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: 5 hours ago).
"Definitely lives up to its title." Reply
"1981 would mark the peak of arena rock -- corporate rock to the critic class. Between them, Hi Infidelity, Foreigner 4, Styx's Paradise Theater, and Journey's Escape sold approximately 30 million units. This November 1980 release kicked things off with a mix of power balladry and hard rock with p..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
377
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"T&C is simply a massive album from start to finish blending rock, punk, folk/Celtic, etc in one beautiful collection of songs (long before it was "cool"). Never one to shy away from their convictions and difficult/current topics, T&C excels at story telling, driving emotions and getting your feet..." [+] Reply
"“Knocking at Your Back Door” is so rousing! The title track stands out too. Really not a bad song on the album. This is the best work they’d done in years." Reply
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
377
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"I regard flowers in the dirt as one of Paul McCartney's best solo albums. About a third of the songs are written with Elvis Costello, and they are amongst some of the best tracks here. My brave face, is superb, and, that day is done, is also very good. There are other excellent cuts on the record..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
376
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"To me, this is one of the greatest albums of the entire 1980s decade, regardless of music genre. It is a journey in sound/sonics with just enough of a story line to engage the listener. And the second portion is some of the finest ambient music, ever. Fantastic guest musicians, including Robert F..." [+] Reply
"First three tracks? Very solid. The rest? Can't remember a thing about them." Reply
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jhuik | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 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.
"Jon Hassell cleverly combines his electronic processing of sound with tribal/environmental recordings, giving this album a real sense of strangeness and wonder. Beware! The opening track will make you think your speakers are f*cked. I used to play this album all the time when I was younger and my..." [+] Reply
"Lovely pastoral pop/rock from New Zealand. Probably not as good as Fear of God, The Bats' best, still a solid second." Reply
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Norman Bates | 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.
"Not Sade's best album and it does drag in places but she is a totally enchanting presence regardless. Definitely worth listening for its stand out tracks." Reply
Total albums: 1,000. Page 58 of 100
Best Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 122 | 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 | 91 | 9% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| The Cure | 10 | 1% | |
| Iron Maiden | 8 | 1% | |
| The Smiths | 8 | 1% | |
| Rush | 8 | 1% | |
| U2 | 7 | 1% | |
| The Fall | 7 | 1% | |
| Depeche Mode | 7 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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413 | 41% | |
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391 | 39% | |
 |
40 | 4% | |
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29 | 3% | |
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22 | 2% | |
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20 | 2% | |
 |
12 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
