80s Music: Heavy Metal, Funk, and Soul

The 80s were a decade of musical diversity, with heavy metal, funk, and soul all making their mark. In this blog post, we take a look at some of the biggest hits from each genre.

Heavy Metal

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It typically has a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness. The heavy metal bands of the 1970s and 1980s developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness.

Def Leppard

Def Leppard is a British rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitars, backing vocals), and Vivian Campbell (guitars, backing vocals). This is the band’s longest-standing lineup.

The band’s albums Pyromania (1983) and Hysteria (1987) have been seen as defining records of the 1980s. Both albums have been certified Diamond in the US. Def Leppard’s latest album,Definity was released on 30 May 2006 and entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 5. They have also produced two live concert DVDs: Pyromania Live, released in 2003, and Hysteria Live, released in 2006.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in January 2005 by Kid Rock (who gave them their rings).

Metallica

Formed in 1981 by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, Metallica were one of the most influential bands of the 1980s. They pioneered the genre of thrash metal with their debut album, Kill ‘Em All, and went on torelease a string of successful albums, including Ride the Lightning (1984), Master of Puppets (1986) and …And Justice for All (1988). Metallica are often credited with bringing metal music to a wider audience, thanks to their aggressive sound and traded-off lead vocal style.

Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden is a British heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. The band’s first album, 1980’s Iron Maiden, was written primarily by Harris and vocalist Paul Di’Anno. keyboardist Derek Riggs was responsible for the artwork of the band’s early albums.

After the release of their second album, 1981’s Killers, Di’Anno was replaced by Bruce Dickinson. The following year, newcomers guitarist Adrian Smith and drummer Clive Burr joined the band for 1982’s The Number of the Beast, Maiden’s first album to enter the US Billboard 200 chart and receive Gold certification. The title track was Maiden’s first US Top 40 hit. 1983’s Piece of Mind and 1984’s Powerslave followed suit, with each achieving US platinum status. 1986’s Somewhere in Time marked a stylistic change for the band, incorporating elements of new wave music and science fiction into their sound.

Dickinson left Maiden in 1993 to pursue a solo career, being replaced by Janick Gers. His replacement lasted only one album, 1995’s The X Factor, before he departed as well. Gers remained with Maiden for the next twelve years. 1998’s Virtual XI was the first album to feature Blaze Bayley on vocals; he would be replaced by Dickinson for 2000’s Brave New World. Dickinson has continued to record and tour with Maiden ever since his return; 2001’s Dance of Death and 2006’s A Matter of Life and Death were both hailed by critics as among the best albums in Maiden’s catalog. 2008’s Somewhere Back in Time Tour commemorated 30 years since the release of their debut album; it was followed by 2010-2011’s expansive Final Frontier World Tour and 2013-14′s Maiden England World Tour

Funk

80s funk was a genre of music that was characterized by a thick, funky groove, often created by a rhythm section playing extended vamps. The genre originated in black communities in the mid-1960s, and was developed by artists like James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic.

Parliament-Funkadelic

Funk is a musical genre that originated in the mid-1960s. It is characterized by a strong groove, often with a syncopated bassline. Funk songs are often based on a two-chord or three-chord vamp. The word “funk” can also refer to a style of African-American dance that is associated with the music.

Parliament-Funkadelic was an American funk band formed in the late 1960s. The band was led by George Clinton, and they were one of the most popular funk bands of the 1970s. They were also known for their outlandish stage shows, which often included costumes and makeup.

Bootsy’s Rubber Band

Bootsy’s Rubber Band, led by the inimitable Bootsy Collins, was one of the most innovative and influential funk bands of the 1970s and 1980s. With their mix of heavy metal, funk, and soul, they created a unique sound that was both fresh and exciting. They were also one of the first bands to experiment with using synthesizers to create new sounds, which helped to lay the groundwork for the future of electronic music.

The Gap Band

The Gap Band was an American R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers: Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson. The group was formed in 1967 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and they released their first album in 1976. They achieved their greatest success in the 1980s with a series of hits including “Outstanding”, “You Dropped a Bomb on Me”, ” Party Train”, and “I Don’t Believe You Want to Get Up and Dance (Oops!)”. The Gap Band was one of the leading forces in the development of the funk sound that dominated black music in the 1980s.

In 2005, the Wilson brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Soul

Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, and Curtis Mayfield – what do all these artists have in common? They are all pioneers of soul music. This genre of music originated in the African-American community in the early 1960s. It was created as a response to the difficulties that the black community was facing at the time.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye (/ɡeɪ/; born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr.; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He helped to shape the sound of Motown Records in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of hits, including “Ain’t That Peculiar”, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)”, and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine”, and duet recordings with Mary Wells, Kim Weston, Diana Ross. Gaye’s later works incorporated political commentary on race relations and distinctive composition styles that expanded upon his R&B base. Following a period in Europe as a tax exile in the early 1980s, Marvin Gaye released “Sexual Healing” in 1982. It brought him renewed popularity but also woes when Gaye began freebasing cocaine shortly thereafter; his life unraveled soon after.

On April 1st, 1984 Marvin was shot by his father after an argument about unpaid bills that devolved into a physical altercation between the two men. Marvin died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 1:01 am on April 1st from two gunshot wounds to the chest. He was posthumously inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin is one of the most influential and important figures in soul music. A versatile singer with a powerful voice, she was able to cross over into pop and rock music and had a profound impact on both genres. Her best-known songs include “Respect”, “Chain of Fools”, “Think”, and “I Say a Little Prayer”. She is also celebrated for her live performances, including her iconic appearance at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Franklin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987 and the U.K. Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder is an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. A prominent figure in popular music, he is one of the most successful musicians of his generation. Wonder’s “classic period”, between 1972 and 1977, is noted for his vocal range, virtuosity and the intelligent use of synthesizers. He signed with Motown’s Tamla label at the age of eleven and continues to perform and record for Motown as of December 2020. His success with Innervisions (1973) and Songs in the Key of Life (1976) won critical acclaim and coincided with personal struggles in his life.