Anything that is in common between Motley Crue and Metallica. Doubling up guitar tracks on a 6 string bass or a mic’d unplugged solid body electric to add subs, multi tracked rhythm guitar in general, hyped kick drum sounds.

In modern times: noticeable, non-surfy reverb/reverb that’s not highpassed.

penningtron wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 12:21 pm

Geiginni wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 10:56 am - Chorus, on anything (and too often, everything), but particularly acoustic guitar

If I had to pinpoint the absolute worst sound of the '80s it would be fretless electric bass with chorus. Sounds like a polished queef.

Oh gawd, I know that exact sound and it makes me want to break something just thinking about it.

Geiginni wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 12:48 pm Say what you will about the musical merits of Rush, but the change in their sound between Caress of Steel or 2112 and Power Windows or Presto is a stark example of everything cheesy and bad about the 80s

And yet Signals and Grace Under Pressure are two of their best records, the only two I ever want to listen to anymore and I kept, and I had them all. Actually I only had the first record on cassette. Should prob grab an LP of that one...

Def Leppard's Hysteria probably deserves a mention in this thread.

kokorodoko wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 12:24 pm req example songs of all (or some) these things posted.

Never mind all the bad taste (guitar effects, lyrics, corny arrangement), this to me sounds like a band terrified of what they sound like, and so trying to create a digital monolith version of themselves.

jfv wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 1:18 pm

penningtron wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 12:21 pm

Geiginni wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 10:56 am - Chorus, on anything (and too often, everything), but particularly acoustic guitar

If I had to pinpoint the absolute worst sound of the '80s it would be fretless electric bass with chorus. Sounds like a polished queef.

Oh gawd, I know that exact sound and it makes me want to break something just thinking about it.

Not all the chorus, but for some reason when I think of that bass sound this weird ass song from this children's movie comes to mind. Fast forward about 30 seconds for fretless bass taking the lead.

losthighway wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 2:10 pm

jfv wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 1:18 pm

penningtron wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 12:21 pm

If I had to pinpoint the absolute worst sound of the '80s it would be fretless electric bass with chorus. Sounds like a polished queef.

Oh gawd, I know that exact sound and it makes me want to break something just thinking about it.

Not all the chorus, but for some reason when I think of that bass sound this weird ass song from this children's movie comes to mind. Fast forward about 30 seconds for fretless bass taking the lead.

Lotta DX-7 going on in that one as well as gated drums, heavy vocal reverb. This is pretty much what it sounds like when doves cry.

enframed wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 12:37 pm

tommy wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 12:33 pm 100% of We Built This City.

Every instrument. Every studio trick. It's all there except Autotune, which hadn't been invented yet. There are zero good sounds on this song.

Good choice. While I'm no musician and cannot speak to the studio tricks employed, it's absolute garbage all the way through.

Seconded. Also: Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart

jfv wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 1:18 pm

penningtron wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 12:21 pm

Geiginni wrote: Fri Feb 25, 2022 10:56 am - Chorus, on anything (and too often, everything), but particularly acoustic guitar

If I had to pinpoint the absolute worst sound of the '80s it would be fretless electric bass with chorus. Sounds like a polished queef.

Oh gawd, I know that exact sound and it makes me want to break something just thinking about it.

I was thinking when I read it, "is it... that sound?", and with this clip above, yes indeed it is. Up there with the George Michael/Kenny G sax sound.

Yeah.. maybe for my own sanity I can't remember specific songs but this demo summarizes That Sound pretty well.

I must say though, one piece of 80s cheese I do like is that low end piano fusion thing common in action thriller soundtracks, like here in The Fugitive.

Sorry for OT, just came to think of it (that bass sound immediately brings to mind some glossy movie with night lights over a city and blue-tinted room with satin covers and yeah you know).

EDIT: Hey, that piece even has the frikkin bass sound. It works.