Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 06/13/2025 17:15
- (Created: 12/04/2011 20:38).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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Produced by Jimmy Iovine and Tom Petty. After having spent years with Fleetwood Mac being limited to about three songs per album, Stevie Nicks exploded with material for her first solo album. Criminally overlooked and underheard, this is Nicks at her best. "Edge Of Seventeen" was huge, and her duets with Petty ("Stop Draggin' My Heart Around") and Don Henley ("Leather And Lace") made her even bigger. But Bella Donna, as a whole, still gets little love. It deserves to be heard, and loved. A really great album.
[First added to this chart: 06/01/2013]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
706
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
10
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[First added to this chart: 06/19/2013]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
996
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 06/04/2018]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
855
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1981 – BACKSTREET
Produced By JIMMY IOVINE & TOM PETTY
1. The Waiting
2. A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me)
3. Nightwatchman
4. Something Big
5. King’s Road
6. Letting You Go
7. A Thing About You
8. Insider
9. The Criminal Kind
10. You Can Still Change Your Mind
Hard Promises is the fourth album by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and the last to be played in full by the entire original lineup. Like many of Petty’s albums, it’s often overlooked and passed over by critics, despite the hits and great tracks included. This was the album that included a pair of guest vocals by Stevie Nicks, and the last to feature Ron Blair on bass for twenty years. Hard Promises is the follow up to the hugely successful Damn The Torpedoes, and is ultimately worthy of that distinction. It was also the subject of a price war between Petty and MCA Records, who wanted to raise the price of the album without consent. A lot going on here, but don’t forget that this is also a pretty terrific album. One of the best from the Heartbreakers.
The album opens with a pair of great hits. “The Waiting” and “A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me)” are worth having the album for alone. But you also get the burner “A Thing About You”, and two of the band’s concert favorites, “Nightwatchman” and “Kings Road”. And then there’s Stevie. Jimmy Iovine was also producing her solo debut Bella Donna, and hooked her up with Petty for a song that ended up being three. “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” ended up on her album, but Hard Promises got the beautiful duet “Insider”, one of Petty’s very best ballads. This album doesn’t get the love it deserves. Petty & The Heartbreakers were at the top of their game here, and this is actually one of their better records. Don’t sleep on Hard Promises…it’s better than you might remember it to be. [First added to this chart: 12/06/2011]
Produced By JIMMY IOVINE & TOM PETTY
1. The Waiting
2. A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me)
3. Nightwatchman
4. Something Big
5. King’s Road
6. Letting You Go
7. A Thing About You
8. Insider
9. The Criminal Kind
10. You Can Still Change Your Mind
Hard Promises is the fourth album by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and the last to be played in full by the entire original lineup. Like many of Petty’s albums, it’s often overlooked and passed over by critics, despite the hits and great tracks included. This was the album that included a pair of guest vocals by Stevie Nicks, and the last to feature Ron Blair on bass for twenty years. Hard Promises is the follow up to the hugely successful Damn The Torpedoes, and is ultimately worthy of that distinction. It was also the subject of a price war between Petty and MCA Records, who wanted to raise the price of the album without consent. A lot going on here, but don’t forget that this is also a pretty terrific album. One of the best from the Heartbreakers.
The album opens with a pair of great hits. “The Waiting” and “A Woman In Love (It’s Not Me)” are worth having the album for alone. But you also get the burner “A Thing About You”, and two of the band’s concert favorites, “Nightwatchman” and “Kings Road”. And then there’s Stevie. Jimmy Iovine was also producing her solo debut Bella Donna, and hooked her up with Petty for a song that ended up being three. “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” ended up on her album, but Hard Promises got the beautiful duet “Insider”, one of Petty’s very best ballads. This album doesn’t get the love it deserves. Petty & The Heartbreakers were at the top of their game here, and this is actually one of their better records. Don’t sleep on Hard Promises…it’s better than you might remember it to be. [First added to this chart: 12/06/2011]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
446
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1981-ATCO
Produced By ROBERT JOHN "MUTT" LANGE
1. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
2. Put The Finger On You
3. Let's Give It Up
4. Inject The Venom
5. Snowballed
6. Evil Walks
7. C.O.D.
8. Breaking The Rules
9. Night Of The Long Knives
10. Spellbound
The second album of the Brain Johnson era, and the followup to their huge Back In Black album, For Those About To Rock may be the most underrated album by AC/DC. With expectations high for them to make Back In Black 2, they almost pulled it off. The title track is huge, but there are plenty of gems here as well. "Inject The Venom", "Put The Finger On You", and "Evil Walks" could have all been hits, and every song could have worked on Back In Black. AC/DC sounds almost the same on every record. but the key is consistency. And they pull that off here. For Those About To Rock is a great time, and belongs right next to its predecessor. Not quite Back In Black 2, but they almost pulled it off.
The title track was used, along with several other songs, for the soundtrack to Maximum Overdrive. Producer Lange went on, of course, to become Mrs. Shania Twain. [First added to this chart: 12/07/2011]
Produced By ROBERT JOHN "MUTT" LANGE
1. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
2. Put The Finger On You
3. Let's Give It Up
4. Inject The Venom
5. Snowballed
6. Evil Walks
7. C.O.D.
8. Breaking The Rules
9. Night Of The Long Knives
10. Spellbound
The second album of the Brain Johnson era, and the followup to their huge Back In Black album, For Those About To Rock may be the most underrated album by AC/DC. With expectations high for them to make Back In Black 2, they almost pulled it off. The title track is huge, but there are plenty of gems here as well. "Inject The Venom", "Put The Finger On You", and "Evil Walks" could have all been hits, and every song could have worked on Back In Black. AC/DC sounds almost the same on every record. but the key is consistency. And they pull that off here. For Those About To Rock is a great time, and belongs right next to its predecessor. Not quite Back In Black 2, but they almost pulled it off.
The title track was used, along with several other songs, for the soundtrack to Maximum Overdrive. Producer Lange went on, of course, to become Mrs. Shania Twain. [First added to this chart: 12/07/2011]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
646
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1981-SLASH
Produced By RAY MANZAREK
1. The Once Over Twice
2. We're Desperate
3. Adult Books
4. Universal Corner
5. I'm Coming Over
6. It's Who You Know
7. In The House That I Call Home
8. Some Other Time
9. White Girl
10. Beyond And Back
11. Back 2 The Base
12. When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch
13. Year 1
Bonus Tracks
14. Beyond And Back (Live)
15. Blue Spark (Demo)
16. We're Desperate (Single Version)
17. Back 2 The Base (Live)
18. Heater (Rehearsal)
19. White Girl (Single Mix)
20. The Once Over Twice (Unissound Single Mix)
One of the biggest saviors of music in the 1980's was X. Wild Gift, their second album, still stands as their best work, and it truly is one of the best albums of the decade...and maybe one of the best punk albums of all time. This is their best overall group of songs, and the strange interplay between John Doe and Exene Cervenka was never finer that here. The two singers sang in the strangest kind of harmony that should have never worked, but always did. And the songs! "Adult Books", "The Once Over Twice", "When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch", and "White Girl" take you places that no other punk band could have dreamed.
What X did the best, and especially on Wild Gift, was to make punk beautiful while still beating you between the eyes and rocking as hard as possible. In doing so, X became one of the most unique bands in rock, a pure joy to listen to and experience. Wild Gift is X at it's best, a perfect album. [First added to this chart: 12/16/2011]
Produced By RAY MANZAREK
1. The Once Over Twice
2. We're Desperate
3. Adult Books
4. Universal Corner
5. I'm Coming Over
6. It's Who You Know
7. In The House That I Call Home
8. Some Other Time
9. White Girl
10. Beyond And Back
11. Back 2 The Base
12. When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch
13. Year 1
Bonus Tracks
14. Beyond And Back (Live)
15. Blue Spark (Demo)
16. We're Desperate (Single Version)
17. Back 2 The Base (Live)
18. Heater (Rehearsal)
19. White Girl (Single Mix)
20. The Once Over Twice (Unissound Single Mix)
One of the biggest saviors of music in the 1980's was X. Wild Gift, their second album, still stands as their best work, and it truly is one of the best albums of the decade...and maybe one of the best punk albums of all time. This is their best overall group of songs, and the strange interplay between John Doe and Exene Cervenka was never finer that here. The two singers sang in the strangest kind of harmony that should have never worked, but always did. And the songs! "Adult Books", "The Once Over Twice", "When Our Love Passed Out On The Couch", and "White Girl" take you places that no other punk band could have dreamed.
What X did the best, and especially on Wild Gift, was to make punk beautiful while still beating you between the eyes and rocking as hard as possible. In doing so, X became one of the most unique bands in rock, a pure joy to listen to and experience. Wild Gift is X at it's best, a perfect album. [First added to this chart: 12/16/2011]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
539
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 12/15/2011]
Total albums: 7. 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| U2 | 3 | 3% | |
| R.E.M. | 3 | 3% | |
| Bruce Springsteen | 3 | 3% | |
| X (US) | 3 | 3% | |
| The Jesus And Mary Chain | 2 | 2% | |
| Hüsker Dü | 2 | 2% | |
| Warren Zevon | 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:
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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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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.
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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.
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90/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 11/24/2018 09:24
ForegroundNoise 11/24/2018 09:24
Really like your notes!!
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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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