Dire Straits in ‘86 when I was ten is what took me from Boy George and Michael Jackson into music qua music. (Australia in the 80s meant that we were a year behind on international releases.)

Within six months I had gone through Twisted Sister, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, and so on. My cousin took me to Bon Jovi in ‘87 and by the end of that year I was neck deep in every punk and metal record bin I could find. Being a full time skate rat certainly helped too.

Every time I see this thread I momentarily think it reads "Getaway Bands" and I wonder which bands would be in such a category.

jfv wrote: Sat Apr 19, 2025 11:58 amR.E.M. x10

Reading articles about REM in the early 80s could give you names of bands or record labels to go find out more about. Like this Record magazine piece from 84.
https://oldgreycat.blog/wp-content/uplo ... g_0769.jpg

handsbloodyhands wrote: Mon May 05, 2025 2:25 pm

jfv wrote: Sat Apr 19, 2025 11:58 amR.E.M. x10

Reading articles about REM in the early 80s could give you names of bands or record labels to go find out more about. Like this Record magazine piece from 84.
https://oldgreycat.blog/wp-content/uplo ... g_0769.jpg

Indeed. The quality of the bands that opened for R.E.M., particularly in the 80s, is impressive. Say what you will about the band itself... the band had good taste in other bands.

enframed wrote: Mon May 05, 2025 1:35 pm Every time I see this thread I momentarily think it reads "Getaway Bands" and I wonder which bands would be in such a category.

Deep Purple

True story - and I never lent him my car again

jfv wrote: Mon May 05, 2025 2:32 pm

handsbloodyhands wrote: Mon May 05, 2025 2:25 pm

jfv wrote: Sat Apr 19, 2025 11:58 amR.E.M. x10

Reading articles about REM in the early 80s could give you names of bands or record labels to go find out more about. Like this Record magazine piece from 84.
https://oldgreycat.blog/wp-content/uplo ... g_0769.jpg

Indeed. The quality of the bands that opened for R.E.M., particularly in the 80s, is impressive. Say what you will about the band itself... the band had good taste in other bands.

Read this in a Pavement article from 1997. Common experience it seems.

Nursing a cup of joe in a coffee bar near his house in Berkeley, California, Scott Kannberg connects the tactic to his own experiences growing up. ‟The way I discovered a lot of music was by reading R.E.M. interviews and seeing them say ‛We’re really into the Velvet Underground’ or ‛We’re really into Wire.’ So I’d go out and buy those records. We try and do the same thing.”