[klaatumail] Re: New Dee Long solo rarities
- From: Jaimie Vernon <bullseyecanada@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <klaatumail@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:54:42 -0400
At Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:33:02 Dave wrote:
> Re: 80s pop, there are so many aspects to what was "pop"ular in the 80s.
> I'm wondering if you can clarify where your biggest influences were. I
> know, for example, that you are a big fan of punk. I myself like punk
> where it comes into play with the Ramones, but am NOT a fan of the Sex
> Pistols.
Punk -- a reaction to the over-bloated progressive rock movement (The Sex
Pistols actually formed as a rallying cry against corporate rock) -- came,
flamed, and crashed by 1978. It's demon offspring was the post-punk movement
from the UK of acts like Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello, 999, Sham 69, The Jam,
Billy Idol (shortly after collapsing his band Generation X) and others who
tried to popularize the melodic side of punk while leaving the politics (and
most of the fashion) behind. Then there was an anomaly like the Clash who were
born of, but never embraced, UK Punk -- despite Joe Strummer's street savvy
international eye toward political topics married to reggae ("Guns Of Brixton",
"Gates Of The West", "White Man In Hammersmith Palais", "Police & Thieves"),
Mick Jones was into dance music -- particularly that of early NYC rappers like
Grandmaster Flash. It made for a decidedly undefinable melange that allowed the
band to have hits with such diverse songs as "London Calling", "Train In Vain"
and "Should I Stay Or Should I Go".
>I also know that you enjoy some new wave stuff. I'm a huge fan of new wave
>myself. >There was a lot of throwback to 50s rock and roll in the emerging
>rockabilly comeback led >by the Stray Cats.
New Wave was the bastard cousin of AMERICAN post-punk where mainly east coast
acts who'd grown up in the punk era were trying to find footing against the
backdrop of the popular post-punk UK music being imported and embraced by
college radio. And the major labels swarmed in to sign everyone...which is how
acts like Blondie, Talking Heads and the Cars got on the band wagon.
And then the Brits upped the ante again with the New Romantic movement. Not
just content to let Punk kill prog and disco, now the NEXT Wave was aiming to
put an end to corporate rock and the old guard pop icons like McCartney, Elton
John, Queen, Billy Joel, Rod Stewart, and Eric Clapton. It was rabbit season on
1970s rockstars.
Up sprang Adam Ants & The Ants, Duran Duran, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Classix
Nouveau, Spandau Ballet (before their flamingly gay output "Gold"), Talk Talk,
Thomas Dolby and others attempting, once again, to make fashion marry the music.
Those old guard rockstars began flailing and crashing in the wake of radio's
embrace. "Still Rock And Roll", "Comin' Up", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
were lame-assed impressions of a new movement....don't believe me? Note that
all the old rockers from the list above had their last significant outputs of
the '80s between 1981 and 1983. Only David Bowie managed to
transition...."Let's Dance" being the biggest album of his career (ironically,
because the music industry had finally caught up to his musical idiosyncracies).
> Can you narrow down your statement that you are more into the 80s
> musical movement? There were many "movements" and most of them were
> really good. Just wondering which part or parts of the 80s you identified
> more with.
I tended to stick to the more cerebral material by the New Wave acts (a hold
over from listening to 'thinking man's' music from the '70s like Floyd,
Parsons, Supertramp, et al). Some of my faves were Talk Talk, Tears For Fears,
China Crisis, Simple Minds, Pete Shelley, Style Council, and Canadian stuff
like Rational Youth, Gowan, Spoons, Payolas, and Platinum Blonde (though that
act was a Duran Duran-styled pop act with charging guitars).
> As for 40s and 50s, I tend more toward the 40s pop than 50s rock,
> although I'm heavily drawn to early Elvis and Ricky Nelson and to early
> 60s stuff like Bobby Darin. >
Glenn Miller, The Dorseys, Andrews Sisters, Louis Armstrong, Guy Lombardo,
Sinatra, Brenda Lee, and others who did big band, swing or torch songs are high
on my list.
I dig Doo Wop from the '50s....but not much else....though Buddy Holly seems a
little more in keeping with the pop side which I really like. Never had time
for Elvis, Chuck or Little Richard. Absolutely can't stand Jerry Lee Lewis or
any of the southern redneck progressions of early rock and roll. Though,
ironically, I'm not a country fan but stuff by Hank Williams, Dale Hawkins,
Johnny Horton, Hank Snow, Wilf Carter and the like were far more
honest-to-goodness musical craftsmen that my Dad used to play for me. And I
appreciate.
And here's where it all goes south, Dave. As you may recall from my posts on
Audities where I was absolutely kicked to the curb.....aside from the Beatles,
The Kinks and a little bit of Turtles, the music from the '60s never enchanted
me at all. If you think the '80s was a wheel of hit-and-miss musical styles,
look at the '60s if you want to see sweeping, faddish, change and diversity --
not always for the better. A decade that started with teenage crooners was
usurped by the British Invasion, then psychedelia and then album-oriented rock.
That's a LOT of room for one-hit wonders and schizophrenic styles.
I am not nostalgic over any of this music. Last time I listened to a Beatles
album from top-to-bottom was probably 10 years ago. And this was before classic
rock radio ruined it all (there's a radio station here in Toronto that's been
playing psyche songs every Sunday since 1999...they've run out of 'fresh'
tracks to play).
I know people like Mitch live for this time period, but I don't. And that's the
best part about music. Take what you want, and leave the rest on the dinner
table for someone else to have.
Jaimie
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