Top 99 Music Albums of the 1980s
by 
Jimmy Dread 
It was in April 2014 that I realised I hadn't edited this 80s chart for about 2 years. Sacrilege. Hence now with added dancehall vibes, tweerific tunage and some other bollocks for your delectation. One album per artist, repetition with Top 100 only where no other decent alternative (in my eyes) remains... blah blah blah. Probably the one decade chart I could safely say where every album featured is still on regular rotation... Jimmy, February 2021.
- Chart updated: 02/27/2024 16:15
- (Created: 01/16/2012 21:10).
- Chart size: 99 albums.
There are 7 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 99 Music Albums of the 1980s has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 19 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 58,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
PICK - Girl Afraid. A mate called Simon taped me every Smiths album and I played them so much that I nearly wore them out. I could still quote you pretty much every single lyric from HoH word for word. Last time I challenged someone to this was my gig buddy's Norweigan housemate.
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2016]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,035
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
PICK - English Scheme. To this date, I have NEVER seen the Fall live. This may sound odd, but from what I've heard MES is not the sort of frontman that lends himself to the overall 'pleasant gig experience' I've enjoyed elsewhere. Like Peel, I want to keep my distance to maintain the mystique. And long may it continue.
[First added to this chart: 04/21/2014]
PICK - Wurlitzer Jukebox. Still have no idea why I bought it, and partly annoyed with them as it's thanks to YMG that we have to endure the loathesome XX. Only Vic Godard made a ping-pong ball sound so dolorous. Miminalism can be beautiful - here's the proof.
[First added to this chart: 01/16/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,289
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 01/18/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,663
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
PICK - I Am The Resurrection. Bless Ma and Pa, they always knew what I wanted. The one band you would NEVER want to reform - one amazing LP, one dud, tons of awful live performances. They'd never capture the magic again. What's that you say... that HAVE reformed. Bugger.
[First added to this chart: 01/16/2012]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
22,556
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
PICK - Plague Of Zombies. Pretty much all the Scientist LPs on Greensleeves are essential, but aside from ...Space Invaders this is the one, and most likely the best place to start for the uninitiated. Great Junjo riddims for the likes of Johnny Osbourne, Wailing Souls and Michael Prophet (the LPs from whence they came to be found lower down this list), twisted and chewed by the man Hopeton Brown. All just been reissued too, so grab 'em whilst you can.
[First added to this chart: 01/16/2012]
PICK - Only Woman DJ With Degree. You will notice as you go down this list there is an AWFUL LOT of JA nuggets on here. Reason being that early 80s dancehall was the most exciting and fertile period of Jamaican music - no contest. Sister Nancy was way ahead of her time - essential stuff.
[First added to this chart: 01/16/2012]
[First added to this chart: 05/03/2015]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,180
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 04/13/2017]
PICK - Bom Dub. Cheers muchly to dividesbyzero for the tip-off on this - a dub LP with Tubby/Sly and Robbie on one side and Scientist/Roots Radics on the other. Heavy, thick and guaranteed to blow your speakers if you're the sort of person who plays such things through your in-built laptop ones.
[First added to this chart: 09/04/2016]
Total albums: 99. Page 1 of 10
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 99 Music Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 15 | 15% | |
| 1981 | 15 | 15% | |
| 1982 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1983 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1984 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1985 | 5 | 5% | |
| 1986 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1987 | 3 | 3% | |
| 1988 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1989 | 10 | 10% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Hüsker Dü | 1 | 1% | |
| Virginia Astley | 1 | 1% | |
| Chin Chin | 1 | 1% | |
| The Field Mice | 1 | 1% | |
| The Human League | 1 | 1% | |
| The Necessaries | 1 | 1% | |
| Tenor Saw | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
38 | 38% | |
| |
31 | 31% | |
 |
16 | 16% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 99 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 55 from 100th to 45thThe Original Smiley Culture by Smiley Culture |
| Up 46 from 66th to 20thDaydream Nation by Sonic Youth |
| Up 35 from 60th to 25thScript Of The Bridge by The Chameleons |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 49 from 50th to 99thMusic For Parties by Silicon Teens |
| Down 45 from 32nd to 77thDancehall Showcase Vol. II by Sugar Minott |
| Down 45 from 44th to 89thDance by Earthling (JP) |
Top 99 Music Albums of the 1980s similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  Hanshiro | 1980s decade chart | 2019 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  SuedeSwede | 1980s decade chart | 2015 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  Skinny | 1980s decade chart | 2015 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  MrFrogger | 1980s decade chart | 2015 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | badger | 1980s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 99 Music Albums of the 1980s |  CellarDoor | 1980s decade chart | 2012 |  |
| Pitchfork: The 100 Best Albums Of The 1980s (2002) | WayneMC | Custom chart | 2020 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s |  RichardSauce | 1980s decade chart | 2018 | |
| Top 100 Albums of the 1980s | Pitchfork | 1980s decade chart | 2002 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | sonicdiscourse | 1980s decade chart | 2016 | |
Top 99 Music Albums of the 1980s similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
- Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.
- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Other decade charts by Jimmy Dread
Jimmy Dread has shared 6 more decade charts with the community. Browse them all here.| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 80 Music Albums of the 2010s | Jimmy Dread | 2010s decade chart | 2021 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | Jimmy Dread | 2000s decade chart | 2015 | |
Top 99 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 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 19 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/07/2021 05:25 | TheSmiths82-87 | 1,829 | 83/100 | |
| 04/06/2021 22:59 |  Rhyner | 1,452 | 99/100 | |
| 04/06/2021 21:51 | RioBravo | 200 | 84/100 | |
| 11/02/2017 02:39 |  CharlieBarley | 476 | 94/100 | |
| 11/02/2017 00:34 |  NowhereMan | 292 | 82/100 |
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 10% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 87.9/100, a mean average of 89.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.0/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 9.6.
Top 99 Music Albums of the 1980s favourites
Showing all 5 members who have added this chart as a favourite
Top 99 Music Albums of the 1980s comments
Showing all 7 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
From CharlieBarley 11/02/2017 02:41 | #200438
CharlieBarley 11/02/2017 02:41 | #200438
Good 80s chart. 15 in common with mine. Like your notes esp on Stone Roses, Smiths and Pixies
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From NowhereMan 11/02/2017 00:34 | #200436
NowhereMan 11/02/2017 00:34 | #200436
I reckon I could match you on the Hatful of Hollow lyric challenge ;)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From LittleM1971 11/01/2017 16:37 | #200414
Love this chart!!!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From platus 11/01/2017 15:48 | #200413
Nice chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Graeme2 03/17/2017 21:32 | #187564
Graeme2 03/17/2017 21:32 | #187564
Good to see 101 damnations on a chart :)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Jimmy Dread 08/27/2014 20:42 | #120535
Jimmy Dread 08/27/2014 20:42 | #120535
Pretty unique comment!
I'm not convinced you've heard the Silicon Teens album. You should. Then comment again.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
greatson 07/23/2014 11:27 | #117539
greatson 07/23/2014 11:27 | #117539
Pretty unique chart!
I`m not convinced of every pick.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Your feedback for Top 99 Music Albums of the 1980s
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
| Email Address | |
|---|---|
| Forgotten passwords and other site notifications are sent to the email address saved on your profile. If you've changed your email address recently, please remember to update it on your profile page. (If you can't remember your password, and your email address is out of date, please contact us for assistance getting back into your account). |
