gen-Xer.com

Best Album of the 80s? v001

What was the best all-around rock album to come out in the 80s?  Below is a list to start from...we'll have additional polls in the future and then have the winners compete in a final.

You may easily buy these albums from our affiliate, Amazon.com

The Power of Music

For myself and many other Gen-Xers, music has been a major influence in our lives, in the past, now, and into the future.  I regularly listen to traditional radio stations, satellite radio, online streaming stations, CDs, and various mp3s that cover rock-and-roll genres of the 60s through current.  I can only hope to pass some of this love for music onto my children.  I'm not musically inclined, helpless in playing any instrument, and hopelessly tone-deaf and unable to carry a vocal tune.  But, I love listening to it.

I am very much "in tune" with the music of my era <pun intended.>  I frequently catch myself singing an old favorite, to myself of course, when I wake up, when I do chores, or perform other mundane tasks.  Listening to the various sources, I'll also associate a song with an event or time in my life.  This is particularly handy when playing in the weekly trivia tournament at my favorite watering hole.  The regularly offered "timeline" category question will usually feature two prominent events that occurred in a year, plus the name of a band and a song that was released.  The teams are then to guess the year.  The "clue" of the band and year are often the clincher for me, or at least narrow down the time to a reasonable guess. 

So, what has made music so influential and prominent in my life?  I think there have been a plethora of factors, with no single particular one standing out, but rather the entire amalgamation as being the creditor.  Off the top of my head, here are several of the influential factors:

• Cassette tapes (later followed by compact discs) -- allowed us to take our favorite music with us in our cars and create our own "favorites" mixes
• Sony Walkman -- allowed us to take music with us anywhere, listening as loudly as we wanted, and not having to disturb anyone
• Movie and television soundtracks -- these became a huge and ongoing "after-market" sales opportunity for the studios and labels and provided the musicians another avenue to get to the consumer
• Boomboxes -- like the Walkman, but bigger, but still relatively portable, allowing you to share your music with friends
• Widespread, quality FM format rock radio -- stations played genres and independent stations, primarily college stations, began to play a lot of alternative music
• MTV -- three minute movies with music, clothes, girls, and LOTS of hair
• "Mega" pop stars and bands -- record (tape/CD) sales made singers/players into millionaires, and stars merging from multiple bands join together in "one-time" collaborations for shows or albums
• Arena and stadium concerts -- Shows are just at small clubs, but now are held in mega-venues such as arenas and outdoor stadiums, attracting tens of thousands of fans per show
• Greatest hits/Best of... albums -- bands have been out long enough such that you could get all of their biggest hits on just one album/cassette/CD
• Compilation albums -- Multiple bands on one album with "hits," not just one album - one artist
• Annual music festivals and charity shows -- Woodstock on an annual basis, think Live Aid, Farm Aid, Lollapalooza
• Cross-over of genres -- Aerosmith and Run DMC, ZZ Top as rock and blues, Country "cross-over" artists like Garth Brooks, etc.
• Ultimately, the record labels dictate the genre, the trends, the airwaves

What other factors have made music such a prolific influence in your life?