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: 1 hour ago).
"A great combination of Jazz and Soul, vocalist Anita Baker set the standard for 1980-1990's singers. "Rapture" was deservedly a big hit on the R&B charts and the Pop Charts with glorious singles like "Sweet Love", "No One In The World", and the title cut. A divine listen which bears repeated plays." [+] Reply
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TheDude85 | 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:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
492
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Swooning in to rescue late 80's radio from dreck like late career Phil Collins, Michael Bolton and Roxette, Orbison's voice was a beautiful relief." Reply
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jhuik | 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:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
491
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"In Canada, this is very comparable to Pearl Jam's Ten. Kids who grew up listening to tracks overplayed on the radio hate it. Those of us who were there when it came out remember very fondly how Gordo and company helped save rock and roll from the Brian Adamses of this world." Reply
- jhuik | 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.
"Despite an awfully bad production quality, this 1989 East-Bay album is awesome. It's considered as THE first ska-punk record and I believe it will go down in history as one of the greatest album of the genre. But even if you're not a huge fan of that type of music, you can still enjoy the energy ..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
487
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"I'm suprised to see this album so low ranked compared to the rest of Bob Dylan's. You can find Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) solo guitars like in Sweetheart like you, Dylan's voice as strong as ever on Jokerman and other good songs like I an I or closing ballad Don't fall apart on me tonight. If y..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
487
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"What's this? A Brian Eno album of stunning piano pieces? Don't mind if I do!" Reply
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HoldenM | 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:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
486
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Amazing hairs stand up music. Only ever had a few of traks off this at the time and wish I'd had the full album as only had it couple of years. 88 man. Very efficient indeed." Reply
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Graeme2 | 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:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
485
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"You WILL believe that three men, a guitar, a bass and a drum set can be loud enough to drown out an F-14." Reply
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40footwolf | 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:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
485
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Van Halen expands its musical palette on "Women and Children First," maturing beyond the party anthems of "Van Halen" and "II," while retaining its lust for life. The dark undercurrents and tension evident throughout "Women and Children First" are unlike anything heard on Van Halen's two 1970s al..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
483
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"It's a really great album. Synth-Pop at it's best. "Here Comes the Rain Again", "Right By Your Side", "Who's That Girl", "Cool Blue" - Heavy and light, cold and warm, such a diverse album." Reply
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
483
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 47 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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