Do the 80's Deserve their Bad Rep?
 

Most music lovers seem to scornfully look upon the 80's as a stain on the history of popular music. I have heard the terms "cultural wasteland" and "lost decade" used many times by many people in reference to the 1980's, and it irritates me. Sure, there were some very embarrassing aspects of the decade, but I think there is a lot more that the era offered that cannot be overlooked.

The 80's in my opinion were actually an extremely influential time. The further development of politically-charged pop and punk music, the incorporation of synthesizers, the spawning of solo careers by many ex-band artists and the birth of what we would consider the modern metal scene all came out of the 80's, not to mention the songwriter movements of the time and the developments in early jazz fusion. I think the decade is too often shunned arbitrarily.

I'm not really into 80's Hair Metal or care about 80's Top 40 - no comment. If there was one positive thing I had to say about the 80's - Randy Rhoads.

Most? Really? I'm not sure about that. Of course those that grew up in the 90s would scorn it because they are from a different era and prefer dour grunge/rock music, and many of them also probably like some of the worst hip-hop, shoegaze and electronica of the 90s as well.

The 80s certainly had much more good pop music (chart and indie). Electronica had its roots before the 90s (in the 80s and 70s), hip-hop started properly in the 80s, shoegaze started in then too, the roots of indie rock were also very much in the 80s. Dance music as we know it also started in the 80s, far far more good pop-dance back then as well.

I think some people's perspectives are limited by American music which while it had some good things was not really what defined the era. There is far more to the 80s than American groups like Bon Jovi and REM. British music for example had far more variety and - like in the 70s - there was other good music (particularly pop) in other parts of the world like Italy and Japan. Also rock critics can give a distorted view of the 80s focusing on just a few biased favourites like The Cure when there was much more than that.

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.

Every decade has it's share of good music and crap music. It all comes down to personal taste.
I like a lot of music from the 80's, but I have to admit I do find myself listening to music from other decades much more often. (1950's to the present.)

The 80s was not the decade for progressive music that much, but the 70s beats all other decades on that anyway. As for productions well there could be different types it wasn't all in the heavier American style. But really productions from every era sound of their time, it just means that people have to make the effort to accept the different sound, some will and some won't. That's why when I read a review of someone on an 80s album saying the production is too dated or 80s I just feel that they don't get the point and are wasting their time reviewing it.

The Best of times, as well as the worst of times, all in one big mish mosh.

The 80s is probably my favourite decade for music.

If you're into METAL, than the '80s rule.
The only bad thing music-wise that they produced was all that lame pop. But that's coming from a huge new wave fan.

Arguably there was far lamer pop in the 90s, the 80s had some great pop from many countries.