Posted on 04/29/2020 12:04:00 PM PDT by PROCON
The 80's were an absolute haven for great music from all different genres. Whether it was pop, rock, or even new wave, music was progressing by leaps and bounds in terms of new sounds and general hookiness. Though many musicians would need a Casio synthesizer to get their songs on the air, these bands stuck to their guns with letter-perfect rock and roll.
Though many of these songs fall under the domain of rock in name, none of them seem to fit neatly in a single category. While many artists were still following in the bluesy tradition of bands like Led Zeppelin, other artists were making bold new innovations for the genre whose presence can still be felt to this day. Even if you weren't sure how to feel about them on first listen, these songs have aged into modern marvels of the rock pantheon that deserve to be celebrated as such.
From hair metal to progressive rock to regular rock and roll, nothing is off the table when it comes to picking the cream of the rock scene. There may have been a technicolor haze sprinkled across the decade, but these songs don't need any trend in order to warp your brain.
(Excerpt) Read more at whatculture.com ...
I know everybody considers the Beastie Boys rap. But (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party) rocks. Although Sabotage was their best song ever (but was in the 90’s).
Did you know Golden Earring is still going at it?
They started in 1961! And all the members who were there on “Radar Love” are still in the band!
The 80s were a transitional decade as far as music was concerned. Classic rock became more mainstream; we saw "hairbands" and alternative rock; the later part of the decade paved the way to grunge in the early 90s.
 There was a lot of "fun" 80s music, but as others have said, music is subjective; what you find fun, others may not.
It's certainly the greatest music video ever.
I just mentioned Golden Earring though. Just about to hit 60 years. The core of the band has been there through it all.
 Sure there is. But I discovered Hornsby at the Newport Jazz Festival, and he's a legit master of the keys.
I’ll give him props as a piano player, he’s played with Pat Metheny a few times as well.
But he also wrote Henley’s “The End of the Innocence” which was a slam on Reagan.
I went with more popular songs or radio hits but Lemmy all day. How about “Institutionalized” by ST?
LOL, “All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi!”
If we’re going to judge musicians by their politics, then we’re pretty much down to just Kidd Rock and Charlie Daniels.
So true.
I mean you can’t get more far left than Joe Strummer was, but I still love The Clash. But their lyrics were more vague and could be fit for our side, although Joe would have hated that. I think “Clampdown” is the perfect song for these times.
I used to think Neil Peart was on our side, but later in life he seemed to go wobbly.
I got fired from a radio station over that song..
It was a contemporary radio station that played by carousel (same music in same order every day) that I was working for after school, and I had been working there for a few years (14yo-17yo).
My senior year, I was tired of hearing the same cr@p every day, so I got my cassette player and jerry-rigged it to the sound board, and then started playing “Highway to Hell”...
Not even 15 seconds after it started, the owner/manager called and told me to get that the hell off of the air :p
Was fired the next day >.< (lol)
LOL!
You never ceases to amaze me.
Now, if you like Mick Jones, give “Somebody Got Murdered” a listen some time. It was a powerful song based on a real life experience
Duran Duran was a fun band. I saw them in concert and thus from someone who likes Slayer and Megadeth
“How about Institutionalized by ST?”
Yup - that one is a classic in the hardcore punk genre.
I lost interest in Suicidal Tendencies when they morphed into a mediocre thrash metal band.
Wait a minute - WE decided? MY best interests??
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