Grandmaster flash and the furious five freedom

While more mainstream electronic styles were becoming popular, invigorating underground scenes were popping up, like Frankie Knuckles and Mr. They helped lay a foundation for the genre to be taken seriously, alongside luminaries like Jungle Brothers and Laurie Anderson. Granted, a group like Kraftwerk were still treated as a bit of a novelty during their early years, but thatвЂ™s to be expected when audiences associated vocoders with alien noises. The Highwaymen вЂ“ Highwayman The Judds вЂ“ Grandpa (Tell Me вЂBout the Good Old Days) Anne Murray вЂ“ Could I Have This Dance Don Williams вЂ“ I Believe In You George Strait вЂ“ Amarillo By Morning Rosanne Cash вЂ“ Seven Year Ache Steve Earle вЂ“ Guitar Town Tanya Tucker вЂ“ Love Me Like You Used To Reba McEntire вЂ“ WhoeverвЂ™s in New England Dolly Parton вЂ“ 9 to 5 Kenny Rogers вЂ“ Islands in the StreamД«y the 80s, electronic music was seen as less of a niche and more as the future of music it has now become. While this was happening, though, there was also a different crop of tried-and-true country diehards, like Steve Earle and George Strait, who would go on to inspire todayвЂ™s alternative stars like Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers. This trend in country music began in the 80s. It foreshadowed where we are now, with the genre mingling with rock, pop, and rap without a second thought. It no longer mattered whether you were north or south of the Mason/Dixon line everyone knew вЂњ9 to 5.вЂќ Kenny RogersвЂ™ collaboration with Dolly, вЂњIsland in the Stream,вЂќ blended pop choruses with the unmistakable twang of country music. Just 10 years later, stars such as Dolly Parton creeped the genre towards the mainstream, making country music a household genre across the country. It wasnвЂ™t always the most commercially viable music, but it did dictate the course of the genre. These dudes made poetic tunes about cowboys and federales and great railroad expansions. The 1970s in country music were all about the outlaws. The Talking Heads were on the poppier end of the spectrum with songs like вЂњThis Must Be The Place (Naive Melody),вЂќ with David Byrne turning his gaze on American consumerism with sugary sweet choruses that would have even the staunchest capitalists singing along.Д«auhaus вЂ“ Dark Entries Echo and the Bunnymen вЂ“ The Killing Moon Roxy Music вЂ“ More Than This Kate Bush вЂ“ Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) Japan вЂ“ Ghosts Talking Heads вЂ“ This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) Suzanne Vega вЂ“ TomвЂ™s Diner Talk Talk вЂ“ The Rainbow

Velvet Underground laid the groundwork in the 70s, and artists like Talking Heads, Bauhaus, Roxy Music, and Talk Talk built a foundation still prevalent today.

The art rock and post-punk artists spun out of this confusion of styles, creating an expansive vocabulary built around propulsive drum grooves, arch, snotty lyrics, and a revolutionary interplay between guitars and synths. Music in the 80s was moving in a number of loosely defined directions, thanks to the emergence of subgenres like new wave, punk, and the end of disco. Listen to our Best 80s Hits playlist here.

Grandmaster flash and the furious five freedom