Best Albums of the 1980s

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21.

Moving Pictures 

 Rush

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"Moving Pictures was a last hurrah for prog rock, which was falling out of favour by the early 80s. Rush had never, and would never again, achieve the greatness they did on Moving Pictures. Perfectly balancing their hard rock and softer electronic sounds. Featuring some of their best know hits in ...""Moving Pictures was a last hurrah for prog rock, which was falling out of favour by the early 80s. Rush had never, and would never again, achieve the greatness they did on Moving Pictures. Perfectly balancing their hard rock and softer electronic sounds. Featuring some of their best know hits in "Limelight", "YYZ", and "Tom Sawyer", as well as other highlights "Red Barchetta" and "The Camera Eye", as well as the also great "Witch Hunt", and "Vital Signs". Not a weak track or lull on the album, it's what Rush will be best remembered for, and that's ok by me."  [+]  Reply

- souplipton | 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:

1981

Appears in:

1,024 charts

Rank Score:

8,867

Rank in 1981:

1

Rank in 1980s:

21

Overall Rank:

161

Average Rating:

 83 (1,304 votes)

Comments:

87

22.

Sign "O" The Times 

 Prince

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"Prince's first album after abandoning The Revolution and in my opinion his best. The 80s weren't a great time for music from my perspective but this is definitely an outlier and my favorite album from that decade"  Reply

- lanadeleswift | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (8 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:

891 charts

Rank Score:

8,591

Rank in 1987:

3

Rank in 1980s:

22

Overall Rank:

168

Average Rating:

 81 (956 votes)

Comments:

58

23.

Violent Femmes 

 Violent Femmes

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"This might be the ultimate soundtrack to adolescence. Almost every song deals with the subject of teenage sexual frustration. Acoustic punk. Simple, yet visceral. Not to mention, extrmeemly innovative."  Reply

- Mr. Shankly | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +11 votes (11 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:

922 charts

Rank Score:

8,047

Rank in 1983:

2

Rank in 1980s:

23

Overall Rank:

183

Average Rating:

 81 (1,011 votes)

Comments:

76

24.

Born In The U.S.A. 

 Bruce Springsteen

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"Bruce Springsteen's record company must have breathed a huge sigh of relief when he delivered his new album to them after the lo-fi bleakness of the all acoustic, Nebraska. Born in the USA, was Springsteen's shot at the title, his pop record, his ticket to superstardom. I'm sure Springsteen had p...""Bruce Springsteen's record company must have breathed a huge sigh of relief when he delivered his new album to them after the lo-fi bleakness of the all acoustic, Nebraska. Born in the USA, was Springsteen's shot at the title, his pop record, his ticket to superstardom. I'm sure Springsteen had promised Colombia a more accessible record this time, but nobody could have been prepared for the way this album took off. It's a typical Springsteen LP lyrically, blue collar guys, the hopes and fears of the ordinary working man, but this was smothered in a slick pop sheen, it was undoubtedly Bruce Springsteen, but now he wasn't just competing with Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, and Tom waits, now he was fighting it out with Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Prince. The title track was originally one of the demo's recorded for the Nebraska album, but fortunately Springsteen held it back. It's a much misunderstood song, although the version here, could easily be misinterpreted, as Ronald Regan famously did, because it was delivered in it's anthemic, bombastic incarnation. It's a Springsteen classic. Other highlights on the album are, the rocking, cover me, the rockabilly, working on the highway, the cool sweat of, I'm on fire, and friendship anthems, no surrender, and, Bobby Jean. Dancing in the dark, is one of Bruce's all time great songs, and his biggest ever hit in the U.S. There's no weak tracks here, from the brooding, downbound train,to the reminiscing, glory days, and the closing track, my hometown. This would be the last record Springsteen would record with the E street band for 18 Years, when they would eventually reconvene for the 9/11 inspired, the rising. The success of, born in the USA, gave Springsteen what he wanted, the guarantee to be able to sell out stadiums for the rest of his career. It's his greatest pop moment, an eighties classic. "  [+]  Reply

- garycottier | 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:

1984

Appears in:

947 charts

Rank Score:

7,928

Rank in 1984:

3

Rank in 1980s:

24

Overall Rank:

186

Average Rating:

 78 (1,347 votes)

Comments:

82

25.

The Smiths 

 The Smiths

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"I've reviewed this album once already, listened to it too many times to count and I still keep coming back to it. Forget the slightly rough production, this is The Smiths laying out their mantra and their manifesto, and it is wonderful from start to finish. I grew up with this album and it helped...""I've reviewed this album once already, listened to it too many times to count and I still keep coming back to it. Forget the slightly rough production, this is The Smiths laying out their mantra and their manifesto, and it is wonderful from start to finish. I grew up with this album and it helped make me who I am today. I bought it from HMV on CD in 2014, right at the start of Sixth Form for me. Few albums could have provided a better soundtrack, with the themes of youth, loneliness and discontent with the world contextualised against the sound of early-80s Manchester that is so vividly captured in the songs on this record embodying what I myself was going through. Contrary to what some believe, it's not depressing. Far from it. It's filled with a melancholic hope, that despite how rubbish the world is, you are not alone and you certainly don't have to feel sad about it. The Smiths' debut is a friend, an accomplice and an advisor. And the more you listen, the more you realise how accurate and relevant it is. And just how good it is; this is Jangle Pop like no other, and I could wax lyrical about all the tracks on here. The real highlight is the second half, from This Charming Man (on CD versions) to What Difference Does It Make?, which really is one amazing song after another. Summarising what The Smiths' debut means to me is hard, because it's so personal and so integral both to who I am and the music I've since gone on to explore. And indeed, I feel like it's one of those albums that everyone has their own personal experience with. That's what makes it truly special. For me, its greatest strength is the message it lays out: the world is rubbish, and there's not much you can do about it. So, rather than getting wallowed down in its sadness, embrace it. Because the music that kind of attitude produces is what makes life worth living for."  [+]  Reply

- DeusExMackia | 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:

1984

Appears in:

975 charts

Rank Score:

7,816

Rank in 1984:

4

Rank in 1980s:

25

Overall Rank:

191

Average Rating:

 83 (1,486 votes)

Comments:

86

26.

Let It Be 

 The Replacements

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"the greatest album called let it be youll ever hear."  Reply

- Juan Schwartz | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +17 votes (17 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:

837 charts

Rank Score:

7,358

Rank in 1984:

5

Rank in 1980s:

26

Overall Rank:

207

Average Rating:

 82 (947 votes)

Comments:

74

27.

So 

 Peter Gabriel

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"For a long time Peter Gabriel and the idea of a commercial breakthrough seemed polar opposites. With So Gabriel suddenly demonstrated that there was a market (again) for intelligent and well crafted songwriting."  Reply

- swhaze | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 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:

834 charts

Rank Score:

7,252

Rank in 1986:

4

Rank in 1980s:

27

Overall Rank:

214

Average Rating:

 80 (947 votes)

Comments:

63

28.

Brothers In Arms 

 Dire Straits

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"I was 13 when this album came out. My foster parents were in their 40's and mostly dug soft rock and folk (like Sting, James Taylor, Bruce Cockburn, etc...) This was our common ground. It's an album everyone can love."  Reply

- Decurso | 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:

1985

Appears in:

870 charts

Rank Score:

7,055

Rank in 1985:

3

Rank in 1980s:

28

Overall Rank:

223

Average Rating:

 78 (1,188 votes)

Comments:

87

29.

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back 

 Public Enemy

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"It is easily one of te best albums ever. The second half is brilliantly constructed, with six classics and one interlude (Security of the First world)"  Reply

- David Logue | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 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:

871 charts

Rank Score:

6,804

Rank in 1988:

4

Rank in 1980s:

29

Overall Rank:

234

Average Rating:

 80 (1,015 votes)

Comments:

60

30.

Paul's Boutique 

 Beastie Boys

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"Beastie Boys are one of my favorite band (All genre confused). Despite being a commercial failure at the time, "Paul's Boutique" is the best album of the Beasties. Absolute masterpiece, production model, deluge of samples, the album is an indisputable reference to rock culture composed of archive...""Beastie Boys are one of my favorite band (All genre confused). Despite being a commercial failure at the time, "Paul's Boutique" is the best album of the Beasties. Absolute masterpiece, production model, deluge of samples, the album is an indisputable reference to rock culture composed of archive samples and that's why I love it. Each title of "Paul's Boutique" is extremely punchy with dynamic beats and cult hip-hop vocals. The Beastie Boys confirm, with "Paul's Boutique", a style of their own, mix of rap and rock, particularly inventive. Over time, this album has truly transformed into an absolute reference of the rap of the eighties, far from calibrated, formatted and standardized rap. It remains, after more than a quarter of a century, a unifying album, audacious, effective, completely unclassifiable and really essential for the music.   10/10 Best track: "Shake Your Rump""  [+]  Reply

- Kurtco | 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:

1989

Appears in:

875 charts

Rank Score:

6,484

Rank in 1989:

4

Rank in 1980s:

30

Overall Rank:

248

Average Rating:

 82 (1,049 votes)

Comments:

54

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 3 of 100

Best Albums of the 1980s composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Year	Albums	%
1980	119	12%
1981	119	12%
1982	107	11%
1983	96	10%
1984	100	10%
1985	87	9%
1986	92	9%
1987	87	9%
1988	98	10%
1989	96	10%

Artist	Albums	%
The Cure	10	1%
Iron Maiden	8	1%
Depeche Mode	8	1%
The Smiths	8	1%
Rush	8	1%
U2	7	1%
The Fall	7	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	414	41%
	392	39%
	40	4%
	27	3%
	22	2%
	20	2%
	12	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	966	97%
Yes	35	3%

Live?	Albums	%
No	980	98%
Yes	21	2%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	989	99%
Yes	12	1%