Inside the Milky Way - A Look at Early Alternative Music

The Beat , also known as The English Beat in the United States and Canada, formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England. The music of this post-punk act fused various styles including ska, soul, reggae, pop, and punk rock to become one of the key and most successful bands of the UK ska revival and the two-tone scene of the early '80s.   The Beat's songs would often include lyrics that took on socio-polit...

During the 1980’s, Front 242 became a pioneer of Electronic Body Music (EBM) and a key artist in the development of the industrial and electronic music genres. Their music blended aggressive, relentless, danceable, electronic beats with driving basslines, commanding vocals, tense militaristic aesthetics, and innovative media sampling.  The Belgian based Front 242 formed in 1981 in an effort to cre...

Altered Images began in 1979 after forming from a group of five teenagers in Glasgow, Scotland. The band was fronted by singer Clare Grogan with her sweet and bubbly youthful vocals as the band would go from their post-punk roots onto new wave and synth pop in the early 80’s.   The first two singles by Altered Images as well the majority of the songs on the debut album were produced by Siouxsie an...

This episode is part of our Further Inside the Milky Way series. These are shows that we will do from time to time where we go deeper into vast collection of the music and artists from the early alternative era. In these episodes we will discuss a few artists in the one show. We will try to pick artists that have something in common or a connection between them.   In this "Further" episode all of...

After forming in Leeds in 1976, Gang of Four became one of the most influential and original post-punk bands from the late 70’s UK music scene. Gang of Four took the musical freedoms that punk rock had created and used them to change the future of music.  Known for post-punk, dance-punk, and funk rock sounds, the band played a stripped-down mix fusing hard funk rhythms, danceable beats, and jagged...

When The Jam broke up at the end of 1982, their lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist Paul Weller decided to do something different musically. Weller, along with Mick Talbot, would form The Style Council , a band that would take a more soulful and polished approach to music.  This English band would explore and incorporate various influences including European jazz, jazz-pop, classical, funk, R&a...

Joy Division was one of the first and most influential bands coming out of the early years of the post-punk era, and their debut album, Unknown Pleasures , would inspire generations of artists and change the future of music.  This English band formed in 1976 and their first recordings were inspired by early punk rock as represented on the 1978 debut EP An Ideal for Living .  Joy Division soon sign...

The Australian band Severed Heads was a pioneering electronic and experimental artist, and one that is very underappreciated from the early alternative era. As one of the pioneering Australian alternative music acts, their music was part industrial, synth pop, electronic, dance, and ambient as well as experimental bringing in found sounds, tape loops, samples, and noise. The original two members,...

The Afghan Whigs earned a cult following during the early 90's with their music that mixed the Motown sound and R&B with indie and alternative rock.  Formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1986, The Afghan Whigs were led by singer-songwriter Greg Dulli whose songs presented vivid stories of broken relationships, obsession, guilt and toxic masculinity.   The music was full of emotional anguish and the l...

After being part of Buzzcocks, Howard Devoto left that group in 1977 to start a new band, known as Magazine . He launched this new venture in Manchester, England when he enlisted a young guitarist to join, named John McGeoch.  Magazine would debut with the song “Shot By Both Sides”, followed by their debut album, Real Life. This classic and critically acclaimed album is considered by many as the f...

After the release of their debut single, The B-52's quickly became known for their campy, high-energy party music with surreal lyrics and distinct retro 1960s fashion. This quirky group blended surf rock, punk, '60s pop, vintage soul, low-budget sci-fi and dance music, along with kitsch culture. That debut single was the cult hit “Rock Lobster”, which was followed by the classic self-titled debut...

The Smiths defined UK indie rock on their way to becoming one of the pioneers of indie music and one of the most influential bands of not just of the early alternative music era, but of the history of rock music.  After The Smiths formed in 1982, The Smiths would reject the synth-pop and new wave dominated UK music scene, focusing on guitar-based rock.   The key to The Smiths was the songwriting c...

In 1982, ABC released their debut album, The Lexicon of Love, to critical acclaim as the album went straight to number 1 on the UK albums chart. The album is regarded as a masterpiece and a landmark album for the sophisticated and lush orchestral arrangements created by legendary producer Trevor Horn, as well as the emotional songwriting from the collective efforts of the band members. Horn’s prod...

The band Swans formed in 1981 by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Micheal Gira and began as part of the New York City based no wave scene. Swans early years' music was known for a very intense and abrasive sound.  Following the addition of vocalist and keyboardist Jarboe in 1986, Swans began to slowly incorporate melody into the music moving beyond the brutal music of the early years...

Following their debut album of 1979, The Cure became one to the key post-punk bands as they developed a dark, gothic rock sound over the next three albums.  Many refer to the The Cure's three consecutive early-80's releases as The Gothic Trilogy. These melancholic albums represent the band's transition from their debut album into the bleak, atmospheric sound that helped define the gothic genre. Th...

The Sundays were a critically acclaimed UK indie band that created the alternative and indie classic song, “Here’s Where the Story Ends”. This single from their 1990 debut album Reading, Writing and Arithmetic would reach number one on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and become one of the most well-known from the 90’s alternative music era. The Sundays were active from 1988 to 1997, but only released...

1979's London Calling from The Clash is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential albums of all time as the record expanded the beyond the limitations of punk rock to successfully merge punk rock roots with reggae, rockabilly, ska, R&B, jazz, pop and hard rock. This massive double album of 19 songs contains socially charged lyrical themes include social displacement, racial conflict...

Depeche Mode is one of the most iconic electronic bands and a band that changed the music landscape. As a key synth-pop pioneer, Depeche Mode brought industrial-tinged electronic rock to the mainstream and expanded sampling technology with innovative means. Their synth-driven songs took moody and poetic lyrics mixed with creative soundscapes transforming electronic music into a deeply emotional ex...

In this episode we take a look back to another origin artist of alternative music, The Stooges . Regarded as a seminal proto-punk band, The Stooges were instrumental in the development of punk rock, post-punk, alternative rock and various other forms of rock music.  The Stooges started in Michigan in 1967, and were known for their sound that was simple, primitive, and energetic with stripped-down...

By the end of the 1970’s, XTC had evolved from a quirky punk type of band into an intelligent and elaborate art-rock post-punk band with pop sensibilities and punk energy. The band had formed in the early 70's in Swindon, England and was fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding. XTC's music featured distinctive angular guitars and witty lyrics as they were known for their energetic...

The English band The Charlatans were one of the most successful artists from the "Madchester" and "Baggy" music and cultural scene of late 80s and early 90s.  The music of The Charlatans was a blend of indie rock, dance rhythms, and 60’s psychedelic influenced organ grooves. This was well represented on their 1990 debut studio album, Some Friendly, which debuted at number 1 on the UK albums chart....

The Sisters of Mercy rose from the UK post-punk scene after forming in Leeds in 1980. The band’s sound was characterized by gloomy and dark atmospheres, heavy basslines, and cavernous reverb as The Sisters of Mercy and their music became a major influence on the gothic rock genre.  Initiated by Andrew Eldritch and Gary Marx, The Sisters of Mercy have gone through many members over the years, but t...

In 1978, Kate Bush hit number one on the UK singles chart with her debut song, “Wuthering Heights”. This was of the start of the unique, creative and successful journey of the legendary English singer, songwriter, musician, dancer, and producer. After being discovered during her teenage years with the help of Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Kate Bush would soon follow the debut single with the release...

After pioneering industrial music greats Throbbing Gristle broke-up in 1981, founding member Genesis P-Orridge started Psychic TV along with former bandmate Peter Christopherson and Alternative TV founding member, Alex Fergusson.  Psychic TV would be a multimedia and experimental music and video art collective, while becoming one of the most unique bands of the era. Besides experimental music, the...

After The Church formed in Sydney in 1980, the band would begin to develop a distinctive ethereal and psychedelic indie rock sound with atmospheric and surreal soundscapes.  The Church released their debut album in 1981, Of Skins and Heart , followed by a number of excellent albums including The Blurred Crusade and Heyday . It would be with the fifth studio album, 1988's Starfish with the hit song...