The Future of the Rock Hall: 80’s Alternative Rock Edition

Thank you to those that read the previous edition of my blog series on the Future of the Rock Hall where I covered new wave and synth pop of the 1980’s.  Now it’s time to look at another important genre of the 1980’s: alternative rock.

While the Hall has somewhat addressed 1990’s alternative rock (inductions for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Radiohead thus far), the Hall still has a long way to go to accurately represent the story of 1990’s rock as will be highlighted in a future blog entry.  For as big as the hole of 90’s rock is currently in the Hall, the hole for 80’s alternative rock is even bigger.  Many of the most important alternative groups of the 1980’s never quite reached the level of mainstream success that their 90’s counterparts did, and thus that has proven to be a detriment to those 80’s groups’ chances of induction.  The Voting Committee is still filled with Baby-Boomers that stopped paying attention to music once MTV came to prominence and thus only the very biggest names of the 80’s and 90’s will get a look by these voters.  That’s led to a major logjam of 80’s alternative.  Outside of groups that got their start in the late 70’s new wave scene, only two true 1980’s alternative rock bands have been inducted.  R.E.M. was inducted back in 2007, which showed promise that 80’s alt would get some representation earlier than expected.  That turned out to not be the case as it would take another 12 years for another 80’s alt rock band to receive induction with the Cure finally breaking through in the 2019 class.  The biggest reason for this is likely the number of younger voters that been brought on by the Hall to help ensure more modern acts can get the votes to be inducted.  Because of that, the future for 80’s alternative is brighter than it’s been in the Hall’s history.  Multiple 80’s alt rock bands have received nominations over the last decade: including the Smiths, the Replacements, Jane’s Addiction, Kate Bush, as well as new wave/electronic-based alternative acts like Depeche Mode, Devo, and Eurythmics.  With the Cure breaking through this past year, the time seems ripe for the Hall to focus on 80’s alternative while also having success in that field.  Here is how the Hall should approach 80’s alternative rock over the next 15 years…

 

2020/21/22

Joy Division:

If you had to pick one band that truly paved the way for 1980’s alternative rock, Joy Division would be about as good a pick as you could make.  Their career consisted of two albums and about a dozen singles, but their 2-3 years as an active band proved to be the start of the post-punk and goth rock movements, thus making them one of the most influential bands of the last 40 years.  The band never achieved any commercial success in America but were commercially successful in Britain.  The group’s run was cut short upon the suicide of lead singer, Ian Curtis in 1980, just before the band was about to embark on their first American tour.  The remaining members would form the band New Order (whom I covered in the previous blog entry for new wave/synth-pop), who would prove to be an important, influential, and great band in their own right.  Joy Division, however, would prove to be the Fathers of Indie Rock, so they are clearly a HOF band.  Similar to Kraftwerk, their influence on the artists that followed them was so immense, it simply doesn’t feel right passing them over for bigger name groups.  The Hall has not yet nominated them, instead going for bigger name groups of the 80’s alternative scene, but in reality, none should go in before Joy Division.

Many in the Rock Hall Watcher community subscribe to the idea that the Hall should nominate Joy Division and New Order jointly.  Based on my previous blog entry and this one, I obviously do not believe in that idea AT ALL.  The groups are different in name, sound, and legacy.  Both bands should be inducted on their own IMO.

Kate Bush:

Kate Bush is a unique artist in that she is not “alternative” per se but her influence on future alternative artists is massive, almost as big as Joy Division’s.  I consider Kate Bush to be the heir apparent to Laura Nyro, the artistic-Indie female singer-songwriter.  Laura Nyro was the “Godmother” of those types of artists, and Kate Bush would be the “mother” of those types of artists.  Artists like PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Sinead O’Connor, Bjork, Poe, Sarah McLachlan, Allison Goldfrapp, St. Vincent, Lorde, etc.  Thus, that to me makes Kate Bush one of the most important artists on the beginning of alternative and indie rock and thus makes her a prime candidate to be one of the first of this genre/era to be inducted.  Unlike Joy Division, the Hall has previously nominated Kate Bush, so it is likely that Kate Bush will appear on the ballot again soon.  Thus, not only is she an ideal early choice, she’s a realistic one at that.

 

2023/24/25

The Smiths: 

After the Hall inducts two pioneers of 80’s alternative rock, it’s time for the Hall to move to the mid 80’s and induct two of the absolute best.  That brings us to the Smiths who were as influential on British-based alternative rock as R.E.M. was to American-based alternative rock.  The Smiths were one of the biggest bands in Britain during the mid-80’s and their guitar-based approach to rock music served as a sharp contrast to the more synth and electronic-based rock music that was dominating the British scene at the time.  In the process, the Smiths helped pioneer not only Britpop, but also emo music for their heavily depressing and emotional subject matter that also was quite the contrast from music at the time.  The Smiths would prove to be one of the most critically acclaimed and influential rock groups of the 80’s and alternative rock as a whole.  The Hall has nominated the Smiths two times prior, so it seems likely the Smiths will be back on the ballot at some point.  Once Joy Division and Kate Bush are inducted, it makes sense for the Hall to then focus on the Smiths.

The Replacements:

The Replacements were one of the great American rock bands of the 1980’s, a more punk-influenced group than R.E.M.  The Replacements were at the center of the emerging alternative rock scene in Minnesota (along with peers Husker Du, more on them later).  Unlike a lot of the more experimental groups of the 80’s alternative scene, the Replacements’ sound was very basic guitar-rock based that would’ve fit at home on 70’s rock radio if not for leader singer Paul Westerberg’s raw and “uncommercial” vocal style.  In many ways, however, that why they were able to break through to more older fans of rock music and critics who could hear the passion behind their music.  That also allowed them to have a more enduring legacy on rock music fans than many of their peers.  They were also among the earliest alternative bands to sign with a major label and get video play on MTV, though mainstream commercial success did not come their way as the mainstream scene was still not quite ready for alternative rock.  Nonetheless, the Replacements serve as hallmarks of 80’s alternative rock, and their music and spirit has endured thanks to it’s use in countless films over the last 30 years (Say Anything, Feeling Minnesota, Can’t Hardly Wait, Adventureland, etc.).  The Replacements would be a perfect candidate for the HOF.

 

2026/27/28

Sonic Youth:

At this point, I would say the Hall should then move to getting the two biggest alternative rock groups of the late 80’s inducted; first with Sonic Youth.  Sonic Youth were the defining “noise rock” group of the American alternative scene and thus one of the most important and influential of the era.  Their 1988 album, Daydream Nation is a candidate for the greatest alternative rock album of all-time and they would go on to serve as a mentor for many of the alternative rock bands that emerged in the 90’s (Nirvana being the most famous).  In the process, the group would enjoy their own success and be one of the few pioneering 80’s alt rock bands that also got to enjoy the benefits of alternative rock’s mainstream success in the 90’s.  The group were seen as living legends during alternative rock’s heyday in the 90’s.  But the band didn’t rest on their laurels, as the group continued to experiment and push boundaries with their sound and performances throughout the remainder of the career.  There aren’t many bands in the history of alternative rock that are more HOF worthy than Sonic Youth.

Pixies:

If there is one 80’s alternative rock band that was more influential on the overall sound of 90’s alternative rock than any other, that band would likely be Pixies. Their “loud-quite” sound shifts in their songs proved to be massively influential on alternative rock of the 90’s as many of it’s greatest bands adopted this format, the most famous example being Nirvana.  As time went along, Pixies have emerged as one of the most beloved 80’s alt rock groups, as many of their songs such as “Where is My Mind?,” “Gigantic,” “Debaser,” “Here Comes Your Man,” and “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” have become much bigger hits than when they were originally released thanks to their uses in movies and commercials.  Pixies are one of the prime examples of a band that was ahead of their time and not as appreciated when they were around as they would be later on.  Much like Sonic Youth, Pixies are one of the cornerstone bands of American alternative rock and are an absolutely essential inductee for the HOF.

 

2029/30/31

Husker Du:

While it might seem illogical for the Hall to skip over Husker Du for bands that were at their peak at a later time (Sonic Youth and Pixies), I feel that Husker Du is not quite at the level of the Replacements, and thus Sonic Youth and Pixies are bigger priorities.  That being said, in this timeline, beings all of those bands are now inducted, the Hall should undoubtedly move to Husker Du next.  Husker Du, like the Replacements, were one of the key bands of American alternative rock of the 1980’s.  Husker Du were influenced by punk but were much more experimental with their overall style.  The group defined the Minnesota alternative scene in the mid 80’s and proved to be one of the key bands who made punk rock more melodic and pop-friendly, thus paving the way for indie rock in the process.  The band is cited as one of the greatest by many of the most prominent alternative musicians of the 90’s and beyond.  Husker Du is an essential alternative band for the HOF.

Jane’s Addiction:

Some might argue that Jane’s Addiction belongs more in the 90’s Alternative category as their most successful album came out in 1990, and they launched the Lollapalooza festival in 1991, and they were such an influence on 90’s alternative.  However, I’m gonna categorize them as an 80’s group as they built their legend in the late 80’s.  Jane’s Addiction was in many ways the first band to emerge of all the bands associated with 90’s alternative.  Jane’s Addiction unique sound of surf rock, heavy metal, and one of a kind vocal style from lead singer Perry Farrell showed off a sound unlike any other in rock.  A sound with the potential to finally cause alternative rock to break through to the mainstream.  It didn’t quite happen, but Jane’s Addiction quickly gained a reputation as one of the leading bands of the alternative rock movement and it would culminate in 1991 with the founding of the Lollapalooza festival, which served as a place to show off all the latest bands of alternative rock and other alternative forms of music (rap being another example).  Just about every great alternative band of the 90’s got their first notice from playing Lollapalooza, and it became one of the defining moments of alternative rock.  It was the beginning of alternative rock breaking through to the mainstream.  Thus, Jane’s Addiction importance is among the biggest of any 90’s rock band.  In addition, their two official studio albums are both among the greatest alternative rock albums ever made.  The band is clearly a HOF level band.

 

2032/33/34

The Jesus and Mary Chain:

The Jesus and Mary Chain would be the first non-American and Non-British alternative rock act to come up in this discussion.  Hailing from Scotland, the band helped pioneer the shoegaze genre and produced one of the greatest alternative rock albums of the 1980’s, their debut album from 1985, Psychocandy.  They didn’t stop there though, as they were one of the few alternative rock bands in general to break through to the American Rock charts, having a number of hit songs on those charts in the late 80’s.  Thus, the band was instrumental in further bringing alternative rock to the mainstream in the late 80’s.  Their music has appeared in numerous films and tv shows including Lost in Translation, The Crow, Adventureland, Pet Sematary, and the Walking Dead.  The Jesus and Mary Chain were one of the most innovative bands of the 1980’s and helped pave the way for alternative rock to break through to the mainstream, thus they certainly warrant a spot in the HOF.

Sinead O’Connor:

A choice that may be controversial, Sinead O’Connor is another non-American and non-British alternative artist who proved to be a major influence on female musicians.  Sinead generated much controversy at the height of her fame when she appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1992, ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II and stated, “fight the real enemy.”  The action was meant to be a protest of the Catholic Church and the allegations of sexual abuse that the Catholic Church engaged in.  This move was seen as highly obscene at the time and she generated an insane amount of controversy that ultimately killer her career.  She was negatively spoken about by just about everyone in the entertainment industry at the time and she was largely blackballed afterwards.  She was ahead of her time with that action as she ultimately was proven to be right, as the allegations of sexual abuse would be discovered as being true a decade later.  Had she come along even 15 years later and done it, her career would likely not have been blackballed.

Before that controversial incident, however, Sinead was seen as one of the most promising artists of the late 80’s/early 90’s as her 1987 debut album The Lion and the Cobra was one of the most acclaimed albums of the late 80’s, and the single, “Mandinka” became a massive hit on MTV, one of the first alternative rock singles to do so.  She became an even bigger star with her 1990 album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, and it’s iconic single, “Nothing Compares 2 U.”  It was the biggest hit of the year, and she quickly grew to being one of the biggest rising young stars in the entire music industry.

Though her career in the spotlight was cut short due to the SNL incident, her influence on female artists, human rights, and feminism was profound and still influences female artists today.  Sinead’s story, IMO, is one of the saddest in modern music history, as she was an immense talent whose career was destroyed due to archaic societal views of female artists and religion in general. If a male artist had done what she done, his career would likely not have suffered as much.  Nonetheless, she’s an example of a female artist that was very brave and courageous in expressing her beliefs at a time when it proved to be a major risk to her career.  She deserves to be in the HOF.

 

To break it down, here is how the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame should approach 1980’s alternative rock over the next 15 years…

2020/21/22: Joy Division/Kate Bush

2023/24/25: The Smiths/The Replacements

2026/27/28: Sonic Youth/Pixies

2029/30/31: Husker Du/Jane’s Addiction

2032/33/34: The Jesus and Mary Chain/Sinead O’Connor

 

And here is the list of artists I considered, but ultimately didn’t make the final cut…

Currently Eligible Artists: Bauhaus, Cocteau Twins, Dinosaur Jr., Echo & the Bunnymen, Fishbone, Green River, Killing Joke, Midnight Oil, Mission of Burma, Mudhoney, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Fall, The Minutemen, The Stone Roses, They Might Be Giants, Violent Femmes, XTC

Well, that will do it for this edition.  Stay tuned for the next edition where we will cover rap music.  Let me know your thoughts in the comments!