Why did the 80s fucking destroy every artist who was fantastic in the 60s and 70s, or at the very least relegate them to mediocrity?
David Bowie, Billy Joel, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon until Graceland, Stevie Wonder to some extent
Inability to adapt to the new sounds?
Pic related is most representative of this trend I think, especially after the Stranger, 52nd Street, and Glass Houses
80's production
*late 80s
Billy's early 80s albums are all fantastic. He didn't start sucking till 86.
quite funny how some came back in the 90's: Dylan and Bowie, respectively. man, you're definitely right about a lot of the old guard having a decade-long slump in the 80's.
I think Bowie even called his 80s output his "Phil Collins years"
haha, that's hilarious. i've only ever heard Bowie slag Gary Numan and Madonna. oh and Jim (Iggy Pop), when all he did was put down Bowie in interviews. sure, it was to forge his own identity post Blah Blah Blah, but, damn, Jim, Bowie produced and contributed the best parts of your two best solo albums. show some respect!
I didn't think most of his 80s albums were that bad.
Granted the ONE was....
80's didn't destroy Paul Simon 'until' Graceland. It had no impact on him. That was him and him alone and Graceland is barely an 80's album sound wise.
Bowie did it to himself.
Billy Joel did it to himself.
Gary Numan really did it to himself. Even before his bandmates from Tubeway Army were gone. Though his initial 80's output was great. Still, that's one guy who's never really made a return. The Pleasure Principle and Replicas are such great records and it's unfortunate most people have only heard the singles.
mtv was a huge factor, it meant that even if your act was 90% image you were still in with a chance
that and also what works on a big stage doesn't necessarily work on a small screen
and as far as needing to play music well goes, it's all machines now, fuck it
What are some artists who didn't fall of in the 80s?
...
John Lennon
Who are Genesis?
U2?
I mean yeah, Rattle and Hum, but otherwise that was their best era.
Arguably may not count, I mean saying U2 is a 70's band is kind of like saying Nine Inch Nails is an 80's band, but still.
The question does leave me scratching my head. It's almost like it was a rule or something because I could say New Order, but you still face the technicality of not truly being Joy Division.
Nothing comes to mind that's more relevant than perhaps Kraftwerk. A ton of little groups but nothing big.
Nevermind, scratch U2. Thought Boy came out late '78 or so but apparently it wasn't until '80.
Queen
Lou Reed
Kind of depends on your opinion as to where he was in the 70's.
I mean he did kind of accidentally create industrial music, but that's a misstep to most people.
I mean, he didn't have very far to fall. New York is good though.
Leonard Cohen
Various Positions and I'm Your Man contain some of his best songs
>"came back"
>implying Let's Dance, Scary Monsters and Super Creeps, and Tonight are bad
>well, yeah Tonight is actually kinda bad but even that has good songs on it
I want to say Rush but that's because they crashed in the 90s instead
I think he just meant more along the lines of Bowie becoming stagnant and almost like a dinosaur to a lot of critics and musicians, even if still good (I've never considered his 80's work bad at all) before shifting dramatically back to reinventing himself in the 90's with Outside and Earthling, being recognised again, even if to really mixed reception.
He did the exact same thing in this decade compared to the 00's before he died.
Kraftwerk
yeah, but the production of Various Positions is quite bad. too much reverb on his voice and the Casio percussion for Dance Me is abysmal. I'm Your Man is freaking amazing, though.
don't take the date too literally, mate. Bowie's post-Let's Dance slump is well known.