The 1980s were an incredibly important decade in indie music history. It was during this decade that the first indie charts were compiled in the United States and in the United Kingdom; whether or not appearing on these lists was considered a sell-out depended on who you talked to. Fat chicks in tight leather would probably list Sonic Youth among those who ruined the indie scene; less stringent fans might decide that any type of success was not necessarily a bad thing for the movement as a whole. What would remain constant was the watchful eye of the big labels, who were always eager to exploit the underground scene and turn a profit on the “new” sound they had discovered.

The early ’80s saw unity among indie artists in the United States and to some extent in the United Kingdom. The creation of charts meant that any record released on a small label was considered independent; thus, you could have New Wave influenced prog rock like that turned out by REM in their college-playing days and the more distortion driven, under-produced sounds of Husker Du or Dinosaur Jr. in the same category. The big difference in the 1980s was that by the end of the decade, one type of music had slipped into the mainstream, while the other had not. The distortion of the garage bands would thus become known as “alternative music.”

Several big indie labels were formed during this time, which were to achieve notoriety in the 1990s, including Sarah Records in 1987 and Sub Pop in 1980. Founders of Sub Pop Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman actually went against everything indie music was supposed to stand for, relentlessly promoting their artists and seeking to popularize the music that they were turning out. Perhaps this is where fans of indie music should take a hard look at their criteria for bands; if music was not worth being listened to by a lot of people, it simply should not exist. The founders of Sub Pop embodied that in their promotion of bands such as Soundgarden, and of course Nirvana. In fact, the label would spawn a movement called the Singles club which would extend into the ultra glitzy and oily grip of Hollywood, about as counter to the idea of indie as you could hope to get.

In both the UK and the US, the indie scene was a direct reaction against the macho personas of big rock acts. Both the alternative sound in the US and the jangly genre of the UK represented artist’s thorough disgust at the excesses, prejudices, and false images of bands like Poison and Nelson.

Towards the end of the 1980s, the “major” indie artists were actually acting almost like recruiters for the big labels. Again, this should give many indie fans pause before judging one band or another as sell outs due to their “commercialization”. The term is better applied to imitators of the original sound for the purpose of money rather than to the sound developers. There is not a lot of credibility in the sell out argument when one realizes that it was Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth who set up Nirvana’s flight to fame, or that Breeder’s singer Kin Deal was an integral part of the incredibly ground-breaking and highly influential Pixies.

The 1970s was probably the first decade in which the cynicism of a generation was widely reflected in the popular culture and music of that generation. Like most decades, musically the ’70s could be divided up into five year periods; the first years saw the rise of the influence of indie band the Velvet Underground and a shift away from bubble gum rock of the ’60s; the Beatles broke up and suddenly everyone was experimenting.

In the garages of the United States and the United Kingdom, kids were figuring out just what the hell they really COULD do with their guitars and their electronic equipment, not to mention a pissed off voice. While the United Kingdom turned out some synthy stuff, the States and several bands in the UK were much more focused on the do it yourself grind that punk music offered. The indie ethos was thus created through the actions of the proto punk bands; they separated themselves from their cultural norms through their outward appearances as much as their music. Richard Hell, the Ramones, and in the UK the Sex Pistols all had their roots in the indie movement, and several of them never left the scene behind. Once again, indie was to have a huge influence on popular, although in the case of punk the major labels would not pick up on the fervor until the latter half of the 1990s, when (just as in the ’70s) annoying music again ruled the day.

Another indie development in the 1970s was the creation of progressive rock. Now, this rock was totally at odds with Beatles, Byrds, and all the other peaceful music of the ’60s. It created its sound using a full range of instruments, and was just as experimental as the electronica movement of the 1990s. Unlike punk, though, progressive rock was to catch big label attention early in its development, and made the jump from indie to “scene” relatively quickly. In fact, a big part of the growth of punk was in reaction to the commercialization of prog rock.

New Wave was the third form of music to develop on the indie scene, and like progressive rock it was quickly usurped and mutilated by labels, who would sign anyone with any connection to the true sound. This type of music was pretty much right in between punk and prog; experimental and edgy at the same time. In fact, some of the most influential artists in the New Wave movement are still cited by label successes such as U2 today; Elvis Costello was known for his pointed lyrics, and Blondie was perhaps the most well-known band of this era (although today they are labeled as disco in many ignorant quarters). Sire Records and Stiff Records were two of the major players in the indie market in the ’70s.

Of course, when a new sound is created, sooner or later someone will capitalize on the potential money. When the big labels came knocking, it was the Clash and the Cult that answered the door; their New Wave sound was the newest hit on radio in the early ‘80s and signaled the end of New Wave as far as indie scene followers were concerned.