The world of music has changed so much since the beginnings of rock & roll in the early 1950's. Artists are more outspoken and controversial, but what shaped them? There are key moments in rock history that have made today's music what it is. If not for these game changing moments, the musicians of today would be drab and boring. So what are the top moments that changed the music world? Lets sit back and take a look.

  • 10

    U2 Performs at Live Aid 1985

    In 1985 U2 was still trying to crack through to become a huge band. Their performance at Live Aid did just that. If not for Queen, U2 would have completely stolen the show. It catapulted them into the worlds spot light and following that they recorded their most well known and successful album, "The Joshua Tree". Ever since then U2 has been one of, if not the biggest band in the world.

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  • 9

    The PMRC Hearings

    Ever since the birth of rock music there have always been some stuffy shirted people that have tried to silence it. In the 1980's it was the PMRC. They came into their biggest battle with music in 1985 when the released their list of the "Filthy 15" which contained the songs they felt were the most inappropriate. On that list was music by Motley Crue, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Prince, Twisted Sister and more. They pushed for the RIAA to set up a ratings system for music which began a senate hearing.The senate hearing made national headlines, and to rescue came people like John Denver, Frank Zappa and most notably, Dee Snider. The PMRC eventually got their wish and "Parental Advisory" stickers were placed on certain albums, but it was really a victory for music and metal as Dee Snider became a hero for his speech at the hearing. The stickers did not effect music sales, and if they did anything they made the music more appealing with it's dangerous draw.

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  • 8

    Birth Of Metallica

    Heavy metal has always been evolving. In the 70's they thought it would be replaced by punk and in the 80's it got all glammed up thanks to the Sunset Strip in California. In northern Cali however there was one band that was forming that was going to make some big noise, they just didn't know it yet. Inspired by bands like Motorhead, Metallica took thrash metal by storm through the 1980's making a name for themselves opening for acts like Ozzy Osbourne. They are the most successful thrash band in terms of fans, album sales and concerts. They continue to sell out arenas more than 30 years after their formation. Heavy Metal owes a lot to Metallica for bringing the music to the masses.

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  • 7

    Michael Jackson Moon Walks

    Hate on MJ all you want, but the fact of the matter is he changed music forever. There will never be an artist as big as him and when he moon walked for the first time on national television at the 25th anniversary of Motown, he changed dance too. No one had seen anything like that and it blew everyone away and if he were still with us, it would still be blowing people away. Not sure if he knew it at the time, but that move would sky rocket him to stardom.

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  • 6

    RUN DMC teams with Aerosmith

    Two genres that people would have never thought to mix were rock and rap, especially a veteran band like Aerosmith. RUN DMC didn't listen to any of that and in 1986 they decided to sample the Aerosmith classic "Walk This Way". The rest is music history. The video came out which showed the two types of music merging together. I don't know if they realized the kind of beast they unleashed, but it gave way to acts like Rage Against The Machine, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, POD and more.

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  • 5

    Madonna Sexes Up Pop Music

    Pop music has always been a little bit sexy, but in the 1980's Madonna took it to a whole new level. Her song "Like a Virgin" sounded dirty enough as it was, but then her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1984 turned it into something else entirely. It almost makes you feel dirty after you watch it. Pop music hasn't been the same since she came into the scene. She continues to inspire people to this day and artists like Lady Gaga even take a lesson from Madonna's style in her music and act. Sex sells, and Madonna sold it like no one else in the 80's and 90's.

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  • 4

    MTV Begins Broadcasting

    When MTV began broadcasting music videos in 1981 they started an obsession. Not just among the viewers, but artists did as well. They wanted to get on MTV and get everyone to notice them. The programming may be a little different today, but the legacy of MTV is still there. People stopped trying to get an album, but instead tried to get a video. Maybe one day MTV will start to go back to what they use to do and change the world again. With things like YouTube though, it may not have the same effect since people can now get music videos whenever they want.

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  • 3

    Elvis Filmed from the Waist Up

    At one point Elvis Presley was the most controversial figure in the music world. They way he danced around on stage made parents around the world nervous that their teenage daughters would succumb to "the sex" thanks to Elvis' hip shaking behavior. So in 1957 when he was on the Ed Sullivan show, he was only filmed from the waist up. It was meant to censor his performance for the viewers at home, but in the end it only made people more curious about the King.

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  • 2

    Nirvana Shakes Up The Industry

    Never before has a band come around and killed a music genre like Nirvana did to the 80's hair metal scene. Easily the most influential band of the grunge era, they became giants of the industry so quickly that the pressure got to front man Kurt Cobain. Imagine the world without their influence? We would all still be putting on leather pants, teasing our hair and waiting for the next power ballad. Nirvana shook the music world to it's core, and they are still waiting for the next Nirvana to come out.

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  • 1

    The British Invasion

    The British Invasion turned the music world upside down. The debut of bands like The Beatles and Rolling Stones changed the world forever. Not even the king of rock & roll Elvis Presley could withstand the coming of the Brits in rock music. Once they came, they just kept coming too. Some of rocks most influential figures are from England. Eric Clapton, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Queen, all these bands and musicians were able to make their way into the music world thanks to the huge path paved for them by the British Invasion of the early 1960's.

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