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Awesome bands from the 80's

As someone who grew up on 80s music (and with it still in heavy rotation and earmarked on my Pandora) it pains me to have to say that most of the music that decade wasn't really very good.

It's also a little tough to really draw the line, because a lot of the bands that were big in the 80s actually came out of the 70s. For example, Def Leppard was one of my favorites, and their peak was in the mid 80s...but they came out in 1976. Aerosmith re-emerged in 86 or 87, but they go back to 1970. Similarly, bands like Metallica and Nirvana really hit big in 1991 and 1992, respectively...but date to 1983 and 1987.

Some who were formed in the 80s and had success in the same decade were Guns & Roses and Motley Crue...but if you really listen to their catalog, it's hard to argue that they were really good...they were just fast, loud, bombastic, and singing about what we were most interested in (sex & drugs). In some cases, if I hadn't grown up on that stuff, I'm not sure I'd be able to tell some of the bands apart.
 
As someone who grew up on 80s music (and with it still in heavy rotation and earmarked on my Pandora) it pains me to have to say that most of the music that decade wasn't really very good.

It's also a little tough to really draw the line, because a lot of the bands that were big in the 80s actually came out of the 70s. For example, Def Leppard was one of my favorites, and their peak was in the mid 80s...but they came out in 1976. Aerosmith re-emerged in 86 or 87, but they go back to 1970. Similarly, bands like Metallica and Nirvana really hit big in 1991 and 1992, respectively...but date to 1983 and 1987.

Some who were formed in the 80s and had success in the same decade were Guns & Roses and Motley Crue...but if you really listen to their catalog, it's hard to argue that they were really good...they were just fast, loud, bombastic, and singing about what we were most interested in (sex & drugs). In some cases, if I hadn't grown up on that stuff, I'm not sure I'd be able to tell some of the bands apart.
To your point, Scorpions were touring last year so I looked them up to see how old they were and when they started touring. They started touring in the late 60s!
 
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I need a cocktail to

I need a cocktail to contemplate the proper response here.
At least its a short list. Thank goodness groups like gnr and janes addiction ushered out most of the 80's music. Loved the police and stings solo stuff. Sonic Youth, the cure, the pretenders,dire straights, pixies,Depeche mode, tom Patty's 80's stuff, new order,u2, rem, deep purple (perfect strangers), etc. Nothing like 90'-96'.
 
Rick Springfield
Van Halen (with David Lee Roth)
Two Live Crew
MC Hammer
Phil Collins
Devo
The Cars
Easy E
Def Leopard
Toto
Bon Jovi
ZZ Top
Eddie Money
Run DMC
 
As someone who grew up on 80s music (and with it still in heavy rotation and earmarked on my Pandora) it pains me to have to say that most of the music that decade wasn't really very good.

It's also a little tough to really draw the line, because a lot of the bands that were big in the 80s actually came out of the 70s. For example, Def Leppard was one of my favorites, and their peak was in the mid 80s...but they came out in 1976. Aerosmith re-emerged in 86 or 87, but they go back to 1970. Similarly, bands like Metallica and Nirvana really hit big in 1991 and 1992, respectively...but date to 1983 and 1987.

Some who were formed in the 80s and had success in the same decade were Guns & Roses and Motley Crue...but if you really listen to their catalog, it's hard to argue that they were really good...they were just fast, loud, bombastic, and singing about what we were most interested in (sex & drugs). In some cases, if I hadn't grown up on that stuff, I'm not sure I'd be able to tell some of the bands apart.
Totally disagree - the 80's had the broadest spectrum of musical origins of any decade. The decade started out with sappy REO Speedwagon/Air Supply nonsense, the remnants of disco and some feeble attempts at New Wave/punk. Look at the top 100 from 1980. Little River Band?!? Please. Bette Midler. C'mon. Love me some Kool and the Gang though.


But then start getting interesting (Class of '81), still a mishmash of pseudo easy listening crap -see also Endless Love (Diana Ross/Lionel Richie) at #2. Gag. Who's that down at #63? John Cougar...about to explode. And The Police make a couple appearances. What isn't seen is the burgeoning New Wave sound coming down the pike. And the Brits are getting their act together again. And this thing called 'rap' is lurking along with some interesting funk. The box speakers at fraternity happy hours in Pullman are NOT playing Diana Ross, let me tell you that for sure.

And then this little thing called MTV shows up in August 81. A literal game changer.

BOOM - 1982 - The 2nd British invasion hits hard. Soft Cell, Duran Duran, Madness, Squeeze, ABC, Dexys Midnight Runners, Human Leage, on and on.

This band from SoCal called The Go Gos is an overnight sensation. Missing Persons,

See also MTV who essentially played anything and anyone who had a video. A virtual smorgasboard of musical styles - whoever had a video was getting airplay.

hhttps://playback.fm/charts/top-100-songs/1982

1983-1984 - WHAM!, Prince, Springsteen, Eurythmics, Depeche Mode, Bowie, Culture Club, Huey Lewis and the News, INXS, U2. Michael Jackson -Thriller - guys would literally empty out of their rooms and run to the chapter room (one TV for 60 people) when that came on.


1985 - Madonna. End of story. Sorority girl fashion changed overnight. That was good thing.


1986/1987 - arguably the two greatest years in musical history -musical diversity like never before. Ric Astley. Anybody who argues against Ric Astley is a communist. Bon Jovi hits, the hair bands start making some noise. Bangles - see also prior thread on Susanna Hoffs. RunDMC/Aerosmith and rap finally hits the masses. Cameo - who doesn't like Word Up? That's just wrong if you're a Word Up hater. Whitney F'ing Houston.


1988 - coked out super hot Belinda Carlisle. Milli Vanill- and don't act like you don't know every single word to Girl You Know It's True. Guns N Roses. A little bubble gum for the teens with Debbie Gibson and Tiffany. Not the greatest year but solid.


1989 - Bobby Brown - its your prerogative to hate but that's a great song. B52s, New Kids show up and are still filling arenas with your wives now in their 50's. The Cure, Poison.


Take that 90's and your depressing grungy angst. The 80's were fun and completely reflective of the culture of tolerance, acceptance and, yes, greed (is good).

Oh, Mr. Gorbachev had his wall torn down in no small part due to the tunes indoctrinating the eastern bloc to western ways.

It was the best of times.

It was the best of music.
 
My personal favorite of the 80's is The Police (I know they started in the 70's - it takes a while to get rolling). Fond memories of their concert in the T-Dome. I also like Squeeze quite a lot.

And WHAM! Who the hell hates on WHAM!?!?! That's just wrong.
 
My personal favorite of the 80's is The Police (I know they started in the 70's - it takes a while to get rolling). Fond memories of their concert in the T-Dome. I also like Squeeze quite a lot.

And WHAM! Who the hell hates on WHAM!?!?! That's just wrong.
From the sublime to the ridiculous in one post!! Who could make fun of Boy George??
 
As someone who grew up on 80s music (and with it still in heavy rotation and earmarked on my Pandora) it pains me to have to say that most of the music that decade wasn't really very good.

It's also a little tough to really draw the line, because a lot of the bands that were big in the 80s actually came out of the 70s. For example, Def Leppard was one of my favorites, and their peak was in the mid 80s...but they came out in 1976. Aerosmith re-emerged in 86 or 87, but they go back to 1970. Similarly, bands like Metallica and Nirvana really hit big in 1991 and 1992, respectively...but date to 1983 and 1987.

Some who were formed in the 80s and had success in the same decade were Guns & Roses and Motley Crue...but if you really listen to their catalog, it's hard to argue that they were really good...they were just fast, loud, bombastic, and singing about what we were most interested in (sex & drugs). In some cases, if I hadn't grown up on that stuff, I'm not sure I'd be able to tell some of the bands apart.
What??? Don’t know what crap you were listening to.

The Replacements
The Smiths
The Cure
The Pixies
Prince
Sonic Youth
Talking Heads
U2
INXS
REM
X
Husker Du
Fugazi
Dinosaur Jr
The Minutemen
Dead Kennedys
Black Flag
Jane’s Addiction
NWA
Public Enemy
Bad Brains
The Pogues
Soundgarden
And many more
 
The thing about the 80's musically, is that the 80's was known for 1. 1 hit wonder songs. 2. Such a diversity of both 1 hit wonders and bands that had 3,4,5 popular and or good songs dependent on how few, many albums they had, and how often said albums came out, that it was hard to remember song names, band names. 3. MTV music videos. 4. Such a diversity of different kinds of music. 5. So many bands that while technically came out earlier then the 80's, were known for either making it in the 80's or making a comeback in the 80's, or their best hits, songs were in the 80's, etc, that even tho they technically came out before 80's, they were known as 80's bands. Example Def Leppard's 3 best hit albums, were Pyromania, 1984, and Hysteria 1987 and Adrenalize 89/90/91(mostly produced, toured in 80's, released as singles in late 80's before released in 89/90/91.). Also some of these bands were helped along by MTV videos. 6. So many bands were not good, but were still popular, and usually had at least 1,2,3,4 songs that were good.

Because of those factors about the 80's, it's hard to remember band names, songs, and so I might only put down a song names, or a popular line from a song, or misspell a band or song name, and might leave band names off my list accidentally due to forgetting about them, etc, that either I would normally put on my list, or that someone else would put on my list or their list.

Also my favorite music genres from the 80's was:

Rock.
Pop Rock
Pop
Hip Hop/Rap(not hard core rap like cop kills rap, etc)
Hard Rock/Butt rock/Glam/Hair band rock/semi Hard Metal Rock(Example Def Leppard)

So with that in mind here is my list in no particular order, as they come to my memory.

Bon Jovi
Def Leppard.
Poison
Scorpions
AC/DC
Van Halen
Ratt
Aerosmith
Guns N Roses(1 songs(Sweet Child of Mine)
Metallica(For Whom Bell Tolls, Ride lightning, Master of Puppets, Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters(hated everything else they did that BUTCHERED Hetfields voice, etc)
Great White
White Snake
Europe
Alice Cooper(Poison)
Ozzy
Cinderella
Firehouse(came out in 88,89, and their hit songs, albums came out in 89/90(Bon Jovi and others sponsored them, and who they opened up for in 80's.
Steelheart.89
White Lion
Skid Row
Slaughter
Quiet Riot
Twisted Sister
Judas Priest
Night Ranger
Survivor
Journey
Chicago
Police
Reo Speedwagon
Starship
Phil Colins
Kenny Loggins
Bryan Adams(borderline 89/90)(not sure if he is 80's)
Lita Ford
Heart
Bangles
Madonna
Banannarama
Belinda Carlisle
Culture Club
Men Down Under
Hootie and the blowfish
Cutting Crew
INXS
Eurythmics
Richard Marx
Falco
Cars
Mike and the Mechanics
Whitney Houston
Cyndi Lauper
Pat Benatar
Michael Jackson
Prince
Run DMC
Jets
Men without Hats
Coolio not sure might have come out as early as 88
Beastie Boys
MC Hammer not sure as might have come out as early as 88,89.
CC Music Factory, came out in 88,89, and their hit everybody dance now came out in 88,89.

That's all I can remember.

I am sure I'll remember some that should be on this list after looking at other list, and I sure some of you can remember, add to this list, and I am sure I am accidentally leaving some off list that should be on list. And I am sure that some of you will think that some should not be on my list, etc, and I am sure I accidentally put at least 1 90's band, etc, accidentally on list.
 
Good list, Mic. Def Leppard and Beastie Boys for sure 80's root. Fight for your right to party, man.

Bryan Adams definitely 80's. My wife's first concert was Bryan Adams circa 1985. I think she still thirsts for him.

Which is fine because skinny coked out Belinda Carlisle.

belinda-carlisle-80s-3.jpg
 
I liked the Go Gos. And Belinda. She was on & off with the drugs for most of her adult life, and in current pictures you can see she had a physically tough life. That sort of thing shows up as we get older...
 
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