10 Best Alternative Rock Bands Of The 1980s

I'll bet that some of the more seasoned rock fans are looking at the inclusion of the Clash a bit weird right now. Though the band certainly deserves a place among the greatest bands of all time, how did the punk rock gods manage to fit their way into the world of alternative rock? Well, the '70s were the era of the dirty punks. The next decade was where things were about to get interesting.

You could even argue that something like London Calling was the precursor for what alternative rock could be in the future, taking the trappings of punk and throwing in many different genres into the mix like reggae and old time rock and roll on Brand New Cadillac. This was only the beginning of the experimental stuff though, with Sandinista being a practical kaleidoscope of different sounds that you weren't sure that the genre was even capable of.

Capping things off with Combat Rock, the classic lineup of the band really seemed to do everything they could as creative partners, eventually turning in songs that had different electronic soundscapes as well as flirting with some of the trends that were coming from the hip hop scene. If only we could have saved them from the train wreck that happened on Cut the Crap, they could have been the first major player in the alt rock scene before the '90s kicked in.