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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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:
2,170
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1980-CAPITOL
Produced By JOHN LENNON, YOKO ONO & JACK DOUGLAS
1. (Just Like) Starting Over
2. Kiss Kiss Kiss
3. Cleanup Time
4. Give Me Something
5. I'm Losing You
6. I'm Moving On
7. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
8. Watching The Wheels
9. Yes I'm Your Angel
10. Woman
11. Beautiful Boys
12. Dear Yoko
13. Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him
14. Hard Times Are Over
15. Help Me To Help Myself
16. Walking On Thin Ice
17. Central Park Stroll (Dialogue)
Before you get all defensive and say that this was a great Lennon album and all that, let's look at the facts. This was his first album of original material since 1974's Walls & Bridges, and yet he contributed less than half of the material here. And yes, there were several big hits on the record. But, at the time of his death less than a month after its release, Double Fantasy was already being hailed as a failure. Most of the singles were released posthumously, and likely would have never seen the light of radio under different circumstances. Double Fantasy is half filled with songs written and sung by Yoko Ono, which are not up to Lennon's level. So, if you want to rate this higher for the sake of nostalgia, knock yourself out.
Double Fantasy features only 8 songs by Lennon. Some are very good: "(Just Like) Starting Over", and "Watching The Wheels" rank among his better solo songs, and earn it a higher rating. But, there's also the silly and wretched "Dear Yoko", and while his sincerity is admirable, songs like "Beautiful Boy", "Cleanup Time" and "Woman" are a bit too personal and descriptive of a rock star turned stay at home dad. And don't forget..this album is half Yoko. Don't get me wrong...John is an inspiration to me, and one of my heroes. But this album is highly overrated, mainly due to a horrible tragedy. But overrated nonetheless. [First added to this chart: 12/10/2011]
Produced By JOHN LENNON, YOKO ONO & JACK DOUGLAS
1. (Just Like) Starting Over
2. Kiss Kiss Kiss
3. Cleanup Time
4. Give Me Something
5. I'm Losing You
6. I'm Moving On
7. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)
8. Watching The Wheels
9. Yes I'm Your Angel
10. Woman
11. Beautiful Boys
12. Dear Yoko
13. Every Man Has A Woman Who Loves Him
14. Hard Times Are Over
15. Help Me To Help Myself
16. Walking On Thin Ice
17. Central Park Stroll (Dialogue)
Before you get all defensive and say that this was a great Lennon album and all that, let's look at the facts. This was his first album of original material since 1974's Walls & Bridges, and yet he contributed less than half of the material here. And yes, there were several big hits on the record. But, at the time of his death less than a month after its release, Double Fantasy was already being hailed as a failure. Most of the singles were released posthumously, and likely would have never seen the light of radio under different circumstances. Double Fantasy is half filled with songs written and sung by Yoko Ono, which are not up to Lennon's level. So, if you want to rate this higher for the sake of nostalgia, knock yourself out.
Double Fantasy features only 8 songs by Lennon. Some are very good: "(Just Like) Starting Over", and "Watching The Wheels" rank among his better solo songs, and earn it a higher rating. But, there's also the silly and wretched "Dear Yoko", and while his sincerity is admirable, songs like "Beautiful Boy", "Cleanup Time" and "Woman" are a bit too personal and descriptive of a rock star turned stay at home dad. And don't forget..this album is half Yoko. Don't get me wrong...John is an inspiration to me, and one of my heroes. But this album is highly overrated, mainly due to a horrible tragedy. But overrated nonetheless. [First added to this chart: 12/10/2011]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,358
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1982- WARNER BROS.
Produced By FLEETWOOD MAC, RICHARD DASHUT & KEN CAILLAT
1. Love In Store
2. Can’t Go Back
3. That’s Alright
4. Book Of Love
5. Gypsy
6. Only Over You
7. Empire State
8. Straight Back
9. Hold Me
10. Oh Diane
11. Eyes Of The World
12. Wish You Were Here
People remember Fleetwood Mac as being an absolute hit machine in the latter half of the seventies. The truth is, Fleetwood Mac was formed in 1967, and has actually spent most of their history as an average band with a handful of hits. But for that two album burst in 1975 and 1977, this group ruled the world. By 1982, they had taken a year off after the Tusk tour, and Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks had both launched successful solo careers. In short, the Fleetwood Mac momentum was over. Mirage came three years after Tusk, and after the solo successes of Stevie and Lindsey. It never reached the levels achieved by the self titled ’75 album and Rumours…but this does have its magical moments. The talent in this band, regardless of how fractured they could be, was undeniable.
Fleetwood Mac has had 11 official guitar players…not counting those who were touring members only. Lindsey Buckingham is the man here, and he is excellent, as always…and he’s backed away from his experimentation that guided Tusk into the strange forays he led them into. The highlights here are easy…Nicks has a pure hit with “Gypsy”, a song that would have fit perfectly on Rumours. And Christine McVie’s “Hold Me” is everything that this band was great at with this lineup. The rest lacks the punch that the Buckingham Nicks lineup used to deliver…it’s good, but it won’t have you begging for more just like it. The closest they come to a third great track here is Buckingham’s UK hit “Oh Diane”, which is really pretty average after what had come before. Mirage is good. But it also signals the end of the great Mac years as we knew them. [First added to this chart: 01/16/2024]
Produced By FLEETWOOD MAC, RICHARD DASHUT & KEN CAILLAT
1. Love In Store
2. Can’t Go Back
3. That’s Alright
4. Book Of Love
5. Gypsy
6. Only Over You
7. Empire State
8. Straight Back
9. Hold Me
10. Oh Diane
11. Eyes Of The World
12. Wish You Were Here
People remember Fleetwood Mac as being an absolute hit machine in the latter half of the seventies. The truth is, Fleetwood Mac was formed in 1967, and has actually spent most of their history as an average band with a handful of hits. But for that two album burst in 1975 and 1977, this group ruled the world. By 1982, they had taken a year off after the Tusk tour, and Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks had both launched successful solo careers. In short, the Fleetwood Mac momentum was over. Mirage came three years after Tusk, and after the solo successes of Stevie and Lindsey. It never reached the levels achieved by the self titled ’75 album and Rumours…but this does have its magical moments. The talent in this band, regardless of how fractured they could be, was undeniable.
Fleetwood Mac has had 11 official guitar players…not counting those who were touring members only. Lindsey Buckingham is the man here, and he is excellent, as always…and he’s backed away from his experimentation that guided Tusk into the strange forays he led them into. The highlights here are easy…Nicks has a pure hit with “Gypsy”, a song that would have fit perfectly on Rumours. And Christine McVie’s “Hold Me” is everything that this band was great at with this lineup. The rest lacks the punch that the Buckingham Nicks lineup used to deliver…it’s good, but it won’t have you begging for more just like it. The closest they come to a third great track here is Buckingham’s UK hit “Oh Diane”, which is really pretty average after what had come before. Mirage is good. But it also signals the end of the great Mac years as we knew them. [First added to this chart: 01/16/2024]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
453
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 09/19/2021]
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1980-SIRE
Produced By CHRIS THOMAS & NICK LOWE
1. Precious
2. The Phone Call
3. Up The Neck
4. Tattooed Love Boys
5. Space Invader
6. The Wait
7. Stop Your Sobbing
8. Kid
9. Private Life
10. Brass In Pocket
11. Lovers Of Today
12. Mystery Achievement
In 1980, Pretenders (there is no "The"...never has been, never will be) exploded with this amazing debut album of punk, rock & roll, and the sexiest woman to have ever strapped on a guitar. Chrissie Hynde was all attitude and voice. She'd no doubt kick your ass in a heartbeat, and that smoky voice was the sexiest female voice by far in the history of rock. In a kick ass sort of way. The songs on Pretenders are amazing, from start to finish. Even her Kinks cover "Stop Your Sobbing" is first rate. "Precious", "Up The Neck", "Tattooed Love Boys", "The Wait", "Kid"...all excellent. Chrissie hates "Brass In Pocket", but even that outshines much of what was going on at the time. This is simply a great rock album.
The original lineup (3 British guys and an American girl) recorded a second album in 1981. Less than 2 years, half of the band was dead. Hynde has soldiered on, and can still rock with the best of them. This was the best, though. James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon were still alive and rocking, and the band was hungrier than ever. [First added to this chart: 12/12/2011]
Produced By CHRIS THOMAS & NICK LOWE
1. Precious
2. The Phone Call
3. Up The Neck
4. Tattooed Love Boys
5. Space Invader
6. The Wait
7. Stop Your Sobbing
8. Kid
9. Private Life
10. Brass In Pocket
11. Lovers Of Today
12. Mystery Achievement
In 1980, Pretenders (there is no "The"...never has been, never will be) exploded with this amazing debut album of punk, rock & roll, and the sexiest woman to have ever strapped on a guitar. Chrissie Hynde was all attitude and voice. She'd no doubt kick your ass in a heartbeat, and that smoky voice was the sexiest female voice by far in the history of rock. In a kick ass sort of way. The songs on Pretenders are amazing, from start to finish. Even her Kinks cover "Stop Your Sobbing" is first rate. "Precious", "Up The Neck", "Tattooed Love Boys", "The Wait", "Kid"...all excellent. Chrissie hates "Brass In Pocket", but even that outshines much of what was going on at the time. This is simply a great rock album.
The original lineup (3 British guys and an American girl) recorded a second album in 1981. Less than 2 years, half of the band was dead. Hynde has soldiered on, and can still rock with the best of them. This was the best, though. James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon were still alive and rocking, and the band was hungrier than ever. [First added to this chart: 12/12/2011]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,946
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 5. 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Bruce Springsteen | 3 | 3% | |
| Talking Heads | 3 | 3% | |
| X (US) | 3 | 3% | |
| U2 | 3 | 3% | |
| R.E.M. | 3 | 3% | |
| Steve Earle | 2 | 2% | |
| The Smithereens | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 34th to 35th The Unforgettable Fire by U2 |
| Down 1 from 35th to 36th Back In The High Life by Steve Winwood |
| Down 1 from 36th to 37th Copperhead Road by Steve Earle |
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Other decade charts by Romanelli
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| Top 7 Music Albums of the 2020s | Romanelli | 2020s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | Romanelli | 2010s decade chart | 2025 | |
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| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | Romanelli | 1990s decade chart | 2025 | |
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Romanelli has created 4 other 1980s decade charts - click here to explore them all.
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 02/06/2025 15:30 | BorderFreeAndrew | 99 | 81/100 |
| ! | 01/31/2025 14:12 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,105 | 85/100 |
| ! | 01/23/2022 16:11 |  IlMala | 178 | 95/100 |
| ! | 10/22/2020 01:13 | leniad | 673 | 85/100 |
| ! | 09/05/2020 14:13 | MasterOfPuppets | 174 | 91/100 |
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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).
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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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From BorderFreeAndrew 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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From leniad 10/22/2020 01:13 | #259555
Respect
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From 0129114 06/24/2020 03:52 | #254351
some solid picks m8.
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From 
Liedzeit 11/24/2018 10:49 | #225586
Liedzeit 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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From 
ForegroundNoise 11/24/2018 09:24 | #225581
ForegroundNoise 11/24/2018 09:24 | #225581
Really like your notes!!
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From 
buzzdainer 07/16/2016 15:13 | #171403
buzzdainer 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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From BraddlesHendo 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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From 
tgarritsen 01/13/2014 15:59 | #100555
tgarritsen 01/13/2014 15:59 | #100555
Interesting number one pick.
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From guigs13 01/10/2013 01:33 | #60879
Nice chart!
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From davidhuret 12/11/2012 09:04 | #57461
Good choice at #1.
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