

But as you say, it's a matter of taste, and I'm sure when I go on about the eighties, it's partly because they were my formative years (I was 9 in 1980, so my teenage years were in that decade). People older than me will try to insist that the 70's or 60's were better. There's a subjectivity to it.

[k-krack]

i have nothing else to add... so, true. and about the comeback of eighties fashion. what the fuck is with that!? it's so.. BAD!!!

[Cantankerous]

yeah, like the huge oversized sweaters and leggings and flat shoes. what the fuck?

[Iain]

Who knows....because it's 'fashion' or something.

[Hip Priest]

Fashion? I don't want to seem argumentative, but I hope no-one's suggesting that there's anything wrong with this:

 

Or, indeed, these two fine looking chaps:

 

[k-krack]

wearing ugly knit sweaters and patchy weirdass shirts (especially new kids on the block shirts) is grossly popular now. it's only drama whores that do it though. fuck the drama kids, they are lame. (attention whores, too. they are synonomous, though)

[k-krack]

Originally Posted by Hip Priest

Fashion? I don't want to seem argumentative, but I hope no-one's suggesting that there's anything wrong with this:

 

Or, indeed, these two fine looking chaps:

 

oh no, of course not!!! didn't mean to give you the wrong idea!

[Hip Priest]

Heaven 17 were always very stylish:

 

[k-krack]

time to go. see you all later.

[Iain]

Yes, I was going to mention leggings. I was trying to find a picture of this local band because they pretty much sum up the 80's revival style thing but they are so vacuous I've forgotten their name and tunes and can only recall what they were wearing.

[Cantankerous]

Originally Posted by Hip Priest

Fashion? I don't want to seem argumentative, but I hope no-one's suggesting that there's anything wrong with this:

 

Or, indeed, these two fine looking chaps:

 

i don't find anything objectionable about that. but you know, the whole mall rat thing making its revival is just too much.

[Hip Priest]

The kings of goth, Fields of the Nephilim:

 

(Goth was great in the 80's too)

[Cantankerous]

morrissey had great style in the 80s. so did thurston.

[Iain]

To get back on topic...

I am listening to Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

[Cantankerous]

and nick cave! he looked great in those leather pants with no shirt on.