What are the characteristics of music of the 1980's?

1. 87

   midget38posted 10 years ago

   What are the characteristics of music of the 1980's?

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2. 77

   mindyjgirlposted 10 years ago

   I loved the big hair bands! good beat and lots of drumming and electronic drums came into play more, some songs had lots of repetition in them, others told a story. Technology came in to it too and was pretty cool with some more effects for the dance techno crowd.   I liked Madonna She told stories and sang in the 80's it was fun music you could dance to. I didn't agree with all of her values and such but I liked the music anyway.

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3. 90

   Thief12posted 10 years ago

   Well, there are so many genres and so many styles, but I suppose that people mostly associate 80's music with rock hair bands or synth-pop. So, with that in mind, I suppose that a lot of keyboards, catchy melodies, big guitar solos are some characteristics that prevailed within those genres.

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4. 56

   beardsiolliposted 10 years ago

   Most of the music released in the 80s was sterile, vacuous trash, due mainly to the "advances" in recording technology that saw a switch from analog to digital recording.  This was in order to accommodate the needs of the CD market, which sold itself on the idea of pristine sound.  Many artistes made records totally devoid of depth and soul, including some of my favourites, such as Neil Young, who made the worst records of his career in the 80s due to digital recording techniques.
   
   There were some great records in the 80s, ones that didn't employ the computerisation and relied instead on proper music played by real people.  'Ghost Town' by the Specials was perhaps the best record of the 80s.  Among the synth bands, Depeche Mode had the edge and Soft Cell explored the seedier side of life.  Tears for Fears made some very well produced records, tracks that contradict my opening statement, however, the difference lies with the fact that Tears for Fears knew how to make good use of the digital technology.
   
   Thankfully, the 80s passed away quietly and we now find ourselves back to real music played on real instruments by real people.  Think of Mumford and Sons, who use guitar, banjo and double bass to produce their music.  There has been a plethora of genuine music makers recently, even if their talents are limited, Ed Sheeran for instance.
   
   To sum up, the 80s was a disaster for me music wise and remains my least favourite decade for music.  The 60s was the greatest decade for music and I'll stand by that statement always.

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5. 60

   AngusNzposted 10 years ago

   Bright, colourful, extravagant, bright eyed looking for a rosy future. The music was in context to a mindset that saw the future as positive considered animal welfare and cared for the world, peace, fair living and freedom. Everything seemed possible and the variety of genres matched that. Possibilities seemed endless.
   
   How depressing  how we see it now and yes the music matches the dark modern view.

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6. 94

   Paul Kuehnposted 10 years ago

   The thing that immediately comes to mind is the use of synthesizers to give music a more digital sound.  It was essentially a second British invasion and featured many great bands like Duran Duran and Tears for Fear.  Next to the 60s music, I really enjoyed the 80s music.

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