Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s
by 
Mother Nature's Son 
My favourite albums of the 1980s.
- Chart updated: 10/19/2019 17:15
- (Created: 09/01/2013 16:41).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 4 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s has an average rating of 86 out of 100 (from 9 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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I had not known this beatlesque time travel very long before it gave strong feelings of nostalgia. The fluffy 80s production might sound dated to some ears, but that's what gives this album its charm. Incredible songwriting too. Jeff Lynne is a genius!
Favourite tracks: "Twilight" & "21st Century Man" [First added to this chart: 09/01/2013]
Favourite tracks: "Twilight" & "21st Century Man" [First added to this chart: 09/01/2013]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,407
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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The sound of four men who have tried a lot, but still haven't found what they're looking for. They're still on a spiritual journey to find their way and now they've come to a Joshua tree on a desert. The album is known for starting out with three great singles before it gets "boring", but that's not entirely true. It's on the second side that the album really starts to unfold its atmosphere.
Favourite tracks: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", "With or Without You" & "Red Hill Mining Town" [First added to this chart: 09/01/2013]
Favourite tracks: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", "With or Without You" & "Red Hill Mining Town" [First added to this chart: 09/01/2013]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,318
Rank in 1987:
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Now this... is inheritance. While the music doesn't equal completely his father's, Julian Lennon's voice, as others have pointed out, is eerily similar to that of his old man. The nasal strained singing is all there, but the music is less bitter. Think a more youthful and vibrant "Imagine" (the album) spiced up with a few 80s trends!
Favourite tracks: "Valotte" & "On the Phone" [First added to this chart: 08/31/2014]
Favourite tracks: "Valotte" & "On the Phone" [First added to this chart: 08/31/2014]
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Danceable guitar music with angelic vocals. Not the maddest Madchester album out there, but certainly the greatest. It feels great walking around in the city with this album in the ears.
Favourite tracks: "Made of Stone" & "This Is the One" [First added to this chart: 09/01/2013]
Favourite tracks: "Made of Stone" & "This Is the One" [First added to this chart: 09/01/2013]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
23,052
Rank in 1989:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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A kind of magic, indeed. More so than any other Queen album. It might not be their most deep album, but then again, it has "Who Wants to Live Forever". Just the album I need, one that makes you feel good.
Favourite tracks: "A Kind of Magic" & "Who Wants to Live Forever" [First added to this chart: 09/01/2013]
Favourite tracks: "A Kind of Magic" & "Who Wants to Live Forever" [First added to this chart: 09/01/2013]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
753
Rank in 1986:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
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The "Rubber Soul"/"Revolver" of the 80s, just more violent and insane!
Favourite tracks: "Debaser" & "Wave of Mutilation" [First added to this chart: 09/03/2013]
Favourite tracks: "Debaser" & "Wave of Mutilation" [First added to this chart: 09/03/2013]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
31,541
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Paul Simon invites us to his Graceland and reminds us that he's still a musical genius. The songwriting, the musicians and the world influences are amazing! "You Can Call Me Al" gets me fired up every single time!
Favourite tracks: "Graceland" & "You Can Call Me Al" [First added to this chart: 09/17/2013]
Favourite tracks: "Graceland" & "You Can Call Me Al" [First added to this chart: 09/17/2013]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,765
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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My perception and probably the only thing I know about new age music. It's overly spiritual, but in the best way possible and exceptionally gorgeous. I also have a few childhood memories with Enya's music, but that's a boring story for another time!
Favourite tracks: "Watermark", "On Your Shore" & "Orinoco Flow" [First added to this chart: 09/20/2013]
Favourite tracks: "Watermark", "On Your Shore" & "Orinoco Flow" [First added to this chart: 09/20/2013]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
934
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Stimulating, but impossible to actually settle down with. An album this crazy and crazily creative and catchy will instead make your senses working overtime!
Favourite tracks: "Senses Working Overtime" & "Snowman" [First added to this chart: 03/31/2015]
Favourite tracks: "Senses Working Overtime" & "Snowman" [First added to this chart: 03/31/2015]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,578
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Steve Roach has this magic gift of creating music that sounds exactly like how I imagine space: fascinating, frighteningly boundless and in many ways beyond our comprehension. "Structures From Silence" is a little more boiled down to a perceivable box than later Steve Roach albums, in other words, it sounds less like a "live recording" of space. It's more structured and surprisingly tranquil, which is perhaps its strength over more formless Steve Roach albums. I can only recommend it, it really soothes the soul. As a side note, the first couple of times I listened to ”Reflections in Suspension”, I thought the suspenseful, cooing-like melody was the sound of female vocals, but I realize now it's probably just a synth!
Favourite tracks: ”Reflections in Suspension” & ”Structures from Silence” [First added to this chart: 11/04/2017]
Favourite tracks: ”Reflections in Suspension” & ”Structures from Silence” [First added to this chart: 11/04/2017]
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1981 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1982 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1983 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1984 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1985 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1986 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1987 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1988 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1989 | 10 | 10% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Queen | 5 | 5% | |
| XTC | 4 | 4% | |
| Barbra Streisand | 4 | 4% | |
| Paul McCartney | 4 | 4% | |
| Goombay Dance Band | 3 | 3% | |
| U2 | 3 | 3% | |
| Julian Lennon | 3 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
49 | 49% | |
| |
30 | 30% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 95th to 96th Sun Of Jamaica by Goombay Dance Band |
| Down 1 from 96th to 97th Notorious by Duran Duran |
| Down 1 from 97th to 98th Crowded House by Crowded House |
| New entries |
|---|
| Till I Loved You by Barbra Streisand |
| Leavers |
|---|
| Duran Duran by Duran Duran |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s similar charts
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| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  StefanR10 | 1980s decade chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  infinitejester | 1980s decade chart | 2020 |  |
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| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  Martini | 1980s decade chart | 2022 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | PeterSmith | 1980s decade chart | 2022 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  JR | 1980s decade chart | 2024 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  Pastiche | 1980s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | dmack | 1980s decade chart | 2016 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  flyingcitrus | 1980s decade chart | 2018 | |
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Other decade charts by Mother Nature's Son
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | Mother Nature's Son | 2010s decade chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | Mother Nature's Son | 2000s decade chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | Mother Nature's Son | 1990s decade chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | Mother Nature's Son | 1980s decade chart | 2019 | |
Mother Nature's Son has created 4 other 1980s decade charts - click here to explore them all.
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 9 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 12/16/2018 19:45 | NSPE | 350 | 77/100 |
| ! | 07/15/2016 19:23 |  buzzdainer | 669 | 90/100 |
| ! | 07/01/2016 08:33 |  Leonard | 341 | 88/100 |
| ! | 03/31/2015 18:58 |  sssvnnn | 2,865 | 83/100 |
| ! | 02/12/2015 06:21 |  serpico | 155 | 80/100 |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s favourites
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s comments
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From buzzdainer 07/15/2016 19:27 | #171365
buzzdainer 07/15/2016 19:27 | #171365
Outstanding chart! Doolittle, Graceland, and The Stone Roses are all excellent albums that never seem to get old. I had sort of forgotten about Enya's Watermark album until I saw your chart--that's one I'd like to give a fresh listen. Thanks for providing so much fodder for discovery here!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From serpico 02/12/2015 06:24 | #134774
serpico 02/12/2015 06:24 | #134774
¡Gran selección de discos! Me encanta ver tantos discos de Queen, la verdad que todos los discos que sacaron en los 80's me parecen buenos. También incluiste a Depeche Mode y Kate Bush, grandes elecciones también.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From JasonZaia 02/10/2015 23:43 | #134633
Great chart! Very cool to see Queen's 'A Kind of Magic'! - a great album!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
NowhereMan 07/25/2014 21:25 | #117794
NowhereMan 07/25/2014 21:25 | #117794
Full marks for top spot.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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