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).
"I diagree with others that this album has lots of filler. This is far and away my favorite Maiden album, and the "filler" tracks, like Back in the Village, are some of my favorites on the record."Reply
"This album is at times sloppy. The production sounds strangely out of wack. There are some complaints that can be levied against this album. The thing is that this album is So Goddamn Good despite any of that bullshit that it doesn't really matter! The lyrics of Paul Westerberg stand tall on here...""This album is at times sloppy. The production sounds strangely out of wack. There are some complaints that can be levied against this album. The thing is that this album is So Goddamn Good despite any of that bullshit that it doesn't really matter!
The lyrics of Paul Westerberg stand tall on here. He really took his songwriting chops to another level for this album. The lyrics to songs like "Bastards of Young" and "Swingin' Party" clearly express youthful anger, unrest and basic Fear. He does this with amazing coolness and nonchalance. Yet this album for me gets so emotional sometimes I can't take it. I think that's because the words cut so close to the bone. Westerberg really nails the basic feelings of youth on many of the songs here. He also knows how to write a love song with the best of them. There is something so romantic and romanticized about these songs - witness "Kiss Me On The Bus" and "Hold My Life" and "Little Mascara". Also this album does not take itself so seriously throughout, with such playful songs as "Waitress In The Sky" an the hard rocking track "Dose of Thunder".
And when it comes to good rock and roll with really great songwriting, great hooks, and some excellent variety, this album really delivers. There's not a bad track on here. And the brilliance of the songwriting throughout is phenomenal. "Bastards of Young", "Left of the Dial" "Swinging Party" "Kiss Me On The Bus" "Hold my life" and of course the painful and haunting "The Regular" are so incredibly well written.
The reasons why this album is so important and great in my eyes is very subjective. But I think almost anyone can listen and be blown away by how both Cool and Powerful this band was in their prime.
"If being wrong's a crime, I'm serving forever.
If being strong's your kind, then I need help here with this feather.
If being afraid is a crime, we hang side by side.
In the swingin' party down the line.""[+]Reply
"The year is 1989 . What was I doing in 1989 ? I was taking copious drugs whilst listening to the likes of Pixies , Material & The Jesus and Mary Chain . I was NOT listening to Galaxy 500 On Fire . Fast forward 28 years & I'm reading another best of list & note this Album has a 97% all time review...""The year is 1989 . What was I doing in 1989 ? I was taking copious drugs whilst listening to the likes of Pixies , Material & The Jesus and Mary Chain . I was NOT listening to Galaxy 500 On Fire . Fast forward 28 years & I'm reading another best of list & note this Album has a 97% all time review rating , intreged I had to check it out & from the opening bars of Blue Thunder it was love at first listen & I became utterly & hopelessly hooked . Slow Core , Dream Pop , Shoe Gaze , Indy Pop call it what you may this is one amazing Album & im so glad I found it . Or did it find me ? If you haven't discovered On Fire yet please do "[+]Reply
"Their masterpiece, every single track on this album is great. This whole album has a similar sound to the best track from their last album ‘The Cutter’ due to the rich instrumentation, which is a great thing in my book. The best of the best include ‘Silver’, ‘Seven Seas’, ‘Ocean Rain’ and, of cou...""Their masterpiece, every single track on this album is great. This whole album has a similar sound to the best track from their last album ‘The Cutter’ due to the rich instrumentation, which is a great thing in my book. The best of the best include ‘Silver’, ‘Seven Seas’, ‘Ocean Rain’ and, of course, ‘The Killing Moon’."[+]Reply
"Several other Bruce Springsteen records--Nebraska, Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and Born in the U.S.A.--are all candidates for my favorite from his catalog. But I'm going with The River because I think it is the album where his artistic vision is most fully realized. Here Springstee...""Several other Bruce Springsteen records--Nebraska, Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and Born in the U.S.A.--are all candidates for my favorite from his catalog. But I'm going with The River because I think it is the album where his artistic vision is most fully realized. Here Springsteen shows how most of our todays are the tragicomic sum of a scattered series of yesterdays that had once hoped to become better tomorrows. His lyrics fuse past and present, desire and destiny, laughter and longing, in ways that speak directly to today's economically troubled, and disappearing, middle class. Nowhere is this poignancy better seen than on the title track, a quintessentially American tragedy told from the perspective of a working-class everyman whose life is turned upside down by an unplanned pregnancy."[+]Reply
"I feel like I should explain my last comment. When most people people think of emotional 80's music, their mind usually jumps to The Smiths. And while I really enjoy The Smiths, their music, and their lyrics, I don't feel like they're describing problems I've had or things I've thunk, so it's har...""I feel like I should explain my last comment.
When most people people think of emotional 80's music, their mind usually jumps to The Smiths. And while I really enjoy The Smiths, their music, and their lyrics, I don't feel like they're describing problems I've had or things I've thunk, so it's hard for me to get that instant personal connection so many others have when they can so quickly relate the lyrics back to their own experience.
On the other hand, Prefab Sprout so eloquently describe EVERYTHING I've thought and felt that it becomes overwhelmingly emotional for me to listen to the music. It's here I've found that personal connection that elevates it from "this music is excellent" to "listening to this is a truly incredible one-of-a-kind experience."
I'm so glad I've found this album, and I'm sure my love for it can only grow over time."[+]Reply
"Oh this album is so much fun. I'm being totally serious. It's heavy, loud, and fast. I have no idea how they can play and sing so fast but it really takes me by storm and makes my adrenaline pump. The high-pitched tales of the terrors of hell are awesomely hilarious. Completely over the top lyric...""Oh this album is so much fun. I'm being totally serious. It's heavy, loud, and fast. I have no idea how they can play and sing so fast but it really takes me by storm and makes my adrenaline pump. The high-pitched tales of the terrors of hell are awesomely hilarious. Completely over the top lyrics, but they fit so well."[+]Reply
"When people think of Prince's best album, usually people point to either Purple Rain or Sign O' The Times. For me personally, I point to 1999 as his best album. It includes 3 classic hits (1999, Little Red Corvette, Delirious) and it includes hands down the best fusion of rock, funk, R&B, & new w...""When people think of Prince's best album, usually people point to either Purple Rain or Sign O' The Times. For me personally, I point to 1999 as his best album. It includes 3 classic hits (1999, Little Red Corvette, Delirious) and it includes hands down the best fusion of rock, funk, R&B, & new wave. The definite Prince album"[+]Reply
"I have always loved those "I was there " album stories , for example "I was there when Sgt Peppers came out " or " I was there when Joshua Tree was released " .... well I have my very own "I was there " moment , I was there when 'Isn't Anything' was released in 1988 and I'll never forget it . I p...""I have always loved those "I was there " album stories , for example "I was there when Sgt Peppers came out " or " I was there when Joshua Tree was released " .... well I have my very own "I was there " moment , I was there when 'Isn't Anything' was released in 1988 and I'll never forget it . I pretty much picked this album up the week it was released , I don't recall why I decided to pick it up on vinyl LP but I just did (it must have been the musical gods speaking to me ) and TBH it was life changing . So I bring it home and drop the needle and I couldn't believe what I was hearing , it was like nothing that had come before and it literally blew my mind , I'll never forget that moment like the moment I first heard 'Surfer Rosa'
The reviews were Mind-Boggling such as this example from Melody Maker describing the album as - " a raving nymphomania and out of body experience that establishes them as absent minded rulers of this daydream nation"
Every song here is great , every moment means something . The song that really unlocked this album for me was "No More Sorry" a sorrowful longing piece that gets me every time
And you have to remember this was a land mark album / sound in that nothing had been done like it prior , shoe-gaze is now an established musical gene , this album is Ground Zero
Masterpiece
85/100
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"This album confuses me. Sometimes I feel like it is pretty good, but not quite great. Other times I feel like it is my favorite album of all time. Tracks 1-7 are some of my favorite U2 songs except for the instrumental 4th of July. After that there isn't too much going on. I like this album more ...""This album confuses me. Sometimes I feel like it is pretty good, but not quite great. Other times I feel like it is my favorite album of all time. Tracks 1-7 are some of my favorite U2 songs except for the instrumental 4th of July. After that there isn't too much going on. I like this album more than War, but it falls a little flat compared to Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. Overall this album is pretty great, except for when it's not."[+]Reply