Top 38 Music Albums of 1985
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 12/07/2025 01:15
- (Created: 04/11/2012 18:38).
- Chart size: 38 albums.
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1985-ELEKTRA
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. Just What I Needed
2. Since You're Gone
3. You Might Think
4. Good Times Roll
5. Touch And Go
6. Drive
7. Tonight She Comes
8. My Best Friend's Girl
9. Heartbeat City
10. Let's Go
11. I'm Not The One
12. Magic
13. Shake It Up
By 1985, The Cars were finished. They had just one horrible album left in them, and they were done. But they were a great singles band from 1978 through 1984.This does the job as far as the big hits are concerned, but the later release of Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology does a much better job. The songs here are all great, but they are placed in random order rather than chronological, and there could be more worthy tracks that just aren't here. "Tonight She Comes" was previously unreleased,and the rest are from the band's first 5 albums. No liner notes and skimpiness make this only okay.
The Cars were a great band for their period. They wrote great songs, and their recordings were expertly done. They were even successful on MTV, despite the goofiness of Ric Ocasek. The recent reunion with Todd Rundgren, though tempting, is not somewhere I really want to go. The Cars should be remembered for what they did in the 70's and 80's. I can't imagine that songs like "Drive" and "Heartbeat City" sound as good played today as they did with the original band. [First added to this chart: 01/31/2013]
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. Just What I Needed
2. Since You're Gone
3. You Might Think
4. Good Times Roll
5. Touch And Go
6. Drive
7. Tonight She Comes
8. My Best Friend's Girl
9. Heartbeat City
10. Let's Go
11. I'm Not The One
12. Magic
13. Shake It Up
By 1985, The Cars were finished. They had just one horrible album left in them, and they were done. But they were a great singles band from 1978 through 1984.This does the job as far as the big hits are concerned, but the later release of Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology does a much better job. The songs here are all great, but they are placed in random order rather than chronological, and there could be more worthy tracks that just aren't here. "Tonight She Comes" was previously unreleased,and the rest are from the band's first 5 albums. No liner notes and skimpiness make this only okay.
The Cars were a great band for their period. They wrote great songs, and their recordings were expertly done. They were even successful on MTV, despite the goofiness of Ric Ocasek. The recent reunion with Todd Rundgren, though tempting, is not somewhere I really want to go. The Cars should be remembered for what they did in the 70's and 80's. I can't imagine that songs like "Drive" and "Heartbeat City" sound as good played today as they did with the original band. [First added to this chart: 01/31/2013]
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1985-SIRE
Produced By DANIEL MILLER, GARETH JONES & DEPECHE MODE
1. Dreaming Of Me
2. New Life
3. Just Can't Get Enough
4. See You
5. The Meaning Of Love
6. Love In Itself
7. Master And Servant
8. Blasphemous Rumours
9. Somebody
10. Shake The Disease
11. Flexible
12. It's Called A Heart
13. Fly On The Windscreen
If it weren't for Depeche Mode, there would have been not nearly as much cool about new wave as there was. And while the early material has the cheesiest keyboard sound on the planet, they still wrote some really cool songs. Catching Up is a compilation released in the US only to give people a taste of what the then up and coming band had done on their first 4 albums. The songs are good...in particular, "Master And Servant" and "Fly On The Windscreen". Depeche Mode had more substance and staying power than their contemporaries...this album shows why.
The Mode is still at it today. They got darker after this was released, and they are considered electronic music pioneers. But they did also have some really great songs as well. [First added to this chart: 12/22/2012]
Produced By DANIEL MILLER, GARETH JONES & DEPECHE MODE
1. Dreaming Of Me
2. New Life
3. Just Can't Get Enough
4. See You
5. The Meaning Of Love
6. Love In Itself
7. Master And Servant
8. Blasphemous Rumours
9. Somebody
10. Shake The Disease
11. Flexible
12. It's Called A Heart
13. Fly On The Windscreen
If it weren't for Depeche Mode, there would have been not nearly as much cool about new wave as there was. And while the early material has the cheesiest keyboard sound on the planet, they still wrote some really cool songs. Catching Up is a compilation released in the US only to give people a taste of what the then up and coming band had done on their first 4 albums. The songs are good...in particular, "Master And Servant" and "Fly On The Windscreen". Depeche Mode had more substance and staying power than their contemporaries...this album shows why.
The Mode is still at it today. They got darker after this was released, and they are considered electronic music pioneers. But they did also have some really great songs as well. [First added to this chart: 12/22/2012]
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1985-COLUMBIA
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. The Streamlined Cannon Ball
2. Lonesome Old River Blues
3. You’re The Only Star (In My Blue Heaven)
4. Wabash Cannon Ball
5. Drifting Too Far From The Shore
6. Steel Guitar Blues
7. Ida Red
8. I’ll Be Alone
9. Low And Lonely
10. When I Lay My Burden Down
11. Wonder Is All I Do
12. Weary Lonesome Blues
13. New Greenback Dollar
14. Freight Train Blues
15. The Heart That Was Broken For Me
16. The Southbound Train
Take a listen to this, then take a listen to 5 minutes of modern country, and you’ll ask yourself one question: what the hell happened? Roy Acuff, who died in 1992, was The King Of Country. His career was highly successful from the 1930’s to the 1950’s, with his popularity dwindling as the 60’s were born. These tracks were all recorded between 1936 and 1951, and every one of them is impeccable. Six off the tracks were first time releases, making the collection even better. Songs like “Wabash Cannon Ball”, “Freight Train Blues”, and “When I Lay My Burden Down” should be a part of everyone’s collection, never to be forgotten.
Acuff may not be well known outside of country circles now, but he was once one of the biggest names in the genre. In 1962, he became the first living member to be inducted in the Country Music Hall Of Fame, and he was a mainstay at the Opry until he died in the 90’s. This collection compiles his time with Columbia Records, which ended in 1952. Acuff was one of the very best ever in country music, and this collection gets everything about the man right. [First added to this chart: 09/16/2012]
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. The Streamlined Cannon Ball
2. Lonesome Old River Blues
3. You’re The Only Star (In My Blue Heaven)
4. Wabash Cannon Ball
5. Drifting Too Far From The Shore
6. Steel Guitar Blues
7. Ida Red
8. I’ll Be Alone
9. Low And Lonely
10. When I Lay My Burden Down
11. Wonder Is All I Do
12. Weary Lonesome Blues
13. New Greenback Dollar
14. Freight Train Blues
15. The Heart That Was Broken For Me
16. The Southbound Train
Take a listen to this, then take a listen to 5 minutes of modern country, and you’ll ask yourself one question: what the hell happened? Roy Acuff, who died in 1992, was The King Of Country. His career was highly successful from the 1930’s to the 1950’s, with his popularity dwindling as the 60’s were born. These tracks were all recorded between 1936 and 1951, and every one of them is impeccable. Six off the tracks were first time releases, making the collection even better. Songs like “Wabash Cannon Ball”, “Freight Train Blues”, and “When I Lay My Burden Down” should be a part of everyone’s collection, never to be forgotten.
Acuff may not be well known outside of country circles now, but he was once one of the biggest names in the genre. In 1962, he became the first living member to be inducted in the Country Music Hall Of Fame, and he was a mainstay at the Opry until he died in the 90’s. This collection compiles his time with Columbia Records, which ended in 1952. Acuff was one of the very best ever in country music, and this collection gets everything about the man right. [First added to this chart: 09/16/2012]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 09/01/2012]
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1985-SIRE
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. Rescue
2. The Puppet
3. Do It Clean
4. A Promise
5. The Back Of Love
6. The Cutter
7. Never Stop
8. The Killing Moon
9. Silver
10. Seven Seas
11. Bring On The Dancing Horses
With a name like Echo & The Bunnymen, how do you take them seriously? You listen to them. This New Wave band from Liverpool had all of the right Beatles influences...but were also big fans of The Doors, which made them a melodic band with a definite darker side. And they were better than most of their contemporaries. Songs To Learn And Sing is an early compilation from their first 4 albums plus some bonus gems ("Bring On The Dancing Horses" is from the Pretty In Pink soundtrack.) From their first hit, "Rescue", through the excellent "The Killing Moon" and everything in between, this is early 80's music at its best.
Their biggest US hit, "Lips Like Sugar", would be released later in 1985. Had they waited a year or 2, this would have been even better. But it's still a great collection. Also, the band name...the rumor always was that "Echo" was their drum machine, as they didn't have a drummer in the early days. Ian McCullouch has denied that, saying that it was just a stupid name. Their last album came in 2014. The Bunnymen soldier on. [First added to this chart: 12/06/2015]
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. Rescue
2. The Puppet
3. Do It Clean
4. A Promise
5. The Back Of Love
6. The Cutter
7. Never Stop
8. The Killing Moon
9. Silver
10. Seven Seas
11. Bring On The Dancing Horses
With a name like Echo & The Bunnymen, how do you take them seriously? You listen to them. This New Wave band from Liverpool had all of the right Beatles influences...but were also big fans of The Doors, which made them a melodic band with a definite darker side. And they were better than most of their contemporaries. Songs To Learn And Sing is an early compilation from their first 4 albums plus some bonus gems ("Bring On The Dancing Horses" is from the Pretty In Pink soundtrack.) From their first hit, "Rescue", through the excellent "The Killing Moon" and everything in between, this is early 80's music at its best.
Their biggest US hit, "Lips Like Sugar", would be released later in 1985. Had they waited a year or 2, this would have been even better. But it's still a great collection. Also, the band name...the rumor always was that "Echo" was their drum machine, as they didn't have a drummer in the early days. Ian McCullouch has denied that, saying that it was just a stupid name. Their last album came in 2014. The Bunnymen soldier on. [First added to this chart: 12/06/2015]
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[First added to this chart: 01/17/2018]
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1985 – MCA
Produced By NORMAN PETTY
1. That’ll Be The Day
2. Oh, Boy!
3. Not Fade Away
4. Tell Me How
5. Maybe Baby
6. Everyday
7. Rock Around With Ollie Vee
8. It’s So Easy
9. I’m Lookin’ Fort Someone To Love
10. Peggy Sue
11. I’m Gonna Love You Too
12. Words Of Love
13. Rave On
14. Well…All Right
15. Listen To Me
16. Think It Over
17. Heartbeat
18. Reminiscing
19. It Doesn’t Matter Anymore
20. True Love Ways
Buddy Holly was just 22 years old when he was killed in that famous plane crash in 1959. He released just three studio albums during his lifetime, but he has remained one of the most popular recording artists of all time. How can that be? Well, just take a listen to this 1985 compilation. Pretty much every song here should be at least familiar to anyone who listens to rock and roll. In other words…twenty bona fide hits. All recorded between 1956 and 1958. And remember…he was just 22 when he died. He was a rock & roll pioneer, and his hitmaking ability rivaled that of Elvis himself. After he died, his music remained so popular (especially in Europe) that virtually every scrap of music he recorded was issued in the decade that followed. So much so that in 2009, a six CD compilation called Not Fade Away was released.
The number of compilation albums from Holly numbers in the hundreds…a ridiculous number. But that has not diminished his importance at all. From The Original Master Tapes came out in 1985, and it’s as good as any Holly collection…meaning that it has the twenty TRULY important Holly tracks. The only minus is that it has no liner notes…but I’m pretty sure we all have Wikipedia by now. These are his best tracks, and they were very tastefully remastered (no tricks) by Steve Hoffman. This is a no frills compilation that is actually what it says it is…remastered from the originals. There are a lot of compilations with Holly’s name on them that have inferior demo recordings, poor quality live tracks, and things that were meant for the trash can in the studio. This one is of fine quality, and is worth having. [First added to this chart: 10/15/2012]
Produced By NORMAN PETTY
1. That’ll Be The Day
2. Oh, Boy!
3. Not Fade Away
4. Tell Me How
5. Maybe Baby
6. Everyday
7. Rock Around With Ollie Vee
8. It’s So Easy
9. I’m Lookin’ Fort Someone To Love
10. Peggy Sue
11. I’m Gonna Love You Too
12. Words Of Love
13. Rave On
14. Well…All Right
15. Listen To Me
16. Think It Over
17. Heartbeat
18. Reminiscing
19. It Doesn’t Matter Anymore
20. True Love Ways
Buddy Holly was just 22 years old when he was killed in that famous plane crash in 1959. He released just three studio albums during his lifetime, but he has remained one of the most popular recording artists of all time. How can that be? Well, just take a listen to this 1985 compilation. Pretty much every song here should be at least familiar to anyone who listens to rock and roll. In other words…twenty bona fide hits. All recorded between 1956 and 1958. And remember…he was just 22 when he died. He was a rock & roll pioneer, and his hitmaking ability rivaled that of Elvis himself. After he died, his music remained so popular (especially in Europe) that virtually every scrap of music he recorded was issued in the decade that followed. So much so that in 2009, a six CD compilation called Not Fade Away was released.
The number of compilation albums from Holly numbers in the hundreds…a ridiculous number. But that has not diminished his importance at all. From The Original Master Tapes came out in 1985, and it’s as good as any Holly collection…meaning that it has the twenty TRULY important Holly tracks. The only minus is that it has no liner notes…but I’m pretty sure we all have Wikipedia by now. These are his best tracks, and they were very tastefully remastered (no tricks) by Steve Hoffman. This is a no frills compilation that is actually what it says it is…remastered from the originals. There are a lot of compilations with Holly’s name on them that have inferior demo recordings, poor quality live tracks, and things that were meant for the trash can in the studio. This one is of fine quality, and is worth having. [First added to this chart: 10/15/2012]
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[First added to this chart: 10/17/2024]
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1985-RHINO
Produced By BILL INGLOT
1. Bye Bye Love
2. I Wonder If I Care As Much
3. Wake Up Little Susie
4. This Little Girl Of Mine
5. Brand New Heartache
6. Hey Doll Baby
7. All I Have To Do Is Dream
8. Claudette
9. Bird Dog
10. Devoted To You
11. Problems
12. Love Of My Life
13. I'm Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail
14. Take A Message To Mary
15. Poor Jenny
16. ('Til) I Kissed You
17. Let It Be Me
18. Since You Broke My Heart
19. Like Strangers
20. When Will I Be Loved
Before The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and any number of groups with great harmonies, there were The Everly Brothers. If great vocals are your thing, then this should be a gold mine for you. Between 1957 and 1960, Phil and Don released gem after gem, and the ones collected here are all excellent. Not a single second rate track on the disc. These guys may be almost forgotten, but this music should be listened to. Classic stuff all the way.
After the period covered on this disc, they went on to more success in the 60's with Warner Brothers. They broke up in 1973 and got back together in 1983. Phil Everly died in 2014. [First added to this chart: 11/11/2025]
Produced By BILL INGLOT
1. Bye Bye Love
2. I Wonder If I Care As Much
3. Wake Up Little Susie
4. This Little Girl Of Mine
5. Brand New Heartache
6. Hey Doll Baby
7. All I Have To Do Is Dream
8. Claudette
9. Bird Dog
10. Devoted To You
11. Problems
12. Love Of My Life
13. I'm Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail
14. Take A Message To Mary
15. Poor Jenny
16. ('Til) I Kissed You
17. Let It Be Me
18. Since You Broke My Heart
19. Like Strangers
20. When Will I Be Loved
Before The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, and any number of groups with great harmonies, there were The Everly Brothers. If great vocals are your thing, then this should be a gold mine for you. Between 1957 and 1960, Phil and Don released gem after gem, and the ones collected here are all excellent. Not a single second rate track on the disc. These guys may be almost forgotten, but this music should be listened to. Classic stuff all the way.
After the period covered on this disc, they went on to more success in the 60's with Warner Brothers. They broke up in 1973 and got back together in 1983. Phil Everly died in 2014. [First added to this chart: 11/11/2025]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
0
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
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[First added to this chart: 08/30/2024]
Total albums: 10. Page 1 of 1
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Top 38 Music Albums of 1985 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Little Richard | 1 | 3% | |
| Pete Townshend | 1 | 3% | |
| The Cult | 1 | 3% | |
| Robert Palmer | 1 | 3% | |
| LL Cool J | 1 | 3% | |
| The Replacements | 1 | 3% | |
| Aretha Franklin | 1 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 38 Music Albums of 1985 chart changes
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Top 38 Music Albums of 1985 ratings
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Showing all 2 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 04/01/2021 14:49 | DJENNY | 4,365 | 100/100 |
| ! | 11/02/2012 00:20 | strawberryfields | 273 | 95/100 |
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From Romanelli 01/09/2014 22:04 | #100313
Romanelli 01/09/2014 22:04 | #100313
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 | #100311
Mercury 01/09/2014 21:34 | #100311
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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