80s guitar pop. Mr Mister , Cyndi Lauper etc

Creed_Clicks · August 2023

Never took much notice in the past, but just listening to some 80s songs there, and the guitar on Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time is brilliant. Seems to be a "strat" type of sound, very very tasty stuff indeed.
Same with Mr Mister's Broken Wings. The chorus, I am guessing sounds like a whammy dive. Very tasty clean guitar in this as well. Very 80s sounding guitar effects, but very tasty playing.

Though the keyboard and bass line in the Lauper song makes it too.

Creed_Clicks · August 2023

The bass line on Mr Mister is also fantastic.

DrCornelius · August 2023

Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs but do some 'Alan Murphy' you-tube research. I reckon he was the best in this genre - a fantastic player

digitalkettle · August 2023

Creed_Clicks said:

Never took much notice in the past, but just listening to some 80s songs...

'twas a golden age!

Creed_Clicks said:

The bass line on Mr Mister is also fantastic.

Sounds like synth bass(?)

digitalkettle · August 2023

DrCornelius said:

Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs but do some 'Alan Murphy' you-tube research. I reckon he was the best in this genre - a fantastic player

Was Alan only a 'this side of the pond' player? (Kate Bush, Level 42, Go West, etc.)

DrCornelius · August 2023

digitalkettle said:

DrCornelius said:

Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs but do some 'Alan Murphy' you-tube research. I reckon he was the best in this genre - a fantastic player

Was Alan only a 'this side of the pond' player? (Kate Bush, Level 42, Go West, etc.)

Yup, as far as I know

vasselmeyer · August 2023

Alan Murphy was a FABULOUS guitarist. Such a loss at an early age.

FelineGuitars · August 2023

Cyndi’s guitar playing was Eric Bazilion from the Hooters and Steve Farris played on Mister Mr

Switch625 · August 2023

I love the guitars behind 80s pop songs. They're so subtle yet noticeable at the same time.

A couple of songs that spring to mind are I Keep Forgettin' by Michael McDonald and Physical by Olivia Newton John. I believe both were played on by Steve Lukather. Subtle but noticeable.

FelineGuitars · August 2023

One of my favourites from that era

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dOwHzCHfgA

Creed_Clicks · August 2023

@FelineGuitars Yep, some lovely guitar there. It's not out in the front, but noticeable and very nice indeed!

Creed_Clicks · August 2023

@digitalkettle yep, sounds like a synth bass, and the pad synth also sounds glorious.

digitalkettle · August 2023

Lovely solo at 3:20

Jonathangus · August 2023

We had Songs From the Big Chair by Tears For Fears as a listening party (what happened to them?) a while back. Some fine guitar playing sitting within a predominantly synth-pop album.

Philly_Q · August 2023

FelineGuitars said:

Cyndi’s guitar playing was Eric Bazilion from the Hooters and Steve Farris played on Mister Mr

I thought Steve Farris was dead, but it turns out he isn't... I must've been thinking of someone else from a similar(ish) band. I wonder who it was?

There was another guy called John McCurry who also played guitar with Cyndi Lauper and on many other '80s soft-rock albums.

FelineGuitars · August 2023

Philly_Q said:

FelineGuitars said:

Cyndi’s guitar playing was Eric Bazilion from the Hooters and Steve Farris played on Mister Mr

I thought Steve Farris was dead, but it turns out he isn't...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB69p6lkSRI

munckee · August 2023

FelineGuitars said:

One of my favourites from that era
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dOwHzCHfgA

One of the best power pop songs ever along with sun always shines on tv by aha.

CaseOfAce · August 2023

If you are at all triggered by

Floyd Rose charvels
rack gear
keyboard stands
frightening mullets
scary musicianship
electronic drums
rolled-up sleeve jackets and looking like you've just stepped out of a John Hughes movie
balloons

DO NOT watch this video.

Everybody else enjoy - it doesn't get more 80s than this.
There's some use of backing tracks in there... but mostly this is a band at the height of their powers.
New York / The Ritz / 1985

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtTKSKDIXtg

swiller · August 2023

1:04 to 1:45 one of my fav guitar solos ever.

Creed_Clicks · August 2023

@CaseOfAce I'm only familiar with some of their songs, but some top class stuff there. Love the synths in this.

Philly_Q · August 2023

FelineGuitars said:

Philly_Q said:

FelineGuitars said:

Cyndi’s guitar playing was Eric Bazilion from the Hooters and Steve Farris played on Mister Mr

I thought Steve Farris was dead, but it turns out he isn't...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB69p6lkSRI

I might have been thinking of the bloke from Cutting Crew. Although he died a long time ago.

CountryDave · August 2023

waCaseOfAce said:

If you are at all triggered by
Floyd Rose charvels
rack gear
keyboard stands
frightening mullets
scary musicianship
electronic drums
rolled-up sleeve jackets and looking like you've just stepped out of a John Hughes movie
balloons
DO NOT watch this video.

Everybody else enjoy - it doesn't get more 80s than this.
There's some use of backing tracks in there... but mostly this is a band at the height of their powers.
New York / The Ritz / 1985

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtTKSKDIXtg

Watching Sky Arts the other day and it was Ringo’s All Star band from Nashville.
What a line up.
Lukather, Mr Mister’s bass/singer, Mark Rivera on Sax/vocals amongst others. All pulling out songs from their back catalog. Joe Walsh even joined in on a couple.

axisus · August 2023

That Mr Mister song was superb, still love it.

Go West were really good as well.

stickyfiddle · August 2023

Cyndi but no mention of Girls Just Wanna..?!? SHAME!! Awesome funky guitar riff in a cracking bit of pop.

But while we're on the subject of Ms Lauper it's lovely to hear something like Time After Time and get a real vocal performance that's far from technically perfect but utterly full of character and emotion. Something that wouldn't stand a chance of getting through a studio exec team these days

CaseOfAce · August 2023

Watching Sky Arts the other day and it was Ringo’s All Star band from Nashville.
What a line up.
Lukather, Mr Mister’s bass/singer, Mark Rivera on Sax/vocals amongst others. All pulling out songs from their back catalog. Joe Walsh even joined in on a couple.

yep - Richard Page on stage with Starr.

The drummer - Pat Mastelotto - from Mr. Mister - last seen on stage with Fripp in King Crimson - and you don't get into a band like that without some serious ability.

Steve Farris went into real estate after quitting the band due to "artistic differences". He just turned his back on the music industry.

Boromedic · August 2023

The much maligned 80s has a load of great tracks, I'm never sure why it gets shit on so much. A great time to grow up and what a soundtrack too.

My Dad always moans about it, but these were real guys playing instruments to high levels, with great songwriting and production to boot. It was all still physically played/made too, unlike now where there's a whole lot more trickery involved. Now I'm not saying there wasn't any studio touch ups and tape manipulation but the basic stuff was guys in a room to tape. Some pure gold in these posts here.

Philly_Q · August 2023

Boromedic said:

The much maligned 80s has a load of great tracks, I'm never sure why it gets shit on so much. A great time to grow up and what a soundtrack too.

My Dad always moans about it, but these were real guys playing instruments to high levels, with great songwriting and production to boot. It was all still physically played/made too, unlike now where there's a whole lot more trickery involved. Now I'm not saying there wasn't any studio touch ups and tape manipulation but the basic stuff was guys in a room to tape. Some pure gold in these posts here.

How old's your dad? My dad would've thought Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen were long-haired hippy weirdos.

Creed_Clicks · August 2023

@stickyfiddle that Time After Time is up there for me as one of the best pop songs of the 80s.

Gizmo · August 2023

Found a few guys on YT that do 80's stuff but with the guitar brought to the front

this guy "Leppardized" them which is also very cool

Lot's of good tunes and top class playing on the 80's stuff, best decade to come of age in,music & film so much classic stuff relased during those days.

Creed_Clicks · August 2023

Boromedic said:

The much maligned 80s has a load of great tracks, I'm never sure why it gets shit on so much. A great time to grow up and what a soundtrack too.

To me, the 80s was the height of the “music industry”. Too much money. Too many drugs. Too many egos being stroked. But yeah, great songs!

PhilKing · August 2023

Philly_Q said:

FelineGuitars said:

Cyndi’s guitar playing was Eric Bazilion from the Hooters and Steve Farris played on Mister Mr

I thought Steve Farris was dead, but it turns out he isn't... I must've been thinking of someone else from a similar(ish) band. I wonder who it was?

There was another guy called John McCurry who also played guitar with Cyndi Lauper and on many other '80s soft-rock albums.

He played on one of my favourite songs from that era, John Waite's The Choice, the guitar solo starts at 1:59, and I still think he has an amazing tone (I believe he was using a Jackson guitar for this):

https://youtu.be/Dp7lGSKVGZE

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80s guitar pop. Mr Mister , Cyndi Lauper etc

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