The lost late eighties college rock interzone

the difference between firehose and the minutemen illustrates how college rock got earnest and dull in the late 80s

i knew people would say nice things about caterwaul. i just knew it.

sad but true xp

if you don't care about genre so much then it doesn't really matter. younger tim ellison should have been buying bohemian jungle brothers records. or one of the four zillion amazing bohemian house music singles that came out between 1987 and 1990.

― scott seward, Wednesday, June 27, 2012 12:04 PM (3 minutes ago)

i loved straight out the jungle and done by the forces of nature, but you've gotta leave something to catch up on later.

didn't a fair number of college rock bands turn toward hard rock or roots rock as the decade wore on? some convincingly like the meat puppets some not like the dream syndicate

I'm listening to Real Estate right now and it doesn't remind me of college radio 1986-1989 at all. I guess I can see it, in a Pandora "this song is in a minor key, features both electric and acoustic instruments, and is played at medium tempo" kind of way, but you'd never mistake it for something of that vintage. It's too sprightly.

Yeah, there was a lot to catch up on as it was! Like, I really remember buying No New York and Pere Ubu's Terminal Tower comp during these years and Can and the double album Swell Maps comp and it all kind of fit in with what was going on at the time.

^ bought all those albums between 85 and 92

Also, somebody mentioned the Connells upthread and indeed they stand as a very good exemplar of the kind of record that died unnoticed. Except I still stand by my decision to listen to 80s Connells records a lot. Their sound did survive into the early 1990s in the form of the Judybats' superb debut album, and for all I know, it's still hanging on in the college towns of the upper South. I sort of hope so!

And Palace of Swords Reversed!

it just helps if you are an omnivore. people always say that rock was so sad and tired in the early 60's and the beatles made everything right again (just like nirvana made everything right again), but if you were a soul or jazz fan in the early 60's the beatles didn't make anything better for you. you already had it pretty good. so new wave and post punk and college rock started getting tiresome in the late 80's or started losing steam but really there was so much amazing stuff happening it didn't really matter (to me). though like i said i did go looking for some undie guitar fixes (and got burned) but i found a few. then again i had death and grind in my life so i was kinda good every which way. who needs to fret about lesser jesus & mary chain records when there is a new carcass record out?

this was a dull time for a middle school kid (female, no siblings) who relied on the radio, magazines, the library, and occasionally mtv for new information
speaking of omnivorism, i had a lot more fun when i listened to old music during those years (was super into 50s rock) and preferred retro leaning stuff (b52s, etc) because the present was such a bummer (and also that's what the library had)

At least in Miami we had non stop freestyle from 1986 through 1990: Company B, Nayobe, Stevie B, Sweet Sensation pummeling you all day.

(was super into 50s rock)

^^^ totally this for me. Late 80s was when I stopped listening to The Replacements and started listening to Smiley Lewis.

Retromania!

Actually with that in mind where do the Chickasaw Mudd Puppies and the Spanic Boys fit in?

How you know this interzone existed in no uncertain terms? Drivin' N Cryin' actually achieved popularity—something akin to standing thigh deep in the shallow end.

sounds like a Minutemen song

Also if Tim is talking earnestness/seriousness, hard to ignore Michelle Shocked, the Indigo Girls, etc.

I was surprised a few weeks ago to find that Michelle Shocked is still at it. Good for her.

hey jack white made a lot of money ripping the 80's retromania of gun club and flat duo jets.

and 10,000 Maniacs!

hey i heard that michelle shocked is still alive. good one, michelle!

Ha! He actually talks about that in his interview with Marc Maron a couple weeks ago (shamelessly acknowledges doing so, but respects them a lot). xps

to be fair, pixies ripped the retromania of gun club before jack white. so there was already an 80's rip of an 80's retromania act.

I think I was first talking about seriousness because of the discussion of Camper Van Beethoven as whimsical on the other thread. Just wanted to point out their seriousness from the beginning (i.e., not just on the Virgin albums) - musical seriousness and, to some extent, topical as well.

Musical seriousness was kind of key, I think. Like all those groups and artists that were on the SST No Age compilation.

Henry Kaiser and Fred Frith and Steve Fisk and Universal Congress Of fitting in with the scene.

i'm not sure i buy the basic premise of this thread, but i will note that this period is also when a lot of classic amerindie bands made their first shitty records: replacements, husker du, meat puppets, x, etc etc. and though it's easy to make fun of rem in the '90s and beyond, it's also worth remembering that a lot of murmur fans had already given up on them byt he late 80s and accused them, too, of selling out and/or sucking.

every band mentioned in this thread is like the anti-Adam Ant: Serious But Not Desperate

You know, Live Skull's Positraction is a desperate record. Maybe one of the most.

TS: Lone Justice or Cruzados or Drivin' & Cryin' or Green On Red or Del Fuegos or Jason & The Scorchers or Long Ryders or Bodeans?

i will note that this period is also when a lot of classic amerindie bands made their first shitty records

Talking Heads arguably fit here.

xpost
randy travis made better records than everybody in that thread title

You know, Live Skull's Positraction is a desperate record. Maybe one of the most.

no doubt but i wouldn't categorize their junkie scumfuck blare - or any sonic youth derived band - as college rock

xpost
so did george strait. and clint black. and ricky van shelton. and...

yeah i'm not trying to be snobby w/randy travis but these threads remind me of losing interest in the college rock/indie scene in the mid 80s, turning toward R&B rap and country. the "new traditionalist" moment in nashville made country radio very listenable for a few years, even in new york city.

george strait ruled. don't forget keith whitley, reba mcentire and rosanne cash. these were also the years i bought old conway twitty albums for $1

don't forget keith whitley, reba mcentire and rosanne cash

God for a horrible second I thought you said "Roseanne Barr" and I was all 'um.'

Anyway retrocountrymania!

haha ned remember her rendition of the national anthem

i'm not sure i buy the basic premise of this thread, but i will note that this period is also when a lot of classic amerindie bands made their first shitty records: replacements, husker du, meat puppets, x, etc etc. and though it's easy to make fun of rem in the '90s and beyond, it's also worth remembering that a lot of murmur fans had already given up on them byt he late 80s and accused them, too, of selling out and/or sucking.

― fact checking cuz, Wednesday, June 27, 2012 3:44 PM (24 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I gave up on REM by 87, New Order by 87, Replacements by 87, Meat Puppets by 89, Buttholes by 90. Some of these I have since changed my mind about, of course. Seems like there was a while when young me did nothing but by new records by my favorites and hate them.

haha ned remember her rendition of the national anthem

All too readily.

I guess maybe this period was when college rock started to commercialize but before it became a brand ("alternative") and a recognizable radio format, so bands had to sneak onto mainstream rock or pop radio, each in their own way. Also some of the early scruffy pioneers were starting to become more professional, which wasn't always a bad thing (e.g. REM). Also the Smiths broke up.

oh man i've been getting into 80's rodney crowell records i had no idea! so wonderful. and way better than anyone in that twangrock tread title.

i like this cover too where he looks like eddie van halen mixed with rosanne cash.

http://www.countryuniverse.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Rodney-Crowell-ST.jpg

i had one of his early 80's albums in the store for like two years and i finally played it and found out how wonderful it was and as soon as i do someone says hey this is great is this for sale? and i said NO! i was THAT record store guy. in my store for two bucks for two years. you had your chance.

"ain't living long like this" !!

rodney crowell was great until he got too singer/songwriter-y in the early 90s

going back to college rock, crowded house was where i got off the bus. i liked that petrol emotion. for a minute. until i got paid for the review (j/k)

i've only skimmed this thread with half an eye, but maybe a good example of the arty bohemian independence that tim was talking about persisting into the 90s is thinking fellers who had their jangly moments but mixed it all up with post-ubu dada weirdness and a little light noise music