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: 6 hours ago).
"Really the first significant blemish on his career. Sometimes I'm in the mood for the whole thing, but mostly I'm not. The horns are just so out of place, and overall it's too glossy - Costello would do this sort of sound better on albums such as 1989's Spike. Overall, it's essential listening al..." [+] Reply
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indieshins | 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:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
440
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Not quite as uncompromising as their debut; while Entertainment has a unique punk feel to it, this settles in to a more typical post-punk sound. The anger is still there though, and there is still some edge to the guitars as well. Pretty good follow-up to one of the best debuts of all time." Reply
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babyBlueSedan | 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:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
437
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"This superbly orchestrated album is full of imposing and intense arrangements that merge Slavic-style hymns, Gregorian liturgy, Celtic folk music, Tibetan chants and Renaissance Madrigals. The stately symphonic overtones evoke early King Crimson with a modern twist." Reply
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
437
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Bit too basic for my tastes - Hard Times, Wake Up and 30 Days aren't particularly impressive showcases of rapping or beats. There are some highlights though, Rock Box has some pretty great guitar work to compliment the energetic vocals, and Jay's Game is a classic example of 80's turntablism." Reply
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alelsupreme | 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:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
437
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"An eclectic mix of musical genres (world music, free jazz, reggae/dub) performed on an eclectic mix of odd instruments, including traditional African and Asian percussion instruments. Very experimental music, but it's not entirely avant-garde as there is some structure to the songs provided by th..." [+] Reply
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drstuey | 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.
"great stars, great tunes, great sounding, great film...do you want more? listen again the album! Maybe the best is the "Minnie the Mootcher" by Cob Calloway but so hard to choose..." Reply
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balintov | 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:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
434
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"The definition of hair metal. A highly uneven affair but with enough big, dumb, good rockin' tracks to warrant a thumbs up." Reply
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Bork | 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.
"One of the great discoveries, for me, of exploring this site has been finding acts and albums that are completely unknown to me here in the UK - Cold Chisel are a fantastic example - Wow! An album stuffed full of great songs. I can imagine what a great live act they were. A revelation!" Reply
"Old school rap at it's finest. Wa da da dang Wa da da da dang (Ay!) Listen to my 9 millimeter go bang" Reply
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
434
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Highly underrated! First 3 songs are killers!" Reply
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WildHorses | 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:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
433
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 52 of 100
Best Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 119 | 12% | |
| 1981 | 119 | 12% | |
| 1982 | 107 | 11% | |
| 1983 | 97 | 10% | |
| 1984 | 100 | 10% | |
| 1985 | 87 | 9% | |
| 1986 | 92 | 9% | |
| 1987 | 88 | 9% | |
| 1988 | 98 | 10% | |
| 1989 | 95 | 10% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Cure | 10 | 1% | |
| Iron Maiden | 8 | 1% | |
| Depeche Mode | 8 | 1% | |
| The Smiths | 8 | 1% | |
| Rush | 8 | 1% | |
| R.E.M. | 7 | 1% | |
| Talking Heads | 7 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
414 | 41% | |
 |
392 | 39% | |
 |
41 | 4% | |
 |
27 | 3% | |
 |
22 | 2% | |
 |
20 | 2% | |
 |
12 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
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