Who is the best music artist of the 80's?

Question

list down 5 names / groups from the 80's you think revolutionized modern pop music.

Answer 1

Great question..
1) Prince, especially now that he has had such longevity, and he can absolutely wield his ax.
2) Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA was iconic
3) Michael Jackson, He's a freak now, but Off the Wall and Thriller were exceptional.
4) Madonna, She did more in the 80's to affect society than anyone else
5) U2- The Joshua Tree---enough said
5b) The Police- Too bad they broke up. Incredible performers

Answer 2

Acoustic Artists: Richie Havens Nick Drake Bob Dylan Songs:Ohia Iron and Wine Joni Mitchell 80's: Tears for Fears Meat Puppets Sonic Youth Talking Heads Minutemen Big Black B-52's

Answer 3

Michael Jackson
Prince
Cameo
Whitney Houston
and The Gap Band

Answer 4

Actually, you're asking two and possibly three questions here. The best music artists of the'80s aren't necessarily the most revolutionary, though there definitely were revolutionary groups. And if you're just asking for R&B acts, since this came from the R&B, that changes the game, too.

Anyway, I'll put down my thoughts the most revolutionary pop acts of the'80s -- and by "pop" I mean the whole spectrum of popular music:

* Blondie: One of the first punk groups of the mid-'70s became the first rock group to successfully meld hip-hop and rock ("Rapture"). Also had a No. 1 hit with a reggae cover (The Paragons' "The Tide Is High.")

* The Clash: From the fall of '79 until late '83, when Joe Strummer fired Mick Jones, they were maybe the most important band in the world. The first punk group to really commercially break out without selling out had the music world's ear for three years, both for musical and political reasons: 1979's "London Calling," the 1981 EP "Black Market Clash," the three-LP 1981 album "Sandinista!" and 1982's "Combat Rock." Also embraced reggae in a big way ("Guns of Brixton," also the legendary rave-up version of Eddy Grant & the Equals' "Police on My Back.")

* New Order: The surviving members of English band Joy Division regrouped after the suicide of singer Ian Curtis in 1980. In addition, they changed their name, changed their style from a gloomy, guitar-electronic hybrid to a lighter, mostly electronic feel and combined stirring melodies with electronic beats. Yet, at the same time, they retained an air of mostly cool detachment. In the process, they created the template for modern dance rock for most of the '80s. (They also proved they could easily cross over into the black music scene when they cut "Confusion" in 1983, produced by Arthur Baker.)

* Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five: Sometimes all it takes is one single. Rap, revolutionary when The Sugar Hill Gang broke through with "Rappers' Delight" in the fall of '79, was taking a commercial downward turn in '82, with the original Sugar Hill party tip worn down to a nub. Flash & the Five (also on Sugar Hill) revolutionized hip-hop and kept it here to stay by going the social-message route that summer with their bleak tale of poverty, crime, drug abuse and death, "The Message." It opened a lot of ears and the door to a whole new expressway of rhyming material. Can't see where Public Enemy, KRS-One or (for better or worse) gangsta would have been without this one 12-inch disc.

* Run-D.M.C.: Run, D and Jay did for hip-hop's music what "The Message" did for its lyrics. As an alternative to Sugar Hill's tired musical beds and Tommy Boy's frenzied electronic-based production (Planet Patrol, Afrika Bambaataa), they stripped the music right down to its stark beats. And it worked. And becoming the first rap act to hit No. 1 three years later -- and, in the process, extending Aerosmith's career by 20 years, for better or worse -- was almost an afterthought to the way they changed the sound of hip-hop.

Other revolutionaries off the top of my head: Talking Heads, Prince, R.E.M., Elvis Costello, APB, Paul Weller (The Jam and The Style Council), Beastie Boys, Husker Du, Sonic Youth.

Answer 5

The Cure
Micheal Jackson
David Bowie
The Rolling Stones
The Clash

Answer 6

Michael Jackson
Prince
Madonna
Debbie Gibson
Aerosmith

Answer 7

Huey Lewis and the News
Talking Heads
The Police
Duran Duran
Culture Club

Answer 8

Depeche Mode
Prince
The Clash
New Order
The Cure

Answer 9

Madonna
Prince
Michael Jackson
Duran Duran
Wham!

Answer 10

The Cure
Madonna
Robert Palmer
Huey Lewis and the News
Billy Idol
Cindi Lauper