Quote:
Originally Posted by Screen13
(first a word of thanks...as my original, once deleted, post was quoted I decided to add my original statement to my post about Iggy. I must have thought I wrote something that was not logical...now onward)
All three are good mentions.
Yes had the major help of one-time member and then-major Producer Trevor Horn for their 83 comeback, someone who certainly gave them a major lift. They had the luck to adjust to the times image-wise without looking trying too hard.
King Crimson certainly had the right sound/right time luck, and that was with great music. The Early 80's did have a strong cult of musicians reading the right magazines that consistently featured Robert Fripp, and the continuous mention of Crimson, as well as the band appearing on shows that would have them (Their appearance on Fridays must have wowed the audience who possibly may not have been into their music), added on to the appeal. Musicians interested in the Alternative scene were in the know about the band and with the addition of Adrian Belew and master Bassist Tony Levin, they were a good fit for the music scene at the time. That Discipline and Beat were great albums released when there was some interest in the industry to promote that style was a major help.
Rush usually had futuristic concepts, and they served them very well with the changing of the music scene. I'm not a major fan, but the one thing I can say is that they are one of the rare bands with that timelessness in their sound and approach. Having a great ear for excellent hooks is a plus.
All three mentioned had a willingness to take their music into different territories, and even if Yes fumbled with Tormato and Drama, they are still mentioned with the words of "at least they tried to move with the times". They were not too over the top (The best of ELP), nor were they Rock and Roll party anthem shouters (Post-Concerto 70's Deep Purple) - their lyrical concerns were humanitarian and just right to get a lot of listeners (OK, Topographic was OTT, but the center of it's meaning certainly was shared by their millions of fans).
Maybe it was not painting themselves into a heavy duty rock and roll Spinal Tap-esque corner or having a too-iconic style that helped them move into another era.
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I picked those bands out for some of the reasons you've mentioned, but I think Trevor Rabin was also a big influence on giving the band their direction in the 1980s. King Crimson have always been an evolving band and might be the truest prog band of them all as they really covered some different musical styles. I always thought their 80s output on the albums you've mentioned was influenced by what Talking Heads were doing. Rush though were a different case. They were a newer band than either KC or Yes by several years and were still at their creative height at the start of the 1980s, so they didn't need to find the creative spark as the other bands did, they just naturally evolved into a more power pop style keeping with the times. The Grace Under Pressure album is one of the finest examples of a 1980s. power pop album.
I saw you added the Tubes at the bottom. In fact they are the perfect example of a 70s band adapting to the 1980s, the band basically changed their sound on Remote Control in 1979 and incorproarted this newer sound into their elaborate stage show where their older material sat with their newer new-wave and rockier output and it all seemed to fit perfectly together.