5 1980s Rock Bands that Never Made It Big but Should Have

Far too many incredible rock bands from the 1980s don’t get enough recognition for how genre-defining they were in that important decade for rock. Even worse, some of them never made it big at all, despite the fact that they were just as talented as their now-big-name contemporaries. Let’s take a deep dive into five excellent 1980s rock bands that sadly never made it big.

1. Wipers

The heyday of grunge was definitely the 1990s, but Wipers were one of the pioneering bands of what would eventually evolve into grunge itself. Wipers came together in 1977, and through the 80s they perfectly wove elements of angsty punk and post-punk music into their signature sound. 

They released quite a few albums through the years, but they never gained the notoriety of similar bands like The Minutemen and Replacements. Their 1980 debut Is This Real? is essential listening.

2. Agent Orange

Agent Orange decided to take punk in a very different direction with their surf rock-infused approach to songwriting. They influenced the 1990s punk rock revival heavily. But unfortunately, only diehard punks and music historians are particularly familiar with their name. 

That being said, we doubt Agent Orange was too interested in commercial success. This Is The Voice from 1986 is a must-listen.

[See Agent Orange Live In Concert]

3. Mission Of Burma

This killer post-punk outfit had a pretty solid debut with their EP Signals, Calls, And Marches, and quite famously sold out all of the original run of records. They mastered anthems, tight choruses, and disorienting time signatures. Something about them was both commercially viable and irrevocably anti-commercial.

Sadly, Mission Of Burma was doomed to be short-lived. Roger Miller suffered serious side effects of tinnitus, likely from the extremely loud sets Mission Of Burma would play. After they released their debut album Vs. (which is essential listening, by the way), the band split up. They have since reunited with an altered lineup, but it’s just not the same.

4. Girl

Girl had the level of delusion and self-confidence needed to be major stars. These English glam-rock artists were cocky and fun, and it’s surprising that they didn’t make it big during the glam-rock boom. 

They had a lot of personality and penned a few stellar rock anthems during the 1980s. Unfortunately, the band more or less split when Phil Lewis left to front LA Guns and Phil Collen went on to join none other than Def Leppard.

5. Flipper

If you love punk rock and noise, you’ve probably seen the telltale shark symbol representing Flipper on a T-shirt or two. Flipper was just as influential on the grunge and sludge subgenres as their more famous contemporaries Black Flag. 

Their appeal makes sense; nobody was quite as nasty as Flipper during that era. Their live shows were a death trap in the best way. Unfortunately, the original version of the band came apart at the seams when their vocalist Will Shatter died in 1987. The 1984 album Gone Fishin’ is essential listening.

Photo via YouTube

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