What 80s band would be closest to the Beatles in terms of their legendaryness, catalogue, etc?

Duran Duran or Wham!.

It can also be country specific.  Canada had Platinum Blonde.  The UK also had Spandau Ballet.  America had Bon Jovi, who took on the world!

No one compares to the Beatles.  People have been trying since they came along, and it just hasn't happened.  Not to take anything away from other bands - I'm just saying.

If you're talking about the early 80's, then maybe The Police. If you were to ask which artist, band or solo, is the 80's equivalent of The Beatles, I'd say Michael Jackson.

Probably, The Police, would be in terms of popularity.

If I had to pick three artists whose popularity matched the Beatles in the 80s.....


Undeniably Michael Jackson with the release of Thriller in 82 but it gradually gained momentum in 83/84. Michaelmania was all around that it
garnish him a cover on Time magazine.

I do agree The Police were just as popular but I think Duran Duran takes the 2nd place prize The release of Rio in the fall of 82 and the videos that
followed catapulted them to MTV video darlings. I was in junior high school back them and their pics were plastered on every girls notebook and locker. Everyone
was so crazy about them I know they were mobbed everywhere they went.

Third place would be Madonna---enuff said.

I'd say it'll be about 2030 or 2040 before we have another 'Beatles'!  :D

Im surprised nobody has mentioned Madonna ?

If I had to pick three artists whose popularity matched the Beatles in the 80s.....


Undeniably Michael Jackson with the release of Thriller in 82 but it gradually gained momentum in 83/84. Michaelmania was all around that it
garnish him a cover on Time magazine.

I do agree The Police were just as popular but I think Duran Duran takes the 2nd place prize The release of Rio in the fall of 82 and the videos that
followed catapulted them to MTV video darlings. I was in junior high school back them and their pics were plastered on every girls notebook and locker. Everyone
was so crazy about them I know they were mobbed everywhere they went.

Third place would be Madonna---enuff said.



Im surprised nobody has mentioned Madonna ?
Madonna has been mentioned.

I'm going to go out on a limb and call Depeche Mode. 

Quintessential "new wave" sound, and they continued to make music (albeit under the auspices of various side projects) for decades after their heyday. 

I'm going to go out on a limb and call Depeche Mode.  

Quintessential "new wave" sound, and they continued to make music (albeit under the auspices of various side projects) for decades after their heyday.  


They were for me at least.  I used to say "Black Celebration" was the "Sgt. Pepper's" of the 1980s.

However...


No one compares to the Beatles.  People have been trying since they came along, and it just hasn't happened.  Not to take anything away from other bands - I'm just saying.


I agree with Ash.  The Beatles had a much deeper cultural significance than any single pop group has had ever since.  There are no really fair comparisons owing to the temper of the 1960s and the serendipitous arrival of the Fab Four.

They were for me at least.  I used to say "Black Celebration" was the "Sgt. Pepper's" of the 1980s.

However...

I agree with Ash.  The Beatles had a much deeper cultural significance than any single pop group has had ever since.  There are no really fair comparisons owing to the temper of the 1960s and the serendipitous arrival of the Fab Four.



The Beatles were not just a consequence of great talent, but also they came at the right time and had the right personality for that time. Could you say they had a little bit of lady lucky on their side?

The Beatles were not just a consequence of great talent, but also they came at the right time and had the right personality for that time. Could you say they had a little bit of lady lucky on their side?


Absolutely.  Maybe it was on a dice roll that neither Boys Don't Cry nor Dr. & The Medics didn't turn it to be the next Beatles.
:D

Men Without Hats?
???

Maybe the Cure too because of the style of music they had was unique ?

Maybe the Cure too because of the style of music they had was unique ?


But they weren't pervasive in the general public as mainstream stuff.  Even in 1987 their fan base was disaffected suburban Goths like me.  I guy I worked with listened to 10 seconds of "Hot Hot Hot" and said, "Nah, I'll stick to Dokken!
::)

They were in the American mainstream enjoying Top 40 hits in the "Disintegration" and "Wish" periods.  Then Smith was done.  He's made albums as "The Cure" several times since and each time he confirms that he is done.
8)

The Cure tended to be introspective music.  They never got their "We Will Rock You" moment.  It wasn't just limpdick music like Toad The Wet Sprocket and The Proclaimers out there in the nineties.  The Cure is not a band your parents liked you to listen to.  It was too dark and gloomy and full of pain.  In 1992 Robert Smith became a total parody of himself.  Those guys really need to retire. 
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/07/nervous.gif

I'd probably say U2. Unlike most '80s bands which relied on "made for radio" hits; U2 used a variety of musical techniques throughout the '80s and their music sounds far less "dated" than most bands you've described. They we'rent really overnight sensations, but through critically acclaimed music, they seem to just never go away like the Beatles.

No one compares to the Beatles. The only acty that is similar is the Police. A band with simple songs that was very popular in Canada and the UK, dont know how popular they were in the USA.
They also poked fun at themselves as well.