Top 100 Music Albums of 1980 by 
Repo 
Films
==============
1. Ordinary People
2. The Long Good Friday
3. Friday The 13th
Punk EPS
=======================
1. The Vopo's - The Vopo's
2. Vice Squad - Last rockers
3. Angry Samoans - Inside My Brain
4. Minutemen - Paranoid Time
5. Black Flag - Jealous Again
6. The Misfits - Beware
6. Mars - EP
- Chart updated: 03/24/2025 00:15
- (Created: 06/21/2018 16:43).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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'80:6 The Beat Goes On
aka Play that Funky Music White Boys & Girl
The Setting: After More Songs... and Fear of Music, The Talking Heads were the leaders of the Art Punk school in the States (sorry, Pere Ubu). Questioned by know one. Respected by everyone. Perhaps most surprising was how funky and groovy this bunch of seemingly over-caffeinated, over-educated nice white kids could be. So good that they won the highly prized Eno treatment regimen a third time running.
The Listen: It’s just hard not to be floored. It’s tight. Funky. A fine metal being coiled and compressed. Tightened. Tension rising as you dance at the building’s edge. So close you feel you’re going fall. But, everything is measured just so. You know you’re safe. They went to architecture school after all. They know a thing or two about crafting their buildings from songs. And Eno was never one to completely lose control. He loved bolting down a cracking fail safe.
Verdict: Even better than my beloved Seventeen Seconds, Remains In Light deserves what it got - the highly coveted Critic’s Pet Award of 1980. Fresh and vibrant and meticulous and funky. Fripp’s guitar exploding in Fripponacci loops of color. Eno melting everything in the deep fryer he calls a production board. A Masterpiece.
Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 11/12/2019]
aka Play that Funky Music White Boys & Girl
The Setting: After More Songs... and Fear of Music, The Talking Heads were the leaders of the Art Punk school in the States (sorry, Pere Ubu). Questioned by know one. Respected by everyone. Perhaps most surprising was how funky and groovy this bunch of seemingly over-caffeinated, over-educated nice white kids could be. So good that they won the highly prized Eno treatment regimen a third time running.
The Listen: It’s just hard not to be floored. It’s tight. Funky. A fine metal being coiled and compressed. Tightened. Tension rising as you dance at the building’s edge. So close you feel you’re going fall. But, everything is measured just so. You know you’re safe. They went to architecture school after all. They know a thing or two about crafting their buildings from songs. And Eno was never one to completely lose control. He loved bolting down a cracking fail safe.
Verdict: Even better than my beloved Seventeen Seconds, Remains In Light deserves what it got - the highly coveted Critic’s Pet Award of 1980. Fresh and vibrant and meticulous and funky. Fripp’s guitar exploding in Fripponacci loops of color. Eno melting everything in the deep fryer he calls a production board. A Masterpiece.
Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 11/12/2019]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
28,489
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
196
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[First added to this chart: 11/18/2019]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,604
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 06/01/2021]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
640
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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('80: 7) 15 Minutes
Aka Transitions
So after Michael and Erica left, I’d take off the Joni Mitchell and put on Uriah Heap and Deep Purple, ya know, just anything loud and abrasive. Gregg actually didn’t have any choice because I was the guy behind the counter– but I liked Greg. I liked talking to him. You know, it was cool hanging out with him … so that’s how we came together. That’s where the seeds of Black Flag were planted, in that record store in Hermosa Beach. - Keith Morris on forming Black Flag
The Setting: Hermosa Beach 1978. Greg Ginn waiting for his sister to come back from a quick cop & feel. Keith Morris and him bond over their mutual hatred of California Rock and love of Uriah Heap at a record store. And Black Flag is born. Their first EP Nervous Breakdown essentially creates Hardcore Punk. Can we all agree that’s the most logical ground zero of consequence? (If you have an alternative staring point, LET ME KNOW!) Keith & Ginn, being total opposites, lasted a year or so together before “creative differences” started to be thrown about. So Keith bolted, with ample amounts of coke and grass to get some "fresh air," and formed Circle Jerks with Greg Hetson of later Bad Religion fame.
The Listen: 15 minutes. That’s all it took. 14 songs in 15 minutes. And Orange County Hardcore had its first classic album.
Verdict: Duh. R u even paying attention? All these years later. And STILL all those seamless transitions between songs kill me. And it wasn't by accident as later rehearsal tapes proved. Professional Hardcore Savants!
Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 11/16/2019]
Aka Transitions
So after Michael and Erica left, I’d take off the Joni Mitchell and put on Uriah Heap and Deep Purple, ya know, just anything loud and abrasive. Gregg actually didn’t have any choice because I was the guy behind the counter– but I liked Greg. I liked talking to him. You know, it was cool hanging out with him … so that’s how we came together. That’s where the seeds of Black Flag were planted, in that record store in Hermosa Beach. - Keith Morris on forming Black Flag
The Setting: Hermosa Beach 1978. Greg Ginn waiting for his sister to come back from a quick cop & feel. Keith Morris and him bond over their mutual hatred of California Rock and love of Uriah Heap at a record store. And Black Flag is born. Their first EP Nervous Breakdown essentially creates Hardcore Punk. Can we all agree that’s the most logical ground zero of consequence? (If you have an alternative staring point, LET ME KNOW!) Keith & Ginn, being total opposites, lasted a year or so together before “creative differences” started to be thrown about. So Keith bolted, with ample amounts of coke and grass to get some "fresh air," and formed Circle Jerks with Greg Hetson of later Bad Religion fame.
The Listen: 15 minutes. That’s all it took. 14 songs in 15 minutes. And Orange County Hardcore had its first classic album.
Verdict: Duh. R u even paying attention? All these years later. And STILL all those seamless transitions between songs kill me. And it wasn't by accident as later rehearsal tapes proved. Professional Hardcore Savants!
Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 11/16/2019]
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[First added to this chart: 06/23/2018]
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[First added to this chart: 06/22/2018]
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'80:9 Heatlemania
Aka What If
Then we played like 10 of our own songs and people didn’t know the difference. We all just looked at each other, and go, ‘[Forget] this, we’re gonna do our own songs. I think this is gonna work.’” - Ken Deans, drummer of The Heats
The Setting: It all started at a school dance. They were just going to play some basic rock covers. BUT, they got that itch... "What if?", they thought. So they played one original. And then another. And the teens couldn’t get enough. After a cover story in the local rag, Heatlemania unofficially broke out across Seattle and The Heaters, as they were then called, became the hottest band in town.
But, “We [weren’t] punk enough for the punk crowd, and we [weren’t] pop enough for the Top 40 crowd,” states drummer Ken Deans. Not able to score a major recording contract they were stuck as a regional wonder kind. And a different "What If?" emerged. “What if” they had been based in LA, New York, or London? Could they have competed with the big boys?
The Listen: You had better believe it! These boys could play. Simply one of the best power pop albums of the 80s, this is a true and blue lost classic. If you dig early Beatles, The Posies, and The Figgs, you may just fall in love all over again.
The Verdict. Don’t you just love hidden gems? Sure it’s a little dusty, but give it a spit & shine and a chance, and this little record will make you dance!
Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 05/28/2021]
Aka What If
Then we played like 10 of our own songs and people didn’t know the difference. We all just looked at each other, and go, ‘[Forget] this, we’re gonna do our own songs. I think this is gonna work.’” - Ken Deans, drummer of The Heats
The Setting: It all started at a school dance. They were just going to play some basic rock covers. BUT, they got that itch... "What if?", they thought. So they played one original. And then another. And the teens couldn’t get enough. After a cover story in the local rag, Heatlemania unofficially broke out across Seattle and The Heaters, as they were then called, became the hottest band in town.
But, “We [weren’t] punk enough for the punk crowd, and we [weren’t] pop enough for the Top 40 crowd,” states drummer Ken Deans. Not able to score a major recording contract they were stuck as a regional wonder kind. And a different "What If?" emerged. “What if” they had been based in LA, New York, or London? Could they have competed with the big boys?
The Listen: You had better believe it! These boys could play. Simply one of the best power pop albums of the 80s, this is a true and blue lost classic. If you dig early Beatles, The Posies, and The Figgs, you may just fall in love all over again.
The Verdict. Don’t you just love hidden gems? Sure it’s a little dusty, but give it a spit & shine and a chance, and this little record will make you dance!
Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 05/28/2021]
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'80:8 Pop Forward
The Setting: After leaving The Supremes in the late 60s, Diana Ross simply owned the 70s with an extremely successful & prolific solo career riding the trends of 70s R&B, funk and disco. In many ways she was the living breathing embodiment of all those 70s empowerment anthems that ruled the radio waves. So it really shouldn’t have been a surprise that after releasing yet another GREAT R&B/disco album with The Boss in 1979, that she set her sights on a complete reinvention of her sound. Disco was getting stale. So she drafted Chic’s A Team of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards and along with a crucial heavy hand at the mixing board by Russ Terrana completely updated her sound leaving many of her most ardent fans a bit flabbergasted.
The Listen: Oh but it did it ever work. One of the most successful reinventions of any R&B/Pop artist ever, Diana marks the end of disco and the start of 80s Pop. Diana proved to be the sassy survivor she sang so much about in the 70s. Along with Prince’s Dirty Mind, Diana serves as the template for 80s Pop that was about to take over the world with Michael Jackson and Madonna.
The Verdict: One of the best Pop albums of the 80s. Period. Every song on here is solid, addicting and will have you singing along in no time flat.
Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 05/17/2021]
The Setting: After leaving The Supremes in the late 60s, Diana Ross simply owned the 70s with an extremely successful & prolific solo career riding the trends of 70s R&B, funk and disco. In many ways she was the living breathing embodiment of all those 70s empowerment anthems that ruled the radio waves. So it really shouldn’t have been a surprise that after releasing yet another GREAT R&B/disco album with The Boss in 1979, that she set her sights on a complete reinvention of her sound. Disco was getting stale. So she drafted Chic’s A Team of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards and along with a crucial heavy hand at the mixing board by Russ Terrana completely updated her sound leaving many of her most ardent fans a bit flabbergasted.
The Listen: Oh but it did it ever work. One of the most successful reinventions of any R&B/Pop artist ever, Diana marks the end of disco and the start of 80s Pop. Diana proved to be the sassy survivor she sang so much about in the 70s. Along with Prince’s Dirty Mind, Diana serves as the template for 80s Pop that was about to take over the world with Michael Jackson and Madonna.
The Verdict: One of the best Pop albums of the 80s. Period. Every song on here is solid, addicting and will have you singing along in no time flat.
Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 05/17/2021]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
496
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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'80:13 Finders Keepers
I think I lost it
Let me know if you come across it
Let me know if I let it fall
Along a back road somewhere (I Lost It)
The Setting: Daughter of a professor, poet and Delta Blues fanatic, Lucinda had the advantage of an atypical musical and literary education. As her family bounced from college town to town throughout the South and even as far asunder as Mexico City, Lucinda soaked up the rich musical traditions of each place. So it’s no wonder that her albums offer up a potent amalgamation of Country, Blues and Folk. She took her father’s rather scholarly approach to her first album – Ramblin'. An earnest and rootsy debut of country blues covers. Emboldened by that successful exercise, Lucinda took to pen & paper to craft her own batch of down home country folk tunes on Happy Woman Blues. “Promising!” critics declared. BUT, the critic would always add, certainly no match for her later works. The critical consensus to date could best be summed up with: An interesting “youthful” exercise before “finding her voice” on her 90s classics. So why am I bothering with this album you may ask?
The Listen: Critics are idiots. Cowardly followers more than ready to stick to the party line. Time and time again I find on my deep dives that the critical consensus is pure bollocks. Sure, Lucinda’s songs would become more glossed out & more fleshed out on coming albums, but personally I love the stripped down, heart barred vibe she dons here like a well worn pair of blue jeans. It has wormed its way into my love torn heart over the last two months. “I Lost It” and “Howlin at Midnight” in particular has resonated with me as I Iinger on the back roads of my love for my girl. Both songs completely capturing how it feels when you lose that special someone. Her songwriting here is as good as it will ever be, my friends. Lucinda wasn’t finding her voice on Happy Woman Blues. She’d already found it.
The Verdict: Happy Woman Blues is secretly one of Lucinda’s best albums. If you like stripped down folk, blues, and country, go comb these back roads and scoop up what those dumbass critics let fall. “You’re not going to find another one to compare.“
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
I think I lost it
Let me know if you come across it
Let me know if I let it fall
Along a back road somewhere (I Lost It)
The Setting: Daughter of a professor, poet and Delta Blues fanatic, Lucinda had the advantage of an atypical musical and literary education. As her family bounced from college town to town throughout the South and even as far asunder as Mexico City, Lucinda soaked up the rich musical traditions of each place. So it’s no wonder that her albums offer up a potent amalgamation of Country, Blues and Folk. She took her father’s rather scholarly approach to her first album – Ramblin'. An earnest and rootsy debut of country blues covers. Emboldened by that successful exercise, Lucinda took to pen & paper to craft her own batch of down home country folk tunes on Happy Woman Blues. “Promising!” critics declared. BUT, the critic would always add, certainly no match for her later works. The critical consensus to date could best be summed up with: An interesting “youthful” exercise before “finding her voice” on her 90s classics. So why am I bothering with this album you may ask?
The Listen: Critics are idiots. Cowardly followers more than ready to stick to the party line. Time and time again I find on my deep dives that the critical consensus is pure bollocks. Sure, Lucinda’s songs would become more glossed out & more fleshed out on coming albums, but personally I love the stripped down, heart barred vibe she dons here like a well worn pair of blue jeans. It has wormed its way into my love torn heart over the last two months. “I Lost It” and “Howlin at Midnight” in particular has resonated with me as I Iinger on the back roads of my love for my girl. Both songs completely capturing how it feels when you lose that special someone. Her songwriting here is as good as it will ever be, my friends. Lucinda wasn’t finding her voice on Happy Woman Blues. She’d already found it.
The Verdict: Happy Woman Blues is secretly one of Lucinda’s best albums. If you like stripped down folk, blues, and country, go comb these back roads and scoop up what those dumbass critics let fall. “You’re not going to find another one to compare.“
The Rating: Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil Twisted Evil [First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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Punk 2
Essential [First added to this chart: 06/12/2019]
Essential [First added to this chart: 06/12/2019]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
590
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 39. Page 1 of 4
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Top 100 Music Albums of 1980 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark | 2 | 2% | |
| The Clash | 2 | 2% | |
| The Cure | 2 | 2% | |
| Circle Jerks | 1 | 1% | |
| David Bowie | 1 | 1% | |
| Thin Lizzy | 1 | 1% | |
| Motörhead | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
45 | 45% | |
| |
39 | 39% | |
 |
6 | 6% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of 1980 chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
 Up 14 from 39th to 25thA-Z by Colin Newman |
| Up 3 from 15th to 12th Kaleidoscope by Siouxsie And The Banshees |
| Up 3 from 8th to 5th Seventeen Seconds by The Cure |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 24 from 53rd to 77th Go To Heaven by Grateful Dead |
| Down 5 from 5th to 10th Sacred Songs by Daryl Hall |
| Down 5 from 6th to 11th Voices by Daryl Hall & John Oates |
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Other year charts by Repo
(from the 1980s)| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 99 Music Albums of 1989 | Repo | 1989 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 85 Music Albums of 1988 | Repo | 1988 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of 1987 | Repo | 1987 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of 1986 | Repo | 1986 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 98 Music Albums of 1985 | Repo | 1985 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 88 Music Albums of 1984 | Repo | 1984 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 99 Music Albums of 1983 | Repo | 1983 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 95 Music Albums of 1982 | Repo | 1982 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of 1981 | Repo | 1981 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of 1980 | Repo | 1980 year chart | 2025 | |
Top 100 Music Albums of 1980 ratings
88/100 (from 2 votes)
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N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
100/100  | 04/14/2025 08:08 |  NoisyBeast | | 91/100 |
 100/100 | 03/11/2020 17:19 | DJENNY | | 100/100 |
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