DJ Trevor Tonic - The 80s, Dead or Alive?

Whether it's the golden eagle of Lyle & Scott, the three stripes on a pair of Adidas Gazelles or hearing the prophetic lyrics and haunting melody of 'Ghost Town' by the Specials drifting out of the sound system of one of the many fashion emporiums around the town centre, you would be forgiven in thinking that Norwich was the epicentre of an 80s retro revival.

Now before you go running to the hairdressers to book your 'Kevin Keegan' perm or start rummaging around your wardrobe for your old 'Frankie Says' t-shirt, I plead with you to resist the urge to search out that boxset of Miami Vice, because let's face it, that whole 'suit worn with rolled-up sleeves, deck shoes, no socks and a Tshirt' is not a good look unless you are on a speedboat in Miami or you are in fact Sonny Crocket.

Think 80s and the majority of the people will think Stock, Aitken and Waterman, Rick Astley or Nick Cayman advertising stone washed denim in his pants. However, think a bit harder and your grey cells will drag from the recesses of time, New Order morphing out of Joy Division, The Specials and the whole Two-Tone movement and Quadrophenia, the iconic mod movie will come to the fore.

Back in the day, what you looked like and how you dressed was everything. Thanks to a couple of shops in Norwich, men of a certain age (40-45) can revisit a time where they felt they belonged - where their lives had some meaning and they played to a set of rules. They had honour, albeit amongst their peers.

At Elements in Lower Goat Lane, Jonny George has assembled an unbeteable collection of 'Terrace Casual Classics'. The likes of vintage Fila and Sergio Tacchini polo shirts and tracksuit tops (never to be worn with matching bottoms - that's a Northern thing)! At the back of the shop is an Aladdin's cave of fashion treasure. If there was a magic lamp to rub, the genie would appear wearing Lois cords and a pair of Kickers. Just up the road is the long established Philip Browne, which amongst others stock a range of Fred Perry, Lyle & Scott and Pringle diamond patterned golf sweaters that are second to none. It's not just the mid-40 year old men that seem to be drawn to the look - the myth that was 'the football casual'. Kids can be seen today sporting the casual look with their Fred Perry and Lyle & Scott cardigans. But, I am yet to see my first wedge haircut.

Most people's immediate recollection to the music of the 80s is one of cheesy pop churned out to a formula set by the self proclaimed hit factory production team of Stock, Aitken and Waterman. They were responsible for such timeless classics recorded by the likes of Sinitta, Rick Astley and Sonia. But look a little deeper, scratch the surface a little bit more and you will find that by definition a decade that spans the void between 70s punk and 90s rave must have more substance to it than Jason Donovan and bland American power ballads, which relied heavily on music videos with volumous hair, massive wind machine and a desert setting. Or worse than that, they can be excused in part because they are American, or flamboyant kilt-wearing frilly hairdressers that went under the banner known as the 'New Romantics'.

Think deeper and you will see the Two Tone movement, led by the Specials, an interesting take on traditional Ska music. You had The Cure, The Banshees - who put a gothic twist on punk - the power pop that was The Jam, led by the inspirational front man and Modfather, Paul Weller. You had celtic rock with bands like Simple Minds, U2, Alarm and The Clash. Then there was a move towards more dancey electro music pioneered by 80s bands like Depeche Mode, New Order and KLF. This new form of music was the first, to my knowledge, to encourage blokes to dance as shown by the patron saint of blokey dance, marraker shaking Bez from Happy Mondays.

So, next time you hear someone say the 80s, the decade that style forgot, you will know better.

Jog on.

Trevor Tonic.

Stuart Preston's Classic Album of the Month - March '09

Flaming Lips – Clouds Taste Metallic (1995)


The Lips have become so synonymous with their frazzled brand of symphonic psychedelic and euphoric music it's easy to forget that it wasn't always this way. Clouds Taste Metallic was their last hurrah as something approaching a conventional rock band - as conventional as any band can be with song titles such as Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus with Needles. This was the last album to feature guitarist Ronald Jones whose experimental approach to playing had so energised the band on the previous release Transmissions From The Satellite Heart. It was also the second time drummer Steven Drozd had featured – the drummer who went on to be their guitarist, keyboardist, co-songwriter and along with mainman Wayne Coyne the driving force behind their future mainstream(ish) success. Coyne would also pretty much hang up his guitar after this – a real shame I think

Listening to this album now it’s hard to understand why it was a comparative flop at the time. After their fluke underground hit She Don’t Use Jelly there seemed to be a number of candidates for further chart success – This Hear Giraffe for example is under 4 minutes of pop perfection, built on the sturdy bass of Michael Ivins, Jones creating a myriad of out there sounds and Wayne Coyne delivering a seemingly meaningless lyric in his uniquely cracked voice. Whilst there is a real pop sheen to the songs, this is still a LOUD record, everything pushed to the max, sounding like it’s on the brink of falling apart at any moment. This is pop in the classic sense though, not overproduced drivel for the masses. The Lips have always had a great line in uplifting melancholy, an otherworldly quality which makes their future direction much easier to fathom. Kim’s Watermelon Gun is down an’ dirty garage rock, They Punctured My Yolk would doubtless be best appreciated as the sun rises after a night of excess and Lightning Strikes The Postman pummels you with incessant riffing and thundering drums.

The huge change that was around the corner only serves to remind what a big contribution Ronald Jones made to the band’s sound, making his virtual disappearance since all the more of a loss. It’s still hard to believe Steven Drozd was merely the bands drummer at this stage, a great one at that, but with so much more to offer. All the elements for future greatness were already in place – just less polished, more organic and much louder. The tour that followed would break this line up of the band, resulting in them starting from scratch and ultimately resulting in the epic genius of The Soft Bulletin. If you’re only familiar with their more recent work, but are hungry for more, Clouds Taste Metallic is the logical next step.

Stuart Preston