10 September 2010

When I Was a Young Lad, 1980-84

Not exactly the "wonder years," perhaps, but still, my high school years are a bit nostalgic for me. And since I've had popular music on the brain lately, I've also been thinking back on those bands and artists that rocked my world when I was a young lad, from 1980 through 1984. I'm probably forgetting someone or something, and subsequent experience has a way of coloring the past, but here's fourteen examples I'm recalling at the moment (roughly in order of interest):

John Cougar (Mellencamp)

Foreigner

Rick Springfield (don't laugh!)

REO Speedwagon

Pat Benatar

Billy Joel

Bryan Adams

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

Asia

Loverboy

Styx

Queen

Billy Squier

Aldo Nova

(Honorable mention would include .38-Special, Blondie, Boston, ELO, J. Geils Band, Elton John, Kansas, Journey, Kenny Loggins, and ZZ Top)

Any body else want to recall their high school glory days? Or, perhaps y'all can tell me who I'm missing from the early 80s.

Incidentally, I do think far more serious thoughts, most of the time, but this is recreational and refreshing for me.

6 comments:

Rev. James Leistico said...

Oingo Boingo would probably have been on that list if you grew up in Southern California when you were Only a Lad, guilty of all sorts of Nasty Habits during lots of Weird Science experiments in high school.
(oh, wait - I guess not all those songs weren't out by 1984 - but Van Halen did have a certain album that year... admit it, you were Hot for Teacher.)

grin.

Jane said...

Of course, as you know, I am a year older than you. ;)
My list would be mostly the same as yours, but instead of Springfield, Asia, Aldo Nova, and Billy Squier I would have included Journey, .38 Special, and Boston from your honorable mentions plus, from WAY outside the box, Sugarhill Gang. :)
(Oh, and Cheap Trick.)

Rev. Alan Kornacki, Jr. said...

My high school list would be different, since I only turned 10 in 1984, but I was already rocking out by then. Our lists from that period are probably pretty similar, but I'd add these off the top of my head.

Van Halen
Weird Al
Toto
Corey Hart
Joe Jackson

(There was also some late 70s hangover for me, like Dr. Hook, Pink Floyd, Gerry Rafferty, Ace, Ambrosia, Kiss, etc.)@

Rev. James Leistico said...

noticed I didn't include my own list for High School (Oingo Boingo wouldn't be discovered by me until college - and wasn't too big on Sammy Hagar leading Van Halen until after High School):

Huey Lewis and the News, Midnight Oil, Weird Al, INXS, Depeche Mode, Roxette, Fine Young Cannibals

from here on in no particular order:
B52's, UB40, Cure, Escape Club, C+C Music Factory, Right Said Fred, Prince (Batman soundtrack), Janet Jackson (Rhythm Nation),
Jesus Jones, Yothu Yindi, Tears for Fears, Paula Abdul

my discovery of classic rock:
Clapton, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix

Rev. Rick Stuckwisch said...

Thanks for the comments, friends.

Brother James, I actually didn't discover Van Halen until college, for the most part. Listened to Diver Down and 1984 a little, but never got into them too much during my high school years.

I love(d) Weird Al, too, but didn't reckon I could count him ;-)

Brings back memories, don't it, y'all?

Rev. James Leistico said...

this is most certainly true about the memories.
and I forgot about discovering Queen and Alice Cooper during High School... oh, and Guns and Roses did the music for Terminator 2, so I need to include that, as well as the Wayne's World soundtrack, and Red Hot Chili Peppers and Billy Idol