This seems to me to be as indisputable as it is
obvious, but for anyone still sceptical, I received an e-mail from
a person studying for a doctorate in musical studies (not
just an undergraduate degree, but a higher degree, taken by individuals
proficient in, with a special gift for, their chosen subject). Though older
fans would probably hate him for saying this, he contended, despite knowing
the earlier corpus well, he actually preferred the group’s 1980s material,
because he had grown up with it. Is this an isolated voice in the wilderness,
a solitary exception to the rule? I hope nobody is blinkered enough to say
that. No, there were many in the 1980s from various walks of life, and
consequently with different tastes and aptitudes, who did like this approach
enough to put a succession of Albums into the charts. Senior members of the
establishment who poke fun at, and even express contempt for "popular taste",
would do well to recall the they too were once upon a time caught up in the
same system!
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