Most influential 80s alternative rock band?
 

Which 1980s alternative rock band would you regard as the most influential, particularly on 1990s music? A lot of people have said The Smiths and the Pixies, however I'd have said Husker Du - they were a major influence on Foo Fighters, not to mention Pixies and Nirvana. A lot of the Smiths stuff sounds similar to bands such as Joy Division or the early Pulp, so while they may have still been influential, I'd hardly categorise their style as original.

As a Husker-Foo similarity example, listen to the Husker Du song Games from their album Flip Your Wig (released 1985) and then compare it with the Foo Fighters song Sean from their St Cecilia EP (released 2015; free download) - both songs are in the same key and feature a similar style of guitar playing. The production is a little better in the newer one, but I can still hear the similarity.

What do you think the most influential alternative act of the decade was? Would you agree with me or do you have a band that I haven't mentioned?

Shocking no one, I'm gonna have to say the pixies. They influenced Weezer, Nirvana, Bush and European bands like Blur, Radiohead and Travis and the list goes on to more modern bands like Interpol and OK go.

I can't actually claim they were more influential than Husker du, that band influenced a lot of musicians and I'm not really that familiar with the extent of their influential reach but I sure know the pixies one and it was pretty damn broad.

Also I want to say Pavement influenced a couple of bands too. I can definitely hear their influence in a lot of bands and i can definitely hear it in some Sonic youth mellow songs. They started in 89 so they barely made the cut but I think they should count cause I like them too much.

i've never heard the Fall.

I would say The Smiths and Pixies belong on the list, The Cure to a certain extent, Sonic Youth, and perhaps maybe even The Melvins

What the **** is this Francis

Here, have a new favourite band

I agree with it being Husker Du. They really laid the groundwork for what alternative would become and were also heavily influential on some of the most influential bands like the Pixies.

I'd also give honorable mention to the Replacements.

So basically Minneapolis deserves some kind of alternative rock award.

I'm not an expert on the replacements, so my word is poop when it comes to them. That said, I can't think of anything of note they did. If I'm wrong please correct me. Like I said, I'm by no means an expert.

As for the Pixies being the most influential, i could agree with that. I might say the cure, but their music in my opinion hasn't stood the test of time as well. They don't seem to still be influencing musicians the way the pixies do.

Well, they released Let It Be, which is generally considered a classic alternative/college rock album, and they were influential on a lot of later bands, including the Pixies.

I could understand giving them honorable mention then.

Two 80's bands really stand out in my mind as influences for many others to come throughout the 80's, 90's and beyond. I remember when both of their debut albums came out in 1980, hearing cuts from each played on a local college radio station, (the only radio stations willing to play newer "underground/alternative" music at that time), being blown away by what I heard and going out and buying both albums as a result (still have them.) The music of both bands stood apart from everything else I can recall at that time and both were significant influences on so many bands to follow.


Wipers - Is This Real? (1980)

The Wipers debut album was released in January of 1980.

And...


Killing Joke - Killing Joke (1980)

Killing Joke's debut album was released in September of 1980.