3 Classic Rock Hidden Gems from the 1980s

If the 1970s cemented the genre of classic rock, then the 1980s took it to a whole new direction. While the ’70s were famous for bands like Led Zeppelin, Heart and Pink Floyd, it was the 1980s that brought the world acts like U2, Prince and Bruce Springsteen. Wherever you turned there was a plethora of riches when it came to heart-pounding tracks that often used synths to bolster their melodies.

But part of that abundance was a selection of lesser-known but still powerful offerings from rock bands. Songs that music listeners perhaps had to dig around a bit more for, songs that weren’t necessarily in the Top 40, but remain nevertheless indelible. Here below, we wanted to explore three such tunes. Indeed, these are three hidden gem classic rock songs from the 1980s.

[RELATED: No Skips: 4 Classic Rock Albums You’ll Never Have to Fast-Forward]

“Hazy Shade of Winter” by The Bangles from Less than Zero (1987)

Originally written by the harmonious duo Simon & Garfunkel for their 1968 LP Bookends, the Los Angeles-born rock band The Bangles took on the offering and made it their own through relentless percussion, dynamic electric guitar, and all-female vocal blends. The group turned the song from a folk tune into a bone-rattling rock number. On the song, the quartet sings,

Hear the Salvation Army band
Down by the riverside
There’s bound to be a better ride
Than what you’ve got planned

Carry a cup in your hand
Look around
Leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter

“Reptile” by Skin Yard from Skin Yard (1987)

Before there was Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and all the other big name groups of the grunge movement, there was Skin Yard. The band, which included future Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer Matt Cameron (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden), also featured guitarist Jack Endino. Known today as “The Grungefather,” Endino is famous for recording many of the early Sub Pop bands that would go on to become the faces on posters hanging in bedrooms all over the U.S. He recorded Nirvana’s debut LP, Soundgarden and many more. As for “Reptile,” the track opens Skin Yard’s debut self-titled LP and showcases the early grunge sound. On it, lead singer Ben McMillan moans,

You give it to another beast
The beast is on, on its feet
You give away another lie
It hurts your heart, so why do you lie?

All I ever want to do is
Go back in time
Go back in time, alive

“Indian Summer” by Beat Happening from Jamboree (1988)

Another track from the Pacific Northwest, the more docile “Indian Summer” has become a classic rock track from the Olympia, Washington-born band Beat Happening. Since its release, it’s been covered by countless groups, from indie rockers to loud rollicking ones. The song sounds like it could have come from someone in Andy Warhol’s cohort or from The Velvet Underground. On the track, lead singer Calvin Johnson croons,

Breakfast in cemetery
Boy tastin’ wild cherry
Touch girl, apple blossom
Just a boy playin’ possum
We’ll come back for Indian Summer
We’ll come back for Indian Summer
We’ll come back for Indian Summer
And go our separate ways

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