Thursday, February 09, 2006

Best Band of the 1980s Poll

Here's a poll that has nothing to do with UFOs, and more to do with my own curiosity (thus, it is not an "official" Other Side of Truth monthly poll).

What Was the Best Band of the 1980s?

If you go with "Other", leave a comment and let me know who you would have picked.

Paul Kimball

8 comments:

Old Gary said...

I would have picked AC/DC.

Paul Kimball said...

OG:

I am an AC/DC fan, but they wouldn't have made my list in the 1980s. When I think of the '80s, there's a certain sound that comes to mind, and it isn't the hrad rock of AC/DC (as good as it is).

Thanks for voting, though.

The interesting question for you, then, is:

Bon Scott or Brian Johnson?

My vote? Scott.

Paul

Anonymous said...

How about The Police? :-) Perhaps they predate the 80s?

Will

Paul Kimball said...

Will:

I thought about adding The Police - after all, they had one of the seminal albums of the 1980s, Synchronicity. However, they broke up soon after, and I was going for bands that stuck it out for the long haul throughout the entire decade, or, in the case of Duran Duran, a band that was readily identifiable as a 1980s band, even though they may not have lasted the entire way through. Some of the Police's best work pre-dates the 80s.

These are, of course, arbitrary distinctions. Anyone who has ever listened to Synchronicity couldn't doubt that The Police were a great group IN the 1980s.

Paul

Old Gary said...

Bon Scott or Brian Johnson? Are they members of AC/DC? I am only familiar with two names, Angus and Malcolm.

Mac said...

I'd vote for R.E.M., personally. The Smiths and The Cure are an extremely close second.

Paul Kimball said...

Mac:

REM??

How could I have forgotten REM???

D'oh!

I wouldn't pick them #1, but they would definitely make my top 10 of the 1980s.

An oversight on my part.

Perhaps you can start a write in campaign!

Still, I don't think their music has held up as well as the others on the list. It all seems a bit "college-ey" to me now. Document was a great album, however. We used to do "The One I Love" as one of our rare covers in Julia's Rain.

Paul

Mac said...

Paul,

I'm a big fan of "new" R.E.M. (Of course, I like all that jangly, indecipherable early stuff as well.)

Their latest, "Around the Sun," is very good. So was "Reveal." "Up" was uneven, as was "New Adventures in Hi-fi," but by and large they've kept up great standards.

I caught their 2003 tour. What fun!