Do you think the 80's as a musical decade is overrated?

[Le Kvlt Dawn 2,364]

I won't lie, I like 80's music but it just seems like people (especially around my age) speak of the 80's as if it were the greatest musical decade in history. Well, I just think it's not. I think the 80's get too much praise.

 

What's your opinion?

Edited May 9, 2013 by AtDawnTheySquee

[Mixolydian Grey 15]

I think the rabid love of 80's music by a select group is in retaliation to the overwhelming hatred towards the decade. A balancing act, if you will. Most of the haters seem to have disappeared, though.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

I think it's better than what we have today. Then again, some of the music they feature in Fallout is better than what we have today. Their are just so many bands that had great sounds and made such lasting impression and some that are still touring even! Greatest in history? Maybe, maybe not, but certainly a lot more varied than most modern bands.

[Fhaolan 4,487]

Huh. Interesting. I honestly didn't think the 80's was that great at the time. 70's was kinda neat. 90's was... weird, and the 00's was pretty non-eventful. Personally I find what's happening now fascinating.

 

In retrospect I can see the 80's being a high point for some types of music, but not overall.

 

'course I like some 40's and 30's stuff from before even my time. I've got a thing for swing and other relatively high-energy musical styles.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Fhaolan

[CamRad18 337]

I call it the "nostalgia factor" (original, I know). Every generation thinks the the generation before it had better music/games/people/morals and what have you. What these people fail to realize, however, is that the reason 80's music is so "good" is because only the well-made music survives. The rest of it fades into obscurity and ends up in bargain bins at flea markets. 

 

So yeah, every generation contains a mixture of good and bad music.

Edited May 9, 2013 by CamRad18

[Le Kvlt Dawn 2,364]

I call it the "nostalgia factor" (original, I know). Every generation thinks the the generation before it had better music/games/people/morals and what have you. What these people fail to realize, however, is that the reason 80's music is so "good" is because only the well-made music survives. The rest of it fades into obscurity and ends up in bargain bins at flea markets.

 

So yeah, every generation contains a mixture of good and bad music.

Ahh yes, the nostalgia factor. I'd say the pop from 80's is worse than the pop from today. I'd say my favorite modern band would be Opeth, and I'm proud to be alive and part of the generation that grew up listening to them.

 

I think it's better than what we have today. Then again, some of the music they feature in Fallout is better than what we have today. Their are just so many bands that had great sounds and made such lasting impression and some that are still touring even! Greatest in history? Maybe, maybe not, but certainly a lot more varied than most modern bands.

There were crappy bands back in 80's, plenty of them. It's just that nobody remembers them anymore so it SEEMS like music was "better" back then.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

Ahh yes, the nostalgia factor. I'd say the pop from 80's is worse than the pop from today. I'd say my favorite modern band would be Opeth, and I'm proud to be alive and part of the generation that grew up listening to them.

There were crappy bands back in 80's, plenty of them. It's just that nobody remembers them anymore so it SEEMS like music was "better" back then.

I'm not saying their weren't. Who wants to listen to the worst of music from any era? My point is that what defines "the best in music" has changed for many people since then. For some, 80's music holds more appeal than today's hits.

[Lisa 5,553]

I absolutely despise the 1980's music.

 

The 80's seemed to be the time when music started developing into a more modern look. Focusing more on electrophone instruments than classic instruments....and it sounded fucking horrible. 

 

I believe the 80's music is very overrated, people pay way too much attention to it than I believe it should earn. 

I think it's purely nostalgia..(especially my Dad ), my Dad is currently going through a mid-life crisis and is listening to 70's, 80's and 90's music more than he used to. 

_________________________

 

Keep in mind, I'm not stating that 80's music is terrible, I'm simply giving my opinion that I believe it sounds horrible.

 

 

~Lui

[Le Kvlt Dawn 2,364]

I'm not saying their weren't. Who wants to listen to the worst of music from any era? My point is that what defines "the best in music" has changed for many people since then. For some, 80's music holds more appeal than today's hits.

For some, but not for me. Music evolves, and it usually evolves for the better (not always, but that's what I like to call a fad). Fads usually end up dying out. A good example would be disco.

[Dark Moon 966]

I have to agree with you. The 80's are pretty overrated. If anything it is the 90's that don't get enough credit. I would call that the best decade.

[Le Kvlt Dawn 2,364]

I absolutely despise the 1980's music.

 

The 80's seemed to be the time when music started developing into a more modern look. Focusing more on electrophone instruments than classic instruments....and it sounded fucking horrible.

 

I believe the 80's music is very overrated, people pay way too much attention to it than I believe it should earn.

I think it's purely nostalgia..(especially my Dad ), my Dad is currently going through a mid-life crisis and is listening to 70's, 80's and 90's music more than he used to.

_________________________

 

Keep in mind, I'm not stating that 80's music is terrible, I'm simply giving my opinion that I believe it sounds horrible.

 

 

~Lui

The 80's music that I like is usually less commercial and less electro(and focuses more substance rather than sex appeal). Some of my favorite albums of the 80's are Sister by Sonic Youth, Doolittle by The Pixies and 13 Songs by Fugazi. I also like the early death metal and black metal from that time, but it's a bit too extreme for many people . I prefer the 90's and 00's over the 80's.

 

But yes, there was A LOT of shitty (mainstrem) music in the 80's.

Edited May 9, 2013 by AtDawnTheySquee

[Evilshy 5,091]

Good? Yes.

Overrated? Also yes.

 

Were I to list all my favorites and the decades they came from, then I'd think the 90's and 00's are the best. But none of that music is mainstream, either, so... not really sure what that implies, but yeah. Progressive metal is good stuff.

[Le Kvlt Dawn 2,364]

I have to agree with you. The 80's are pretty overrated. If anything it is the 90's that don't get enough credit. I would call that the best decade.

The 90's are at least 100 times better than the 80's. Side by side, there's clearly more stuff to choose from from the 90's (and 00's).

[Thrashy 2,800]

HELL NAW, son. Considering the '80s gave us the first examples of truly extreme metal - much of which holds far more relevance today than the "decade-defining" grunge that was shoved down our throats in the '90s - I can safely say that no amount of campy rock bands or laughable synth-pop groups that the '80s shat out can ever dampen the effect that '80s metal had on...well, nearly all modern metal. Can you name a modern death metal band that doesn't cite Slayer as an influence? I can almost guarantee you, such a band does not exist.

[Le Kvlt Dawn 2,364]

HELL NAW, son. Considering the '80s gave us the first examples of truly extreme metal - much of which holds far more relevance today than the "decade-defining" grunge that was shoved down our throats in the '90s - I can safely say that no amount of campy rock bands or laughable synth-pop groups that the '80s shat out can ever dampen the effect that '80s metal had on...well, nearly all modern metal. Can you name a modern death metal band that doesn't cite Slayer as an influence? I can almost guarantee you, such a band does not exist.

No that's not what I meant (I love Slayer and grunge btw). I meant how people act like the 80's were so great because of crappy bands like Bon Jovi and Poison. Extreme metal didn't kick into high gear until the 90's, the underground has always been good. Edited May 9, 2013 by AtDawnTheySquee

[Thrashy 2,800]

No that's not what I meant (I love Slayer and grunge btw). I meant how people act like the 80's were so great because of crappy bands like Bon Jovi and Poison. Extreme metal didn't kick into bight gear until the 90's, the underground has always been good.

Ah, I see. I thought you meant '80s music as a whole, all genres and their lasting legacies, as opposed to only looking at the lame pop that it gave us. Because yeah, when it comes down to people who are nostalgic for just the '80s pop, that decade was definitely overrated; the smash hits of the time were equally as shallow and insufferable back then as the ones you hear now, so...the fact that some people look more fondly upon old crap as opposed to more recent crap is probably nothing more than a case of them having nostalgia goggles superglued to their faces.

[Le Kvlt Dawn 2,364]

Ah, I see. I thought you meant '80s music as a whole, all genres and their lasting legacies, as opposed to only looking at the lame pop that it gave us. Because yeah, when it comes down to people who are nostalgic for just the '80s pop, that decade was definitely overrated; the smash hits of the time were equally as shallow and insufferable back then as the ones you hear now, so...the fact that some people look more fondly upon old crap as opposed to more recent crap is probably nothing more than a case of them having nostalgia goggles superglued to their faces.

It's a shame that whenever people think of 80's metal they think of shitty bands like Def Leopard and Bon Jovi instead of acts like Bathory, Death and Napalm Death.

[Hansel 1,512]

The 80's had a lot of music that I love... and a lot of music that I don't really like. Kind of like every decade.  It's down to opinion, really.

 

I think the decade had some great Metal, most famously Glam Metal (Well, technically it came along in the late 70's, but it didn't really kick in until the early 80's)... which started out amazingly and sort of ended up shooting itself in the foot in the later years. Thrash also came along, which I'm not a big fan of, but it did have a fantastic impact on Metal later on. It was also the birth of Doom Metal, Black Metal, and quite a few other amazing subgenres. I'm pretty sure Grindcore also started as an off-shoot at some point in the 80's, but I'm not a big fan.

 

The 80's was also the birth of the Goth music scene thanks to the Post-Punk stuff, and Post-Industrial also came along. All of which, I'm extremely grateful for. There was also a lot of amazing Synthpop and New Wave stuff which I love.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Hansel

[Sunnerino 182]

I think 80's music is very good, although I don't listen to it all that much anymore, but in all honesty, I much prefer 90's music over the 80's.

[Chacobos 160]

I would say the 80's deserves its praise mainly if you are a rock and metal fan. Now this can be arguable by people that prefer modern day rock and metal but the style from bands of the 80's are vastly different from most modern bands. I am not talking about individual style but as a whole, every band has their own unique style but there is an aspect each band from a certain decade.

 

Also, Bon Jovi(and neither is AC/DC for any of you that will eventually say it) isn't metal. If you want metal you should go look at Iron Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest, Dio, etc. 

Edited May 9, 2013 by Brolaire

[Le Kvlt Dawn 2,364]

 

 

If you want metal you should go look at Iron Maiden, Metallica, Judas Priest, Dio, etc.

Well, I do like those bands to a certain extent. I just prefer the more extreme acts from the 80's like Death, Carcass, Morbid Angel, etc. but those bands didn't go into full bloom until the 90's (especially Morbid Angel). 90's metal is just so much better than 80's metal, there are way more subgenres.

[Scootalove 10,689]

The 80s was pretty overrated but at the same time good with the music industry. In the 90s and 2000s, music started to evolve more and more artists started to break out into the music industry. Sadly, I only remember 90s and 2000s music. I don't really remember any 80s music but, the 80s did have it's ups and downs in music.

[Jokuc 8,174]

Hard question. While I do think that the 80's had much amazing music, I can't just say that it's THE best music decade. There is no "best" music decade. There are some awesome music from each decade. The 80's just happened to have a lot of it.

[Yamato 1,348]

I think I've brought this up somewhere else, but it's all a matter of style. The 80's had their own particular things, and some people really like them. Personally, I prefer the 60's and 70's. Four man bands, counterculture influence, psychedelic shtuff. If you don't dig the old stuff, yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man... If you do, same deal.

[Soundgarden 2,758]

I personally think that the 80's is extremely overrated, but that's just me though

 

But what I really hate is the "fanbase" of the 80's (for the lack of a better word). They despise todays music with a passion, while they only have listened to a very small portion of it.

 

 Great music existed then and it lived on. That's something 80's music purists never seem to understand