I guess the argument - which I partially subscribe to - was that in the UK in the early eighties it was possible to be a little bit experimental and yet still ride to the top of the charts. But by '83 or thereabouts it was a bit more difficult.
-- Zelda Zonk, Friday, March 7, 2008 3:52 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Link
even if this is true -- i don't think it is -- how long did this supposed drought last? and how long had been the good times before it? the whole thing is nonsense.
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:01 (sixteen years ago) link
I remember the b-side, "Writing's on the wall" or "Nights in white satin as rewroter by Bruce Foxton"
― Mark G, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:01 (sixteen years ago) link
It probably was different in America since, with the aid of MTV, they essentially got our 1982 a year late.
Yes, agreed. Weirdly for a Brit, 1983 was also the year that *I* started regularly listening to Casey Kasem - courtesy of AFN radio in Berlin, whose weekly R&B chart countdown show was just awesome: Mtume, SOS Band etc. And it was also the peak of that whole open-minded electro/funk/soul/new wave/hi-energy melting pot culture, that I loved so much. My single of the year was C-Bank's "One More Shot", which I bought on white label before they'd even finished playing it in the shop - a rare case of a record grabbing me by the balls from the first listen and never, ever letting go.
― mike t-diva, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:06 (sixteen years ago) link
American R&B was shit-hot in '82 and part of '83.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:07 (sixteen years ago) link
too many great pop singles from this year (not inc the ones originally released in '82 but inc. the ones that were more successful in '84 etc.) to take the thread question at all seriously
― blueski, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:15 (sixteen years ago) link
On the bright side, Bruce Foxton did ascend to #23 with his first solo outing, the heartrending "Freak."
Nothing about this sentence makes any sense.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:16 (sixteen years ago) link
The 1983 Disconet Top Tune Medley 17:30 104 BPM to 172 BPM
Mix by Mike Arato & John Matarazzo Produced by Raul A. Rodriguez
Men Without Hats — The Safety Dance The S.O.S. Band — Just Be Good To Me Yaz — State Farm Herbie Hancock — Rockit Madonna — Holiday Michael Jackson — Billie Jean Freeez — I.O.U. Shannon — Let The Music Play Lime — Angel Eyes Irene Cara — Flashdance… What A Feeling Eurythmics — Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) Thomas Dolby — She Blinded Me With Science Thompson Twins — Lies Donna Summer — She Works Hard For The Money Michael Jackson — Beat It Michael Sembello — Maniac Pointer Sisters — I'm so Excited Michael Jackson — Thriller
― mike t-diva, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:17 (sixteen years ago) link
Well I'm not sure if it's true - having lived through the period it feels true to me. It feels to me that 83, 84, 85 were semi-drought years, and then things started to be interesting again: hip-hop, house, etc.
It feels to me that in those early eighties, some slightly off the wall things could get in the top 20. A Joy Division or a Japan could not just get records released, but could also get top 20 hits.
― Zelda Zonk, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:21 (sixteen years ago) link
yeah that one top twenty joy division single totally made all the difference. blergh -- this is entirely academic, rly. "the kind of music i like was marginally more popular for a two-year period a quarter of a century ago, therefore it was a golden age and the subsequent two-year period was terrible!" lol criticism.
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:28 (sixteen years ago) link
Maybe you're right.
― Zelda Zonk, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:30 (sixteen years ago) link
there was hip-hop in 83/84/85. i believe some of it may even have been interesting.
― blueski, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:36 (sixteen years ago) link
the dickies - stukas over disneyland
OTM OTM OTM !!!!
― Alex in NYC, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:37 (sixteen years ago) link
-- blueski, Friday, March 7, 2008 4:36 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Link
yeah. not much of it in the UK or US charts tho.
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:38 (sixteen years ago) link
"i'm so excited"! "holiday"! "let the music play"! "rockit"!
christ almighty! i suppose someone will come along and say these were actually WRITTEN in 1982 and so don't count?
― Tracer Hand, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:39 (sixteen years ago) link
they were handed down to Moses in triplicate
― blueski, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:40 (sixteen years ago) link
Jesus was singing "I'm so excited" when he came down from the mountain with the commandments!
― Mark G, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:42 (sixteen years ago) link
I thought that the drought period for hip-hop was Autumn 84 to Autumn 85: post-electro, pre-Def Jam.
― mike t-diva, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:42 (sixteen years ago) link
xpost OR WHOEVER IT WAS! ach.
1983 had 'into battle with the art of noise'
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:45 (sixteen years ago) link
RUN DMC
It seems I'm trying to only post pedantries on this thread.
― Colonel Poo, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:45 (sixteen years ago) link
Tell you what I didn't get in 1983, right: The Smiths. Dour, retrograde, boringly conservative, Red Guitars meets Orange Juice. Just couldn't see what the fuss was about. It actually took the Francois Kevorkian remix of "This Charming Man" to show me I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
― mike t-diva, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:48 (sixteen years ago) link
Well, that's two singles in, so it's not exactly after the bus had left.
― Mark G, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:48 (sixteen years ago) link
Nothing wrong with establishing the truth, as opposed to the terrible wrongs involved in establishing soulful, passionate and honest 1983 band the Truth who certainly gave pop a blandness washout with their stirring "Confusion (Hits Us Every Time)" followed by the uplifting, honest, passionate and soulful "A Step In The Right Direction."
Dennis Greaves was the New Messiah and it's all our fault that we didn't adhere to his cocktail-crushing teachings.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:50 (sixteen years ago) link
am i the only one who likes gary byrd's 'the crown'? it's ridic pompous/self-righteous and often cheesy and stilted lyrically but still glorious - esp. the chorus and when stevie chimes in. i'd put it up there with 'stand on the word' in a way.
― blueski, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:50 (sixteen years ago) link
xpost no very true exactly. Been sold the second comin' so much I got a headache.
Hmm, that could make a good opening line. Apart from the headache bit. ANYWAY!!!
Yeah, the Truth. Nice t-shirt with the 12" but then mass exodus!
― Mark G, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:52 (sixteen years ago) link
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NFZ0su_Jzj4 but you want a version over 7 mins (think the 12" clocks in at just over 10)
― blueski, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:54 (sixteen years ago) link
Perhaps I ought to start a 1983 singles freebie poll - the "Baby Jane" beach ball slugs it out with the Annabel Lamb video.
― Dingbod Kesterson, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:54 (sixteen years ago) link
xpost to Mark G re The Smiths: But in 1983, two singles was a whole lifetime! No, Orange Juice felt like my fellow travellers: from pasty-faced lovesick fey boys not getting any sex in 1980-81, to shiny new pop party boys with nice new haircuts getting plenty of sex in 1982-3. So the last thing I wanted to do was put my cardigan back on and retreat back to the bedsit...
― mike t-diva, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:55 (sixteen years ago) link
Yeah, right there with you on that one.
I think I decided when I heard a feature on Radio 1, they were testing guitars out in some instrument expo, and they handed Johnny Marr a sitar/guitar, and he played the riff from "Charming Man" totally unselfconsciouly, because he wanted to know what it would sound like on *this*.
At this point I decided, whatever, JMarr was the cool dude.
― Mark G, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:58 (sixteen years ago) link
xpost to d: Baby Jane was the Adidas t-shirt, but there are some things you don't do even for a decent quality t-shirt and putting Rod at no 1 was one of them. "Don't blame me I didn't buy it" badges to the fore!
Reposting this to Popular in how many years time...
― Mark G, Friday, 7 March 2008 16:59 (sixteen years ago) link
was thrilled to find the vocal version of Shirley Lites 'Heat You Up (Melt You Down)' on itunes plus the other week. not a hit obv but superb italo.
― blueski, Friday, 7 March 2008 17:02 (sixteen years ago) link
The 1983 Disconet Top Tune Medley (1983) Part 1 The 1983 Disconet Top Tune Medley (1983) Part 2
― mike t-diva, Friday, 7 March 2008 17:21 (sixteen years ago) link
1983 was an ace year. Stuff didn't really go wrong until 1986-87, as a result of a combination of digital synths, rap, house, hair metal and Stock/Aitken/Waterman. Pop music has never fully recovered since and become as good again as it was before the mid 80s.
― Geir Hongro, Friday, 7 March 2008 20:47 (sixteen years ago) link
If there's music outside of house, rap, hair metal, and SAW, I don't want to know about it.
― Dom Passantino, Friday, 7 March 2008 20:51 (sixteen years ago) link
I don't understand why the article uses ABC's 'Beauty Stab' as an example. It wasn't "challenging"...it was bland and unmemorable. And I really tried to like it because it has Alan Spenner (of late-era Roxy Music--see "Manifesto" and "Stronger through the Years"!) on bass.
― Patrick South, Friday, 7 March 2008 21:04 (sixteen years ago) link
Quoting Roddy Frame in a 1983 interview is kind of interesting as his next album might well have been used as an example in the article.
― Geir Hongro, Friday, 7 March 2008 21:39 (sixteen years ago) link
CDRGO! 700MB 1983 : Eve-Eve-Everybody Get On Board Board B-B-B-Board
I fucking LOVED 1983!
But it kinda sucked in the UK.
― Mackro Mackro, Friday, 7 March 2008 21:55 (sixteen years ago) link
MM is right -- 1983 was good. Other records people are forgetting: Trio, Was (Not Was), James Blood Ulmer.
― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Friday, 7 March 2008 22:51 (sixteen years ago) link
B-52's, Waitresses.
― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Friday, 7 March 2008 22:56 (sixteen years ago) link
-- Mackro Mackro, Friday, March 7, 2008 9:55 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link
aye, thatcher winning a second term sucked ass.
luckily someone invented transatlantic transport prior to that date, though, so we got to enjoy a fair amount of american records.
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Friday, 7 March 2008 23:06 (sixteen years ago) link
That Circle Jerks album is pretty shit, really.
You = dead to me. Sure, it's no Group Sex, but "Coup D'etat", "When The Shit Hits The Fan" and "Under The Gun" and "Jerks On 45" are all fucking fantastic.
― Alex in NYC, Friday, 7 March 2008 23:11 (sixteen years ago) link
Thatcher and the Falkland war obviously sucked, but UK music was fantastic in the UK in 1983. Acts such as Howard Jones, Paul Young and Thompson Twins are very underrated.
― Geir Hongro, Friday, 7 March 2008 23:25 (sixteen years ago) link
1985 Was When It All Started To Turn To Shit
― DavidM, Friday, 7 March 2008 23:56 (sixteen years ago) link
― Colonel Poo, Saturday, 8 March 2008 01:57 (sixteen years ago) link
this is the year that I was born
― Abbott, Saturday, 8 March 2008 02:39 (sixteen years ago) link
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/890/41pggvyc68laa240sv4.jpg
― nerve_pylon, Saturday, 8 March 2008 05:40 (sixteen years ago) link
dearest Mackro,
can you please make or send me that cdr go?
― The Reverend, Saturday, 8 March 2008 06:19 (sixteen years ago) link
I think the article was covering a narrow segment of UK music - basically smash hits / daytime radio one. And it was spot on.
Due to circumstances beyond my control, in 1983, most weeks I had to listen to a Saturday afternoon radio one show by Adrian Juste. I did feel that pop charts had become safe. Obviously having to listen to Adrian Juste would make anyone bitter about music (and, their own existence)..
But the article is right, the "mainstream" was mainly terrible. And there were fewer mavericks stirring things up. You weren't going to hear 9/10ths of what has been listed in this thread as good (even the popular ones). Billy Mackenzie wasn't going to be on top of the pops either.
― Sandy Blair, Saturday, 8 March 2008 06:50 (sixteen years ago) link
In general, yes, 1983 was the beginning of the downslide. The suits had taken over the asylum by then.
But the strange this is when you look at the Peel Festive 50 from that year, you almost shut up, don't you?
― Bimble, Saturday, 8 March 2008 07:45 (sixteen years ago) link
I listened to Radio Lux for most of 1983 and I loved the mainstream UK pop. I still see it as one of the best years ever for mainstream hitlist pop.
― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 8 March 2008 09:44 (sixteen years ago) link