That includes regular cheese muffins like Debbie Gobson, Tiffany, NKOTB but also hiphouse (mr lee, technotronic) and New jack swing (guy, Keith Sweat, Bobby Brown)

Whats wrong with it? Why do critics have to constantly put it down ALL THE TIME! Criticisms are fine but why the hate people?

If anything, this was a time of transition in popular music in general. Synths replaced horns, drum machines replaced drums. Pop incorporated some rap. Music became postive again yet it was still hard edged and funky enough and above all uplifting.

People rave about the 70's, which I find generally dull, pretentious and uninspired mess left from dope fuelled hippies from the late 60's.

For a breif shining moment, music was vibrant and fresh again like the 60's.

It is a shame not many share my view. We all love a era of music best it seems, yet no one seems to like mine? It is like Iam the only one who sees the goodness in this era. A era that has long been tossed away and forgotten. Boo hoo u scream? Fair enough. Iam just surprised at how little respect this music gets.

1987-1993

What era is this exactly?

? It doesn't have a name though Newjack is included though, which counts for alot of pop around this time period.

Hiphouse gets little respect neither does newjack. "dance pop" is the other one of the 3 I guess. U know NKOTB et all.

I don't understand it either. I think many of the early 90's r+b grooves have so much more pocket than most of today's stuff,

Example: "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" -TLC

Ueah thats newjack, part of the triology of hate that is:-

Newjack


Hiphouse dance pop

I love that song too. The video captures the times aswell.
[Edited 3/30/05 11:26am]

there was good stuff released in this era, but most of the stuff you listed is stuff i avoided like the plague back then. why? because it sounded cheesy and overproduced to me - it's not that much different to me than ashlee and britney and american idol and all that stuff these days.

i love a lot of the alternative music that was coming out around those years - the cure, love and rockets, the pixies - and there was a lot of fun dance music coming out during those years, like ministry and lords of acid and my life with the thrill kill kult. also, back in the late '80s/early '90s, i remember chicago was THE place to be on weekends if ya wanted to dance, because the music coming out of the city was just over the top.

there was a lot i loved about the music coming out during those years, but the debbies and tiffanies of then are completely interchangeable with the britneys and ashlees of now, and as far as R&B goes, i think i've always had the same feelings toward most modern R&B as i do toward (just about all) modern country music...i don't care for either, but the classic stuff is awesome. i don't like melisma. it really became in vogue in the late 80s/early 90s, and now we have people limping around all over the stage caterwauling like they got severe hemmorhoids or something. i don't need to hear that.

thesexofit said:

Alternative music was coming into the mainstream....and also that period had the worst use of Drum Machines.

Some of the people you mentioned just plain sucked....New Kids sucked...do you realize that? Debbie Gibson and Tiffany were hated at my school, I was leading the charge by the way. Those people had really young fans.

thesexofit said:

Yeah, well, maybe you should look at the artists listed above and then it will all become clear.

Seriously, you crack me up.

Anxiety said:

Well said.

A lot of the r+b from the late 80's I still love, but probably for nostalgic reasons. It just reminds me of being a 6th grader and suddenly aware that life was changing fast. I made some discs that I lovingly called "Junior High Bitches" capturing this era for me with tracks by Lisa Lisa, Jody Watley, Taylor Dayne, etc. I don't know how much I'd like those songs if they came out today, but they hold a special place in my heart.

Not really. To me, it is all about the production, which is where i get confused. All pop music is production and melody driven. Who cares who is fronting it? As it is all producer driven it could be anybody? Yet people rag on music like for Voices sake Donny Osmond even though the production is great. Maybe my question should be "why u hate the production and can only dig more organic sounding music?"

VoicesCarry said:

"Only In My Dreams" was the cut. Y'all know that, right?

thesexofit said:

Believe me, in a few years you won't need to defend your tastes. The nostalgia loop just hasn't caught up with you yet! All these bands are doing the early '80s, neoromantic shtick now...late '80s hiphop, acid house, new jack and just plain bubblegum are surely next (and already being mined by electro nerds).

There was some good pop those years but with most new acts it was more about image than sound.

I liked:
Pet Shop Boys
Ace of Base
Deee-Lite
Erasure
Paula Abdul
Janet Jackson
Michael Jackson
Madonna
George Michael
Prince
Bananarama
Neneh Cherry
Jesus Jones
Seal
Soul II Soul
Lisa Stansfield
....

thesexofit said:

Um, when I was talking about the artists above, I meant the artists above who generally made poorly-produced, REALLY shitty pop music. Maybe that wasn't clear enough for ya.

There was good music to be had during this era, but unfortunately it isn't to be found in your initial post.
[Edited 3/30/05 11:42am]

There was definitely great music during that time. Neneh Cherry is better than almost all pop that came about during that time. Perhaps a better question would be why do you pretend that everything released during that era is greater than the sum of all pop music released previous to that?

For the most part,I didn't really like the late 80s.That was a bad time for pop music.Alot of songs from this period sound too mechanical,too cold and over-synthesized.The production on many songs was simply too "cluttered",with alot going on at the same time.Alot of this music didn't age well.


This was also a rough time for R&B.Rap had taken over,and suddenly,R&B artists were forced to adapt to changing trends.This meant jumping on the "new jack swing" bandwagon,getting rid of horns in favor of multiple synths,etc.Funk bands nearly became extinct.

I would consider the late 80s to be hiphop's golden age, but yeah the pop music was way cheese. It reminds me of my childhood though so I can still enjoy some tracks on a nostaligic level.

CinisterCee said:

Wasn't your childhood Kylie's Can't Get You Out of My Head?

RipHer2Shreds said:

That's like a backhanded compliment. I don't know whether to return the slap or spank you like my personal whuuure

Good reply. U r dead right. Alot of it was mechanical sounding. I love the wall of synths and ultra prominant keyboards. Synth tock over rock, rap, pop, everything in the 80's.

"1999" paved the way really. I think newjack was positive. Rap was going from harmless glorification through macking on some girl in newjack raps into unfortunately, rather pathetic celebrations of getting high, with loose women and of course mo' money, mo' money, mo' money. Though I like Tupac (I got tupacs album prior to his death) and b.i.g (cliche rap acts i know).

For a time, popular music was newjack. Unfortunately, most artists only made 1 album as if that bombed (which alot did) u didn't get another swing as it were. Shame.....

[/quote]


I guess only Madonna, Kyle and Janet for u then.

DavidEye said:

Ain't that a bip - Prince himself did this

CinisterCee said:

I'm just messin' with you.

RipHer2Shreds said:

I'll make a mess with you.

And yes, 1987-1993 is perfectly before my teen years.

CinisterCee said:

Well, ya gotta stand in line. Funkmistress always gets first dibs on the spankin's

thesexofit said:

I guess only Madonna, Kyle and Janet for u then.[/quote]

Rhythm Nation and Like A Prayer aren't better than Hammer and Debbie Gibson? Ok then.....

P.S. I would assume you'd like Kylie's late 80's shit because it's, well, shit. But curiously enough, you don't.

I'm saying there is more then just the main runners. Kyles stuff wasn't funky enough for me personally. it was too wishy washy for me. Production again is the key. Madonna's "like a prayer" is great but so is other stuff around this era too. I love "1814". But jam/lewis did so much other good stuff around this time aswell. Alot of people seem afraid to buy something because of the name tag or image on the cover. Madonna seemed to be one of the few pop artists who avoided newjack.

thesexofit said:

I like many other artists from this era, too. Just not Debbie, NKOTB, Hammer, etc. I mean those people are the ones that give the 80's and early 90's a bad name. Ever heard of Lisa Stansfield?
[Edited 3/31/05 7:51am]

yeah I got her first album. It actually has some newjack flavoured stuff on it. I never got her other albums though. I had no idea she was big in the states or canada.

thesexofit said:

She was never huge here but her first two albums did well, particularly on the R&B chart. And I ain't hearin' any of the new jack influence you're claiming.