The decade of the 1980s was a fascinating time for rock music. Long gone were the days of bearded, paisley-patterned psychedelic groups. The 1980s kicked off with loads of hard rock and glam rock outfits, complete with signature mullets and lots of leather. The following three rock bands formed in the 1980s and also disbanded in the 1980s, and you may have forgotten about them. Let’s refresh your memory, shall we?
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GTR
Remember GTR? This prog supergroup was made up of Steve Howe (of Yes and Asia) and Steve Hackett of Genesis. Formed in 1985, this AOR outfit only made it to 1987 before inevitably breaking up. Hackett would go on to be quite critical of the band’s music, as well as how the group was being financially managed.
GTR only produced one self-titled album in 1986. You might be familiar with their two hit singles that year, “When The Heart Rules The Mind” and “The Hunter”.
The Firm
Another supergroup makes our list of forgotten 1980s rock bands, but some hard rock and blues rock fanatics out there may remember The Firm perfectly well. This outfit was made up of Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Chris Slade (Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, AC/DC), and Tony Franklin (Blue Murder). The Firm lasted for a few years from 1984 to 1986.
The band released two excellent studio albums: Their self-titled debut and Mean Business. According to both Page and Rodgers, they had no intention of continuing the project past two albums.
The Power Station
Even if you don’t recognize this pop-rock band’s name, you have definitely heard “Some Like It Hot” at some point. This entry on our list of forgotten rock bands from the 1980s was also technically a supergroup. The band featured Robert Palmer, Tony Thompson (Chic), John Taylor (Duran Duran), and Andy Taylor (Duran Duran).
I should probably mention that The Power Station technically got back together in the 1990s. However, John Taylor ended up leaving in the middle of writing their comeback album, and the subsequent release Living In Fear was released in 1996 with a different bassist. The band would call it quits for good the following year.
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