The 1980s often get bad press, but they were full of great music. Admittedly many acts from earlier eras struggled to adapt to new technology and made weak albums. But many new acts thrived, and there was diversity; hip hop emerged, there was a fertile 1980s alternative rock scene, and exciting mainstream acts like Madonna and Prince.
Major 1980s acts that I would like to cover include Prince, Metallica, and Sonic Youth.
The Bangles Album Reviews
The Bangles came from the Paisley Underground, an early 1980s Los Angeles scene indebted to the psychedelic 1960s. Paisley Underground…
The Blue Nile Album Reviews
The three members of The Blue Nile all attended Glasgow University in the late 1970s. Vocalist Paul Buchanan studied medieval…
Lindsey Buckingham Album Reviews
Even if you don’t know him by name, you’ve surely heard Lindsey Buckingham’s work in the pop era of Fleetwood…
Kate Bush Album Reviews
Kate Bush was discovered by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour as a teenager. She was placed into a training scheme…
Marshall Crenshaw Album Reviews
Detroit’s Marshall Crenshaw doesn’t belong in the conversation of the most important musicians of his generation. Yet he’s a talented…
Dire Straits Album Reviews
Dire Straits were a talented band at the wrong time. They emerged in the punk era in Britain, but front-man…
Peter Gabriel Album Reviews
Leaving Genesis after six albums, at the age of 25, Peter Gabriel’s solo career initially felt like an attempt to…
Amy Grant Album Reviews
The Queen of Christian pop music, Amy Grant also enjoyed success as a crossover pop artist in the 1980s and…
Don Henley Album Reviews
Don Henley emerged as the primary lead singer of the Eagles. He was nicknamed “Golden Throat”, and fronted their breakthrough…
Robyn Hitchcock Album Reviews
The son of novelist Raymond Hitchcock, Robyn Hitchcock has enjoyed an acclaimed career as an eccentric alt-rock and folk artist….
Paul Kelly Album Reviews
While Paul Kelly’s never broken big outside of Australia, he’s a beloved songwriter in his own country. He’s a member…
Marillion Album Reviews
Neo-prog band Marillion took their name from JRR Tolkien’s The Silmarillion. They played their first show in London in 1978 -…
My Bloody Valentine Album Reviews
IntroductionMy Bloody Valentine Album ReviewsThis Is Your Bloody ValentineGeek! (EP)The New Record by My Bloody Valentine (EP)Ecstasy and WineIsn’t AnythingLovelessEP’s…
New Order Album Reviews
Joy Division’s lead vocalist Ian Curtis took his own life on the eve of the band’s first US tour. The…
Pet Shop Boys Album Reviews
IntroductionPet Shop Boys Album ReviewsPleaseActuallyIntrospectiveBehaviourDiscography: The Complete Singles CollectionVeryAlternativeBilingual10 Best Pet Shop Boys Songs Introduction Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe…
Pixies Album Reviews
New Zealand is a lovely country, with lots of sheep and mountains, and it’s a good idea to come and…
Prefab Sprout Album Reviews
Formed around the songwriting talents of Durham’s Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout enjoyed some commercial success in the 1980s and early…
R.E.M. Album Reviews
R.E.M. emerged in the wake of punk from Athens, Georgia, and started their career as an insular Indie band, with…
Run-DMC Album Reviews
Run-DMC emerged early in the development of recorded hip hop. They helped to transform the genre from an underground movement…
The Smiths Album Reviews
The unlikely pairing of socially awkward Steven Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, extroverted and four years Morrissey’s junior, formed the nucleus…
Sting Album Reviews
Conventional wisdom suggests that Gordon Sumner surrendered his credibility when he left The Police, letting his pretentiousness overcome him as…
The Stone Roses Album Reviews
Vocalist Ian Brown and guitarist John Squire formed The Stone Roses in Manchester in 1983. Drummer and backing vocalist Reni…
Talk Talk Album Reviews
While there’s a natural progression between each of Talk Talk’s five studio albums, the distance between their 1982 synth-pop debut…
Tears For Fears Album Reviews
Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith were both members of the band Graduate, who played an awkward hybrid of ska and…
Suzanne Vega Album Reviews
Suzanne Vega was born in Santa Monica, California. At the age of two, she moved to New York City when…
The Waterboys Album Reviews
Mike Scott was born in Edinburgh, the son of an English teacher. Scott’s interest in literature is clearly visible in…
10,000 Maniacs Album Reviews
10,000 Maniacs have one of the most misleader monikers in popular music. From their name, you’d expect speed metal or…
1980s Miscellany
This page collects odds and ends from 1980s artists: Beastie BoysPaul’s BoutiqueTracy ChapmanTracy ChapmanRushMoving PicturesRetrospective II: 1981 to 1987TotoToto IV…
Read about the discographies of musical acts from the 1960s to the present day. Browse this site's review archives or enjoy these random selections:
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