1970s Classic Rock Bands That Changed For The Better In The 1980s

The passage of time and decades is more significant than most people care to think about. For musicians, the transition can either be a source of hope and anticipation or a source of dread. All of the artists on our list of Rock’s Greatest ’70s to ’80s Reinventions made changes at the start of a new decade. It is also important to note that these successful reinventions sometimes did not last long and could even get them on the list of the worst reinventions.

Rock’s Best ’70s to ’80s Reinventions

AC/DC
AC/DC—After the death of lead singer Bon Scott, AC/DC rebounded by recruiting ex-Geordie frontman Brian Johnson and releasing their Back in Black album in 1980. It became a massive success, selling 27 million copies in the United States. Its follow-up album, For Those About to Rock, We Salute You, was also a big hit and topped the charts around the globe, cementing their new status as rock royalty.

Aerosmith
Struggling with drug issues and challenged with line-up changes that were killing their popularity and depleting their fortunes, Aerosmith’s reinvention started with the rap-rock collaboration “Walk This Way” with Run-DMC. Crossing genre lines, this version of Walk This Way catapulted to the Top 5. This led to a sobriety-driven comeback and gave them a much-needed pop-friendly facelift that revived their career.

Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath hired Ronnie James Dio after the departure of Ozzy Osbourne. This led to a transformation of their sound with Heaven and Hell achieving commercial success before Dio left the band in ‘82. Unfortunately, Dio’s exit led to another problematic period.

David Bowie
Embracing dance-rock on Let’s Dance which led to his huge commercial success, Bowie later criticized this era for limiting his creativity.

Heart
Their struggle in the early 80s led Heart to get help from outside songwriters. Although they later expressed their regret over compromising their artistic integrity, the power ballads on their self-titled album in ‘85 led to multiplatinum success.

Journey
With the addition of singer Steve Perry, Journey evolved from a prog-rock band to mainstream rock giants, culminating in Escape and Frontiers, which became classic ’80s albums and defined their sound.

Judas Priest
The band debuted in 1974 with Rocka Rolla, which had a very different sound and aesthetic. As their image transformed from bluesy rock to metal with an iconic leather look, Judas Priest’s early ’80s albums like British Steel solidified them as metal icons with enduring influence in the genre.

Kiss
After a slump, Kiss took off their signature makeup for Lick It Up in 1983. This led to the revitalization of their career in the glam-metal scene before returning to their classic look for a major reunion tour in 1996.

Scorpions
Formed in 1965, the Scorpions did not find international success until the ’80s with platinum albums and hits like “Rock You Like a Hurricane, which combined heavy metal with catchy melodies to outshine many glam metal bands of the time.

ZZ Top
The band’s reinvention included synthesizers and drum machines on Eliminator, transforming them into MTV stars. Hits like “Sharp Dressed Man” cemented their status in pop culture even as they returned to their blues roots.