I'd suggest you look at the critical acclaim they received, particularly for later albums like Spirit of Eden. About as far away from 'forgettable generic 80s synth pop' as you could get. Hollis retired after a couple of solo albums to concentrate on his family. He influenced a wide spectrum of musicians.
Yep gilted generation was my fav also loved fat of the land. I was less into the later more rocky sounding stuff but appreciated that they were continuing to innovate.
Harsh I must admit I really liked a couple of their tunes like Life is What You Make It and Its My Life. I don't think we can really say who is a bigger loss. Like most things in life, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One mans unholy din, is another mans symphony.
