Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s
by drstuey

In my decade charts I'm really focusing on sonic innovation, so there may be some that are flawed or now sound a bit dated, and ones that are "just" rock or pop music (even if amazing collections of songs) will be lower down. This is very much a work in progress and won't be finished until I have reappraised every year.
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Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 04/08/2021]
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
105
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 04/08/2021]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,006
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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[First added to this chart: 04/08/2021]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,011
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 04/08/2021]
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
230
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 04/10/2021]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
44
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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It's almost impossible to split Surfer Rosa and Doolittle they are both so perfect. Sometimes one is my favourite, sometimes the other, so they can go together in this chart. [First added to this chart: 04/08/2021]
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
12,017
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 04/08/2021]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
31,541
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Top rated album (88/100 - 2952 votes)  88 (2,952 votes)
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 04/08/2021]
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,693
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 04/08/2021]
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,761
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 04/08/2021]
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
32
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s composition

Year Albums %


1980 12 12%
1981 13 13%
1982 6 6%
1983 8 8%
1984 9 9%
1985 11 11%
1986 9 9%
1987 10 10%
1988 12 12%
1989 10 10%
Country Albums %


United Kingdom 62 62%
United States 23 23%
Mixed Nationality 6 6%
Australia 4 4%
Canada 1 1%
Iceland 1 1%
Germany 1 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 95 95%
Yes 5 5%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 99 99%
Yes 1 1%

Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes

Biggest climbers
Climber Up 62 from 74th to 12th
16 Lovers Lane
by The Go-Betweens
Climber Up 56 from 80th to 24th
Kilimanjaro
by The Teardrop Explodes
Climber Up 44 from 93rd to 49th
Why Should I Stand Up?
by The Colorblind James Experience
Biggest fallers
Faller Down 45 from 15th to 60th
Seventeen Seconds
by The Cure
Faller Down 33 from 18th to 51st
Pornography
by The Cure
Faller Down 5 from 47th to 52nd
The Trinity Session
by Cowboy Junkies
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Uncut: The 500 Greatest Albums Of The 1980s (1-100)WayneMCCustom chart2024
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s Secondsoul1980s decade chart2015
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980svmp1980s decade chart2014
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980swilltoshower1980s decade chart2022Unknown
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980sMrump1980s decade chart2023
Record Mirror Albums Of The '80sSteppenwolf666Custom chart2021
Record Mirror Albums Of The '80sRecord Mirror1980s decade chart1989United Kingdom

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drstuey has created 4 other 1980s decade charts - click here to explore them all.

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