The 1980s often get bad press, but they were full of great music. Admittedly, many acts from earlier eras struggled to control new technology, and made weak albums. But many new acts thrived, and there was diversity; hip hop emerged, there was a fertile 1980s college rock scene, and lots of great acts in the mainstream.
Major 1980s acts that I would like to cover include Prince, New Order, Metallica, and Sonic Youth.
The three members of The Blue Nile all attended Glasgow University in the late 1970s. Vocalist Paul Buchanan studied medieval … Continue Reading The Blue Nile
Even if you don’t know him by name, you’ve surely heard Lindsey Buckingham’s work in the pop era of Fleetwood … Continue Reading Lindsey Buckingham
Kate Bush was discovered by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour as a teenager, and placed into a training scheme by … Continue Reading Kate Bush
Detroit’s Marshall Crenshaw doesn’t belong in a conversation of most important musicians of his generation, but he’s a talented craftsman, … Continue Reading Marshall Crenshaw
Dire Straits were a talented band at the wrong time. They emerged in the punk era in Britain, but front-man … Continue Reading Dire Straits
Leaving Genesis after six albums, at the age of 25, Peter Gabriel’s solo career initially felt like an attempt to … Continue Reading Peter Gabriel
The Queen of Christian pop music, Amy Grant also enjoyed success as a crossover pop artist in the 1980s and … Continue Reading Amy Grant
New Zealand is a lovely country, with lots of sheep and mountains, and it’s a good idea to come and … Continue Reading Pixies
Formed around the songwriting talents of Durham’s Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout enjoyed some commercial success in the 1980s and early … Continue Reading Prefab Sprout
R.E.M. emerged in the wake of punk from Athens, Georgia, and started their career as an insular Indie band, with … Continue Reading R.E.M.
Run-DMC emerged early in the development of recorded hip hop. They helped to transform the genre from an underground movement … Continue Reading Run-DMC
The unlikely pairing of socially awkward Steven Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, extroverted and four years Morrissey’s junior, formed the nucleus … Continue Reading The Smiths
Conventional wisdom suggests that Gordon Sumner surrendered his credibility when he left The Police, letting his pretentiousness overcome him as … Continue Reading Sting
The Stone Roses were formed in Manchester in 1983, around singer Ian Brown and guitarist John Squire. Drummer and backing … Continue Reading The Stone Roses
While there’s a natural progression between each of Talk Talk’s five studio albums, the distance between their 1982 synth-pop debut … Continue Reading Talk Talk
Suzanne Vega was born in Santa Monica, California. At the age of 2 she moved to New York City when … Continue Reading Suzanne Vega
This page collects odds and ends from 1980s artists: Beastie Boys | Tracy Chapman | Rush | Toto Beastie Boys … Continue Reading 1980s Miscellany
