Image from Scenario of the Photo-Drama of Creation by Charles Taze Russell, 1914
"College rock" is almost meaningless as an identifier of music because there was never really a single sound that could be associated with college radio in the '80s. The playlists were full of new bands that had built a name for themselves by touring the US relentlessly and releasing records on the new generation of independent record labels - bands like Camper Van Beethoven, the Minutemen, and Husker Du. However, college radio also played whatever was new in the UK, meaning that groups with absolutely nothing in common like English Beat, Sisters of Mercy, and Prefab Sprout were thrown haphazardly into the mix as well.
Luckily, most of the music from '80s college radio was interesting in its diversity, so it's still pretty useful to look for music identified as "college rock". The genre has special meaning to me because of REM, one of the big successes of the college rock scene and my first favorite band. In 1991, "Losing My Religion" became REM's biggest breakthrough single, and hearing it led me to explore REM's discography and then the other bands that had come from the college scene.
Unfortunately, few of the great bands of the '80s college scene broke through the way REM did. For instance, listen to "I Just Get Caught Out" by the Go-Betweens, a band that could be called Australia's REM (Michael Stipe was known to praise the Go-Betweens from the stage on the Green Tour, calling them one of the greatest bands ever.) They never had any kind of mainstream success in the US, including this great song from 1987's Tallulah. Sadly, one of the principle songwriters of the Go-Betweens, Grant McLennan, passed away suddenly two years ago. During a housewarming party thrown for him by some friends, he went to lie down for a little while and had a heart attack - he was 48.
"I Just Get Caught Out" by the Go-Betweens
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