While the 1980s were the ultimate hangover of a decade musicwise, a few musicians managed to crawl out of the deep shadows of those 10 years and produce music worth reacting to. The politics had a different temperament. The conflicts were not as divisive. Having Grenada instead of Iraq and the war on drugs instead of the war on terror, the need to make the public aware through music persisted, as it always had. Between Reagan, his trickle-down economics, apartheid and the savings and loan scandal, there were plenty of issues to tackle and tear apart. Shining a light on an otherwise dim time, Cardinal Arts brings you political 80s music.
(Geffen)
Guns N' Roses exploded onto the music scene with their debut album. Not surprisingly, Appetite for Destruction is still the best-selling debut album of all time. The fact that GNR still holds that record is a testament to the power of their message. Almost every song alludes to a society infatuated with sex and drugs.
Coming from Los Angeles, GNR was not far from the truth.?? But in all honesty, most of the songs on Appetite are fairly one-dimensional.??A strong argument can be made that the album is truly defined by just three songs: \Sweet Child O' Mine,"" ""Paradise City"" and their hard rock masterpiece ""Welcome to the Jungle.""
""Child"" is a love song that could be looked at as an allegory about a country that is nostalgic for more innocent times.??""Paradise City"" longs for that same innocence, but it acknowledges the presence of corruption within the very society that preaches for purity.??
As for ""Jungle,"" the metaphor is clear-with cities decaying, urban sprawl and the rise of sexual activity and drug abuse, America was turning into a jungle.??Almost 20 years later, GNR's words remain relevant, and fans (as well as society) still have their Appetite.
(IRS)
Document was R.E.M.'s dive into the awareness of the masses. It's a mix of social commentary, love and nonsense made musical by Michael Stipe's unique and earnest vocals, happy-go-lucky beats and college-rock guitars. Document is classic R.E.M, when their music began to be embraced by the mainstream.
The strongest songs on Document are overshadowed by ""It's the End of the World as We Know It..."" and ""The One I Love,"" but the CD would be emptier without them. The strangely catchy track ""Exhuming McCarthy"" takes a wry look at politics, but playfully and with a guilty-pleasure guitar melody, regardless of lyrical content. The charismatic ""Disturbance at Heron House"" matches that with a protest against authority without overly explaining or complaining.
R.E.M. does what only a few other 80s political rock bands did-they had fun with the issues without taking the pleasure out of the music. Document protests subtly, but happily.
(Epic)
It's sadly ironic that while The Clash is perhaps best known as a political rock band, the group's most political album, 1980's epic Sandinista!, is frequently overlooked. Admittedly, with almost two-and-a-half hours of music and numerous experiments in dub reggae, Sandinista! threatens to overwhelm the listener, but it also allows The Clash's unique approach to political expression to shine.
The band sells their leftist ideologies in a subtle fashion, illustrating their beliefs by incorporating them into compelling, surprisingly touching narratives. The Clash not only tackles specific, occasionally obscure issues, but also tastefully underscores each song's topic with a corresponding musical style. For instance, a cut about United States/Cuba relations (""Washington Bullets"") sports a distinct calypso influence, while a haunting anti-draft anthem (""The Call Up"") features a militaristic marching drum and chant.??
Most of Sandinista! has aged well, and as odd as it is saying something so trite about a band that was anything but, tracks like the wistful anti-war song, ""Charlie Don't Surf,"" are as biting and relevant today as they were 20 years ago.
(Def Jam)
In 1988 a cacophonous explosion rose up from the streets to blow the cover off the figurative powder keg that was America and its slumber of excess and indifference. A new sonic insurrection led by Chuck D and his Public Enemy cohorts resonated up from alleyways, gutters, ghettos, barrios and projects and straight into white, middle-class suburbs.
Not only did It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back draw attention to long-ignored and mishandled social issues, it also marked the beginning of hip-hop as a musical medium of significant force and as a forum for political discussion. This time the revolution would not be televised; it would be on wax.
(Dischord)
Led by the gut-wrenching vocals of Ian MacKaye, Minor Threat was one of the definitive hardcore punk bands of the 1980s. Their Complete Discography, composed of two EPs and one full-length album released from 1981 to 1983, is a perfect execution of the punk style. Each song is fast, catchy, meaningful, memorable and never grating.
Kicking in the face of established America, Minor Threat challenged society's constructs, particularly those definitive of youth culture. Encouraging the stripping down of the individual, MacKaye on ""Filler"" screams that love and religion are ""in your head"" and tells kids not to drink, smoke or screw on ""Out of Step (With the World),"" thereby bringing into existence the straight-edge punk movement of the early 1980s.
His lyrics insist on self-awareness and the rejection of society's ""follow the leader"" mentality. Influential for so many years after disbanding in 1983, Minor Threat's Complete Discography puts together some of the best punk albums ever released-ground-breaking both ideologically and musically.
(Island)
There will always be a bit of irony because an album which so purely captured the mood and feel of America during the 1980s was produced by an Irish band.
The Joshua Tree is a subtle blending of themes and ideas about both the American dream and American reality. It is filled with songs that address people's hopes, needs and disappointment in times of uncertainty. ""Red Hill Mining Town"" addresses the worries of lovers who have fallen under hard times, while ""Bullet the Blue Sky"" raises concerns about overseas U.S. policy.
It's sad and unfortunate that the majority of Americans are not sided at the extreme left or right of politics, but remain at the middle ground. That notion is what makes The Joshua Tree as powerful today as it was when it was released; it speaks to those who don't know for sure where they stand, and still haven't found what they're looking for.
