Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s
by Romanelli

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1989-4AD
Produced By GIL NORTON

1. Debaser
2. Tame
3. Wave Of Mutilation
4. I Bleed
5. Here Comes Your Man
6. Dead
7. Monkey Gone To Heaven
8. Mr. Grieves
9. Crackity Jones
10. La La Love You
11. No. 13 Baby
12. There Goes My Gun
13. Hey
14. Silver
15. Gouge Away

Hard to believe that the Pixies happened in the 80’s. Heavy influences on bands like Nirvana and Weezer, Pixies were a dynamic and exciting, albeit short lived band that set the standard for almost all of the indie rock bands that have followed to this day. Led by Black Francis, the band scored with two amazing albums, Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa, that remain classics to this day. By the time of Doolittle, however, cracks were beginning to show. The working relationship between Francis and bassist Kim Deal (known as Mrs. John Murphy) had deteriorated to the point of the band going on hiatus for a year after the album, then breaking up for eleven years in 1993. Doolittle is a very emotional album, and a very good album, although it is somewhat overrated in that it’s not of the same caliber as the first two releases. Influencial? Very much so. Perfect? Not nearly so much.

Doolittle was much bigger in the UK than in the States, a consistent throughout their career. “Here Comes Your Man” and “Monkey Gone To Heaven” are standouts, as are “Debaser” and “Wave Of Mutilation”, which worked much better later on in a slowed down version. The subject matter is pretty dark (death, torture, etc.) and the songs are vividly dynamic with the loud to soft to loud approach that Kurt Cobain later found huge success with. The album is haunted by the infighting between Francis and Deal, but despite some inconsistencies in the writing, it still sounds pretty great. The band never reached near this level again, as evidenced by the poor albums that followed. But, for a two year period, Pixies were a monster of a band. Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa and Doolittle are their important trilogy, and all three are worth having.
[First added to this chart: 08/21/2013]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
30,170
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Top rated album (88/100 - 2983 votes)  88 (2,983 votes)
Comments:
Produced by Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Bruce Springsteen & Steve Van Zandt. So Bruce made a pop album. And it was made at a time when pop had really bad keyboards. And "Dancing In The Dark" just would not shut up. Still, the man can write the shit out of a song, and perform it twice as well. Underneath the gloss of this album lies more of Springsteen's heart and soul, and underneath songs like "Born In The USA" lies truth, beauty, honesty, and love. I hate that I love this album, but I do. [First added to this chart: 12/04/2011]
Year of Release:
1984
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Rank Score:
7,732
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Produced by Otis Wilbury & Nelson Wilbury. How can you top a supergroup with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne? You can't. Orbison's death cut the group short, but this first album is a gem. Strong contributions from all, and it sounds like it was an absolute blast for these guys to record. "Handle With Care", "Last Night", "End Of The Line", "Tweeter And The Monkey Man". I could listen to this one all day long and never get bored. [First added to this chart: 12/04/2011]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,067
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1981-MODERN
Produced By JIMMY IOVINE

1. Bella Donna
2. Kind Of Woman
3. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
4. Think About It
5. After The Glitter Fades
6. Edge Of Seventeen
7. How Still My Love
8. Leather And Lace
9. Outside The Rain
10. The Highwayman

A very underrated album. Stevie Nicks had spent her career up to 1981 in situations where she was one of the songwriters: as part of the duo Buckingham Nicks, and then with two other writers in Fleetwood Mac. Stevie was, in a way, the George Harrison of Fleetwood Mac to Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham’s Lennon and McCartney. So when the chance for a solo debut came about, Stevie had no shortage of songs at all. The biggest surprise is that she didn’t have a sudden flood of solo albums come out in a short time. But, there is Bella Donna. And, while it was very well received by fans and helped solidify Nicks’ career, it has somehow slipped under the radar of great albums. It’s been written off as good, but nothing special by critics over the years, and her solo career will always be seen as secondary to what she did with Fleetwood Mac. Thus, since the last fadeout of Leather And Lace, Bella Donna has been an almost forgotten classic.

It’s better than you remember. “Edge Of Seventeen” her rocking harder than ever or since. “After The Glitter Fades”, “Kind Of Woman” and the title track show strong growth as a writer. She was also wise enough to surround herself with the strongest of supporting casts: Don Henley is perfect as her duet partner on “Leather And Lace”. Tom Petty and Mike Campbell add their expertise to the album, particularly on “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”, the only song Nicks didn’t write. Members of The Heartbreakers, the E Street Band, and some of the best California session players make this very solid. But the album belongs to Stevie, and Bella Donna is strong all the way through. Listen to it now…it’s much better than you remember it being. By far her best solo effort, and a very strong overall album.
[First added to this chart: 06/01/2013]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
794
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1986-WARNER BROTHERS
Produced By PAUL SIMON

1. The Boy In The Bubble
2. Graceland
3. I Know What I Know
4. Gumboots
5. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
6. You Can Call Me Al
7. Under African Skies
8. Homeless
9. Crazy Love Vol. II
10. That Was Your Mother
11. All Around The World or The Myth Of Fingerprints

By 1985, Paul Simon was considered done. It had been 10 years since Still Crazy After All These Years, and his last 2 albums, the soundtrack to his disastrous film One Trick Pony and Hearts And Bones, had gone nowhere. In 1986, he came from nowhere with his masterpiece, Graceland. Refreshed by African music, Simon puts forth his best overall collection of songs. Using mostly African musicians, the album has a completely different feel from anything that was mainstream at the time, and shows that he really was at his best when working with exotic rhythms ("El Condor Pasa" from the Simon & Garfunkel days is evidence that he excelled with this). Every track is stunning work and shows the true genius of Simon. One of the very best albums of the 1980's.

Not without controversy. The last track features Los Lobos, who have claimed for years that they wrote the song and that Simon stole it from them. Simon says that there was nothing said to him by anyone until the album was a hit, and then they suddenly wanted credit. No lawsuit that I know of has ever been filed. Oh, well. It's still a damn fine album.
[First added to this chart: 12/06/2011]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,382
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1988 – GEFFEN
Produced By PAT MORAN

1. What I Am
2. Little Miss S.
3. Air Of December
4. The Wheel
5. Love Like We Do
6. Circle
7. Beat The Time
8. She
9. Nothing
10. Now
11. Keep Coming Back
12. I Do

If Edie Brickell had never allowed herself to be talked onto that stage with the band New Bohemians in 1985, there would have been no “What I Am”, no Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars, and Paul Simon would have had to marry someone else. But Edie did get on that stage, and the rest is history. This one hit wonder of a band and an album may be the loopiest of the bunch, with its most curious of lyrics (“what I am is what I am you what you are or what?”) and Brickell’s dizzy spinning hippie chick persona. In 1988, this song was all over the radio, all over MTV, and the band was forgotten as quickly as it fell off the charts. This is actually a pretty good debut album, and although there was nothing as quaint and catchy as “What I Am” on the album (or the rest of their short career), there is a nice and quite listenable record that is in no way unpleasant. They were good…they were unfortunately never great.

But, yeah…for a moment, there was hope for this band. There were some fine tracks here. “Circle” could have been a hit, and “Little Miss S.” is an odd ode to Edie Sedgwick. There are also a whole lot of pretty good to average tracks, nothing terrible, just nothing outside of a small few that will actually jump out at you. So, for a one hit wonder, it’s better than average, better than respectable, and actually very good. They did make another album. Ghost Of A Dog was just as good, except it had no hits, thus no sales. Brickell then ran off with Simon, ending the band (except for a 2006 reunion album that absolutely no one ever listened to) and cementing their status forever. They were probably better than you remembered them, and Brickell’s wispy character is always enchanting. “I’m not afraid of too many things / I know what I know if you know what I mean”….
[First added to this chart: 10/22/2019]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
402
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1989-MCA
Produced By JEFF LYNNE

1. Free Fallin'
2. I Won't Back Down
3. Love Is A Long Road
4. A Face In The Crowd
5. Runnin' Down A Dream
6. Feel A Whole Lot Better
7. Yer So Bad
8. Depending On You
9. The Apartment Song
10. Alright For Now
11. A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own
12. Zombie Zoo

I think at some point, everyone has owned this album. Recorded during the short career of the Traveling Wilburys, Petty's debut solo album features all but one of them...only Bob Dylan is missing. ELO leader Jeff Lynne contributes heavily with production, bass, and songwriting. Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench are also present. The songs are catchy and memorable, and Petty sounds like he is truly having fun. "Free Fallin'", "I Won't Back Down", and "Runnin' Down A Dream" are the highlights, but don't sleep on "The Apartment Song" and "A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own", either. Overall, a solid effort from Petty & friends.

Roy Orbison makes an appearance on "Zombie Zoo", recorded before his death but released afterwards. George Harrison plays on "I Won't Back Down".
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2011]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,255
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[First added to this chart: 12/08/2011]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,887
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1980-CAPITOL
Produced By BOB SEGER, PUNCH ANDREWS & THE MUSCLE SHOALS RHYTHM SECTION

1. The Horizontal Bop
2. You’ll Accompany Me
3. Her Strut
4. No Man’s Land
5. Long Twin Silver Line
6. Against The Wind
7. Good For Me
8. Betty Lou’s Getting’ Out Tonight
9. Fire Lake
10. Shinin’ Brightly

When Bob Seger broke into the mainstream in 1976 with Live Bullet and Night Moves, America had its next rock and roll hero. Four years later, Seger’s career was showing definite signs of strain, overwork, and an over reliance on the formula that made him a star. Against The Wind is Seger’s only number one album, and it boasts an impressive four hit singles. It also marks the beginning of Seger’s decline into the ordinary. Not that this is a bad album by any means…it’s not. But it’s a very safe album from a guy who should have been expanding his sound, not collapsing into it. Turns out that with Against The Wind, Seger showed us all that he really was a one trick pony, and that everything he would do would be pretty interchangeable. He also showed us that he when it come to that one trick, he is very, very good at performing it.

Simply put, Against The Wind is an extension of the album Strangers In Town (from 1978), which is an extension of Night Moves from 1976. Any of the songs from any of these albums could be switched around with pretty much the same results, as if Seger had stopped writing years before and was just releasing old material. Each album has its merits, and with Against The Wind, he actually does rely more on ballads than at any time in his career. “Against The Wind”, “You’ll Accompany Me” and “Fire Lake” match the rolling piano balladry of “Night Moves”, “Mainstreet”, and “Still The Same”. The rockers, particularly “Horizontal Bop” and “Her Strut”, would fit well on either of the two previous albums. There’s enough filler here to keep the album from rising too far above average, and there’s one true clunker. “Long Twin Silver Line” may be the worst song in Seger’s catalog. If you’re a fan, this album will fit in just fine. Just don’t expect anything you’d never heard from Seger before.
[First added to this chart: 05/02/2021]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
362
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[First added to this chart: 12/08/2011]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
182
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Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s composition

Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes

Biggest climbers
Climber Up 1 from 25th to 24thThe Queen Is Dead
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Biggest fallers
Faller Down 1 from 24th to 25thDouble Fantasy
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980scaseygow1980s decade chart2018Unknown
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s rockbluesfolkjaz1980s decade chart2022
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980sedubs1980s decade chart2022
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980smatterhornrider1980s decade chart2026Unknown
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980sdmack1980s decade chart2016Unknown
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s StefanR101980s decade chart2020
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s decemberhotel1980s decade chart2015Unknown
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s junodog41980s decade chart2026
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980sJuneof441980s decade chart2016

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s ratings

Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 29 votes)
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80/100
 !
02/06/2025 15:30 BorderFreeAndrew  Ratings distribution  11882/100
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85/100
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01/31/2025 14:12 SomethingSpecial  Ratings distribution  1,08986/100
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01/23/2022 16:11 IlMala  Ratings distribution  17895/100
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80/100
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10/22/2020 01:13 leniad  Ratings distribution  66985/100
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85/100
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09/05/2020 14:13 MasterOfPuppets  Ratings distribution  17491/100

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This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 83.9/100, a mean average of 81.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 83.2/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 13.4.


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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s comments

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Rating:  
80/100
From 02/06/2025 15:33 | #307441
Nice to see Adam Ant's "Friend or Foe" so high (a seriously underrated album), along with several other forgotten classics that tend to be ignored when most people make an 80's chart.
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Rating:  
80/100
From 10/22/2020 01:13 | #259555
Respect
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Rating:  
70/100
From 06/24/2020 03:52 | #254351
some solid picks m8.
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Rating:  
80/100
From 11/24/2018 10:49 | #225586
It is nice to see an 80s chart as chart of the day for a change. And what a pathetic decade it was if even someone like you who obviously knows a lot of stuff cannot come up with better records than these. TW are okay but as no. 1? The first decent LP enters at place 23, in my opinion.
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Rating:  
90/100
From 11/24/2018 09:24 | #225581
Really like your notes!!
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Rating:  
100/100
From 07/16/2016 15:13 | #171403
I love your take on the eighties! I really appreciate your #1 pick, as supergroups tend to be written off as inferior to the works of their individual members--an assumption that the Traveling Wilburys blew out of the water. Full Moon Fever, Disintegration, Doolittle, and The River are all great albums, too. Also really nice to see Blue Earth in your top ten, as I've been a huge fan of the Jayhawks for many years and love that album. Excellent work overall, especially on your notes!
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Rating:  
85/100
From 12/01/2014 14:31 | #128418
Great albums I guess some I wouldn't play so much. We have quite a few similar choices
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Rating:  
75/100
From 01/13/2014 15:59 | #100555
Interesting number one pick.
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Rating:  
85/100
From 01/10/2013 01:33 | #60879
Nice chart!
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From 12/11/2012 09:04 | #57461
Good choice at #1.
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