10 Best Alternative Rock Bands Of The 1980s

We already went over how people like the Stone Roses may have accidentally invented something like Britpop. Whether they knew it or not, these acts were on the cutting edge of a completely different sound, which would then be copied and sold back to the public as some of the biggest rock music that the world had ever seen. If The Roses were a precursor to someone like Oasis, then the Pixies were getting us acclimatized to Nirvana.

Coming from the East Coast, most of the material that the Pixies pumped out tended to be a lot more pop friendly than you might have expected. Along with getting airtime on college radio, you can see how something like Here Comes Your Man would fit into the '80s scene, with an unstoppable chorus and a power pop edge. Their hearts were still in the punk movement though, and you can hear that in those rare times when Frank Black breaks out the screaming chops on songs like Debaser.

The most important thing that these guys contributed to the alt rock scene was dynamics, with the verses being mostly quiet before the chorus explodes into something a lot more bombast. No matter how you look at it, this is the kind of build up that was the universally accepted structure of alternative rock, popping up in songs by Nirvana, Green Day, and Stone Temple Pilots to name just a few. While the Pixies may not have the same big fat royalty checks as the people they inspired, a certain thank you should be in order for what they gave to the world.