Great 80s Bands That Deserve More Respect
There are countless bands from the 1980s that we still listen to today. Some are still performing, while others are happily retired and looking back on their place in music history.
For every R.E.M and Dire Straits, many more artists went under the radar. We want to make sure we give these bands the recognition they deserve.
Diamond Head
Have you ever heard of Diamond Head? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Although formed in 1976, the band was ideally placed to take advantage of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal boom in the 1980s. Fellow musicians revered them, while guitarist Brian Tatler was regarded as the most accomplished axeman of the new movement. Somehow, it just didn’t happen for the mighty Diamond Head.
Men Without Hats
Despite a breakthrough hit with the memorable “The Safety Dance,” Men Without Hats couldn’t build on their early 1980s success. The Canadian band is still touring and has released eight studio albums but could not find any tune matching the commercial interest of their earlier hit single.
Vixen
Vixen’s image probably ended any chance they had of being taken seriously as musicians. A female hair metal band clad in tight leather had an obvious appeal, but they were more talented with their instruments than their chart statistics indicate.
Lone Justice
Ironically, Lone Justice singer Maria McKee enjoyed commercial success as soon as the 1980s ended. You’ll know her for the track “Show Me Heaven,” which was used in Days of Thunder. McKee had been involved with Lone Justice, a band she formed in 1982. A country rock outfit, their two albums should have gained much wider recognition.
Talk Talk
The track “It’s My Life” was a global hit in the 1980s, but there was so much more to Talk Talk’s catalog. Singer and songwriter Mark Hollis was cited as a “genius” by his peers, but the group could never live up to the success of that massive single. Later, Talk Talk diversified with more ambient tracks before disbanding at the beginning of the 1990s.
Cinderella
Cinderella’s career coincided perfectly with the rise of the hair metal genre, but this Philadelphia band may have had a disadvantage. Unlike some of their contemporaries, they were talented musicians. They formed in 1983 and were driven by singer Tom Keifer’s bluesy vocals, but Cinderella eventually realized they would never make it to the ball.
Camper Van Beethoven
When your band is known as “quirky,” it’s not necessarily a compliment. Camper Van Beethoven will forever be remembered for humorous tracks, most notably “Take the Skinheads Bowling,” often performed live by Manic Street Preachers. They should have been more prominent, and their cover of Status Quo’s “Pictures of Matchstick Men” proves that the members of Camper Van Beethoven were seriously talented musicians.
X
They have a memorable name, but the Los Angeles band X has failed to make it into the mainstream. Riding on the coattails of the punk movement, the group was formed in 1977, but their first album hit the shops in 1980. Perhaps the recent cover of “Nausea” by Dave and Violet Grohl will finally help X to gain some well-deserved recognition.
Tesla
They were another band to be bracketed with the hair metal scene of the 1980s, but there was more to Tesla than soft rock chart fodder. They enjoyed one hit with “Love Song” and were later seen as pioneers of the unplugged trend. Maybe they should have visited a barber to change their image.
Killing Joke
They had a Top 10 hit around Europe in 1985 with “Love Like Blood,” but Killing Joke has remained mainly on the fringes of the charts. The band is hard to categorize, but it has an industrial post-punk sound that has only attracted a niche following so far.
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
The band may have a loyal fanbase in clubs worldwide, but they failed to land any mainstream success. The bubbly Lisa Lisa and co deserved much more, although their release, “All Cried Out,” did make the Top Ten.
Jason & The Scorchers
I had few expectations when I saw Jason & The Scorchers in London, but the band blew me away. How they never managed to take a unique, country punk sound into the charts still amazes me. They were formed in 1981, and I was robbed of the chance to see them again when they were called up to support Bob Dylan.
The Replacements
This band has started to receive more recognition in the 2020s than they ever gained during their heyday. The Replacements were from Minneapolis, and they were active right across the 1980s, producing great alternative rock classics such as “I’ll Be You” and “Can’t Hardly Wait.” At least the delayed interest sparked a brief revival in 2012.
World Party
While they were technically a band, World Party was a solo project by Karl Wallinger. Formerly of The Waterboys, this talented multi-instrumentalist couldn’t quite match the success of his previous band. World Party’s best work was the album Goodbye Jumbo, released in 1990 but recorded from 1987 to 1989. I’d also urge readers to check out the brilliant 1986 single “Ship of Fools.”
Husker Du
The term “influential” is another tag that bands may want to avoid. Does it mean that you influenced other bands that subsequently ripped you off? There’s a suspicion that this may be the case with the mighty Husker Du, whose prolific back catalog contains a stunning double album called Zen Arcade. They should have been huge.
Prefab Sprout
Another band plagued by “critical acclaim” throughout their career, Prefab Sprout, should have been a significant artist worldwide. Their song “When Love Breaks Down” is considered a classic, but it only reached number 25 in the UK charts on the re-release. As the saying goes, hindsight is always 20/20.
Mudhoney
Many readers in the US would be surprised to see Mudhoney included in this discussion. They might also argue that the band has been active throughout the 1990s through to the present day, so let me explain. I saw Mudhoney support Sonic Youth in London in 1989, and they stole the show. While many of their contemporaries have significant followings in the UK, they go under the radar, which is a shame because “Mudhoney Rock.”
10,000 Maniacs
When an artist is described as critically acclaimed, it usually means they failed to enjoy any commercial success. That’s the case with 10,000 Maniacs, formed in 1981 and built a devoted fanbase throughout the decade. If you’ve yet to discover the band and lead singer Natalie Merchant’s distinctive voice, check out their most memorable song, “Don’t Talk,” with a mesmerizing cover of Roxy Music’s “More Than This.”
Exodus
Like Husker Du, Exodus can be seen as a groundbreaking band. They were pioneers in the thrash metal genre but were forced to watch as others moved in to claim the glory. Several bands cited them as an influence, and one of the earlier versions of Exodus featured Metallica’s Kirk Hammett.
XTC
They had their roots in the late 1970s punk movement, but the 1980s were XTC’s most prolific decade. Two factors may have counted against them: the 1986 single “Dear God,” which alienated some fans, plus singer Andy Partridge’s unwillingness to tour due to stage fright. If you’ve yet to discover XTC, start with “Senses Working Overtime” and continue through their catalog.
The Raincoats
At a time when male artists dominated the post-punk scene, The Raincoats worked hard against that trend. While they formed in 1979, this band’s best work followed in the 1980s with album releases such as Moving and Odyshape. I’d recommend a listen.
The House of Love
Indie band The House of Love made little impression in their native UK, so it’s unlikely that anyone overseas will remember them. Formed in 1986, they crafted great songs, including “Never” and “I Don’t Know Why I Love You,” and deserve a much wider audience.
Anvil
Nobody seemed to know why Anvil went off the radar. As part of the heavy metal revolution in the 1980s, they built a loyal following but disappeared into obscurity. The excellent documentary, “The Story of Anvil,” outlines their rise and fall, and it has a happy ending as the band finally reconnected with their fanbase.
The Gun Club
They are another band I saw in London on multiple occasions, and I could never understand why they weren’t a huge deal. Led by the troubled Jeffrey Lee Pierce and supported by the stunning figure of Patricia Morrison on bass, The Gun Club was an extraordinary band that needed to be more widely heard.
