Opus 80|A Musical Opus from the 1980s

Music from the eighties had a unique sound, that seems to be missing from so much of the music today. I know I sound like an old codger when I start writing stuff like that, but I do believe it’s true. At least the artists of the seventies and eighties seem to be trying to come up with a unique sound for their bands to distinguish them from the rest of the crowd. Where as today, the number of artists trying to do that seem far and few in between.

That’s not to say that there aren’t any, it just seems like so many all sound the same. All the hip hop dance floor stuff seems to be the music of choice by so many people today. When I think back to the eighties, I think about the unique sounds of bands like Journey (Steve Perrys voice), Abba, the Eagles, the Beach Boys (maybe a little pre-1980),Led Zeppelin, The Who and Queen. There are of course dozens of others. But the point is, has anyone in the current age of musicians really grabbed the torch and broken free from the mold.

Not too many I suspect, but maybe I’m being just a little too harsh on the current generation of musicians. I know there were plenty of derivative bands from the eighties, and plenty of one hit wonders, that were never able to make a go of it in the business either commercially or artistically. Which actually brings about another point I have to wonder about.

Music distribution has certainly changed this days for artists, with the world of the internet leveling the field somewhat. Really, if your band is good, then you should be able to get plenty of recognition by distributing your music online, and making use of musician friendly websites like MySpace to build up a group of followers. Decades ago, in the pre internet age, it was very risky for a band to try and be different. Cutting a record was expensive, as was the marketing and promotion that went along with it.

With the internet providing such a low cost entry barrier, and digital technology allowing just about anyone with a microphone to create a CD, you’d think there would be far more diversity in the music business today. Or perhaps, maybe there is. Maybe I’m just stuck in the eighties haven’t given the artists of today a chance. If you’ve found some great artists via the internet, I’d love to hear about it. Just leave some comments below, with links to your favorite current bands.

If there ever was a band that created their own niche, and succeeded in creating their own sound, it was Queen.  Theatrical to be sure, and definitely not a band to shy away from the big production numbers.   This was a band that was both classic and iconic as the years have proved them to be.  I’m not sure why, but for some reason I always assumed that Queen was an American band.  I was surprised to learn only recently, even after having listened to their music for years (decades ?), that their actually from the UK.  Yes, Queen is a British band.  I suppose, that since I wasn’t one of this to listen to a lot of rock and roll celebrity interviews, I never picked up on their English accents.  As with most singers, their native accent rarely comes across in their singing.

One of my fondest memories of Queen, was being at a high school buddies place when he had just got the latest Queen album Jazz that featured the song “Fat Bottom Girls”.  Of course, the best part of the album was the poster of 65 naked women on rented bicycles at Wimbledon stadium in England.  Remember, these are teen age boys were talking about here.  It was a bizzare little twist for an 80s album that at least covered two out of three from the phrase “Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll”.   Those girls definitely looked like they were on some sports nutrition supplements, in that they were very healthy, and expert bicycle riders as well.  Or at the very least, they had been dabbling in some Maximuscle Promax Diet to prepare for their big rock and roll race day.  My personal choice for that day would have been PhD Pharma Blend, but who am I to argue with the ladies.

It’s pretty much impossible to talk about Queen the band, without mentioning two of their most enduring songs.  Those would have to be Bohemian Rhapsody, and We Will Rock You.  Bohemian Rhapsody continues to be one of my favorites, and is a song I never get tired of hearing.  I do like songs that tell a story, and even if it is as disjointed as the tale told here.  It would have taken quite a bit of audicity in the early stages of pitching this song, to convince the producers that it should be on a rock bands album.  I mean really what do these guys know about four part opera?  Apparently enough to make one of the most enduring rock songs of all time.  I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not, but every time I hear that song I get Wayne and Garth stuck in my head right around the four minute mark.