10 Most Important Hard Rock Bands Of The 80s

For a brief moment in time, it looked like the massive punk explosion of the '70s had fizzled out with a whimper. As much as the Clash may have kicked the door down on their first few '80s releases, they seemed to fall apart as well, leaving the rest of the scene restricted to the underground clubs yet again. Just because you were in the underground clubs didn't mean that you had forgotten how to go for broke though.

Around the same time that hardcore punk was turning itself inside out, Bad Brains were the sound of pure chaos whenever they came onstage, with songs that felt like assaults on your senses whenever you listened to them. As much as they may have seemed just like a battering ram of noise, there was a lot of training beneath the surface, like Dr. Know having a tight grasp on his instrument.

Even when you listened to H.R. on the studio recordings, he never let up for an instant, always putting 110% into his performance and sounding downright maniacal while mock conducting the band behind the scenes. Of all the punk acts coming out at the time, Bad Brains always knew their strengths from day one. The albums that they made might not have been the longest of sits or anything, but their job was to beat you to a pulp and get out before you even knew what hit you.