Well, the decade was the 80's... Music was in an interesting spot during the early years of it. It was still recovering from Disco and trying to discover other uses for the synthesizer. Funk and soul on the way out (Thank god for Prince, Morris Day, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers). Quite the bunch of artists doing everything in their power to stay relevant including but not limited to completely changing their styles from whatever they were doing, to pop music.
The decade saw classic rockers like The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton putting out things that sounded like it could be rock, but at 3 minutes on average per song, it became radio station gold. Any song you listen to from that era had a distinct sound. (Listen to the Police) The style was also deliberate, tempos would begin at one speed and halfway through the song would completely change course, (Listen to Mick Smiley, or The Alan Parsons Project). Groups broke up and went solo only to become even larger than they ever were. Remember Genesis? Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, (No Jacket Required was and still is an epic album.) lorded over the 80's in grand fashion. Super groups were born and flourished with their assorted members, like The Power Station. It wasn't until New Wave music begin cropping up that things really got interesting but that's a whole other story.
Now, I'm not one for collections and best of's when it comes to music. Frankly I think that we need to appreciate an artists collective works the way they were intended to be heard. A lot of albums of that era right back through the 60's, told entire stories from the first track to the last, and it was worth buying the vinyl for the artwork to complete the story. (See anything from Zappa, to Steely Dan, to even The Jackson 5)
This week for Vinyl Monday I have a twisted guilty pleasure album. After the show's unexpected success on 1984, the first soundtrack for Miami Vice was released in October of 1985. The lineup on this thing reads like an incredible 80's party. Glen Frey, Chaka Kahn, Phil Collins, Tina Turner... Add to it the B side with all the heavy synth 80's style instrumentals and you have an album that really makes you do some head tripping if you remember the time. If you weren't around for it, you'll understand where a lot of today's influences came from. For Nostalgia:
Now, I'm not one for collections and best of's when it comes to music. Frankly I think that we need to appreciate an artists collective works the way they were intended to be heard. A lot of albums of that era right back through the 60's, told entire stories from the first track to the last, and it was worth buying the vinyl for the artwork to complete the story. (See anything from Zappa, to Steely Dan, to even The Jackson 5)
This week for Vinyl Monday I have a twisted guilty pleasure album. After the show's unexpected success on 1984, the first soundtrack for Miami Vice was released in October of 1985. The lineup on this thing reads like an incredible 80's party. Glen Frey, Chaka Kahn, Phil Collins, Tina Turner... Add to it the B side with all the heavy synth 80's style instrumentals and you have an album that really makes you do some head tripping if you remember the time. If you weren't around for it, you'll understand where a lot of today's influences came from. For Nostalgia:
This particular vinyl was purchased locally from Deja Vu Records in Natick MA and is an original 1985 pressing. It sounds a fuck of a lot better than any tape you may have listened to recently. Trust me.
