Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 4 days ago
- (Created: 12/04/2011 20:38).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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1983-IRS
Produced By MITCH EASTER & DON DIXON
1. Radio Free Europe
2. Pilgrimage
3. Laughing
4. Talk About The Passion
5. Moral Kiosk
6. Perfect Circle
7. Catapult
8. Sitting Still
9. 9-9
10. Shaking Through
11. We Walk
12. West Of The Fields
In a way that was not as loud, shocking, or outwardly visible, Murmer, the first album from R.E.M., did to classic rock what Nirvana's Nevermind did to 80's metal. This is the birth of what would become a whole branch of alternative rock. Leading the way was "Radio Free Europe", which had been released as a single two years earlier. Murmer is full of songs and sounds that were unheard of in 1983. Peter Buck's guitar work (no solos allowed) was fresh and new, and Michael Stipe's lyrics were strange and cryptic...when they could be understood. All together, Murmer was a unique album, and although it sold almost nothing, it would go on to become a classic. And for good reason. This is a great album.
R.E.M. would have to wait until 1986 to have any kind of mainstream success, but by that time, their sound was starting to take hold. They broke up in 2011, but what they were in the beginning shouldn't be forgotten. Murmer is simply a fantastic album. [First added to this chart: 12/12/2011]
Produced By MITCH EASTER & DON DIXON
1. Radio Free Europe
2. Pilgrimage
3. Laughing
4. Talk About The Passion
5. Moral Kiosk
6. Perfect Circle
7. Catapult
8. Sitting Still
9. 9-9
10. Shaking Through
11. We Walk
12. West Of The Fields
In a way that was not as loud, shocking, or outwardly visible, Murmer, the first album from R.E.M., did to classic rock what Nirvana's Nevermind did to 80's metal. This is the birth of what would become a whole branch of alternative rock. Leading the way was "Radio Free Europe", which had been released as a single two years earlier. Murmer is full of songs and sounds that were unheard of in 1983. Peter Buck's guitar work (no solos allowed) was fresh and new, and Michael Stipe's lyrics were strange and cryptic...when they could be understood. All together, Murmer was a unique album, and although it sold almost nothing, it would go on to become a classic. And for good reason. This is a great album.
R.E.M. would have to wait until 1986 to have any kind of mainstream success, but by that time, their sound was starting to take hold. They broke up in 2011, but what they were in the beginning shouldn't be forgotten. Murmer is simply a fantastic album. [First added to this chart: 12/12/2011]
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,488
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
97
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[First added to this chart: 12/08/2011]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,749
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1984 – I.R.S.
Produced By DON DIXON & MITCH EASTER
1. Harborcoat
2. 7 Chinese Bros.
3. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
4. Pretty Persuasion
5. Time After Time (Annelise)
6. Second Guessing
7. Letter Never Sent
8. Camera
9. (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville
10. Little America
There was nothing like R.E.M. on the rock landscape in 1984. They were practically inventing alternative rock while the masses were into New Wave, hair metal, and the death throes of what is now known as classic rock. Their first album, Murmur, was a hit with critics and the people who took notice of this odd band from Georgia. With Reckoning, R.E.M. not only further solidified their sound, but they also began to reach a wider audience, thanks to a pair of hits in “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” and the almost conventional rock of “Don’t Go Back To) Rockville”. The jangly guitars of Peter Buck, the wandering basslines of Mike Mills, and the almost indecipherable lyrics from Michael Stipe made for exciting and ultimately cool music.
Reckoning is loaded with great moments from the band. “Harborcoat” opens the record with everything that makes R.E.M. great, and still stands as one of their greatest songs. “Pretty Persuasion” and “7 Chinese Brothers” are exceptional as well. R.E.M. was considered to be “college rock” at the time, a label they would soon outgrow as they became more famous. This is a band that has had multiple great albums, and Reckoning is definitely one of those. The growth of alternative rock and R.E.M,. in the decade of the eighties is one of rock’s most important and interesting excursions. A band and an album you can’t go wrong with. [First added to this chart: 09/09/2024]
Produced By DON DIXON & MITCH EASTER
1. Harborcoat
2. 7 Chinese Bros.
3. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
4. Pretty Persuasion
5. Time After Time (Annelise)
6. Second Guessing
7. Letter Never Sent
8. Camera
9. (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville
10. Little America
There was nothing like R.E.M. on the rock landscape in 1984. They were practically inventing alternative rock while the masses were into New Wave, hair metal, and the death throes of what is now known as classic rock. Their first album, Murmur, was a hit with critics and the people who took notice of this odd band from Georgia. With Reckoning, R.E.M. not only further solidified their sound, but they also began to reach a wider audience, thanks to a pair of hits in “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” and the almost conventional rock of “Don’t Go Back To) Rockville”. The jangly guitars of Peter Buck, the wandering basslines of Mike Mills, and the almost indecipherable lyrics from Michael Stipe made for exciting and ultimately cool music.
Reckoning is loaded with great moments from the band. “Harborcoat” opens the record with everything that makes R.E.M. great, and still stands as one of their greatest songs. “Pretty Persuasion” and “7 Chinese Brothers” are exceptional as well. R.E.M. was considered to be “college rock” at the time, a label they would soon outgrow as they became more famous. This is a band that has had multiple great albums, and Reckoning is definitely one of those. The growth of alternative rock and R.E.M,. in the decade of the eighties is one of rock’s most important and interesting excursions. A band and an album you can’t go wrong with. [First added to this chart: 09/09/2024]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,230
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 3. Page 1 of 1
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1980 | 14 | 14% | |
| 1981 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1982 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1983 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1984 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1985 | 5 | 5% | |
| 1986 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1987 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1988 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1989 | 14 | 14% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Bruce Springsteen | 3 | 3% | |
| X (US) | 3 | 3% | |
| U2 | 3 | 3% | |
| R.E.M. | 3 | 3% | |
| The Smithereens | 2 | 2% | |
| Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble | 2 | 2% | |
| Steve Earle | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 22nd to 23rd Violent Femmes by Violent Femmes |
| Down 1 from 23rd to 24th So by Peter Gabriel |
| Down 1 from 24th to 25th Guitar Town by Steve Earle |
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s ratings
84/100 (from 29 votes)
where:
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.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 29 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 80/100  | 02/06/2025 15:30 | BorderFreeAndrew | | 80/100 |
| 85/100 | 01/31/2025 14:12 | SomethingSpecial | | 85/100 |
| 70/100 | 01/23/2022 16:11 |  IlMala | | 95/100 |
| 80/100 | 10/22/2020 01:13 | leniad | | 85/100 |
| 85/100 | 09/05/2020 14:13 | MasterOfPuppets | | 91/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
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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80/100
From BorderFreeAndrew 02/06/2025 15:33
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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From leniad 10/22/2020 01:13
Respect
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70/100
From 0129114 06/24/2020 03:52
some solid picks m8.
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80/100
From 
Liedzeit 11/24/2018 10:49
Liedzeit 11/24/2018 10:49
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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 11/24/2018 09:24
ForegroundNoise 11/24/2018 09:24
Really like your notes!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
buzzdainer 07/16/2016 15:13
buzzdainer 07/16/2016 15:13
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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85/100
From BraddlesHendo 12/01/2014 14:31
Great albums I guess some I wouldn't play so much. We have quite a few similar choices
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75/100
From 
tgarritsen 01/13/2014 15:59
tgarritsen 01/13/2014 15:59
Interesting number one pick.
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85/100
From guigs13 01/10/2013 01:33
Nice chart!
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From davidhuret 12/11/2012 09:04
Good choice at #1.
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