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Music in the 80's was a weird and wonderful place to grow up. The industry wasn't so obsessed with categorizing and pigeonholing bands like today. I remember the summer of '85, listening to my favorite radio station countdown their most requested songs of the day. That whole summer, Duran Duran's 'The Reflex' and Def Leppard's 'Bringin On The Heartache' battled it out for the top spot every night.

Imagine that -a pop dance song and a rocker on the same station! Nowadays (god I feel old just uttering the word!) it seems like stations are micro-genre-managed to ridiculous extremes. Everything must be labeled and defined! It's killing music as we know it. When was the last time you heard anything truly innovative and fresh on any corporate-owned radio. I challenge anyone reading this to immediately go get yourself 'The Sound of Muzak' by Porcupine Tree (you get the single on iTunes) and tell me that Steve Wilson has not seen the future.

But I digress....

The Essential Albums of the Eighties:

Moving Pictures - Rush: For better or worse, this is the quintessential prog rock opus. Has 'Tom Sawyer' on it. Even today, though Rush has continued to make great music through the years, if you hear them on the radio, it's probably a song from Moving Pictures.

Hi Fidelity -REO Spedwagon: 'Keep on Lovin You' arguably the 1st ever power ballad. Simultaneously ensured the fall and immortality of arena rock. Also created a market for Bic lighters for non-smokers.

Heartbreak City -The Cars: This disc had about 69 hit singles, and landed Ric Ocasek, perhaps the ugliest man in rock, a hot supermodel wife. Enough said.

Arena - Duran Duran: I'm sure most people would pick Rio, or 7 and the Ragged Tiger, but I like Arena, because you got to see some actual musicianship in the live tracks, instead of the pretty-boy pop stars that MTV was trying to sell us.

90125 -Yes: This disc still has permanent residence in my cd changer. Owner of a Lonely Heart, Leave It, every song is awesome.

Anything Produced by Robert John 'Mutt' Lange: This guy would take a decent band, and pull out the absolute best music they were capable of. This guy was behind Foreigner 4, Def Leppard's Pyromania, too many others to mention. Oh yeah, he also married Shania Twain. Jerk.

Under Lock and Key -Dokken: You can keep Ratt Motley Crue, they were fun, but the music wasn't all that great. The really good 'L.A. Hair band' was Dokken! 'In my Dreams' 'When the Lightening Strikes'.

Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen: Even if you don't like Springsteen, this album was awesome. 432 hit singles. Courtney Cox in the video.

There are so many great 80's records you could list here, and that's the point. There was a lot more creative freedom back then, the quality of music reflected that.

My message to the recording industry - You are not failing because people are illegally downloading music, you are failing because there is less and less music worth spending my money on.

Learn more about this author, Frank Roberts.
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