Of course it varies on the person and the situation, but what I mean by that is, do you remember certain songs not being made fun of as much? To the point that youth were generally cool with them, or even getting into them for the first time. I remember lots of people liked "Boys of Summer" and certain new wave like Tears For Fears.

What's weird is that I might not be the best gauge for this, just based on what I remember from my peers. I was only 10 in 1991 and '92, so I only had a peripheral idea of what teenagers were like in real life. I didn't know what the "cool kids" were doing or how they felt about things. Aside from some babysitters or high schoolers who briefly shared rides on the school bus with us, I barely interacted with any teens.

For the first half of the decade I was still a literal kid, so maybe we actually were LESS biased than a 15 year old grunge or gangsta fan would've been?

I listened to whatever was cool to me.

I listened to whatever was cool to me.


Oh, me too. :) That's the best philosophy to have...but I did notice some songs seemed to be more embraced than others, looking back now. At the time, I didn't think about that stuff too much, to be honest.

I guess what made me get so into analyzing this stuff later on was when I discoved some people (especially kids and teens) didn't always have that "anything goes, I'll just like it if it appeals to me" approach that I do. Like, they sometimes dissed something just because it was older or just based on the image of the artist etc. which seems silly to me.

I cant really think of much '80s music that was still cool in the '90s.

Other than classic rock "standards" like AC/DC or Aerosmith (even though they were both around before the '80s), and some of the late '80s alternative rock groups like Faith No More, most '80s rock, pop, and rap was extremely outdated after 1993 at the latest. You could also include some of the pop "standards" from the '80s, like Madonna or MJ. They both had a few hits in the '90s.

I listened to whatever was cool to me.



third

Though I "came of age" during the Spice Girl, Marilyn Manson, Puff Daddy,  "TRL" era and mostly preferred watching VH1 (and classic video showcases on MTV)  and listening to '80's request hours.

I listened to whatever was cool to me.


The same here.  In today's times, I still get razzed when people discover that I still listen to 80s music.  As long as one enjoys the music, that's all that matters :)

Faith No More outdated by 1993?  ???

But yeah, you're right on the MJ call.

I graduated in '93, and I don't recall any specific 80s music that was uncool to listen to then. Heck, hair metal was still cool then. GNR released UYI 1&2 my junior year, Metallica the Black album the year before. Even though grunge was going strong then it didn't mean you couldn't play Robert Palmer, Devo, Herbie Hancock or anything in between.

I remember playing 2 Live Crew's uncensored tape.... quietly.

Ant

Faith No More outdated by 1993?  ???


I wasn't saying they were outdated in '93, I was saying they were one of the "alternative" rock groups that were popular in late '80s, and were still "cool" in the '90s :)


But yeah, you're right on the MJ call.

I graduated in '93, and I don't recall any specific 80s music that was uncool to listen to then. Heck, hair metal was still cool then. GNR released UYI 1&2 my junior year, Metallica the Black album the year before. Even though grunge was going strong then it didn't mean you couldn't play Robert Palmer, Devo, Herbie Hancock or anything in between.

I remember playing 2 Live Crew's uncensored tape.... quietly.

Ant



That's a fair point, and this is probably something that wasn't exactly the same everywhere anyway. Overall, in 1993, hair metal was on the way out and alternative rock had started to really establish itself in the mainstream, but i'm sure there were some places that it wasn't totally outdated by 1993 or possibly even later.

I do agree that GNR did stay fairly popular throughout the period that grunge took off. They were still pretty cool in 1994 and later, long after the Warrant/Poison/Skid Row contingent of hair metal stars had faded out.

anything from late 1989 ;)

I graduated high school in 94, so I still felt a kinship to much of the 80s music. So, I couldn't hate it.

As a teen / 20 something, I think I was too involved in 90s music to even want to listen to 80s music. I certainly wasn't buying any 80s cassettes / cds back then. Of course you'd listen to the big 80s hits once in a while, and your favourite groups, but I don't think anyone would think you were cool by listening to any specific 80s groups / artists.

As a teen / 20 something, I think I was too involved in 90s music to even want to listen to 80s music. I certainly wasn't buying any 80s cassettes / cds back then. Of course you'd listen to the big 80s hits once in a while, and your favourite groups, but I don't think anyone would think you were cool by listening to any specific 80s groups / artists.


That's funny because I started buying '80s compilation tapes at the mall when I was 12, lol. I got full artist ones too, of course. That's like the first time I started spending my own money on stuff. but I'd also get cassette singles of new songs, like "The Sign".

I was versatile, even to this day.  I'll listen to anything that sounds good.

To answer this question, I don't really know what kind(s) were acceptable to listen to, per se...altho I'd be inclined to say "just about any." I didn't really get into the 80s stuff until about 1996/97, when this one station in my area started playing a 5-hour block of it every Friday night. They mostly played the new wave stuff, which I thought was lots of fun to listen to...and these days I still enjoy it (altho now, with Youtube and Music Choice, I can listen to it pretty much anytime I want).

I was versatile, even to this day.  I'll listen to anything that sounds good.


You're versatile.  Mmmmm.

I have always enjoyed 80's music.  In the 90's it generally was uncool to listen to 80's music though.  I think certain 80's music was acceptable though.  Music by musicians who have evolved over time instead of those who have stuck in one period or fly-by night groups of a particular trend.

For example, U2 and Madonna were still acceptable in the 90's.  White Lion and Kool & The Gang were not so cool.

80's hip hop was still cool because it was honest, raw, and street.  However, beats became more complex in the 90's.  I remember people making fun of the simple 80's hip hop beats.

80's music that was still cool to listen too in the 90's:

Yeah I agree with the poster above that 80's Hip-Hop was still cool to listen too.

I think groups like INXS, Tears For Fears, New Order, and The Cure it was ok too listen too those groups. "The Cure" were still being played on Alternative Rock radio in the mid 90's anyway because they were still putting out albums then. Maybe "The Cure" weren't as popular as they were in the 80's but they got their music played in the 90's I think pretty much on the radio.

I think it was ok to listen too Depeche Mode for the most part. Some of Depeche's Mode's early stuff was cheesey say thats why I say "
for the most part". Again, like "The Cure" Depeche Mode released (3) albums in the 90's.

I think stuff like New Jack Swing late 80's style was still acceptable too listen to in the 90's. I mean "New Jack Swing" was around in the early 90's too but it was around in 1987 like for example like a song like Keith Sweats "I Want Her" which pretty much started the New Jack Swing Trend.

Yeah I agree with "Marty" in that I think it was safe too listen too Don Henley in the 90's. I mean Henleys 80's work really didn't have that typical 80's overproduced sound like some the 80's New Wave or 80's Dance-Pop/R&B stuff had. Of course Henley had a hit in 1992 with "Sometimes Just Ain;t Enough" with Patty Smyth too  Henley and "The Eagles" get back together in 1995 and released an album called "He** Freezes Over" too I believe.

I think it was alright too listen too Richard Marx, Bryan Adams, Gloria Estefan or Phil Collins since those 4 artists were still having hits up up to the mid 90's period. Richard Marx pretty much was a popular singer for the first of the 90's anyway(1990-1994.) Finally, Phil Collins did have a hit in 1999 too off the "Tarzan Soundtrack." Phil's cover of Cyndi Lauper;s "True Colors" was a hit too in 1998 on the A/C charts I think.

80's music that was still cool to listen too in the 90's:

Yeah I agree with the poster above that 80's Hip-Hop was still cool to listen too.

I think groups like INXS, Tears For Fears, New Order, and The Cure it was ok too listen too those groups. "The Cure" were still being played on Alternative Rock radio in the mid 90's anyway because they were still putting out albums then. Maybe "The Cure" weren't as popular as they were in the 80's but they got their music played in the 90's I think pretty much on the radio.

I think it was ok to listen too Depeche Mode for the most part. Some of Depeche's Mode's early stuff was cheesey say thats why I say "
for the most part". Again, like "The Cure" Depeche Mode released (3) albums in the 90's.

I think stuff like New Jack Swing late 80's style was still acceptable too listen to in the 90's. I mean "New Jack Swing" was around in the early 90's too but it was around in 1987 like for example like a song like Keith Sweats "I Want Her" which pretty much started the New Jack Swing Trend.

Yeah I agree with "Marty" in that I think it was safe too listen too Don Henley in the 90's. I mean Henleys 80's work really didn't have that typical 80's overproduced sound like some the 80's New Wave or 80's Dance-Pop/R&B stuff had. Of course Henley had a hit in 1992 with "Sometimes Just Ain;t Enough" with Patty Smyth too  Henley and "The Eagles" get back together in 1995 and released an album called "He** Freezes Over" too I believe.

I think it was alright too listen too Richard Marx, Bryan Adams, Gloria Estefan or Phil Collins since those 4 artists were still having hits up up to the mid 90's period. Richard Marx pretty much was a popular singer for the first of the 90's anyway(1990-1994.) Finally, Phil Collins did have a hit in 1999 too off the "Tarzan Soundtrack." Phil's cover of Cyndi Lauper;s "True Colors" was a hit too in 1998 on the A/C charts I think.


Yeah, I agree with that. :) Maybe the grunge and gangsta fans didn't like the '80s at the time, but I think people who were into the softer stuff could've liked it.

Alot of '80s pop artists went adult contemporary in the '90s...like you mentioned with Phil Collins. He was still pretty popular with the songs "Both Sides of the Story" and "Everyday" in early 1994 (I remember the date for sure, because of where I lived at the time).

Yeah, I agree about new wave influencing alternative rock. Like one of my favorites, "1979" by Smashing Pumpinks, I heard somebody calling it '90s new wave once.