I am not too much into 80s pop music and was faintly familiar with Dire Straits (image 1). It was only when I heard Sultans Of Swing by Mark Knopfler from my elder son's CD that I realised I have been missing great pop.
The swingy beat and lyrical tale, "You check out guitar #George, he knows all the chords," mesmerised me as I played SOS again and again and again. Then I listened to some other hits like Money For Nothing, Romeo And Juliet and Brothers In Arms. I joined the fraternity. With 120 million others!
Similarly with Duran Duran (image 2). Listening to Hungry Like A Wolf, A View To A Kill (Moore was 007) and Wild Boys while eye-balling the lyrics, made me more aware of the themes that 80s pop carries with it. Now that the prettiet boys in rock are here again this month in Singapore, here's wishing my son and his friends all the best for scream night.
I am still within my blog's thematic range since these two groups are technically from the late 70s ie: Dire Straits started in 1977 and Duran Duran in '78. So you Seniors out there. If you haven't heard of Dire Straits or Duran Duran, it's time you did. A great bunch of musicians here who can swing you around to appreciate the eighties.
#George Harrison?
#George Harrison?
Images: Google.
(Posting for my elder son D.)
(Posting for my elder son D.)
5 comments:
Duran Duran are an English rock band, formed in Birmingham in 1978.
They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States.
Since the 1980s, they have placed 14 singles in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart and 21 in the Billboard Hot 100 and have, according to the Sunday Mercury, sold more than 100 million records.
While they were generally considered part of the New Romantic scene along with bands such as Spandau Ballet when they first emerged, they later shed this image.
The band worked with fashion designers to build a sharp and elegant image that earned them the nickname "the prettiest boys in rock."
Edited: from Wikipedia.
Dire Straits were a British rock band, formed in 1977 by former journalist and teacher Mark Knopfler, initially composed of Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), his younger brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion).
Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest to beat music within the context of rock and roll.
Despite the prominence of punk rock during the band's early years, the band's stripped-down sound contrasted with punk, demonstrating a more "rootsy" influence that emerged out of pub rock. Many of Dire Straits' compositions were melancholic.
Edited: from Wikipedia.
Sultans of Swing has one of the best riffs ever... can't imagine oldies missing out on that.
sk
I remember Stevie Loraine when I was at Changi in the mid-1960s and remember her with great affection.
I played pathetic bass for one night only in 1964 with an RAF band called The Desperadoes at Fairey Point officers' club.
The other members of the band were Alan Fish on lead guitar, Colin Fish on rhythm guitar, and Bruce Sorley on drums.
Alan Fish now has his own band called Egypt and plays in East Anglia regularly with them. He also played in The Groundhogs some years back. He plays bass rather than lead these days.
Best wishes,
Allan Thompson,
Norfolk,
England.
Thank you Allan for your contribution. It will be a great help to many of us who are searching for data about local 60s music.
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