Rock the 80s: Defining Albums of the Decade
We all know how much the 80s meant in terms of globalization. Rock ‘n’ Roll was one of those things that connected people from all around the world. The status of rock as the greatest phenomenon of the 20th century probably had its prime time in this decade in terms of popularity cuz it finally became part of mainstream music, mixing with pop and a bunch of other genres, making it so diverse.
In this decade, rock bands introduced us to a variety of genres with a more modern sound, moving away from the more classic sound of the 70s powerhouses. Here are albums that defined 80s rock music in terms of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s popularity and influence that was sealed in the history of music.
Brother is Arms – Dire Straits
One of the songs from this album, Money for Nothing, probably has one of the most well-known intros in rock music. This commercially successful album introduced us to this remarkable band. Frontman Mark Knopfler stood out in the scene with his unique, unorthodox finger-picking guitar style, leading the way for a band as their only consistent member through the decade, making it the clearer, more precise, progressive sound.
Through longer and more complex songs, they left a space for introduction to a more jazzy sound. The addition of horns and keyboards in their songs made their sound more modern and mainstream than their original pub rock sound.
Featured songs from the album: “Brothers in Arms, Money for Nothing, Walk of Life.”
Disintegration – The Cure
This critically acclaimed album is arguably the greatest masterpiece of gothic rock we have to this day. Coming closer to the 90s, frontman Robert Smith got more into hallucinogenic drugs, which affected the production of the album. The bassist Simon Gallup held the depth of every song on the album with his remarkable basslines. Combining that with Robert Smith’s tender lyrics and simple but pleasant guitar phrases made this album a unique piece of rock that largely influenced upcoming bands from the ’90s.
This album remained their biggest success with over 4 million copies sold and was later widely acclaimed as being placed at 116 place on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Featured songs from the album: “Lovesong, Pictures of You, Fascination Street, Lullaby.”
Synchronicity – The Police
Following the success of their previous albums, The Police was on their way to becoming, as it later turned out, “The Biggest Band in the World” in one period of time. This is, unfortunately, their last album as The Police and their most commercially successful one.
Synchronicity contains pop and reggae rhythms with a bunch of spiritualistic messages that go through the album. Sting, with his signature voice, and Stewart Copeland, with his innovative beats on percussion, depict shifts between industrial England’s flatlands and Africa. It probably would have won the Grammy Awards for Album of the Year if it hadn’t been for Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
Featured songs from the album: “Every Breath You Take, Wrapped Around Your Finger, King of Pain, Synchronicity.”
Purple Rain – Prince
The song by which this genius is most recognizable is the one after which this album is named. If you had to choose one artist to represent the eighties, it would probably be Prince. You just can’t go through the 80s music without mentioning this album.
Purple Rain had everything for which the 80s were recognized: funk and R&B rhythms fused with rock, which brings back nostalgia for those who grew up in the eighties. Not only did this album define the eighties, but it was considered one of the most influential in music history.
Featured songs from the album: “Purple Rain, When Doves Cry, Let’s Go Crazy.”
Back in Black – AC/DC
Back In Black was AC/DC’s seventh studio album and the first one featured Brian Johnson as their lead singer due to the death of Bon Scott. Commercially and influentially, it is the band’s biggest album. It is also an album that most likely defined their identity in the coming period with Brian as their lead singer.
Interspersed with Brian’s devilish singing, fat guitar riffs, and aggressive guitar solos by the energetic Agnus Young, they left the audience in awe and garnered praise from the critics. It became the second most-sold album of all time, with over 52 million copies sold.
Featured songs from the album: “Back in Black, Hells Bells, You Shook Me All Night Long.”
Master of Puppets – Metallica
This masterpiece solidified Metallica on the throne of heavy metal for the decades to come. The album progressed further with an accelerated guitar tempo and the complexity of the songs, also highlighting trash metal as one of the genres that could dominate the rock scene in the 80s.
Bands technically savvy release showcased that their sound is evolving in a very successful way.
Featured songs from the album: “Master of Puppets, Battery.”
Born in the U.S.A. – Bruce Springsteen
The first thing that comes to my mind while listening to this album is the U.S.A.’s ’80s rock scene. There is no better representation of that time than this album. Bruce, with his distinctive rough, raspy voice and his fast-paced chord-based guitar playing accompanied by the brilliant The E street band, made him an icon in the U.S.A.
The album went well with critics, and the prediction that the album would satisfy longtime fans and attract new ones turned out to be correct.
Featured songs from the album: “Born in the U.S.A., Dancing in the Dark, Glory Days.”
Apettite for Destruction – Guns ‘N’ Roses
If I had to choose one band that showcased its full potential during the ’80s, that would be Guns ‘n’ Roses. That success would later spill over to the 90s as well. The band was filling squares, stadiums and arenas all over the world. The ingenuity and diversity of the members, not only musical but also characterful in this age, brought only the best things to the band.
The Guns presented their path with this album: Slash, with his emotional slow guitar playing; Axl, with his hard rock childish voice; and their remarkable honesty in the lyrics won the hearts of a new audience. With over 30 million copies sold, it became one of the most-sold albums of all time worldwide.
Featured songs from the album: “Sweet Child o’ Mine, Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City.”
The Joshua Tree – U2
This album is U2’s most valued work in their long career. Influenced by post-punk hybrid sound, they went more in the direction of power pop.
Bono writes lyrics from the perspective of a foreigner who is looking for meaning and depth and probably represents the bewilderment of that period of life. His impassioned vocals, The Edge’s authentic guitar playing, the steady bass of Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.’s precise drumming combined to create a work that best lived the emotion they felt like never before.
Featured songs from the album: “With or Without You, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Where The Streets Have No Name.”
The Queen Is Dead – The Smiths
The Smiths were the leading indie rock band in the world at one point for a reason. This album showed the world how much avant-garde the band really was.
With Morrissey’s soothing heavenly voice and Johnny Marr’s incomparable guitar playing, this thing still stands as something untouched by time. Indie bands return to this masterpiece to this day, looking for inspiration in the inexhaustible source of outstanding music and lyrics of British slightly cheeky humor.
Featured songs from the album: “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out, Bigmouth Strikes Again.”
Ace of Spades – Motorhead
Lemmy and his crew introduced us to a highly Western motif behind this heavy metal album influenced by Dollars Trilogy and the character of “Man With No Name.”
If whiskey was a person, he would probably be Lemmy. His recognizable hoarse voice and his slightly arrogant appearance are something to remember. Sticking to his way of conveying art, he and his band did not worry about whether the audience would accept what they wanted to give them, and they did not lose sight of what launched them into the orbit of the biggest heavy metal scene.
Featured songs from the album: “Ace of Spades, (We Are)The Roadcrew.”