Rock bands can be wildly successful and popular, then seemingly vanish. Their moment passes and cannot be recovered. Maybe they were a passing fad. Or they had too much internal dissension. The members might have been pulling in different artistic directions. It's a real shame because some groups had the talent and personnel to go on for many more years, but as fate would have it, that was not always the case. These bands include Huey Lewis and the News, The Police, Toto, and the Bangles. Even though they lack the exact same prominence they once enjoyed and deserved, we still savor their great tunes and marvelous rock vibe. Two of these classic rock bands of the 1980s, Toto and the Bangles, are recording and performing.
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Huey Lewis and the News
This band was at one time the rage. They were hotter than hot. And with good reason. Huey Lewis and the News ranked out the hits like there was no tomorrow. They could do no wrong in the 1980s. Per the Sonoma Index-Tribune, "No one would argue that Huey Lewis' claim to fame was his role as frontman of Huey Lewis and the News, the American rock band that achieved worldwide fame during the 1980s and early 1990s when they charted 19 "Top 10" singles on the Billboard Hot 100, selling 30 million albums in the process."
Their 1983 album, Sports, was indeed a blockbuster. It had fabulous songs like "I Want A New Drug," "If This Is It," "The Heart of Rock & Roll" and "Heart and Soul." It went seven-times platinum according to the RIAA.
The band no longer performs or records. That is at lest partly because Lewis was diagnosed with Meniere's disease, a condition of the inner ear.
The Police
The band, consisting of members Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers, had phenomenal success in the early 1980s. Their major hit albums released in the decade of the 1980s included Zenyatta Mondatta (1980), Ghost in the Machine (1981), and Synchronicity (1983). The Police had singles like "Every Breath You Take" and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." They raked in awards and achievements. For example, they earned six Grammys, sold more than 75 million records, and loyal worldwide fandom.
They broke up in the mid 1980s. What a legacy they left behind, though! And what a great classic rock band of the 1980s!
Toto
What a spectacular ride these guys have had! Per allmusic.com, "...[T]heir career was made by their 1982 album Toto IV, an immaculate collection of pop/rock confections that spun off three Billboard Top Ten hits -- 'Rosanna,' 'Africa,' and 'I Won't Hold You Back' -- on its way to winning five Grammys." It grabbed Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.
Despite personnel changes over the years, Toto is continuing to tour and keep their music going for new audiences.
The Bangles
The Bangles were a highly popular girl group throughout the 1980s with hits like "Walk Like An Egyptian" and "Manic Monday," both in 1986. The following year, they released a cover of the Simon and Garfunkel tune "Hazy Shade of Winter" that also found favor with their fans. Two years later, another song, "Eternal Flame," proved to be more hit material.
This classic rock band of the 1980s, which consisted of Susanna Hoffs, sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson, and Annette Zilinskas, was together from 1981 to 1989, then from 1998 to the present.
