Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s
by replacementlevel 
The world wouldn't suffer much if this decade never happened, but there are 10-20 phenomenal albums here and a bunch of decent music pushing new boundaries after that.
- Chart updated: 05/27/2025 01:15
- (Created: 09/04/2013 21:33).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 3 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 7 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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[First added to this chart: 09/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,897
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,461
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
33,017
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
31,039
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,930
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,849
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,204
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,370
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,019
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,258
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1981 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1982 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1983 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1984 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1985 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1986 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1987 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1988 | 14 | 14% | |
| 1989 | 15 | 15% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| R.E.M. | 6 | 6% | |
| Kate Bush | 3 | 3% | |
| Siouxsie And The Banshees | 3 | 3% | |
| Sonic Youth | 3 | 3% | |
| The Smiths | 3 | 3% | |
| Eric B. & Rakim | 2 | 2% | |
| Cocteau Twins | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 28 from 66th to 38thLifes Rich Pageant by R.E.M. |
| Up 23 from 88th to 65thDocument by R.E.M. |
| Up 21 from 87th to 66thPsychocandy by The Jesus And Mary Chain |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 37 from 56th to 93rdThink Of One by Wynton Marsalis |
| Down 21 from 34th to 55thMy Life In The Bush Of Ghosts by Brian Eno & David Byrne |
| Down 20 from 30th to 50th案山子 [Kakashi] by 清水靖晃 [Yasuaki Shimizu] |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s similar charts
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | iamthewalrus | 1980s decade chart | 2022 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  covecove | 1980s decade chart | 2021 |  |
| Pitchfork: The 100 Best Albums Of The 1980s (2002) | WayneMC | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Albums of the 1980s | Pitchfork | 1980s decade chart | 2002 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | dwils0891 | 1980s decade chart | 2012 | |
| Best Albums of the 1980s | Slant Magazine | 1980s decade chart | 2012 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  eclab | 1980s decade chart | 2025 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | Madrocker | 1980s decade chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | frankoceanlover | 1980s decade chart | 2024 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | TheNowhereGuy | 1980s decade chart | 2020 |  |
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Other decade charts by replacementlevel
replacementlevel has shared 6 more decade charts with the community. Browse them all here.
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 75 Music Albums of the 2020s | replacementlevel | 2020s decade chart | 2026 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | replacementlevel | 2010s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | replacementlevel | 2000s decade chart | 2025 | |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
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 7 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/30/2022 20:52 | DJENNY | 4,338 | 100/100 | |
| 02/13/2019 14:57 |  Oselju | 243 | 84/100 | |
| 11/18/2016 14:19 | TheSmiths82-87 | 1,829 | 83/100 | |
| 05/19/2016 07:49 | Imaybeparanoid | 179 | 89/100 | |
| 12/27/2014 01:57 | vmp | 17 | 87/100 |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s favourites
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s comments
Showing all 3 comments |
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From Oselju 02/13/2019 14:57 | #231882
Oselju 02/13/2019 14:57 | #231882
33 albums in common !...
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From vmp 12/27/2014 02:05 | #130177
Madonna and George Michael???
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
sssvnnn 10/19/2014 19:44 | #124850
sssvnnn 10/19/2014 19:44 | #124850
Ok, you´re no fan of the 80´s music.
Keeping that in mind your chart is quite good.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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| Best Artists of 2013 | |
|---|---|
| 1. Vampire Weekend | |
| 2. Arctic Monkeys | |
| 3. Daft Punk | |
| 4. Kanye West | |
| 5. Queens Of The Stone Age | |
| 6. Arcade Fire | |
| 7. The National | |
| 8. Deafheaven | |
| 9. My Bloody Valentine | |
| 10. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds | |
| 11. Nick Cave | |
| 12. Lorde | |
| 13. David Bowie | |
| 14. Chance The Rapper | |
| 15. Julia Holter | |
| 16. Atoms For Peace | |
| 17. Steven Wilson | |
| 18. Foxygen | |
| 19. Darkside | |
| 20. Jason Isbell |
