Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 3 days ago
- (Created: 12/04/2011 20:38).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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[First added to this chart: 12/08/2011]
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1985 – WARNER BROTHERS
Produced By NEIL DORFSMAN & MARK KNOPFLER
1. So Far Away
2. Money For Nothing
3. Walk Of Life
4. Your Latest Trick
5. Why Worry
6. Ride Across The River
7. The Man’s Too Strong
8. One World
9. Brothers In Arms
The greatest commercial achievement for Dire Straits also turned out to be the beginning of the end of the band. The last five years had been a struggle for Mark Knopfler and company following the excellent Making Movies. Love Over Gold had the exceptional 14 minute track “Telegraph Road”, but not much else. This had been followed by a somewhat lame extended play and a disappointing live album (Alchemy). So, when Brothers In Arms exploded in 1985, it was actually something of a surprise. That they became the poster band for MTV was even more surprising. “Money For Nothing”, with its cheesy slick animated video and backup vocals by Sting, became ridiculously enormous. The better tracks fared not as well, but don’t disappoint. “So Far Away” is a fine song, but points the way to more mellowness to come. “The Man’s Too Strong” and “Your Latest Trick” are better representative of what Dire Straits was now about…this was fast turning into one of the mellowest bands in the world…had they continued on, they may have gotten even softer.
The two tracks that people identify most with the album are actually the two that don’t fit in. “Money For Nothing” is that huge guitar riff over some badly recorded snare shots and “I want my MTV”. The other is “Walk Of Life”, which (thankfully) sounds nothing like anything the band ever recorded. The rest is Knopfler maturing, and even though the sound is sometimes so quiet you can barely hear it, it’s pretty strong work. The tracks are long…five of the nine are over six minutes long. It’s the stuff that didn’t get hammered into the radio over and over that will stick with you. The hits are disposable and dated, and the album would be better without them. But songs like the title track, “Why Worry”, and “Ride Across The River”, while sounding like whispers compared to earlier Dire Straits tracks, have a definite beauty about them. The band made only one more album, six years after this, and then they were gone. But there’s enough to make you smile here. You just won’t spend much time rocking out to it. [First added to this chart: 12/07/2011]
Produced By NEIL DORFSMAN & MARK KNOPFLER
1. So Far Away
2. Money For Nothing
3. Walk Of Life
4. Your Latest Trick
5. Why Worry
6. Ride Across The River
7. The Man’s Too Strong
8. One World
9. Brothers In Arms
The greatest commercial achievement for Dire Straits also turned out to be the beginning of the end of the band. The last five years had been a struggle for Mark Knopfler and company following the excellent Making Movies. Love Over Gold had the exceptional 14 minute track “Telegraph Road”, but not much else. This had been followed by a somewhat lame extended play and a disappointing live album (Alchemy). So, when Brothers In Arms exploded in 1985, it was actually something of a surprise. That they became the poster band for MTV was even more surprising. “Money For Nothing”, with its cheesy slick animated video and backup vocals by Sting, became ridiculously enormous. The better tracks fared not as well, but don’t disappoint. “So Far Away” is a fine song, but points the way to more mellowness to come. “The Man’s Too Strong” and “Your Latest Trick” are better representative of what Dire Straits was now about…this was fast turning into one of the mellowest bands in the world…had they continued on, they may have gotten even softer.
The two tracks that people identify most with the album are actually the two that don’t fit in. “Money For Nothing” is that huge guitar riff over some badly recorded snare shots and “I want my MTV”. The other is “Walk Of Life”, which (thankfully) sounds nothing like anything the band ever recorded. The rest is Knopfler maturing, and even though the sound is sometimes so quiet you can barely hear it, it’s pretty strong work. The tracks are long…five of the nine are over six minutes long. It’s the stuff that didn’t get hammered into the radio over and over that will stick with you. The hits are disposable and dated, and the album would be better without them. But songs like the title track, “Why Worry”, and “Ride Across The River”, while sounding like whispers compared to earlier Dire Straits tracks, have a definite beauty about them. The band made only one more album, six years after this, and then they were gone. But there’s enough to make you smile here. You just won’t spend much time rocking out to it. [First added to this chart: 12/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,352
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 10/07/2014]
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1989-ELEKTRA
Produced By ROBERT SMITH & DAVID M ALLEN
1. Plainsong
2. Pictures Of You
3. Closedown
4. Lovesong
5. Last Dance
6. Lullaby
7. Fascination Street
8. Prayers For Rain
9. The Same Deep Water As You
10. Disintegration
11. Homesick
12. Untitled
The Cure's 8th album is their best selling, and may be their best overall album. Robert Smith was under a lot of pressure to come up with a winner, was back on the hallucinogenics, and was under pressure from the rest of the band to fire founding drummer Lol Tolhurst, which he did, leaving himself as the only remaining original member. Although the band has always disliked the "goth" label, Disintegration is a goth masterpiece. It's dark, with solid keyboards and great songs. The big hit was "Lovesong", their only US top 10, but the rest is very listenable, well written and played to perfection. A huge step up from their tinny sounding earlier work.
The Cure still rolls on. And, according to Kyle from South Park, "Disintegration is the best album ever". [First added to this chart: 12/12/2011]
Produced By ROBERT SMITH & DAVID M ALLEN
1. Plainsong
2. Pictures Of You
3. Closedown
4. Lovesong
5. Last Dance
6. Lullaby
7. Fascination Street
8. Prayers For Rain
9. The Same Deep Water As You
10. Disintegration
11. Homesick
12. Untitled
The Cure's 8th album is their best selling, and may be their best overall album. Robert Smith was under a lot of pressure to come up with a winner, was back on the hallucinogenics, and was under pressure from the rest of the band to fire founding drummer Lol Tolhurst, which he did, leaving himself as the only remaining original member. Although the band has always disliked the "goth" label, Disintegration is a goth masterpiece. It's dark, with solid keyboards and great songs. The big hit was "Lovesong", their only US top 10, but the rest is very listenable, well written and played to perfection. A huge step up from their tinny sounding earlier work.
The Cure still rolls on. And, according to Kyle from South Park, "Disintegration is the best album ever". [First added to this chart: 12/12/2011]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,095
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Produced by Daniel Lanois and Peter Gabriel. The first Peter Gabriel album with an actual title, this is his best work, and the record that made him a household name. "Sledgehammer", "Red Rain", "Don't Give Up", "Big Time" and the gorgeous "In Your Eyes" cannot be denied: this is a really great and accessible album. After years of experimentation and expansion, Gabriel simply settles down and makes a great album. This should be celebrated and enjoyed as much as possible. A truly great work.
[First added to this chart: 12/15/2011]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,197
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1986 – SIRE
Produced By MORRISSEY & JOHNNY MARR
1. The Queen Is Dead
2. Frankly, Mr. Shankly
3. I Know It’s Over
4. Never Had No One Ever
5. Cemetry Gates
6. Bigmouth Strikes Again
7. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
8. Vicar In A Tutu
9. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
10. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
The Smiths were probably the greatest band of the eighties, and The Queen Is Dead was their finest album. Led by the strange, unusual and pompous singer Morrissey and the excellent guitar work of Johnny Marr, the band hit their creative peak on their third album, before things got weird and they started hating each other. Morrissey’s flair for the dramatic, Marr’s hugely underrated guitar work, and the band’s ease with utilizing strings and winds make their best batch of songs exceptional. And there is some really great stuff here. “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side”, “Frankly Mr. Shankly”, “Cemetry Gates” and “Bigmouth Strikes Again” may not have been hits here in the US, but that’s more a testament to how misguided the American music tastes were at the time than anything negative about the quality of The Queen Is Dead. In short, a lot of us were missing out. Big time.
Remember…this was 1986. Pretty much everything, especially from England, was buried in plastic beats and synthesizers. The Smiths were different. They were a very guitar based band, and their songwriting was light years ahead of their contemporaries. On The Queen Is Dead, everything about this band was working on all cylinders. Hard to believe that they would be gone for good just a year later, but they were. The rooms got too small for Morrissey and Marr to be in together. They haven’t made any music together since 1987, but the magic of The Queen Is Dead lives on. There is not a weak track on this, not a wasted note, not a bad lyric, or a piece of it that you’d want done differently. This is the shining moment of a great band that was only here for a short time. The Smiths were the class of a decade, and their legacy lives with this extraordinary album. Must have! [First added to this chart: 10/15/2012]
Produced By MORRISSEY & JOHNNY MARR
1. The Queen Is Dead
2. Frankly, Mr. Shankly
3. I Know It’s Over
4. Never Had No One Ever
5. Cemetry Gates
6. Bigmouth Strikes Again
7. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
8. Vicar In A Tutu
9. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
10. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
The Smiths were probably the greatest band of the eighties, and The Queen Is Dead was their finest album. Led by the strange, unusual and pompous singer Morrissey and the excellent guitar work of Johnny Marr, the band hit their creative peak on their third album, before things got weird and they started hating each other. Morrissey’s flair for the dramatic, Marr’s hugely underrated guitar work, and the band’s ease with utilizing strings and winds make their best batch of songs exceptional. And there is some really great stuff here. “The Boy With The Thorn In His Side”, “Frankly Mr. Shankly”, “Cemetry Gates” and “Bigmouth Strikes Again” may not have been hits here in the US, but that’s more a testament to how misguided the American music tastes were at the time than anything negative about the quality of The Queen Is Dead. In short, a lot of us were missing out. Big time.
Remember…this was 1986. Pretty much everything, especially from England, was buried in plastic beats and synthesizers. The Smiths were different. They were a very guitar based band, and their songwriting was light years ahead of their contemporaries. On The Queen Is Dead, everything about this band was working on all cylinders. Hard to believe that they would be gone for good just a year later, but they were. The rooms got too small for Morrissey and Marr to be in together. They haven’t made any music together since 1987, but the magic of The Queen Is Dead lives on. There is not a weak track on this, not a wasted note, not a bad lyric, or a piece of it that you’d want done differently. This is the shining moment of a great band that was only here for a short time. The Smiths were the class of a decade, and their legacy lives with this extraordinary album. Must have! [First added to this chart: 10/15/2012]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
35,782
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 12/16/2023]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,642
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 12/12/2011]
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[First added to this chart: 07/22/2018]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,223
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 02/27/2015]
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,527
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 23. Page 1 of 3
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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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| U2 | 3 | 3% | |
| R.E.M. | 3 | 3% | |
| Bruce Springsteen | 3 | 3% | |
| X (US) | 3 | 3% | |
| Journey | 2 | 2% | |
| The Jesus And Mary Chain | 2 | 2% | |
| Hüsker Dü | 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.
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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
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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
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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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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