Odd topic - Best bands of the 80's (1 Viewer)

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Georgia Satellites

We're being serious in here.

 

[bakes]

Rush - Permamnet Waves, Moving Pictures and Signals was a sick run

Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, Power Slave, Somewhere In Time

Ozzy - Blizzard of Oz, Diary of A Madman, Ultimate Sin

Dio - Holy Diver, Last In Line, Dream Evil

Tesla - Mechanical Renaissance, The Great Radio Controversy

Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime and Rage For Order are legendary art rock albums.

But you can't discount hair metal giants, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, and Def Leppard. Those 3 bands were juggernauts and produced some great great 80's rock songs.

Guns And Roses had the one album and they definitely were huge.....but they sucked live...sucked bad.

Still Of The Night to this day is a monster tune. Love it.

Best power ballad and the one that really started it all was Home Sweet Home from Motley Crue. Song was the number one video on MTV for like a year straight.

If Hell had Muzak I think you just listed the top artists on the playlist.

Then I want to burn in hell baby.

That reminds me, we left out Twisted Sister.

And Quiet Riot, Aldo Nova...

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Georgia Satellites

We're being serious in here.

I know. There's no way they can be considered - but as probably the only person on Earth that had all three of their albums plus two Dan Baird solo albums I figured I'd get them in the thread.

My real top candidates would include: R.E.M, the Smiths, Springsteen and the E Street Band, Petty and the Heartbreakers, Joe Jackson, U2, Guns and Roses (although as pointed out they overlap with the 90s), the Cure and the Pixies.

 

[SteevieG]

Anyone else like Triumph back in the day? Serious guitar player that could also sing, (drummer had a good voice too.) oh and HAIR!!!

Yep. I want to say the guitar player's name was Rick Emmett. Liked that band a lot.

 

[Todem]

Anyone else like Triumph back in the day? Serious guitar player that could also sing, (drummer had a good voice too.) oh and HAIR!!!

Yep. I want to say the guitar player's name was Rick Emmett. Liked that band a lot.

Indeed it was.

Fight The Good Fight!!!

 

[Eephus]

Anyone else like Triumph back in the day? Serious guitar player that could also sing, (drummer had a good voice too.) oh and HAIR!!!

Yep. I want to say the guitar player's name was Rick Emmett. Liked that band a lot.

Indeed it was.

Fight The Good Fight!!!

...for me to poop on

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

The The

Listening to this right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOjdInPbx9s

"This Is The Day" is one of my top 5 songs of all time.

The whole Soul Mining album is a masterpiece. Yeah, I said it.

Its synth and drum-machine sound somewhat obscures truly incredible song-writing.

I always thought doing a reboot/rearrangement of that album would be incredible, if it was produced well.

 

[SteevieG]

I gotta believe the Scorpions deserve recognition for what they put out in the 80s.

Animal Magnetism - Don't Make No Promises and The Zoo are great songs.

Blackout - Every song is real good with Blackout, Cant Live Without You and You Give Me All I Need being great songs

Love At First Sting - To me this is where they started to slip, albeit ever so slightly - Big City Nights and Bad Boys Running wild are great songs.

I think their best album was Lovedrive, but it was from 1979 and can't be considered in this topic, unfortunately.

 

[Eephus]

The The

Listening to this right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOjdInPbx9s

"This Is The Day" is one of my top 5 songs of all time.

The whole Soul Mining album is a masterpiece. Yeah, I said it.

Its synth and drum-machine sound somewhat obscures truly incredible song-writing.

I always thought doing a reboot/rearrangement of that album would be incredible, if it was produced well.

I love The The but they peaked with this album. As Matt Johnson went on, the music became more dominated by his idiosyncrasies and indulgencies. Infected and (especially) Mind Bomb had their moments but the gorgeousness of the first album got overwhelmed by dark, dense complexity for dark, dense complexity's sake. The Hank Williams cover record is just bizarre.

I think The The would have been better off if it was a working band rather than a solo vehicle for Johnson. Johnson still would have dominated of course but it probably would have been good to have a voice in the studio saying "Matt, that's cool but..." or just to take the pzss out of him every now and again..

 

[Hov34]

Prince should have gotten more recognition in here. Other than MJ, he dominated the 80s (and not in a Madonna way)

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

I gotta believe the Scorpions deserve recognition for what they put out in the 80s.

Animal Magnetism - Don't Make No Promises and The Zoo are great songs.

Blackout - Every song is real good with Blackout, Cant Live Without You and You Give Me All I Need being great songs

Love At First Sting - To me this is where they started to slip, albeit ever so slightly - Big City Nights and Bad Boys Running wild are great songs.

I think their best album was Lovedrive, but it was from 1979 and can't be considered in this topic, unfortunately.

The Scorpions are probably one of the worst "successful"bands of all time.

 

[RedmondLonghorn]

The The

Listening to this right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOjdInPbx9s

"This Is The Day" is one of my top 5 songs of all time.

The whole Soul Mining album is a masterpiece. Yeah, I said it.

Its synth and drum-machine sound somewhat obscures truly incredible song-writing.

I always thought doing a reboot/rearrangement of that album would be incredible, if it was produced well.

I love The The but they peaked with this album. As Matt Johnson went on, the music became more dominated by his idiosyncrasies and indulgencies. Infected and (especially) Mind Bomb had their moments but the gorgeousness of the first album got overwhelmed by dark, dense complexity for dark, dense complexity's sake. The Hank Williams cover record is just bizarre.

I think The The would have been better off if it was a working band rather than a solo vehicle for Johnson. Johnson still would have dominated of course but it probably would have been good to have a voice in the studio saying "Matt, that's cool but..." or just to take the pzss out of him every now and again..

I agree with all of that. Matt Johnson is a very weird dude.

But that album is amazing and if it had some real drumbs and strings and modern production values, rather than just synth machines and a tinny drum machine, it would really be something.

Alas, producing it remains a dream out of my reach, much like my ideas to update/reboot the Match Game and The Fall Guy.

 

[SteevieG]

I gotta believe the Scorpions deserve recognition for what they put out in the 80s.

Animal Magnetism - Don't Make No Promises and The Zoo are great songs.

Blackout - Every song is real good with Blackout, Cant Live Without You and You Give Me All I Need being great songs

Love At First Sting - To me this is where they started to slip, albeit ever so slightly - Big City Nights and Bad Boys Running wild are great songs.

I think their best album was Lovedrive, but it was from 1979 and can't be considered in this topic, unfortunately.

The Scorpions are probably one of the worst "successful"bands of all time.

Oh, OK.

 

[Eephus]

Since RedmondLonghorn brought it up, 80s production is kind of a problem with music of the era. The massive, gated drum sound of the mid-80s is a bigger issue for me than the primitive cheesy drum machines that populate early new wave.

The huge drums work well for the pop hits because they indelibly associate the song to the time and place. But producers and artists went overboard in their pursuit of a hit and indiscriminately sweetened the sound where they shouldn't have IMO.

Geza X's garbage bin production techniques on the early SST records is a whole 'nuther thing.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

I gotta believe the Scorpions deserve recognition for what they put out in the 80s.

Animal Magnetism - Don't Make No Promises and The Zoo are great songs.

Blackout - Every song is real good with Blackout, Cant Live Without You and You Give Me All I Need being great songs

Love At First Sting - To me this is where they started to slip, albeit ever so slightly - Big City Nights and Bad Boys Running wild are great songs.

I think their best album was Lovedrive, but it was from 1979 and can't be considered in this topic, unfortunately.

The Scorpions are probably one of the worst "successful"bands of all time.

Oh, OK.

Actually true. It's been scientifically proven. You can look it up.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Since RedmondLonghorn brought it up, 80s production is kind of a problem with music of the era. The massive, gated drum sound of the mid-80s is a bigger issue for me than the primitive cheesy drum machines that populate early new wave.

The huge drums work well for the pop hits because they indelibly associate the song to the time and place. But producers and artists went overboard in their pursuit of a hit and indiscriminately sweetened the sound where they shouldn't have IMO.

Even once "blues rock" bands like ZZ Top fell victim to this production technique.

 

[IC FBGCav]

New Edition

 

[bakes]

The The

Listening to this right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOjdInPbx9s

"This Is The Day" is one of my top 5 songs of all time.

The whole Soul Mining album is a masterpiece. Yeah, I said it.

Its synth and drum-machine sound somewhat obscures truly incredible song-writing.

I always thought doing a reboot/rearrangement of that album would be incredible, if it was produced well.

The piano solo by Jools Holland at the end of Uncertain Smile (album version)... Killer. Given that The The was pretty much just Matt Johnson overdubbing himself with some guest artists, I agree that a remix could be unbelievable.

 

[TheIronSheik]

Family Ties was in the top 10. Alex P. Keaton was very iconic.

 

[DoubleG]

Since RedmondLonghorn brought it up, 80s production is kind of a problem with music of the era. The massive, gated drum sound of the mid-80s is a bigger issue for me than the primitive cheesy drum machines that populate early new wave.

The huge drums work well for the pop hits because they indelibly associate the song to the time and place. But producers and artists went overboard in their pursuit of a hit and indiscriminately sweetened the sound where they shouldn't have IMO.

Even once "blues rock" bands like ZZ Top fell victim to this production technique.

A great band that took WAY too long to appear in this thread.

 

[Mr. Ected]

Based upon current play, I assume Europe is up there...

 

[Gr00vus]

Squeeze

Loose Endz/Crowded House

Missing Persons (even with Dale Bozio's vocals the musicianship of the band was incredible)

Eurythmics

Simple Minds (prior to Don't You Forget About Me - couldn't listen to them after that)

Aztec Camera

Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Berlin

Haircut 100

Love N Rockets

Bauhaus/Peter Murphy

Lloyd Cole & The Commotions

Lene Lovich

Just another mention for The Police (3 of their 4 albums were released in the 80's) - my all time favorite music act.

 

[Hov34]

Loose Endz/Crowded House

Split Enz

 

[El Floppo]

The Replacements, the Smiths, the Cure.

the Pixies

Sonic Youth

Husker Du

the Jam

the Fall

the Clash

eta:

Talking Heads

Joy Division

New Order

Hunters & Collectors

HooDoo Gurus

The Swingers

INXS

Icehouse

Crowded House

Divinyls

The Go-Betweens

I only knew what was on the radio and 90% of these bands weren't played on the radio. How did you get into them at the time? or was it after the fact?

you were listening to the wrong radio.

I had two college stations nearby playing all of this stuff- constant source of music for me. I also used to spend a lot of time in record stores and would buy albums based on random things- cover, instrumentation, band-name, etc- even if I'd never heard of it.

 

[El Floppo]

Hunters & Collectors

HooDoo Gurus

The Swingers

INXS

Icehouse

Crowded House

Divinyls

The Go-Betweens

I only knew what was on the radio and 90% of these bands weren't played on the radio. How did you get into them at the time? or was it after the fact?

Toe Cutter is Australian. His list was all Aussie bands.

I think you've gone Mental as Anything.

 

[Eephus]

Hunters & Collectors

HooDoo Gurus

The Swingers

INXS

Icehouse

Crowded House

Divinyls

The Go-Betweens

I only knew what was on the radio and 90% of these bands weren't played on the radio. How did you get into them at the time? or was it after the fact?

Toe Cutter is Australian. His list was all Aussie bands.

I think you've gone Mental as Anything.

Well, I've been burning the Midnight Oil

 

[HellToupee]

Hunters & Collectors

HooDoo Gurus

The Swingers

INXS

Icehouse

Crowded House

Divinyls

The Go-Betweens

I only knew what was on the radio and 90% of these bands weren't played on the radio. How did you get into them at the time? or was it after the fact?

Toe Cutter is Australian. His list was all Aussie bands.

I think you've gone Mental as Anything.

Well, I've been burning the Midnight Oil

Thats just a Flash and the Pan

 

[HellToupee]

Hunters & Collectors

HooDoo Gurus

The Swingers

INXS

Icehouse

Crowded House

Divinyls

The Go-Betweens

I only knew what was on the radio and 90% of these bands weren't played on the radio. How did you get into them at the time? or was it after the fact?

Toe Cutter is Australian. His list was all Aussie bands.

I think you've gone Mental as Anything.

Well, I've been burning the Midnight Oil

Thats just a Flash and the Pan

And how didn't The Church make the cut on this list

 

[cstu]

No, no, no. Everything off High n Dry beats Poison. Leppard started off much more hard rock but unfortunately went soft - but it made them millions.

Mutt Lange again.

• AC/DC – Highway to Hell, 1979
• Broken Home – Broken Home, 1979
• AC/DC – Back in Black, 1980
• Foreigner – 4, 1981
• Def Leppard – High 'N' Dry, 1981
• AC/DC – For Those About to Rock We Salute You, 1981
• Def Leppard – Pyromania, 1983
• The Cars – Heartbeat City, 1984
• Def Leppard – Hysteria, 1987
• Romeo's Daughter – Romeo's Daughter, 1988
• Billy Ocean – Tear Down These Walls, 1988
• Bryan Adams – Waking Up the Neighbours, 1991
• Def Leppard – Adrenalize (executive producer), 1992

Def Leppard really blew it (musically, not financially) sticking with Lange after High N Dry.

 

[Short Corner]

Most underrated band of the 80's is INXS.

When I think 80's its INXS or Run DMC.

Boingo

 

[DoubleG]

Hunters & Collectors

HooDoo Gurus

The Swingers

INXS

Icehouse

Crowded House

Divinyls

The Go-Betweens

I only knew what was on the radio and 90% of these bands weren't played on the radio. How did you get into them at the time? or was it after the fact?

Toe Cutter is Australian. His list was all Aussie bands.

I think you've gone Mental as Anything.

Well, I've been burning the Midnight Oil

Thats just a Flash and the Pan

And how didn't The Church make the cut on this list

You're doing it wrong. You must be a Foreigner.

 

[Todem]

No, no, no. Everything off High n Dry beats Poison. Leppard started off much more hard rock but unfortunately went soft - but it made them millions.

Mutt Lange again.

• AC/DC – Highway to Hell, 1979
• Broken Home – Broken Home, 1979
• AC/DC – Back in Black, 1980
• Foreigner – 4, 1981
• Def Leppard – High 'N' Dry, 1981
• AC/DC – For Those About to Rock We Salute You, 1981
• Def Leppard – Pyromania, 1983
• The Cars – Heartbeat City, 1984
• Def Leppard – Hysteria, 1987
• Romeo's Daughter – Romeo's Daughter, 1988
• Billy Ocean – Tear Down These Walls, 1988
• Bryan Adams – Waking Up the Neighbours, 1991
• Def Leppard – Adrenalize (executive producer), 1992

Def Leppard really blew it (musically, not financially) sticking with Lange after High N Dry.

Pyromania is a great album. I disagree. The best they had. I get the production might have been too glossy but that was the 80's. Lot's of kick ### songs on that record. I loved it.

Hysteria was....blech. And it was a monster album churning out hit after hit after hit.

My favorite tune is the little known Gods of War on that slick, sugar coated mess of an album.

 

[JZilla]

No, no, no. Everything off High n Dry beats Poison. Leppard started off much more hard rock but unfortunately went soft - but it made them millions.

Mutt Lange again.

• AC/DC – Highway to Hell, 1979
• Broken Home – Broken Home, 1979
• AC/DC – Back in Black, 1980
• Foreigner – 4, 1981
• Def Leppard – High 'N' Dry, 1981
• AC/DC – For Those About to Rock We Salute You, 1981
• Def Leppard – Pyromania, 1983
• The Cars – Heartbeat City, 1984
• Def Leppard – Hysteria, 1987
• Romeo's Daughter – Romeo's Daughter, 1988
• Billy Ocean – Tear Down These Walls, 1988
• Bryan Adams – Waking Up the Neighbours, 1991
• Def Leppard – Adrenalize (executive producer), 1992

Def Leppard really blew it (musically, not financially) sticking with Lange after High N Dry.

Pyromania is a great album. I disagree. The best they had. I get the production might have been too glossy but that was the 80's. Lot's of kick ### songs on that record. I loved it.

Hysteria was....blech. And it was a monster album churning out hit after hit after hit.

My favorite tune is the little known Gods of War on that slick, sugar coated mess of an album.

To me, Hysteria is SOMEHOW a really good album. "Sugar" is dog####.

Now that it's 1000 years later, I've gone back to the Lep as much as anybody. In my book all four albums hold up.

Another great track from that time was B-side "Ring of Fire"

 

[Todem]

Hysteria has some great songs.....but most to me is way too sugary pop for my taste after the kick ### Pyromania and super solid High and Dry.

Woman, Rocket and Gods of War are my stand out tracks.

 

[TheIronSheik]

No, no, no. Everything off High n Dry beats Poison. Leppard started off much more hard rock but unfortunately went soft - but it made them millions.

Mutt Lange again.

• AC/DC – Highway to Hell, 1979
• Broken Home – Broken Home, 1979
• AC/DC – Back in Black, 1980
• Foreigner – 4, 1981
• Def Leppard – High 'N' Dry, 1981
• AC/DC – For Those About to Rock We Salute You, 1981
• Def Leppard – Pyromania, 1983
• The Cars – Heartbeat City, 1984
• Def Leppard – Hysteria, 1987
• Romeo's Daughter – Romeo's Daughter, 1988
• Billy Ocean – Tear Down These Walls, 1988
• Bryan Adams – Waking Up the Neighbours, 1991
• Def Leppard – Adrenalize (executive producer), 1992

Def Leppard really blew it (musically, not financially) sticking with Lange after High N Dry.

Pyromania is a great album. I disagree. The best they had. I get the production might have been too glossy but that was the 80's. Lot's of kick ### songs on that record. I loved it.

Hysteria was....blech. And it was a monster album churning out hit after hit after hit.

My favorite tune is the little known Gods of War on that slick, sugar coated mess of an album.

"They counted on America to be passive. They counted wrong."

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Photograph is a great song.

 

[Todem]

No, no, no. Everything off High n Dry beats Poison. Leppard started off much more hard rock but unfortunately went soft - but it made them millions.

Mutt Lange again.

• AC/DC – Highway to Hell, 1979
• Broken Home – Broken Home, 1979
• AC/DC – Back in Black, 1980
• Foreigner – 4, 1981
• Def Leppard – High 'N' Dry, 1981
• AC/DC – For Those About to Rock We Salute You, 1981
• Def Leppard – Pyromania, 1983
• The Cars – Heartbeat City, 1984
• Def Leppard – Hysteria, 1987
• Romeo's Daughter – Romeo's Daughter, 1988
• Billy Ocean – Tear Down These Walls, 1988
• Bryan Adams – Waking Up the Neighbours, 1991
• Def Leppard – Adrenalize (executive producer), 1992

Def Leppard really blew it (musically, not financially) sticking with Lange after High N Dry.

Pyromania is a great album. I disagree. The best they had. I get the production might have been too glossy but that was the 80's. Lot's of kick ### songs on that record. I loved it.

Hysteria was....blech. And it was a monster album churning out hit after hit after hit.

My favorite tune is the little known Gods of War on that slick, sugar coated mess of an album.

"They counted on America to be passive. They counted wrong."

You have reached your quota of positive votes for the day

 

[cstu]

I feel bad for people who can't enjoy this.

 

[Todem]

I feel bad for people who can't enjoy this.

Great song.

CC's hair......LMFAO!!!!!!

Saw them open for Motley Crue on the Girls Girls Girls tour when I was 17. They brought the house down. Thought they upstaged Crue that night. They played almost their entire debut album (it's all they had released at the time).

 

[bakes]

Photograph is a great song.

True, but Pour Some Sugar On Me was a piece of dog####. Pure derivative rehashed dog####.

 

[Toe Cutter]

I feel bad for people who can't enjoy this.

its ok if you're in th dunny

 

[John Bender]

Wang Chung or Pet Shop Boys.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

I feel bad for people who can't enjoy this.

Feel bad for me then.

 

[-jb-]

Here's the deal - I feel like the 80s was the first decade that different genres shared audiences. Which, in itself, is a testament to the progress that was accomplished during the decade. I'm the personification of that. The battle between genre disappeared. People cared less about how it was defined. That's what makes it such a tough/impossible task to determine what the best of the 80s was. It was a period of music that the best mattered the least (not that it ever matters much in a subjective topic). Are we really comparing the Pretenders to Metallica to Petty to Van Halen. Let's compare cheeseburgers to French fries while we are at it. They live in harmony, not at odds with one another. Whoever said it was a ####ty decade for music can suck it. It was the culmination of a number of musical varieties (pop, rock, punk, etc.) all sharing a period of transformation. Some for better, some for worse. All in the name of progress. If you feel otherwise, go #### yourself. #grouphug

 

[Ghost Rider]

Hysteria has some great songs.....but most to me is way too sugary pop for my taste after the kick ### Pyromania and super solid High and Dry.

Woman, Rocket and Gods of War are my stand out tracks.

Agreed. I like Animal, too. Never cared for the title track or Armageddon It. I liked Pour Some Sugar On Me at the time, but I can't stand it anymore.

 

[Nigel]

Not the best but Tears for Fears at least deserves mention.

 

[Mister CIA]

Replacements are the greatest band ever, let alone the 80s, so you guys can go ahead and argue about who comes in 2nd.

Hola!