Music came and go and walked a straight line until the 80's decade arrived. People were then somewhat limited to knowing only the popular hits that were lucky enough to have the power of publicity working well for them. Before the 80's, popular music with consistent radio airplay was the only menu available. But then in the 80's, the MTV generation arrived. And along with MTV, a wider range of genres were introduced giving the music loving public with a wider selection of songs to listen by. The music revolution may have started earlier, but it became more pronounced during the 1980's.

Along with this musical revolution, the 80's also brought a number of musical artists to international prominence. Once considered as just underground or local acts, these bands were heard and loved by their many fans with the help of MTV. Here are just some of the most notable acts ever to come out of the 80's and made their way into the hearts of the music loving public.

The Cars

This band became the poster band for the punk rock scene in the 80's. The Cars, fronted by Rick Ocasek, were able to dish out highly accessible pop rock tunes that more mainstream people found acceptable, unlike the other more radically inclined and controversial punk rock acts in the 80's. They were able to score four top ten album releases as well as four top ten singles in the Billboard charts. It was such an achievement for a punk rock band at that time and they paved the way for other punk rock bands to go mainstream and dish out more catchy and accessible hits during the 80's and beyond.

Duran Duran

When you think of pop music in the 80's, the pop quintet Duran Duran always comes to mind. Duran Duran brought into the mainstream their own unique version of British art-rock and dance music. It was MTV that gave worldwide appeal to this photogenic group of musicians who were able to combine their catchy music style to their matinee looks to create a phenomenon that made them become one of the most popular bands in the 80's. Their magnetic persona as a band, fronted by the stylish Simon Le Bon, was able to sell more than 70 million records worldwide as well as became usual mainstays in the charts for a number of times during the decade.

U2

This band came into prominence during the 80's with their brand of music that added ingredients of spiritual as well as social issues along with catchy hooks and driving riffs from the Edge's guitar play to the emotionally-fillled voice of Bono. They brought their activism into the limelight with them and the worldwide music loving public to clamor for more. Social consciousness became stylish with U2 leading the way. The band was able to create four critically acclaimed albums that sold in the millions during the 80's. What made them a spectacular band is their longevity as a band, still dishing out successful hits from the 80's down to the present.