PICTURE THIS

MUSIC IN THE ‘80S

by Lynn Goldsmith (Rizzoli £55, 288 pp)

‘I HATED the ’80s, except for the sex and drugs,’ said Iggy Pop of the decade beautifully captured in Lynn Goldsmith’s new book. On the one hand it was home to some unforgettable music — Madonna, Prince, The B-52’s (pictured), to name but a few. On the other, it also gave birth to shoulder pads, silly haircuts, Spandex and a whole lot of synth — as a cultural period, it tends to divide opinion. Slash from Guns N’ Roses surms up the Marmite decade nicely: ‘I wasn’t a big fan of the ’80s aesthetic. But it was a fun time … looking back on it, I would say, the ‘80s was the last truly definable decade, love it or hate it.’