Primal Alt Rock Favorites
Friday December 21, 2018 | By Hieronymus Hawkes | music
I’ve been listening to a lot of 80s alt rock and 1st Wave alt rock lately and I decided to create a list of my favorite early alt rock bands or songs. Some of these bands were basically one hit wonders and some of them turned into superstars, and some are still actively making new music and touring. I’ve seen other similar lists with other bands, but those other bands simply never struck a chord with me. There might even be a few on here you haven’t heard.
I ended up with 67. Why 67? Well, this is how many I found that met my criteria, of being considered alt rock by someone or on a band comparison to someone else on this list, was before 1995 and wasn’t obviously conventional pop. Some of these songs border on pop or more conventional rock. It was hard to differentiate where to draw the line. Many of these bands have multiple songs that I dig, but I just picked one that I really love by that band. The first on this list is a perfect example.
This is not representative of all of the music I listened to back then. I love metal and straight up rock as well as some bluegrass and some country music, but it is very representative of great alternative rock music from that era. There is some incredible alternative music being made today, but these bands set the stage of what would follow, and it is a pretty diverse set. All of these songs are awesome! Links provided for a YouTube song. There are lots of versions for most of these songs.
U2 – Stories for Boys – I found a really old version of this maybe their first video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE7sw7WcLqc
Album version is better https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwQKp3ecotU
R.E.M. – Begin the Begin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DELYQ9087o
The Smiths – How Soon is Now? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OztC_7nkAd8
The Cure – In Between Days https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDMDb8unsIA
Siouxsie and the Banshees – Cities in Dust https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsOHvP1XnRg
Pet Shop Boys – Two divided by Zero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ht9xsdrcoM
The Clash – Rock the Casbah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ
Echo and the Bunnymen – The Cutter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMplIrSlg8E
Violent Femmes -Blister in the Sun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rswiq4Hi-tc
The English Beat – Mirror in the Bathroom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHWrmIzgB5A
Eurythmics – Missionary Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Q3cp3cp88
Culture Club – Karma Chameleon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmcA9LIIXWw
Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Relax https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WZ33w3B8Hw
Still makes me want to get up and dance!
OMD – If You Leave https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPmTGFg06zA
The The – Infected https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orIy18qIaCU
Modern English – I Melt with You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuN6gs0AJls
DEVO – Whip It https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z56XSG5LUbU
Oingo Boingo – Dead Man’s Party https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UbGtjnluyY
Psychodelic Furs – Love My Way https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGD9i718kBU
Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0AKJMGxwpE
The Cult – She Sells Sanctuary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCOSPtyZAPA
New Order – Blue Monday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYH8DsU2WCk
The Police – Don’t Stand So Close to Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNIZofPB8ZM
Talk Talk – It’s My Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ixRWvrkUHo
The Call – The Walls Came Down https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAxg8nuvPKM
The B-52s – Private Idaho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXmnmvDl-ao
Naked Eyes – Always Something There to Remind Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVrELhxOFnM
Kajagoogoo – Too Shy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsjzcT1QKYs
Heaven 17 – Let Me Go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOhtf4oQVj0
ABC – Poison Arrow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a70yJwgQtzo
Spandau Ballet – True https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR8D2yqgQ1U
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Higher Ground https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTaW5qHMRNw
Billy Idol – White Wedding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAZQaYKZMTI
Duran Duran – Rio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTizYn3-QN0
The Godfathers – Birth School Work Death https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO5dcW0P75M
Berlin – Masquerade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azr2ooLlfzQ
General Public – Tenderness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XegL32Btzs
Yaz (Yazoo in Britain) – Situation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D3udbawA1Q
They Might Be Giants – Don’t Let’s Start https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJQnZZ-Wmao
Simple Minds – Don’t You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdqoNKCCt7A
Midnight Oil – Beds Are Burning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejorQVy3m8E
Hoodoo Gurus – Miss Freelove ’69 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_UCks8O0FA
Split Enz – I Got You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmQlBfxh4Us
Tears for Fears – Everybody Wants to Rule the World https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST86JM1RPl0
A Flock of Seagulls – I Ran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIpfWORQWhU
Thomas Dolby – She Blinded Me with Science https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJxSwxexZYo
The Alarm – Strength https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYtE4lXk9-U
A-ha -Take on Me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914
The Pursuit of Happiness – Hard to Laugh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVQ_er14oIA
The Human League – Don’t You Want Me? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPudE8nDog0
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – Grey Cell Green https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqGzBqPnNBk
Gary Numan – Cars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99fRdfVIOr4
Soft Cell – Tainted Love https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26q_aarfaEA
Big Country – In a Big Country https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=657TZDHZqj4
Haircut 100 – Love Plus One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_msHpEa3_Y
The Tubes – She’s a Beauty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ_k_VG6Syc
Missing Persons – Words https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IasCZL072fQ
INXS – The One Thing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJyKTNdPL5s
Howard Jones – What is Love? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w34vnz_LEX4
Thompson Twins – Lies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wuv4f-AmKE4
Dead or Alive – You Spin Me Round https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGNiXGX2nLU
Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88sARuFu-tc
Animotion – Obsession https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIs5StN8J-0
Wang Chung – Everybody Have Fun Tonight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoXu6QmxpJE
Gene Loves Jezebel – 20 Killer Hurts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NWkSFKArpw
After the Fire -Der Kommissar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBfFDTPPlaM
Real Life – Send Me an Angel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R6WIbx8ysE
