10 Even More Perfect 1980s Rock Albums With No Bad Songs

by Andrew Pollard

1. Faith No More - The Real Thing

By bringing in Mike Patton to replace Chuck Mosley, Faith No More took themselves in a different direction built around adding more funk and elements of hip-hop to their regular rock roots. And the first example of this direction was 1989's The Real Thing.

With the addition of Patton, there were a renewed sense of intrigue to the lyrics of Faith No More. Despite only being 21 years of age by the time The Real Thing was released, the former Mr. Bungle vocalist brought a maturity and provocation of thought to his new band's '89 record - not to mention a welcome dash of humour.

The Real Thing is Faith No More showing how easily rock, rap, funk, metal and plentiful other musical genres can all be beautifully blended together to create something special. Cited by a who's who of '90s and 2000s rockers as a seminal album that greatly influenced then, The Real Thing undoubtedly changed the game upon its release.

If looking for a standout track on an album full of standout tracks, it's impossible to look past Epic. Released as a single twice, this was the song that really put Faith No More on the map for a lot of music fans back in the day.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.