Like, OMIGOD!

September 6, 2008 1:34 PM

80smusicvids.com - Like totally bodacious collection of over 1000 music videos from like the raddest decade. Choice.

Bonus, dude! Retro video games like flashacized.

posted by carsonb (61 comments total)

carsonb: "
Bonus, dude! Retro video games like flashacized."

Awesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesomeawesome!
posted by Science! at 1:40 PM on September 6, 2008

The 80s were not rad. I was there. They were conformist, indulgent and polluted with really ugly culture.
posted by philip-random at 1:42 PM on September 6, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

I score all my 80s music video lists by the number of Devos. This only rates a one David Letterman appearance.
posted by yhbc at 1:43 PM on September 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

They were conformist, indulgent and polluted with really ugly culture.

Everything old is new again.
posted by puke & cry at 1:48 PM on September 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

The 80s were not rad. I was there. They were conformist, indulgent and polluted with really ugly culture.
posted by philip-random

You say that like it's a bad thing...
posted by Eekacat at 1:51 PM on September 6, 2008

Choice.

Indeed.
posted by clearly at 2:02 PM on September 6, 2008

Choice.

Indeed.

Obviously.
posted by carsonb at 2:04 PM on September 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I'll give you candy, give you diamonds, give you pills, give you everything you want, hundred dollar bills!
posted by clearly at 2:23 PM on September 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

clearly I want hundred dollar bills. Email in profile.
posted by carsonb at 2:31 PM on September 6, 2008

Bonus, dude! Retro video games like flashacized.

Caveat: Donkey Kong is missing the hammers on level one. Avoid.
posted by porn in the woods at 2:36 PM on September 6, 2008

...but they've got Hüsker Dü's "Could You Be the One," so that cancels out the above wrongdoing (or Kong-doing)
posted by porn in the woods at 2:38 PM on September 6, 2008

The video for Oingo Boingo's 'Private Life' (great song!), which I'd never seen before, features some of the least convincing lip-syncing I've ever encountered.
posted by scarylarry at 2:39 PM on September 6, 2008

I was bemused/dismayed to find no "Video Killed the Radio Star", but that was my fault for looking under 'B' for 'Buggles' instead of 'T' for 'The'.
posted by kurumi at 2:46 PM on September 6, 2008

I didn't know there was a video for Hourglass! I'd forgotten about that tune. And Hüsker Dü! Yay! It's kind of disconcerting to see Kate Bush and Kids Incorporated lumped together, though.

It struck me watching some of those videos that the 80s were the last time when mainstream pop stars who I and other teens of the 80s liked could be average-looking or over 30. That would absolutely never happen now.* And even 25-ish performers today get the short shrift.




*Indie rock types who get Pitchfork tongue baths don't count.
posted by droplet at 2:53 PM on September 6, 2008

clearly:

settle down, settle down, settle down.
posted by darth_tedious at 3:06 PM on September 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

That is a list of 1,000 songs and videos that actually were totally bogus.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:11 PM on September 6, 2008

I find something about the makeup and hair sported by the women in the early 80s *really* appealing. Probably because I was 13 in 1982.
posted by Slothrup at 3:17 PM on September 6, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

Also, this: "It struck me watching some of those videos that the 80s were the last time when mainstream pop stars who I and other teens of the 80s liked could be average-looking or over 30."
posted by Slothrup at 3:22 PM on September 6, 2008

The 80s were not rad. I was there. They were conformist, indulgent and polluted with really ugly culture.

As opposed to the suffocating self-righteousness, intellectual posturing, flake-headed sincerity, and desperate need for authenticity that made the nineties such a treat.
Thank god we outgrew that, amirite?
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 3:28 PM on September 6, 2008

ah, well there goes Saturday. And maybe Sunday too. thank you carsonb
posted by seawallrunner at 3:32 PM on September 6, 2008

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWWWWWWW!!!!

Pretentious and big hair and everything and wallowwallowwallow!

Geldof and the Boomtown Rats' "I don't like Mondays" and Dexys' "Come on Eileen" and Robin Williams backing Bobby McFerrin on "Don't Worry; Be Happy" and Boney M in Red Square with "Rasputin"... and Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart"... and I haven't even got to "E" yet...

It's already been said, but one more time won't hurt: THANK YOU!
posted by Mike D at 3:42 PM on September 6, 2008

If anyone wants me, I'll be on this page.
posted by tommasz at 3:45 PM on September 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

So much hair.
posted by cj_ at 3:49 PM on September 6, 2008

"I find something about the makeup and hair sported by the women in the early 80s *really* appealing."

J Geils Band: "Centrefold".

Motion seconded. All those in favour?
posted by Mike D at 3:51 PM on September 6, 2008

Choice.

Indeed.

Obviously.

Calvin Klein. For Men.
posted by inigo2 at 4:04 PM on September 6, 2008

If you like Hall & Oates, Darryl Hall is doing a live music show at Live From Darryl's House.
posted by gen at 4:16 PM on September 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

"I find something about the makeup and hair sported by the women in the early 80s *really* appealing."

J Geils Band: "Centrefold".

Motion seconded. All those in favour?


AYE!


(slight aside: when we were kids my brother had a friend who liked to sing the chorus from J. Geils' 'Centrefold' at odd times, but at the "nah-nahhh-nuh-nah-nah-nah" part he instead sang the theme from The Smurfs. As far as I can recall, no one ever bothered to correct him on this...)
posted by spoobnooble at 4:47 PM on September 6, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

*ahem*

i present to you...post-punk.com
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:22 PM on September 6, 2008 [6 favorites has favorites]

If I were Supreme Ruler of the Universe, it would be Groundhog Decade and it would be the '80's all the time (I'd bring the Hives over and all the techology goodness just because I could) -- where people could wear big hair and legwarmers and not feel like dorks and it would be fun music like this all the time and Madonna and Michael Jackson wouldn't look so scary...
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 5:23 PM on September 6, 2008

*ahem*

i present to you...post-punk.com


You are a very good person. Yes, indeed.
posted by droplet at 5:34 PM on September 6, 2008

Bless you for posting this. I want to live in Alexandra Kitty's universe.
posted by damnitkage at 6:00 PM on September 6, 2008

I want to live in Alexandra Kitty's universe.

seconding that. it looks like bunches of fun!
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:07 PM on September 6, 2008

Tubular.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:18 PM on September 6, 2008

well i guess if the cramps are post-punk, that gives me an opportunity to post some awesome live footage!
posted by sergeant sandwich at 6:22 PM on September 6, 2008

I was expecting this to be a list of the terrible shit, but it's a pretty comprehensive list that encompasses a broad spectrum of artists. They didn't dig terribly deep, but there's some really unexpected stuff here.
The funny thing is, I do remember seeing almost all of these on MTV, back when they, y'know, still played videos. Some of them were in heavier rotation than others, some only were played in the middle of the night, but It's cool to think of a time when the medium was so new that even the less Top 40 friendly music was represented and musicians could still be ugly.
posted by louche mustachio at 6:34 PM on September 6, 2008

musicians could still be ugly

like this guy? (warning: not safe for anywhere)
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:43 PM on September 6, 2008

great post :)
posted by vronsky at 7:05 PM on September 6, 2008

The 80s were not rad. I was there. They were conformist, indulgent and polluted with really ugly culture.

Wow. Talk about missing out on a good time. My take on the 80s was fun and dancing. People danced all the time (from 1981 to 1989, roughly). Gay clubs were secret, underground places where the best music eva was played! The only thing that sucked about the 80s was left over from the everything that came before the 80s. This cannot be said about the 90s. For whatever reason, maybe because it was the end of the world and everything, the 90s really bit all on their own. For instance, once hardcore rap and hip-hop hit big, all of us stopped dancing. Dancing was considered soft.

Of course, the whole rave/post-rave thing went big in the 90s, but....eh?

Now he we are, in a brand new millenium century decade and world, and as stupid as it is/has been, at least there's hope. Obama, for instance. I mean, I'm voting for him as a symbol, that's it. And what he symbolizes is a world that exists post-Brave New World. And that's a dandy enough idea to make me and a many of us all really excited with the idea of being happy again.

And you know what? I went to a dance the other night, an 80s-themed dance party, and danced like it was NOT 1999 but 1983. And in case you forgot, or missed out completely, 1983 was better than rad: It was DEF!

Everything that "sucked" about the 80s sucked about the 20th Century. And a good number of us are in the process of sloughing off the last of that crap right now. In fact, vote for Obama, and lets get on with rededicating ourselves to a future which is as fun as the 80s without all the suck.

There's a little saying of mine which applies here. It is, "When the women are dancing, everyone is happy." I say that (and mean it) because when the women are dancing, women who like women are happy and dancing, and so men who like women are happy and dancing, and consequently men who like men are also happy and dancing. What's not like? Everybody wins!

And here's the thing. Chances are everyone's going to be dancing to 80s music! Which normally I abhor. I mean, I lived it, it was great, on to the next. HOWEVER, if everyone is dancing, who am I to argue? I mean, when everyone is dancing, I'm happy!
posted by humannaire at 7:12 PM on September 6, 2008 [7 favorites has favorites]

Wendy O. and Tom.
posted by vronsky at 7:26 PM on September 6, 2008

humannaire, excellent post, but you neglected to support your point with a video, let's see, how about :

Cameo : Word Up
posted by jeremias at 8:31 PM on September 6, 2008

1980s music for me was Renaldo and the Loaf, The Residents, Throbbing Gristle, SPK, The Screamers, Coil, Whitehouse, Negativland...
posted by eccnineten at 8:45 PM on September 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

More (but fewer) retro arcade games (Space Invaders, Tetris, Asteroids, Snake, Simon, Hexxagon, Frogger)
posted by Mael Oui at 8:58 PM on September 6, 2008

Sadly (?), 1980s music was, for everyone else (at least, according to 80s compilations), Tony Basil, Wang Chung, and Katrina & the Waves.
posted by Mael Oui at 9:03 PM on September 6, 2008

Needs more Genesis:

Invisible Touch
Land of Confusion
Jesus, He Knows Me
posted by AloneOssifer at 9:05 PM on September 6, 2008

Well said humannaire. long live 1983!

I like Boys! (not really)

McCain & Palin

(ps - cortex sux)
posted by vronsky at 9:18 PM on September 6, 2008

I'm just making a note of these videos for future posterity, let the record state that the 80's were not solely about legwarmers, weird hair and coke. (Ok, you can't escape the hair, but still)

The Cure - Boys Don't Cry
Trio - Da Da Da
Afrika Bambaataa - Planet Rock
Front 242 - Headhunter
Plasmatics - Damned
The Art of Noise - Close to the Edit
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

Even the top 40 has it's perverse benefits on 80's video
posted by jeremias at 9:46 PM on September 6, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Got to add Slippery People, Talking Heads, such a tight beat. Man, oh man, 80's music is so energizing!
posted by nickyskye at 10:19 PM on September 6, 2008

I'm just making a note of these videos for future posterity. There may be some weird hair here.

Alien Sex Fiend - Ignore the Machine
Bauhaus - Ziggy Stardust
Cocteau twins - Carolyns Fingers
Dalis Car - The Judgement Is The Mirror
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
Front 242 - Headhunter
Gary Numan - Cars
Husker Du - Could You Be The One
I is a fucking wasteland.
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
Killing Joke - Love Like Blood
Laurie Anderson - Language Is A Virus
Morrissey - Suedehead
Nick Cave - The Mercy Seat
Oingo Boingo - Private Life
Pixies - Debaser
Q is horrible
R.E.M. - The One I Love
Soft Cell - Tainted Love
The Cure - Boys Dont Cry
Ultravox - Vienna
Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun
Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio
a bonus W track to make up for I: World Party - Ship Of Fools
XTC - Dear God
Y & Z are forgettable, so here's Siouxsie - Spellbound
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:57 PM on September 6, 2008

I think it's awesome how Ratt spelled their name with two t's. Nothing rocks like an extraneous consonant.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 10:58 PM on September 6, 2008

or an extraneous umlaut, though i can't quite remember which hair metal band put an umlaut over an i...?
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:04 PM on September 6, 2008

That's hot Nicky :) Did you know there was some video floating around of you on youtube ?
posted by vronsky at 11:06 PM on September 6, 2008

You'll find it here, Ubu: heavy metal umlaut.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 11:13 PM on September 6, 2008

fantastic, thanks Kräftmätic.
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:32 PM on September 6, 2008

on afterthought: what a huge omission from the list.
posted by UbuRoivas at 11:48 PM on September 6, 2008

The 80s were not rad. I was there. They were conformist, indulgent and polluted with really ugly culture.

I guess you can probably find that in any decade. But my experience as a teenager in the 80s was mostly wonderful.

To me it seemed much less conformist than any time since. Sure a lot of the fads (like most fads) looks strange or stupid in retrospect, but it was nevertheless seemed like a very playful decade to me.

High school a hint of costume ball, with kids dressing up as goths, punks, mods, skaters, preppies, and such.

Androgyny was in vogue - girls and guys with big hair, short hair, long hair, bushy hair, curled hair, permed hair, short hair with tails, feathered hair, shaved heads, sculpted afros, Mohawks, fauxhawks, spiked hair, colored hair, and various Flock of Seagulls hairdos. Men and women could wear unusually bright and conspicuous colors like electric pink, fluorescent red and bright yellow. Make-up could be over-done and look hideous by today's tastes, but it was always fun and playful (and sometimes even ended up on men). Hats of all kinds could be found - caps, macs, felt hats like you'd see being worn by Madness, Howard Jones, Culture Club, those hats styled after French legionnaires, etc. Girls could obviously get away with all sorts of hair accessories to boot.

Tight jeans, ripped jeans, button-fly jeans, stone washed jeans, acid washed jeans, baggy jeans, baggy trousers(!), parachute pants, pants with side pockets (no, they're not new), pegged pants, crinkled dresses, women wearing ties. Jackets over t-shirts. Big sunglasses, huge (I mean huge!) t-shirts, t-shirts that changed colors, iconographic band t-shirts.

I'm not even sure where to begin with accessories. Gloves, bracelets, gratuitous numbers of bracelets or necklaces; workout outfits, sweatbands, leg warmers, and such. Stud ear rings on men, big earrings on women, hoops or otherwise, multiple piercings. Running shoes, vans, doc martins, boots.

Basically, a lot of the looks and styles you see in videos from the era could be seen reflected in this clique or that (though of course usually not as extreme and not all that common).

For better or worse, a lot of the music just seemed more playful and silly (cf. Falco - Rock me Amadeus, Men Without Hats - Safety Dance, A-Ha - Take on Me). Lots of corny love songs but even the low budget videos could have a really distinct look (Robert Palmer - Simply Irresistible) , many overly self-indulgent songs about heartbreak (Naked Eyes - Always Something There to Remind Me... sorry, no Smiths songs in the list), cheesy songs about rebellion, lots of British bands, synthesizer bands (Depeche Mode, Erasure, Pet Shop boys), songs that seemed so scandalous at the time when they hinted at sex (Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough) as compared to the graphic lyrics you can hear now), light songs about very serious concerns (Nena - 99 luftbalons, Genesis - Land of Confusion, Tears for Fears - Everybody Wants to Rule the World) but mostly lots of great dance (New Order - Blue Monday) and party songs.
posted by Davenhill at 4:18 AM on September 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Please let that decade die already.
posted by jonmc at 5:28 AM on September 7, 2008

My crush on Kate will never die.

You didn't know the greatest band ever came from the 80s?
posted by D_I at 6:48 AM on September 7, 2008

Damn, I hadn't heard Eric B and Rakim's 'Microphone Fiend' in ages. Anyone dissing the 80s has his or her head *far* up his or her ass.
posted by mediareport at 6:52 AM on September 7, 2008

OMFG!!! I now have the video of The B-52s "My Private Idaho" on my private idaPod!!

THANKZ!!
posted by MiamiDave at 9:36 AM on September 7, 2008

WikiWikiWikiWiki
posted by Chuffy at 11:09 AM on September 12, 2008

My crush on Kate will never die.

The three stages of Kate Bush (from a friend of mine):

Who is that chick with the Snow White voice?
Her music is pretty good, if you can get over her voice.
I want her to have my children.
posted by Chuffy at 11:14 AM on September 12, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]