Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s by AAL2014

The 1980’s, for me, aren’t nearly as remarkable in their highs nor deeply consistent as either of the decades surrounding it.

Don’t get me wrong, 80’s music is excellent and so much of it is simply so much fun. Maybe also the first period in which music and culture were one and same, at least more so than ever with the advancements in technology, distribution, and uh… oh yeah, music videos.

On the other hand, those same elements had their not so favorable affects. On the technological front, many studios and producers switched their boards and gear entirely at the beginning of the decade and as a result albums don’t sound anywhere as good to me as they did just a couple years prior. Music sales began moving toward CD (ultimately still my preferred method of listening), but early runs of copies failed to deliver the highest rate of fidelity. Music videos, as well the introduction of MTV, is an essay unto itself.

Regardless of outside factors, I LOVE and have a deep respect for so many of the records you’ll find here and the top quarter or so of this list are some of my favorite pieces of music. However, I would probably be able to say that for the top 50 of the 1990’s and nearly the top 75 of the 1970’s.

But focusing on the positives overall, there is a lot of great music here and almost easily the best decade for heavy metal. I apologize not for having every Iron Maiden release here. They’re probably my band of the decade.

Enjoy.

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[First added to this chart: 04/20/2020]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,916
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 04/20/2020]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,268
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 04/20/2020]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,058
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 04/20/2020]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,235
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 04/20/2020]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,095
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 04/20/2020]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,179
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 05/09/2020]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,789
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 05/09/2020]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,451
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 07/10/2022]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,679
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 05/09/2020]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
28,493
Rank in 1980:
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 10 10%
1981 10 10%
1982 10 10%
1983 10 10%
1984 13 13%
1985 9 9%
1986 9 9%
1987 9 9%
1988 12 12%
1989 8 8%
Artist Albums %


Iron Maiden 8 8%
Rush 4 4%
Metallica 4 4%
Peter Gabriel 3 3%
U2 3 3%
Napalm Death 2 2%
Prince 2 2%
Show all
Country Albums %


United States 50 50%
United Kingdom 36 36%
Australia 4 4%
Canada 4 4%
Ireland 3 3%
Jamaica 1 1%
France 1 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 99 99%
Yes 1 1%
Live? Albums %
No 97 97%
Yes 3 3%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 99 99%
Yes 1 1%

Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes

Biggest fallers
Faller Down 1 from 37th to 38th
Legend: The Best Of Bob Marley And The Wailers
by Bob Marley & The Wailers
Faller Down 1 from 38th to 39th
Holy Diver
by Dio
Faller Down 1 from 39th to 40th
Peter Gabriel (1982)
by Peter Gabriel
TitleSourceTypePublishedCountry
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s TheHolyKiwi1980s decade chart2017
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980sJamie1980s decade chart2023Unknown
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s StefanR101980s decade chart2020
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980ssaltysurprise1980s decade chart2020
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980sKettwig1980s decade chart2019
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980spdapperens1980s decade chart2014
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980sTheNowhereGuy1980s decade chart2020
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s djnizzi1980s decade chart2021
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980sSiromynian1980s decade chart2025
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980sMadrocker1980s decade chart2019

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s ratings

Average Rating: 
87/100 (from 2 votes)
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03/14/2024 09:32 Purplepash  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,60288/100
  
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