Best Albums of the 1980s
Listed below are the best albums of the 1980s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 58,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 5 hours ago).
"Yet another great Nick Cave album, and really the last of the more darker earlier records. After this, Cave wouldn't exactly turn into Elton John, but his music would become more accessible, although still not exactly commercial. The tender prey kicks off with, the mercy seat, another classic Cav..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,469
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Phenomenal guitar playing, but the music/vocals aren't my thing." Reply
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RoundTheBend | 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:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,467
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Want something different? Here you go. Bad Brains is a former jazz & fusion band made up of African American Rastafarians who love reggae and fast punk. The album was originally released on cassette only, reissued in 1996 with a bonus track. It's the fastest, most well played punk you'll ever hea..." [+] Reply
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Romanelli | 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:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,464
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"This a criminally underrated album, and an underrated band in general. As a big fan of new wave, this is one of my favorite albums in the genre. Best tracks: Under the Milky Way, Reptile, Destination, Spark" Reply
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,450
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Somewhere in time, is always thought of as the weakest of the Bruce Dickinson eighties albums, and yes, Alexander the great, is terrible, but the rest, especially the first side, is great. Caught somewhere in time, is a great opening track, and, wasted years, is a great pop metal anthem. Sea of m..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,441
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Rattle and hum, is U2 taking us on a journey of the history of rock. There's covers of The Beatles and Dylan, Hendrix appears on the record, and the band record a handful of songs at sun studios where Elvis recorded his earliest songs. Elsewhere, there's songs about Billie Holiday, references to ..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,412
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Bob Dylan's return to form after the artistic and commercial disasters of knocked out loaded and down in the groove. The key to this success, aside from Dylan's songs, was Bono's urging to use Daniel Lanois as producer. It's a perfect marriage. Lanois' production brings an atmospheric soundscape ..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,411
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"I know I'm in a huge minority, but this is the album I come back to, More than the previous 2. Let it be and Tim are fine albums, But this one gets me juiced more. Alex chilton and can't hardly wait Are two of my favorite songs of all time, and skyway is just emotionally Gorgeous" Reply
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,409
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Sting is excellent for his voice and his message. Consistently reflective and sometimes haunting he makes interesting music. I prefer the debut and Ten Summoners Tales over this, but I rank Nothing Like the Sun 3rd or 4th in his Catalogue Fragile is a fantastic song. Englishman in New York is a f..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,407
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"This album and Licensed To Ill by the Beastie Boys bring back some many memories of High School. Both records are a perfect and play together well as a mix." Reply
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llibnanoon | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 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:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,406
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 20 of 100
Best Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 119 | 12% | |
| 1981 | 119 | 12% | |
| 1982 | 107 | 11% | |
| 1983 | 97 | 10% | |
| 1984 | 100 | 10% | |
| 1985 | 87 | 9% | |
| 1986 | 92 | 9% | |
| 1987 | 88 | 9% | |
| 1988 | 98 | 10% | |
| 1989 | 95 | 10% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Cure | 10 | 1% | |
| Iron Maiden | 8 | 1% | |
| Depeche Mode | 8 | 1% | |
| The Smiths | 8 | 1% | |
| Rush | 8 | 1% | |
| R.E.M. | 7 | 1% | |
| Talking Heads | 7 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
414 | 41% | |
 |
392 | 39% | |
 |
41 | 4% | |
 |
27 | 3% | |
 |
22 | 2% | |
 |
20 | 2% | |
 |
12 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
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