Rembering the 80s: College Rock

Atlanta is blessed with WRAS from Ga. ST. J.B. Fuqua endowed this college station years ago. Consequently, WRAS has a 100,000 watt transmitter and can compete with the commercial stations only they could play anything they wanted. They helped break many of the artists you mention including REM,B-52's, Guadalcanal Diary, Love Tractor,Pylon, Let's Active, the Connells, and others. My favorite story was back in the day I was listening to WRAS and they played "Freebird" 14 times in a row. Finally you heard this SCRATCH and the DJ said "Never call and ask for that song again. This next song is by the Sex Pistols." It was an exciting time for music as the new bands were interesting, fun, and the death knell for corporate commoditized hair bands.

Ah.....I remember that time. Plenty of good memories, for instance:

It's 1980 ish and I'm a recent college grad, living in an apartment with a roommate in North Jersey. Of course, we haunt the NYC club scene and listen to the NYU radio station religiously. One night they play a new band that neither of us has ever heard of. My roommate is instantly smitten by the singer's sultry voice and her rather suggestive lyrics. The music is a ferocious blend of funk and punk and they immediately move to the top of my must see list. Plus, my roommate is in love with the chick singer and now we both have to see this band (if for somewhat different reasons).

Good News! They're coming to the Mudd Club (IIRC). We head in for the (weekday) early show at 11:00 PM, despite the implications for work the next morning. Bad News! The show is sold out. We head back to New Jersey, but my roommate will not be denied. He heads back into NYC for the late show.

The band in question was Romeo Void and the singer's name is Debra Iyall. If you don't know this band (and they were IMHO one of the best of the era), suffice it to say that Debra Iyall sounds a fair bit sexier than she looks. If you want to know the dictionary definition of "disappointed look on your face", you had to see my (bleary eyed) roommate at 6:00 AM the next morning.

Fortunately for him, he reported that the show was great.

"Hey Mickey you're so fine - you're so fine you blow my mind, Hey Mickey! Hey Mickey." It sucked then and it sucks now. That pretty much sums up music of the 80's for me.

Chayro,

Agreed. Popular music in the 80s led me to discover the talent in country music; was living in Nashville then, was a snob about it, but quickly saw the value. So I owe 80s pop a thanks for broadening my appreciation of other genres.