Here is my list of top jangle pop bands -- i.e., the bands that had the biggest influence and musical impact on jangle pop and alternative music:
1. R.E.M. 2. The Smiths 3. The Replacements 4. The Feelies 5. The Soft Boys 6. Let's Active 7. The dB's 8. Camper Van Beethoven 9. The Connells 10. Bangels 11. Dream Syndicate 12. Guadalcanal Diary 13. Don Dixon 14. Miracle Legion 15. The Plimsouls 16. Game Theory 17. Rain Parade 18. The Long Ryders 19. Uncle Green 20. The Fleshtones
Jangle Pop was an American post-punk movement of the mid-'80s that marked a return to the chiming guitars and pop melodies of the '60s. Sparked by the arrival of R.E.M., jangle pop also had some folk-rock overtones, but it was essentially a pop-based format. Jangle pop wasn't mainstream music -- the bands' lyrics were often deliberately cryptic and their sound was raw and amateurish, bearing all the signs of do-it-yourself productions. Jangle pop was a major force between 1984 and 1987 -- not only were there Southern-pop bands like R.E.M. and Let's Active, there were the Paisley Underground bands on the West Coast who were more psychedelic, and there were numerous bands scattered throughout the Midwest. In the late '80s, the sound fell out of favor, mainly because there were so many bands that sounded similar and were indistinguishable from each other. Though R.E.M. managed to cross over into the mainstream -- in fact, the band became one of the most popular rock bands in the world -- many of the groups (including Uncle Green and Miracle Legion) simply ran out of steam by the early '90s and disbanded.
I don't know what it is but I like it! :-)
Wasn't Jangle one of the characters in the "Year Without a Santa Claus" Christmas special?
