Punk music took the underground rock world by storm in the 1970s. While punk has never disappeared from rock, creative musicians wanted to go beyond punk. Sure, the simplicity of three chords played loud and unashamed has an aesthetic you just can’t deny, a new breed of musicians decided there must be more. And so, during the late 70s and early 80s, hundreds of bands explored new styles of rock. This rock was not classic rock, it was not hard rock / heavy metal, and it was not punk rock. This was a whole new brand of rock. My friends, this is what my playlist celebrates this week. 80s Post Punk Rock.
80s Post Punk Rock features a lot of familiar artists: The Cure, The Smiths, XTC, Squeeze, Elvis Costello, Blondie, R.E.M. – I could go on, there’s just that many well-known artists. Joe Jackson, Talking Heads, Joy Division, The Church, Violent Femmes – you get the idea. Post Punk in the 80s was filled with what I can only call legends.
I hope you enjoy these legends of rock, and I hope you enjoy this week’s playlist.
About the omissions in 80s Post Punk Rock
The genre of post punk is vast. It includes Art Rock, Synth-Pop, and so many other different subgenres. Artists like My Bloody Valentine and Depeche Mode could easily be included in this playlist. However, I only had so much room. I’ve already done a couple of playlists on 80s Synth Pop as well as Shoegaze / Dream Pop.
One thing I noticed while putting together this week’s playlist, it’s kind of a boys club. I did include a couple of female artists, but admittedly, not as many as I would have liked. So, why not visit one of my playlists featuring female artists? Balance things out a little. Speaking of, this is a great time to plug one of my favorite charities: The Rock and Roll Summer Camp for Girls. If you have a female child interested in rock music, why not check them out?
That’s all I’ve got today. Rock on and Rocksteady!