Three albums from the 1980s that you shouldn't live without

The 1980s might be better known for New Wave and hair bands, but there were many albums that deserved more notice. And I mean no disrespect to New Wave there. There were a ton of great albums by bands from that subgenre as well.

But even if you grew up in the '80s there might have been bands or albums you missed. From the beginning of the decade to the end, there were so many changes in how music sounded and how it was recorded, and what record companies wanted you to hear.

So what follows are three albums that were worth listening to then and still sound great today. Heck, some of these bands still tour so maybe you should check them out.

Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers - Conscious Party

Ziggy Marley might mostly be known for two things. One is that he is the son of Bob Marley. The other is his song, "Family Time," which, of course, is family-friendly and easy to listen to. Of course, most of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers' music was nice to hear because that's the point of reggae, right? It's fantastically sonically, but then it can have lyrics that run deep and burn true.

Conscious Party was released in 1988 and was Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers' (the band was greatly made up of Marley family members) third album. It won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album, but in 2009 VH1 rated Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers a one-hit wonder because of the song "Tomorrow People." VH1 has zero idea of what they were talking about.

"Tomorrow People" is an excellent song, but it is also just won of many great songs on the record. Plus, "Tumbling Down" also charted on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks, Hot R&B Singles, and others. But there are songs even better on the album that these two. "Lee and Molly," a song about an interracial relationship, will get stuck in your head for days with its bump bump sound in the chorus. "New Love" is catchy as heck, too. And the finisher, "Dreams of Home," is a beautiful song about the need to find your soul.