Top 35 Music Albums of 1980
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 12/22/2025 16:15
- (Created: 04/11/2012 18:17).
- Chart size: 35 albums.
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1980-CAPITOL
Produced By BOB SEGER, PUNCH ANDREWS & THE MUSCLE SHOALS RHYTHM SECTION
1. The Horizontal Bop
2. You’ll Accompany Me
3. Her Strut
4. No Man’s Land
5. Long Twin Silver Line
6. Against The Wind
7. Good For Me
8. Betty Lou’s Getting’ Out Tonight
9. Fire Lake
10. Shinin’ Brightly
When Bob Seger broke into the mainstream in 1976 with Live Bullet and Night Moves, America had its next rock and roll hero. Four years later, Seger’s career was showing definite signs of strain, overwork, and an over reliance on the formula that made him a star. Against The Wind is Seger’s only number one album, and it boasts an impressive four hit singles. It also marks the beginning of Seger’s decline into the ordinary. Not that this is a bad album by any means…it’s not. But it’s a very safe album from a guy who should have been expanding his sound, not collapsing into it. Turns out that with Against The Wind, Seger showed us all that he really was a one trick pony, and that everything he would do would be pretty interchangeable. He also showed us that he when it come to that one trick, he is very, very good at performing it.
Simply put, Against The Wind is an extension of the album Strangers In Town (from 1978), which is an extension of Night Moves from 1976. Any of the songs from any of these albums could be switched around with pretty much the same results, as if Seger had stopped writing years before and was just releasing old material. Each album has its merits, and with Against The Wind, he actually does rely more on ballads than at any time in his career. “Against The Wind”, “You’ll Accompany Me” and “Fire Lake” match the rolling piano balladry of “Night Moves”, “Mainstreet”, and “Still The Same”. The rockers, particularly “Horizontal Bop” and “Her Strut”, would fit well on either of the two previous albums. There’s enough filler here to keep the album from rising too far above average, and there’s one true clunker. “Long Twin Silver Line” may be the worst song in Seger’s catalog. If you’re a fan, this album will fit in just fine. Just don’t expect anything you’d never heard from Seger before. [First added to this chart: 02/07/2014]
Produced By BOB SEGER, PUNCH ANDREWS & THE MUSCLE SHOALS RHYTHM SECTION
1. The Horizontal Bop
2. You’ll Accompany Me
3. Her Strut
4. No Man’s Land
5. Long Twin Silver Line
6. Against The Wind
7. Good For Me
8. Betty Lou’s Getting’ Out Tonight
9. Fire Lake
10. Shinin’ Brightly
When Bob Seger broke into the mainstream in 1976 with Live Bullet and Night Moves, America had its next rock and roll hero. Four years later, Seger’s career was showing definite signs of strain, overwork, and an over reliance on the formula that made him a star. Against The Wind is Seger’s only number one album, and it boasts an impressive four hit singles. It also marks the beginning of Seger’s decline into the ordinary. Not that this is a bad album by any means…it’s not. But it’s a very safe album from a guy who should have been expanding his sound, not collapsing into it. Turns out that with Against The Wind, Seger showed us all that he really was a one trick pony, and that everything he would do would be pretty interchangeable. He also showed us that he when it come to that one trick, he is very, very good at performing it.
Simply put, Against The Wind is an extension of the album Strangers In Town (from 1978), which is an extension of Night Moves from 1976. Any of the songs from any of these albums could be switched around with pretty much the same results, as if Seger had stopped writing years before and was just releasing old material. Each album has its merits, and with Against The Wind, he actually does rely more on ballads than at any time in his career. “Against The Wind”, “You’ll Accompany Me” and “Fire Lake” match the rolling piano balladry of “Night Moves”, “Mainstreet”, and “Still The Same”. The rockers, particularly “Horizontal Bop” and “Her Strut”, would fit well on either of the two previous albums. There’s enough filler here to keep the album from rising too far above average, and there’s one true clunker. “Long Twin Silver Line” may be the worst song in Seger’s catalog. If you’re a fan, this album will fit in just fine. Just don’t expect anything you’d never heard from Seger before. [First added to this chart: 02/07/2014]
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1980-ATCO
Produced By ROBERT JOHN "MUTT" LANGE
1. Hells Bells
2. Shoot To Thrill
3. What Do You Do For Money Honey
4. Given The Dog A Bone
5. Let Me Put My Love Into You
6. Back In Black
7. You Shook Me All Night Long
8. Have A Drink On Me
9. Shake A Leg
10. Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
AC/DC kept getting better in the late 70's, but when lead singer Bon Scott passed away following the Highway To Hell album, it was thought that the band was over. They came out with a new lead singer in Brian Johnson and a vengeance with Back In Black, the band's best collection of songs and their statement that they were far from done. AC/DC has a simple formula: a hot riff, a great rock beat, lyrics about (usually) sex that a 14 year old boy can appreciate, and painfully high vocals. They got all of it perfect here: not a bad song among the bunch, and not a second of wasted space.
"Hells Bells", "You Shook Me All Night Long", and the title track put AC/DC on the map to stay, and songs like "Shoot To Thrill" and "Shake A Leg" make it all stand up. They've never matched this record...they don't have to. There's enough of Back In Black on every subsequent album to keep them in a revered place. Back In Black is simply a great rock and roll album...as good as it gets! [First added to this chart: 04/12/2012]
Produced By ROBERT JOHN "MUTT" LANGE
1. Hells Bells
2. Shoot To Thrill
3. What Do You Do For Money Honey
4. Given The Dog A Bone
5. Let Me Put My Love Into You
6. Back In Black
7. You Shook Me All Night Long
8. Have A Drink On Me
9. Shake A Leg
10. Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
AC/DC kept getting better in the late 70's, but when lead singer Bon Scott passed away following the Highway To Hell album, it was thought that the band was over. They came out with a new lead singer in Brian Johnson and a vengeance with Back In Black, the band's best collection of songs and their statement that they were far from done. AC/DC has a simple formula: a hot riff, a great rock beat, lyrics about (usually) sex that a 14 year old boy can appreciate, and painfully high vocals. They got all of it perfect here: not a bad song among the bunch, and not a second of wasted space.
"Hells Bells", "You Shook Me All Night Long", and the title track put AC/DC on the map to stay, and songs like "Shoot To Thrill" and "Shake A Leg" make it all stand up. They've never matched this record...they don't have to. There's enough of Back In Black on every subsequent album to keep them in a revered place. Back In Black is simply a great rock and roll album...as good as it gets! [First added to this chart: 04/12/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,032
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,368
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Produced by Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen & Steven Van Zandt. By the time of this album, Bruce was bursting with songs...a double album was a must. The River is stunning, even with its one glaring weakness: 80's keyboards. This album steps above that and showcases a simply beautiful set of songs. The titler track alone makes this chart worthy: everything else puts it where it is. A great collection of songs from one of the best to ever sling a guitar and microphone. Bruce truly is the boss.
[First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,924
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 04/20/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
27,557
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1980-EPIC
Produced By CHRIS HUGHES
1. Dog Eat Dog
2. "Antmusic"
3. Los Rancheros
4. Feed Me To The Lions
5. Press Darlings
6. Ants Invasion
7. Killer In The Home
8. Kings Of The Wild Frontier
9. The Magnificent Five
10. Don't Be Square (Be There)
11. Jolly Roger
12. Physical (You're So)
13. The Human Beings
So weird, you can't make it up. Adam Ant dressed up like a pirate and sang songs about pirates and bugs. And for a few years, he was huge. Kings Of The Wild Frontier is Ant's shining moment, with some catchy weirdness...but what really saves the day is the heavy guitar work of Marco Pirroni. Somehow, the mixture of Ant's strangeness and the fuzzed out guitars makes it all seem to work.
There are some moments that this could have done without, but for the most part, it's catchy, odd 80's fun. The Ants without Adam went on to become Bow Wow Wow around a 14 year old barely clothed lead singer, and Ant himself went on to just get weirder. A great piece of the 80's. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Produced By CHRIS HUGHES
1. Dog Eat Dog
2. "Antmusic"
3. Los Rancheros
4. Feed Me To The Lions
5. Press Darlings
6. Ants Invasion
7. Killer In The Home
8. Kings Of The Wild Frontier
9. The Magnificent Five
10. Don't Be Square (Be There)
11. Jolly Roger
12. Physical (You're So)
13. The Human Beings
So weird, you can't make it up. Adam Ant dressed up like a pirate and sang songs about pirates and bugs. And for a few years, he was huge. Kings Of The Wild Frontier is Ant's shining moment, with some catchy weirdness...but what really saves the day is the heavy guitar work of Marco Pirroni. Somehow, the mixture of Ant's strangeness and the fuzzed out guitars makes it all seem to work.
There are some moments that this could have done without, but for the most part, it's catchy, odd 80's fun. The Ants without Adam went on to become Bow Wow Wow around a 14 year old barely clothed lead singer, and Ant himself went on to just get weirder. A great piece of the 80's. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
705
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 11/15/2013]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
659
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,096
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1980-WARNER BROSTHERS
Produced By JIMMY IOVINE & MARK KNOPFLER
1. Tunnel Of Love
2. Romeo And Juliet
3. Skateaway
4. Expresso Love
5. Hand in Hand
6. Solid Rock
7. Les Boys
I seem to be running into a lot of “topheavy” albums lately…Bringing Down The Horse, Excitable Boy…albums that seem to be front loaded with the best songs, only to weaken as it goes. Making Movies, the third album from Dire Straits, is most definitely one of those. Depending on which side you listen to first, it’s either one of the finest albums ever made, or it’s a sort of a clunker for the band. But what can’t be denied is that “Tunnel Of Love”, “Romeo And Juliet”, and “Skateaway” makes for one of the greatest three track sequences in rock history. With David Knopfler now out of the band, they work as a trio, and it’s as tight as can be. These three songs are beautiful, expansive, and extremely well written.
After that, there’s a serious drop off. The remaining four tracks aren’t bad, they just can’t compare to the first three. Knopfler’s expert playing carries everything, but it is a let down. Still, Making Movies is worth having for just the first half alone. 3 songs, 20 minutes of pure Dire Straits heaven. And then 4 tracks of filler. [First added to this chart: 10/06/2012]
Produced By JIMMY IOVINE & MARK KNOPFLER
1. Tunnel Of Love
2. Romeo And Juliet
3. Skateaway
4. Expresso Love
5. Hand in Hand
6. Solid Rock
7. Les Boys
I seem to be running into a lot of “topheavy” albums lately…Bringing Down The Horse, Excitable Boy…albums that seem to be front loaded with the best songs, only to weaken as it goes. Making Movies, the third album from Dire Straits, is most definitely one of those. Depending on which side you listen to first, it’s either one of the finest albums ever made, or it’s a sort of a clunker for the band. But what can’t be denied is that “Tunnel Of Love”, “Romeo And Juliet”, and “Skateaway” makes for one of the greatest three track sequences in rock history. With David Knopfler now out of the band, they work as a trio, and it’s as tight as can be. These three songs are beautiful, expansive, and extremely well written.
After that, there’s a serious drop off. The remaining four tracks aren’t bad, they just can’t compare to the first three. Knopfler’s expert playing carries everything, but it is a let down. Still, Making Movies is worth having for just the first half alone. 3 songs, 20 minutes of pure Dire Straits heaven. And then 4 tracks of filler. [First added to this chart: 10/06/2012]
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,798
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Total albums: 35. Page 1 of 4
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Top 35 Music Albums of 1980 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Warren Zevon | 2 | 6% | |
| Donnie Iris | 1 | 3% | |
| Rossington Collins Band | 1 | 3% | |
| Bruce Springsteen | 1 | 3% | |
| Daryl Hall | 1 | 3% | |
| The Ex | 1 | 3% | |
| Talking Heads | 1 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 35 Music Albums of 1980 chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 2nd to 1st Against The Wind by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 1st to 2nd Back In Black by AC/DC |
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| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 11/06/2014 21:21 |  thedistantship | 162 | 84/100 |
| ! | 03/26/2014 23:22 |  sssvnnn | 2,865 | 83/100 |
| ! | 02/07/2014 23:14 | PauloPaz | 1,759 | 89/100 |
| ! | 10/28/2013 20:11 |  Antonio-Pedro | 563 | 90/100 |
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From Antonio-Pedro 10/28/2013 20:11 | #89600
Antonio-Pedro 10/28/2013 20:11 | #89600
Great chart aweasome to see "Los Anegles" from X
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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