I was reading through one of the threads here, "Does anyone thing the 00s suck royally?" and it got me to thinking.  We look back at the 80s so fondly.  Now call me a dreadful cynic, but you know back in the actual 80's, the "old people" tended to hate the music of the time.  Remember Tipper Gore and her holier than thou "Parental Advisory" crusade back in 1985?  They even made a movie about that case with Jason Priestly last year.  Dee Snider is still hilarious.

I remember one of the biggest critisisms of the 80's was that it was a loud and obnoxious decade filled with manufactured soulless music.  "The 80's are a musical corporate abomination.  Too much fake sonic glob is what is everywhere.  Is anyone actually playing real musical instruments anymore!?  Or Is it all done on one of those fancy dandy Casio "synthesizers" or whatever you call those new fangled gizmos??  The 80's are/were all glizty MTV style, and very little substance.  Ozzy Osbourne and 2 Live Crew are the death of humanity.  Back in our day, we didn't need no PG-13 rating for our movies!  These good for nothing kids in the 80's do nothing but hang out at the mall all day long and play video games.  Back in our day we had to use our imagination and play outside!"  

The above is just about what I remember nearly everyone around my parents age thought about the 80s.  Shoot, just about anyone born before 1964 probably thought that about the 80's.

Can you think of anymore?    

Well, I was born before 1964....

It is simply a case (for me anyway) of being fond of what you grew up with...

I had 3 older brothers and sisters, so I was exposed to music quite early on.

As a consequence, I love the 60's.  Like the 70's almost as much, until Disco killed it ! *

Didn't mind the 80's, there was still lots of good stuff, but the mix of bad stuff for me was starting to infringe more and more....

The 90's was worse for the same reasons, but still had good stuff mixed in there.  The ratio of good stuff was lower, IMO.

I think your point about manufactured is quite relevant.  My argument is that in the 60's and 70's you had to as an artist or group have the talent, first and foremost.

But I think it still comes back to what you grew up with.

FB  :)

* My parents thought Alice Cooper and Kiss were the personification of evil itself !

I wonder the same about Eminem !  Not evil so much, just, well, I shake my head !  So I am one of the "oldies" to which you refer, but that's okay !  I survive  ;D

I was born after 1974.....

Some of the bands during the late 70's and early 80's played
real instruments.As the later 80's rolled around bands played
electronic music with synthesizers and less guitars

I'm not as old as you think.I'm 30. ;D

howard