80′s College Rock Sound Samples:
bands heard on college radio

The Wailing Ultimate CD – Homestead

Slovenly – from their 1986 LP

Phantom Tollbooth – Beard of Lightning LP

Of Cabbages and Kings – Hunter’s Moon LP

Asexuals – Contemporary World LP 85

Antietam – Rope a Dope CD

Live Skull – Dusted – 1987 CD

Nice Strong Arm - Mind Furnace 1988 CD

Big Black – Rich Man’s 8-Track CD

Killdozer – Snakeboy CD (AWESOME!!)

CrazyBackwardsAlphabet – (no sample available)
Das Damen – Jupiter Eye – CD
Big Dipper
The Replacements
Great Plains
Salem66
Breaking Circus
Dinosaur Jr.
Volcano Suns
Death of Samantha
Foetus
Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel
Sebadoh
The Smiths
Meat Puppets
The Jesus and Mary Chain
The Fall
Echo and the Bunnymen
My Bloody Valentine
The Church
Love and Rockets
The The
The Wedding Present
New Order
Violent Femmes
Smithereens
Pixies

These are mostly 80′s and early 90′s bands that were often classified as Alternative Rock. In the 90′s many of the ‘Alternative Rock’ bands became popular, such as R.E.M. and U2. At that point many bands went from just writing and playing fun music, to ‘playing music in hopes of landing a recording contract’.  College radio station formats changed and the true College Rock Alternative Music greatness was lost.

In the 80′s it was hard to find many people who even heard of the Butthole Surfers. Now, you can find their CDs in Walmart.