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: 4 hours ago).
"There was a time when I was addicted to this album. It still holds a place in my heart today." Reply
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
751
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"These kids are no joke. This is some of the most powerful punk ever recorded." Reply
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
750
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"This is TMBG at their smart and quirky best. Lincoln is more consistent than most of their albums though IMO "Don't Let's Start" is still their best song. If you want to try them out then this is the album. Their sound is not for everyone." Reply
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
750
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"It's an Australian golden gem full of memories and mystery. It says so much about Australia particularly Western Australia were David McComb grew up . its very much in the same class as a Tim Winton novel It's a masterpiece" Reply
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
745
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"One of those unforgettable records from the mid 80's. Great tracks include What's Love and Better Be Good to Me. Turner's career restarted with a vengeance thanks to this one and it was fun watching that." Reply
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
744
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Nice songs, nice voice. My preference goes to "love is a stranger" & "sweet dreams"." Reply
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
744
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Having conquered synth pop with their two previous LPs, the duo decided dance music was next in their sites. Introspective is House music the whole family can dance along to. Their classic pop brilliance is still there, but it's lengthened out and doused in a healthy dose of acid-influenced synth..." [+] Reply
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DeusExMackia | 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:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
738
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"This is the ablum that started industrial rock (and from which Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age and Soundgarden got their badass sound). That's a pretty monumental achievement. It's rough and brusque, relentlessly so. One of the most underrated works on this site." Reply
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poppmusic | 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:
738
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"As a teenager this vinyl saw a lot of spins and having recently given it a good clean I am pleased that it plays as well as ever. I don't think I would describe any of the tracks as weak. Joan Crawford and Burnin for You are my favourite tracks." Reply
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
738
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"idk why early sonic youth is so underrated, i find it more amusing than the most famous albums the mixing of this album is great, though confusing as songs begins one minute into the previous one. the soundscape is genius love it, my key to be a SY fan" Reply
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
736
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 34 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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| Best Ever Artists | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Beatles | |
| 2. Radiohead | |
| 3. Pink Floyd | |
| 4. David Bowie | |
| 5. Bob Dylan | |
| 6. Led Zeppelin | |
| 7. The Rolling Stones | |
| 8. Arcade Fire | |
| 9. Neil Young | |
| 10. Nirvana | |
| 11. The Velvet Underground | |
| 12. Kendrick Lamar | |
| 13. Miles Davis | |
| 14. The Smiths | |
| 15. R.E.M. | |
| 16. The Beach Boys | |
| 17. Kanye West | |
| 18. Bruce Springsteen | |
| 19. The Cure | |
| 20. Pixies |
