@Mark Zane Disagree. Even a lot of the non-mainstream stuff I liked that was made at the time now sounds too clipped, clean and digital. As for the mainstream stuff, everything about it was/is putrid.
No decade has had so many genres of music. Beginning with New Wave, Synth-Pop, Hardcore Punk, Hip-Hop, Rap, Hi-Nrg music, Euro-Disco, Industrial, Free Style, Alt, Heavy Metal, House music, Techno, Acid House, Hip House, and beginnings of Grunge music. Everything now is thanks to the '80s most futuristic and modern music
I loved being a kid in the 80’s. Thursday’s were all about watching TOTP, Saturday mornings we watched Wac-a-day and then went to town to spend our pocket money on Smash Hits magazine and on Sunday’s we taped the top 40 off the radio.
I lived this era and enjoyed all of the music, ska, new wave, metal, thrash metal, punk, industrial metal, alternative, blitz kids etc...great time to have been alive
Musically, being a teen in the 80s was just magical. Even the bad stuff was iconic. Back then, you almost had to struggle to NOT be iconic, no matter the genre.
All teens think their era of music was great. It goes with the first romances & parties etc. Once you get past that you start realising that much of it was crap (regardless of era). You also start to appreciate the REAL talent - those who would've made it regardless. The fact remains that modern music came from the Blues & Jazz & that the biggest & longest lasting flowering was in the 60s & 70s (with apologies to the 40s & 50s...😊👍).
@@barryfeatherstone1616 … You are right. I am from this era. I loved it at the time. It’s gagable now. Despise it. I went back a decade to the 70s. Every decade has good stuff but the 70s had an unusual amount of great music. It aged very well.
@@barryfeatherstone1616 Completely have to disagree. My 18 year old daughter thinks that 80's music is the best and I didn't influence her in that. She found it on her own. Also, one of her favorite bands is Ramones. Guess you were wrong.
Agreed, but making shows on music is tough. Maybe legal couldn't clear using the music from DP with their label. Lots of other big bands not mentioned. U2, Police... Or mentioning New Order, but not Joy Division.
Likewise Prince shown for about a second and Bowie mentioned in name only. It was a little bit all over the place basically writing off everything from 85 - 88, what about The The for instance? Can’t squeeze everyone into the narrative I guess?
There could easily be a ten part series of the music of the 80s! It's true what the host said at the end; music in the 80s really did feel new and fresh, unprecedented. I was a teen in the mid 80s and had the privilege to experience the new sounds as they happened. We lived in the precent and rarely looked back... The 80s, viewed from my personal lens, can be summed up as a giant burst of colors and choreographed dance moves practiced across the room with music videos playing in the background! We had the dance gods and goddesses and on the other end of the scale was 80s hard rock, with beautiful long-haired guys in skimpy clothes flinging their guitars about 😁 We had it all!
As someone who went from been a teenager to a young adult during the 1980s, I am utterly fascinated with this documentary. So much of its content resonates deeply with me, reviving afresh so many happy memories of the music I came to love and savor during that decade.
1973 like me lol , I did not know it was going to be that significant . the synthesizer changed everything , and so bloody grateful today's artists are beefing up on the 80's sound .
The UK independent music scene alone was astonishing in the eighties and has never been bettered , although I was too young to appreciate it until much later . New Order , The Fall , The Smiths , Jesus and Mary Chain , Cocteau Twins , The The , Echo and the Bunnymen , Lloyd Cole , the Roses , the list goes on . The 'Britpop' scene got more attention in the nineties and the bands associated with them became huge but they were about half as good as those eighties indie bands. Chart music was more hit and miss , but those songs you saw on TOTP stay with you forever , and many of them are monumental , especially in the early-mid eighties. Stuff like Ghost Town , Come on Eileen , Vienna , Golden Brown , embody some of my earliest childhood memories.
Thanks for mentioning Lloyd Cole. All the other bands I like but not The The or Cocteau Twins (they seem like a sophisticated Wilson Phillips-like band) The diversity of music has made so many people happy and admirers of the 80s. Not Me. Some good, some bad. I am without bias other than inheriting music taste that I don't think is malleable. I don't like Rap or hip-hop but for a couple of exceptions when they sample. But there were lots of great songs in the 80s and most songs were at least decent, unlike the last decade and I see no end to the road to ruin I found a list. These bands are often considered the best of the 80s but thank god there was so much more. Guns N’ Roses (Hard Rock/Glam Metal) - I don't like em. Not in the guitar sound. Queen (Rock) I hate them. Dislike over and over the sameness of future astrophysicist Bryan May's guitar. Not into rock anthems Metallica (Heavy Metal/Thrash Metal) not into this but sure Enter Sandman was good AC/DC (Hard Rock) not really Bon Jovi (Rock/Hard Rock/Glam Metal) poor man's Springsteen at their best Foreigner Rock/Hard Rock) yearning ballads save them from the gritty generic rock of the early days Journey (Rock/Hard Rock) Pretty good band with steve Motorhead (Heavy Metal/Speed Metal) not so bad . One song I sort of like R.E.M. (Rock/Alternative Rock) very good band U2 (Rock) Ok some good songs so overrated and bombastic if not narcissistic. Just my feeling when watching Bono. Best song was New Year's Day. Sure I watched the videos but always left me wanting for less. For me THE BEST: THE REPLACEMENTS (not the first punk record though) THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS DINOSAUR JR Lloyd Cole. Never seen his videos on MTV but with the Commotions and especially his first 2 solo records his music is stunning. Some great videos and songs: Don Henley's Boys of Summer. Modern English I Melt with you Come on Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners. Well for 5 viewings. "Take on Me" by A-Ha "Voices Carry" by 'Til Tuesday Tommy Tutone “867-5309 / Jenny” It Ain't Enough by Corey Hart I'm now losing all credibility not that I started with any Dire straits money for nothing. I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot but not Michael McDonald's I keep forgettin' PRETTY GOOD - some could be nearly in the best .... no order here The Pixies - A great album in Doolittle Tears for Fear - One great album journey - easy to take billy idol - white wedding is the video of the decade van halen - Jump is great. the cure - I like boys don't cry the jesus and mary chain - Just like Honey is a great song prince - his best song is Little Red Corvette. When Doves Cry and Let's go crazy are good but this artist or his Love Symbol is overrated. Husker Du peter gabriel fleetwood mac the clash madonna - early singles were good. bruce springsteen - his best record is Born in the USA. new order the police robert palmer
Even movies had a big impact on music in the 80s. The great John Hughes who made so many movies about teens brought so many of these great songs into our homes. Hughes’ appreciation of music introduced these songs to us with the Breakfast Club, 16 Candles, Ferris Beuler’s Day Off
Hughes tapped into something in the brains of the people. Yes, his movies are usually pretty funny, but there's a subconscious emotional quality that makes them far more memorable and relatable. And the music in his movies enhanced that.
The 80s was the best time to grow up. I was 8 when it started and 18 when it ended. The vast variety of music on the charts at any given time I think will never be repeated. A look at any of the Billboard Top 100 songs of the year from the 80s and one will see Pop, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Soul, R&B, Rap, New Wave, even Country.
I enjoyed this video so much. I wish that I had found it before. I was so fortunate to have been in my 20's during this amazing musical decade. I was enjoying a buffet of different styles of music, and each had so much richness and quality. The videos on MTV were truly a visual enjoyment of music and artists and I found myself glued to the TV when not out in different clubs listening and dancing to the latest sounds. Everything was interesting, new and deeply exciting. I continue to listen to 80's music to this day. I just don't find that music has that same sense of discovery as in the 80's. Nowadays, it is all formulaic and repetitive. Thank you for this wonderful video and for celebrating the most amazing musical decade in modern musical history.
Thank you so much for uploading this! I was born in the mid seventies and 80s music was everything to me. At that time in my youth, music was all I had. Thanks 🙏🏼 🤗
You think Pop started in the 1980s?. Indi and alternative are just flavours of rock/pop that started in the late 60s. Techno came out of 70s Electronica. Rave just took Techno to its BPM limits. Hip-Hop may be the only genuine significant addition to the pop/rock rule book. That really grew from very little to a huge slice of the music industry, from the 80, through the 90s to today. But there's really nothing new in indie/alternative. I mean "Indie" just comes out of "independent" record labels, not really a musical genre.
Oh, I love the '80s music! Partly because I was in my late teens to mid-20s, trendy, and wanted to party perhaps, but even my wife, born in 1958, favours 80s music over other decades. In the UK, we went from Adam and the Ants and the New Romantics early in the decade to Soul II Soul and Acid House late on. Loved it - and all the great synths, indie, house and hip-hop in between. I've even got a soft spot for Stock, Aitken and Waterman!
I feel cheated. I wish this would have been 5 hours. I would have watched all of it. All the memories came rushing back to me, and I was transported back to a time that I wished would have never ended. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been a teenager from 1975, during the disco era, into the 80's, and then into the early 90's. It was a decade long party for me during the 80's, and I shall never forget it.
Hey, thanks so much for uploading these and the TOTP Story Of docs! I'm American and it's often difficult to find them, so I've been trying to collect as many as I can for archiving. They're very helpful to me as references for British culture during previous decades.
I know this is a British-centric doc, a very good one. But, one thing from the 80's that wasn't brought up was the birth of the DIY underground culture that was playing on American college radio stations, running parallel to the UK indie scene. Bands like R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Replacements, Husker Du and Pixies, loading up the van and just going for it. Its what lit a fire under Bowie's ass to leave what he created in the 80s behind. We all know what Seattle did to the scene in the 90s, making it corporate as hell with its classic 70s hard rock flourishes. Yeah, Michael Stipe mumbled a lot, but it was what made them, Dinosaur Jr., Butthole Surfers and the like interesting.
Yes, Bowie had a bit of lull in the 80's but came back to basics with Tin Machine at the latter fueled indeed by bands he discovered such as The Pixies, Sonic Youth, and later on Placebo and Nine Inch Nails.
Living in Atlanta during the '80s saw a rise in "underground" music. . .for the lack of a better term. Ga State Univ had a student radio station WRAS that converted their format into "album" music that showcased the local upcoming groups in and around Atlanta. REM, the B 52's, Love Tractor out of Athens, Ga. Local staples, the Ga Satellites, the Brains, Face of Concern, the Basics, the Roys, the Producers and a host of others I'm momentarily forgetting had a friendly competitive drive among clubs. All of these bands knew one another. When they weren't playing the legendary music club "688", the Agora, the Roxy, Hedgens or some other dive, they hung out together. Ga Tech also had a campus radio station WREK that chipped in. It was a fabulous time to be around. Watching REM perform in Piedmont Park in front of 25 people was only the prelude to what they would become with time. The worst thing that plagues music today is the demise of local clubs where bands can make a name for themselves. That era may gone forever.
So many genres and new instruments and new ways to hear music that came from the 80s. It's quite amazing. It's crazy. This isn't my era. I was born in 1989. But I grew up with primary 80s new wave music. It sow the seed for my love for alternative music as an adult. Lots of bands still reach into the 80s and find new inspirations, new influences. I still find myself discovering previously undiscovered bands, artists that existed in the 80s. It's a never ending crate of wonderful music regardless of whatever style you are looking for.
To me, the 80's was where ALL music was accepted and exploited to its fullest potential. I'd say the 70's was THE decade that revolutionized music across the board. From ABBA to Zappa, Heavy Metal, Punk, Disco, Reggae, Rap, and 'Electronic'. One had to be truly daring to attempt to play or partake in ANY of these genres. And just when you thought you heard it all - Devo, The Flying Lizards, Public Image Limited, Brian Eno/Ultravox/John Foxx - WTF is all this? But in the 80's, everything had its acceptable slot. Cute and cuddly new wave artists, intense leather clad punks, metal heads, and 'industrialists'. Moused up and make-upped 'hair metal', and throbbing house music in a club somewhere. Alphaville to Dread Zeppelin - it was all good.
The 80s was the perfect storm for music the drum machines the Synthesizers the creativity was like heaven, the instrumentation was otherwordly and the lyrics like poetry.
This is spot on. The 80s had by far the most wide array of genres you could listen to on top 40s radio. You could go from listening to Prince one second or Madonna, to Whitesnake or Def Leppard, to The Cure or The Smiths the next, and then Metallica. Its really the last decade where you could find your niche, but still have a good chance of excelling on the radio. Plus, the musicianship of the 80s across all these genres was at its peak. My issue with the 60/70s was always that a lot of it sounds dated because of bad production technology at the time and limited guitar tones. The 90s on the otherhand, suffered in terms of musicanship because everyone wanted to simplify stuff, across all genres, and go back to basics after grunge became popular.
Thanks to FM radio, I’m an audiophile today, back in the early to mid 80’s, in Cuba, my older brother an I, used to build these almost 5 meters long arrow shaped Yagi antennas with the rear pointing North to get stations from the US, we used to listen to the hit parades from back then the Super Q FM 108, in Stereo, from Miami, ( that was just one of many stations we picked up), we used to make mix tapes and loved it when that little Stereo Red indicator came on. Listening to radio stations from any capitalist country, specially the US, was highly punished in Cuba, as well as getting caught with a magazine or anything that had something to do with the US. I always said that when it comes to music, I was born in the right era , (1971) but in the wrong country. Eighties music will always have a special place in my heart.
80’s MY time. Incredible memories I will cherish forever. So so so many songs take me back to the best times of my life. A wonderful time to be a teenager wouldn’t trade it for anything❤️❤️❤️
The 80s were a amazing period of musical creativity and variety. I was fortunate enough to be a teen into my 20s in the 80s. The early 80s in particular was like a whole new world in sound as well as visuals via the explosion in music videos (MTV). As an American I suddenly was exposed to a whole “new wave” of music and bands, and the music and bands who I was most blown away by were all from the U.K. I still listen to the bands/artists who I first was exposed to in the early 80s and there is nothing which has come close since.
I agree on the musical creativity and variety aspect. I was born in 75 in Europe and we had our share of American artists, people with huge talent giving us those great tunes. Michael Jackson being the greatest IMO. Fast forward to today and the music on the radio sounds absolutely awful and monotonous, there's no rhythm, no melody, no talent. That's why I still enjoy the 80s stuff tremendously to this day.
I really enjoyed this doco and was so glad you covered the acid house moment because it was such a huge change. But i'm just wondering why you didn't cover 80s goth because it was such a huge part of the 80s. The Cure, Killing Joke, Siouxsie, The Cult - the list goes on and on. Loved that you covered The Smiths!
The 80’s was a decade to remember, I am so grateful I was in my teens then .. the best time to get into clubs underage lol and smoke wherever you wanted.. musically I cannot express my thanks enough to the uninhibited creative minds that made sound in all different Color’s and genres, bless 🙌🥰🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹😎
The 80s had proven to be the MOST eclectic decade in music! Like the majority of the artists mentioned, Soul II Soul's music has TRULY stood the test of time! 💞💞💞💞💞
La mejor música de una bella década LOS 80'S....grandes artistas,buenas canciones,y los grandes amigos....¿Que mas podíamos pedir? Simplemente el inicio de mis mejores años.
The 80's was Absolutely Glorious! I know, because I was there. Nothing else compares, as it stands completely apart in every way. It was just pure Magic start to finish. If you weren't there, you missed out on the greatest decade ever. And will never know what you missed. The 80's had a feeling of unlimited possibility. It was a crescendo of energy. There was a very positive excitement of imminence possibility in the air that just doesn't exist anymore. Thank you.
The 80's kicks your ass and doesn't ask for permission or forgiveness. It's the decade with by far the greatest variety, a decade that continually surprises and shocks and pleases. It's all about the 80s baby
The 80's was an explosion of all genres of music being played & appreciated. I turned 16 in 1980, what a time to be young! That decade was so incredible that it hung around until like the end of 1992. Neon was not the whole of fashion. That was very very brief. Gone after a year. Hated that crap.
Thanks for this wonderful documentary. A key aspect, through out the documentary, the artists keep saying that they had the freedom to be themselves. I love 80s music, but it was hard for me because i longed for the musical complexities of Genesis and Yes. But great decade.
This was pure joy to hear and watch. As a non-Brit we missed out on so much great musical talent from the U.K. with national local content rules. Never heard of the Cookie Crew until now and must go discover this amazing talent. Thanks to everyone involved in the production and contribution.
I miss the 80s, musically that is. I turned 13 in 1980 so my entire teens was in the 80s. It was a constant system overflow of new, exciting and innovative music. Having the original Walkman to begin with, then a boombox and eventually a car with a massive sound system, music was present all the time. I'm grateful for having those experiences, it's a very big part of who I am today.
This documentary could have been 3 hours and it still would have missed a lot…that’s how it goes. Every decade of music has its share of good, bad and ugly…but that why music is so personal.
It's weird for me growing up in the 80s there were songs I'd hear and didn't care for or was sick of hearing. Decades later I have an appreciation for them and have them on my oldschool play list because it takes me back to my youth and I love them.
I'm an kid born in the 70's, and even if there was good music made then, the eighties turned it up an notch and made 1991 the single year that music ruled on television, radio, compact disc, records and even casette tapes sold a ton then....
You cannot fit an 80s decade in 1 ep. There are 4 episodes. The Police, The Cure, Sade, Alan Parson project, DM, Duran Duran, Aha, Wham , Kim Wilde, Samatha Fox, Kim Carnes , Madness, Housemartins, Soft Cell .... Just doesn't stop !!! Incredible creative decade.
This is a very strange list start. No one remembers Samanta Fox and her music. But MJ, Spandau Ballet, Phil Collins, Prince, The Human League, Kraftwerk, Madonna, Queen, Chic, Phil Collins, Prince, EWF, etc. and in my case all the Soul and Funk Geniusses that appeared.
I loved being a teenager in the 80s...fond memories of Metal Heads, New Romantics, Cure fans all meeting up on Saturday nights in the local disco chatting about our favourite bands, drinking pints of snakebite and having a great time!
It was a great decade, thank you for the documentary. it is hard to mention all the 80s bands and artists in one short hour but Depeche Mode could have at least deserved a mention.
The 80s - Music’s Greatest Decade? was a BBC series (of at least 4 episodes). This video is only one of them. Depeche Mode was featured in Episode 2 ("Here, Dylan celebrates some of the stars who created the timeless legacy of the 1980s. From stellar BBC archive performances from the likes of Madonna, Depeche Mode, Sade, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys and Tina Turner to iconic MTV-era gems from Billy Idol, Eurythmics, U2, Janet Jackson, Prince and many more.")
The decade sucked. Fashion was embarrassing. Remember HIV?… yeah, good times. The honest truth is the 1980s was a terrible after party. The great times were between 1975 and 1979. Post Vietnam, postsexual revolution, pre-crack and pre-HIV. The 80s sucked.
I'm the same! Turning 51 next Monday and even though I've always cherished 80s music, the older I get the more special it is for me... and I was an avid music video junkie in my teens so "watching music" was my jam LOL
I was born in 1960 and experienced both decades. The 70s had pop,rock , prog rock, Glam Rock, Punk, New Wave, and the best Disco / Dance music you'll ever listen or dance to ! Music in the 80s went thru the ceiling and unfortunatley we were subjected to a lot of dross such as New Romantics, Rap, Hip hop, Acid,Culture Club, and so many shitty artists ! The good bands The 70s was where music matured ,
The saddest thing about the 80's is I can never go back there! I began my career as a DJ in 1983 at the age of 15 and retired due to the pandemic in 2020. Despite modern music's use of 80's retro synth sounds and the Roland 808, it's just a poor copy by a new generation who never lived it. Every week a new top 50 chart would come out and every week there were new artists taking you in a new musical direction, yet they all coexisted as part of the soundtrack of your life!
Have you done Twitch? During the pandemic I would watch DJ sets and join the chat and donate the amount of money I would’ve spent going out. It saved my sanity! They would play the music videos along with the songs and I’d blast it on my speakers. ❤
"Lived it". Bro listening to music and contributing nothing to it is exactly the same as the next generation hearing it. The listeners of 80's music did nothing yet they act like they're special because they happened to be alive when it was first released. Get over yourself. You're so pretentious.
As always, the BBC music documentaries are exceptional. People mock the 80s, but as in here says, it was tremendously game changing, massively influential for decades after. Modern music owes a lot to the 80s.
The 80s had by far the most wide array of genres you could listen to on top 40s radio. You could go from listening to Prince or Michael Jackson one second, to Whitesnake or Def Leppard, to The Cure or The Smiths the next, and then Metallica, Journey, or Toto. Its really the last decade where you had such a wide array of genres on the top 40s chart. People love to talk up the 70s, but it was very genre limited in comparison.
I was born in 1975. It began for me with the first number 1 of the 80s as s 5 Yr old. Pink Floyd- Another brick in the wall and was the blown away by The Stranglers- Golden brown.
The 80s are, first and foremost, a decade impossible to summarise in 60 minutes. That's for sure... an interesting watch, but so much is missing because it is simply impossible... There was just too much happening at once, thus individually some of the documentaries managed to capture and analyse some of the decade's flare - in the case of UK, "Synth Britannia" and "Post-Punk Britannia" from the "Punk Britannia" trilogy definitely make that list... also "The Grumpy Side of the 80s" gave a great insight into the decade, regardless of just music. Elsewhere, books like "Rip It Up And Start Again" is a great read on the subject... "Energy Flash" partially goes there, too...
Being born in the mid 50’s, I was convinced that the late 60’s, to aprox 1979-80, was the “be all and end all”!….But I have a huge appreciation for the 80’s now. And I always have thought the 90’s was amazing, too! My 2nd fav decade after the 70’s! But the 80’s was both, transitional and unique. I spent 40 plus years in the music biz - wearing every imaginable “hat” just to stay in the biz! I raised a family of four kids, and paid off a mortgage and amassed enough dough, to “retire” at 55, all through the music industry. At 55 years old, I learned to build acoustic guitars - and I’ve operated a repair/restore/build business for over a decade, now. Peace
I'm genX, an 80s kid...it's my favorite era for music. However, the 70s was the best decade of music. The mainstream scene was the most diverse and open to just about every genre and style. You could see a jazz fusion band sell out an arena just as much as a pop or rock artist would. You would have mainstream radio stations playing the most diverse styles and genres of music.
Personally, I too agree that the 70s was better in terms of songwriting, but it was limited by the technology available back then, before the 80s new wave era, the Disco sound was the height of technology. And the lack was compensated for by great vocal harmonizations and quality musicianship. The electronics technology of the 80s started a new era of exploration like a new frontier being opened and we had an explosion of experimental music that later became mainstream. The 80s became memorable because so many of today's new genres can trace their roots back to that era.
I was born in 79, so I grew up with 80’s and 90’s. But I don’t listen to that. 70’s is where the best music lies. It is music that lasts and still resonates. Artists from the 70’s still tour. People still buy 70’s artists. They’re classic, varied, different styles, respected, no matter the genre.
@@thomasevans6468 Interesting! I can't readily recall any Duran Duran guitar riffs that particularly set the music world alight, yet he played this corker!
The 80s were the culmination, the flowering, and the end, of so much. Everything after that became more and more distilled, diluted and monetized. Good times, indeed. (Also, cheer up Dylan.. its not that serious lol) I also had no idea Cookie Crew were SO good. I remember (like most British rap), the media portrayed them as a bit of a novelty. Soul II Soul took care of that. Fuck they were so good. And yet I didn't know it at the time.
I'm fortunate to have experienced 80's music firsthand with 3 older sisters. I think the 80's were indeed a great and creatively explosive decade musically. The fact that my Beatles/Dave Clarke Five/60's purist Dad even grew to like songs from Culture Club and Tears For Fears says lots about British music during this decade. It was only 20 years after the British Invasion here in the States-and one could still hear the roots of what the Beatles, DC5, Herman's Hermits, The Animals, Rolling Stones, and many others had established a generation earlier. Add to this the other forms of rock that established themselves during the 80's but still had the same roots musically. Overall a great decade but music today is pretty terrible along with many other things that have regressed in the name of 'progress'.
I read comments like this ('music today is pretty terrible') frequently Tom but while I am of this era (in my 30s in the 1980s) I can't agree with you. If you are reliant on mainstream TV and radio you'll never hear excellent 2020's music as it won't be played because "it's too long" (in excess of three minutes) or "it's foreign (seriously!) or "it's too experimental/not commercial enough" or whatever today's excuse is. And that doesn't take into account the preferences that are 'bought' by big labels. I run a music blog focused on the Nordic countries and every week I come across a song or album which compares well with the 80s or any other era, from those five small countries alone. But you won't find them easily, you have to dig deep and hard.
and this installment is just tip of the iceberg. You could expand on sub genres so much. Good luck with further videos. This was quite enjoyable. Thanks for your efforts.
Your favourite decade will probably depend on when your teenage years were - so for me the 80's were magical. Technology took off in a massive way but there was still space left out there for so many incredible indie bands too. Rock was still popular. God I miss those days!
The Eighties was a fantastic era, but IMO the Seventies was at least equal to it with regards to innovation and originality. The early Seventies brought in Hard Rock, Space Rock, Acid Rock, Prog, Glam, Southern Rock, proto-punk (Stooges etal) and Californian Soft Rock. Reggae music, along with Disco, Electronica and dance music all began in the Seventies By the mid Seventies Punk, No-wave and all the weird stuff like Pere Ubu started emerging, quickly followed by post-punk and New Wave, Two-Tone and Industrial. etc., the list goes on.
I am so f-ing proud of the fact, that i was a teen in the 80's ..i am blessed..that i lived that period in every second....i am so sorry for the the kids from today .
I was waiting and waiting for just a mention of George Michael 😭 And no mention of Vince Clark, Depeche Mode or Erasure :( Guess my 80ties were different
Late 70's, 80's and early 90's music can't be beaten.. Garage and Grunge ended the good times.. Glad that Pink, Sia and even 1D changed music for the youngsters that missed those times!!
The 1980s have arguably been the best decade for mainstream pop music. In the ’80s, pop music made noise. In the middle part of the decade, most of the biggest hits sounded big - bright, sleek, maximalist. Advances in technology like Fairlight and Synclavier synths and gated drums allowed musicians to conjure vast, overwhelming, larger-than-life sounds. To match those sounds, songwriters piled on histrionic drama. In videos, singers would be backlit, silhouetted against dry-ice steam, giant hair blowing in all directions. The music sounded the way the videos looked. Grandeur was the point. Grandeur had always played role in pop music, and the people who made- ’80s pop saw themselves within a historic lineage. At a certain point in the ’80s, every big pop record began to sound like every other big pop record. Genre distinctions melted away. The would-be teen idols, the party-funk touring machines, the astral explorers of ’70s prog, the arena-rock screamers, the boomer icons suddenly attempting to make sense of the aging process - all of them were playing around in the same sandbox. All of them were using preset beats and thundering gated drums and echoey processed-to-death guitar solos and gleaming Fairlight synthesizers. Those sounds became the building blocks of that particular moment’s universal pop language. But those sounds are very much of their time. They sound incredibly dated, glossy and artificial now. And that’s not very good to me. Also, being myself a huge fan of R&B and Classic Rock I tend to consider the 1970s as the best decade for popular music. You had some of the greatest artists of all time at their absolute peak. You had Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac and so many more. I mean, yes, the ‘70s was much better than the ‘80s.
No, 80s the best, without a doubt ;) In fact, its ridiculous to argue so seriously which decade is best, because its depend whos older, more precisely - who grew up in what decade. in fact, you will never feel so deep that particular time, and really, I see you dont know anything about 80s music, believe me we know whats Pink Floyd or Fleetwood Mac (in fact, Mac had huge album in 80s with 80s sound, as well as Queen, Bruce Sprinsteen, D. Bowie). On the other hand listen more carefully what was said in the film - the digital revolution happened in 80s, it led to modern sound of music, so it became so succesful. In fact, its one of the reason why much more artists now are played on radio from 80s, than from 70s, some songs even very big among todays youth as Eurythmics 'Sweet Dreams, Aha Take On me, Dead Or Alive 'You Spin Me', Depeche Mode etc. 70s of course was huge, because had so many music titans, so many legendary songs, even more - it invented such styles as hard rock, disco, punk, New Wave, even electronic. Its hard to say which decade bigger, but 70s was a peak of rock music, as 80s the peak of pop music, because new sound, super media like MTV. Then pop and rock became not so interesting, but music not ended, now its time of electronic music, you can find there everything from jazz to all kinds of styles, new ones too as drumnbass, dub-step, IDM, of course if not tired and stuck in the past. In the film Trevor Horn talked about DJs music, hes such wise guy
The 80s was the last decade in which music was joyful and positive. During this decade, artists from the 50s, 60s and 70s were having hits at the same time incredible bands were having hits.
@@marcio_souza007 Songs like Wake me up before you go go. or Everybody have fun tonight or Rio or I'll tumble 4 ya or Walk of life by Dire Straits or even Thriller by Michael Jackson. or even some of the protest songs that came out of England ie Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood Town called malice by The Jam or even Money's too tight to mention by Simply Red.
You clearly are a musical philistine. Every decade has joyful and gloomy music, this is a basic truth, like oxygen. You just sound imbecilic saying that. Just saying, don't embarrass yourself at a dinner party with that. But you're probably old and in bed by 7:30
Pretentious joyful doesn't always translate to qualitative music and songwriting. 80s where great, but i give the nr 1 spot to the 90s, not just music but every medium in the entertainment industry, it literally peaked that decade upon til early 2000s and hasn't recovered since.
![Angel Witch - Demo 1979 (Remastered)[HD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ayh268dw_1Q/mqdefault.jpg)
The fact is that the 80's music still sounds much better than the majority of the shit in the charts nowadays.
Absolutely. Well said. The most amazing music to hit the charts in the 20th century.
No rose-tinted specs, over-generalising or blinkered prejudice there, then.
@@SundaeExpress The majority of... doesn't mean everything. 😉
@@markzane8542 And what did you say it was the majority of? Oh dear
@Mark Zane
Disagree. Even a lot of the non-mainstream stuff I liked that was made at the time now sounds too clipped, clean and digital. As for the mainstream stuff, everything about it was/is putrid.
God, how I miss the 80s! Take me back just one more time
Unfortunately, for those of us who grew up with 80s movies and music, we didn't realise how good we had it. It would never get any better.
@@christuffer exactly.
No decade has had so many genres of music. Beginning with New Wave, Synth-Pop, Hardcore Punk, Hip-Hop, Rap, Hi-Nrg music, Euro-Disco, Industrial, Free Style, Alt, Heavy Metal, House music, Techno, Acid House, Hip House, and beginnings of Grunge music. Everything now is thanks to the '80s most futuristic and modern music
I loved being a kid in the 80’s. Thursday’s were all about watching TOTP, Saturday mornings we watched Wac-a-day and then went to town to spend our pocket money on Smash Hits magazine and on Sunday’s we taped the top 40 off the radio.
We're wide awake. It's good to know we're ready and we're wide awake😍😍😍
Bought every Smash Hits in the 80s.
I lived this era and enjoyed all of the music, ska, new wave, metal, thrash metal, punk, industrial metal, alternative, blitz kids etc...great time to have been alive
Isms isms isms tedious
You did? I didn't see you there/then...
Musically, being a teen in the 80s was just magical. Even the bad stuff was iconic. Back then, you almost had to struggle to NOT be iconic, no matter the genre.
All teens think their era of music was great. It goes with the first romances & parties etc. Once you get past that you start realising that much of it was crap (regardless of era). You also start to appreciate the REAL talent - those who would've made it regardless. The fact remains that modern music came from the Blues & Jazz & that the biggest & longest lasting flowering was in the 60s & 70s (with apologies to the 40s & 50s...😊👍).
@@barryfeatherstone1616 … You are right. I am from this era. I loved it at the time. It’s gagable now. Despise it. I went back a decade to the 70s. Every decade has good stuff but the 70s had an unusual amount of great music. It aged very well.
Bollocks.
@@KIERNAN100 the 70's had glam rock the 80's had hair metal and Kiss
@@barryfeatherstone1616 Completely have to disagree. My 18 year old daughter thinks that 80's music is the best and I didn't influence her in that. She found it on her own. Also, one of her favorite bands is Ramones. Guess you were wrong.
British BBC produced 80’s music documentary, and they forget (purposely?) a band that is still mega successful today? Ever hear of Depeche Mode?
Agreed, but making shows on music is tough. Maybe legal couldn't clear using the music from DP with their label. Lots of other big bands not mentioned. U2, Police... Or mentioning New Order, but not Joy Division.
Likewise Prince shown for about a second and Bowie mentioned in name only. It was a little bit all over the place basically writing off everything from 85 - 88, what about The The for instance? Can’t squeeze everyone into the narrative I guess?
BEST band ever!!
Wouldn't cross the road to see a free concert from Dipichi Madonna?
EXACTLY what I thought too!!
There could easily be a ten part series of the music of the 80s! It's true what the host said at the end; music in the 80s really did feel new and fresh, unprecedented. I was a teen in the mid 80s and had the privilege to experience the new sounds as they happened. We lived in the precent and rarely looked back... The 80s, viewed from my personal lens, can be summed up as a giant burst of colors and choreographed dance moves practiced across the room with music videos playing in the background! We had the dance gods and goddesses and on the other end of the scale was 80s hard rock, with beautiful long-haired guys in skimpy clothes flinging their guitars about 😁 We had it all!
@@wxtrax38 Industrial started in the 80's.
As someone who went from been a teenager to a young adult during the 1980s, I am utterly fascinated with this documentary. So much of its content resonates deeply with me, reviving afresh so many happy memories of the music I came to love and savor during that decade.
Same!!! I’m really enjoying this! I wish it had a live chat feature lol 😅
Very well said, my friend.
The 80s was like a supernova. I think we're still recovering.
It was GLORIOUS!!! I was born in 1971....what a blessing!!
Best comment. Truth!
@@originaltommy An excellent vintage! 😁
@@originaltommy Same here.
Nah it was shite
Can i just say i turned 7 in 1980 and jesus what an incredible decade to live through, if you werent there youll never understand ❤
I understand - you lived through the plastic age.
@@josephjefferson9346 better that age than the shit era were in now 🤮👎
I was there… It was trash… Thank goodness for the 90s.
@@11dsw i enjoyed the 90s too after 2000 music went shit
1973 like me lol , I did not know it was going to be that significant . the synthesizer changed everything , and so bloody grateful today's artists are beefing up on the 80's sound .
The UK independent music scene alone was astonishing in the eighties and has never been bettered , although I was too young to appreciate it until much later . New Order , The Fall , The Smiths , Jesus and Mary Chain , Cocteau Twins , The The , Echo and the Bunnymen , Lloyd Cole , the Roses , the list goes on . The 'Britpop' scene got more attention in the nineties and the bands associated with them became huge but they were about half as good as those eighties indie bands. Chart music was more hit and miss , but those songs you saw on TOTP stay with you forever , and many of them are monumental , especially in the early-mid eighties. Stuff like Ghost Town , Come on Eileen , Vienna , Golden Brown , embody some of my earliest childhood memories.
Thanks for mentioning Lloyd Cole. All the other bands I like but not The The or Cocteau Twins (they seem like a sophisticated Wilson Phillips-like band)
The diversity of music has made so many people happy and admirers of the 80s. Not Me. Some good, some bad. I am without bias other than inheriting music taste that I don't think is malleable. I don't like Rap or hip-hop but for a couple of exceptions when they sample. But there were lots of great songs in the 80s and most songs were at least decent, unlike the last decade and I see no end to the road to ruin
I found a list. These bands are often considered the best of the 80s but thank god there was so much more.
Guns N’ Roses (Hard Rock/Glam Metal) - I don't like em. Not in the guitar sound.
Queen (Rock) I hate them. Dislike over and over the sameness of future astrophysicist Bryan May's guitar. Not into rock anthems
Metallica (Heavy Metal/Thrash Metal) not into this but sure Enter Sandman was good
AC/DC (Hard Rock) not really
Bon Jovi (Rock/Hard Rock/Glam Metal) poor man's Springsteen at their best
Foreigner Rock/Hard Rock) yearning ballads save them from the gritty generic rock of the early days
Journey (Rock/Hard Rock) Pretty good band with steve
Motorhead (Heavy Metal/Speed Metal) not so bad . One song I sort of like
R.E.M. (Rock/Alternative Rock) very good band
U2 (Rock) Ok some good songs so overrated and bombastic if not narcissistic. Just my feeling when watching Bono. Best song was New Year's Day. Sure I watched the videos but always left me wanting for less.
For me THE BEST:
THE REPLACEMENTS (not the first punk record though)
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS
DINOSAUR JR
Lloyd Cole. Never seen his videos on MTV but with the Commotions and especially his first 2 solo records his music is stunning.
Some great videos and songs:
Don Henley's Boys of Summer.
Modern English I Melt with you
Come on Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners. Well for 5 viewings.
"Take on Me" by A-Ha
"Voices Carry" by 'Til Tuesday
Tommy Tutone “867-5309 / Jenny”
It Ain't Enough by Corey Hart I'm now losing all credibility not that I started with any
Dire straits money for nothing.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot but not Michael McDonald's I keep forgettin'
PRETTY GOOD - some could be nearly in the best .... no order here
The Pixies - A great album in Doolittle
Tears for Fear - One great album
journey - easy to take
billy idol - white wedding is the video of the decade
van halen - Jump is great.
the cure - I like boys don't cry
the jesus and mary chain - Just like Honey is a great song
prince - his best song is Little Red Corvette. When Doves Cry and Let's go crazy are good but this artist or his Love Symbol is overrated.
Husker Du
peter gabriel
fleetwood mac
the clash
madonna - early singles were good.
bruce springsteen - his best record is Born in the USA.
new order
the police
robert palmer
Even movies had a big impact on music in the 80s. The great John Hughes who made so many movies about teens brought so many of these great songs into our homes. Hughes’ appreciation of music introduced these songs to us with the Breakfast Club, 16 Candles, Ferris Beuler’s Day Off
Much of that great music was influenced by Molly Ringwald bringing it to Hughes. Her father was a musician, so she did have a good ear.
Hughes tapped into something in the brains of the people. Yes, his movies are usually pretty funny, but there's a subconscious emotional quality that makes them far more memorable and relatable. And the music in his movies enhanced that.
The 80s was the best time to grow up. I was 8 when it started and 18 when it ended. The vast variety of music on the charts at any given time I think will never be repeated. A look at any of the Billboard Top 100 songs of the year from the 80s and one will see Pop, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Soul, R&B, Rap, New Wave, even Country.
The worst era for music in the 1955-1999 era…no doubt…plastic, synthetic garbage
60’s for me.
A truly magical time to be a kid.
Exactly same, was 8 in 80.
Ha! Every generation says their's was the best......what a joke~
@@mark1952able True, everyone has music attached to their growing up years.
I totally agree that 80s music is ever so joyful even when the lyrics suggest otherwise
God how I miss the 80's. Greatest decade as a kid. Wouldn't trade it for the world
Me 2. Best days of my life. Great times, life was more simple and great tunes.
I enjoyed this video so much. I wish that I had found it before. I was so fortunate to have been in my 20's during this amazing musical decade. I was enjoying a buffet of different styles of music, and each had so much richness and quality. The videos on MTV were truly a visual enjoyment of music and artists and I found myself glued to the TV when not out in different clubs listening and dancing to the latest sounds. Everything was interesting, new and deeply exciting. I continue to listen to 80's music to this day. I just don't find that music has that same sense of discovery as in the 80's. Nowadays, it is all formulaic and repetitive. Thank you for this wonderful video and for celebrating the most amazing musical decade in modern musical history.
Every time I listen to today's music, it's just somebody yapping about something.
Thank you so much for uploading this! I was born in the mid seventies and 80s music was everything to me. At that time in my youth, music was all I had. Thanks 🙏🏼 🤗
You are young.
The 1980s is when rap, hip hop, techno, rave, indi, alternative, and pop really started.
You think Pop started in the 1980s?. Indi and alternative are just flavours of rock/pop that started in the late 60s. Techno came out of 70s Electronica. Rave just took Techno to its BPM limits.
Hip-Hop may be the only genuine significant addition to the pop/rock rule book. That really grew from very little to a huge slice of the music industry, from the 80, through the 90s to today. But there's really nothing new in indie/alternative. I mean "Indie" just comes out of "independent" record labels, not really a musical genre.
'There was a joy to music in the 80's'. That was a good way to describe it.
Oh, I love the '80s music! Partly because I was in my late teens to mid-20s, trendy, and wanted to party perhaps, but even my wife, born in 1958, favours 80s music over other decades. In the UK, we went from Adam and the Ants and the New Romantics early in the decade to Soul II Soul and Acid House late on. Loved it - and all the great synths, indie, house and hip-hop in between. I've even got a soft spot for Stock, Aitken and Waterman!
Really?… Plastic, disposable garbage. Over synth’d, over accessorized, ugly big hair and fashion was a nightmare. Come on now!
I love the 80s music. So many memories.
I feel cheated. I wish this would have been 5 hours. I would have watched all of it. All the memories came rushing back to me, and I was transported back to a time that I wished would have never ended. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been a teenager from 1975, during the disco era, into the 80's, and then into the early 90's. It was a decade long party for me during the 80's, and I shall never forget it.
Hey, thanks so much for uploading these and the TOTP Story Of docs! I'm American and it's often difficult to find them, so I've been trying to collect as many as I can for archiving. They're very helpful to me as references for British culture during previous decades.
I know this is a British-centric doc, a very good one. But, one thing from the 80's that wasn't brought up was the birth of the DIY underground culture that was playing on American college radio stations, running parallel to the UK indie scene. Bands like R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Replacements, Husker Du and Pixies, loading up the van and just going for it. Its what lit a fire under Bowie's ass to leave what he created in the 80s behind. We all know what Seattle did to the scene in the 90s, making it corporate as hell with its classic 70s hard rock flourishes. Yeah, Michael Stipe mumbled a lot, but it was what made them, Dinosaur Jr., Butthole Surfers and the like interesting.
WLIR radio NYC has a documentary...forgot the name
DIY underground culture happened in the 1970s in the UK😊
Yes, Bowie had a bit of lull in the 80's but came back to basics with Tin Machine at the latter fueled indeed by bands he discovered such as The Pixies, Sonic Youth, and later on Placebo and Nine Inch Nails.
Living in Atlanta during the '80s saw a rise in "underground" music. . .for the lack of a better term. Ga State Univ had a student radio station WRAS that converted their format into "album" music that showcased the local upcoming groups in and around Atlanta. REM, the B 52's, Love Tractor out of Athens, Ga. Local staples, the Ga Satellites, the Brains, Face of Concern, the Basics, the Roys, the Producers and a host of others I'm momentarily forgetting had a friendly competitive drive among clubs. All of these bands knew one another. When they weren't playing the legendary music club "688", the Agora, the Roxy, Hedgens or some other dive, they hung out together. Ga Tech also had a campus radio station WREK that chipped in. It was a fabulous time to be around. Watching REM perform in Piedmont Park in front of 25 people was only the prelude to what they would become with time. The worst thing that plagues music today is the demise of local clubs where bands can make a name for themselves. That era may gone forever.
@@gilbosavannah Dare to Be Different, was the name of the documentary
So many genres and new instruments and new ways to hear music that came from the 80s. It's quite amazing. It's crazy.
This isn't my era. I was born in 1989. But I grew up with primary 80s new wave music. It sow the seed for my love for alternative music as an adult. Lots of bands still reach into the 80s and find new inspirations, new influences.
I still find myself discovering previously undiscovered bands, artists that existed in the 80s. It's a never ending crate of wonderful music regardless of whatever style you are looking for.
Absolutely fabulous documentation bringing back the good memories!
perfect amount of technology in music...enhancing the songwriting.
To me, the 80's was where ALL music was accepted and exploited to its fullest potential. I'd say the 70's was THE decade that revolutionized music across the board. From ABBA to Zappa, Heavy Metal, Punk, Disco, Reggae, Rap, and 'Electronic'. One had to be truly daring to attempt to play or partake in ANY of these genres. And just when you thought you heard it all - Devo, The Flying Lizards, Public Image Limited, Brian Eno/Ultravox/John Foxx - WTF is all this? But in the 80's, everything had its acceptable slot. Cute and cuddly new wave artists, intense leather clad punks, metal heads, and 'industrialists'. Moused up and make-upped 'hair metal', and throbbing house music in a club somewhere. Alphaville to Dread Zeppelin - it was all good.
Frank Zappa is garbage though.
The 80s was the perfect storm for music the drum machines the Synthesizers the creativity was like heaven, the instrumentation was otherwordly and the lyrics like poetry.
This is spot on. The 80s had by far the most wide array of genres you could listen to on top 40s radio. You could go from listening to Prince one second or Madonna, to Whitesnake or Def Leppard, to The Cure or The Smiths the next, and then Metallica. Its really the last decade where you could find your niche, but still have a good chance of excelling on the radio. Plus, the musicianship of the 80s across all these genres was at its peak. My issue with the 60/70s was always that a lot of it sounds dated because of bad production technology at the time and limited guitar tones. The 90s on the otherhand, suffered in terms of musicanship because everyone wanted to simplify stuff, across all genres, and go back to basics after grunge became popular.
Thanks to FM radio, I’m an audiophile today, back in the early to mid 80’s, in Cuba, my older brother an I, used to build these almost 5 meters long arrow shaped Yagi antennas with the rear pointing North to get stations from the US, we used to listen to the hit parades from back then the Super Q FM 108, in Stereo, from Miami, ( that was just one of many stations we picked up), we used to make mix tapes and loved it when that little Stereo Red indicator came on.
Listening to radio stations from any capitalist country, specially the US, was highly punished in Cuba, as well as getting caught with a magazine or anything that had something to do with the US.
I always said that when it comes to music, I was born in the right era , (1971) but in the wrong country.
Eighties music will always have a special place in my heart.
80’s MY time. Incredible memories I will cherish forever. So so so many songs take me back to the best times of my life. A wonderful time to be a teenager wouldn’t trade it for anything❤️❤️❤️
I totally agree....carefree days and fantastic music....great time to be young!
@@dannymcmince it sure was 🎵🎶🕺💃
The 80s were a amazing period of musical creativity and variety. I was fortunate enough to be a teen into my 20s in the 80s. The early 80s in particular was like a whole new world in sound as well as visuals via the explosion in music videos (MTV). As an American I suddenly was exposed to a whole “new wave” of music and bands, and the music and bands who I was most blown away by were all from the U.K. I still listen to the bands/artists who I first was exposed to in the early 80s and there is nothing which has come close since.
Yes!!! Same!! I was born in 1968 and this is still what I’m listening to. Nothing compares to that era
I agree on the musical creativity and variety aspect. I was born in 75 in Europe and we had our share of American artists, people with huge talent giving us those great tunes. Michael Jackson being the greatest IMO.
Fast forward to today and the music on the radio sounds absolutely awful and monotonous, there's no rhythm, no melody, no talent. That's why I still enjoy the 80s stuff tremendously to this day.
@@MultiDarkElf That about sum's it up.
I really enjoyed this doco and was so glad you covered the acid house moment because it was such a huge change. But i'm just wondering why you didn't cover 80s goth because it was such a huge part of the 80s. The Cure, Killing Joke, Siouxsie, The Cult - the list goes on and on. Loved that you covered The Smiths!
Wow, you like one genre. Courageous.
@@neilevans2507 Your reply makes no sense what so ever. I never mentioned anything about liking one genre and nothing can be further from the truth.
At 5:55 it talked about Siouxie!!
Not talking about the Cure was a terrible omission.
That clear energy in the air cannot be duplicated
I always have 80s as my go to playlist and I was born in 88. 80s has the best music.
Soul to Soul ..... amazing band ..
The answer is YES!!! Even my teens are into 80’s music lol
The 80’s was a decade to remember, I am so grateful I was in my teens then .. the best time to get into clubs underage lol and smoke wherever you wanted.. musically I cannot express my thanks enough to the uninhibited creative minds that made sound in all different Color’s and genres, bless 🙌🥰🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹😎
Watching this and thinking back ... for a spilt second I was 20 again. Great and bittersweet memories.
As a teen in the 80's, born in 66, I can completely agree that the 80's were the best decade of music
as a teen born in 70 I totally vouch for that, the eighties were a revolution for music EVERY type of music had a revolution
In 80 everything was new, fresh and made by real musicians. now we have "rap" shit.
Yes I'm a 66 Baby too. And the 80s music is always in my heart.
80"s Pop music was just as corny and contrived as pop music today. Your nostalgia for your youth puts a golden glow on it ..
1970s was better than 80s musically.
The 80s had proven to be the MOST eclectic decade in music! Like the majority of the artists mentioned, Soul II Soul's music has TRULY stood the test of time! 💞💞💞💞💞
The 80’s were great! Thanks! 🌞
La mejor música de una bella década LOS 80'S....grandes artistas,buenas canciones,y los grandes amigos....¿Que mas podíamos pedir? Simplemente el inicio de mis mejores años.
You take the craft and magic from the 50's, 60's, 70's add technology and you essentially have the 80's. It continues to inspire and give joy.
The 80's was Absolutely Glorious! I know, because I was there. Nothing else compares, as it stands completely apart in every way. It was just pure Magic start to finish. If you weren't there, you missed out on the greatest decade ever. And will never know what you missed. The 80's had a feeling of unlimited possibility. It was a crescendo of energy. There was a very positive excitement of imminence possibility in the air that just doesn't exist anymore. Thank you.
Great decade musically and culturally
The same thing was going on in fashion. We would just take a bunch of stuff and make a look out of it.
thank you for this documentary. The 80 s are will always be the greatest music decade.
The 80's kicks your ass and doesn't ask for permission or forgiveness. It's the decade with by far the greatest variety, a decade that continually surprises and shocks and pleases. It's all about the 80s baby
The 80's was an explosion of all genres of music being played & appreciated. I turned 16 in 1980, what a time to be young! That decade was so incredible that it hung around until like the end of 1992. Neon was not the whole of fashion. That was very very brief. Gone after a year. Hated that crap.
that explosion last well into the end of the 90s, if you take the 90s video game music into consideration.
Thanks for this wonderful documentary. A key aspect, through out the documentary, the artists keep saying that they had the freedom to be themselves. I love 80s music, but it was hard for me because i longed for the musical complexities of Genesis and Yes. But great decade.
Phenomenal documentary!!!!
This was pure joy to hear and watch. As a non-Brit we missed out on so much great musical talent from the U.K. with national local content rules. Never heard of the Cookie Crew until now and must go discover this amazing talent. Thanks to everyone involved in the production and contribution.
I miss the 80s, musically that is. I turned 13 in 1980 so my entire teens was in the 80s. It was a constant system overflow of new, exciting and innovative music. Having the original Walkman to begin with, then a boombox and eventually a car with a massive sound system, music was present all the time. I'm grateful for having those experiences, it's a very big part of who I am today.
This documentary could have been 3 hours and it still would have missed a lot…that’s how it goes. Every decade of music has its share of good, bad and ugly…but that why music is so personal.
wont beat the 70,s real rock, glam, real soul, punk, ska, the list goes on
It's weird for me growing up in the 80s there were songs I'd hear and didn't care for or was sick of hearing. Decades later I have an appreciation for them and have them on my oldschool play list because it takes me back to my youth and I love them.
I'm an kid born in the 70's, and even if there was good music made then, the eighties turned it up an notch and made 1991 the single year that music ruled on television, radio, compact disc, records and even casette tapes sold a ton then....
You cannot fit an 80s decade in 1 ep. There are 4 episodes.
The Police, The Cure, Sade, Alan Parson project, DM, Duran Duran, Aha, Wham , Kim Wilde, Samatha Fox, Kim Carnes , Madness, Housemartins, Soft Cell .... Just doesn't stop !!! Incredible creative decade.
This is a very strange list start. No one remembers Samanta Fox and her music. But MJ, Spandau Ballet, Phil Collins, Prince, The Human League, Kraftwerk, Madonna, Queen, Chic, Phil Collins, Prince, EWF, etc. and in my case all the Soul and Funk Geniusses that appeared.
@@strasbourgerelsass1467 You mentioned Prince twice!
Level 42 needs a mention.
@@iansalgado592 yeah... The second is Prince Charles And The City Beat Band 😉
@@iansalgado592 true... (42)
I loved being a teenager in the 80s...fond memories of Metal Heads, New Romantics, Cure fans all meeting up on Saturday nights in the local disco chatting about our favourite bands, drinking pints of snakebite and having a great time!
The 60's - 80's was the golden era of music IMHO.
Indeed the 80s is the greatest musical decade. To me it can be resumed by two words: optimism & joy. In that in mind I also loved the disco years.
1970s eclipsed 80s musically.
It was a great decade, thank you for the documentary. it is hard to mention all the 80s bands and artists in one short hour but Depeche Mode could have at least deserved a mention.
A glaring omission, to be sure. You can't have a conversation about the music of that decade without mentioning DM and Simple Minds.
The 80s - Music’s Greatest Decade? was a BBC series (of at least 4 episodes). This video is only one of them. Depeche Mode was featured in Episode 2 ("Here, Dylan celebrates some of the stars who created the timeless legacy of the 1980s. From stellar BBC archive performances from the likes of Madonna, Depeche Mode, Sade, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys and Tina Turner to iconic MTV-era gems from Billy Idol, Eurythmics, U2, Janet Jackson, Prince and many more.")
@@katsrin are the other episodes on UA-cam?
@@patrickquintin4664 I agree, also ad TalkTalk.
The decade sucked. Fashion was embarrassing. Remember HIV?… yeah, good times. The honest truth is the 1980s was a terrible after party. The great times were between 1975 and 1979. Post Vietnam, postsexual revolution, pre-crack and pre-HIV. The 80s sucked.
Look at the Top 100 of 1985 and 1986 combined...so so many great modern classics. Unbelievable.
Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran said it best- "the 80s gave us MTV and the drum machine- both changed music forever"
Yes,....that was unique. The amount of creativity was unbelievable.
recording a sound and playing it on the keyboard was genius Peter Gabriel's courtesy
These docs are awesome! Thanks for posting!
80s was bad but 90s was worst and 70s great even with some problems
Every decade delivers gems. I was born in 1971, so the Eighties is that little bit extra special.
I'm the same! Turning 51 next Monday and even though I've always cherished 80s music, the older I get the more special it is for me... and I was an avid music video junkie in my teens so "watching music" was my jam LOL
Born in 1971, hands down the BEST decade ever, it really is a tough one to argue against.
I was born in 1960 and experienced both decades. The 70s had pop,rock , prog rock, Glam Rock, Punk, New Wave, and the best Disco / Dance music you'll ever listen or dance to ! Music in the 80s went thru the ceiling and unfortunatley we were subjected to a lot of dross such as New Romantics, Rap, Hip hop, Acid,Culture Club, and so many shitty artists ! The good bands
The 70s was where music matured ,
The saddest thing about the 80's is I can never go back there! I began my career as a DJ in 1983 at the age of 15 and retired due to the pandemic in 2020. Despite modern music's use of 80's retro synth sounds and the Roland 808, it's just a poor copy by a new generation who never lived it. Every week a new top 50 chart would come out and every week there were new artists taking you in a new musical direction, yet they all coexisted as part of the soundtrack of your life!
Have you done Twitch? During the pandemic I would watch DJ sets and join the chat and donate the amount of money I would’ve spent going out. It saved my sanity! They would play the music videos along with the songs and I’d blast it on my speakers. ❤
1980's were crap compared to the 1990's, 1960's and the 70's.
"Lived it". Bro listening to music and contributing nothing to it is exactly the same as the next generation hearing it. The listeners of 80's music did nothing yet they act like they're special because they happened to be alive when it was first released. Get over yourself. You're so pretentious.
As always, the BBC music documentaries are exceptional. People mock the 80s, but as in here says, it was tremendously game changing, massively influential for decades after. Modern music owes a lot to the 80s.
Yeh, but modern music is generally terrible. So....not a great statement
@@kevinslaney486 your opinion. Bye.
@@rerrpr err yeh, isn't it about opinions. Bye bye
@@kevinslaney486 opinions are likes asses, u know. Everyone’s has one. Bye.
The 80s had by far the most wide array of genres you could listen to on top 40s radio. You could go from listening to Prince or Michael Jackson one second, to Whitesnake or Def Leppard, to The Cure or The Smiths the next, and then Metallica, Journey, or Toto. Its really the last decade where you had such a wide array of genres on the top 40s chart. People love to talk up the 70s, but it was very genre limited in comparison.
I was born in 1975. It began for me with the first number 1 of the 80s as s 5 Yr old.
Pink Floyd- Another brick in the wall and was the blown away by The Stranglers- Golden brown.
I was in junior high and high school from 1980-1986. No wonder I am still obsessed with the music that was created in that span. I feel so lucky!!
You 80s fans need to listen fully to the 60s 70s and 90s. Each of those decades has 3x more great songs than the mtv 80s.
Depeche mode, echo & the bunnymen, U2, tears for fears, metallica, anthrax & the list goes on...
What an amazing documentary! The amazing 80s ! Thank you for uploading 😁
The 80s are, first and foremost, a decade impossible to summarise in 60 minutes. That's for sure... an interesting watch, but so much is missing because it is simply impossible... There was just too much happening at once, thus individually some of the documentaries managed to capture and analyse some of the decade's flare - in the case of UK, "Synth Britannia" and "Post-Punk Britannia" from the "Punk Britannia" trilogy definitely make that list... also "The Grumpy Side of the 80s" gave a great insight into the decade, regardless of just music. Elsewhere, books like "Rip It Up And Start Again" is a great read on the subject... "Energy Flash" partially goes there, too...
I can summarize the 80's in 3 words, they were crap.
@@Neil-Aspinall no, super crap….horrible
Being born in the mid 50’s, I was convinced that the late 60’s, to aprox 1979-80, was the “be all and end all”!….But I have a huge appreciation for the 80’s now. And I always have thought the 90’s was amazing, too! My 2nd fav decade after the 70’s! But the 80’s was both, transitional and unique. I spent 40 plus years in the music biz - wearing every imaginable “hat” just to stay in the biz! I raised a family of four kids, and paid off a mortgage and amassed enough dough, to “retire” at 55, all through the music industry. At 55 years old, I learned to build acoustic guitars - and I’ve operated a repair/restore/build business for over a decade, now.
Peace
A lovely semi subliminal advert for your guitar buisness.
I SO MISS THIS...80's Baby!! Ya had to be there...
I wish I could go back to the 80s. I was a happy little boy then. The music and movies were second to none.
I've said this many times - in my opinion, the 80's are the best decade of the 20th century for music. Also, for many other things as well.
I'm genX, an 80s kid...it's my favorite era for music. However, the 70s was the best decade of music. The mainstream scene was the most diverse and open to just about every genre and style. You could see a jazz fusion band sell out an arena just as much as a pop or rock artist would. You would have mainstream radio stations playing the most diverse styles and genres of music.
completely agree with you the seventies was incredible
The 70’s and the 90’s for me.
@@spdrbt likewise :)
Personally, I too agree that the 70s was better in terms of songwriting, but it was limited by the technology available back then, before the 80s new wave era, the Disco sound was the height of technology. And the lack was compensated for by great vocal harmonizations and quality musicianship. The electronics technology of the 80s started a new era of exploration like a new frontier being opened and we had an explosion of experimental music that later became mainstream. The 80s became memorable because so many of today's new genres can trace their roots back to that era.
I was born in 79, so I grew up with 80’s and 90’s. But I don’t listen to that. 70’s is where the best music lies. It is music that lasts and still resonates. Artists from the 70’s still tour. People still buy 70’s artists. They’re classic, varied, different styles, respected, no matter the genre.
You had to be there. It was amazing!
Brilliant. Thank you. I’ve been trying to remember how I spent my 20’s😁💋
Its horribly sad that.MTV doesn't play music videos any more.
0:38 seconds in and already a piece of 80s music gives me goosebumps.. The guitar in Robert Palmer's 'Addicted to Love' is cool AF.
Great song
Indeed! Plus I believe the guitar on that track is played by Duran Duran's Andy Taylor.
@@thomasevans6468 Interesting! I can't readily recall any Duran Duran guitar riffs that particularly set the music world alight, yet he played this corker!
The 80s were the culmination, the flowering, and the end, of so much. Everything after that became more and more distilled, diluted and monetized. Good times, indeed.
(Also, cheer up Dylan.. its not that serious lol) I also had no idea Cookie Crew were SO good. I remember (like most British rap), the media portrayed them as a bit of a novelty. Soul II Soul took care of that. Fuck they were so good. And yet I didn't know it at the time.
I'm fortunate to have experienced 80's music firsthand with 3 older sisters. I think the 80's were indeed a great and creatively explosive decade musically. The fact that my Beatles/Dave Clarke Five/60's purist Dad even grew to like songs from Culture Club and Tears For Fears says lots about British music during this decade. It was only 20 years after the British Invasion here in the States-and one could still hear the roots of what the Beatles, DC5, Herman's Hermits, The Animals, Rolling Stones, and many others had established a generation earlier. Add to this the other forms of rock that established themselves during the 80's but still had the same roots musically. Overall a great decade but music today is pretty terrible along with many other things that have regressed in the name of 'progress'.
I read comments like this ('music today is pretty terrible') frequently Tom but while I am of this era (in my 30s in the 1980s) I can't agree with you. If you are reliant on mainstream TV and radio you'll never hear excellent 2020's music as it won't be played because "it's too long" (in excess of three minutes) or "it's foreign (seriously!) or "it's too experimental/not commercial enough" or whatever today's excuse is. And that doesn't take into account the preferences that are 'bought' by big labels. I run a music blog focused on the Nordic countries and every week I come across a song or album which compares well with the 80s or any other era, from those five small countries alone. But you won't find them easily, you have to dig deep and hard.
@@davidbentley4032 What I'm getting at is once upon a time mainstream music was epic. Why does one have to search to find the good stuff today?
@@tomservo5347 We lived it. That's all that matters. 😎
Loved every minute of this.
and this installment is just tip of the iceberg. You could expand on sub genres so much. Good luck with further videos. This was quite enjoyable. Thanks for your efforts.
Your favourite decade will probably depend on when your teenage years were - so for me the 80's were magical. Technology took off in a massive way but there was still space left out there for so many incredible indie bands too. Rock was still popular. God I miss those days!
Precisely. I've always said that too.
I have to disagree, if your favorite decade relies on when you were a teenager, I reckon you're just not that into music.,
@@XPWiZARDYT well I am a musician playing both keyboard and bass guitar. Music is massive in my life.
The Eighties was a fantastic era, but IMO the Seventies was at least equal to it with regards to innovation and originality. The early Seventies brought in Hard Rock, Space Rock, Acid Rock, Prog, Glam, Southern Rock, proto-punk (Stooges etal) and Californian Soft Rock. Reggae music, along with Disco, Electronica and dance music all began in the Seventies By the mid Seventies Punk, No-wave and all the weird stuff like Pere Ubu started emerging, quickly followed by post-punk and New Wave, Two-Tone and Industrial. etc., the list goes on.
I want to go back in the 80s
I am so f-ing proud of the fact, that i was a teen in the 80's ..i am blessed..that i lived that period in every second....i am so sorry for the the kids from today .
I was waiting and waiting for just a mention of George Michael 😭 And no mention of Vince Clark, Depeche Mode or Erasure :( Guess my 80ties were different
...or A-ha and the Take On Me video, best Music video of all time, and one of the most known songs of the 80ies
Late 70's, 80's and early 90's music can't be beaten.. Garage and Grunge ended the good times.. Glad that Pink, Sia and even 1D changed music for the youngsters that missed those times!!
The ‘80’s decade really was longer than the actual decade (‘76-‘94).
Exceptionally good video on '80s music.
Thank you Steve_1401. You did a great job to upload the mini series as a whole.
The 1980s have arguably been the best decade for mainstream pop music.
In the ’80s, pop music made noise. In the middle part of the decade, most of the biggest hits sounded big - bright, sleek, maximalist. Advances in technology like Fairlight and Synclavier synths and gated drums allowed musicians to conjure vast, overwhelming, larger-than-life sounds. To match those sounds, songwriters piled on histrionic drama. In videos, singers would be backlit, silhouetted against dry-ice steam, giant hair blowing in all directions. The music sounded the way the videos looked. Grandeur was the point. Grandeur had always played role in pop music, and the people who made- ’80s pop saw themselves within a historic lineage.
At a certain point in the ’80s, every big pop record began to sound like every other big pop record. Genre distinctions melted away. The would-be teen idols, the party-funk touring machines, the astral explorers of ’70s prog, the arena-rock screamers, the boomer icons suddenly attempting to make sense of the aging process - all of them were playing around in the same sandbox. All of them were using preset beats and thundering gated drums and echoey processed-to-death guitar solos and gleaming Fairlight synthesizers. Those sounds became the building blocks of that particular moment’s universal pop language. But those sounds are very much of their time. They sound incredibly dated, glossy and artificial now. And that’s not very good to me.
Also, being myself a huge fan of R&B and Classic Rock I tend to consider the 1970s as the best decade for popular music. You had some of the greatest artists of all time at their absolute peak. You had Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac and so many more. I mean, yes, the ‘70s was much better than the ‘80s.
No, 80s the best, without a doubt ;) In fact, its ridiculous to argue so seriously which decade is best, because its depend whos older, more precisely - who grew up in what decade. in fact, you will never feel so deep that particular time, and really, I see you dont know anything about 80s music, believe me we know whats Pink Floyd or Fleetwood Mac (in fact, Mac had huge album in 80s with 80s sound, as well as Queen, Bruce Sprinsteen, D. Bowie). On the other hand listen more carefully what was said in the film - the digital revolution happened in 80s, it led to modern sound of music, so it became so succesful. In fact, its one of the reason why much more artists now are played on radio from 80s, than from 70s, some songs even very big among todays youth as Eurythmics 'Sweet Dreams, Aha Take On me, Dead Or Alive 'You Spin Me', Depeche Mode etc. 70s of course was huge, because had so many music titans, so many legendary songs, even more - it invented such styles as hard rock, disco, punk, New Wave, even electronic. Its hard to say which decade bigger, but 70s was a peak of rock music, as 80s the peak of pop music, because new sound, super media like MTV. Then pop and rock became not so interesting, but music not ended, now its time of electronic music, you can find there everything from jazz to all kinds of styles, new ones too as drumnbass, dub-step, IDM, of course if not tired and stuck in the past. In the film Trevor Horn talked about DJs music, hes such wise guy
I couldn't agree less.
The 80s was the last decade in which music was joyful and positive. During this decade, artists from the 50s, 60s and 70s were having hits at the same time incredible bands were having hits.
I don't think "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" is a joyful and positive song, but I understand what you mean.
Correct. And many originating ‘80’s bands are still around, along with some from the ‘70’s and ‘80’s.
@@marcio_souza007 Songs like Wake me up before you go go.
or Everybody have fun tonight
or Rio
or I'll tumble 4 ya
or Walk of life by Dire Straits
or even Thriller by Michael Jackson.
or even some of the protest songs that came out of England ie
Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Town called malice by The Jam
or even Money's too tight to mention by Simply Red.
You clearly are a musical philistine. Every decade has joyful and gloomy music, this is a basic truth, like oxygen. You just sound imbecilic saying that. Just saying, don't embarrass yourself at a dinner party with that. But you're probably old and in bed by 7:30
Pretentious joyful doesn't always translate to qualitative music and songwriting. 80s where great, but i give the nr 1 spot to the 90s, not just music but every medium in the entertainment industry, it literally peaked that decade upon til early 2000s and hasn't recovered since.