Music Styles 1981-1990
The 80s began as it carried on. The Police burst on to the scene with its number one hit ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’ in 1980, and was closely followed by Soft Cells ‘Tainted love’. Both where induvidual, experimental sounds. The Police with its laid back almost reggae like style and Soft Cell with its synthesized, apathetic look at love. If you were to compare the two you would believe that they had no connection, but if you were to take into account the spirit of the early eighties you would see that they are both experimental and unique sounds (at the time).
This was a time when people would dress in the manner of their music, or in other words if you liked a particular band then you would dress to reflect this. Not by going out and buying the bands latest t-shirt, but by dressing in a manner that reflected that particular subcultures concepts and ideals.
In the latter part of the eighties the power ballard was king , with artists such as Jennifer Rush ‘The Power of Love’ and Rick Astley ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ topping the charts. There is a slight blip in the pattern when Black Box released their club classic ‘Ride On Time’ but then in 1990 the trend continued with The Everley Brothers releasing or Re-releasing ‘Unchained Melody’.
As in my previous blog I have chosen my favourites number one of the eighties for others to view. On this occasion I have chosen The Communards with ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’, it was a cover of a song originally released by Thelma Houston in 1977 and spent four weeks at number one in the U.K. charts.
Again I have probably chosen this song more for sentimental reasons, than for significance to eighties music. Every year mum would make us sit through the Top of the Pops christmas special which I found thoroughly boring at the time (on this occasion I was 5), and having grown up I now realise that some songs stuck in my mind and others just faded away. this was one of them which surprises me as the others I can remember where a bit more… shall we say colourful. (e.g. Doctor and the Medics with’ Spirit In The Sky’, Spitting Image with ‘The Chicken Song’ and i’m afraid to say The Firm with ‘Star Trekking’)
