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: 2 hours ago).
"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
"This record is the second of a pair that Costello released in 1986, following the largely acoustic King of America. It was also the last album he would record with the Attractions until 1994's Brutal Youth. While I do prefer KoA, this album is still very strong, with some of the most furious perf..." [+] Reply
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indieshins | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 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:
Rank Score:
566
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Ah, 80's hair glam bubblegum metal pop. Motley Crue's 5th album was a huge smash, with 4 top 30 singles and massive sales. This album had all of the Hollywood Glam prerequisites: apostrophe shortened song titles (Same Ol' Situation), umlauts, aquanet, songs about groupie sex ("She Goes Down"), a ..." [+] Reply
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Romanelli | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (3 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:
Rank Score:
565
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Some consider this too 'poppy'. This 'supergroup' was formed from the ashes of 'Yes', 'King Crimson' and 'ELP' and given its release in 1982 could never have been 'Close to the Edge', 'Brain Salad Surgery', or 'In the Court of the Crimson King'. Granted, the album is radio friendly and delivered ..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
562
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"I think this took U2 to a new level... more the event than the album, but this album captured U2 as a live band... what they are amazing at. Their studio albums are good, but 10 times better live." Reply
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RoundTheBend | 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:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
562
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"With 'Up On The Sun', The Meat Puppets created a psychedelic-country and experimental fusion that incorporates elements of jazz and even raga. The songs are essentially hypnotic and ethereal 'laid back' meditations which in their way are extremely engaging and innovative." Reply
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
559
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Not quite up there with those five classic albums from 72-76, still it's decent, and probably Wonder's last quality record. Good LP." Reply
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
558
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"If the Enz were New Zealand's version of The Beatles then this is surely their finest moment with commercial sensibilities that outweigh the artistic achievement of 'Mental Notes'." Reply
"The Psychedlic Furs were one one of the most significant pop bands of the new wave and this album is packed with winners. In popular conciousness they're John Hughes favs with "Pretty In Pink" and "Don't you Forget About Me", however this as well as several other albums sre well worth owning. The..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
554
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Came to Husker Du through Mega City Four doing a cover of Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely so this album was a starting point. In fact all these years later I still only have Candy Apple Grey and Zen Arcade which I have to say I've never really got into. Candy Apple Grey is just much more acc..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
553
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 42 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 |
