Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 10/28/2025 21:15
- (Created: 12/04/2011 20:38).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 15 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s has an average rating of 84 out of 100 (from 29 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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1988 – RCA
Produced By PETER MOORE
1. Mining For Gold
2. Misguided Angel
3. Blue Moon Revisited (Song For Elvis)
4. I Don’t Get It
5. I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
6. To Love Is To Bury
7. 200 More Miles
8. Dreaming My Dreams With You
9. Working On A Building
10. Sweet Jane
11. Postcard Blues
12. Walkin’ After Midnight
Cowboy Junkies may be the most depressing band ever…and that’s saying a lot. Three siblings and a pal from Canada, The Trinity Session is their second album, and the one that has their only real hit, a cover of “Sweet Jane” by The Velvet Underground. Their depressing, lo-fi almost alt-country sound was unique at the end of the eighties, but it’s proof that the genre was quite alive at that time. The Trinity Session was recorded in a church, in the round, live. It’s not their best work (that would be 1992’s Black Eyed Man), but it’s close, and it’s a great snapshot of what the band was all about. Outside of their native country, this was their most successful album, and contains many of their best original songs, along with some fine covers. “Sweet Jane” is the obvious highlight, but there are several other reasons to make this album your own.
Their take on the Hank Williams classic, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, is somehow even sadder than Hank’s version. “Blue Moon Revisited” mixes the old standard with an original composition, and “Walkin’ After Midnight” was a hit for Patsy Cline in 1957. Most of the rest are original compositions, which has never been the Junkie’s strength. No bad songs, but nothing that really stands out. The vocals of Margo Timmins are haunting and downright depressing, and the mood never really varies from the low and lonesome. Still, this album has become highly influential over the years, and has been championed by artists like Ryan Adams and Natalie Merchant. It’s overall a very good album, well played and highly interesting to be sure. Just make sure, before you listen, that you have hidden all of your razorblades. [First added to this chart: 12/13/2016]
Produced By PETER MOORE
1. Mining For Gold
2. Misguided Angel
3. Blue Moon Revisited (Song For Elvis)
4. I Don’t Get It
5. I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
6. To Love Is To Bury
7. 200 More Miles
8. Dreaming My Dreams With You
9. Working On A Building
10. Sweet Jane
11. Postcard Blues
12. Walkin’ After Midnight
Cowboy Junkies may be the most depressing band ever…and that’s saying a lot. Three siblings and a pal from Canada, The Trinity Session is their second album, and the one that has their only real hit, a cover of “Sweet Jane” by The Velvet Underground. Their depressing, lo-fi almost alt-country sound was unique at the end of the eighties, but it’s proof that the genre was quite alive at that time. The Trinity Session was recorded in a church, in the round, live. It’s not their best work (that would be 1992’s Black Eyed Man), but it’s close, and it’s a great snapshot of what the band was all about. Outside of their native country, this was their most successful album, and contains many of their best original songs, along with some fine covers. “Sweet Jane” is the obvious highlight, but there are several other reasons to make this album your own.
Their take on the Hank Williams classic, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, is somehow even sadder than Hank’s version. “Blue Moon Revisited” mixes the old standard with an original composition, and “Walkin’ After Midnight” was a hit for Patsy Cline in 1957. Most of the rest are original compositions, which has never been the Junkie’s strength. No bad songs, but nothing that really stands out. The vocals of Margo Timmins are haunting and downright depressing, and the mood never really varies from the low and lonesome. Still, this album has become highly influential over the years, and has been championed by artists like Ryan Adams and Natalie Merchant. It’s overall a very good album, well played and highly interesting to be sure. Just make sure, before you listen, that you have hidden all of your razorblades. [First added to this chart: 12/13/2016]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,013
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
18Total albums: 1. 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 | 14 | 14% | |
| 1989 | 13 | 13% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| U2 | 3 | 3% | |
| Talking Heads | 3 | 3% | |
| Bruce Springsteen | 3 | 3% | |
| R.E.M. | 3 | 3% | |
| X (US) | 3 | 3% | |
| Journey | 2 | 2% | |
| The Cure | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 2 from 33rd to 31st Pleased To Meet Me by The Replacements |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 31st to 32nd This Is The Voice by Agent Orange |
| Down 1 from 32nd to 33rd Surfer Rosa by Pixies |
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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 | | 81/100 |
| 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.
#307441 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
80/100
From leniad 10/22/2020 01:13
Respect
#259555 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
70/100
From 0129114 06/24/2020 03:52
some solid picks m8.
#254351 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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.
#225586 | 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!!
#225581 | 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!
#171403 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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
#128418 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
75/100
From 
tgarritsen 01/13/2014 15:59
tgarritsen 01/13/2014 15:59
Interesting number one pick.
#100555 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From guigs13 01/10/2013 01:33
Nice chart!
#60879 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From davidhuret 12/11/2012 09:04
Good choice at #1.
#57461 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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