1980s; Most Overrated Decade for Rock Music?
Jan 8, 2018 8:43:46 GMT 10
Post by RockyMountainExtreme on Jan 8, 2018 8:43:46 GMT 10
Okay, before I say anything in this thread, let me clarify some things.
I enjoy 80s thrash metal.
I enjoy the music Iron Maiden and Judas Priest released in the 80s.
I enjoy the late 80s underground grunge music.
I even enjoy a good assortment of glam metal music.
However, despite all of that, I do believe the 80s are the most overrated decade in rock music history.
The 80s are often times considered by many to be the best decade in rock music history, you hear classic rock radio stations playing more songs from the 80s than from the 70s and 60s, you hear the stations praising rock music from the 80s moreso than from the 70s and 60s, yet in reality, at least in my opinion, the 80s were actually one of the weakest decades in rock music history.
One issue is that the 80s had way too many power anthems about sex, partying, and having a good time, making it appeal more to a mainstream audience rather than a counter culture.
Rock music in decades both prior and after felt far more poetic, either by being story driven, or by being relatable.
In the 60s, The Beatles put out some of the most poetic and conscious music ever made.
In the 70s, you had poetic masterpieces such as "Stairway to Heaven", "Free Bird", and "Bohemian Rhapsody".
In the 90s, you had grunge.
In the 00s, you had emo.
In the 10s, now that rock music is underground, it has to be either story driven or relatable to gain a fanbase.
That's not to say that there were no poetic rock songs made in the 80s, but the decade does lack in this department compared to the two decades prior and the three decades after.
This over abundance of partying/sex rock anthems doesn't only come from glam metal. One huge example here is the Brian Johnson era of AC/DC.
Now, I'm not at all a big AC/DC fan, and do find them to be one of the most overrated bands of all time, and a big reason for this is because of their over abundance of party/sex rock anthems. However, I can at least find the Bon Scott era of AC/DC of the 70s to be enjoyable, especially "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". Same can't be said for the Brian Johnson era of the 80s, I find his voice to be way too high pitched and headache inducing, and I find his songs to be even more conformist than that of the Bon Scott era.
Another issue that ties in with the first is that rock music was becoming far too commercialized. A lot of this is attributed to the rise in popularity of music videos. This issue really started in 1979 with "Video Killed the Radio Star", then exploded with the debut of MTV in 1981. Rock music in the 80s was no less mainstream than pop music from the likes of Prince, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. Because of this, you had less rock musicians in it for the passion and more of them in it for the money, this is why glam metal became so over saturated in that decade.
Many like to say glam metal died in 1991 when Nirvana and Pearl Jam blew up in popularity, but in reality, glam metal was already dying well before then. In 1988, when NWA released "Straight Outta Compton", a large chunk of rebellious youth would go on to popularize gangsta rap. In the very late 80s, many glam metal bands ditched the scene and started making acoustic songs, including Guns N Roses when they made "Patience", MTV even released the series "MTV Unplugged" in 1989 that was dedicated to acoustic music. Even grunge music was starting to gain a large underground following in the late 80s with groups like Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Soundgarden, and hell even Nirvana released their first album, "Bleach", in 1989.
The 80s were easily the most mainstream decade for rock music, and that's why I feel it's the most overrated decade for the genre.
What do you guys think?
I enjoy 80s thrash metal.
I enjoy the music Iron Maiden and Judas Priest released in the 80s.
I enjoy the late 80s underground grunge music.
I even enjoy a good assortment of glam metal music.
However, despite all of that, I do believe the 80s are the most overrated decade in rock music history.
The 80s are often times considered by many to be the best decade in rock music history, you hear classic rock radio stations playing more songs from the 80s than from the 70s and 60s, you hear the stations praising rock music from the 80s moreso than from the 70s and 60s, yet in reality, at least in my opinion, the 80s were actually one of the weakest decades in rock music history.
One issue is that the 80s had way too many power anthems about sex, partying, and having a good time, making it appeal more to a mainstream audience rather than a counter culture.
Rock music in decades both prior and after felt far more poetic, either by being story driven, or by being relatable.
In the 60s, The Beatles put out some of the most poetic and conscious music ever made.
In the 70s, you had poetic masterpieces such as "Stairway to Heaven", "Free Bird", and "Bohemian Rhapsody".
In the 90s, you had grunge.
In the 00s, you had emo.
In the 10s, now that rock music is underground, it has to be either story driven or relatable to gain a fanbase.
That's not to say that there were no poetic rock songs made in the 80s, but the decade does lack in this department compared to the two decades prior and the three decades after.
This over abundance of partying/sex rock anthems doesn't only come from glam metal. One huge example here is the Brian Johnson era of AC/DC.
Now, I'm not at all a big AC/DC fan, and do find them to be one of the most overrated bands of all time, and a big reason for this is because of their over abundance of party/sex rock anthems. However, I can at least find the Bon Scott era of AC/DC of the 70s to be enjoyable, especially "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap". Same can't be said for the Brian Johnson era of the 80s, I find his voice to be way too high pitched and headache inducing, and I find his songs to be even more conformist than that of the Bon Scott era.
Another issue that ties in with the first is that rock music was becoming far too commercialized. A lot of this is attributed to the rise in popularity of music videos. This issue really started in 1979 with "Video Killed the Radio Star", then exploded with the debut of MTV in 1981. Rock music in the 80s was no less mainstream than pop music from the likes of Prince, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. Because of this, you had less rock musicians in it for the passion and more of them in it for the money, this is why glam metal became so over saturated in that decade.
Many like to say glam metal died in 1991 when Nirvana and Pearl Jam blew up in popularity, but in reality, glam metal was already dying well before then. In 1988, when NWA released "Straight Outta Compton", a large chunk of rebellious youth would go on to popularize gangsta rap. In the very late 80s, many glam metal bands ditched the scene and started making acoustic songs, including Guns N Roses when they made "Patience", MTV even released the series "MTV Unplugged" in 1989 that was dedicated to acoustic music. Even grunge music was starting to gain a large underground following in the late 80s with groups like Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, Soundgarden, and hell even Nirvana released their first album, "Bleach", in 1989.
The 80s were easily the most mainstream decade for rock music, and that's why I feel it's the most overrated decade for the genre.
What do you guys think?
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