5 Forgotten Rock Bands From the 1980s Worth Rediscovering

Many of the biggest rock bands of the 1980s are still rockin’ today and touring the world. Some, though, never really reached international stardom, nor got their flowers. Let’s look at a few forgotten rock bands from the 1980s that are definitely worth rediscovering in the 2020s!

1. Fine Young Cannibals

Fine Young Cannibals was one of the best rock bands from the 1980s that has unfortunately been forgotten in favor of their pop-rock contemporaries. Formed in England, FYC was all over MTV in the late 1980s, notably with their songs “She Drives Me Crazy” and “Good Thing”. Their lead singer, Roland Gift, had quite the “gift” for singing and writing extremely addictive pop-rock tunes. 

They dominated the radiowaves, and their 1989 album The Raw And The Cooked topped the Billboard 200 chart. Unfortunately, they couldn’t cook up something of that album’s caliber again, and they disbanded in 1992.

2. Diesel Park West

It’s still pretty astounding that Diesel Park West never became more famous. They were critically acclaimed and particularly unique. How many bands in the 1980s successfully blended Brit-pop with American Southern rock? Nobody was doing guitar solos quite like them. Their early albums just weren’t selling, and they faded into obscurity for a bit. Luckily, they’re still together today.

3. Glass Tiger

These Canadian synth-rockers formed back in 1983 and went quadruple platinum in the Great White North with their 1986 debut Thin Red Line. If you were around at that time, you probably remember “Someday” or “Don’t Forget Me (When I’m Gone)” stateside. For some reason, Glass Tiger didn’t get much attention from MTV, and they fell through the cracks in favor of more popular bands. We think this force of nature deserves better!

4. Age Of Chance

Age Of Chance was ahead of their time. The UK-based alt-rock outfit found some success with their cover of “Kiss” in 1986, but they never quite made it on the US and international charts. They were pioneers of dance-rock and didn’t get enough credit for their influence, in our opinion.

5. Banshee

Ah, good ol’ 1980s Midwestern metal bands. Banshee was a Kansas City-based power metal outfit with a bit of a glam flair. Unfortunately, bands like that were a dime a dozen at the time. Despite Banshee putting out some stellar tunes and getting signed to Atlantic Record in 1989, they never made it big. They’re actually still together today, but have a much more modern sound.

Photo by Graham Tucker

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