'80s Indie

Punk kicked down the door in the late '70s, and flicked two grubby fingers at the major labels, sparking a fiercely autonomous, D.I.Y. approach to rock that would catch fire . . . and the '80s saw the rise of the indie movement, in its purest form, as a genuine alternative to the status quo. These landmark Essentials are drawn from indie's most glorious, creatively intense decade, which gave us a fistful of classics from the north of England — including "How Soon Is Now?" by the Smiths and Joy Division's "She's Lost Control" — and a pair of belters out of Sydney: "The Girl in the Sweater" by the Hard-Ons and the Sunnyboys' "Alone With You." Gruff English rock shows its soft side, in our '80s indie Next Steps.

Independent music celebrated its differences in the '80s — that's why you'll find a huge contrast in sound and style here, from the gruff, rough-edged (but emotionally vulnerable) rock of the Wedding Present ("Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now?) to the undulating layers of Vini Reilly's virtuoso guitar on "Otis" by the Durutti Column (Reilly would go on to work with post-Smiths Morrissey). The House of Love delivered the euphoric, softly psychedelic rock classic "Shine On"; Robert Wyatt gave us the definitive version of Elvis Costello's subtle Falklands War protest song, "Shipbuilding"; and Simple Minds opened the decade with the brilliant-but-overlooked single "Changeling." Goth-rock, post-punk-funk, industrial . . . our '80s indie Deep Cuts changed rock forever.

British-based gothic rock reached its zenith in the hands of Fields of the Nephilim, whose propulsive early track "Preacher Man" from 1987's Dawnrazor proved hugely influential, while the Railway Children reached the top of the U.K. Indie Album chart in the same year with Reunion Wilderness, featuring the perfect burst of happy-sadness "Brighter." The Higsons added a splash of witty funk to the indie landscape with "I Don't Want to Live With Monkeys," industrial outfit Nizter Ebb scored a dance hit with the bass-boosted "Join in the Chant," and Colourbox added "Breakdown" to the 4AD label's influential indie canon.

As time goes by, the '80s indie scene continues to reveal itself in all its innovative, groundbreaking glory — this was the era when rock 'n' roll's dial was set to constant reinvention (from the trippy reverb of My Bloody Valentine to the smelting plant feedback of the Jesus and Mary Chain); when the vinyl cowboys of rave formed an alliance with the rough riders of rock (via Happy Mondays, the Stone Roses); when funk was reimagined by the likes of the Higsons; and when the Go-Betweens took their cultured, captivating brand of jangle rock from Brisbane to the international stage on the back of gorgeous tracks like "Cattle and Cane" (which was recorded in England and released on Rough Trade, one of the decade's most influential indie labels).