10 Best Alternative Rock Bands Of The 1980s

At the end of the '80s, we were still a long way away from genres like Britpop rising to prominence. Along with the hair metal scene that was still taking the world by storm, we also had to wait through the grunge movement before people like Oasis and Blur kicked things into high gear around the mid '90s. If you were to ask the Gallagher Brothers where they got their inspiration from, it has to be the Stone Roses.

When you break it down, the Stone Roses pretty much invented the idea of Britpop way too early, having the same kind of attention to melody without the audience for it just yet. Being a part of the Manchester dance scene, this was a time where making dance music with guitars mattered, and John Squire certainly wasn't shy about his relation to his instrument. Even though the Roses' debut is all about serving the song, Squire is a hell of a player and knows just where to put his licks into each song to get under your skin.

These guys could have easily dominated the next decade, but it was sadly not to be. Once the disastrous sessions for their album Second Coming wrapped up, everyone went their separate ways, with Squire forming the Seahorses just a few years later. We will always have that debut album and those singles though, and there is still some magic in between those notes.