80's Rock & AOR

The 80's were a fantastic decade for those who sought rock, regardless of the sub-genre they naturally gravitated towards. Bruce Springsteen mixed passionate and bombastic hard rock with thoughtful lyrics concerning the plight of the working class in his most successful album ever, Born in the U.S.A. Meanwhile ZZ Top, the fun-loving Texas trio, left the societal messages for the Boss as they chose to offer us many party-perfect rockers tinged with the blues in their breakthrough album, Eliminator.

Blues-rock, hard rock, rock & roll, folk rock, AOR (album-oriented rock)… if you craved it, chances are there were artists cranking it out for you. So sit back and relive the glory days of rock.

Band Spotlight - ZZ Top

ZZ Top consists of the trio of Billy Gibbons, one of the most proficient guitarists in music history, Frank Beard (drums) and Dusty Hill (bass). While the band really rose to prominence during the 1980's, the Texas trio started building their following as far back as 1970, when they released their debut album entitled ZZ Top's First Album. The three musicians were extremely skilled to be sure, but their true formula for success lie with their inimitable and infectious Texan blues-rock infused with plenty of fun and humor.

By the time the 80's arrived, ZZ Top had already released seven studio albums. Their eighth album, 1981's El Loco, stuck with their blues-rock roots for the most part. You could see the band was experimenting with their sound, but few could have predicted the full transformation of ZZ Top from a 70's blues-rock band into an 80's hard rocking powerhouse that would occur with their next album, 1983's Eliminator.

Eliminator found the trio adopting the use of synthesizers along with a more roaring sound (thanks to the thundering guitars of Gibbons), and it was definitely a formula for commercial success. Sharp Dressed Man, Legs and Gimme All Your Lovin' are just a couple of the smash successes that captured rock fans' attention.

Unfortunately not all appreciated ZZ Top's progression into the 80's; some old-school fans disliked their choice to incorporate synthesizers and sequencers. But despite the claims by old fans that the band "sold out" with Eliminator, ZZ Top still demonstrated their bluesy roots throughout each song.

1985's Afterburner would become an even bitterer pill for old-school fans since it further distanced itself from blues-rock, becoming even more melodic and polished along the lines of AOR. But the trio knew what they were doing, for the infectiously upbeat album became a multi-platinum seller.

This was to be the last album the band would release during the decade, but it was by no means the end of their career. In 1990 they returned with Recycler, the album that would slowly transition the band away from the glitzy 80's sound and back to that of their hard rocking bluesy roots. The band enjoyed continued success throughout the 90's and even the 2000's; their most recent studio album was 2003's Mescalero.

ZZ Top have proven themselves to be innovators capable of following musical trends without ever having lost their Texas roots and sound. It's also quite a feat for this band to have remained together for over 30 years, but it's nothing short of miraculous that the band has always consisted of the original trio that formed the group. ZZ Top's career high point was clearly during the 80's, but their dedication to their craft and long-lived nature will ensure this band is remembered as one of history's elite American rock bands.

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