How "old" is 80s music?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by ribonucleic, Mar 8, 2018.

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  1. ToneLa

    ToneLa Forum Resident

    I was born when Let's Dance was number one (a good week to be born!) .. So my answer is, not very :)

    I prefer timelessness .. Something the 80s doesn't always do well, though sometimes perfects!

    It's probably Oldies stuff to kids now, but that's all relative. I'm sure Amy Winehouse is old, classic stuff to someone ..
     
  2. Wally Swift

    Wally Swift Yo-Yoing where I will...

    Location:
    Brooklyn New York
    I graduated HS in 1983. I listened to mostly 70's progressive and hard rock at the time and found popular 80's music distasteful especially when it started infecting my favorite band Genesis. Funny though, in light of popular music post 1990 I actually now kinda like some of the stuff that I hated in the 80's.
     
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  3. Jmac1516

    Jmac1516 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    I mainly listen to and enjoy early ‘70s progressive rock. So no, 80’s does not seem old to me at all!
     
  4. Khaki F

    Khaki F Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kenosha, WI. USA
    Who could ever get tired of TR-808 handclaps?
     
  5. chervokas

    chervokas Senior Member

    Well, Back to Black is what, 12 years old? That's pretty old in pop music years.
     
  6. vamborules

    vamborules Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    I don't think '80s music' can really be lumped together all into one thing. There are probably a lot of songs from that time that younger people would know or relate to, but Scandal's The Warrior isn't one of them.
     
  7. Archtop

    Archtop Soft Dead Crimson Cow

    Location:
    Greater Boston, MA
    Not old enough, IMO.
     
  8. jneilnyc

    jneilnyc Free Range Responder

    Location:
    New York
    Yeah, most "kids" born in 2000 in the US are old enough to vote, operate a motor vehicle, pay taxes, marry, become a legal guardian, etc.
    The 90s ended before they were born, and the 80s are ancient history, the equivalent of WWII era swing to someone my age.
     
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  9. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven

    This is because time marches on.
     
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  10. jneilnyc

    jneilnyc Free Range Responder

    Location:
    New York
    Marches? I think it's speeding up!
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2018
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  11. TLMusic

    TLMusic Musician & record collector

    Yes, add that tinkly Yamaha DX7 Whitney Houston Rhodes piano emulation, and be sure to process everything in the mix through stereo chorus. The snare must be the LOUDEST thing, low bass is deemed undesirable. That was the 1980s sound.

    The Prophet 5, Jupiter and Oberheim big lush polyphonic synth pads are still cool in my book, though...
     
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  12. jneilnyc

    jneilnyc Free Range Responder

    Location:
    New York
    For comparison, The Beatles' oldest records are what, 55 years old?
    When those first came out, a 55 year old record would have been cut in 1908.
     
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  13. jneilnyc

    jneilnyc Free Range Responder

    Location:
    New York
    But if I never hear another Fairlight "Orchestral Hit/Stab" it'll be too soon.
     
  14. Khaki F

    Khaki F Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kenosha, WI. USA
     
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  15. TLMusic

    TLMusic Musician & record collector

    In the official video you can see Jane Child herself jamming on the Fairlight :)

     
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  16. AFOS

    AFOS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brisbane,Australia
    As probably mentioned already 80's music sounds modern as a lot of todays music is based on 80's sounds such as the synthesizer. I also think that in terms of progressing music forward you can't go much further than the 80's. This also applies to the 60's/70's - Beatles music for example (I know) still sounds fresh. Can you imagine kids in the 60's bopping to music from the 10's or 20's? Even 50's music sounded ancient by the late 60's.
     
  17. TLMusic

    TLMusic Musician & record collector

    So many current hits, like Bruno Mars "24K Magic", use textbook early 1980s arrangement styles and production techniques.
     
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  18. Starquest

    Starquest ‎ ‎ ‎

    Location:
    Twin Cities, MN
    Debbie Gibson was a flash in the pan. I wouldn't expect someone in their 20s to have heard of her. You were really talking about Debbie Gibson?
     
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  19. Starquest

    Starquest ‎ ‎ ‎

    Location:
    Twin Cities, MN
    I don't know if 80s music sounds "modern" but if so, like you said, it's because there really haven't been many advancements in pop music since then. You can tell 90s music, that has a sound. But everything since about 2000 sounds the same to me. Taylor Swift sounds like stuff made ten years prior. It has essentially stopped evolving.

    But there's also a massive 80s revival genre, or maybe inspired by 80s music. Tons of stuff online on the label New Retro Wave. All kinds of stuff in the Outrun world is really great.
     
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  20. Diamond Star Halo

    Diamond Star Halo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver
    The remaining 80’s music “legacy” found in contemporary music is the continued prevalence of the synthesizer.

    Other than that, 80’s music sounds nothing like modern mainstream music (apart from the odd 80’s retro hit single here and there).
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2018
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  21. Marc Perman

    Marc Perman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Which is why “Honey Pie” worked so well.
     
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  22. Farmer Mike

    Farmer Mike Forum Resident

    In my retail days, in 99 or 2000, I had a mother and daughter come in, the mother asked where we filled Fats Domino, "maybe blues or R&B?". "No, we've got him in our oldies section", daughter starts laughing. I get the mother over to the section, she gets one of the Imperial hits collections and also grabs a Chuck Berry comp and a couple of used Time/Life collections that we had just got in used. They eventually head up to the register, I ring up Mom and then the daughter puts her Cd's on the counter. B.O.'s by Duran Duran, Culture Club and Bread I said,"When Fat's and Chuck got exiled to oldies those records were 15 or 20 years old. Duran Duran and Culture Club are both coming up to that age and Bread,well that's older than you." Mom laughs, daughter leaves a little grumpy.
     
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  23. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Most 80's music seems frightfully old to me now. Even some 60's and 70's stuff sounds more fresh.

    Similar to the way 70's music sounded frightfully old to me in the 80's! :laugh:

    It's a weird phenomenon. The least old old thing is the OLDEST thing. SO DAMN OLD! :laugh:
     
  24. 81531

    81531 Forum Resident

    Location:
    World
    80s music is in fact old - roughly about 30-38 years now but I don't consider
    it to be old-fashioned. The music still get played on the radio (although it was
    more 80s music played about 13-14 years ago) and you can still see some
    influences of this decade in today's music (although I can't stand chart music
    of today - and if I like it, it's surely from an band that formed years ago..)

    And fact: Many 80s artists are releasing deluxe editions of their 80s albums.
    Don't think they would do that if it was old-fashioned and nobody want to buy them again.
     
  25. Diamond Star Halo

    Diamond Star Halo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver
    Late 60’s & 70’s music has largely aged better than 80’s music. It somehow sounds less dated, despite being older.

    I think it is because 80’s music tends to be less organic, due in part to the use of synthesizers and drum machines. The distinctive 80’s production techniques and drum sounds are also contributing factors.
     
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