• the217
• Front Page
• Best Albums of the ’80s

Related Media

• See Slideshow (4 images)

Much like disco music in the ’70s, hair metal cast a dark shadow over the music of the ’80s. The eighties were a highly transitional period for popular music, starting with the death of John Bonham, and continuing with acts like The Who and Rolling Stones modifying the sound that made them famous. Of course, several bands shone brightly, flourishing in the ‘80s.

Remain in Light

by Talking Heads [1980]

In the early stages of Talking Heads’ career, the band had found its stride mixing elements of pop, punk rock, art rock, and funk to create their unique sound. With the release of Remain in Light, Byrne and his band explored the complex rhythms of traditional African music. These “polyrhythms” (multiple, different rhythms played simultaneously) added several layers to Talking Heads’ already intriguing sound. The result is music with a really funky beat, tight slap bass, and David Byrne’s eerily mystifying vocal arrangements. No collection of ’80s music is complete without this LP.

Texas Flood

by Stevie Ray Vaughan [1983]

Nobody stayed truer to their roots during the ’80s than Stevie Ray Vaughan. He never experimented with instrumentation or style. He made straight up I-IV-V blues with searing guitar riffs. After all, when one of the “Three Kings of Blues Guitar,” Albert King, claims you as his godson, you really can’t stray very far from your roots. The album is a traditional blues album, and like so many blues artists before him, SRV compliments “Pride and Joy” and “Texas Flood” with a Buddy Guy cover and an Isley Brothers cover.

Moving Pictures

by Rush [1981]

A few things amaze me about Rush. How does

a three-piece band sound

so big? How does the world’s best drummer also write the lyrics to half his band’s songs? How does a middle-aged man sing so high pitched? I guess the only real answer is that prog rock does what it wants. Rush has

always been fluid, in the sense that they can take on many forms. In the mid ’70s they had their progressive concept album, 2112, but went in a different direction with Moving Pictures. Each song has a different feeling to it than the previous one, with the synth-heavy “Tom Sawyer,” partially written in 7/4, and “YYZ” as a song based on Morse code.

Violent Femmes

by Violent Femmes [1983]

The alternative scene in the 1980s was blossoming when the Violent Femmes arrived on the scene. The Femmes are probably best known for frontman Gordon Gano’s odd vocals or that the drummer usually plays just the snare drum. However, the main thing that sets the Violent Femmes apart is their bass player, Brian Ritchie. With the drum part being limited, Ritchie plays a big role in the band’s success. Because he plays acoustic bass primarily, the band’s sound has a very earthy tone, which also has a lot to do with how Ritchie mics his bass guitar. With

a second microphone picking up the noise that his fingers make on the string, he provides the raw, unadulterated bass found in “Please Do Not Go” and “Add it Up.”