Quote:
Originally Posted by jastrub
not to mention the songwriter movements of the time and the developments in early jazz fusion
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Jazz fusion? You're in the wrong decade there .. It came about in the late 60s and got somewhat popular in the 70s.
To some extent, I do think the 80s deserve a bad rep. In the late 70s, popular opinion turned against the ambitious and often experimental rock music of the 70s. A lot of great bands disappeared around the start of the 80s when their creative sparks started fizzling out or their music couldn't be sold anymore, for example Procol Harum and Caravan. Those who did survive often changed their sound and style in an attempt to remain sellable to fans of the new and increasingly synthesized pop music, for example Yes, Heart, Genesis, Magma or Gentle Giant.
Also, the least appreciated parts of the discographies of bands that kept going like Pink Floyd or Camel are typically from the 80s. The problem with the 80s production is that it sounds more dated than it did before because they were playing around and experimenting a lot with technology, but technology gets old while the sound of a guitar or a flute is a lot more timeless as instruments don't change that much. As a result, music from the 80s sounds, to me, often more outdated than music from previous decades.
In the end, it is of course about perspective and what you look for. If you like the metal or alternative rock that came about during the 80s (f.ex), then perhaps it's a decade full of merit, but if you're like me and like bands and artists from earlier decades who disappeared or turned to **** in the 80s with big hair and shoulderpads, then the 80s is in many ways a pretty sad decade.