In 1985, rock music continued its evolution by adopting the trends of the time. Many bands blended their guitars with synthesizers, embraced new wave, and gave the blues-based genre a new glossy veneer. But what didn’t change were the iconic riffs and equally iconic guitar solos, as you’ll hear in these four classic rock songs from 1985.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Sleeping Bag” by ZZ Top
ZZ Top gave the blues a distinct 1980s twist with the addition of synthesizers and drum machines. On the Texas trio’s ninth studio album, Afterburner, they continued the synth-rock experiments of their 1983 blockbuster, Eliminator. Though “Sleeping Bag” is propelled by a strict industrial groove, Billy Gibbons’s riff and guitar solo offset the digital funk with his signature boogie sound. This friction between human and machine framed many of their biggest hits.
“Radioactive” by The Firm
Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers formed The Firm after the pair’s more famous groups, Led Zeppelin and Bad Company, had disbanded. “Radioactive”, The Firm’s biggest hit, is layered with multiple riffs from Page that echo late-era Led Zeppelin. However, instead of sticking with heavy blues, Page plays a twisting and angular guitar solo that mimics the toxic romantic partner Rodgers describes.
“Let The Music Do The Talking” by Aerosmith
A year before Run-DMC helped revive Aerosmith’s career with their hip-hop rework of “Walk This Way”, the Boston band reunited with guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford to record Done With Mirrors. The album isn’t among Aerosmith’s best releases. But you can hear echoes of what made them great in the 1970s. Moreover, “Let The Music Do The Talking” highlights Perry and Whitford’s irreplaceability with their multitude of timeless slide riffs and solos. This track landed in 1985, but it more closely resembles the dusty recordings of Aerosmith’s 1975 classic, Toys In The Attic.
“Don’t Come Around Here No More” by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Tom Petty wrote “Don’t Come Around Here No More” with Dave Stewart from Eurythmics. Stewart had demoed the song with a drum machine, synthesizer, and electric sitar. His sitar provides the tune’s classic riff with a proto-surrealist vibe matched by the song’s Alice In Wonderland inspired music video. Guitarist Mike Campbell then burns a bluesy, wah-wah guitar solo. Grounding the dreamy track in the reality of the broken romance uncovered in Petty’s lyrics.
I don’t feel you anymore,
You darken my door.
Photo by Ross Marino/Getty Images
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