Beastie Boys. The Beastie Boys were not only INCREDIBLE musicians who had an immense impact on music, they were also pioneers of the recording process. They brought hip-hop to the masses giving it commercial viability while introducing the entire industry to loop-based recording techniques.
U2, from it’s raw beginning with Boy, October, and War to the major successes of The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree, they brought energy, spiritualism, and great music to the entire world. They laid down the foundation to be the most popular band for the past 35 years.
XTC. clearly.
1982 – English Settlement – a masterpiece
1983 – Mummer – totally understated genius of an album
1984 – The Big Express – a loud brash genius of an album
1986 – Skylarking – another masterpiece
1989 – Oranges & Lemons – another genius of an album
They also had time to create the greatest tribute to 1960s Rock, ever… THE DUKES OF STRATOSPHEAR. Their EP 25 O’Clock was epic… and they followed that up with Psonic Psunspot If you’re a fan of The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, The Hollies, The Kinks, Cream, and any number of other great bands, you owe it to yourself to check this out:
Van Halen and Bon Jovi ruled the 80’s. Not too hard to do primarily because it was the 80’s.