Top 60 Music Albums of the 1980s by 
DriftingOrpheus 
- Chart updated: 04/04/2024 16:15
- (Created: 04/25/2020 18:47).
- Chart size: 60 albums.
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Very few vocalists dare to be as concomitantly witty and snide as Manchester's own, Morrissey. The brainchild of both he and guitarist-extraordinaire Johnny Marr, The Smiths were a dominant force behind the ever-transfiguring musical landscape of the 1980's. Their music was romantic, frequently Victorian in thematic approach and most of all, sagaciously melodic. 1986's indie rock oeuvre The Queen is Dead bears all of those aforementioned qualities, with a heavy dose of political juxtaposition and mournful longing for love to boot. Only the words of Morrissey could seem so unabashedly supercilious and painfully vulnerable.
Sonically, the foursome has never produced a richer album. Take I Know It's Over for example, the archetype for loneliness in track form. It begins as a bellowing croon which matures into a booming declaration of resigned fate. Bigmouth Strikes Again plays with pitch on Morrissey's vocals that serve as backing that gently coat Marr's expert guitar playing. Mike Joyce's steadily-paced drumming on There is a Light that Never Goes Out provides support as the spine of a track that is revered by most self-proclaimed "Smithsonians". Morrissey's appeal to logos on Cemetry Gates functions as a scathing rallying cry against plagiarism and the absence of original thought found in his analyzation of the disposition of art at the time.
Later in the fleeting recording history of one of the decade's finest acts, the band began to be gravitationally pulled towards the sun of the ego of its vocalist. A direction that divided the group, but The Queen is Dead stands unpolluted by those philosophical imbalances. This is a record that optimizes the potential and contributions of every member equally, uniformly proficient and poignant in staggering detail. The Smiths are chiefly remembered as an 80's ensemble, but this record sounds as unlinked to time as any record in history. Truly, the only thing ordinary about the band was the namesake.
"And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her roman nose
And her hearing aid started to melt"
-Bigmouth Strikes Again
Standout Tracks:
1. I Know It's Over
2. There is a Light and It Never Goes Out
3. Bigmouth Strikes Again
94 [First added to this chart: 04/27/2020]
Sonically, the foursome has never produced a richer album. Take I Know It's Over for example, the archetype for loneliness in track form. It begins as a bellowing croon which matures into a booming declaration of resigned fate. Bigmouth Strikes Again plays with pitch on Morrissey's vocals that serve as backing that gently coat Marr's expert guitar playing. Mike Joyce's steadily-paced drumming on There is a Light that Never Goes Out provides support as the spine of a track that is revered by most self-proclaimed "Smithsonians". Morrissey's appeal to logos on Cemetry Gates functions as a scathing rallying cry against plagiarism and the absence of original thought found in his analyzation of the disposition of art at the time.
Later in the fleeting recording history of one of the decade's finest acts, the band began to be gravitationally pulled towards the sun of the ego of its vocalist. A direction that divided the group, but The Queen is Dead stands unpolluted by those philosophical imbalances. This is a record that optimizes the potential and contributions of every member equally, uniformly proficient and poignant in staggering detail. The Smiths are chiefly remembered as an 80's ensemble, but this record sounds as unlinked to time as any record in history. Truly, the only thing ordinary about the band was the namesake.
"And now I know how Joan of Arc felt
Now I know how Joan of Arc felt
As the flames rose to her roman nose
And her hearing aid started to melt"
-Bigmouth Strikes Again
Standout Tracks:
1. I Know It's Over
2. There is a Light and It Never Goes Out
3. Bigmouth Strikes Again
94 [First added to this chart: 04/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
39,151
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
264
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When discussing The Smiths within musical circles, many would cite The Queen is Dead's politically-laced barrages of sound or perhaps the shyly-communicated romantic and physical insecurities of the band's brilliant debut record. When Meat is Murder eventually surfaces in conversation, it comes embroidered with the tagline, "The one where Morrissey pontificates about vegan ideals?" While it's certainly true that the album's title track is just as preachy as it is powerful, the record stands (albeit mostly unseen by most) as one of the band's most consistently brilliant outings. One could certainly attest to this album being the most varied in the discography, fluctuating between windswept, idyllic ballads and guitar-driven, rebellious canticles. This stylistic grab bag usually results in an uneven sonic experience, however, with the collective talent on hand, The Smiths deliver a master stroke markedly representative of their entire body of work.
The Headmaster Ritual kicks off the record, which serves as the band's statement on corporal punishment in educational settings. Marr's guitar is promptly infectious on the track, serving as the skeleton of the song while Mike Joyce's drum hits assume the figure of a percussive heart. Morrissey's yowls can be found scattered throughout, bridging between condemning cries of "Belligerent ghouls, run Manchester schools, spineless bastards all." The frontman's personal experiences can certainly be inferred upon here. It's possible his inclination towards artistic pursuits and not athletics made his time at school tumultuous. The Headmaster Ritual is a potent opener, flaunting wondrous instrumentation and inciting social discourse. Track two entitled, Rusholme Ruffians, conjures a carnival scene set against the backdrop of a hot summer evening in Manchester. Morrissey, from a lyrical standpoint, relays his most satirical skepticisms. He beckons, "Scratch my name on your arm with a fountain pen, this means you really love me." He then recants (slightly), proclaiming that his "faith in love is still devout". Sixth track, Nowhere Fast, continues with all things snide, although far less concealed. Lyrics such as, "I'd like to drop my trousers to the Queen, every sensible child will know what this means" serve as a playful foreshadowing of political sentiments to follow. Marr's rockabilly rhythms once again propel the track reiteratively interlocked with Joyce's dependable drumming. For the quintet, Nowhere Fast acts as the musical equivalent of "cocking a snook". The album then coasts into seventh track, Well I Wonder, manifesting as part lullaby and epitaph. The appropriate visual accompaniment is that of beads of rain wandering down a windowpane as the sound of the drops patter overhead. Morrissey's vocal delivery is painful serene here as he croons, "Gasping, but somehow still alive, this is the fierce last stand of all I am." Andy Rourke's bass work creates a sense of space for the vocals, constructing a visual of Morrissey transmitting from the deepest, ghastliest alleyway where his pained but gorgeous falsettos only go as far as the wind takes them.
Morrissey's polarizing views on meat-infused diets, (comparing meat eating to child abuse and biting into your grandmother among others), often lampoon the album as an extension of those divisive statements. These snippets, nevertheless, should not detract from what an immense triumph this record still is, despite the idealogical load it must unfairly saddle. The Smiths were indeed two steps ahead of most of their contemporaries in the 1980's and routinely reduced similar-sounding groups to cut-rate emulations. Coinciding with their imminent prime was Meat is Murder, a stirring collection of some of The Smiths' finest musical exertions, layered and textured both in instrumentation and poetic capability. Ignominiously, It continues to remain back-seated when pitted against other Smiths discography entries. Oddly enough, you'll "get a crack on the head" for daring to bring it up.
"This is the last night of the fair,
and the grease in the hair,
of a speedway operator
is all a tremulous heart requires.
A schoolgirl is denied
She said : "How quickly would I die
If I jumped from the top of the parachutes?"
--Rusholme Ruffians
Standout Tracks:
1. Nowhere Fast
2. The Headmaster Ritual
3. Rusholme Ruffians
92.1 [First added to this chart: 04/27/2020]
The Headmaster Ritual kicks off the record, which serves as the band's statement on corporal punishment in educational settings. Marr's guitar is promptly infectious on the track, serving as the skeleton of the song while Mike Joyce's drum hits assume the figure of a percussive heart. Morrissey's yowls can be found scattered throughout, bridging between condemning cries of "Belligerent ghouls, run Manchester schools, spineless bastards all." The frontman's personal experiences can certainly be inferred upon here. It's possible his inclination towards artistic pursuits and not athletics made his time at school tumultuous. The Headmaster Ritual is a potent opener, flaunting wondrous instrumentation and inciting social discourse. Track two entitled, Rusholme Ruffians, conjures a carnival scene set against the backdrop of a hot summer evening in Manchester. Morrissey, from a lyrical standpoint, relays his most satirical skepticisms. He beckons, "Scratch my name on your arm with a fountain pen, this means you really love me." He then recants (slightly), proclaiming that his "faith in love is still devout". Sixth track, Nowhere Fast, continues with all things snide, although far less concealed. Lyrics such as, "I'd like to drop my trousers to the Queen, every sensible child will know what this means" serve as a playful foreshadowing of political sentiments to follow. Marr's rockabilly rhythms once again propel the track reiteratively interlocked with Joyce's dependable drumming. For the quintet, Nowhere Fast acts as the musical equivalent of "cocking a snook". The album then coasts into seventh track, Well I Wonder, manifesting as part lullaby and epitaph. The appropriate visual accompaniment is that of beads of rain wandering down a windowpane as the sound of the drops patter overhead. Morrissey's vocal delivery is painful serene here as he croons, "Gasping, but somehow still alive, this is the fierce last stand of all I am." Andy Rourke's bass work creates a sense of space for the vocals, constructing a visual of Morrissey transmitting from the deepest, ghastliest alleyway where his pained but gorgeous falsettos only go as far as the wind takes them.
Morrissey's polarizing views on meat-infused diets, (comparing meat eating to child abuse and biting into your grandmother among others), often lampoon the album as an extension of those divisive statements. These snippets, nevertheless, should not detract from what an immense triumph this record still is, despite the idealogical load it must unfairly saddle. The Smiths were indeed two steps ahead of most of their contemporaries in the 1980's and routinely reduced similar-sounding groups to cut-rate emulations. Coinciding with their imminent prime was Meat is Murder, a stirring collection of some of The Smiths' finest musical exertions, layered and textured both in instrumentation and poetic capability. Ignominiously, It continues to remain back-seated when pitted against other Smiths discography entries. Oddly enough, you'll "get a crack on the head" for daring to bring it up.
"This is the last night of the fair,
and the grease in the hair,
of a speedway operator
is all a tremulous heart requires.
A schoolgirl is denied
She said : "How quickly would I die
If I jumped from the top of the parachutes?"
--Rusholme Ruffians
Standout Tracks:
1. Nowhere Fast
2. The Headmaster Ritual
3. Rusholme Ruffians
92.1 [First added to this chart: 04/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,861
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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- #Sponsored
89
[First added to this chart: 04/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,643
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album
- #Sponsored
79.3
[First added to this chart: 04/27/2020]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,376
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 4. Page 1 of 1
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Top 60 Music Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1980 | 6 | 10% | |
| 1981 | 7 | 12% | |
| 1982 | 9 | 15% | |
| 1983 | 9 | 15% | |
| 1984 | 5 | 8% | |
| 1985 | 7 | 12% | |
| 1986 | 6 | 10% | |
| 1987 | 4 | 7% | |
| 1988 | 2 | 3% | |
| 1989 | 5 | 8% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Swans | 6 | 10% | |
| New Order | 5 | 8% | |
| The Smiths | 4 | 7% | |
| The Adicts | 4 | 7% | |
| Tom Waits | 4 | 7% | |
| Misfits | 2 | 3% | |
| Dead Kennedys | 2 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 60 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 7 from 40th to 33rd Your Funeral... My Trial by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 1 from 33rd to 34th Discipline by King Crimson |
| Down 1 from 34th to 35th Technique by New Order |
| Down 1 from 35th to 36th Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush |
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DriftingOrpheus (2024)Top 60 Music Albums of the 1980s ratings
89/100 (from 3 votes)
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Showing all 3 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 100/100  | 08/30/2021 17:41 | DJENNY | | 100/100 |
| 95/100 | 07/20/2021 15:03 |  Larcx13 | | 86/100 |
| 100/100 | 04/28/2021 19:07 |  Rhyner | | 99/100 |
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95/100
From Larcx13 07/20/2021 15:03
Larcx13 07/20/2021 15:03
Love that Misfits album!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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