Mixtapes and MTV Triumphs and Tragedies in 1980s Music | Author: Tony Wellington

Mixtapes and MTV captures the sounds and shifts of a defining decade in music. More than just mullets and shoulder pads, the 1980s were the golden age of synth-pop, hip-hop, heavy metal, and the beginnings of acid house.

With the extraordinary success of Michael Jackson's Thriller leading the way, the 80s changed how we listened to music. The Sony Walkman made music a personal experience, while vinyl gave way to cassettes and CDs. The arrival of MTV forged an unholy alliance between music, television, and consumerism. Against a backdrop of political conservatism and materialism, the decade also saw the rise of charity rock, powerful female performers, and the subcultural stirrings of grunge.

Witty, vivid, and full of stories, this book charts the musical highs and lows of a tumultuous decade shaped by free-market economics, the AIDS crisis, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. From Duran Duran to Run DMC, Madonna to Metallica, and Springsteen to Sinéad O'Connor, Mixtapes and MTV offers fresh insight into the decade that fashion (arguably) forgot, but music did not.

Details:
Paperback
23.4cm x 15.3cm
368 pages