All right, we'll seen the 1987:BTM & I would like to hear responses from you. They focus hair bands, rap, the economy & the crash on Wall Street. Not much focusing in an hour; but, what can you do? They featured artists like Whitesnake, Public Enemy, Poison, Bon Jovi, The Greatful Dead, George Michael, The Beastie Boys GNR to name a few. The 2 biggest critically-acclaim artists finally hit the mainstream were U2 & REM. My only complaint(s) is they keep throwing pop artists in the dumpster think that they didn't exist. Artists like Richard Marx, T'Pau, Cutting Crew, Swing Out Sister, Breakfast Club, Crowded House, Expose', Glen Mederios among others. Any music journalist/DJs/MDs should check The Billboard year end charts of '87 & those names would end up on that chart. Another thing musicans like Greatful Dead & REM should stop whining about going mainstream because it's going to happen to any cult favorite artists & that's the price you pay. You have 2 choices: Accept it or get out of the business. Mainstream can happen to any cult favorite band. Nivarna(NOT MY FAVORITE) is an example. I'm putting that in a clue because the next BTM:1994.

I thought it was great. I was 16 in 1987 and I have fond memories of the year. I loved the hair bands. I don't think that there was anything wrong with any of them. (Except that Ricki Rocket of Poison looked like a girl.) It did bring back a lot of good memories.

I moderately enjoyed the BTM special on 1987. It definitely wasn't their best outing! I enjoyed the special on 1984 far better!!!

: All right, we'll seen the 1987:BTM & I
: would like to hear responses from you. They
: focus hair bands, rap, the economy & the
: crash on Wall Street. Not much focusing in
: an hour; but, what can you do? They featured
: artists like Whitesnake, Public Enemy,
: Poison, Bon Jovi, The Greatful Dead, George
: Michael, The Beastie Boys GNR to name a few.
: The 2 biggest critically-acclaim artists
: finally hit the mainstream were U2 &
: REM. My only complaint(s) is they keep
: throwing pop artists in the dumpster think
: that they didn't exist. Artists like Richard
: Marx, T'Pau, Cutting Crew, Swing Out Sister,
: Breakfast Club, Crowded House, Expose', Glen
: Mederios among others. Any music
: journalist/DJs/MDs should check The
: Billboard year end charts of '87 & those
: names would end up on that chart. Another
: thing musicans like Greatful Dead & REM
: should stop whining about going mainstream
: because it's going to happen to any cult
: favorite artists & that's the price you
: pay. You have 2 choices: Accept it or get
: out of the business. Mainstream can happen
: to any cult favorite band. Nivarna(NOT MY
: FAVORITE) is an example. I'm putting that in
: a clue because the next BTM:1994.

The main reason I could see for spending time on Whitesnake, Poison, et al was so they could rip them at the end of the show, saying essentially that they didn't matter. In the grand scheme of things, how many rock/pop bands have been transcendent anyway? I thought the main job of musicians was to entertain, not to be lauded as great philosophers of their age. In that respect, Poison (although I was never that crazy about them), Whitesnake, Cinderella and the rest made exactly the contribution to the music world that one should expect them to have made. It ain't brain surgery, folks!

Also, I thought it was great them showing that clip of Bono railing against the polished, airbrushed state of rock music in 1987. He said U2 were going to scratch off the paint and polish and get to the meat underneath. Personally, I liked U2 better before they made it big, although their late 80s and even early 90s stuff was generally pretty good. But now, they are the ones surrounded in polish and glitz. They have become the very thing they found anathema. Perfect!

First off, let me say, Lester, that you are 100% right. These guys are entertainers. If you someone is entertained by them, they have done their job. If they make some major contribution to the world, so much the better, but don't expect it.

Now . . . did anyone else find the treatment of "hair bands" to be a bit hypocritical? During the "Hair Band" special, they had people on there talking about a number of these guys who said that these bands had great musicians, etc. but since they dressed in the glam style, no one looked past the surface. Then, in this show, they say that these guys were all just a bunch of guys who picked up guitars, put on lipstick, and jumped on the band wagon, and had little substance.

I'm saying this as someone who was never a big fan of the genre (but I do admit that some of the music was fun). It just struck me how during the Hair Band show, they were saying guys like Winger really were good, but were unfairly saddled with an image (that they admittedly used). Then, in this show, they name Winger as just one of many carbon copies. (I'm just using Winger as an example, they did this to a few other groups, too.)

I liked David Coverdale's comment about how Whitesnake looked like a bunch of "over-decorated Christmas trees."

: The main reason I could see for spending time
: on Whitesnake, Poison, et al was so they
: could rip them at the end of the show,
: saying essentially that they didn't matter.
: In the grand scheme of things, how many
: rock/pop bands have been transcendent
: anyway? I thought the main job of musicians
: was to entertain, not to be lauded as great
: philosophers of their age. In that respect,
: Poison (although I was never that crazy
: about them), Whitesnake, Cinderella and the
: rest made exactly the contribution to the
: music world that one should expect them to
: have made. It ain't brain surgery, folks!

: Also, I thought it was great them showing that
: clip of Bono railing against the polished,
: airbrushed state of rock music in 1987. He
: said U2 were going to scratch off the paint
: and polish and get to the meat underneath.
: Personally, I liked U2 better before they
: made it big, although their late 80s and
: even early 90s stuff was generally pretty
: good. But now, they are the ones surrounded
: in polish and glitz. They have become the
: very thing they found anathema. Perfect!

: The main reason I could see for spending time
: on Whitesnake, Poison, et al was so they
: could rip them at the end of the show,
: saying essentially that they didn't matter.
: In the grand scheme of things, how many
: rock/pop bands have been transcendent
: anyway? I thought the main job of musicians
: was to entertain, not to be lauded as great
: philosophers of their age. In that respect,
: Poison (although I was never that crazy
: about them), Whitesnake, Cinderella and the
: rest made exactly the contribution to the
: music world that one should expect them to
: have made. It ain't brain surgery, folks!

: Also, I thought it was great them showing that
: clip of Bono railing against the polished,
: airbrushed state of rock music in 1987. He
: said U2 were going to scratch off the paint
: and polish and get to the meat underneath.
: Personally, I liked U2 better before they
: made it big, although their late 80s and
: even early 90s stuff was generally pretty
: good. But now, they are the ones surrounded
: in polish and glitz. They have become the
: very thing they found anathema. Perfect!

Very well said, Lester! I couldn't agree with you more! Like you, I also preferred U2 before they went mainstream. And as for the hair bands...well, they were very entertaining alright!

Overall, I liked it... I enjoyed 1981 more, but I think that's because music in 1987 didn't have as big an impact on me as previous years... the hair bands were all over and there were so many of them clogging the radio, that I think to some degree the guy was right when he said, what impact did they really have... in any case, this BTM, like all the others dealing with the 80's really makes me yearn for those days again.

: Overall, I liked it... I enjoyed 1981 more, but
: I think that's because music in 1987 didn't
: have as big an impact on me as previous
: years... the hair bands were all over and
: there were so many of them clogging the
: radio, that I think to some degree the guy
: was right when he said, what impact did they
: really have... in any case, this BTM, like
: all the others dealing with the 80's really
: makes me yearn for those days again.

I believe the Hair Bands gave the eighties a name that will always live on. The Decade of Decadance is the essence of the 80's, and it's a shame today isn't the Decade of Decadance 2.
But, the BTM 1987, was a pretty good show overall.