Got to be late 80s for my money. Terrible pop dominated by Stock Aiken Waterman and Neighbours stars, pre the 90s grunge rock and then britpop revival, some ok indie stuff, but thats about it. Hip Hop - meh
Geoff, I agree there was some decent indie music around then but looked at in the round, the music most people were listening too was pretty shyte (forgot to mention dreary "modern soul" which also dominated the charts). I would say mainstream music now is far better than in the late 80s.
many of those many you name there Geoff have not actually aged well (eg S'Express) "The Only Way" is up is dire now and always was dire - one of my pet hate songs.
Pinkus if you have to resort to pointing to Salt n Pepper, Yazz Bros, 80s Kylie in aid of a period of music, I think my case is made.
Pinkus if you have to resort to pointing to Salt n Pepper, Yazz Bros, 80s Kylie in aid of a period of music, I think my case is made.
Because you don't like them?
Brilliant.
The worst era was the mid-late 90s after gangster rap and before R&B got good. Basically indie bands, who are and will always be shit, and Candle In the Wind.
Nah I love that song. They often used to play it in indie clubs as the last song when the lights go on. I think it was designed to empty the place quickly, but it usually just resulted a load of grungy indie rockers dancing around with gay abandon.
2006-10 was pretty dreadful for guitar based indie music specifically as all the bands from 2002-05 brought out new albums that were not as good as the last ones and got succeeded by utter dross imitation acts like Pigeon Detectives, Wombats, Scouting for Girls etc... what became known as landfill indie.
But we also saw a massive boom in electronic based pop... the missus had her breakthrough here and though that album looks a bit dated now it was certainly an event at the time.
1998-2001 was also a bit of a lull for the same , being after the demise of Britpop and before the arrival of the early naughties garage rock boom. Loads of mega bland Travis types dominant then.
But this era was also when UK garage had its heyday and nu metal emerged in the States. Neither are my thing but they inspired plenty of people.
Ultimately though every era has plenty of shit music around if you look for it and t least a smattering of bands and albums who will be remembered.
Weirdly everyone's favourite era seems to be when they were a teenager /early 20s picking through all the latest hits and their least favourite in middle aged when they only listen to Greatest Hits Radio and think modern music is the X Factor...
The best B*Witched song is, obviously, Blame It On The Weatherman.
The worst period for chart music is right now. It has statistically less variation than any time since 1954, when it was all singing cowboys and the Nabob of Sob.
Weirdly everyone's favourite era seems to be when they were a teenager
Not me, I go single figures for the charts (1979-84). Indie music was boss when I was a teenager and again in the mid-2000s.
The Simon Cowell period
Pixies
Spacemen3
Sonic Youth
All in their pomp in the late 80s.
I could go on.
The worst period for music mid 60s onwards is NOW!
Yes Simon Cowell. Ffs why didn’t someone off him? In the late 80s when he was making the tea.
And the last 20 years for pop have been utter shite
Geoff, I agree there was some decent indie music around then but looked at in the round, the music most people were listening too was pretty shyte (forgot to mention dreary "modern soul" which also dominated the charts). I would say mainstream music now is far better than in the late 80s.
Late 80s and early 90s.
Some top ten hits from 1988
Fast Car by Tracy Chapman
Orinocco Flow by Enya
Theme from S'Express by S'Express
A Little Respect by Erasure
Everyday is Like Sunday by Morrissey
I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Handle with Care by the Traveling Wilburys
The Only Way is Up by Yazz
All stone-cold classics. Name anything even half as good in the current charts.
NWA, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Salt n Pepper, Erik B and Rakim, Fresh Prince - lots of good music around in the late 80s.
There was Prince, Whitney Houston, Madonna, Yazz, Bros, Kylie...
You could fill pages with classic Chicago house and Detroit techno from the late 1980s. Ditto hip-hop.
many of those many you name there Geoff have not actually aged well (eg S'Express) "The Only Way" is up is dire now and always was dire - one of my pet hate songs.
Pinkus if you have to resort to pointing to Salt n Pepper, Yazz Bros, 80s Kylie in aid of a period of music, I think my case is made.
Now 100%.
Late 80s was a golden period for music - in fact, the era of the album 1967-1989 is unsurpassed.
F*ck off S'Express is still and always will be a classic.
All of them have aged well, which is why I picked them.
I didn't pick Groovy Kind of Love by Phil Collins obviously.
I dont even remember "handle with care" tbh
The Seeds of Love was 1989 - /thread
Geoff, those are some of the shitest songs ever recorded (apart from Morrissey).
Fast Car is also a good song to be fair to Geoff
Can't agree with you there guy.
Pet Shop Boys were active in 88 so they get an exemption along with Morrissey.
However, a little research turns up the following as the ten biggest sellers of 88 and what a complete heap of shite every single one of them is:
Yep that list sums up the late 80s - bilge (although I did like
Somebody post the top ten from 2021. I swear I won't have heard any of them.
Teardrops is a classic.
Because you don't like them?
Brilliant.
The worst era was the mid-late 90s after gangster rap and before R&B got good. Basically indie bands, who are and will always be shit, and Candle In the Wind.
Not sure what was so wrong in 1988 that was admirably corrected by 1998.
Run DMC and B*witched are ace, but the rest is total shite.
That is a fair point Pinkus, with Geoff on Bwitched though, love that song for some reason.
I will not hear a word against It's Like That which is a frickin landmark tune.
Everything else shit
I said I loved it.
Worth noting I don't like 80s music, particularly.
er, B*witched is twee, oirish crap aimed at pre-schoolers.
Have a word with yourselves.
Nah I love that song. They often used to play it in indie clubs as the last song when the lights go on. I think it was designed to empty the place quickly, but it usually just resulted a load of grungy indie rockers dancing around with gay abandon.
I came across them (fnarr) in an orthodontist's waiting room once, all four of them.
Maybe they had arranged a double bogof deal on braces.
Didn't make me like their crap un-music any better though.
That was their only decent song. Everything else was awful.
The 2000s landfill indie period. Absolute dog shit that killed even the concept of guitar music being cool for the next decade and counting.
Agreed and the white bloke in the video with a permed mullet is a massive ledge
My answer on this is 2010s. I can't remember anything decent and everyone overdid it with the autotune massively.
Arcade Fire emerged during the 2000s landfill indie period and they are spectacularly good.
Yes indeed.
Read a book called 1971, Never a Dull Moment, by David Hepworth.
So much famous music/band history in that one.
Tiffany was brilliant and can’t believe nobody has mentioned the Bangles.
late 80s rave and the stone roses. basically can't beat either of them
The early 80s were much worse than the late 80s.
Anti-recency bias but the last 10 years have been awful.
2006-10 was pretty dreadful for guitar based indie music specifically as all the bands from 2002-05 brought out new albums that were not as good as the last ones and got succeeded by utter dross imitation acts like Pigeon Detectives, Wombats, Scouting for Girls etc... what became known as landfill indie.
But we also saw a massive boom in electronic based pop... the missus had her breakthrough here and though that album looks a bit dated now it was certainly an event at the time.
1998-2001 was also a bit of a lull for the same , being after the demise of Britpop and before the arrival of the early naughties garage rock boom. Loads of mega bland Travis types dominant then.
But this era was also when UK garage had its heyday and nu metal emerged in the States. Neither are my thing but they inspired plenty of people.
Ultimately though every era has plenty of shit music around if you look for it and t least a smattering of bands and albums who will be remembered.
Weirdly everyone's favourite era seems to be when they were a teenager /early 20s picking through all the latest hits and their least favourite in middle aged when they only listen to Greatest Hits Radio and think modern music is the X Factor...
The early 80s were much worse than the late 80s.
You are mentally ill.
You are mentally ill.
That may be the case, but you have cloth ears.
The best B*Witched song is, obviously, Blame It On The Weatherman.
The worst period for chart music is right now. It has statistically less variation than any time since 1954, when it was all singing cowboys and the Nabob of Sob.
Not me, I go single figures for the charts (1979-84). Indie music was boss when I was a teenager and again in the mid-2000s.
Goodbye Johnny Ray
I was partial to some Black Box in 1989.
pleased and surprises not to find loads of absolute bell cheddars slating the 90s, as is traditional
The last decade has been a bit of a lost decade with a few redeeming features.
1987 - Appetite for Destruction
1991 - Use your Illusion I & II
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