Top 39 Music Albums of 1982
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 01/16/2026 15:45
- (Created: 04/12/2012 17:46).
- Chart size: 39 albums.
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[First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
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[First added to this chart: 09/16/2012]
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[First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1983*
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,963
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1982- WARNER BROS.
Produced By FLEETWOOD MAC, RICHARD DASHUT & KEN CAILLAT
1. Love In Store
2. Can’t Go Back
3. That’s Alright
4. Book Of Love
5. Gypsy
6. Only Over You
7. Empire State
8. Straight Back
9. Hold Me
10. Oh Diane
11. Eyes Of The World
12. Wish You Were Here
People remember Fleetwood Mac as being an absolute hit machine in the latter half of the seventies. The truth is, Fleetwood Mac was formed in 1967, and has actually spent most of their history as an average band with a handful of hits. But for that two album burst in 1975 and 1977, this group ruled the world. By 1982, they had taken a year off after the Tusk tour, and Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks had both launched successful solo careers. In short, the Fleetwood Mac momentum was over. Mirage came three years after Tusk, and after the solo successes of Stevie and Lindsey. It never reached the levels achieved by the self titled ’75 album and Rumours…but this does have its magical moments. The talent in this band, regardless of how fractured they could be, was undeniable.
Fleetwood Mac has had 11 official guitar players…not counting those who were touring members only. Lindsey Buckingham is the man here, and he is excellent, as always…and he’s backed away from his experimentation that guided Tusk into the strange forays he led them into. The highlights here are easy…Nicks has a pure hit with “Gypsy”, a song that would have fit perfectly on Rumours. And Christine McVie’s “Hold Me” is everything that this band was great at with this lineup. The rest lacks the punch that the Buckingham Nicks lineup used to deliver…it’s good, but it won’t have you begging for more just like it. The closest they come to a third great track here is Buckingham’s UK hit “Oh Diane”, which is really pretty average after what had come before. Mirage is good. But it also signals the end of the great Mac years as we knew them. [First added to this chart: 03/03/2021]
Produced By FLEETWOOD MAC, RICHARD DASHUT & KEN CAILLAT
1. Love In Store
2. Can’t Go Back
3. That’s Alright
4. Book Of Love
5. Gypsy
6. Only Over You
7. Empire State
8. Straight Back
9. Hold Me
10. Oh Diane
11. Eyes Of The World
12. Wish You Were Here
People remember Fleetwood Mac as being an absolute hit machine in the latter half of the seventies. The truth is, Fleetwood Mac was formed in 1967, and has actually spent most of their history as an average band with a handful of hits. But for that two album burst in 1975 and 1977, this group ruled the world. By 1982, they had taken a year off after the Tusk tour, and Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks had both launched successful solo careers. In short, the Fleetwood Mac momentum was over. Mirage came three years after Tusk, and after the solo successes of Stevie and Lindsey. It never reached the levels achieved by the self titled ’75 album and Rumours…but this does have its magical moments. The talent in this band, regardless of how fractured they could be, was undeniable.
Fleetwood Mac has had 11 official guitar players…not counting those who were touring members only. Lindsey Buckingham is the man here, and he is excellent, as always…and he’s backed away from his experimentation that guided Tusk into the strange forays he led them into. The highlights here are easy…Nicks has a pure hit with “Gypsy”, a song that would have fit perfectly on Rumours. And Christine McVie’s “Hold Me” is everything that this band was great at with this lineup. The rest lacks the punch that the Buckingham Nicks lineup used to deliver…it’s good, but it won’t have you begging for more just like it. The closest they come to a third great track here is Buckingham’s UK hit “Oh Diane”, which is really pretty average after what had come before. Mirage is good. But it also signals the end of the great Mac years as we knew them. [First added to this chart: 03/03/2021]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
448
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1982 – EPIC
Produced By QUINCY JONES & MICHAEL JACKSON
1. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl Is Mine
4. Thriller (Feat. Vincent Price)
5. Beat It (Feat. Eddie Van Halen)
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9. The Lady In My Life
The legacy of Thriller goes far beyond the myths and strangeness of the life of Michael Jackson. The gloved one had closed out the 70’s with Off The Wall, an album that would have been the crowning achievement for most people. Michael was able to take the sound and mixture of different genres from that album and actually improve on it. The success of Thriller is staggering to this day, but not nearly as amazing as how criminally underrated the album has become over the years. Even after his death in 2009, when this suddenly jumped to be the 14th best selling album of that year, Thriller remains an afterthought to many, and is rarely mentioned among the greatest albums of all time. Of its nine tracks, seven were released as singles, and the album reached number one in 10 different countries…and was the US Billboard year end album for 1983. AND 1984. Staggering.
Thriller has some of everything. It’s nearly all danceable, and charged the transition from disco to the 80’s. It’s pop. It’s R&B. Funk. Rock. Jackson blurred every line he could find with Thriller, and made a perfect album. It’s impossible to deny the power of tracks like “Billie Jean”, “Beat It”, “Thriller”…any of them. His videos made him even bigger, and his use of rock musicians (Paul McCartney and Eddie Van Halen) made him accessible to everyone. Jackson’s groove is flawless, as is the production by Quincy Jones. The fact that the nine songs were absolute perfect choices doesn’t hurt, either. The legacy of Thriller gets lost sometimes in the circus that Jackson himself would become shortly after this…but there are great reasons why this is one of the top selling albums of all time. It’s just flat out perfect. One of the best records ever made, by a genius before he started falling to pieces. [First added to this chart: 08/26/2012]
Produced By QUINCY JONES & MICHAEL JACKSON
1. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl Is Mine
4. Thriller (Feat. Vincent Price)
5. Beat It (Feat. Eddie Van Halen)
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9. The Lady In My Life
The legacy of Thriller goes far beyond the myths and strangeness of the life of Michael Jackson. The gloved one had closed out the 70’s with Off The Wall, an album that would have been the crowning achievement for most people. Michael was able to take the sound and mixture of different genres from that album and actually improve on it. The success of Thriller is staggering to this day, but not nearly as amazing as how criminally underrated the album has become over the years. Even after his death in 2009, when this suddenly jumped to be the 14th best selling album of that year, Thriller remains an afterthought to many, and is rarely mentioned among the greatest albums of all time. Of its nine tracks, seven were released as singles, and the album reached number one in 10 different countries…and was the US Billboard year end album for 1983. AND 1984. Staggering.
Thriller has some of everything. It’s nearly all danceable, and charged the transition from disco to the 80’s. It’s pop. It’s R&B. Funk. Rock. Jackson blurred every line he could find with Thriller, and made a perfect album. It’s impossible to deny the power of tracks like “Billie Jean”, “Beat It”, “Thriller”…any of them. His videos made him even bigger, and his use of rock musicians (Paul McCartney and Eddie Van Halen) made him accessible to everyone. Jackson’s groove is flawless, as is the production by Quincy Jones. The fact that the nine songs were absolute perfect choices doesn’t hurt, either. The legacy of Thriller gets lost sometimes in the circus that Jackson himself would become shortly after this…but there are great reasons why this is one of the top selling albums of all time. It’s just flat out perfect. One of the best records ever made, by a genius before he started falling to pieces. [First added to this chart: 08/26/2012]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,384
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1982-WARNER ARCHIVES/RHINO
Produced By MARSHALL CRENSHAW & RICHARD GOTTEHRER
1. There She Goes Again
2. Someday, Someway
3. Girls...
4. I'll Do Anything
5. Rockin' Around In NYC
6. The Usual Thing
7. She Can't Dance
8. Cynical Girl
9. Mary Anne
10. Soldier Of Love
11. Not For Me
12. Brand New Lover
Bonus Tracks
13. Starlit Summer Sky (Demo 1979)
14. Whenever You're On My Mind (Demo 1979)
15. You're My Favorite Waste Of Time
16. Somebody Like You
17. Rave On (Live 1982)
18. The Usual Thing (Live 1982)
19. Stop Her On Sight (SOS) (Live 1982)
20. Look At What I Almost Missed (Live 1982)
21. I've Been Good To You (Live 1981)
It's pretty much impossible to say which is correct...was Marshall Crenshaw years too late, or was he years ahead of his time? Maybe he was both. Marshall Crenshaw was maybe the most critically loved debut album of all time...and for good reason. This was the resurgence of rock and roll, and the perfection of power pop all in one bespectacled package. This is a stunning album, and songs like "Someday, Someway" and the magical "Cynical Girl" make this pretty much the power pop bible. It was, however, 1982, and rock & roll was in a flux...New Wave was rushing in, born of punk, hair metal was pushing ourt what is now known as classic rock, and Marshall Crenshaw was out of place. Too bad, because this is a truly great album that was lost in the shuffle.
The 2000 reissue has some amazing bonus tracks...something bonus tracks usually are not. "Whenever You're On My Mind" is a demo, but it's still one of the great lost pop songs, and to have it here makes it even sweeter... and it saves you from having to get the much lesser follow up album Field Day. "You're My Favorite Waste Of Time" is just as good. And the live tracks are great as well, including the Buddy Holly track "Rave On". (Crenshaw is forever compared to Holly for his looks, his appearance as Holly in "La Bamba", and his music). Crenshaw never came close to his debut album, partly because he didn't want to be nailed down to one specific sound. But you should definitely have this record. Because 1982 was the year of Marshall Crenshaw, and it doesn't get much better than this. [First added to this chart: 04/14/2012]
Produced By MARSHALL CRENSHAW & RICHARD GOTTEHRER
1. There She Goes Again
2. Someday, Someway
3. Girls...
4. I'll Do Anything
5. Rockin' Around In NYC
6. The Usual Thing
7. She Can't Dance
8. Cynical Girl
9. Mary Anne
10. Soldier Of Love
11. Not For Me
12. Brand New Lover
Bonus Tracks
13. Starlit Summer Sky (Demo 1979)
14. Whenever You're On My Mind (Demo 1979)
15. You're My Favorite Waste Of Time
16. Somebody Like You
17. Rave On (Live 1982)
18. The Usual Thing (Live 1982)
19. Stop Her On Sight (SOS) (Live 1982)
20. Look At What I Almost Missed (Live 1982)
21. I've Been Good To You (Live 1981)
It's pretty much impossible to say which is correct...was Marshall Crenshaw years too late, or was he years ahead of his time? Maybe he was both. Marshall Crenshaw was maybe the most critically loved debut album of all time...and for good reason. This was the resurgence of rock and roll, and the perfection of power pop all in one bespectacled package. This is a stunning album, and songs like "Someday, Someway" and the magical "Cynical Girl" make this pretty much the power pop bible. It was, however, 1982, and rock & roll was in a flux...New Wave was rushing in, born of punk, hair metal was pushing ourt what is now known as classic rock, and Marshall Crenshaw was out of place. Too bad, because this is a truly great album that was lost in the shuffle.
The 2000 reissue has some amazing bonus tracks...something bonus tracks usually are not. "Whenever You're On My Mind" is a demo, but it's still one of the great lost pop songs, and to have it here makes it even sweeter... and it saves you from having to get the much lesser follow up album Field Day. "You're My Favorite Waste Of Time" is just as good. And the live tracks are great as well, including the Buddy Holly track "Rave On". (Crenshaw is forever compared to Holly for his looks, his appearance as Holly in "La Bamba", and his music). Crenshaw never came close to his debut album, partly because he didn't want to be nailed down to one specific sound. But you should definitely have this record. Because 1982 was the year of Marshall Crenshaw, and it doesn't get much better than this. [First added to this chart: 04/14/2012]
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1982 – WARNER BROTHERS
Produced By GARY KATZ
1. I.G.Y.
2. Green Flower Street
3. Ruby Baby
4. Maxine
5. New Frontier
6. The Nightfly
7. The Goodbye Look
8. Walk Between Raindrops
In the 70’s, Steely Dan invented the world of adult contemporary music, which in turn gave birth to new age music. For these two sins alone, Donald Fagen and his Steely Dan partner, Walter Becker, should be forever scolded. But Fagen took it a step further with his 1982 solo debut album, The Nightfly. The Dan began life as a band that could rock some, but they moved steadily away from that from album to album. In fact, it could be said that Steely Dan was a band for people who wanted to like rock, but who didn’t really know what that was. The Nightfly contains two successful, very catchy and pretty fine singles in “I.G.Y.” and “New Frontier”, making it an album that still generates sales, and over which fans of Steely Dan continue to drool over. Those two songs are fine, and insured a nice solo career for Fagen for years to come.
As for the rest, there is a lot of music that is smooth, expertly played, and that is the epitome of what new age music really is…annoying, clinical, and elevator music for a new generation. Most cringe-worthy is the title track, which recalls Fagen’s time as a disc jockey, and includes a chorus of “An independent station/WJAZ/With jazz and conversation/At the foot of Mount Belzoni”. There’s a slightly interesting take on the classic “Ruby Baby”, and a lot of mostly unlistenable dreck that stands as a definition of what new age music really was when, five years later, the legendary Los Angeles rock station KMET became The Wave, and gave the music of the likes of Donald Fagen a real home. The two hits are worth hearing. The rest is not worth having…unless you happen to like your rock something that does not actually rock. [First added to this chart: 11/26/2012]
Produced By GARY KATZ
1. I.G.Y.
2. Green Flower Street
3. Ruby Baby
4. Maxine
5. New Frontier
6. The Nightfly
7. The Goodbye Look
8. Walk Between Raindrops
In the 70’s, Steely Dan invented the world of adult contemporary music, which in turn gave birth to new age music. For these two sins alone, Donald Fagen and his Steely Dan partner, Walter Becker, should be forever scolded. But Fagen took it a step further with his 1982 solo debut album, The Nightfly. The Dan began life as a band that could rock some, but they moved steadily away from that from album to album. In fact, it could be said that Steely Dan was a band for people who wanted to like rock, but who didn’t really know what that was. The Nightfly contains two successful, very catchy and pretty fine singles in “I.G.Y.” and “New Frontier”, making it an album that still generates sales, and over which fans of Steely Dan continue to drool over. Those two songs are fine, and insured a nice solo career for Fagen for years to come.
As for the rest, there is a lot of music that is smooth, expertly played, and that is the epitome of what new age music really is…annoying, clinical, and elevator music for a new generation. Most cringe-worthy is the title track, which recalls Fagen’s time as a disc jockey, and includes a chorus of “An independent station/WJAZ/With jazz and conversation/At the foot of Mount Belzoni”. There’s a slightly interesting take on the classic “Ruby Baby”, and a lot of mostly unlistenable dreck that stands as a definition of what new age music really was when, five years later, the legendary Los Angeles rock station KMET became The Wave, and gave the music of the likes of Donald Fagen a real home. The two hits are worth hearing. The rest is not worth having…unless you happen to like your rock something that does not actually rock. [First added to this chart: 11/26/2012]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,456
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 10/05/2012]
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1982 – SCOTTI BROS.
Produced By FRANKIE SULLIVAN
1. Eye Of The Tiger
2. Feels Like Love
3. Hesitation Dance
4. The One That Really Matters
5. I’m Not That Man Anymore
6. Children Of The Night
7. Ever Since The World Began
8. American Heartbeat
9. Silver Girl
In 1982, Sylvester Stallone approached Survivor and asked them to write a song for the upcoming film Rocky III. The result was the song “Eye Of The Tiger”, which would prove to be the band’s biggest hit. They also recorded their third album with the song as its title, securing them their biggest selling album. You might think of Survivor as a one hit wonder, but they actually had a few hits during the eighties, and there were three other singles released from this album. But in the end, Survivor will always be remembered for the song that put them over the top…and for that same song that made them into the band that did that Rocky song. But the truth is, “Eye Of The Tiger” was, by far, the most interesting thing they ever did.
The other three singles here are not nearly as catchy as the title track, and for a hard rock band, Survivor comes across as somewhat bland. The weakest track here is the minor hit “American Heartbeat” (yeah…I don’t remember that one either), but nothing is actually bad. It’s just there. Still, this is their most popular album, and it’s their best one. They split at the end of the 80’s then regrouped, but have only released one album since 1988…they’re still touring, though. Also of note: original member and “Eye Of The Tiger” songwriter Jim Peterik was first a member of the band The Ides Of March who had a huge hit in 1970 with “Vehicle”. Peterik is back with the Ides, who have been at it since 1966. [First added to this chart: 09/11/2018]
Produced By FRANKIE SULLIVAN
1. Eye Of The Tiger
2. Feels Like Love
3. Hesitation Dance
4. The One That Really Matters
5. I’m Not That Man Anymore
6. Children Of The Night
7. Ever Since The World Began
8. American Heartbeat
9. Silver Girl
In 1982, Sylvester Stallone approached Survivor and asked them to write a song for the upcoming film Rocky III. The result was the song “Eye Of The Tiger”, which would prove to be the band’s biggest hit. They also recorded their third album with the song as its title, securing them their biggest selling album. You might think of Survivor as a one hit wonder, but they actually had a few hits during the eighties, and there were three other singles released from this album. But in the end, Survivor will always be remembered for the song that put them over the top…and for that same song that made them into the band that did that Rocky song. But the truth is, “Eye Of The Tiger” was, by far, the most interesting thing they ever did.
The other three singles here are not nearly as catchy as the title track, and for a hard rock band, Survivor comes across as somewhat bland. The weakest track here is the minor hit “American Heartbeat” (yeah…I don’t remember that one either), but nothing is actually bad. It’s just there. Still, this is their most popular album, and it’s their best one. They split at the end of the 80’s then regrouped, but have only released one album since 1988…they’re still touring, though. Also of note: original member and “Eye Of The Tiger” songwriter Jim Peterik was first a member of the band The Ides Of March who had a huge hit in 1970 with “Vehicle”. Peterik is back with the Ides, who have been at it since 1966. [First added to this chart: 09/11/2018]
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[First added to this chart: 10/14/2012]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
748
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 39. Page 1 of 4
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Top 39 Music Albums of 1982 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Richard & Linda Thompson | 1 | 3% | |
| Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers | 1 | 3% | |
| X (US) | 1 | 3% | |
| Kate Bush | 1 | 3% | |
| Squeeze | 1 | 3% | |
| Survivor | 1 | 3% | |
| Roxy Music | 1 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 39 Music Albums of 1982 chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 24th to 23rdThe Number Of The Beast by Iron Maiden |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 23rd to 24thThe Blue Mask by Lou Reed |
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| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 02/06/2014 21:22 | PauloPaz | 1,759 | 89/100 |
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| Best Artists of 1969 | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Beatles | |
| 2. Led Zeppelin | |
| 3. King Crimson | |
| 4. The Rolling Stones | |
| 5. The Velvet Underground | |
| 6. Creedence Clearwater Revival | |
| 7. Nick Drake | |
| 8. Miles Davis | |
| 9. Neil Young | |
| 10. Neil Young & Crazy Horse | |
| 11. Frank Zappa | |
| 12. The Who | |
| 13. The Band | |
| 14. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band | |
| 15. The Kinks | |
| 16. The Stooges | |
| 17. Crosby, Stills & Nash | |
| 18. Sly & The Family Stone | |
| 19. Fairport Convention | |
| 20. Townes Van Zandt |
