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Favourite bands/albums/songs from the ... 80's

Just filtering through my vinyl at the moment - can't have it all out so using a 'is there more than one track on this that I like' first filter - the if Yes then apply 'am I likely to listen to it again in the next month' if no then back in the box.

And I have just got on Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat (the songs of Leonard Cohen - 1987). Oh dear - I had forgotten how utter bliss this album is - every track - beautiful songs and words, beautifully sung.

A few crackles,clicks and pops on the vinyl - but actually - that just places the music for me. This one is not going back into the box.
 
Any decade has great music if you want to go out and find it, and your age will be a huge factor. I suspect now is the best time to be a music fan as there is so much out there that is relatively easy to access, try and buy. But I imagine if you asked just about everyone on this board they would say that modern music is rubbish, not as good as it was in my day etc etc.

As for the 80s then any decade with The Smiths, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, The Blue Nile, Prince in his prime, The Pixies plus many others is fine by me.
 
And as for top songs of the 80s then I will go for

9) Tinseltown in the Rain - The Blue Nile
8) Dinosaur Jnr - Freak Scene
7) Pet Shop Boys - Rent
6) When Doves Cry - Prince
5) Nowhere Girl 12 inch remix - BMovie
4) Say Hello Wave Goodbye - Soft Cell
3) Buffalo Stance 12 inch remix - Neneh Cherry
2) Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order
1) There is a light that never goes out - The Smiths
 
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I know it was a pants era for music in a lot of ways but there was plenty of decent stuff aswell which I grew up with in my teenage years

what songs/albums etc were on the top 40 that you recorded on tape and played to death, bought the album or 12"

if its a poignant one then for what reason?

Ha Ha quite simply the BEST EVER era of music the 80's.......so much so one of my nicknames in an office I worked in years ago...was "80's Man "..........as for the music,its all been said by others.

Current music? UTTER GARBAGE
 
Nice shout on Jennifer Warnes SILH have been listening to Songs of Love and Hate recently which has the original version of Famous Blue Raincoat on.
 
Just some of the 80s Scottish bands I've got on vinyl

Aztec Camera
Blue Nile
Hipsway
Gerry Raffery (RIP)
John Martyn (RIP)
Hue and Cry
Orange Juice
The Silencers
Love and Money
Associates
Big Country
Simple Minds
Texas
Altered Images (ah Claire - luv :))
Deacon Blue
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
The Big Dish

etc etc and the beat goes on
 
The 80s were disappointing for me music wise, too much reliance on electronics, there were some notable exceptions particularly The Housemartins
 
Nice shout on Jennifer Warnes SILH have been listening to Songs of Love and Hate recently which has the original version of Famous Blue Raincoat on.

Oh have a listen to Jennifer Warnes singing Cohen on FBR if you haven't done so - it is stellar. She was one of his backing singers for years and so knew his stuff inside out when she recorded FBR - so they are not just singalongaleonard covers.
 
Based on???

I find a lot of today's solo ballady stuff very generic and banal - all that 'makes' it listenable in any way is the production and backing. The songs are just guff. But the same could have been said about music of the 60s, 70s and 80s in truth. But there is some excellent stuff about - I mentioned the band Bastille - but there are really good solo artists other than the likes of Adele - try John Newman for instance. It's not all to my taste - and some of it is truely pap - but there is some very good stuff.
 
yes I like Jennifer Warnes' "raincoat", she really has an appreciation of Leonards songs.

Interesting comments about Bastille, I was having a meal n a pub and there was an album on in the background that I liked, I asked and it turned out to be Bastille.

Its not that modern music is rubbish, there is a lot of great stuff about, the trouble is the only radio station that you are likely to hear any of it on is Radio 6. Smaller local venues are the best places to hear good music,
 
Depeche Mode - First two albums
OMD - First four albums
New Order - Everything they did
The Jam - Sound Affects, The Gift
Talk Talk - First two albums
The Cure - Most of what they did
Stone Roses
The Smiths - All four studio albums

and that is probably about it
 
That was my youth (born in 65)

AC/DC - Back In Black
Dio - Holy Diver
Black Sabbath - Heaven & Hell, Mob Rules
Judas Priest - Defenders Of The Faith
UFO - Strangers In The Night
Iron Maiden - Killers
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break The Oath
Blue Öyster Cult - Fire Of Unknown Origin
Queensrÿche - Rage for Order
Triumph - Never Surrender
Ian Hunter - You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic

hope I forgot nothing essential
 
I find a lot of today's solo ballady stuff very generic and banal - all that 'makes' it listenable in any way is the production and backing. The songs are just guff. But the same could have been said about music of the 60s, 70s and 80s in truth. But there is some excellent stuff about - I mentioned the band Bastille - but there are really good solo artists other than the likes of Adele - try John Newman for instance. It's not all to my taste - and some of it is truely pap - but there is some very good stuff.

You've hit the nail on the head. Every decade has it's pap and derivative stuff, and every decade has it's great music and hidden gems. My daughter makes me listen to Capital and whilst that is not my type of music, there are occasionally great pop songs that are as good as any in previous decades. I'll challenge anyone to come up with a pop song better than 'Get Lucky'. I'd love to be 14 again now with Last FM, Spotify and iTunes....
 
Jesus, early 80's I listened to a lot of Madness, grown out of that now though thankfully.
Then it was Genesis from around the Duke/Abacab era which also led into Phil Collins later on but it was mainly these two in the 80's.
Add a bit of Marillion in there as well for good measure.
Flirted with metal in the mid 80's, Metallica, Macc Lads, the odd S.O.D song but it was a different group of friends and I never truly got into it.

Ironically I love metal now, I completey missed Slayer, Pantera, Eyehategod, Machine Head, Maiden etc back in the day but these are now my most listened to albums. I mean Meth Drinker for christs sake :thup:
 
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