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the 80s was the best time for wierd and underground rock, period. even the mega pop stars like prince and madonna made very interesting and unique music. *sighs*, nostalgia for a time period i was barely alive for.
That said, SST is probably with ESP my pick for all time greatest record label/movement. SST was a movement, much more than a label. They defined what Underground Rock would be. People recording in shitty spaces, sleeping on floors, making records with pennies, traveling across the country in a van and sleeping not only on the floor but under toilets, and making music for none other than the love of it. They also established that "Indie Rock" wasn't a sound, just an idea. None of the SST bands sounded alike. Black Flag was the ultimate brutal and mysterious and captivating Hardcore Punk Rock band. The Descendents made melodic Power Pop that was appealing to people just getting into underground stuff. Dino Jr. brought in Classic Rock Riffs and Melodies to ther agressive guitar driven Hardcore sound. Saccharine Trust was the most insane band in California, period. I still think people don't really know how to rank Saccharine Trust in the scope of the 80s underground because they were just so damn wierd and hard to get. Sonic Youth introduced Noise, No Wave, and Avant sounds to a generation of most pit loving white kids with DOA shirts. Then there was Husker Du who could write melodies played faster than speeding bullets. The Meat Puppers, brining Psychedelia and Americana back into American Punk Rock. Speaking of Americana, The Minutemen was everything good about American Music since its inception; from old country Blues to CCR to Funk to Punk Rock and everything in between. It's kind of hard to fathom the amazing music produced by that tiny label in such a short span of time.
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