Did you enjoy watching MTV during the 1981-85 period?

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There’s no comparison, they just played music videos around the clock.
 
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I totally agree, grunge killed the fun and melody of the music.
 
I haven’t seen MTV in many years. Probably haven’t watched since the late 1980s. My impression is that it started to show reality shows about 30 years ago and that’s basically all it is now. What does it show now?
 
I used to work in a grocery store. The amount of ‘80s love songs played was unreal.
 
CTBcin said:
While I wasn’t alive then, I can only assume that this was the period when MTV was actually about music and played music videos. So I can definitely say that I would’ve found it much more bearable than the current MTV.
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You are correct. I used to watch in the 82-85 years, but stopped when I got married and couldn’t afford cable. Now it’s junk from what I can tell in reading the guide or when channel surfing.
 
I was a bit of an oddball in that I didn’t really get into pop music during that era. Influenced by my dad, I was much more into classical music.

I don’t remember what year we got cable, but even when I had it, I wouldn’t have watched much MTV during the period cited. I did watch it some when I went off to college, in the late 80s/early 90s.
 
Vh 1 I think shows videos, but now videos seem to go straight to YouTube.

I think Duran Duran had good videos in the time frame referenced in the OP.

I remember there being a televised countdown of the top 10 songs on Saturday morning. It was hosted by Casey Kasem and would show one or two videos from the countdown.
 
Yep. I watched it. Don’t remember the first video I saw, but I remember really liking David Bowie’s video for the song “Blue Jean”, even though I’m not a David Bowie fan.

I remember, on Friday nights, they would show live shows from up and coming bands from different college campuses.

My sister had a couple of friends in a band that had a couple of videos on MTV. That was pretty cool. They came to sing at her wedding and I got to get up and play with them. I was a senior in high school at the time and my girlfriend was blown away that I knew them.
 
F_Marturana said:
I remember there being a televised countdown of the top 10 songs on Saturday morning. It was hosted by Casey Kasem and would show one or two videos from the countdown.
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Imagine if Casey Kasem, God rest his soul, had somehow become one of the original MTV veejays in 1981. It probably wouldn’t have happened, but imagine how things would’ve turned out.
 
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Techno2000 said:
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masuwerte1:
Sure, I remember Martha Quinn. Also “Downtown” Julie Brown.

Anyone remember “Night Trax?” I used to work the closing shift at Taco Bell, then come home and watch some videos.
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Also, there was Night Flight a TV show that played music videos.
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And a show called " Friday Night Videos" that came on really late at night. They would go to a commercial break and say, “When we return, the next six videos will be…” It was torture waiting for the one video that you wanted to see.
 
F_Marturana said:
I think Duran Duran had good videos in the time frame referenced in the OP.
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Duran Duran had groundbreaking videos in the early 80s, such as Hungry Like the Wolf, Rio, and Save a Prayer during the 1982-1983 period. Plus the ever-controversial Girls on Film.
 
As I remember it, it was like a visible radio. It was kind of on in the background and only got real attention from the group when a video one of us particularly liked was playing. We didn’t sit and focus on the TV for an extended period of time.
 
I remember Michael Jackson, ZZ Top and Huey Lewis and the News being in heavy rotation in the early days of MTV.
 
Maxirad said:
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F_Marturana:
I remember there being a televised countdown of the top 10 songs on Saturday morning. It was hosted by Casey Kasem and would show one or two videos from the countdown.
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Imagine if Casey Kasem, God rest his soul, had somehow become one of the original MTV veejays in 1981. It probably wouldn’t have happened, but imagine how things would’ve turned out.
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Casey Kasem was all about Top 40 commercial stuff. The thing I liked about MTV was that they played lot of obscure stuff that is just now getting the recognition it deserves.
 
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Techno2000 said:
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babochka:
Hungry Like the Wolf, Rio, and Save a Prayer
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Right, songs you would never hear on the radio.
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Duran Duran was up and coming in the early days of MTV. They helped each other succeed. Duran Duran kind of defined the music video early on, even winning a Grammy for Hungry Like the Wolf.

Hungry Like the Wolf was a top 10 hit and Rio was a top 20 hit, but not right away in the US. For some strange reason, US audiences never loved Save a Prayer.
 
There was a kind of music in the 80s called “CowPunk”. Jason and the Scorchers, Lone Justice, Rank and File, bands like that. MTV was about the only place outside college radio to hear them.
 
babochka said:
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Techno2000:
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babochka:
Hungry Like the Wolf, Rio, and Save a Prayer
Click to expand...
Right, songs you would never hear on the radio.
Click to expand...
Duran Duran was up and coming in the early days of MTV. They helped each other succeed. Duran Duran kind of defined the music video early on, even winning a Grammy for Hungry Like the Wolf.

Hungry Like the Wolf was a top 10 hit and Rio was a top 20 hit, but not right away in the US. For some strange reason, US audiences never loved Save a Prayer.
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I can honestly say, I never heard any Duran Duran play on the radio here in New Orleans back when they came out.
 
I had it on 24/7 in my matchbox-sized NYC apartment from 83-85, loved it!
 
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