alternative rock

1980
Agent Orange (band) They first gained attention for their song “Bloodstains”, originally

They first gained attention for their song “Bloodstains”, originally appearing on their self-released debut 7-inch EP in 1980. A demo version of the song was given to Rodney Bingenheimer , a DJ at Pasadena radio station KROQ-FM , who placed it on his seminal 1980 compilation album, Rodney on the…
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1979
Midnight Oil Head Injuries

Their second album Head Injuries , released on Powderworks in October 1979

Duran Duran Taylor and Rhodes then recruited lead vocalist Andy Wickett (formerly

Taylor and Rhodes then recruited lead vocalist Andy Wickett (formerly frontman of TV Eye ) and decided that they needed a live drummer. They hired Roger Taylor , a former member of various local bands (most recently The Scent Organs who also played at Barbarella’s), while John Taylor switched to…
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Public Image Ltd The departure of Jim Walker made way for a series of new drummers

The departure of Jim Walker made way for a series of new drummers. Auditions were later held at Rollerball Studios in Tooley Street , London Bridge . David Humphrey was their second drummer, who went on to record two tracks at Manor Studios in Oxford, “Swan Lake” and “Albatross”, for…
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INXS first performance as INXS

The band’s first performance as INXS was on 1 September 1979 at the Ocean Beach Hotel in Umina on the Central Coast of New South Wales

Redd Kross In April 1979, the band had their first practice in the living room

In April 1979, the band had their first practice in the living room of original drummer, John Stielow’s parent’s home. They eventually changed the band name to Red Cross, which was allegedly inspired by the masturbation scene in the film The Exorcist . They soon began working on their 1980…
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Public Image Ltd “PiL was the simple thing of four different people doing different

“PiL was the simple thing of four different people doing different drugs at different times,” Wobble observed to Select . “It was only in any way together for the first two months of its existence. We had a fuckin’ good drummer called Jim Walker, but he fucked off after a…
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Siouxsie and the Banshees The Banshees’ second album, Join Hands , was released in 1979. In

The Banshees’ second album, Join Hands , was released in 1979. In Melody Maker , Jon Savage described “Poppy Day” as “a short, powerful evocation of the Great War graveyards”, and Record Mirror described the whole record as a dangerous work that “should be heard”. The Banshees embarked on a…
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Wire (band) Lacking a recording deal and money, creative differences split the

Lacking a recording deal and money, creative differences split the band in 1979, leading to the Document and Eyewitness LP (1981), a recording of a live performance that featured, almost exclusively, new material. The album was described as “disjointed”, “unrecognizable as rock music” and “almost unlistenable”. The LP came packaged…
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Beastie Boys Prior to forming the Beastie Boys, Michael Diamond , a childhood

Prior to forming the Beastie Boys, Michael Diamond , a childhood friend of Adam Yauch , played in bands including the Walden Jazz Band and BAN. The Young Aborigines formed in 1979. In 1981, when the bassist, Jeremy Shatan, left New York City for the summer, the remaining members Diamond,…
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