The 1980s: The most underrappreciated decade of hard rock/heavy metal

[fraroc]

To this day, I still feel like the great music of the 1980s has been virtually passed over by so many people and I think that's bullshit. The image and the style of the 1980s isn't everybody's cup of tea, and I definitley get that....But to say that there was "no good music" in the 1980s is just plain stupid and is pretty much living in denial.

 

In the 1980s, we got Van Halen, Ozzy, Metallica, Def Leppard, Queensryche, Whitesnake, Dokken, Yngwie, Kix, Winger, Cinderella, Tesla, Motley Crue, Ratt.......I mean, the list goes on and on of all great bands from that decade....

 

I don't agree with Eddie Trunk on most things, but there is one thing that I definitley agree with him on, and it's the fact that to this day, in 2017, there is still this "Anti-80s" sentiment in radio and TV that pretty much rejects all of the great music from that decade and paints it as nothing more than "style over substance pop music". Just because "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" is a very overrated and overplayed song doesn't mean that classic rock radio should solely play Lynyrd Skynyrd, Doobie Brothers and CCR and then jump straight into Pearl Jam and Nirvana with only occasionally playing Round and Round by Ratt and Here I Go Again by Whitesnake a few times.

Edited March 22, 2017 by fraroc

[Lucas]

I agree Fraroc .. The diversity and quality of music in the 80s is as good as any era

 

I think the justified knock would be that it was a time that saw the demise and compromise of so many good bands from the 1970s

 

But as far as new artists, it was a great great time

[ReRushed]

I loved the 1980s.

 

Tuning into the left of the dial

 

Alternative. Punk. New Wave. Rap.

 

Lots of great times and musical memories.

[goose]

I think a problem with the hard rock scene of the 80's may be a lack of diversity. In a chase for the cash of a heavy hit (spurred by the radio & sales success of albums like AC/DC's Back in Black, Def Leppard's Pyromania, and Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet) some classic bands may have lost sight of the musicianship. Add to that the cookie cutter glam fashion trend and I can see why 80's hard rock, aka "Hair Metal", is dismissed by many.

[goose]

I loved the 1980s.

 

Tuning into the left of the dial

 

Alternative. Punk. New Wave. Rap.

 

Lots of great times and musical memories.

 

This is where 80's creativity equal to that of the 70's can be found.

[ReRushed]

I think a problem with the hard rock scene of the 80's may be a lack of diversity. In a chase for the cash of a heavy hit (spurred by the radio & sales success of albums like AC/DC's Back in Black, Def Leppard's Pyromania, and Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet) some classic bands may have lost sight of the musicianship. Add to that the cookie cutter glam fashion trend and I can see why 80's hard rock, aka "Hair Metal", is dismissed by many.

MTV

[Ancient Ways]

The opinion still stands. There was lots of good metal in the 80s but most of the bands in op post were not. It started strong with sabbath, Ozzy, priest, maiden and lots of cool nwobhm bands then split into lite "metal" which was bland pop with some distorted guitar, solos, and big hair and a lot of heavier or newer stuff like venom, merciful fate, hellhammer, Celtic frost, etc... Looking back, the pop metal stuff has not aged well IMO with a few exceptions while the other stuff led directly to all the metal that's still here today.

[Lucas]

I think a lot of what put music snobs off about "hair metal" was actually not the image, but the fact that there was an influx of some incredible guitarists that were easier to brush aside for their appearance ..

 

.. your Berklee College Of Music elitist couldn't accept the fact that Harry Cody Jr and Yngwie were doing things John Scofield could only dream of ..

 

So go after their hair

[Union 5-3992]

I think the anti-80's sentiment has more to do with the cheesy adult contemporary stuff like Phil Collins. His music was played so heavily and it got on a lot of people's nerves. But now it seems like 80's music/fashion is kind of making a comeback. It's almost a mini-pop culture revival. Stuff like Stranger Things and Kung Fury and vaporwave are huge right now. As well as flannel and alternative rock sounding bands .People are really digging the nostalgia trip.

 

Though I feel the 80's are very heavily recognized here and other rock/metal communities. Some of the biggest and best bands had great records in the 80's and are at least recognized here or by fans of the genre.

 

I think a lot of what put music snobs off about "hair metal" was actually not the image, but the fact that there was an influx of some incredible guitarists that were easier to brush aside for their appearance ..

 

.. your Berklee College Of Music elitist couldn't accept the fact that Harry Cody Jr and Yngwie were doing things John Scofield could only dream of ..

 

So go after their hair

 

I'm more turned off by the music than the image. You can pack a band full of virtuoso's and that won't guarantee good music/songs. (see Dream Theater)

Edited March 22, 2017 by Union 5-3992

[ReRushed]

From my perspective of being a casual metal/hard rock it seemed a lot of hair metal bands were single bands. The albums sucked.

 

Bands like Metallica and Slayer, the thrash bands, filled the void.

 

How are the 1980s considered bad? A new genre thrived.

[Rick N. Backer]

Yngwie, Kix and Winger don't really qualify as "great" anything.

 

But up until the latter part of the decade, I think most people think of the 80s as metal's heyday.

[greyfriar]

Video Killed The Radio Star

[greyfriar]

NWOBHM :haz:

[fraroc]

A lot of people who shit all over 80s rock and metal probably haven't listened to the majority of it. And although I'm not saying "rock is dead", part of that blatant ignorance is the reason why hard rock and metal took such a beating in the 90s and 2000s.

[Fordgalaxy]

Yngwie, Kix and Winger don't really qualify as "great" anything.

 

But up until the latter part of the decade, I think most people think of the 80s as metal's heyday.

 

You know what they say about opinions...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NozSLdxAVnw

[Lucas]

10/10

 

[djflex]

I loved the 1980s.

 

Tuning into the left of the dial

 

Alternative. Punk. New Wave. Rap.

 

Lots of great times and musical memories.

 

So much going on in the 80's

 

 

And yes plenty of great metal

 

I loved that decade

[bathory]

who hates the 80s man? best metal, best punk, even the shittiest pop music was good for an ass shaking and a few bumps of columbian

[J2112YYZ]

What are you talking about? Most of the praise metal gets is because of what the genre did in the 80s. Now if you're talking about stuff like Poison, Ratt and Winger not getting their due, you should understand why that is. Bands like that sold image over the music and that's why they don't get the love some feel they should.

 

But in general, metal from the 80s gets more praise than any other decade.

[PolarizeMe]

who hates the 80s man? best metal, best punk, even the shittiest pop music was good for an ass shaking and a few bumps of columbian

What I think most of us don't bring up that often is what a great time it was for the development of the more "underground" styles of metal (i.e. early death metal, early black metal, grindcore, the birth of what we now call "industrial metal", etc.). Edited March 22, 2017 by PolarizeMe

[Fordgalaxy]

Don't forget New Wave. The 80's was just a great decade for music.

[EagleMoon]

I think it was one of the better decades for music. So many varied things going on from synth pop to heavy metal.

 

Edited March 22, 2017 by EagleMoon

[Entre_Perpetuo]

80s pop and pop-rock is often maligned because they say it hasn't aged well or it wasn't as good as in the seventies (the pop-rock anyway). While there is substance to that argument, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say there was no good metal or rock in the 80s...metal especially, I mean come on? Metal didn't just thrive in the 80s, it conquered. That's just undeniable. As far as other rock goes, there were lots of great new bands and lots of great music still being made, it's just that the transition from the seventies to the eighties saw a plethora of great bands become much more commercial and successful and subsequently become much worse (in most people's opinions). Plus, a lot of people don't enjoy the hard rock and heavy metal that got really big in the 80s (Motley Crue, Metallica, Guns 'N Roses, and all the rest), but by the end of the decade, most of the rock world was either following hair and heavy metal or falling into irrelavance (e.g. Styx, Journey, Queen in America, and so many more). The 80s are roughly where pop (in the stereotypical sense) and dance music started dominating the charts more than rock, and that trend has pretty much continued to today, where rock's chart appeal has reached an all time low. To put it shortly, the 80s are seen as when a lot of the things rock fans don't like about the state of rock and roll began, but that doesn't mean people don't appreciate the rock and metal that came out that decade. I believe most "classic rock" stations are much more prone to playing a plethora of AOR and hair metal hits from the 80s than any number of early rock and roll hits from the 60s (even a lot of early Stones and The Who, despite their legendary status).

 

If any decade has the lowest appreciation for hard rock and heavy metal...it's probably either the one we're in or the one we just left seven years ago. But I do struggle to say that, cuz last decade there were still LOTS of popular modern rock bands and modern metal bands earning followings and commercial appeal from everywhere. Did they become as big and legendary as many of the "classic rock" and classic metal bands some decades prior? No, but they have TONS of devotees, I can tell you that. And in this decade, when even most of them have seen their heyday, I think interest in "classic rock" (sorry to keep using the term) and metal has kind of blown up across age and gender divides. I mean, take Rush as an example. The same ever-growing cult fanbase of the same kind of people for however many years, then all of the sudden their new album hits number 2 on the charts, they get into the RRHOF, Dave Grohl inducts them and claims that they've finally become cool, and I sat next to a whole family with kids younger than me present (and not just the boys!) at my first ever Rush concert up in the nosebleeds. There's been a really heavy interest in old bands like Rush throughout this decade, with more and more of those classic artists seeing commercial and artistic resurgences many had long since given up hope for (e.g. Anthrax, Bowie, and so many more...). I mean, Bob Dylan just won a Nobel prize for his lyrics! This might just be the most successful decade for that broad group of artists since their respective heydays, the decade when they've all finally obtained that omnipresent label: classic.

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my perspective on things. I think people give the charts and the current radio stations too much credit when they try to make sense of what's popular/appreciated and what isn't. There are whole worlds of music and fandom out there that those sources just fail to capture.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Entre_Perpetuo

[Entre_Perpetuo]

A lot of people who shit all over 80s rock and metal probably haven't listened to the majority of it. And although I'm not saying "rock is dead", part of that blatant ignorance is the reason why hard rock and metal took such a beating in the 90s and 2000s.

 

I have to ask though, who exactly are you referring to? And for that matter which hard rock and metal are you referring to? I've really not heard many criticisms of 80s rock and metal outside of the loads of hair bands that were accused of putting style over substance.

[Segue Myles]

Never heard anyone say the eighties was 100% bad.

 

Bands and artists I grew up with were huge in the eighties and are still loved now:

 

U2

Depeche Mode

The Cure

REM

Pixies

My Bloody Valentine

Metallica

The Jesus And Mary Chain

Slayer

Testament

Madonna

Bruce Springsteen

Bon Jovi

Michael Jackson

 

And there are still plenty of people who love the pop of that era, hair metal, new wave...