The Misery of Cities Part I:
Underground 80's Bands from L.A. to the U.K.
When it comes to music, everyone has favorite groups and special memories.
For some reason, however, I cannot find traces of MY memories in the plethora
of music books that are out there. I am a product of the 80's, and let's face it,
mainstream music in the 80's was pretty bad (Just look at the Billboard
#1's for the entire decade to see what I mean). Those of us who were in high school when The B-52's, Teardrop Explodes, Madness, Psychedelic Furs, Black Flag, and U2 first hit the radio airwaves in 1979-1980 had their musical lives changed forever. Listening to Top 40 radio would never be the same; in fact, it
was no longer an option for me. It was "Goodbye mainstream." Over the years,
of course, some of these landmark groups of the early 80's essentially became
"mainstream" and it took another movement at the beginning of the 90's to
bring about a new "alternative." But this, too, is extensively documented elsewhere. My break from the mainstream occurerd 15 years ago, and here I am taking strangers and myself on a nostalgic trip back in time to pay homage to some very influential bands before they either hit the mainstream or disappeared quietly into obscurity.
THE GROUPS ON THIS PAGE
Which brings us "The Misery of Cities Part I." Sure, I could have covered ground that many others have before me (and with some bands I did -- couldn't leave out the
Chameleons), but I really wanted to document a variety groups that had
a real impact on me in the 80's BUT have somehow been
either shortchanged or omitted entirely in the music history books.
However, you will find I only had room for ten bands here (for now). Yes, I consider groups like U2, The Smiths, New Order, R.E.M., Dead Kennedys, and The Cure influential, but their histories are well documented in a number of readily available resources. But I have discovered that for each of the aforementioned groups that left their marks, there were equally talented groups that got overlooked. I had originally wanted to focus on many groups that just had one or two releases, but to make this project more rewarding for me, I chose 10 groups who had a substantial catalogue to contribute to the 80's underground music scene. Thus, groups like
The Lucy Show, Martha and the Muffins, Fad Gadget, The Nails, Jacobites,
Biff Bang Pow!, Durutti Column, Trisomie 21, and about
30 others will have to wait a little longer still to get the recognition they
deserve.
In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this page, and, who knows, maybe you'll be inspired to learn more about some of these groups who made a real contribution
to the legacy of 80's music. If you were a big fan of the early Cure ('79-'82), check out the Abecedarians. If all you know of Killing Joke is the Pandemonium and Democracy albums of the 90's, check out the REAL Killing Joke of the early
80's (and see why I believe their influence was cemented by 1985).
Big fan of the Clash and Joy Division? Check out the contributions
by the equally influential Gang of Four and Trisomie 21. And so on...
For the most part, I have limited each group's "legacy" to what I actually own
(thought it would seem more personal that way!).
THE "4AD" AND "SIGNIFICANT PRODUCERS" SITES:
Someday I will have the last two "links" on this page, but they will be set-up a little differently. I had wanted to include Cocteau Twins in this list, but they were BEYOND infuential. Not only did they produce excellent (and downright original) albums, they introduced me to the entire 4AD label and
its family of uniquely original artists. And talk about 4AD's impact on my life:
To this day, I still check out every new 4AD release. So if you are fans of Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, The Pixies, or just want to learn about other 80's artists that were on 4AD, check out my 4AD page (once again limited to
releases I actually own).
Finally, I still remember the day when I brought home The Psychedelic Furs'
and U2's debut albums. Upon reading the liner notes of these two albums,
I noticed both were produced by the same guy, Steve Lillywhite. Then I noticed
he also produced XTC's Drums and Wires and Black Sea albums, and so on...
So began an intense awareness and appreciation of the role of producers such as John Leckie, John A. Rivers, Hugh Jones, Steve Lillywhite, Robin Guthrie,
Peter Walsh, Martin Hannett, Michael Brook, Dave Allen, and, of course, Brian Eno had in some of my all-time favorite albums. (Of course, there WERE some duds along the way, too.) In any case, check out my "Significant Producers" site and be surprised at how many important 80's (and 90's) albums the aforementioned produced.
See you inside!
(Oh, please feel free to e-mail me any comments, corrections, suggestions,
whatever. Thanks!)
Gone From The '80's But Not Forgotten:
Abecedarians (1983-1988)
And Also The Trees (1983- )
Chameleons (1981-1987)
Felt (1980-1989)
Gang Of Four (1978-1984)
Killing Joke (1979- )
Savage Republic & 17 Pygmies (1982-1989)
Swans (1982-1994)
The Jazz Butcher (1982-1996)
True West (1983-1987)
Email: feltburns@aol.com
