you still had great bands like the Stones, Moody Blues, Aerosmith, Boston, Journey, Chicago, Foreigner, and solo Beatles doing stuff. You also had some really good bands emerge like U2, Depeche Mode, REM, Bon Jovi, and Van Halen. In between there were probably more one hit wonders in the 80's but it was the decade that produced the top selling album of all time. Also, the concert tours in the 80's were played in sold out arenas and stadiums, this doesn't happen anymore.