OFF: now 90s v. 80s

[K Henderson]

Alex remarked...

>>dunno what else. Overall, '99 was a bit disappointing.
>
>Which year of the 90's wasn't ? :-o

Surely this is a joke, right?

I thought '99 produced a great number of really good albums, if you searched
long and hard enough.  And the 90s have been spectacular, at least in
comparison to the absolutely dismal 80s.  I'm talking only in terms of
interesting 'underground' music I suppose, whatever that means...I guess I
mean anything that doesn't sell.
(Who would waste their time wondering if Culture Club was better or worse
than Matchbox 20?)

Although I would prefer to divide recent rock history into decades landing
on the 8's, i.e., 1968-77 (brilliant), 1978-87 (abysmal), 1988-97 (great,
but *way* 'underground'), 1998-2000 (good, but still too early to tell).
(And anything before 1967, totally irrelevant.  I just put that in there for
any Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame voters here on boc-l.)  :)

Well, OK, there were *some* good things that came out in the 80s, like some
of the NWOBHM groups (Diamond Head especially) and some high points from HW
(Levitation and some RCA stuff) and Motorhead, plus random things like Roger
Taylor's Fun in Space and Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime, and even
Marillion's MC and CaS <insert jokes here>, but man, that's it!  Well, OK,
the proto-alternative movement that started in Minneapolis and LA during the
mid-80s was worthwhile (though not really that spectacular), but then no one
(including me) payed any attention to it until 1989 when Jane's Addiction
and the Seattle-ites made it a name brand (and then ruined it soon thereafter).

1988 saw the return of HW to proper form, and the emergence of the Ozrics
and all the other free-festy bands to international awareness, and the 90s
have been strong ever since IMHO.  No sales worth a damn, and no labels
continually making a living at it anywhere (Cleo/PP, Delerium, and Griffin
all fading from where they were four years ago), but it manages to survive
somehow.  The internet probably responsible as much as anything else.

Surely, my thoughts aren't unique?!

Let's enjoy it while it lasts...
Keith H. (FAA)