Something I have been WONDERing...

[Sarahbelle]

Ok, so why are some of Stevie Wonder's songs so very awesome.. and others are just horribly cheesy.

It's like when he got to the 80's everything just went downhill...

Anyone else have any thoughts on this... I have really been pondering it... (yes I have a lot of time on my hands... )

[Booche]

It was the 80's, everyone was doing it.

Next question but lets hope Hamilton is around to answer it.

[NewRider]

"The 80s almost killed me let's not recall them quite so fondly."

[popo weenie]

Ok, so why are some of Stevie Wonder's songs so very awesome.. and others are just horribly cheesy.

It's like when he got to the 80's everything just went downhill...

Anyone else have any thoughts on this... I have really been pondering it... (yes I have a lot of time on my hands... )

stevie is that old ? 80 never in my life would i guess he was 80

maybe thats why ,he is slowing down hmhmhmhmhm 80 he is getting up there for sure

[Kanada Kev]

Man, the 80s get a lot of flack. Sure, POP music was kinda cheesy. However, pop music from most eras is cheesy. You gotta look behind the mainstream crap and look what was going on. Just one example in the 80s .... Stevie Ray Fuckin' Vaughan!! I just watched a special that I had on the PVR from PBS the other night:

Stevie Ray Vaughan Live: Play Hard & Floor It!

Stevie Ray Vaughan's uniquely eclectic and fiery style sounded like no other guitarist, regardless of genre - a leading light in American blues. STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN LIVE: PLAY HARD & FLOOR IT! showcases the guitar master's career with some of his finest performances caught on tape. Friend and Double Trouble bandmate drummer Chris Layton gives context to the performances in on-camera interviews. The special begins with Stevie Ray's debut at the 1982 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland — an 'electric' unknown added to an acoustic blues night at the last minute. The songs were met by boos from an audience expecting a laid back evening of unadorned music, but today's audiences experience an archival gem of a star's early promise on "Pride & Joy" and "Texas Flood." Almost three years to the day, Stevie Ray headlined the 1985 Montreux festival to raves from a sold-out crowd, highlighted in the special with "Cold Shot," "Scuttle Buttin'" and "Say What!". At Toronto's tiny El Mocambo club, the historic venue hosted an intense Stevie Ray set in 1983, living up to this compilation's title of PLAY HARD & FLOOR IT! with "Love Struck Baby," and Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)." The special closes with performances from the height of Stevie Ray's career in his hometown of Austin, Texas in 1989, a year before his tragic death. Fans enjoyed pure magic that night including his #1 hit "Crossfire," the instrumental "Riviera Paradise," "Tightrope" and "The House is Rockin'," all preserved in this special as a tribute to his talent.

Song List

"Pride & Joy" (Montreux 1982)

"Texas Flood" (Montreux 1982)

"Cold Shot" (Montreux 1985 with Johnny Copeland)

"Scuttle Buttin'" (Montreux 1985)

"Say What!" (Montreux 1985)

"Love Struck Baby" (El Mocambo - Toronto 1983)

"Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" (El Mocambo - Toronto 1983)

"Tightrope" (Austin 1989) "Riviera Paradise" (Austin 1989)

"Crossfire" (Austin 1989)

"The House is Rockin'" (Austin)

[Jaimoe]

The 80's ruined many a 60's and 70's great like Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, The Who, The Stones, ZZ Top, Aerosmith, The Allman Brothers, Neil Young (to name a few). I think the 80's was the testing ground for most aging bands to prove or disprove that rock doesn't age well... and the 80's proved that rock clearly does not age well at all.

Some people still like to blur the lines between the late 70's and 80's with relation to music. The Jam, The Clash, The Police, The Specials, Grandmaster Flash, early Joy Division and even Van Halen are important 70's artists (that remained influential in the 80's) because they helped run diso into the ground, amongst other things. Also, guys like Booche, Davey Boy and I who were in our teen years during the 80's, well, we are/were influenced by 60's and 70's bands and (if I can speak for them, and I can) hated and still hate, hate, hate most of the music that dominated the airwaves back then. That being said, the 80's wasn't all bad. These bands come to mind: Sonic Youth, The Replacements, The Pixies, Stevie Ray Vaughan, 54-40 (underrated as hell), The Hip, Galaxie 500, Husker Du (formed in '79), Tears for Fears and even that little weasel Prince.

[Sarahbelle]

Ok' date=' so why are some of Stevie Wonder's songs so very awesome.. and others are just horribly cheesy.

It's like when he got to the 80's everything just went downhill...

Anyone else have any thoughts on this... I have really been pondering it... (yes I have a lot of time on my hands... )[/quote']

stevie is that old ? 80 never in my life would i guess he was 80

maybe thats why ,he is slowing down hmhmhmhmhm 80 he is getting up there for sure

popo I didn't mean HE was 80.. I meant 1980..as in the era music went horribly wrong. (and I'm sure many of us were born then too!!)