I mean Madonna is credited as the first female performer to push the boundaries with her clothing, but some others like Grace Jones, Blondie did that before her. And especially Amii Stewart with her 1979 disco hit:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7b/Amii_Stewart_-_Knock_On_Wood.jpg

Why do you think those females didn't get the same hype? I think it's because they were pre-MTV and Madonna was just launching her career when MTV was already launched so she had it easier. What do you think?

I mean Madonna is credited as the first female performer to push the boundaries with her clothing, but some others like Grace Jones, Blondie did that before her. And especially Amii Stewart with her 1979 disco hit:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7b/Amii_Stewart_-_Knock_On_Wood.jpg

Why do you think those females didn't get the same hype? I think it's because they were pre-MTV and Madonna was just launching her career when MTV was already launched so she had it easier. What do you think?



Good point. Pryor to MTV, there were very few places where musical performers could "show their wares" so to speak. There was American Bandstand, Soul Train, Midnight Special, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, & Solid Gold. There were also a few variety shows that they had guest performers, like Donny & Marie, Tony Orlando & Dawn, The Mac Davis Show, Sonny & Cher and even Saturday Night Live. However, if you were a performer back then, how often could you get on these shows? My guess is only once in a while.

Once MTV came into being (thanks to Mike Nesmith of Monkees fame), musical performers could be seen all the time. I remember in the early days of MTV, there were very few music videos so the ones that were in existence got a lot of air time. Most of them were from British performers (thus many call this time the second British invasion). I remember hearing Duran Duran's Hungry Like a Wolf EVERY MORNING as I got ready for work. (To this day, I can't hear that song without thinking of that time.) Because Madonna started out at that time, she was basically in the right place at the right time. Unfortunately, you can't say the same thing for Amii Stewart.

What could be the difference is that Madonna had a promoter who worked hard to get her exposure (no pun intended). Amii Stewart did not which is why many think of Amii Stewart as a one hit wonder (even though she has had many other songs).


BTW, I will never be about to hear her version Knock On Wood without thinking of my high school sweetheart. It was "our song."



Cat     

Madonna was lucky and arrived at the right time and the right place.

She is smart and knows how to rile people up, even today. MTV started in 1981 and by 1984 was huge. Madonna became huge with Like A Virgin in 1984/1985. Call it a meeting of the fates or whatever but it's as if Madonna was born to be the Queen of Pop, or something.

I'll admit that she's original enough to keep making new incarnations of herself. But don't forget many came before that helped Madonna pave the way.

Madonna was lucky and arrived at the right time and the right place.

She is smart and knows how to rile people up, even today. MTV started in 1981 and by 1984 was huge. Madonna became huge with Like A Virgin in 1984/1985. Call it a meeting of the fates or whatever but it's as if Madonna was born to be the Queen of Pop, or something.

I'll admit that she's original enough to keep making new incarnations of herself. But don't forget many came before that helped Madonna pave the way.


She did everything with "shock value", that's what made her controversial.

She did everything with "shock value", that's what made her controversial.


Like the cone bra??

Madonna is a scrapper and *very* determined to get her music out there, no matter what. 

She usually did projects with other scrappers (very determined people) who also wanted to be top level.

Alot of people didn't realize the business side of music and movies, somehow she did, and she was quite sucessful.  She had some missteps with perhaps pushing the raunchy sexual parts of her persona (sometimes it backfired.)

I don't really know much about Amii Stewart honestly, so I will be able to comment more after I do some research. 

Madonna is a scrapper and *very* determined to get her music out there, no matter what. 

She usually did projects with other scrappers (very determined people) who also wanted to be top level.

Alot of people didn't realize the business side of music and movies, somehow she did, and she was quite sucessful.  She had some missteps with perhaps pushing the raunchy sexual parts of her persona (sometimes it backfired.)

I don't really know much about Amii Stewart honestly, so I will be able to comment more after I do some research.


I heard that the Sex book almost ended her career.

Like the cone bra??


Yes, the cone bra.

Going back a little further than Amii...
http://www.unitarduniverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/LaBelle02.jpg
...these girls could flaunt their stuffs!

Going back a little further than Amii...
http://www.unitarduniverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/LaBelle02.jpg
...these girls could flaunt their stuffs!



Back then, everybody dressed a bit weird.

I mean Madonna is credited as the first female performer to push the boundaries with her clothing, but some others like Grace Jones, Blondie did that before her. And especially Amii Stewart with her 1979 disco hit:

Why do you think those females didn't get the same hype? I think it's because they were pre-MTV and Madonna was just launching her career when MTV was already launched so she had it easier. What do you think?


Disco was more heard than seen.  There was also a subtle undercurrent of "the guys who sing disco aren't straight, and the women who sing it aren't white."  Which actually mattered in the 70s.

Back to Amii Stewart, Cissy Houston, and the rest of the disco diva crowd.  The way I saw it, Madonna (and Gaga) wanted you to be shocked and aroused by their outfits.  The disco divas?  They wanted you to think you were in the 25th century.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgSgo_wsoXg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmxXIS2ot8w

First video is trailer for episode (and anyone who remembers the bogus 80s controversy over subliminal messages should get a laugh out of the implications...)  Second is a song as it was actually used in the episode.  The divas were going for the look of the space rockers with the light strands on their jumpsuits and helmets.  Source track used in the episode was Johnny Harris, Odyssey (Part 1)

To summarize, Madonna and Gaga seemed to be trying to target their audiences through overt sexuality.  Stewart and Houston and the rest of the disco crowd (male, female, and those in between) seemed to be more interested in sounding as futuristic as possible.  I wouldn't mind hearing from some boomers/50something people on this, as an Xer maybe I was too young to get it the point, but to this day, I see it as less of a sexy look than as merely trying to look as ridiculously futuristic as possible.  Gaga comes back a bit to that - a meat-dress is less a sexual statement than a political/vegetarian one - but Madonna definitely going for sexuality instead of futurism.

The disco divas?  They wanted you to think you were in the 25th century.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoEFv1GpPU4

Just like Sheila B And Devotion.

Disco was more heard than seen.  There was also a subtle undercurrent of "the guys who sing disco aren't straight, and the women who sing it aren't white."  Which actually mattered in the 70s.

Back to Amii Stewart, Cissy Houston, and the rest of the disco diva crowd.  The way I saw it, Madonna (and Gaga) wanted you to be shocked and aroused by their outfits.  The disco divas?  They wanted you to think you were in the 25th century.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgSgo_wsoXg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmxXIS2ot8w

First video is trailer for episode (and anyone who remembers the bogus 80s controversy over subliminal messages should get a laugh out of the implications...)  Second is a song as it was actually used in the episode.  The divas were going for the look of the space rockers with the light strands on their jumpsuits and helmets.  Source track used in the episode was Johnny Harris, Odyssey (Part 1)

To summarize, Madonna and Gaga seemed to be trying to target their audiences through overt sexuality.  Stewart and Houston and the rest of the disco crowd (male, female, and those in between) seemed to be more interested in sounding as futuristic as possible.  I wouldn't mind hearing from some boomers/50something people on this, as an Xer maybe I was too young to get it the point, but to this day, I see it as less of a sexy look than as merely trying to look as ridiculously futuristic as possible.  Gaga comes back a bit to that - a meat-dress is less a sexual statement than a political/vegetarian one - but Madonna definitely going for sexuality instead of futurism.



I think I remember that ep of FBuck Rogers. If I am not mistaken there was a classic line in that ep. "They are as big as the Beatles." "The who?" "Not the Who. The Beatles."



Cat

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bb/Mecoband.JPG

even guys dressed up in space outfits as space cadets. ↑

I definatly think that it was MTV that helped make Maddona a big star!  I was a teen in the early 1980 's and I remember when they launched MTV :  the first video they aired was "video killed the radio star".  When I think back to that first video it's really what happened with music.  Gone was the singer song writers of the 1960's and 1970's and looks and image became almost as important as the music.  For the fist time I was able to watch my favourite singers performing daily.  I did not have to wait to see them live,  I could watch them over and over.  I think that Maddona  knew this.  She began to change and mold her image accordingly.  Before she was a star she used to go to the gay bars in New York (really that is where she got her start) and dance.  The  Gay club dance scene has always had its own style and is always ahead of straight clubs.  Madonna has great street style and is always ahead of the trends or can I say she some times creates the trends.  She also take risks and does what she wants and does not care what anyone says about her style.  I remember one of her tours ( I believe it might have been in Canada) they were going to arrest her if she preformed a a scene where she was in a bed on stage basically masterbating.  She was warned but she preformed anyway.  I think people like to see someone taking risks, and  challenging the system.

She completly changes her style from one album to another I love every thing she has ever recorded.  She answers to no one only herself and that is what I love about her.