The Steve Gibbons Band in the 1980s at a glance

The music scene of the 1980s is described by a German website as follows:

This was the „decade of clear fronts“. In the past, styles had often fertilized and complemented each other, but now (possibly in analogy to the Cold War, which was just getting worse again) two „music blocks“, which mainly determined the current development, stood almost monolithically next to each other: Pop (regarded by unconditional followers as beautiful and sophisticated music, but by irreconcilable opponents as commercial, artificial and faceless) and Metal (considered real and independent by fans because of the instrumental handwork and the fact that almost all bands wrote their own songs, dismissed by despisers as loud, ugly and generally unbearable). The term „pop“ finally established itself as a genre umbrella term…

In addition, electronic dance music gained in importance, continuing the disco trend by other means.

Many consider the 1980s to be the „decade of bad taste“. Well, as is well known, one can (not) argue about taste. But what is certain is that the eighties were not an easy time for rock groups.

This also applies to the Steve Gibbons Band, which lost its contract with a Mayor Company at the end of the 1970s and had to reinvent itself in terms of personnel in addition.

Accordingly, in terms of record releases, the 1980s were an „irregular“ decade for SGB:

• At the beginning of this decade, the group released two LPs, „Street Parade“ (2/81) and „Saints and Sinners“ (10/81)on the major label RCA, only eight months apart. By that the  contract was fulfilled, and the band was not offered a new one. Subsequently, that was the end of the releases for the time being
• It was not until 1986 that the SGB started to supply the turntable again, when the  live LP „On the Loose“ was released. The LP was released by smaller record company and, unlike the longplayers before them, hardly ever ended up in the shops in stock. Therefore it is no wonder, that this record could not chart. Also the venues the band played became smaller.

But the 1980s were also filled with interesting experience:

• On the one hand, there was the appearance in the German cult television programme Rockpalast, the island for „real“ music in the then exclusively public porridge of radio and television.

• Then, in 1981, along paths that are no longer entirely comprehensible even to Steve Gibbons himself, SGB became the first white Western rock band to be allowed to tour extensively through the GDR – and was even invited again the following year.
• And in 1986, Steve’s dream of every rock musician came true: He stood on stage with a Beatle at the Heart Beat Charity concert.

When he played „Johnny B. Goode“ with George Harrison in front of a sold-out hall      (together with Robert Plant and ELO, among others), he probably wouldn’t have dreamed that two decades later he would be accompanied at another gig by two members of the Rolling Stones and the former guitarist of Elvis Presley. (More about this in the 2000s).

So it remains interesting.

Therefore it is worthwhile to have a look here on this page from time to time.

Here you can find the first information on the 1990s.

Back to the overview page of the English version of this website.