4 British-Rock Albums From the 80s That Were Huge Comebacks

British pop-rock was alive and well in the 80s. Only it was usually younger, newish acts that did most of the damage, especially in terms of crossover success in America. Many heritage acts from the UK struggled to find their footing.

But a few acts flew in the face of that trend. These four standout albums came from steely veterans and helped reverse a negative trend for those who released them.

‘Arc Of A Diver’ by Steve Winwood

Steve Winwood first tried to go solo at the end of the 60s. But at the last minute, he decided he liked bouncing ideas off collaborators. He hastily reformed Traffic, and they did the best work of their career over the next several years. When that group finally ran its course, Winwood released a self-titled album in 1977 that didn’t contain much of a spark. When he tried again in three years, he had developed a new sound that featured some of the ambition of Traffic, combined with new reliance on sprightly synthesizer textures. Will Jennings added lyrics to songs like the title track and “While You See A Chance” that captured the striving spirit of the music.

‘Long Distance Voyager’ by The Moody Blues

The Moody Blues had already undergone several transformations by the time they released their 1981 album Long Distance Voyager. When their 1978 album Octave, their first in six years, failed to drum up much interest, the band wondered what they might do next. Departures by their keyboardist and producer left them even further at sea. But they soldiered on, leaned on the synths of new member Patrick Moraz, and came through with a stellar set of songs. The hit singles “The Voice” and “Gemini Dream” reestablished the band on pop radio. Long Distance Voyager touched a nerve with both existing Moody fans and new converts, eventually landing at No. 1 on the US album charts.

‘90125’ by Yes

Always a band of many lineups, Yes splintered off into a thousand different directions at the start of the 80s. Some of those directions (like the supergroup Asia, featuring two Yes-men) were quite lucrative. Yet, the guy who started the legendary prog-rock band’s resurgence was a newcomer. Trevor Rabin came from South Africa with a bunch of ridiculously catchy rock hooks in tow, one of which morphed into the No. 1 single “Owner Of A Lonely Heart”. Eventually, all involved realized it might be wise to revive the Yes brand. Lead singer Jon Anderson made it official when he came back to the fold. 90125 took Yes from nearly defunct to the Top 5 of the album charts.

‘A Momentary Lapse Of Reason’ by Pink Floyd

In the case of Pink Floyd, it wasn’t so much bad sales from which they were trying to come back in the mid-80s. Although it didn’t do quite the box office of previous releases by the band, The Final Cut, released in 1983, still went No. 1 in the UK and Top 10 in America. Instead, Floyd needed to come back from a departure that many thought would end them. Certainly, Roger Waters, the guy who left, thought that his old band couldn’t and/or wouldn’t continue without him. But guitarist David Gilmour confidently took the reins. And although other band members Nick Mason and Rick Wright were barely involved in its making, A Momentary Lapse Of Reason sounded strikingly like classic Pink Floyd.

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