Top 38 Music Albums of 1984
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 11/19/2025 19:15
- (Created: 04/11/2012 18:54).
- Chart size: 38 albums.
There are 2 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 38 Music Albums of 1984 has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 5 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from United States. (Remove this filter)
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Produced by Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Bruce Springsteen & Steve Van Zandt. So Bruce made a pop album. And it was made at a time when pop had really bad keyboards. And "Dancing In The Dark" just would not shut up. Still, the man can write the shit out of a song, and perform it twice as well. Underneath the gloss of this album lies more of Springsteen's heart and soul, and underneath songs like "Born In The USA" lies truth, beauty, honesty, and love. I hate that I love this album, but I do.
[First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,913
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
82
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 12/12/2017]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,771
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
1984 – I.R.S.
Produced By DON DIXON & MITCH EASTER
1. Harborcoat
2. 7 Chinese Bros.
3. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
4. Pretty Persuasion
5. Time After Time (Annelise)
6. Second Guessing
7. Letter Never Sent
8. Camera
9. (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville
10. Little America
There was nothing like R.E.M. on the rock landscape in 1984. They were practically inventing alternative rock while the masses were into New Wave, hair metal, and the death throes of what is now known as classic rock. Their first album, Murmur, was a hit with critics and the people who took notice of this odd band from Georgia. With Reckoning, R.E.M. not only further solidified their sound, but they also began to reach a wider audience, thanks to a pair of hits in “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” and the almost conventional rock of “Don’t Go Back To) Rockville”. The jangly guitars of Peter Buck, the wandering basslines of Mike Mills, and the almost indecipherable lyrics from Michael Stipe made for exciting and ultimately cool music.
Reckoning is loaded with great moments from the band. “Harborcoat” opens the record with everything that makes R.E.M. great, and still stands as one of their greatest songs. “Pretty Persuasion” and “7 Chinese Brothers” are exceptional as well. R.E.M. was considered to be “college rock” at the time, a label they would soon outgrow as they became more famous. This is a band that has had multiple great albums, and Reckoning is definitely one of those. The growth of alternative rock and R.E.M,. in the decade of the eighties is one of rock’s most important and interesting excursions. A band and an album you can’t go wrong with. [First added to this chart: 06/17/2021]
Produced By DON DIXON & MITCH EASTER
1. Harborcoat
2. 7 Chinese Bros.
3. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
4. Pretty Persuasion
5. Time After Time (Annelise)
6. Second Guessing
7. Letter Never Sent
8. Camera
9. (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville
10. Little America
There was nothing like R.E.M. on the rock landscape in 1984. They were practically inventing alternative rock while the masses were into New Wave, hair metal, and the death throes of what is now known as classic rock. Their first album, Murmur, was a hit with critics and the people who took notice of this odd band from Georgia. With Reckoning, R.E.M. not only further solidified their sound, but they also began to reach a wider audience, thanks to a pair of hits in “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)” and the almost conventional rock of “Don’t Go Back To) Rockville”. The jangly guitars of Peter Buck, the wandering basslines of Mike Mills, and the almost indecipherable lyrics from Michael Stipe made for exciting and ultimately cool music.
Reckoning is loaded with great moments from the band. “Harborcoat” opens the record with everything that makes R.E.M. great, and still stands as one of their greatest songs. “Pretty Persuasion” and “7 Chinese Brothers” are exceptional as well. R.E.M. was considered to be “college rock” at the time, a label they would soon outgrow as they became more famous. This is a band that has had multiple great albums, and Reckoning is definitely one of those. The growth of alternative rock and R.E.M,. in the decade of the eighties is one of rock’s most important and interesting excursions. A band and an album you can’t go wrong with. [First added to this chart: 06/17/2021]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,252
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
1984-GEFFEN
Produced By DON HENLEY, DANNY KORTCHMAR & GREG LADANYI
1. The Boys Of Summer
2. You Can’t Make Love
3. Man With A Mission
4. You’re Not Drinking Enough
5. Not Enough Love In The World
6. Building The Perfect Beast
7. All She Wants To Do Is Dance
8. A Month Of Sundays
9. Sunset Grill
10. Drivin’ With Your Eyes Closed
11. Land Of The Living
Don Henley’s first solo album, I Can’t Stand Still, was pretty bad stuff. His second, 1984’s Building The Perfect Beast, was most definitely a step or two in the right direction. And it definitely established him as a successful solo artist in his own right, and not just that singing drummer from the Eagles. The album was a hit, with four charting singles, helped along with an all star cast that would make anyone envious (Lindsey Buckingham AND Mike Campbell on guitar? Not fair!). And Henley distances himself from his former band by including not one trace of the signature Eagles twang. Henley wisely accepted songwriting help from his collaborators (not just Danny Kortchmar, but three of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers), resulting in a recording loaded with excellent songs. On paper, Building The Perfect Beast looks like the exact formula for a great, classic album.
So, what exactly is the problem here? The year was 1984, and the instrument in vogue in 1984 was the synthesizer. And on top of this collection of well written tunes lies a layer of synthesizers so thick that you could do a line off of them. Ten different musicians are credited with playing keyboards on the album, but it sounds more like twenty. This may be, in fact, the most keyboard heavy album of the 80’s…and that’s saying a lot. And we’re not talking piano here…we’re talking cheesy, plastic sounding 80’s synths that just a decade later sounded horribly dated. It’s now been three decades, and it hasn’t gotten any better. The songs are still there…”The Boys Of Summer”, “Sunset Grill”, “Not Enough Love In The World”, “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”, and the rocking “Dancing With Your Eyes Closed”. You just wish that someday Henley would go back and take all of those hideous keys off of it. Because if he did, this would be a truly amazing album. Maybe someday… [First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Produced By DON HENLEY, DANNY KORTCHMAR & GREG LADANYI
1. The Boys Of Summer
2. You Can’t Make Love
3. Man With A Mission
4. You’re Not Drinking Enough
5. Not Enough Love In The World
6. Building The Perfect Beast
7. All She Wants To Do Is Dance
8. A Month Of Sundays
9. Sunset Grill
10. Drivin’ With Your Eyes Closed
11. Land Of The Living
Don Henley’s first solo album, I Can’t Stand Still, was pretty bad stuff. His second, 1984’s Building The Perfect Beast, was most definitely a step or two in the right direction. And it definitely established him as a successful solo artist in his own right, and not just that singing drummer from the Eagles. The album was a hit, with four charting singles, helped along with an all star cast that would make anyone envious (Lindsey Buckingham AND Mike Campbell on guitar? Not fair!). And Henley distances himself from his former band by including not one trace of the signature Eagles twang. Henley wisely accepted songwriting help from his collaborators (not just Danny Kortchmar, but three of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers), resulting in a recording loaded with excellent songs. On paper, Building The Perfect Beast looks like the exact formula for a great, classic album.
So, what exactly is the problem here? The year was 1984, and the instrument in vogue in 1984 was the synthesizer. And on top of this collection of well written tunes lies a layer of synthesizers so thick that you could do a line off of them. Ten different musicians are credited with playing keyboards on the album, but it sounds more like twenty. This may be, in fact, the most keyboard heavy album of the 80’s…and that’s saying a lot. And we’re not talking piano here…we’re talking cheesy, plastic sounding 80’s synths that just a decade later sounded horribly dated. It’s now been three decades, and it hasn’t gotten any better. The songs are still there…”The Boys Of Summer”, “Sunset Grill”, “Not Enough Love In The World”, “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”, and the rocking “Dancing With Your Eyes Closed”. You just wish that someday Henley would go back and take all of those hideous keys off of it. Because if he did, this would be a truly amazing album. Maybe someday… [First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,103
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 06/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
775
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
1984-TWIN TONE
Produced By STEVE FJELSTAD, PAUL WESTERBERG & PETER JESPERSON
1. I Will Dare
2. Favorite Thing
3. We're Comin' Out
4. Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out
5. Androgynous
6. Black Diamond
7. Unsatisfied
8. Seen Your Video
9. Gary's Got A Boner
10. Sixteen Blue
11. Answering Machine
In 1984, The Replacements had grown tired of playing exclusively loud and fast songs, so they decided to concentrate on songs rather than noise. And, apparently, balls as well. Naming their third album after The Beatles classic (Paul Westerberg has said that they had planned on calling the next one Let It Bleed) and including a KISS cover ("Black Diamond"), this was not going to be a typical record in any way.
And, luckily, it's not. There are bits that are annoying, but it's all washed away by the strength of songs like "I Will Dare", "Sixteen Blue", "Unsatisfied", and "Answering Machine". Stange bits like "Androgynous" offset rockers like "Gary's Got A Boner" quite well. This is a band growing into themselves and realizing that they had a lot more to offer than just fast punk. One of the better albums of the 80's. Gotta love tha Mats! [First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Produced By STEVE FJELSTAD, PAUL WESTERBERG & PETER JESPERSON
1. I Will Dare
2. Favorite Thing
3. We're Comin' Out
4. Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out
5. Androgynous
6. Black Diamond
7. Unsatisfied
8. Seen Your Video
9. Gary's Got A Boner
10. Sixteen Blue
11. Answering Machine
In 1984, The Replacements had grown tired of playing exclusively loud and fast songs, so they decided to concentrate on songs rather than noise. And, apparently, balls as well. Naming their third album after The Beatles classic (Paul Westerberg has said that they had planned on calling the next one Let It Bleed) and including a KISS cover ("Black Diamond"), this was not going to be a typical record in any way.
And, luckily, it's not. There are bits that are annoying, but it's all washed away by the strength of songs like "I Will Dare", "Sixteen Blue", "Unsatisfied", and "Answering Machine". Stange bits like "Androgynous" offset rockers like "Gary's Got A Boner" quite well. This is a band growing into themselves and realizing that they had a lot more to offer than just fast punk. One of the better albums of the 80's. Gotta love tha Mats! [First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,540
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2012]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,965
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 03/25/2014]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,253
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
1988-ROUNDER
Produced By SOLOMON BURKE
1. Introduction/Everybody Needs Somebody To Love
2. Medley: Tonight's The Night/Beautiful Brown Eyes/Just A Matter Of Time/Monologue (The Women Of Today)/Hold What You've Got/He'll Have To Go
3. Cry To Me
4. Medley: Monologue/Take Me (Just As I Am)/I Can't Stop Loving You/Monologue/I Can't Stop Loving You (Reprise)
5. Down In The Valley
6. Proud Mary
7. Introduction To Encore/Gotta Get You Off My Mind (Instrumental)
8. Medley: Meet Me In Church/The Price/Words/Monologue
9. Medley: You're Good For Me/Send Me Some Lovin'
10. Medley: Gotta Get You Off My Mind/Having A Party/Amen
If there's anyone who knows how to throw a party, it's Solomon Burke. Soul Alive is a masterful live show from this master of soul that will leave you standing, clapping, screaming for more, and maybe speaking in tongues while you're at it. Burke's energy is non-stop, and the songs just keep coming at you. His monologues are pretty excelklent too...rants about being good to your women, not forgetting to tell the one you love that you love them. Burke's messages are positive and laced with soul.
And songwise...the medleys are flawless. Single songs like "Cry To Me" and "Down In The Valley" are beautifully done, and he does "Proud Mary" plenty of justice. This is a truly great live album...and revival show...and church service...all rolled up into one neat little package. Excellent. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Produced By SOLOMON BURKE
1. Introduction/Everybody Needs Somebody To Love
2. Medley: Tonight's The Night/Beautiful Brown Eyes/Just A Matter Of Time/Monologue (The Women Of Today)/Hold What You've Got/He'll Have To Go
3. Cry To Me
4. Medley: Monologue/Take Me (Just As I Am)/I Can't Stop Loving You/Monologue/I Can't Stop Loving You (Reprise)
5. Down In The Valley
6. Proud Mary
7. Introduction To Encore/Gotta Get You Off My Mind (Instrumental)
8. Medley: Meet Me In Church/The Price/Words/Monologue
9. Medley: You're Good For Me/Send Me Some Lovin'
10. Medley: Gotta Get You Off My Mind/Having A Party/Amen
If there's anyone who knows how to throw a party, it's Solomon Burke. Soul Alive is a masterful live show from this master of soul that will leave you standing, clapping, screaming for more, and maybe speaking in tongues while you're at it. Burke's energy is non-stop, and the songs just keep coming at you. His monologues are pretty excelklent too...rants about being good to your women, not forgetting to tell the one you love that you love them. Burke's messages are positive and laced with soul.
And songwise...the medleys are flawless. Single songs like "Cry To Me" and "Down In The Valley" are beautifully done, and he does "Proud Mary" plenty of justice. This is a truly great live album...and revival show...and church service...all rolled up into one neat little package. Excellent. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Total albums: 24. Page 1 of 3
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Top 38 Music Albums of 1984 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| The Smiths | 2 | 5% | |
| James Brown | 1 | 3% | |
| Don Henley | 1 | 3% | |
| David Allan Coe | 1 | 3% | |
| Queen | 1 | 3% | |
| King Sunny Adé & His African Beats | 1 | 3% | |
| Van Halen | 1 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 38 Music Albums of 1984 chart changes
There have been no changes to this chart.Top 38 Music Albums of 1984 similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
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 73 Music Albums of 1988 | Romanelli | 1988 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 53 Music Albums of 1987 | Romanelli | 1987 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 49 Music Albums of 1986 | Romanelli | 1986 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 38 Music Albums of 1985 | Romanelli | 1985 year chart | 2025 | |
| Top 38 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 38 Music Albums of 1984 ratings
87/100 (from 5 votes)
where:
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.
N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing all 5 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 10/28/2014 20:12 | jdizzle123456 | | 89/100 |
| 70/100 | 03/26/2014 23:24 |  sssvnnn | | 83/100 |
| 90/100 | 02/15/2014 20:07 | PauloPaz | | 89/100 |
| 100/100 | 01/10/2013 01:34 | guigs13 | | 88/100 |
| 100/100 | 11/02/2012 00:36 | strawberryfields | | 95/100 |
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
Top 38 Music Albums of 1984 favourites
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a favourite
Top 38 Music Albums of 1984 comments
Showing all 2 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
90/100
From jdizzle123456 10/28/2014 20:12
Good stuff
#125660 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From guigs13 01/10/2013 01:34
Excellent chart!!
#60880 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment
Your feedback for Top 38 Music Albums of 1984
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
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.
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.
| Best Artists of the 2020s | |
|---|---|
| 1. Black Country, New Road | |
| 2. The Strokes | |
| 3. Charli XCX | |
| 4. Little Simz | |
| 5. Kendrick Lamar | |
| 6. Fontaines D.C. | |
| 7. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard | |
| 8. Taylor Swift | |
| 9. Big Thief | |
| 10. The Smile | |
| 11. Phoebe Bridgers | |
| 12. Fiona Apple | |
| 13. Lana Del Rey | |
| 14. Black Midi | |
| 15. Sufjan Stevens | |
| 16. The Weeknd | |
| 17. Magdalena Bay | |
| 18. Jessie Ware | |
| 19. Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra | |
| 20. Tyler, The Creator |
