Top 36 Music Albums of 1985
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 07/16/2025 21:45
- (Created: 04/11/2012 18:38).
- Chart size: 36 albums.
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1985 – WARNER BROTHERS
Produced By NEIL DORFSMAN & MARK KNOPFLER
1. So Far Away
2. Money For Nothing
3. Walk Of Life
4. Your Latest Trick
5. Why Worry
6. Ride Across The River
7. The Man’s Too Strong
8. One World
9. Brothers In Arms
The greatest commercial achievement for Dire Straits also turned out to be the beginning of the end of the band. The last five years had been a struggle for Mark Knopfler and company following the excellent Making Movies. Love Over Gold had the exceptional 14 minute track “Telegraph Road”, but not much else. This had been followed by a somewhat lame extended play and a disappointing live album (Alchemy). So, when Brothers In Arms exploded in 1985, it was actually something of a surprise. That they became the poster band for MTV was even more surprising. “Money For Nothing”, with its cheesy slick animated video and backup vocals by Sting, became ridiculously enormous. The better tracks fared not as well, but don’t disappoint. “So Far Away” is a fine song, but points the way to more mellowness to come. “The Man’s Too Strong” and “Your Latest Trick” are better representative of what Dire Straits was now about…this was fast turning into one of the mellowest bands in the world…had they continued on, they may have gotten even softer.
The two tracks that people identify most with the album are actually the two that don’t fit in. “Money For Nothing” is that huge guitar riff over some badly recorded snare shots and “I want my MTV”. The other is “Walk Of Life”, which (thankfully) sounds nothing like anything the band ever recorded. The rest is Knopfler maturing, and even though the sound is sometimes so quiet you can barely hear it, it’s pretty strong work. The tracks are long…five of the nine are over six minutes long. It’s the stuff that didn’t get hammered into the radio over and over that will stick with you. The hits are disposable and dated, and the album would be better without them. But songs like the title track, “Why Worry”, and “Ride Across The River”, while sounding like whispers compared to earlier Dire Straits tracks, have a definite beauty about them. The band made only one more album, six years after this, and then they were gone. But there’s enough to make you smile here. You just won’t spend much time rocking out to it. [First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Produced By NEIL DORFSMAN & MARK KNOPFLER
1. So Far Away
2. Money For Nothing
3. Walk Of Life
4. Your Latest Trick
5. Why Worry
6. Ride Across The River
7. The Man’s Too Strong
8. One World
9. Brothers In Arms
The greatest commercial achievement for Dire Straits also turned out to be the beginning of the end of the band. The last five years had been a struggle for Mark Knopfler and company following the excellent Making Movies. Love Over Gold had the exceptional 14 minute track “Telegraph Road”, but not much else. This had been followed by a somewhat lame extended play and a disappointing live album (Alchemy). So, when Brothers In Arms exploded in 1985, it was actually something of a surprise. That they became the poster band for MTV was even more surprising. “Money For Nothing”, with its cheesy slick animated video and backup vocals by Sting, became ridiculously enormous. The better tracks fared not as well, but don’t disappoint. “So Far Away” is a fine song, but points the way to more mellowness to come. “The Man’s Too Strong” and “Your Latest Trick” are better representative of what Dire Straits was now about…this was fast turning into one of the mellowest bands in the world…had they continued on, they may have gotten even softer.
The two tracks that people identify most with the album are actually the two that don’t fit in. “Money For Nothing” is that huge guitar riff over some badly recorded snare shots and “I want my MTV”. The other is “Walk Of Life”, which (thankfully) sounds nothing like anything the band ever recorded. The rest is Knopfler maturing, and even though the sound is sometimes so quiet you can barely hear it, it’s pretty strong work. The tracks are long…five of the nine are over six minutes long. It’s the stuff that didn’t get hammered into the radio over and over that will stick with you. The hits are disposable and dated, and the album would be better without them. But songs like the title track, “Why Worry”, and “Ride Across The River”, while sounding like whispers compared to earlier Dire Straits tracks, have a definite beauty about them. The band made only one more album, six years after this, and then they were gone. But there’s enough to make you smile here. You just won’t spend much time rocking out to it. [First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,253
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
87
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[First added to this chart: 11/27/2013]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,610
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 01/30/2015]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,237
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 04/12/2012]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
765
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 05/10/2012]
Buy album
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1985 – SIRE
Produced By TOMMY ERDELYI
1. Hold My Life
2. I’ll Buy
3. Kiss Me On The Bus
4. Dose Of Thumder
5. Waitress In The Sky
6. Swingin’ Party
7. Bastards Of Young
8. Lay It Down Clown
9. Left Of The Dial
10. Little Mascara
11. Here Comes A Regular
The Replacements were an absolute eighties band…never mind the short lived reunions in 2006 and from 2012-2015. In the ten years between 1981 and 1990, the ‘Mats released seven albums of punk driven rock and roll, and they were one of the coolest bands of the decade. Never overly famous, they made their music on their terms, and forged a legacy that lives to this day. Tim is the band’s fourth album, and it marks (along with its predecessor Let It Be) their peak. This is the last album with the original lineup of Paul Westerberg, Bob & Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars, and after this, it was a slow downhill for them. But Tim (they named it Tim because Westerberg “thought it was a nice name”) is magnificent…it’s brutal, hard, fast and perfect.
There aren’t any hits here (the early Replacements didn’t have hits), but there are some truly great moments. “Bastards Of Young” became legendary after a performance on SNL, and “Kiss Me On The Bus” includes a guitar solo by producer Tommy Ramone. Alex Chilton also adds vocals on “Left Of The Dial”. The closing track, “Here Comes A Regular”, is also pretty terrific. As for the rest, this is The Replacements at their very best, so you can’t go wrong with any of it. Lead guitarist Bob Stinson was kicked out after this album, and things were never quite the same. The last three albums sold more copies, but they didn’t pack the punch of the earlier days. And so, as ended the eighties, so ended The Replacements. But we’ll always have their excellent first four albums. [First added to this chart: 10/30/2023]
Produced By TOMMY ERDELYI
1. Hold My Life
2. I’ll Buy
3. Kiss Me On The Bus
4. Dose Of Thumder
5. Waitress In The Sky
6. Swingin’ Party
7. Bastards Of Young
8. Lay It Down Clown
9. Left Of The Dial
10. Little Mascara
11. Here Comes A Regular
The Replacements were an absolute eighties band…never mind the short lived reunions in 2006 and from 2012-2015. In the ten years between 1981 and 1990, the ‘Mats released seven albums of punk driven rock and roll, and they were one of the coolest bands of the decade. Never overly famous, they made their music on their terms, and forged a legacy that lives to this day. Tim is the band’s fourth album, and it marks (along with its predecessor Let It Be) their peak. This is the last album with the original lineup of Paul Westerberg, Bob & Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars, and after this, it was a slow downhill for them. But Tim (they named it Tim because Westerberg “thought it was a nice name”) is magnificent…it’s brutal, hard, fast and perfect.
There aren’t any hits here (the early Replacements didn’t have hits), but there are some truly great moments. “Bastards Of Young” became legendary after a performance on SNL, and “Kiss Me On The Bus” includes a guitar solo by producer Tommy Ramone. Alex Chilton also adds vocals on “Left Of The Dial”. The closing track, “Here Comes A Regular”, is also pretty terrific. As for the rest, this is The Replacements at their very best, so you can’t go wrong with any of it. Lead guitarist Bob Stinson was kicked out after this album, and things were never quite the same. The last three albums sold more copies, but they didn’t pack the punch of the earlier days. And so, as ended the eighties, so ended The Replacements. But we’ll always have their excellent first four albums. [First added to this chart: 10/30/2023]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,974
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 04/24/2014]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
963
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 02/14/2014]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,371
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 08/11/2019]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
412
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,014
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 36. Page 1 of 4
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Top 36 Music Albums of 1985 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| The Replacements | 1 | 3% | |
| Lone Justice | 1 | 3% | |
| Paul Young | 1 | 3% | |
| a-ha | 1 | 3% | |
| Killing Joke | 1 | 3% | |
| The Cure | 1 | 3% | |
| The Smiths | 1 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 36 Music Albums of 1985 chart changes
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Other year charts by Romanelli
(from the 1980s)| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 78 Music Albums of 1989 | Romanelli | 1989 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 71 Music Albums of 1988 | Romanelli | 1988 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 52 Music Albums of 1987 | Romanelli | 1987 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 49 Music Albums of 1986 | Romanelli | 1986 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 36 Music Albums of 1985 | Romanelli | 1985 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 36 Music Albums of 1984 | Romanelli | 1984 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 35 Music Albums of 1983 | Romanelli | 1983 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 38 Music Albums of 1982 | Romanelli | 1982 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 26 Music Albums of 1981 | Romanelli | 1981 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 35 Music Albums of 1980 | Romanelli | 1980 year chart | 2025 | |
Top 36 Music Albums of 1985 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  | 04/01/2021 14:49 | DJENNY | | 100/100 |
| 100/100 | 11/02/2012 00:20 | strawberryfields | | 95/100 |
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From Romanelli 01/09/2014 22:04
Romanelli 01/09/2014 22:04
I dig The Replacements a lot, but I admit that I haven't gotten around to adding much of them to my collection. They're one of those bands that just keep getting pushed back. I've always had Let It Be as a favorite, though. This may get me moving to add more of them!
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From 
Mercury 01/09/2014 21:34
Mercury 01/09/2014 21:34
This is cool. I came here because I was curious to see Pete Townsend's album as your #1 of '85 yet lower than 250 overall. I personally have Tim, Hounds of Love and Rain Dogs all in my overall top 40.
What are your thoughts on The Replacements?
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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.