Best Albums of the 1980s

Listed below are the best albums of the 1980s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 59,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 3 hours ago).
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1980s decade summaryThe best artists of the 1980s were The Smiths, Prince, The Cure, Pixies, Talking Heads, U2, Metallica, Kate Bush, R.E.M. and The Stone Roses.
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Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
582
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
581
Rank in 1984:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"This album is good from start to finish and is a favorite. It is so poppy and as many note, Beatlesque. It is probably their most accessible / college rock / alternative offering."  Reply
- krsasse | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
Rank Score:
581
Rank in 1989:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
580
Rank in 1980:
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"There's really something beautiful about these albums, about everything J Spaceman and Sonic Boom do. An existential longing for meaning, comfort, home. They don't seek concrete answers, just disparate feelings and emotions. Like a last gasp, trying to find one small reason to live, with failed e..."  [+]  Reply
- | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
Rank Score:
579
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"I'm suprised that I'm the first to rate this, considering the "Eighties/Come As You Are" debacle. In any case, this whole album is the epitome of cool. It's legit. You guys need to go to more goth clubs."  Reply
- 247joelnetwork | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
Rank Score:
579
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"A brilliant and energetic record. Kilimanjaro, is yet another of those great British albums of the late seventies/early eighties. Some fine songs in, sleeping gas, treason, and, when I dream. The CD adds the Japanese mini-album version featuring the absolutely brilliant, reward, surely the teardr..."  [+]  Reply
- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
578
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Comments:
"Very enjoyable. Volume one is easily the best. The other two become a bit of a drag, and the whole lot taken in one go is a real slog. Still, some wonderful moments here and there. All in all, Zappa never fails to amaze."  Reply
- garycottier | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
Rank Score:
574
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Without David Lee Roth, Van Halen is a different band. Most of the 'original' VH's personality is predicated on David Lee Roth's sense of humor - tongue-in-cheek and sarcastic, like the kid throwing paper airplanes in the back of a 6th grade classroom. "Eat 'em And Smile," Roth's solo debut, is a..."  [+]  Reply
- CaitlinK | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
572
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"I was listening to Gregorian chants in the early 80s and somehow I missed out on Dead Can Dance in the late 80s. It's my loss. I find this album more engaging than Within the Realm of a Dying Sun. Lisa Gerrard proves here that she can be both ethereal and heavy. Brendan Perry's voice is good but ..."  [+]  Reply
- Freddie55 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
570
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Average Rating:
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 41 of 100

Best Albums of the 1980s composition