10 Rock Music Debuts That Changed The Game

Rock and roll seemed to be in a state of transition at the dawn of the '80s. As some of the more seasoned veterans like Tom Petty seemed to be doing alright, the death of John Lennon left most rockers shellshocked, and a little band called Van Halen was also emerging out of the shadows of Los Angeles. So when MTV eventually launched across the airwaves, how the hell was a little band from Georgia becoming one of the biggest acts in the world?

Once some rockers started to move to college, R.E.M. hit the scene as one of the more interesting alternative acts at the time, combining the sounds of jangly pop from the '60s with a much more emotional and introspective turn in the lyrics. Although Murmur is almost incomprehensible from one track to another, you can feel every word that Michael Stipe is singing, having a perfect melody backing him and an almost nervy energy in the backing track as well.

Since it was impossible to understand most of these songs, you could also easily put yourself in the singers' shoes, whether that's talking about the energy of Radio Free Europe or understanding that you can't carry the weight of the world on Talk About The Passion. Though R.E.M. had all of the pieces for becoming a classic band, the groundwork they laid here wouldn't be felt for almost a decade, with some of the biggest names in the '90s scene citing them as a main influence. In a world full of MTV pinup stars, these guys didn't have to be photogenic to touch your heart.