Just how musically good were early 80s bands?
Discussion
Take a look at these three performances, all by bands relatively unheralded (at the time) for their musicianship. Just how good do they look/sound now? How tight, how melodic, how understated in their personal skill and musicality? These were “ordinary” bands, not especially renowned for their musicianship. I think we were spoiled, and we had no idea…
In our house they were all rated as excellent. Especially Big Country and Talk Talk...
WindyCommon said:
Take a look at these three performances, all by bands relatively unheralded (at the time) for their musicianship. Just how good do they look/sound now? How tight, how melodic, how understated in their personal skill and musicality? These were “ordinary” bands, not especially renowned for their musicianship. I think we were spoiled, and we had no idea…
Only saw Big Country once, and they were excellent. Supporting (a quite dreadful) Bowie at Wembley in 1987.
Loved Simple Minds from their early Empires & Dance days but never got to see them, they seemed to get very big, very quickly.
INXS Were another similar really good band live who don't really get the recognition they deserve.
Also check out The Gang of Four if you don't know of them.
Loved Simple Minds from their early Empires & Dance days but never got to see them, they seemed to get very big, very quickly.
INXS Were another similar really good band live who don't really get the recognition they deserve.
Also check out The Gang of Four if you don't know of them.
king awesome! Late seventies early eighties was the best time for music, it was innovative and varied.
Simple Minds were my favourite band up til New Gold Dream, a superb album, as was Sister Feelings Call that the last song, 'The American' came from.
In the nineties music started good, but then became repetitive imo.
Simple Minds were my favourite band up til New Gold Dream, a superb album, as was Sister Feelings Call that the last song, 'The American' came from.
In the nineties music started good, but then became repetitive imo.
Love '80s synth pop. I was born in '74 so by the mid-'80s I was ten-ish, wide-eyed and full of bewilderment at the wonder of the electronic sounds emanating from DJ rigs while I played space invader games built into tables in the function room at the local working men's club where there seemed to be some kind of family party almost every other weekend. Those were some of my happiest times!
I love many bands - from all the decades - the 60s on (the best decade ever to have been a teenager - 'freedom' doesn't even begin to describe that decade to have been young.
So yeah, bands from thereon - apart from the vast majority of today's modern stuff, nah thanks.
Big Country, Simple Minds, I'll agree, and great live too, even now, seen both, such a tragedy when Stuart died.
Sticking with the 1980s, in fact the Spring of that first year of a new decade.
Hard to believe it's now nearing almost 44 yrs ago!
I was nudging 30 at the time, same age as most of the group in question at this point in time.
I was on the staff at Oxford Poly and some of us were asked if we'd like to volunteer at the doors to the college's entertainment area near the main entrance. This was when live acts/groups were on in the evenings. I jumped at the chance. No problem. But stand by the doors, sod that, I'd get inside and go stand by the stage!
They had some great groups - but this one was very special.
Monday March 24th 1980.
I made 'damn' sure I didn't miss it!
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers first trip to the UK, part of their worldwide 'Damn The Torpedoes' Tour.
They only had 4 gigs in the UK, two at Hammersmith Odeon, one at Birmingham Odeon and one at Manchester Apollo,
Oxford Polytechnic was added to the list - for filming as part of the BBC 2 'Rock Goes To College' series.
Superb night!
The original vid sadly seems to have disappeared on Youtube, but someone posted this one up a few years back, seems a bit out of sync, the beginning should have Pete Drummond (then Radio 1 DJ) introducing it as he compared the whole series on BBC2, but hey ho, at least much of it is here.
So yeah, bands from thereon - apart from the vast majority of today's modern stuff, nah thanks.
Big Country, Simple Minds, I'll agree, and great live too, even now, seen both, such a tragedy when Stuart died.
Sticking with the 1980s, in fact the Spring of that first year of a new decade.
Hard to believe it's now nearing almost 44 yrs ago!
I was nudging 30 at the time, same age as most of the group in question at this point in time.
I was on the staff at Oxford Poly and some of us were asked if we'd like to volunteer at the doors to the college's entertainment area near the main entrance. This was when live acts/groups were on in the evenings. I jumped at the chance. No problem. But stand by the doors, sod that, I'd get inside and go stand by the stage!
They had some great groups - but this one was very special.
Monday March 24th 1980.
I made 'damn' sure I didn't miss it!
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers first trip to the UK, part of their worldwide 'Damn The Torpedoes' Tour.
They only had 4 gigs in the UK, two at Hammersmith Odeon, one at Birmingham Odeon and one at Manchester Apollo,
Oxford Polytechnic was added to the list - for filming as part of the BBC 2 'Rock Goes To College' series.
Superb night!
The original vid sadly seems to have disappeared on Youtube, but someone posted this one up a few years back, seems a bit out of sync, the beginning should have Pete Drummond (then Radio 1 DJ) introducing it as he compared the whole series on BBC2, but hey ho, at least much of it is here.
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