About Us
We started our social media page in July of 2018, as a fan tribute to 80’s Rock. During the global pandemic lockdown in May 2020, we started the online radio station launching our first broadcast. During the midst of confusion, fear and uncertainty, 80's rock music inspired us to do something good; to share the music that was the background of our youth.
Our online rock radio station is dedicated to the totally awesome decade that invented the mosh pit, headbangers and metal heads worldwide. We feature the best rock bands of the 80s and we hope you will enjoy the music with us.
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This Day in Rock - April 11, 2021
Happy Birthday
Tom Hunting
Drummer for Exodus
April 11, 1965
April 11, 1978
Van Halen
played their first Texas concert
at the Corpus Christi Memorial Coliseum
April 11, 1983
Dave Mustaine
plays his last show with
Metallica at L'Amour in
Brooklyn, New York
April 11, 1983 Savatage released their
debut album, Sirens
April 11, 1988 Iron Maiden released
their seventh studio album,
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
April 11, 1988 The Butthole Surfers
released their album,
Hairway to Steven
In Memory
John Geils from The J. Geils Band
February 20, 1946 - April 11, 2017
The Best Rock Bands of the 80s
ACϟDC
Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Est. 1973 in Sydney, Australia
Is ACϟDC a hard rock band or metal band? When ACϟDC was confronted with this question, their reply was, “we are a Rock-n-Roll band, nothing more, nothing less.”
ACϟDC is the ultimate Rock-n-Roll band. Starting in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, they were accompanied by Dave Evans (lead vocals,) Colin Burgess (drums,) and Larry Van Kriedt (on bass.)
Bon Scott days (1974 – 1980) Bon Scott took over lead vocals after an audition promoted him from being the band’s chauffeur to the band’s front man. Bon Scotthad a distinguishable style of vocals that made ACϟDC a stand-out band destined to be the ultimate rock-n-roll band. ACϟDC had a blues/rock concept mixed with bagpipes and a hard-rockin’ electric twin guitar sound from the Young brothers, that made ACϟDC stand out with boldness. In 1980 the band began work on their seventh studio album, Back in Black, when tragedy struck. Bon Scott passed-away on February 19,1980 from “acute alcohol poisoning.” On April 1, 1980, Brian Johnson was officially named lead singer.
November, 2020 ACϟDC released their 17th studio album, Power Up, solidifying ACϟDC as arguably the best Rock-n-Roll band of all times!
Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Est. 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts
Aerosmith started in 1970 in Boston Massachusetts with one of the best frontmans in all of Rock & Roll, Steven Tyler. His live performances are like no other, in the way that you can feel all the energy and soul he puts into ever song! Aerosmith had a handful of great hits in the 70’s and although the early and mid-80’s wasn’t a particularly good era for the band, anew awaken was just around the corner. When they appeared on Run-D.M.C.’s album Raising Hell in May of 1986 with a Hip-Hop cover of “Walk This Way,” Aerosmith was on their way to becoming a household name. Raising Hell was the first Hip-Hop album to go Platinum and multi-Platinum, helping in providing a turning point for Aerosmith. Everyone from Headbangers Heaven to Yo MTV raps knew Aerosmith! The following summer in 1987, Aerosmith released their ninth studio album, Permanent Vacation. The album was a huge hit with four singles, selling over 5 million copies in the U.S.
Pump, their follow up album in 1989, went multi-platinum selling over 7 million records in the United States.
Aerosmith ended the decade of the 80’s in an upward trend, and solidified them in becoming “America’s band.”
Anthrax
Aerosmith
Billy Idol
Est. 1981 New York City
Although Anthrax has had some personnel and label issues, they have persevered and remained synonymous with Thrash Metal from the 80’s. In 1987, the band made a venture that no other metal band had made, they mixed Rap and Metal. Kinda like that famous Reese’s 80’s commercial, “You got your peanut butter in my chocolate!” Their EP, I’m the Man was a parody jab at the Beastie Boys’ successful 1986 album, License to ill, that crossbred Hard Rock with Rap. Although I’m the Man wasn’t anywhere as prosperous as License to ill, it showcased a versatile side from a talented and musically inclined Thrash Metal band. In keeping with their continued success in combining music genres, in 1991 Anthrax collaborated with Public Enemy and released a compilation album, Attack of the Killer B’s. And just like any other artist that partners with another from a different genre, they expanded their fan base demographics, and Anthrax was no different.
Anthrax is one of the top metal bands to come from the 80’s. In more recent years, Anthrax is also one of the few thrash metal bands to have played late night TV talk shows, like Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon.
Billy Idol
Black Sabbath
Billy Idol
Est. 1976 London, England
Even though Billy Idol got some notoriety with his 1982 self titled debut album that included the single, “White Wedding - Pt. 1,” his follow up album, Rebel Yell put Billy Idol over the top in the favorites category of 80s rock!
Billy Squier
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Est. 1975 New York City
Billy Squier had several awesome songs in the early 80s. “The Stoke” and “Everybody Wants You” were two of his greatest that took him to the top of the Arena Rock genre. His 1981 album Don’t Say No is one of the best rock albums of the 80s. “The Big Beat” and “The Stroke” have been sampled by several Hip Hop and R&B artists’ tracks in recent decades.
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Est. 1968 in Birmingham, England
Black Sabbath invented Heavy Metal. When their debut album came out in 1970, the world had never seen or heard a band more shadowy, sinister and heavy before. Black Sabbath’s music is timeless. It will always be the definition of heavy metal. Drummer Bill Ward did dark magic on a four piece kit what most drummers couldn’t do on a surround set. Mix that with Tony Iommi’s distinct guitar riffs and Geezer Butler’s murky bass, and you have the perfect combination of a heavy metal band. Oh, and having guys like Ozzy and Dio singing with you doesn’t hurt either.
Bon Jovi
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Est. 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey
When Bon Jovi released their big hit album, Slippery When Wet in August of 1986, Jon Bon Jovi became the teenage girl heartthrob during the apex of the hair band era.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Est. 1972 Belmar, New Jersey
Bruce Springsteen gained musical achievement in the 70’s, but when he released his seventh studio album Born in the U.S.A. in the summer of 1984, it was a huge commercial success! It was the first compact disc manufactured for sales in the United States by CBS and Sony. Previous CDs sold in America were imported from Japan. The album/CD had seven released singles, making it the top selling album of 1985! “The Boss” was back on top of the music world and became an icon of the 80’s!
Bryan Adams
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Bryan Adams
The Cars
The Cars
Bryan Adams
Est. 1976 Boston Massachusetts
Some people have called The Cars, a new wave, punk rock or an alternative band. And if you listen to the voice of lead singer Ric Ocasek, he kinda has that British new wave vocalist style and you could picture him in a pub in England. But he’s from Baltimore, Maryland. And if you want a true sample of The Cars, check out “Moving in Stereo”
Cinderella
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth
Est. 1983 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In the mid 80’s, Hair Metal bands ruled the radio airwaves, and a band from Wayne, Pennsylvania became a huge part of that Hair Metal scene. Formed in 1982, Cinderella was at the top of that wave of Aqua Net hairspray and hardcore guitar riffs! To have a successful Hair Metal album in the mid - 80’s, you needed to meet three criteria. 1. You needed big hair, the bigger - the better, and some makeup would also help. 2. Your songs need to have a kick-ass Heavy Metal sound. 3. You need to have a rock ballad. Cinderella exceeded all of the criteria for hit albums in the 80’s! Cinderella’s break-through album came in June of 1986 with their debut album, Night Songs. Cinderella detonated on the rock scene like no other Hair Metal band! Their first single, “Shake Me,” sounded raw as hell with the unmistakable sound of Tom Keifer on lead vocals!
The mid - 80’s was definitely the “Golden Era” of Hair Metal, and the band Cinderella was at the top of list of favorite Big Hair Metal bands. Tom Keifer is still very much part of today’s rock scene. His last solo album, Rise (2019) proves Keifer still has what it takes to be the ultimate Rock & Roll front man.
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth
Solo career est. 1986
David Lee Roth is the ultimate rock & roll frontman! After leading the vocals for Van Halen in the first half of the 80s, Diamond Dave embarked on his solo career. In the summer of 1986, David Lee Roth released his first full length album, Eat ‘Em and Smile. Ever now and then, you would buy a tape, and every song on that tape just f—-ing rocked! Eat ‘Em and Smile was one of those tapes!!
Def Leppard
David Lee Roth
Def Leppard
Est. 1977 in Sheffield, England
Def Leppard has definitely had their highs and lows throughout the band existence since the late 70’s. One could forget that Def Leppard was a hard-working, “paying its dues” kind of band six years before their break-through album, Pyromania in 1983 catapulted them to the top of the world of Rock & Roll.
Their 1981 album, High ‘n’ Dry is arguably one of the most underrated albums of the 80’s. The album was produced by Mutt Lange, (who previously worked on AC/DC albums,) added a noticeable harder rock flare to the record. The LP featured Pete Willison guitar, who was fired during the recording of Pyromania due to excessive drinking that was interfering with his work. When Pyromania was released in January 1983, Def Leppard was a rising favorite band among teens everywhere. The album reached #2 on the Billboard 200 (Michael Jackson’sThriller was #1.)
On Christmas Day, 1984 tragedy struck the band when drummer Rick Allen was involved in an auto crash and lost his left arm. The band took a hiatus while Rick Allen went through recovery and made his comeback with the band when they performed at the Monsters of Rock at Castle Donington on August 16, 1986.
On January 8, 1991, guitarist Steve Clark died from alcohol poisoning. In 2019, Steve Clark was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Def Leppard.
Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Def Leppard
Est. 1968 Hertford, England
Before there was Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, there was Deep Purple. They took the heavy guitar sound that was already being done by The Yardbirds and The Who and took it to the next level, pioneering the way for heavy metal. In the early 70s, Deep Purple was a superband in itself with Ian Paice on drums, Keyboardist Jon Lord, Roger Glover on bass, legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and of course Ian Gillan, who is one of the best all-time vocalists in rock & roll.
Dio
Deep Purple
Dokken
Est. 1982 in Cortland, New York
Dio website
Ronnie James Dio has a voice that is so distinctive, he will always be remembered as the king of Heavy Metal vocals.
Foreigner
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Est. 1976 New York City
I don’t think I had ever met anyone back in the 80’s who didn’t like Foreigner. Sure, some of their songs landed on the Soft Rock/Adult Contemporary side, but “Juke Box Hero,” the third single from their 1981 Foreigner 4 album is solid rock, along with a string of other rock tracks from the 70’s. In the category of 80s Arena Rock, Foreigner is definitely a top ten band!
Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses
Est. 1985 in Los Angeles, California
Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction was one of the last great albums of the 80s, and GNR was one of the last great bands of Hair Metal as the Seattle Sound was starting to emerge and take over the airwaves. GNR is definitely a top ten 80s rock band. Although some people criticized their antics (and every great Rock & Roll band should have lots of critics,) Guns N’ Roses was a hardcore kick ass rock band, both backstage and onstage. They don’t make ‘em like GNR anymore.
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Est. 1975 in London, England
Iron Maiden is raw heavy metal to the maximum! No doubt that Iron Maiden is the ultimate heavy metal band. Lead singer Bruce Dickinson has an easily distinguishable vocal style that sets him apart from the rest. Iron Maiden also has a sixth member of the band, their mascot Eddie. Eddie appears on all the album covers and band t-shirts. This mummified-skeletor has become quite a fixture in the world of heavy metal music.
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Journey
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Judas Priest
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Judas Priest
Kreator
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Est. 1982 Essen, Germany
A lot of great thrash metal came out of Germany in the 80s, maybe escalated by the ominous presence of a Wall that separated West and East Germany. The band Kreator emerged from Essen, perfecting the sound of Death Metal and became an influential metal band. Their debut album, Endless Pain was released in 1985 and since then have 14 albums to their discography. As of December 2020, Kreator is working on a new album!
LOUDNESS ラウドネス
LOUDNESS ラウドネス
LOUDNESS ラウドネス
Est. Osaka, Japan
Although LOUDNESS was known among 80s headbangers, this heavy metal band from the “Land of the Rising Sun,” is still mostly underrated. But if you listen to just one of their 26, yes 26 studio albums or nine live albums, especially Thunder in the East, you will wonder why you haven’t heard of them before! This is hardcore heavy metal, so brace yourself!!
Metallica
LOUDNESS ラウドネス
Metallica
Est. 1981 Los Angeles, California
Metallica brought thrash metal to the forefront of 80s rock. When they released their debut album, Kill ‘Em All in 1983, their sound was raw, hardcore metal at 100%!!
Motörhead
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Motörhead
Est. 1975 London, England
Motörhead website
Night Ranger
Night Ranger
Night Ranger
Pink Floyd
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
Pink Floyd
Est. 1965 London, England
Poison
Ozzy Osbourne
Poison
Est. 1980 in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
In the 80s, glam metal bands ruled the radio airwaves and the band, Poison was no exception. The 80s was a decade of decadence and living life to the fullest and Poison was the band that matched that persona. But these guys were not just glitz and big hair, they had an awesome sound that could backup their over the top attitude.
Ratt
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Est. 1982 in Los Angeles, California
Ratt was another band that came from the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California. With the release of their first full length album, Out of the Cellar in March 1984, they hit the radio airwaves and MTV right after Mötley Crüe. Out of the Cellar was a killer album, one the best from the 80’s! No doubt that “Ratt ‘n’ Roll” was sticking around for good!
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Est. 1983 Los Angeles, California
I know most people would say, the Peppers are not an 80s band, especially when they really hit it big with their 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik. But hardcore 80s alternative music lovers will remember the 80’s Chili Peppers and for some, Mother’s Milk was their first taste of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
Sammy Hagar
The Rolling Stones
Sammy Hagar
Stevie Nicks
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen
Est. 1974 in Pasadena, California
Van Halen is the epitome of 80s rock. David Lee Roth was like no other frontman in rock & roll! Doing split jumps off the drum riser, Diamond Dave was quite the spectacle. When the Red Rocker Sammy Hagar joined VH in’85, it took Van Halen to the next level. With the passing of legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen in 2020, rock will never be the same. Rest In Peace, Eddie you are missed.
