the eighties... why wasnt I alive then?

[metalmaidentasha]

does anyone else wish they were there for the 80s?
it would have been great to have seen the best metal acts in their prime, yes?
even my mum and dad say the 80s were the best, and they are certainly not metalheads.
ii sounds like a pretty epic era.

 

[Matt]

No. I would much rather be living in the 70's right now. Sex and drugs and great music!

 

[carnut]

Ah, be happy you are probably 20 years younger than us 80's dinosaurs !!!

 

[J-Dubya 777]

True, that!

...but your parents are correct IMO. I couldn't have picked a happier time to be a young dude. (I graduated highschool in 1982) Part of me would have liked to have been old enough to see the Beatles, Hendrix, etc etc. But overall for music & life, the 80's were perfect. As for sex, drugs, & rock n roll, the 80's were fun, it was a Pre-AIDS world, and IMO, people seemed to mingle more. Early 90's, at least here in the states, they seemed to stay within their own little groups @ outings. Metal was king, it was played on the radio, and there were SO many shows going on, you really had to pick & choose what you wanted to see each weekend. But yeah, I'm another one of those "dinosaurs" now, but that's why places like this exist!

 

[Wyvern]

Been there done that, I do miss it for some reasons and do not for others.

Like J-Dubya said: Atari 2600, VHS, MTV was actually good, gas prices were low, no talking about AIDS, Iron Maiden ruled, vocalist didn't growl (except Cronos), horror movies were better, Black Sabbath had Dio, Metallica was good, I had long hair, less belly and could headbang faster

Long live the 80's!

 

[ElectricWiz]

I've really liked every era of my life, I feel lucky that way.

But yeah, the 80s were really pretty good in ways. One thing I kind of miss sometimes, as weird as this may sound, is a world with no Internet. Bands were a little more mysterious back then, because all of your info had to come from magazines, and most metal magazines were pretty crappy. Now you have 24 hour access...and it just changes the mystique.

Also, it was usually a surprise when you found out a band was coming to town. Now you find out well before tickets go onsale. Back then it would be like, "Wait, Priest is coming? No way!" And then you'd either have to camp out for tickets, or call on the phone with your fingers crossed.

Weird as it may seem, I'm thinking of all of these as good things.

Don't let the 'history books' fool you though. As much as everyone says Master of Puppets and Number of the Beast ruled the world back then, well, that ain't altogether true. The really visible stuff was crap like hair metal and all that. I remember staying up late to watch a show called Friday night videos. Every week you'd get like one metal video or something. If you were really lucky it was Maiden, but usually it was a band at least a little more mainstream than them - say Def Leppard or Van Halen. I mean, forget about seeing a Slayer video or some such. It just wasn't happening.

But, yes, it was cool to walk into a record store and discover a band like Possessed, or Mercyful Fate, or even Queensryche, or what have you. I remember discovering the first albums by those bands (and many others) very distinctly! I also remember thinking, "nobody likes these guys but me." That may not have been true in the big cities, but the Internet can fool one even now. You might guess that there are scads of Iced Earth fans in every corner of the country if you based your guess on the Net. Truth is, not a lot of people have ever heard of them.

Anyway, metal was truly big, the thing as it were, for just a couple of years. If you blinked you missed it. But then, that's America for you.

pardon my rant...

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

For me, the 70s still rules as the best decade for rock-n-roll, but the 80s were my heyday and hold all my fondest memories. Plus the 80s was the decade for "heavy metal" as J-Dub said. Only people that lived that era could imagine turning on your FM stereo and hearing Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and early Metallica all played back to back.

Long live the 80s!

 

[ElectricWiz]

For me, the 70s still rules as the best decade for rock-n-roll, but the 80s were my heyday and hold all my fondest memories. Plus the 80s was the decade for "heavy metal" as J-Dub said. Only people that lived that era could imagine turning on your FM stereo and hearing Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and early Metallica all played back to back.

Long live the 80s!

I was just a kid in the 70's, but I admit they ruled! I would love to have lived where I live now (San Francisco), and to have been in my 20s. I could have seen the Grateful Dead, and all those great bands at Winterland. The crowds were more laid back (all concerts, not just GD), and in my mind things were just more fun. The 70s were great. Somehow I remember the sun looking different though, like that funny chromatic tint to 70's photos, which of course is not true. Just goes to show you how memories can be.

 

[poundingmetal74]

even my mum and dad say the 80s were the best, and they are certainly not metalheads.

Other than the bands, you didn't miss much. What was it Austin Powers said - a gas leak and a flock of seagulls?

 

[zeppelin]

I hear you, I only caught the ass end of it when all the great bands were established already. It woud have been cool to have discovered bands like Maiden or Metallica when they just released their first album.
By the time I got into metal Maiden has just released No Prayer and Metallica was on Justice, still a pretty awesome era but not the same imo.

 

[SickBoy]

Damn you, you bunch of old farts!
Now my regret for not being a teenager in 80's is even bigger...
I remember many things from 80s, but only the second half, when I grew up a bit (born in 1978). I see Zeppelin and me are about the same age
I wish I was my brother's generation (15 years older) but with the same taste in music, to witness the growth and development of metal, every year something totally new dammit - priceless!!!

 

[Assault_Attack]

Damn you, you bunch of old farts!
Now my regret for not being a teenager in 80's is even bigger...
I remember many things from 80s, but only the second half, when I grew up a bit (born in 1978). I see Zeppelin and me are about the same age
I wish I was my brother's generation (15 years older) but with the same taste in music, to witness the growth and development of metal, every year something totally new dammit - priceless!!!

I saw Priest open for Zeppelin. Rush & UFO as opening acts. Dio with Rainbow 2 times, Does that make me old(er) I don't care, Amazing time to be alive! $5.00 & see several great bands at Winterland in S.F. The 80's Rocked big time also, I was back stage at the US Fetival. Priceless memories.... I could go on & On. Nothing like being at a great concert!!

PS Still go see old favorites along with newer ones I.E. Symphony X, Kamelot

 

[IWP]

Dude, I so fucking wish I grew up in the 80s. I'd fit in perfectly, and I'd constantly be going to concerts.

 

[SentinelSlain]

All of my favourite bands were around in the 80s (some before) so yeah, would be good to see them in their prime. Life without MP3 players and the internet though =

 

[SickBoy]

Life without MP3 players and the internet though =

I don't think that would cause you any grief, you'd be showing off with your newest Walkman

 

[J-Dubya 777]

Heheheheehe I just tossed my last walkman in the garbage a month or so ago...

 

[Wyvern]

My walkmans run perfectly both the one for tapes and the one of CDs.

Long live the old school!

 

[EerieVon]

The mid - late eighties were a fucking great time to be in the scene. Everything was, and none of the infighting bullshit you have today between the sub genre groups--everyone was a "handbanger"--didnt matter if you liked Metallica, Slayer, Death, or any of the other bands--everyone got along and partied. No internet those days so you had to watch headbangers ball and hope they'd play something good and heavy--like Exodus, Anthrax, etc. And you had to buy and read lots of magazines--RIP, Circus, metal maniacs, and if you could find them the euro mags like Kerrang, Aardshok, etc. It was really cool and different. The show I remember the best was the Clash of the titans tour came to Weedsport NY, and it was like one big party for everyone--people were sharing alcohol, weed, etc with everyone and anyone. It reminded me of a grateful dead show but with heavy music and a big violent pit. Great times

 

[SickBoy]

Aaaarghhh, stop it already, will ya?!

 

[poundingmetal74]

I don't think that would cause you any grief, you'd be showing off with your newest Walkman

Looking back, did Walkman's ever suck! Nothing like having the batteries die midway through a tape.

....Man, did making tapes ever suck too!