Best Albums of the 1980s

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1.

The Queen Is Dead 

 The Smiths

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"The Queen is Dead has an allure that no other album can match, what other lp can you reach for, when to put it simpy, no other will do? Who else in the music industry but Morrissey could dare to write a love song as suicidally but as beautifully pessimistic as 'I Know It's Over'? And this is the ...""The Queen is Dead has an allure that no other album can match, what other lp can you reach for, when to put it simpy, no other will do? Who else in the music industry but Morrissey could dare to write a love song as suicidally but as beautifully pessimistic as 'I Know It's Over'? And this is the crux: the reason why the album and The Smiths were loved so much was because Morrissey laid bare and SANG the insecurities, paranoias, and foibles, that most people like to keep hidden under their mask of 'normality'. That and the fact that Marr was very literally on fire and the songs were the very best to have been written (how can There's a Light That Never Goes Out not be one of the greatest songs ever written?). The Queen is Dead is a masterpiece."  [+]  Reply

- johnner | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +18 votes (19 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:

1986

Appears in:

2,494 charts

Rank Score:

32,708

Rank in 1986:

1

Rank in 1980s:

1

Overall Rank:

16

Average Rating:

 88 (2,939 votes)

Comments:

265

2.

Doolittle 

 Pixies

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"Their are albums and artists who I struggle with - My Bloody Valentine, Bob Dylan, and this band the Pixies. I have played this album over and over and over trying to understand its greatness just like MBV’s Loveless and I just don’t get it. I’ve tried my best and concede that it’s not for me, I ...""Their are albums and artists who I struggle with - My Bloody Valentine, Bob Dylan, and this band the Pixies. I have played this album over and over and over trying to understand its greatness just like MBV’s Loveless and I just don’t get it. I’ve tried my best and concede that it’s not for me, I guess a perfect example of someone’s rubbish being another’s treasure. Oh well not trying to offend as I’m sure I have favs that others are still scratching their heads why?"  [+]  Reply

- Simon_bramhall | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +12 votes (12 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:

1989

Appears in:

2,557 charts

Rank Score:

30,757

Rank in 1989:

1

Rank in 1980s:

2

Overall Rank:

18

Average Rating:

 88 (2,972 votes)

Comments:

293

3.

Remain In Light 

 Talking Heads

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"David Byrne set out to do the extreme with Eno as producer in '80 when post punk and new wave magically intertwined with obscure funk, which was the foundation for the amazing "Remain In Light". Polyrhytmics and samples all over the place is the key to musical fragmentation here. Actually, litera...""David Byrne set out to do the extreme with Eno as producer in '80 when post punk and new wave magically intertwined with obscure funk, which was the foundation for the amazing "Remain In Light". Polyrhytmics and samples all over the place is the key to musical fragmentation here. Actually, literally written out of fragmented post-it notes, this is utterly freely associative and absurd in its poetry - and the music follows in the best way possible. Radiohead would not have seen the day of light, Yorke has admitted on several occasions, if it wasn't for these guys' absolute masterpiece. My favorite strange album! "Once In A Lifetime" is in a class of its own."  [+]  Reply

- calsper | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (9 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:

2,047 charts

Rank Score:

27,235

Rank in 1980:

1

Rank in 1980s:

3

Overall Rank:

26

Average Rating:

 87 (2,311 votes)

Comments:

196

4.

Disintegration 

 The Cure

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"Robert Smith wanted something for he to be remembered, because in his opinion, before this album, he never really achieved his potencial. On with I actually agree with him. If he wanted to make a masterpiece, well, he made It. I couldn't describe how much this album describes my sense for music, ...""Robert Smith wanted something for he to be remembered, because in his opinion, before this album, he never really achieved his potencial. On with I actually agree with him. If he wanted to make a masterpiece, well, he made It. I couldn't describe how much this album describes my sense for music, every direction It takes both musically and lyrically are just about perfect to me. The atmosphere, the long-winded intros, the moody guitar lines, Smith's delivering, I Just love it. And who cannot cry listening to "Plainsong" and "Pictures of You" in a sequence? "  [+]  Reply

- JimagineL | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 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:

1989

Appears in:

1,855 charts

Rank Score:

26,106

Rank in 1989:

2

Rank in 1980s:

4

Overall Rank:

29

Average Rating:

 86 (2,076 votes)

Comments:

152

5.

The Stone Roses 

 The Stone Roses

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"Not many albums can be said to have created a generation. This did. From the opening bass of I wanna be adored not a single thing could be improved upon. utter absolute perfection."  Reply

- pdjmeyers | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +13 votes (14 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:

1989

Appears in:

2,035 charts

Rank Score:

22,384

Rank in 1989:

3

Rank in 1980s:

5

Overall Rank:

33

Average Rating:

 86 (2,311 votes)

Comments:

204

6.

The Joshua Tree 

 U2

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"The Joshua Tree is often a very controversial chart pick because of the sheer amount of hate it receives from our forum regulars. And yes, I can see where the hate is coming from. But every time I listen to this album, I completely forget the constant lashings that the members here give this albu...""The Joshua Tree is often a very controversial chart pick because of the sheer amount of hate it receives from our forum regulars. And yes, I can see where the hate is coming from. But every time I listen to this album, I completely forget the constant lashings that the members here give this album. For one, the production work of Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno is absolutely stellar. This record just sounds fantastic. Not only that, the album is filled to the brim with a staggering amount of emotion. Tracks like "Running to Stand Still" make me just want to sit down and cry. Bono puts so much emotion into his vocals, it is amazing the emotion he can convey at times. The Edge's guitar work is fantastic, too. It sounds dreamy, and his riffs really add a lot to the album. U2 are very tight playing wise. Every one of these tracks are just great, not a single bad one. I love this album, and I feel that no one here can change that."  [+]  Reply

- | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 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:

1987

Appears in:

1,879 charts

Rank Score:

18,295

Rank in 1987:

1

Rank in 1980s:

6

Overall Rank:

51

Average Rating:

 83 (2,475 votes)

Comments:

231

7.

Hounds Of Love 

 Kate Bush

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"Eccentric, sensual, a true feast for the ears; Bush does music narrative like no one else, all the while pushing the boundaries of the genre she's built for herself. The idea shouldn't make sense: two smaller albums in one normal length album. And yet its pulled off with brilliant tenacity. The o...""Eccentric, sensual, a true feast for the ears; Bush does music narrative like no one else, all the while pushing the boundaries of the genre she's built for herself. The idea shouldn't make sense: two smaller albums in one normal length album. And yet its pulled off with brilliant tenacity. The opening side, "Hounds Of Love", is Bush's chance to explore pop in its most conventional form. Hints of previous albums can be found here, but it is most certainly new. From its superb opener to the emotion-packed vocals of its title track and on to the mesmerising, fantastic "Cloudbusting", it never loses pace once and builds you up for that mini-finale so, so well. The second half, "The Ninth Wave", demands your fullest attention; "And Dream of Sheep" lulls you into its aura of sound, and hooks you into its story. From there, Bush experiments with conveying feelings and narrative through sound, such as with the sharp, jabbing sounds of "Under Ice" to the distant loneliness of the vocals in "Hello Earth". It's a truly magical experience. The most amazing accomplishment of "Hounds of Love" is just how much is crammed into its 47 minute run time. Yet it is flawless in its delivery and composition, and you cannot help but feeling utterly compelled by its sound and story. Unique in its outset, incredible in its sound and brilliant all-round; I cannot recommend it enough."  [+]  Reply

- DeusExMackia | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 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:

1985

Appears in:

1,426 charts

Rank Score:

18,085

Rank in 1985:

1

Rank in 1980s:

7

Overall Rank:

53

Average Rating:

 85 (1,425 votes)

Comments:

104

8.

Thriller 

 Michael Jackson

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"you know, i've realised how utterly pointless it is arguing the toss over what has value and what doesn't with regard to music.. nothing is intrinsically worthless. before stumbling upon this site i knew of otherwise respectable people who would be genuinely moved by listening to happy-hardcore t...""you know, i've realised how utterly pointless it is arguing the toss over what has value and what doesn't with regard to music.. nothing is intrinsically worthless. before stumbling upon this site i knew of otherwise respectable people who would be genuinely moved by listening to happy-hardcore trance (kanye west on speed essentially). now i'm beginning to accept that others can be equally enthralled by the most existential, formless discord. the point is, 56 million people are right, if they believe they are. similarly, you are too. but being in a minority is certainly not tantamount to some kind of cultural supremacy, conversley isn't being anti-popular part of the same innate human desire to establish yourself individually within a collective? ..of anti-popularist/elitist types that is? and the fact is, in 1983 and everyday since, people have been hitting the studio desparate to make an album this big and none have succeeded. with success on this scale, simply turning up and going head first into the marketing machine is not sufficient. the quality of the songs is undeniable, even if you can only appreciate that from a technical perspective, and that, along with the distinctive stylings of the man himself, is why 56 million people got it."  [+]  Reply

- telefunker | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (9 helpful | 2 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:

1,668 charts

Rank Score:

16,220

Rank in 1982:

1

Rank in 1980s:

8

Overall Rank:

66

Average Rating:

 82 (2,185 votes)

Comments:

162

9.

Purple Rain 
Soundtrack

 Prince And The Revolution

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"it took me til my 30s before I learned of prince’s virtuosity, but the dude was absolutely electric and it feels like he’s sometimes overlooked on all-time lists for best guitarists/musicians/artists. Even As a lifelong rock music audiophile his music eluded me until i saw a super fun prince cove...""it took me til my 30s before I learned of prince’s virtuosity, but the dude was absolutely electric and it feels like he’s sometimes overlooked on all-time lists for best guitarists/musicians/artists. Even As a lifelong rock music audiophile his music eluded me until i saw a super fun prince cover band, the purple ones, who woke me the F up to the man’s music. prince was enigmatic, prolific, musically eclectic and wildly talented, and it hurts to realize that it took his untimely death to fully appreciate the man’s musical and cultural contributions to this world. there’s something in his catalogue for everyone’s musical tastes, and this album is his magnum opus by most standards. but i kind of agree with other commenters that newcomers to prince’s music may be best served working their way up to this one. the evolution of his style, his taste, his artistic genius and his sensibilities in acoustic production are all pretty wild to behold in retrospect, and the way his career led up to and crescendoed with purple rain is a thing of beauty to behold. rest in power, purple one, for you were too good for this world. "  [+]  Reply

- | 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:

1984

Appears in:

1,458 charts

Rank Score:

15,723

Rank in 1984:

1

Rank in 1980s:

9

Overall Rank:

72

Average Rating:

 83 (1,673 votes)

Comments:

132

10.

Daydream Nation 

 Sonic Youth

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"Sonic Youth changed the way I saw rock music. I used to perceive it as a steady rhythm, with verses and a chorus. I used to play music in a very structured way during jam sessions that I had with friends, and to be honest that bored me, but I never thought to do anything differently because it wa...""Sonic Youth changed the way I saw rock music. I used to perceive it as a steady rhythm, with verses and a chorus. I used to play music in a very structured way during jam sessions that I had with friends, and to be honest that bored me, but I never thought to do anything differently because it was all I knew. Then, I listened to Daydream Nation and that changed everything. The way that Sonic Youth incorporate their prolonged jam sessions into their music and still made powerful, emotional music inspired me so much. Immediately, I invited my buddy over for a jam session. He played guitar, my dad played bass, and I drummed. We went on play the greatest jam session I ever have been a part of. It crescendoed loudly and made my heart racing and it brought the biggest smile to my face. I can thank Sonic Youth for inspiring me to change how I viewed rock music and the way that I play it and enjoy it. I have a newfound love for jam sessions again. I never get bored anymore because Daydream Nation has taught me to break outside the walls of traditional rock music and experiment and above all, make some loud noises."  [+]  Reply

- slurpdurp | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +19 votes (19 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:

1,590 charts

Rank Score:

15,302

Rank in 1988:

1

Rank in 1980s:

10

Overall Rank:

75

Average Rating:

 84 (1,881 votes)

Comments:

147

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of the 1980s composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Year	Albums	%
1980	120	12%
1981	120	12%
1982	108	11%
1983	97	10%
1984	100	10%
1985	87	9%
1986	92	9%
1987	87	9%
1988	100	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	%
	415	41%
	396	39%
	41	4%
	27	3%
	22	2%
	20	2%
	12	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	971	97%
Yes	35	3%

Live?	Albums	%
No	985	98%
Yes	21	2%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	994	99%
Yes	12	1%