Best Albums of the 1980s
Listed below are the best albums of the 1980s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 59,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 1 hour ago).
"Get happy, is Elvis Costello's soul album. Motown and Stax is where the heart of this record lies. It's a 20 track LP, and it's breathless. Love for tender, kicks the album off in that fashion and it never let's up. From the catchy, king horse, and, possession, to the more relaxed, secondary mode..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,852
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Such an underrated album. I can't believe it's ranked number 18. One of the best albums from the new wave/post punk era. The music is dark, but beautifuly arranged and interesting. Please give it a try." Reply
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,849
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Comments:
"for me, early rap music has not aged particularly well.. seminal though it may be, this just doesn't hold up against anything today.. lyrically or musically.. whereas in other genres, the groundbreaking releases seem to compare very favourably to modern equivalents" Reply
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telefunker | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (5 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,844
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"Until this album Genesis music broadly followed mythological themes, even after Peter Gabriel's departure, A trick of the Tail adhered to this ethos... but this album stands alone in their catalogue (at least to me) in that it marks a sea change in their thinking. Not quite yet the pop driven wor..." [+] Reply
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badfaith | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,844
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"The first and best Commotions album, still love listening to this now." Reply
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,829
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Comments:
"Anyone who tells you they don't enjoy Fairy Tale of New York year-round is either a scrooge or a liar." Reply
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kynes | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,825
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"This is a great album, and as the person before me said, this is better than their next and more popular album, Songs from the Big Chair. In addition to really thoughtful lyrics, the music here is really good. The melodies are memorable and interesting, the vocals are nice (almost sounding like t..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,825
Rank in 1983:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"One of the most haunting rock albums ever recorded. Absolutely different that the post punk scene was creating at that time. Experimental, beautiful and gives u a lot to think about. Makeshift Swahili must be one of the best rock songs ive ever heared." Reply
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,803
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Comments:
"Brilliant debut album. Great songs right through. Deserves more credit than it gets. Paul Di'Anno's vocals give a different rawness than what was to come when Bruce replaced him, but in no way is he a bad singer. Suited the songs and style very well. A great album." Reply
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,801
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"The last truly classic Jam album, sound affects in another tour de force from Weller and co. Full of great songs including, that's entertainment, set the house ablaze, and, pretty green. Start, is a good track but how on earth Weller didn't get sued for it's similarity to a Beatles song is simply..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,788
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 15 of 100
Best Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 121 | 12% | |
| 1981 | 119 | 12% | |
| 1982 | 107 | 11% | |
| 1983 | 95 | 10% | |
| 1984 | 101 | 10% | |
| 1985 | 88 | 9% | |
| 1986 | 91 | 9% | |
| 1987 | 89 | 9% | |
| 1988 | 97 | 10% | |
| 1989 | 92 | 9% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| The Cure | 10 | 1% | |
| Iron Maiden | 8 | 1% | |
| The Smiths | 8 | 1% | |
| Rush | 8 | 1% | |
| The Fall | 7 | 1% | |
| Depeche Mode | 7 | 1% | |
| R.E.M. | 7 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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412 | 41% | |
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392 | 39% | |
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40 | 4% | |
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29 | 3% | |
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22 | 2% | |
 |
19 | 2% | |
 |
12 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
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