The Psychedelic 80’s Rock Bands You Need to Know

The Psychedelic 80’s Rock Bands You Need to Know

Psychedelic rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Rooted in the British blues rock and garage rock of the 1960s, psychedelic rock incorporates a number of elements, including experimental music, extended improvisation, and unusual sound effects.

The Psychedelic 80’s Rock Bands You Need to Know

The Psychedelic 80’s was a time when rock bands were experimenting with new sounds and influences. Some of the most iconic bands came out of this decade, and their music is still loved today. If you’re a fan of 80’s rock, or just curious about what the Psychedelic 80’s had to offer, here are some of the bands you need to know.

The Psychedelic Furs

The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in 1977. The original quartet consisted of singer Richard Butler, his brother Tim Butler (bass), Duncan Kilburn (saxophone) and Roger Morris (guitar). By 1979, this lineup had expanded to a sextet with Vince Ely replacing Roger Morris on drums and John Ashton being added on guitar.

The Psychedelic Furs’ sound was defined by an aggressive, atmospheric guitar-and-sax interplay reminiscent of Joy Division, and their debut album was produced by Steve Lillywhite, who would go on to produce U2’s first three albums. The Furs were one of the most innovative and influential bands of the 1980s, paving the way for the Britpop and shoegazing movements of the 1990s.

Echo & the Bunnymen

Echo & the Bunnymen are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, augmented by a drum machine. By the time of their fourth album, Crocodiles (1980), Pete de Freitas had joined as the band’s drummer.

The band were championed by alternative rock pioneer John Peel in the early 1980s; they recorded a total of eight studio albums and two live albums with him from 1980 to 1987. McCulloch left the band temporarily in 1988 during the making of what became their seventh album, Reverberation (1990). Sergeant and Pattinson continued to work together under various names (including ‘Reverbation’ and ‘Electrafixion’) until 1998 when they reformed the Bunnymen with new members Carlton Bostock (guitar) and Rob Cousens (drums).

The band have released 11 studio albums to date, with Ocean Rain (1984) becoming their most commercially successful album, reaching No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart. The original lineup returned for a tour in 2005 and an album, Siberia (2005), which reached gold status in the UK. They toured again in 2010 to support Absolute Greed EP (2010). In 2013, rhythm guitarist Zimmerman quit.

The Cult

The Cult is a British rock band that was formed in 1983. The band’s music is a mix of psychedelic rock and heavy metal, and they are considered to be one of the key bands in the development of the gothic metal genre. The Cult has released nine studio albums, two live albums, and multiple singles and music videos. The band’s most recent album, Hidden City, was released in February 2016.

The Psychedelic 80’s Rock Bands You Need to Know

The Psychedelic 80’s Rock Bands You Need to Know, is a list of the most popular and well-known Psychedelic 80’s Rock Bands. These Psychedelic 80’s Rock Bands are from all around the world, and have all made a name for themselves in the Psychedelic 80’s Rock music scene.

The Psychedelic Furs

The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band formed in London in February 1977. The group, which initially existed until 1992, was founded by brothers Richard and Tim Butler, Duncan Kilburn (saxophone) and Paul Wilcox (drums). Jon Astley (producer) and Mars Williams (saxophone) were also founding members.

The Psychedelic Furs began as an art school punk band. Their self-titled debut album was released in March 1980 and contained their signature song “Pretty in Pink”. The single’s accompanying video helped propel the album to cult status. The video features lead singer Richard Butler walking through a London Underground station as mute passengers gawk at him.

The band’s second album, Talk Talk Talk, released in 1981, peaked at #12 on the UK Albums Chart. It included the minor hit “Mr. Jones”, which climbed to #41 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1982, the band was invited to open for Talking Heads on their European tour.

In 1983, the Furs contributed “Love My Way” to the soundtrack of the film Valley Girl, directed by Martha Coolidge and starring Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman. “Love My Way” became a Top Ten hit in several countries including Australia, France, New Zealand and Italy; it also peaked at #49 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.

After signing with Columbia Records in 1986, they released their fifth album Mirror Moves, produced by Bob Ezrin. Mirror Moves included two top 40 singles; “Heartbreak Beat” (#21 US/#9 UK) and “Pretty In Pink” (re-recorded for the film of the same name). The re-recorded version of “Pretty In Pink” also hit #37 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart as well as #7 on Australia’s ARIA Charts 25 years after its original release date in 1981.”Love My Way”, meanwhile, continued its domination of international charts by topping both Australia’s ARIA chart and Canada’s RPM Top Singles chart that year; it also peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Songs chart stateside

Echo & the Bunnymen

Echo & the Bunnymen were one of the most successful bands to come out of the British post-punk scene, with a string of hits in the 1980s and a hugely influential sound that helped shape the course of alternative rock. The band was formed in Liverpool in 1978 by vocalist Ian McCulloch and guitarist Will Sergeant, who had been playing together in another band, Um Bongo’s All Stars. They were soon joined by bassist Les Pattinson and drummer Pete de Freitas, and began playing shows around Liverpool.

The Cult

The Cult is a British rock band formed in 1983. The band gained a following in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s as a post-punk/gothic rock band, with two Top 40 albums and several singles in the UK charts. The band released its debut album, Dreamtime, in 1984, which reached number five in the UK Albums Chart. The album was produced by Steve Brown.

The band’s second album, Love, was released in 1985 and reached number four in the UK; it included the hit singles “She Sells Sanctuary” and “Fire Woman”. The album was produced by Rick Rubin. In 1986, the band released their third album Electric; it debuted at number two in the UK and included the hit single “Love Removal Machine”. The album was produced by Bob Rock.

The Cult’s fourth album, Sonic Temple, was released in 1989 and debuted at number one in the UK and United States; it was their first US Top Ten album. It included their biggest hit single “Fire Woman”, which peaked at number seven on Billboard Hot 100 chart. The single “Edie (Ciao Baby)” peaked at number eleven on Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album was co-produced by Mike Clink and Bob Rock.

The Cult’s fifth album, Ceremony, was released in 1991 and reached number six on Billboard 200 chart; it included the US top 40 hit single “Wild Hearted Son”. Heading into 1992’s stayer Pure Cult: For Rockers, Ravers, Lovers & Sinners compilation (a collection of songs from each of their first four albums), guitarist Billy Duffy left amicably to form his own side project called Colour of Fire. Amid creative differences with lead singer Ian Astbury about musical direction heading into 1998’s Choice of Weapon release (the first Cult studio recording not to feature Duffy), drummer Matt Sorum also departed to join Guns N’ Roses on their world tour promoting Chinese Democracy (2008).