Galaga is a Japanese shoot 'em up arcade game manufactured in 1981 by Namco. The premise of the game is to accumulate as many points as possible by destroying enemy insect-like forces with the player using a starfighter.
Defender is an arcade game that was released in 1981 by Williams Electronics. The shoot 'em up game takes place on a fictional planet with the player defeating waves of aliens and protecting astronauts.
Asteroids is an arcade space shooter game released by Atari in 1979. In an asteroid field, the player controls a spaceship that shoots and destroys asteroids and saucers, all while avoiding collisions. The difficulty of the game increases with the increase in asteroids.
Donkey Kong is a platform game released by Nintendo in 1981. The gameplay focuses on the story of Mario, who must save the damsel in distress, Pauline, from Donkey Kong, a giant ape. As one of the most popular games of all time, the hero and ape have become two of the most recognizable characters in all of gaming.
Released in 1982 and created by Data East, BurgerTime is an arcade game released for the DECO Cassette System. The player of the game is chef Peter Pepper, who is responsible for walking over hamburger ingredients across a maze of platforms. The object of the game is to collect the ingredients to complete a number of hamburgers all while avoiding characters along the way.
Pitfall! is a platform video game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1982. Designed by David Crane, the player controls Pitfall Harry, and navigates a jungle to collect treasures in a time period. Along the way, Pitfall Harry encounters numerous tasks to complete.
Contra is a run and gun action game released in 1987 by Konami. Originally released as a coin-operated game and later released as a home version, the players play as soldiers who are forced to shoot al-iens and solders who are crazy.
Golden Axe was released in 1989 by Sega and is the first game in the Golden Axe series. It takes place in the fictional land of Yuria and is a medieval fantasy style game. Players of this game choose one of three characters to save the princess who has been kidnapped by using their special combat moves. Along the way, the player encounters different characters and entities to destroy.
Released in 1987 by Data East, Heavy Barrel is a run and gun arcade game where the player has unlimited ammunition and earns power-ups throughout the games. The player must collect keys to unlock the powerful weapon Heavy Barrel and defeat the terrorists.
Smash TV is an arcade game released in 1990 and created by Eugene Jarvis and Mark Turmell. The game revolves around a futuristic game show where players compete for prizes and their lives by battle waves of enemies and using guns.
Developed by SNK and released in 1986, the game is a vertically scrolling, run and gun shoot 'em up arcade game. The player takes the role of commando-like warriors named Ralf and Clark, who must try to reach the village of Ikari. Enemy units attempting to kill the player include tanks, enemy soldiers and helicopters. A number of power-ups along the way help the player achieve victory.
Astrosmash is a video game for the Intellivision videogame console, designed by John Sohl, and released by Mattel Electronics in 1981. The game involves using a laser cannon to destroy falling meteors, bombs, and other targets.
Swordquest is an unfinished series of video games produced by Atari, Inc. in the 1980s as part of a contest, consisting of three finished games and a planned but never released fourth game. Each of the games came with a comic book that explained the plot, as well as containing part of the solution to a major puzzle that had to be solved to win the contest, with a series of prizes on offer whose total value was $150,000.
Akalabeth: World of Doomis a role-playing video game that had a limited release in 1979 and was then published by Califor-nia Pacific Computer Company for the Apple II in 1980. Richard Garriott designed the game as a hobbyist project, which is now recognized as one of the earliest known examples of a role-playing video game[1] and as a predecessor of the Ultima series of games that started Garriott's career.
Zaxxon is a 1982 isometric shooter arcade game developed and released by Sega. Some sources claim that Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki also worked on the development of Zaxxon. The game gives the player the experience of flying a fighter craft through a fortress while shooting at enemy entities (missiles, enemy gunfire, etc.) The object of the game is to hit as many targets as possible without being shot down or running out of fuel—which can be replenished, paradoxically, by blowing up fuel drums.
Rolemaster is a role-playing game published by Iron Crown Enterprises. Rolemaster has come in four separate editions. The third edition, first published in 1995, is also known as the Rolemaster Standard Sys-tem (or RMSS for short). There are two editions currently in production. Rolemaster Fantasy Roleplaying (or RMFRP) was first published in 1999 as a reorganized edition of RMSS, and is largely compatible with that edition. The most recent publication of the Rolemaster rule set is Rolemaster Classic (RMC), a republished set of the second edition rules.
Joust is an arcade game developed by Williams Electronics and released in 1982. The player uses a but-ton and joystick to control a knight riding a flying ostrich. The object is to progress through levels by defeating groups of enemy knights riding buzzards.
Centipede is a vertically oriented shoot 'em up arcade game produced by Atari, Inc. in 1980. The game was designed by Ed Logg and Dona Bailey. The player defends against centipedes, spiders, scorpions and fleas, completing a round after eliminating the centipede that winds down the playing field.
Ms. Pac-Man is an arcade video game from the Golden Age. It was produced by Illinois-based Bally/Midway Manufacturing corporation, the North American publisher of Pac-Man. Ms. Pac-Man was released in North America in July 1981,[1] and is one of the most popular arcade video games of all time.
Combat is an early video game by Atari, Inc. for the Atari 2600. It was released as one of the nine launch titles for the system in September 1977, and was included in the box with the system from its in-troduction until 1982. Combat was based on two earlier black-and-white coin-operated arcade games produced by Atari: Tank (published under the Kee Games name) in 1974[1] and Jet Fighter in 1975.
Created by Tomohiro Nishikado and released in 1978, Space Invaders is a two-dimensional fixed shooter game in which the player controls a laser cannon by moving it horizontally across the bottom of the screen and firing at descending aliens. The aim is to defeat five rows of eleven aliens—some versions feature different numbers—that move horizontally back and forth across the screen as they advance towards the bottom of the screen.
Kaboom! is an Activision video game published in 1981 for Atari 2600 that was designed by Larry Kaplan. The game is similar to Avalanche in concept, but instead of there being a pre-existing set of rocks across the top of the screen that randomly fall, a character known as the "Mad Bomber" moves back and forth randomly dropping bombs.
Star Raiders is a space combat simulator video game for the Atari 8-bit family of computers. It was written by Doug Neubauer, an Atari employee, and released in cartridge form by Atari in 1979. It was later ported to other Atari computer and game platforms. The game simulates combat in 3D between the player's powerful ship and an invading fleet of alien "Zylon" vessels.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Backis the sequel to the vector graphics Star Wars arcade game. It was released by Atari Games in 1985 as a conversion kit for the original game. As in Star Wars, the player takes the role of Luke Sky-walker in a set of familiar battle sequences in a first-person perspective. Specifically, the arcade fea-tures the Battle of Hoth and the subsequent escape of the Millennium Falcon through an asteroid field.
Starmaster is a video game written for the Atari 2600 by Alan Miller and published in June 1982 by Ac-tivision. In the game the player pilots a starfighter, with the purpose of destroying a number of en-emy ships before they destroy four friendly starbases. Gameplay is presented mostly in first person cockpit view, which is achieved with surprisingly good effect given the 2600's primitive graphics capabilities.
Yars' Revenge is a video game released for the Atari 2600 in 1982. The player controls an insect-like creature called a Yar who must nibble or shoot through a barrier in order to fire his Zorlon Cannon into the breach. The objective is to destroy the evil Qotile, which exists on the other side of the barrier.
Madness and the Minotaur is a text adventure game for the TRS-80 Color Computer. Developed by Spectral Associates in 1981, the goal of the game is to retrieve a number of treasures. In the course of doing this, the player will encounter other objects that may or may not be useful. Often, the player needs one ob-ject to act as a "key" for another.
Dig Dug is an arcade game developed and published by Namco in Japan in 1982. The objective of Dig Dug is to eliminate underground-dwelling monsters by inflating them with an air pump until they explode, or by dropping rocks on them.
Battlezone is a first-person tank combat arcade game from Atari released in November 1980.[1] The player controls a tank which is attacked by other tanks and missiles. The game uses wireframe vector graphics on a black and white (with green and red sectioned color overlay) vector monitor. It was designed by Ed Rotberg, who designed many games for Atari Inc., Atari Games, and Sente.
Robotron 2084(also referred to as Robotron) is an arcade video game developed by Eugene Jarvis and Larry De-Mar of Vid Kidz and released by Williams Electronics (part of WMS Industries) in 1982. It is a shoot 'em up with two-dimensional graphics. The game is set in the year 2084 in a fictional world where robots have turned against humans in a cybernetic revolt. The aim is to defeat endless waves of robots, rescue surviving humans, and earn as many points as possible.
stylized as PAC-MAN, is an arcade game developed by Namco and first released in Japan in May 1980. The player controls Pac-Man through a maze, eating pac-dots (also called biscuits or just dots). When all pac-dots are eaten, Pac-Man is taken to the next stage. Between some stages, one of three intermission animations plays.[22] Four enemies (Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde) roam the maze, trying to catch Pac-Man. If an enemy touches Pac-Man, he loses a life.
is one of the earliest interactive fiction computer games, with roots drawn from the original genre game, Colossal Cave Adventure. The first version of Zork was written in 1977–1979 using the MDL programming language on a DEC PDP-10 computer. Zork is set in "the ruins of an ancient empire lying far underground". The player is a nameless adventurer "who is venturing into this dangerous land in search of wealth and adventure". The goal is to return from exploring the "Great Underground Empire" (GUE, for short) alive and with all treasures needed to complete each ad-venture,[6] ultimately inheriting the title of Dungeon Master.
Colossal Cave Adventure(also known as ADVENT, Colossal Cave, or Adventure)[1] is a text adventure game, developed originally in 1976, by Will Crowther for the PDP-10 mainframe. In the game, the player controls a character through simple text commands to explore a cave ru-mored to be filled with wealth. Players earn predetermined points for acquiring treasure and escap-ing the cave alive, with the goal to earn the maximum amount of points offered.
Crime Fighters is a 1989 side-scrolling beat-em-up released by Konami for the arcades. The player takes control of an undercover police officer who is assigned to rescue a group of kidnapped girls from a crime boss.
Vigilante is a 1988 beat 'em up arcade game developed and published by Irem in Japan and Europe and published in North America by Data East. The game takes place in downtown New York City. The game's plot involves a lone, professional martial artist who became a vigilante to fight an evil gang called the Skinheads ruled by a man known as the Giant Devil, in order to protect his "turf" and save his girlfriend Madonna, who was kidnapped by them.
Black Tiger is a 1987 platform game released for the arcades by Capcom. A barbarian hero jumps and fights his way through a variety of colourful, enemy-packed levels. The sprawling, eight-way scrolling, two-dimensional levels are packed with hidden bonuses to encourage and reward exploration.
Distributed in the United States by Centuri, the 1982 game Time Pilot is a multi-directional scrolling shooter and free-roaming aerial combat arcade game. The player assumes the role of a pilot of a futuristic fighter jet, trying to rescue fellow pilots trapped in different time eras. The player must fight off hordes of enemy craft and defeat the mother ship (or "boss") present in every level.
Tempest is a 1981 arcade game by Atari Inc., designed and programmed by Dave Theurer. It takes place on a three-dimensional surface, sometimes wrapped into a tube, which is viewed from one end and is divided into a dozen or more segments or lanes. The player controls a claw-shaped spaceship (named Blaster) that crawls along the near edge of the playfield, moving from segment to segment.
In order to get out of the snobby clique that is destroying her good-girl reputation, an intelligent teen teams up with a dark sociopath in a plot to kill the cool kids.
When an alien spacecraft of enormous power is spotted approaching Earth, Admiral Kirk resumes command of the Starship Enterprise in order to intercept, examine and hopefully stop the intruder.
King Arthur and his knights embark on a low-budget search for the Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles
A girl's "sweet" sixteenth birthday becomes anything but special as she suffers from every embarrassment possible.
A poor girl must choose between the affections of her doting childhood sweetheart and a rich but sensitive playboy.
When Keith goes out with Amanda, the girl of his dreams, Amanda's ex-boyfriend plans to get back at Keith. Meanwhile, Keith's best friend, tomboy Watts, realizes she has feelings for Keith.
Five high school students, all different stereotypes, meet in detention, where they pour their hearts out to each other, and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought.
Two high school nerds attempt to create the perfect woman, but she turns out to be more than that.
A high school wise guy is determined to have a day off from school, despite what the principal thinks of that.
Philipe Gastone, a thief, escapes from the dungeon at Aquila, sparking a manhunt. He is nearly captured when Captain Navarre befriends him. Navarre has been hunted by the Bishop's men for two years, ever since he escaped with the Lady Isabeau who the Bishop has lusted after. Navarre and Isabeau have a curse that the Bishop has placed on them that causes Navarre to be a wolf during the night and Isabeau to be a hawk during the day. Navarre insists that Philipe help him re-enter the city to help him kill the heavily guarded Bishop.
Written by John Vogel (jlvogel@comcast.net)
A prince and a fellowship of companions set out to rescue his bride from a fortress of alien invaders who have arrived on their home planet.
The army of the Marauders, led by by King Terak and the witch Charal attack the Ewoks village. The parents and the brother of Cindel all die in this attack. Cindel and the Ewok Wicket escape and in a forrest they meet Teek a naughty and very fast animal. Teek takes them to a house in which a old man, Noa, lives. Like Cindel he also crashed with his Starcruiser on Endor. Together they fight Terak and Charal.
Written by R. Kessen (rhkessen@cs.vu.nl)
Wicket the Ewok and his friends agree to help two shipwrecked human children on a quest to find their parents.
A sarcastic humanoid duck is pulled from his homeworld to Earth where he must stop an alien invader.
In the future, Highlander Connor MacLeod must prevent the destruction of Earth under an anti-ozone shield
A young man finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing, possibly starting World War III.
In order to save their home from foreclosure, a group of misfits set out to find a pirate's ancient valuable treasure.
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.
A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from both destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves.
After rescuing Han Solo from the palace of Jabba the Hutt, the rebels attempt to destroy the second Death Star, while Luke struggles to make Vader return from the dark side of the Force.
After the destruction of the Twelve Colonies of Mankind, the last major fighter carrier leads a makeshift fugitive fleet in a desperate search for the legendary planet Earth.
Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.
Three former parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.
Mitch is one of the youngest students ever accepted to a university known for its programs for geniuses. He's partnered up with his roommate, science club legend Chris Knight, on a project to develop a high-powered laser. Together with their hyper-kinetic friends, they employ their intellects in the pursuit of bigger blasts, practical jokes, and a deeper understanding of what real genius is. When their final, functional laser is stolen by their teacher for a military weapon, they decide to get even.
- Written by Lordship (lordship@juno.com)
A teenager has to deal with his girlfriend dumping him among family crises, homicidal paper boys, and a rival skier.
At Adams College, a group of bullied outcasts and misfits resolve to fight back for their peace and self-respect.
The Fellowship of the Ring embark on a journey to destroy the One Ring and end Sauron's reign over Middle-earth.
A computer hacker learns from mysterious rebels about the true nature of his reality and his role in the war against its controllers.
In a self-destructing world, a vengeful Australian policeman sets out to stop a violent motorcycle gang.
From out of the arctic comes a gigantic flying, fire-breathing turtle that sets its sights on destroying Tokyo.
With the aid of his companions, a man seeks to defeat his evil brother who has taken a nun hostage.
A sword-and-sorcery fantasy about a young man's search for revenge. Armed with supernatural powers, the handsome hero and his animal allies, wage war against marauding forces.
Merlin the magician helps Arthur Pendragon unite the Britons around the round table of Camelot even as forces conspire to tear it apart
In the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland, a cynical drifter agrees to help a small, gasoline rich, community escape a band of bandits.
Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt’s father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country.
A joint U.S.-Soviet expedition is sent to Jupiter to learn what happened to the Discovery.
A Chicago teenager is looking for fun at home while his parents are away, but the situation quickly gets out of hand.
On another planet in the distant past, a Gelfling embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of a magical crystal, and so restore order to his world.
A teenage boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber known only as the Tall Man, who keeps a lethal arsenal of terrible weapons with him.
Five friends travel to a cabin in the woods, where they unknowingly release flesh-possessing demons.
The lone survivor of an onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits holes up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.
A man is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D., where he must battle an army of the dead and retrieve the Necronomicon so he can return home.
An insomniac office worker, looking for a way to change his life, crosses paths with a devil-may-care soap maker, forming an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more.
A newly engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must pay a call to the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
Adventurer/surgeon/rock musician Buckaroo Banzai and his band of men, the Hong Kong Cavaliers, take on evil alien invaders from the eighth dimension.
A high school wrestler in Spokane, Washington has trouble focusing on his training regimen when a beautiful young drifter takes up temporary residence at his home.
Charlie receives a golden ticket to a factory, his sweet tooth wants going into the lushing candy, it turns out there's an adventure in everything.
A blade runner must pursue and try to terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
A tough-as-nails cop teams up with an undercover agent to shut down a sinister mobster and his crew.
A disillusioned assassin accepts one last hit in hopes of using his earnings to restore vision to a singer he accidentally blinded, only to be double-crossed by his boss.
A boy obsessed with 50s sci-fi movies about aliens has a recurring dream about a blueprint of some kind, which he draws for his inventor friend. With the help of a third kid, they follow it and build themselves a spaceship. Now what?
Set in the 25th century, the story centers around a man and a woman who rebel against their rigidly controlled society.
An All-American trucker gets dragged into a centuries-old mystical battle in Chinatown.
Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes.
It is the dawn of World War III. In mid-western America, a group of teenagers bands together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.
This page compiled by Amberlee Seitz.
This playlist contains every song that is referenced in Cline's Ready Player One. To listen to the full songs you have to login to Spotify
The 1985 song Dead Man’s Party is the second track on an album of the same name. It was featured the following year in the comedy movie, Back to School, as Oingo Boingo front man, Danny Elfman (a.k.a. Jack Skellington’s exquisite singing voice) composed the score for the movie.
Released in 1984, The Wild Boys was the only studio track on an otherwise live album titled, Arena. It was easily one of the group biggest hits of all time, reaching #2 on the Billboard charts and staying there for four weeks.
The Beepers were an American music band consisting of Anthony Marinelli, Arthur B. Rubinstein, Brian Banks and Cynthia Morrow. They came together in 1983 to provide songs for the soundtracks of films that Rubinstein was scoring. Video Fever did this for the film WarGames.
Blue Monday was released in 1983 as a 12-inch single. It quickly became a popular dance anthem in clubs across the world. New Order Remade the song in 1988 and again in 1995. It has been widely remixed and is considered one of the most covered songs of all time.
Rebel Yellis a hit song by English rock, singer-songwriter Billy Idol, featured on the album of the same name which was released in 1983. When first released as the lead single, it charted outside the UK Top 40, but a re-issue in 1985 reached No. 6. In the US, it peaked at No. 46. The song was named the 79th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.
Time After Time is a song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper. It was recorded by Lauper for her debut studio album, She's So Unusual in 1983. It was the second single to be released from the album and became Lauper's first #1 hit in the U.S.
James Brown Is Dead is a song by Dutch electronic dance music duo L.A. Style. It was released in August 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, L.A. Style. The song was a major hit across Europe, reaching number-one in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain. It also peaked at number 59 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Atomic is a hit song by the American new wave band Blondie, written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri and produced by Mike Chapman. It was released as the third single from the band's Platinum-selling 1979 album Eat to the Beat.
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Gois a song by the British duo Wham!, first released as a single in the UK on 14 May 1984. It became their first American and UK number-one hit. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo. In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 13th favourite 1980s number one in a 2015 poll for ITV.
The 1983 song A Million Miles Away is featured on the album Everywhere At Once. The Plimsouls are an American rock band formed in Paramount, California in 1978. Formed by singer, guitarist, and songwriter Peter Case, the Plimsouls began as a trio in 1978, initially named The Tone Dogs, which included Case, bassist Dave Pahoa, and drummer Louie Ramírez.
John Charles Waite was lead vocalist for the bands The Babys and Bad English. Change is the second track on his 1982 debut solo album, Ignition. It failed to make a significant dent on any chart except for the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, where it scored the #16 position. It was, however, one of MTV's most popular early videos.
In Your EyesEyes is a song by English rock musician Peter Gabriel from his 1986 album So. The track was featured in the 1989 teen drama film Say Anything... starring Ione Skye and John Cusack. The single achieved strong radio airplay and a constant MTV rotation. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks on September of 1986, and it also peaked No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November of the same year.
Pour Some Sugar On Me is a song by the English rock band Def Leppard from their 1987 album Hysteria. It reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on 23 July 1988. It was ranked #2 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 80s" in 2006.
Three is a Magic Number is the pilot episode of the Schoolhouse Rock! series and the first episode of the program's first season, Multiplication Rock. The title song, written by Bob Dorough, and accompanying animated video were created after ad agency co-chairman David McCall observed that his son had learned every Rolling Stones lyric but could not remember multiplication tables. The episode first aired on February 3, 1973.
Dirt Deeds Done Dirt Cheap is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the title track and first track of their album Dirt Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, released in September 1976. The song ranked No. 24 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs and in 2009 it was named the 31st best hard rock song of all time also by VH1.
Subdivisons is a song by Canadian progressive rock group, Rush, released as the second single from their 1982 album Signals. The song has been a staple of the band's live performances, is played regularly on classic-rock radio, and appears on several greatest-hits compilations. In the United States, it charted at No. 8 on the Album Rock Tracks chart. Played live prior to its release, numerous pre-release live versions have circulated among collectors for years.
The Police were an English new wave band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the band consisted of Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and are generally regarded as one of the first new-wave groups to achieve mainstream success, playing a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz. They are also considered one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the U.S. They disbanded in 1986, but reunited in early 2007 for a one-off world tour that ended in August 2008.
Journey is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1973, composed of former members of Santana and Frumious Bandersnatch. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between 1978 and 1987. During that period, the band released a series of hit songs, including "Don't Stop Believin'" (1981), which in 2009 became the top-selling track in iTunes history among songs not released in the 21st century.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by lead vocalist Michael Stipe, lead guitarist Peter Buck, bassist/backing vocalist Mike Mills, and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first alternative rock bands, R.E.M. were noted for Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style, Stipe's particular vocal quality, and Mills' melodic basslines and backing vocals.
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, dub, funk, ska and rockabilly. For most of their recording career the Clash consisted of Joe Strummer (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Mick Jones (lead guitar, lead vocals), Paul Simonon (bass guitar, vocals) and Nicky "Topper" Headon (drums, percussion). Headon left the group in 1982, and internal friction led to Jones's departure the following year. The group continued with new members, but finally disbanded in early 1986.
They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG expanded to include a backing band. The group is best known for an unconventional and experimental style of alternative music. Over their career, they have found success on the modern rock and CMJ charts.
Devo is an American rock band that formed in 1973, consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It" and has maintained a cult following throughout its existence. Devo's music and stage shows mingle kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, and mordantly satirical social commentary.
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. From 1974 until 1985, the band consisted of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, vocalist David Lee Roth, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Michael Anthony. The band went on to become major stars, and by the early 1980s they were one of the most successful rock acts of the time. 1984 was their most successful album. The lead single, "Jump", became an international hit and their only single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi, Jr.), pianist and keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, lead guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. In 1986, Bon Jovi achieved widespread global recognition with their third album, Slippery When Wet.
Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London. They were founded in 1965 by students Syd Barrett on guitar and lead vocals, Nick Mason on drums, Roger Waters on bass and vocals, and Richard Wright on keyboards and vocals. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Distinguished by their use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, extended compositions and elaborate live shows, they are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in the history of popular music.
Midnight Oil (also known informally as "The Oils" to fans) are an Australian rock band, who originally performed as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie.While vocalist Peter Garrett was studying at Australian National University in Canberra, he answered an advertisement for a spot in Farm, and by 1975 the band was touring the east coast. By late 1976, Garrett moved to Sydney to complete his law degree, and Farm changed its name to Midnight Oil by drawing the name out of a hat.
Johann (Hans) Hölzel (19 February 1957 – 6 February 1998), better known by his stage name Falco, was an Austrian singer, songwriter and rapper. Falco had several international hits, "Rock Me Amadeus", "Der Kommissar", "Vienna Calling", "Jeanny", "The Sound of Musik", "Coming Home (Jeanny Part II, One Year Later)" and posthumously, "Out of the Dark". "Rock Me Amadeus" reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1986, making him the only artist whose principal language was German to score a vocal number-one hit in the United States.
Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian singer, guitarist, songwriter, photographer, and activist. Adams rose to fame in North America with his 1983 album Cuts Like a Knife and turned into a global star with his 1984 album Reckless which produced some of his best known songs including "Run to You" and "Summer of '69" and in 1991, he released "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" from the album Waking Up the Neighbours. Adams also spawned the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Heaven", "All for Love" and "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?"