both these are wrong, i'm not a fan of either
i can't think of any 80's pop tunes i really love, but smooth criminal is a damn fine song regardless
the 80's were not a great decade for music though
I disagree with everything I've got. You won't find another decade where so many different genres had great music. The 80s had it all.
It kills me reading the younger generation saying that. The only issue with the 80s was the new technology of digital recording was very tinny. But like have said so many different genres so many big hits so many stars.
Both of these.
It started with "Face Value" and "Back In Black", "Asia", and the return of John Lennon (John fucking Lennon!!!). And ended with the foreshadowing of grunge (Mother Love Bone, early Nirvana, Louder Than Love by Soundgarden).
And in between you had things as varied as Madonna, The Number of the Beast, Duran Duran, Appetite for Destruction... and I haven't even mentioned Michael Jackson (it's hard to understand just how big he was for that period from "Off The Wall" to "Bad" unless you were there).
I think King hit the nail on the head: there hasn't been a decade with as disruptive a technology shift as you saw in the 80's, what with the advent of electronic drums (Genesis, Rush, and Yes all have albums where their drummer might say "well, I was trying new things...")
My roots go to the 70's, but if it wasn't for the great music (and I mean legendary) music of 80's, I wouldn't be who I am today.