Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s
by 
RoundTheBend 
Listened to 279 albums of the 80s. Mostly happy, but after 90 I'm not too sure about how they compare with each other.
Yes... I love U2 and this is ranked by what I like most. Just ignore them altogether if you want to see more from the 80s. I really tried to go beyond my comfort zone on this and it was quite the rewarding experience.
Also were there other bands in the 80s besides U2 and R.E.M.? hehe just kidding... they just totally dominate that decade for me. Not a metal or butt rock fan. Only a few punk bands really got me and then there's Madonna... so yeah... totally happy with my U2 and R.E.M. :).
- Chart updated: 05/02/2016 05:15
- (Created: 01/26/2012 10:03).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 8 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s has an average rating of 85 out of 100 (from 12 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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100
[First added to this chart: 01/26/2012]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,319
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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100
[First added to this chart: 04/04/2012]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,759
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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100
[First added to this chart: 01/26/2012]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,522
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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97.8
[First added to this chart: 04/09/2012]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,390
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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94
[First added to this chart: 01/26/2012]
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,279
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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93.75
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
561
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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93.6
[First added to this chart: 04/09/2012]
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93.6
[First added to this chart: 01/26/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,097
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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92.9
[First added to this chart: 04/21/2016]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,390
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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92.5
[First added to this chart: 01/26/2012]
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1981 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1982 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1983 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1984 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1985 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1986 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1987 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1988 | 14 | 14% | |
| 1989 | 15 | 15% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| R.E.M. | 8 | 8% | |
| U2 | 7 | 7% | |
| The Cure | 3 | 3% | |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 3 | 3% | |
| Talking Heads | 3 | 3% | |
| Paul Simon | 3 | 3% | |
| Bob Marley & The Wailers | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| |
54 | 54% | |
 |
25 | 25% | |
 |
8 | 8% | |
 |
5 | 5% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 18 from 67th to 85th 13 Songs by Fugazi |
| Down 18 from 77th to 95th Closer by Joy Division |
| Down 18 from 78th to 96th Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits |
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Other decade charts by RoundTheBend
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | RoundTheBend | 2010s decade chart | 2023 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | RoundTheBend | 2000s decade chart | 2019 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | RoundTheBend | 1990s decade chart | 2018 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | RoundTheBend | 1980s decade chart | 2016 | |
RoundTheBend 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.
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 12 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 12/08/2020 22:55 |  Rhyner | 1,457 | 99/100 |
| ! | 06/29/2017 03:58 | Kuzh69 | 68 | 90/100 |
| ! | 01/22/2017 14:53 |  Daydreamer | 18 | 91/100 |
| ! | 08/22/2016 10:24 |  Leonard | 341 | 88/100 |
| ! | 05/04/2016 08:12 |  Grzywa | 26 | 73/100 |
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 85.2/100, a mean average of 84.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 84.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.9.
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s comments
Showing all 8 comments |
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From 
Wh3n1nR0me 09/06/2017 04:32 | #197357
Wh3n1nR0me 09/06/2017 04:32 | #197357
25% of the top 20 belong to U2! Can't wait to be able to do a whole one hundred - then maybe I could do the same!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From Kuzh69 06/29/2017 04:03 | #193411
Do not apologize for the top heavy U2 & R.E.M. They deserve it.
As a matter of fact, I saw R.E.M. In a field in Athens Georgia for FREE,
as they were just starting as unknowns playing some of their future
Murmur songs. Nice detail in all of your charts.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Daydreamer 01/22/2017 14:53 | #183863
Daydreamer 01/22/2017 14:53 | #183863
Good chart. Dominated by U2 but that's not bad. They were killing it in the 80's.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Leonard 08/22/2016 10:25 | #173233
Leonard 08/22/2016 10:25 | #173233
nice to see ELO-Time in your chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Grzywa 05/02/2016 08:07 | #164982
Grzywa 05/02/2016 08:07 | #164982
Totally happy with whatever makes you happy:) What I do like about your chart is: if you fancy U2 and REM, you just don't give a shit about 'variety' and let them dominate.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From RoundTheBend 05/02/2016 05:10 | #164978
RoundTheBend 05/02/2016 05:10 | #164978
Hehe... were there other bands in the 80s besides U2 and R.E.M.? hehe just kidding... they just totally dominate that decade for me. Not a metal or butt rock fan. Only a few punk bands really got me and then there's Madonna... so yeah... totally happy with my U2 and R.E.M. :).
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
Cojo7 05/02/2016 04:55 | #164976
Cojo7 05/02/2016 04:55 | #164976
Too much U2 and REM for me, but a good chart overall. Some of these picks were pretty odd though, like Sun City and The Message.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Supercakes 04/09/2012 21:28 | #39887
Why yes, that is how I would rank U2's 80's albums, as well.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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