I grew up in the conservative 1980s; the Reagan years. It seems like such as repressive time. From the AIDS scare, to the War on Drugs, to cops watching a teenager’s every move, it was hard to have fun. But we sure did anyway.
Part of that fun was the classic ’80s “hairbands”. Or the guys with make-up, some call it glam rock. Yes, looking back, they do look pretty silly. But a lot of the music was great, and that’s what counts!
Judas Priest (Birmingham, England)
Leather all the way, man. Hits such as “Breaking the Law” (Beavis and Butthead’s signature jingle), “Living After Midnight”, and “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”. More about Judas Priest on Wikipedia.
Judas Priest. Lookin' bad ass, or not.
Iron Maiden (London, England)
I’d have to say the ugliest ’80s rock band. But with kick ass songs and even famously demonic album covers, these guys were pioneers for several years. Never was huge on the charts in the U.S. (I think “Run to the Hills” may be their most popular tune), but Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast made it to #1 in the UK! More about Iron Maiden on Wikipedia.
Iron Maiden. Very ugly mugs.
Twisted Sister (New York, New York)
Hilarious rockers who made it big (briefly, that is) with entertaining videos for hit singles “We’re Not Gonna Take It” (a #21 hit in the U.S.) and “I Wanna Rock”. More about Twisted Sister on Wikipedia.
Twisted Sister. What is that?!
Motley Crue (Los Angeles, California)
Famous band known for hard drinking, tattoos, and womanizing. Hits included “Shout at the Devil”, “Girls, Girls, Girls”, and “Dr. Feelgood”. I always liked the “Looks That Kill” song and video! (I was about 13 when it came out.) More about Motley Crue on Wikipedia.
Motley Crue. Glam rock studs.
Scorpions (Hanover, Germany)
Second for ugliest behind Iron Maiden, but totally awesome tunes like “Rock You Like a Hurricane”, “No One Like You”, and “Still Loving You”. More about the Scorpions on Wikipedia.
Scorpions. Don't look; just listen.
Def Leppard (Sheffield, England)
I saw these guys in concert around 1985 during the Pyromania tour, by far their best album. Included hits “Photograph”, “Rock of Ages” and “Foolin’”. In the late ’80s, hits continued with “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Love Bites”. Def Leppard was huge in the U.S., but not nearly as admired in their native UK. More about Def Leppard on Wikipedia.
Def Leppard. Talk about curly hair.
Van Halen (Pasadena, California)
Arguably the most successful rock/metal bands of all time, and the best lead guitarist of all time, Eddie Van Halen. Hits include “Runnin’ with the Devil”, “Aint Talkin bout love”, “Unchained”, “Panama”, “Hot for Teacher“, “Jump”, and many more. Unfortunately, the band started to suck bad when David Lee Roth left and the Sammy Hagar joined (thus becoming “Van Hagar”, ha ha). More about Van Halen on Wikipedia.
Van Halen. Yikes, this must be an early photo.
Ratt (San Diego, California)
Lesser-known, but solid ’80s rock. Most popular tunes include “Back for More” and “Round and Round” (great video, and with Milton Berle!). More about Ratt on Wikipedia.
Ratt. You may fill in this caption, ha ha.
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