A friend of mine got married recently. On the reply portion of the wedding invitations, guests were asked to suggest their favourite songs from the 1980s to be included at the reception disco. Not an easy task by any means as there were so many great bands and great songs that came out of the eighties. That evening, everyone had a wonderful time dancing and singing along to classics such as Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer". As I wonder what my daughter will pick in years to come as the great bands of her teenage years, that wedding invitation opened up a flood of memories for me as to which were the great bands of the eighties.

Bon Jovi have to be considered as a great band for several reasons. From their first self-titled album release in 1984, the boys from New Jersey have maintained a consistent output of highly polished and melodic rock songs. Unlike many other bands of that era, the original line-up is largely unchanged, with only bassist Alec John Such departing in 1994. The 1986 album "Slippery When Wet" still sounds as good today as it did then, indeed just like the band members, it does not seem to have aged at all. I had the privilege of seeing Bon Jovi in concert for the first time in 2006, and it was a moving moment when Jon thanked the crowd for being his friends for the past 22 years. Such humility is rare in today's rock stars, and certainly sets Bon Jovi ahead of the rest.

Another band who have managed to retain their original members as well as an impressive catalogue of albums and performances is U2. As a product of punk Irish rebellion, Bono and company emerged onto the British music scene in 1980 with their album "Boy" which gave them their first hit single "I Will Follow". Developing from angry young men into positively determined world changers, U2 were one of the main acts to take part in the Live Aid concerts in 1985. By then, their more melodic sound had captured many more fans and U2 was fast achieving iconic status. While the rest of the band were content to stay out of the limelight somewhat, singer Bono proved a persuasive force beside Bob Geldof in the movement to tackle poverty and famine in Africa. Ever the pioneers, U2 embarked on a world tour in 2009 called "U2: 360" in which the band play on a central stage, surrounded by their fans on all sides.

For truly international greatness, German rockers The Scorpions made a heavy mark on the 1980s. Although they were formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudy Schenker, and released their debut album in 1972, it was not until their best selling album "Blackout" in 1982 that the band reached what most consider to be the hight of their career. The vocals of Klaus Meine are distinctive, coupled with the hard but melodic rock the band are so good at producing. Songs such as "Rock You Like a Hurricane", "The Zoo" and of course "No One Like You" propelled The Scorpions into the US Billboard Chart. They were also only the second western band to perform in the then Soviet Union as part of the 1988 Savage Amusement tour with a date in Leningrad. As the 10-year anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall was marked in 2009, The Scorpions were once again receiving airplay of their stirring anthem "Winds of Change" which encapsulates the mood of the time.

There are many more bands that could be called great and who were formed in or produced their best music during the eighties. As ever, personal taste plays a central role in including any band in a "best of" list. However, the three bands mentioned here have all achieved huge international acclaim, millions of record sales, and each have particular songs intrinsically linked to the 1980s. For those, and the memories they prompt, I am forever grateful.

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