Whether you lived through them or not, we can all admit that the '80s were a long time ago. Even a kid born on New Year's Eve 1989 could be most of his or her way through medical school by now. And although that decade refuses to go away in all sorts of ways, one concept that does feel like has been lost is the idea of the no-bullshit, straight-ahead rock and roll band. Guys who wore cuban-heeled boots or sneakers onstage, smoked cigarettes and idolized Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, Lennon & McCartney. There was a lot we didn't know back then.

So strictly because one of our personal '80s-rock favorites, Living Colour, is in town Sunday night, not long ago we thought it would be fun to ask a few of our writers to give us a couple of their favorite rock bands of the Reagan/Bush years. And that's it: rock bands. No metal (including G'N'R), no punk, no alternative, nothing too synthy or New Wave. Just pure rock and roll -- a couple of guitars, bass and drums, maybe a piano or saxophone, and an unflagging desire to conquer the stage every single night.

It wasn't easy. Yes, we see you, Springsteen. You'll live. And forgive us, Huey Lewis and the News. Your name did at least come up.

THE BLASTERS Steeped in blues and rockabilly, the Blasters were part of the early '80s California trend (X, Beat Farmers) that involved a return to roots-based rock and roll often tinged with aggressive punk attitude. Marked by Dave Alvin's blistering guitar and exquisite songwriting, brother Phil's incomparable jump-blues singing, New Orleans sax king Lee Allen, and Texan Gene Taylor's  propulsive piano, the band left both audiences and themselves sweating. Their 1981 no-bullshit, no-filler album The Blasters still sounds fresh today, and they get extra points for introducing Houston to Dwight Yoakam. WILLIAM MICHAEL SMITH

CHEAP TRICK The 1980s may not have been the decade of iconic hits Cheap trick had in the '70s, but it was by far their most successful as a band. The departure of bassist Tom Petersson after the release of 1980's All Shook Up left a void, and though there were some absolute gems on the string of albums in the middle of the decade, it wasn't until his return for 1988's Lap of Luxury that they found real success. Power ballad "The Flame" became their biggest-selling single and their live shows killed, as they always had. JEFF BALKE

JOE ELY BAND Ely hit his rock stride in the '80s after playing bills with The Clash in England. During the first half of the decade he was a punk extension of Buddy Holly, so hot he was tapped to open for the Rolling Stones. After a mid-decade personnel shift, he went on to drop one of the most atomic live albums of the '80s, Joe Ely Live in Chicago.

Ely's band was one of only a few capable of opening for Springsteen, who once sat in for an entire set in Dublin, Ireland, or for Merle Haggard, with whom Ely toured England. Fellow Lubbockite Terry Allen aptly described Ely as performing "like his hair is on fire." WILLIAM MICHAEL SMITH

GENESIS The greatest rock band of the 1980s? It's got to be Genesis. That's right. Don't let Phil Collins' solo career fool you. There was never a more well-rounded rock and roll band. Slimming to a trio with Collins as singer and ditching prog, the band crafted pop-rock masterpieces like "Invisible Touch," which may be the most instantly gratifying pop song of the entire decade.

But these guys could rock too! Some of the most accomplished musicians on earth, they delivered stunning rock opuses like "Domino" and "Home by the Sea" on even their most pop-oriented records. Not to mention Collins' incredible, soul-shaking scream heard on tracks like "Mama" and "No Son of Mine." These guys were never the pussies you thought they were -- at one point, they were the best damn rock band in the world.  COREY DEITERMAN

JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS Let's face it, the '80s were a lousy decade for lady rockers. Racy pop stars sure, but lacy gloves only go so far. R&B divas of course, but what's love got to do with it? That leaves Joan Jett, who put it right up front in one of the greatest singles in jukebox history, "I Love Rock and Roll": me, yeah me.

But to go with all that attitude, Jett had a terrific ear for rock history -- lurking deep on her '80s albums are choice cuts like "Cherry Bomb" (by her '70s band the Runaways), Tommy James & the Shondells' "Crimson & Clover" and and Gary U.S. Bonds' classic 1960 single "New Orleans." Still, it's those unstoppable songs like "I Hate Myself For Loving You" that made her bad reputation. Jett always sounds like about two feet away from kicking your ass if you step out of line. CHRIS GRAY

JOURNEY They may have been, for a minute, the kings of the pop ballad, but Journey was also a killer rock outfit. Both Escape and followup Frontiers went multiplatinum primarily behind the ballads "Open Arms" and "Faithfully." But, songs like "Escape," "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)," "Stone in Love" and, of course, "Don't Stop Believin" featured the expertise of guitarist Neal Schon and the soaring vocals of Steve Perry. They were a massive concert draw, including a show at the Summit in 1981 live on MTV. JEFF BALKE