MotownSubdivision said:

NorthC said:

MotownSubdivision said:

Icons.

But not from generation X.

Yes they are.

It's not about how old they are, or whether they peaked in the 1980's, which is too narrow of a definition. it's about whether their music greatly mpacted a generation born between 1965 and 1982.

The Stones had one of the most iconic songs of the 80's ("Start Me Up") and sold about 10 million albums during the 80's, the 3rd decade of their career. They were still one of the biggest bands in the 80's and again, many Gen-X'ers came of age in the 70's and early 80's, when the Stones were regularly charting.


Aretha and Stevie are Gen-X icons for the exact same reasons. Aretha had some of the biggest hits of her career in the 80's. The music scene in Gen-X'ers' childhoods -- which occurred for at least half of them in the 70's NOT the 80's -- was dominated by Stevie Wonder

Metallica is a pick-em in this category.

Gen X is a hard generation to chart, to be sure, but its icons include 70's megastars as well as 80's ones.

NorthC said:

Sorry, but I'm not convinced. Having hits isn't enough. The Stones had success with Some Girls, but went nowhere and even broke up for a while in the 1980s. Aretha had hits with George Michael and Whitney Houston, but that isn't enough to make her a 70s/80s icon. These acts defined the 60s and early 70s, but not the late 70s and 80s. Just like Bob Dylan, who made one shitty album after another in those years. Metallica wasn't a mainstream act back then. I agree about Stevie Wonder because he was still popular in the 1980s, so, okay, let's put him on the list.

Agreed. I wouldn't necessarily confine my argument by decade, but we are talking about the age of generation X coming up through those decades hearing those artists, and which artists were cutting edge and who were already veterans. MANY of those icons fell off in the eighties.

like... DEVO is a major Gen X music icon. And they got over by doing a subversive Rolling Stones cover that made them look ancient... in 1979.

Run/DMC , KRS1, Rakim, also icons.

[Edited 1/6/17 19:48pm]

Cinny said:

NorthC said:

Sorry, but I'm not convinced. Having hits isn't enough. The Stones had success with Some Girls, but went nowhere and even broke up for a while in the 1980s. Aretha had hits with George Michael and Whitney Houston, but that isn't enough to make her a 70s/80s icon. These acts defined the 60s and early 70s, but not the late 70s and 80s. Just like Bob Dylan, who made one shitty album after another in those years. Metallica wasn't a mainstream act back then. I agree about Stevie Wonder because he was still popular in the 1980s, so, okay, let's put him on the list.

Agreed. I wouldn't necessarily confine my argument by decade, but we are talking about the age of generation X coming up through those decades hearing those artists, and which artists were cutting edge and who were already veterans. MANY of those icons fell off in the eighties.

Legitimate points made by both of you, with the omission of key factors.

All of those acts save Metallica and Dylan (who was definitely a household name but not a part of Gen Xers' listening experiences as a whole) had catalogues that were staples of Gen X'ers musical experiences.

Re Re? Gen Xers grew up hearing songs like "Respect" and " . . . Natural Woman" as children *and* "Freeway of Love," "Who's Zooming Who" and Re Re's other hits mentioned above, in the 80's.

The Stones? They were all over the radio in the 70's, when Gen Xers were preteens and teens, and had some hits bookending the 80's. Combine that with their 60's catalogue and they're a real presence on the Gen X radar.

Gen Xers can legitimately claim stars of the 60's, 70's and 80's as icons, just as millenials can legitimately claim stars of the 90's, 00's and 10's as icons.

NorthC said:

I was born in the year Sticky Fingers was released, but I can't say the Stones were on my radar until they got back together in 1989. Of course I knew who they were and just like Dylan, somewhere in the back of my mind, I was thinking, with a reputation like that, they must have done some great stuff, but overall, Prince and Terence Trent d'Arby took too much of my time. And they introduced me to James Brown, who was very much on my radar in those years. So it's also a matter of personal taste and whatever catches your ear. I only knew Dylan as one of the Travelling Wilburys back then, but he made a comeback and I love his work now. There's more young people listening to him now then there were in the 80s/90s, so he may be something of a Millenials' Icon;-) [Edited 1/7/17 1:57am] [Edited 1/7/17 1:58am]

Sure. I was also preoccupied with the leading lights of the 80's, mainly the Police, then Prince and hip-hop.

But I was raised listening to Sly, Stevie, Aretha and Motown. Other kids' parents I knew were raising them to the sounds of the Stones, the Beatles, and Dylan.

Similar to you, in my late teens, I was introduced to artists I didn't experience fully as a kid, like Jimi and James Brown, because of Prince. And Prince (and hip-hop) re-introduced to Stevie and Sly, recognizing facets of their sound I couldn't grasp before.

As a child of the 70's, I grew up with the stars of the 60's and 70's, found artists I could claim as my own in the 80's, and I went back again to the 70's. All before I hit 20.

I guess that's why I say our icons cut across decades.

namepeace said:

MotownSubdivision said:

namepeace said:

Y'all got a lot more than my gen does (I'm Gen Y).

That's another thread!

chrisslope9 said:

Weird responses. A lot of the people mentioned here are from the 1960's and 1970's. I don't consider anyone who was already a teenager by the 1970's 'Gen X.' Anyway, here's some for you. Granted, they are not Michael, Prince or George but they mean a lot to a lot of us Gen Xers

U2

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Pearl Jam

Morrisey

Chuck D

Eddie Van Halen

Hmm I was born in 1970, I'm Generation X. It's confusing. I like a lot of 60s/70s acts and was a teen in the 80s. I don't like any of those acts in your list much at all. Sorry!

[Edited 1/7/17 16:16pm]

chrisslope9 said:

Run/DMC , KRS1, Rakim, also icons.

[Edited 1/6/17 19:48pm]

It's not like they're Bowie or Prince. Perspective!

Marrk said:

Juice Newton

Forgot all about Juice Newton.

NorthC said:

Sorry, but I'm not convinced. Having hits isn't enough. The Stones had success with Some Girls, but went nowhere and even broke up for a while in the 1980s. Aretha had hits with George Michael and Whitney Houston, but that isn't enough to make her a 70s/80s icon. These acts defined the 60s and early 70s, but not the late 70s and 80s. Just like Bob Dylan, who made one shitty album after another in those years. Metallica wasn't a mainstream act back then. I agree about Stevie Wonder because he was still popular in the 1980s, so, okay, let's put him on the list.

Thanks for making this point.

Krs and Rakim (who I love by the way) are Hip Hop Legends. Hip Hop Icons are NWA and Tupac, there impact exceeds far beyond just Hip Hop.

PennyPurple said:

Forgot all about Juice Newton.