Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s
by 
Norman Bates 
90-100/100 records only. Work in progress.
- Chart updated: 04/06/2025 05:45
- (Created: 12/05/2011 04:08).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 16 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 26 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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[First added to this chart: 04/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
31,163
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
[First added to this chart: 04/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,539
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
[First added to this chart: 04/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,256
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
[First added to this chart: 04/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,764
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
[First added to this chart: 04/29/2012]
Available from
[First added to this chart: 04/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,291
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
[First added to this chart: 04/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,839
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
[First added to this chart: 04/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,805
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
[First added to this chart: 04/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,571
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
[First added to this chart: 07/15/2015]
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1981 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1982 | 16 | 16% | |
| 1983 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1984 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1985 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1986 | 5 | 5% | |
| 1987 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1988 | 12 | 12% | |
| 1989 | 6 | 6% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Wipers | 1 | 1% | |
| James Brown | 1 | 1% | |
| A Certain Ratio | 1 | 1% | |
| Daniel Johnston | 1 | 1% | |
| Pierre Favre Ensemble | 1 | 1% | |
| Mary Margaret O'Hara | 1 | 1% | |
| Manuel Göttsching | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
45 | 45% | |
 |
32 | 32% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
| |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
Up 47 from 85th to 38th |
Up 44 from 91st to 47th |
Up 43 from 89th to 46th |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 55 from 45th to 100th |
Down 45 from 42nd to 87th |
Down 45 from 50th to 95th |
| New entries |
|---|
| Leavers |
|---|
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| Top 100 Albums of the 1980s | Pitchfork | 1980s decade chart | 2002 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  Hanshiro | 1980s decade chart | 2019 |  |
| Top 99 Music Albums of the 1980s |  CellarDoor | 1980s decade chart | 2012 | |
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Other decade charts by Norman Bates
Norman Bates has shared 6 more decade charts with the community. Browse them all here.| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | Norman Bates | 2010s decade chart | 2017 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | Norman Bates | 2000s decade chart | 2017 | |
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.
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 3 ratings for this chart. | Show all 26 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 04/20/2025 17:32 | Johnnyo | 2,687 | 80/100 |
| ! | 10/23/2019 11:12 | LankyLen | 45 | 85/100 |
| ! | 10/07/2018 10:19 |  phantom1305 | 290 | 92/100 |
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 is rated in the top 3% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 89.5/100, a mean average of 90.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.0/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 7.3.
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s favourites
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 3 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From 
BestEverAlbums 04/20/2025 08:00 in Chart of the day (#4925): By Norman Bates
BestEverAlbums 04/20/2025 08:00 in Chart of the day (#4925): By Norman Bates“Today's chart of the day Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s by Norman Bates () 1. The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths (1986) 2. Crazy Rhythms by The Feelies (1980) 3. Colossal Youth by Young Marble Giants (1980) 4. Seventeen Seconds by The Cure (1980) 5. Yip/Jump Music by Daniel Johnston (1983) 6.…”
(3 mentions across Chart of the Day topics)View latest topic →
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s comments
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From
hairymarx1 TOP 100 COMMENTER 12/25/2011 03:53 | #33715
Great chart....Nice to see The Only Ones, Au Pairs, Pastels, House Of Love and Edwyn Collins there. 'Hope And Despair' is a fine album - very underrated.
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From
thekrauter 01/23/2014 13:38 | #101315
Characterful chart!
Outstanding picks like Tuxedomoon, Rip Rig& Panic, Gun Club...
The Smiths are notmyKraut and I´m mising Tom Waits!
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From
PatrickD 08/06/2014 08:21 | #118836
PatrickD 08/06/2014 08:21 | #118836
Plus 5 for no Stone Roses :)
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From
pa 08/06/2014 08:51 | #118838
pa 08/06/2014 08:51 | #118838
I love to see so many Smiths'picks!
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From
mightyram 08/06/2014 20:04 | #118877
Yeah, this is a great chart, full of interesting choices, avoiding some of the some obvious selections. A great take on the decade.
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