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).
"First album I ever bought new as a kid. I love Billy Joel--and I noticed this is sort of lower on the "best" list than I would put it, but I suspect that has something to do with the reviewers' ages. I was 10 when I bought this album. I was familiar with Billy Joel from radio airplay and the sing..." [+] Reply
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earbudgloryhole | 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:
1,002
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"I'm no expert on soul music but my initial impression after listening to this a couple of times is that this is possibly the most powerful soul singing I've ever heard. It brings that gospel fervour to secular music and is so full of unbridled emotion it's incredible. I love the fact you can hear..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
993
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"in 1991, my music tastes were pretty bland and top-40. i had a friend whose musical horizons were considerably broader, and he told me i should check out a band called Cocteau Twins. so i went into a record store and looked through the CT section, but i didn't know which release do try. i asked o..." [+] Reply
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philbutrin | 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:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
986
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"I think it's a slight improvement over Misplaced Childhood, but by this point it was clear that the band was taking a far more "adult-oriented" and less proggy direction. The direction's certainly not a bad thing, but I think the band lost some of its energy and power along the way. The first two..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
984
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"As with Heaven Up Here, the 2nd side is by far superior to the 1st." Reply
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johnner | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 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:
978
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Transparent Radiation is absolutely stunning!!! It's like floating down a lazy river while the most beautiful of sunsets is hanging in the sky." Reply
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
973
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Joe Jackson's magnum opus, a tight set of songs. My favorite LP of his (and usually the consensus pick for his best album by most). Really dig the Latin-esque flavors he throws in, like on 'Target' and 'Cancer'. And of course, the one-two punch of 'Steppin Out' to 'Breaking Us In Two' is killer. ..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
973
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Mesmerizing but the counterpoint stuff gets a bit overwhelming after a while... I feel it needs a bit of dynamic added to it by having some ambient tracks or something. Facades was kind of that, but a little late in the album. It's a very similar feel throughout the album. Rubric was impressive b..." [+] Reply
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RoundTheBend | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 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:
973
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"This album appears under appreciated on this site but in Australia it has God like status for any music lover growing up in the 80's . This album provided the soundtrack to our young lives , we smoked weed , lost our virginity and drove around the coast all with this album blowing our minds . Onl..." [+] Reply
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Brad1770 | 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:
951
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Having heard "The Power of Love" and relistening to "Two Tribes" I stopped hating FGTH on principle. I finally bought the single and played it non-stop for several days. Despite having over-played it, the album remains, to my ears, a great work. It fares better, when you are no longer hounded by ..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
949
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 27 of 100
Best Albums of the 1980s composition
| 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 | |||
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We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
