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: 2 hours ago).
"Look, I can't stand lots of what U2 have put out and bono gets on my tits but I can't deny this record. It contains some of the best singles of the 80s. This and achtung baby are just quality. Sunday bloody Sunday...wash the car, mow the lawn. Cheers Alan." Reply
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Graeme2 | 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:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,517
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"A slightly underrated record. 'It's No game (no. 1)' sticks out to me because of how completely unhinged and deranged it is." Reply
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,470
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"The psychotic, psychedelic sound is still fresh and the songwriting is perfect. The band achieved a sound and sensibility that was soaked in neurosis and melancholy but rushed madly forward with the noise and chaos of a derailed driverless train or an acid trip gone wrong. There was a mix of nost..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,329
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"For a short flash in time back in 1985 this was the biggest album on the planet topping the charts in more country's than it wasn't and T.F.F's were close to the biggest band. Heady times for 2 fellows from humble beginnings in Bath England Listening to this album once more in 2019 for the first ..." [+] 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:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,152
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"My favorite Metallica album, love the structure of the songs and they don't seem to long to me. I would agree with others about the production. The bass is virtually absent here and who knows why. The lyrics are very interesting as there are songs about political corruption, discrimination, alien..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,110
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"While I really enjoy Remain in Light, this is by far my favourite Talking Heads album I’ve heard so far and has spurred me on to explore the parts of their discography that I have yet to delve into. The opener is amazing, actually the first three tracks are amazing, all very listenable. The rest ..." [+] Reply
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Crumpet | 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:
5,000
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"While Dead Kennedys get lauded for their incisive lyrics (rightfully so) the musicianship and tunes on this album are simple, aggressive, and cutting. Appropriate for the music. For me, they are as influential as the Sex Pistols or the Ramones." Reply
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junodog4 | 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:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,600
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"One of the most brilliant punk records- or just any record, ever. It's hard to comprehend how expansive of a reach the trio of D. Boon, Mike Watt, and George Hurley on this album. Stretching across many fields to create some of the most creative, energetic, and flat line rockin'. After listening ..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,591
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"REM's fifth album, sees the band starting to lean towards the mainstream, at least in terms of commercial success. Document, is similar to predecessor, life's rich pageant, in that it's predominately a rock album, but this record has a bigger, fuller sound. It kicks off with an REM classic, fines..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,555
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"The Cure can go two ways: either very gothic or extremely pop sounding. The Head on the Door is the latter and it's the best Cure pop album. I once read somewhere that every song in this record could easily be a single and I strongly agree. Every time I listen to this my love for it only deepens...." [+] Reply
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lleon79 | 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:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,487
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 5 of 100
Best Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 121 | 12% | |
| 1981 | 119 | 12% | |
| 1982 | 107 | 11% | |
| 1983 | 96 | 10% | |
| 1984 | 101 | 10% | |
| 1985 | 88 | 9% | |
| 1986 | 91 | 9% | |
| 1987 | 89 | 9% | |
| 1988 | 97 | 10% | |
| 1989 | 92 | 9% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Cure | 10 | 1% | |
| The Smiths | 8 | 1% | |
| Rush | 8 | 1% | |
| Iron Maiden | 8 | 1% | |
| R.E.M. | 7 | 1% | |
| Talking Heads | 7 | 1% | |
| U2 | 7 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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|||
 |
412 | 41% | |
 |
392 | 39% | |
 |
40 | 4% | |
 |
29 | 3% | |
 |
22 | 2% | |
 |
20 | 2% | |
 |
12 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
