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).
"A great early death metal album. The production quality is pretty low, and this is easily one of the least technical albums Death released, but it is still great. If you are interested in getting into old school death metal, this is a good starting point. My favorite track is probably born dead." Reply
"Great CD. Getting Ry Cooder to play along was genius. Hard to single out songs 'cuz the whole record is strong. But I think "Memphis" and "Lipstick" are faves." Reply
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
414
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
""I can’t even begin to explain what this album means to me… It was the first record where I truly found myself… Or, at least, figured out what it is I do. And it has shaped me as an artist from that year forward." --Lucinda Williams, American Songwriter Magazine It's amusing that after years of l..." [+] Reply
"Criminally underrated. At the time it was released it was bombarded with negative reviews because of it's string and horn parts. Listening to this now, I can't picture this album without them. It's gorgeous in it's execution and is probably The Church's masterpiece!" Reply
"My first exposure to Nick Cave. His vocals were really the only thing that was significantly good about this album. They feel like they're being loud just to be loud. There's not a whole lot to glean from this album. That being said, it was enjoyable enough, nothing outright wrong or horrible. Ju..." [+] Reply
- 
teague | 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:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
409
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"I think this album is the most underrated and not appreciated of Nick Cave. It is not only an attempt to play blues music. All songs have that much space and quietness to succumb the ominous violence. And even the Dylan cover of Wanted Man breathes heavenly under the impression of The Birthday Pa..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
408
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"the first time i heard this, i had absolutely no idea what to make of it. i imagine it's an acquired taste for most people, but even on first listen there was something in it that really caught my attention, and kristin hersh ended up becoming one of my all-time favorite musicians through her wor..." [+] Reply
- 
philbutrin | 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.
"I don't like slick, safe pop. That said, Whitney Houston's voice was unbelievable. It's too bad she never had interesting songs to sing." Reply
- 
junodog4 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (5 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:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
405
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Drums on this album are OFF THE HOOK!" Reply
- 
RoundTheBend | 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:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
404
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Sharply written post-punk album about sex and the role of gender." Reply
Total albums: 1,000. Page 54 of 100
Best Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 121 | 12% | |
| 1981 | 119 | 12% | |
| 1982 | 107 | 11% | |
| 1983 | 95 | 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% | |
| Iron Maiden | 8 | 1% | |
| The Smiths | 8 | 1% | |
| Rush | 8 | 1% | |
| Depeche Mode | 7 | 1% | |
| R.E.M. | 7 | 1% | |
| Talking Heads | 7 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
412 | 41% | |
 |
392 | 39% | |
 |
40 | 4% | |
 |
29 | 3% | |
 |
22 | 2% | |
 |
19 | 2% | |
 |
12 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
