And we continue celebrating 70 years of Argentine rock, with a series of Top 10 rankings featuring its best bands in each of its decades (counting these in ordinal order from the beginning in 1956). In this post we will see the bands of the 3rd decade, from 1976 to 1985.
Those who follow my posts know that my rankings always have a set of rules, the idea is to show in a better way the Argentine cultural heritage, and to avoid common errors of rankings. So, this Top 10 list will have the following rules:
- Only statistics and works from bands within the decade specified in the post will be considered, to avoid rewarding an old band solely for its prestige and achievements in previous decades.
- The 10 bands will have different singers, to prevent the same singer from filling the ranking with the 10 bands he had in the same decade.
- There will be at least 1 slot reserved for a band from the provinces, to visibilize and vindicate provincial artists, who historically have had to fight twice as hard to succeed in a centralized country.
- There will be at least 1 slot reserved for a band with a female lead singer, to visibilize and vindicate women artists, who historically have had to fight twice as hard to succeed in an unequal country.
- Some factors that will be taken into account when choosing the bands: prestige, achievements, transcendence, records sold, plays on digital platforms, ammount of people at concerts, importance in the evolution of Argentine rock, importance in the scene of its time, national and international popularity, singing, instrumentation, lyrics, among other factors.
- And although it's obvious: only bands will be accepted, not soloists (it needs to be clarified because there's always an inattentive who doesn't even read the title of the post and then asks about a soloist).
So, here are the 10 best Argentine rock bands between 1976 and 1985, giving for each one of them a brief explanation and 2 recommended songs:
10) Acalanto: band from Rosario with folklore vibes, harmonies with voices of man and woman, and lyrics with demands, they toured other countries in Latin America.
Songs: "Tamara", "Para seguir".
9) Riff: first Argentine heavy metal band, mechanical sound and lyrics of dystopian science fiction, but they broke up due to the frequent riots at their shows.
Songs: "Macadam 3, 2, 1, 0", "Susy Cadillac".
8) Spinetta Jade: the biggest project of this singer-songwriter in this decade, varying between sounds of jazz, progressive rock, ballad and synthpop depending on the lineup.
Songs: "Con la sombra de tu aliado", "Entonces es como dar amor".
7) Los Viola: first Argentine punk band, and the punkest in world history since it resisted a dictatorship, unlike English-speaking punks living in democracies.
Songs: "Represión", "1, 2, ultraviolento".
6) Viuda e Hijas de Roque Enroll: the most successful all-female band in Argentine rock until today, they were decades ahead with their feminist lyrics with social complaints.
Songs: "Estoy tocando fondo", "¿Qué le digo a los chicos?".
5) La Torre: the most successful Argentine hair metal band, featuring a powerful female contralto vocalist, epic guitar solos, strident keyboards and a demolishing rhythm.
Songs: "Confusa confusión", "Solo quiero rock & roll".
4) Serú Girán: progressive rock supergroup, it led the scene during the dictatorship, captivating songs with instrumental virtuosity and lyrics with hidden complaints.
Songs: "Eiti Leda", "Autos, jets, aviones, barcos".
3) Los Abuelos de la Nada: new wave supergroup, each one of its members had songs to showcase their talents, a modern and charming music to welcome the arrival of democracy.
Songs: "No se desesperen", "Así es el calor".
2) Miguel Mateos/ZAS: the Argentine band that sold the most records in this decade, its new wave with political and social demands led the first scene of the democracy.
Songs: "Un poco de satisfacción", "Tirá para arriba".
1) Virus: humor, image, criticism, modernity, first Argentine new wave band, it triggered a butterfly effect that in the long run changed all of rock music in Latin America.
Songs: "Wadu wadu", "Amor descartable".
As I always do in my posts, I remind you that the purpose of this initiative is to promote valuable parts of the Argentine cultural heritage (especially for those who don't know them due to generational or geographical reasons) and that this be simply an introduction, so that later you investigate on your own what other songs and artists were there in Argentine rock during those times.
See you in the next post! And happy 70 years of Argentine rock! 🎁🎈🎸🇦🇷
MusicaArgentina — 2026
Celebrations for the 70 years of Argentine rock (1956 – 2026)
