waxwabbit

I am always laughing at how my wife regards some of my music, mainly my 80's music........

I am only 27 and she is 22, yet she finds most of my 80's music dated, even though I like to remind her Madonna is an 80's girl originally.......

Its probably mainly the slight age difference considering she's so young, and maybe a little bit to do with the USA/UK thing.

She loves practically any type of music, but I have noticed she isnt so much into dance as myself.......

What brought this post, was me playing Relax by Frankie goes to Holywood - which she laughed at, and then Vienna by Ultravox - which she didnt even know.

She doesnt like my Electric Dreams by The Human League

Probably my fave video of all time is Take On Me by A-ha, she isnt as keen on that either.......

I even downloaded some Pet Shop Boys for old times sake - West End Girls, Go West (reminds me of footy games back in England)

Well, even though I have modern tastes too, I still find it funny that she laughs at my 80's music - surely these 80's songs arent too dated, are they??????

NC Penguin

She's American and some of the bands you mentioned (Human League, Ultravox) are what was known as "New Wave" in the US. Only handful of "New Wave" Brit bands had some kind of success over this side of the pond.

Have you seen any of the "I Love the 80s" shows? Brits may not know all the bands because they're predominantly American.

Fortunately, my spouse and I have somewhat similar music tastes. He likes a lot of British bands/artists that I don't think didn't have that much commercial success in the US such as Elvis Costello, XTC, Marillion and Kate Bush but he probably listened to college radio and independent stations in the 80s.




NC Penguin

fatbrit

Hell! My wife wasn't even born when most of the musical heroes who adorned my bedroom wall had either overdosed or had taken up residence in a suitable rehab establishment.

sibsie

Everyone I've met over here loves Elvis Costello. I think he was bigger here than he was in England.

Trivia ahead. Elvis C used to live down my street in London. This was before he became famous and was just out gigging.

Just Jenney

Mark and I are the same age (32) so we both spent our adolescent years in the 80s. But man, do we have vastly different tastes in music!

I like all kinds of music, but I have to admit that 80s music is very nostalgic for me and will thus always have a special place in my heart. Depeche Mode, Erasure, Wham (and later George Michael), a-Ha, Madonna, U2, Duran Duran, The Police (and later Sting), etc. There are simply too many to name, but you get my drift.

Mark, on the other hand, listens to music that I'd never, EVER, heard of before. Not even remotely. Ok -- there are a few artists I'd heard of (Bjork, Aphex Twin) but the vast majority of them not at all. Here are just a few:

808 State
Autechre
Boards of Canada
Mira Calix
Nightmares on Wax
Plaid
Red Snapper
Savath and Savalas
Squarepusher
Two Lone Swordsmen

It's way too hard to describe what this music sounds like -- mostly electronica, if you can call it that. Sometimes a single track can last an entire hour! To get an idea of what it sounds like, check out Warp Records and have a listen.

(And if any of you reading this actually like this music and listen to it regularly, give us a shout -- maybe you and Mark could discuss it! )

~ Jenney

cindyabs

Alot of our differences are because we lived on opposite sides of the big pond. Since I am 52 and my husband 55 obviously we have a rather longer mixed bag of musical history then some of the other posters. I found it amusing that my son was taking swing lessons in his early 20s which harkens back to my mother's time!! Or when the Monkees had a rebirth and I gave my son my albums from when they went round the first time!
We both like classical music and are both agreed that 95 percent of CW doesn't cut it for us. I don't mind hip hop just keep the volume turned down please.

dgsyd1

The only real musical differences we have is due to the fact that my wife loves country music and some modern RnB, both of which I can't stand. She was a big fan of a lot of British acts before we even met, and is still the only person I know over here who was a fan of Paul Weller when we first met.

waxwabbit

You Do Something To Me ! Classic

My wife laughs at Erasure and their Always!

She does like Def Leppards When Love and Hate Collide though!

Shes not too impressed with my Lighthouse Family and Ocean Drive, Lifted! How can anyone not love that easy happy beat!?

Shakespeares Sister and Stay - she says thats dated, and thats the 90's!!!! Humph!

Mind, why should I be bothered, she likes She-daisy!!!!!!!

sibsie

I'm 36 and my husband is 51. We have uncannily similiar tastes in music but that being said I listen to everything from classical to pop, to weird indie stuff. We both draw the line at C&W though.

Bob

That's probably cos most of the dance music over here is shite, but it is amusing looking through it, a lot of it's old school Dj's and the like

but, for things we differ on, there's headphones

Bob

Aphex Twins and Autechre, very different, but both really cool, but break beat, drum n bass and hardcore DnB never really took off in the same way in the states, well i've hardly heard any of it around...

NC Penguin

Commercial/radio friendly dance music is nothing to write home about but club oriented/independent dance music is pretty good. I'm sure the 12" is still alive out in clubs throughout the US...




NC Penguin

Bob

Aye, that's true, but if you go to any music store, the dance, drum n base sections would be far smaller than anything you'd see in the UK....and lack of decent dj's, that, I'm sure is just being in maine, but might be a lot better in large cities...but i ain't seen any decks to play around with, which in my case is probably a good thing because I was shite at it, certainly didn't have the knack as a lot of mates did back at uni...

dbj1000

How funny, I've spent the last week commuting to and from work listening to the soundtrack to the movie Pi, which consists of Autechre, Aphex Twin, Clint Mansell, Orbital and many others of the genre Mark's into.

...but then other months I won't listen to a note of electronica, and instead it'll be anything from Missie Elliot and 50 Cent to Blur or White Strips, Parliament or Beck, Eminem or The Orb... or even Michael Nyman for a little modern classical easy listening

Bob

Listened to any of the recent stuff out by Orbital and the Orb?
Problem I have is when albums or books have different names in this country to back in blighty, nevermind a different cover....