# Best 80s records by 60s-70s rock bands? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068 "2017-08-30T00:43:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reddy\_Mercury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@Reddy\_Mercury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reddy_Mercury)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/1 "2017-08-30T00:43:01Z")
The 80s are generally considered a time when many rock bands who originated in the 1960s or 1970s lost the plot and put out subpar material. What are some 80s records by 60s/70s bands that actually live up to the band’s past work? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/2 "2017-08-30T01:07:08Z")
As for the Stones … none of the three albums worth mentioning at all were close to their “best work”: I find Tattoo You (1981) overrated; Steel Wheels (1989) was a happy surprise, but no great shakes. That leaves Emotional Rescue (1980), which I really like – but it barely fits your criteria. I think the Kinks’ Word of Mouth (1984) comes closer to what the OP is after. ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/3 "2017-08-30T01:29:10Z")
90125 immediately comes to mind, as pretty much a re-invention of Yes. Jethro Tull’s Crest of a Knave is well-known as being better than Metallica. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/4 "2017-08-30T01:33:46Z")
Aerosmith had _Permanent Vacation_ in 1987 and\* Pump\* in 1989. Two albums which I think are the best work. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/5 "2017-08-30T01:44:07Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I think the Kinks’ Word of Mouth (1984) comes closer to what the OP is after. I feel that _Give the People What They Want_ (1981) was one of their best albums. Some other pre-eighties artists who had top-notch albums in the eighties: David Bowie - _Let’s Dance_ (1983) Z.Z. Top - _Eliminator_ (1983) Bruce Springsteen - _Born in the U.S.A._ (1984) John Fogerty - _Centerfield_ (1985) Paul Simon - _Graceland_ (1986) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/6 "2017-08-30T01:45:07Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Aerosmith had _Permanent Vacation_ in 1987 and\* Pump\* in 1989. Two albums which I think are the best work. If we’re doing pure 70s (rather than 60s-70s), then Michael Jackson is an obvious example. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/7 "2017-08-30T01:47:53Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I feel that _Give the People What They Want_ (1981) was one of their best albums. > > Some other pre-eighties artists who had top-notch albums in the eighties: > Paul Simon - _Graceland_ (1986) Excellent pick – he’s totally a 60s artist as well as a 70s one. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/8 "2017-08-30T01:55:36Z")
\*Momentary Lapse of Reason \*by Pink Floyd \*Graceland \*is a great choice. _Cloud 9_ by George Harrison _Traveling Wilburys_ _90125_ by Yes ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/9 "2017-08-30T01:56:14Z")
The Other Side of Life by the Moody Blues is pretty well regarded even though it is more synth pop than the MBs usual Progressive Rock. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/10 "2017-08-30T01:57:51Z")
I prefer Genesis post Gabriel but Pre Invisible Touch ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/11 "2017-08-30T02:13:11Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > I prefer Genesis post Gabriel but Pre Invisible Touch Me too. _Duke, Abacab,_ and _3 Sides Live_ are great. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/12 "2017-08-30T02:21:16Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I think the Kinks’ Word of Mouth (1984) comes closer to what the OP is after. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I feel that _Give the People What They Want_ (1981) was one of their best albums. Also _State of Confusion_. “Come Dancing” was a big hit, and deserved to be (it’s what first made me notice The Kinks). > [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > The Other Side of Life by the Moody Blues is pretty well regarded even though it is more synth pop than the MBs usual Progressive Rock. I actually prefer their previous (80s) albums, _Long Distance Voyager_ and _The Present_. Paul McCartney’s _Tug of War_, at least, is a good album. The Beach Boys’ self-titled 1985 album isn’t objectively their best work, and production-wise it sounds very 80s, but it has a special place in my heart because to me, it was their first _new_ release, and I saw them live that year. Stevie Wonder was past his prime but still putting out worthwhile records. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/13 "2017-08-30T02:35:14Z")
Would you count Roxy Music and _Avalon_. It was their final album, released in 1982, and I’d say one of their best works. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/14 "2017-08-30T03:38:09Z")
Roy Erickson got known in the 1960s because of the 13th Floor Elevators, but his 1986 solo album [_Don’t Slander Me_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hQFhGeu2NU) totally fucking rocks! I still think Deep Purple’s 1984 album _Perfect Strangers_ was a decent album. To me The Clash is IMO indubitably a '70s band, but 1982’s _Combat Rock_ remains the 2nd greatest rock album yet recorded (also IMO). 9 years after _Radar Love_ was all over American radio stations, Golden Earring led us into their [_Twilight Zone_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0cYc3-Molo). Van Halen’s _1984_ was their biggest album yet and was simply inescapable on radio (and EmptyVision) for over a year. Supertramp struggled after the 1979 smash hit _Breakfast In America_, enduring not just creative lulls but also changes in membership. Still, I have a fondness for 1985’s _Brother Where You Bound_; here’s [_Cannonball_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvfoyXfcwVU). Manfred Mann first topped the charts in 1964 with a cover of The Exciter’s [_Do Wah Diddy Diddy_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc0x7xOap4I). In 1977, he topped the charts again, this time with a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s [Blinded By The Light](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcWVL4B-4pI) by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band. In 1983, he was all over the airwaves again, thanks to a cover of The Police’s [Demolition Man](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5597mshyZOw). And of course George Clinton arguably peaked in 1982 when he gave us [_Computer Games_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S9gCWPjBks&list=PL-UWPlRIl68pf3oYfOhaNARn847_PGhBg). The world is a better place with [Atomic Dog](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMVZ36VA0wg), yo. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/15 "2017-08-30T03:43:13Z")
King Crimson put out three good albums in the 80s. Not as good as their previous output, but still good. ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/16 "2017-08-30T04:17:46Z")
Some others that might qualify: Dire Straits (formed in late 70s) Journey REO Speedwagon Black Sabbath Ozzy Osborne (separately) Heart (some hits in the 80s but their best was clearly in the 70s) Cher ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/17 "2017-08-30T04:18:27Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Also _State of Confusion_. “Come Dancing” was a big hit, and deserved to be (it’s what first made me notice The Kinks). It’s a matter of personal opinion. Mine is that “Come Dancing” is a great song. But I feel as an overall album, _Give the People What They Want_ is better than _State of Confusion_. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/18 "2017-08-30T04:30:27Z")
Acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke’s most famous work was in the early '70s, but his '80s album _Time Step_ is considered by some to be on that same level. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/19 "2017-08-30T04:35:29Z")
Here’s one more from the folk world: Ronnie Gilbert was one of the Weavers in the 50s and early 60s, but she enjoyed a resurgence (creative output, not just reunion-tour-type stuff) in the mid-80s, including as a duet with the younger Holly Near. Fellow travelers 😉 Odetta and Pete Seeger were also putting out new, varied, vital music in the 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068/20 "2017-08-30T04:42:23Z")
Lou Reed’s “New York“ from 1989 is widely considered his strongest solo album, including by me. > **[New York (album)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_(album))** > > New York is the fifteenth solo studio album by American musician Lou Reed, released in January 1989 by Sire Records. > The album received universal critical acclaim upon release, and is widely considered to be among Reed's strongest solo efforts. It is highly regarded for the strength and force of its lyrical content; Reed stated that he required simple music so that it would not distract from his frank lyrics. The single "Dirty Blvd." was a number-one hit on the newly created Billboard Modern Roc... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-80s-records-by-60s-70s-rock-bands/795068.md?page=2)