10 Hard Rock Bands From The '80s That Should've Been Bigger

10. Alcatrazz

Graham Bonnett's lovably corny Californian crew kicked off with a bang they never quite matched.

Their debut LP, 'No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll', took heed from hard rock legends such as Rainbow in getting a high-energy, sensibly composed headbanger out to the masses. Leading singles 'Jet to Jet' and 'Island in the Sun' proved to impress listeners, bolstering this over the top record's exposure.

For fans of neoclassical guitar shredding ace Yngwie Malmsteen, Alcatrazz's early years offer a bird's eye view of his formative years as a performer.

Unfortunately, the albums that followed, while fun, did not manage to continue the rising star status they'd accumulated with their debut. Instead of conquering the world of rock, Alcatrazz dwindled, failing to secure the stardom they were once arguably worthy of. Worse still, in more recent years, the group have become better known for their seemingly unending feuds with one another.

These days, there are two versions of Alcatrazz: the Graham Bonnett version and the everyone else (bar Malmsteen of course) version. It's an unfortunate state of affairs for a dynamic group that held so much promise in the '80s.