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: 3 hours ago).
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1980s decade summaryThe best artists of the 1980s were The Smiths, Prince, The Cure, Pixies, Talking Heads, U2, Metallica, Kate Bush, R.E.M. and The Stone Roses.
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Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
324
Rank in 1981:
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Awesome early industrial noise record using found sounds like metal plates and I believe even power tools. Einstürzende Neubauten sets the vibe from the very beginning; very ominous. This album contains lots of yelling, screeching, and tidbits of noise usually layered over a slow drum beat. Its e..."  [+]  Reply
- DoctorPayne | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
324
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
323
Rank in 1984:
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"Simply put, Zeichnungen des Patienten O.T. sounds like it was recorded by psychotics in a derelict asylum — expect a lot of screaming, scraping, metallic sounds, rhythms that sound more primal and scary than anything, lyrics which are like nightmares (one of them literally is the recollection of ..."  [+]  Reply
- zonrod | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
321
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Average Rating:
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Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
319
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Comments:
"The only pop/rock male/female duo i can recall at the time consistently putting out catchy little pop songs. "The Look" is all sorts of summed-up-80s-cool with its synth-tension and annie-lennox-esque backing vocal. The rest of the album is fairly good too (see "dressed for success" and "dance aw..."  [+]  Reply
- paladisiac | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
319
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"This album an a huge favorite of mine. There ain't a stinker on the whole thing. From the shout of "Freeze Frame!" to begin the album to the equally loud shout of "Piss on the wall! to close the album, it seem that there's a non-stop parade of blues, R&B, and rock. "Do You Remember When," "River ..."  [+]  Reply
- Captain_Dude | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
318
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Share your opinion and help others discover this album. The top-voted comments are showcased in our aggregate charts!
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
317
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"A real cool album with an amazing vibe all throughout. I don't speak Russian so I can't understand the lyrics but I really like the music. A recommendation for everyone who is a fan of that unique sound of the 80s."  Reply
- Martini | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) Help 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:
316
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Average Rating:
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Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
315
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 65 of 100

Best Albums of the 1980s composition

Best Ever Artists
1. The Beatles
2. Radiohead
3. Pink Floyd
4. David Bowie
5. Bob Dylan
6. Led Zeppelin
7. The Rolling Stones
8. Arcade Fire
9. Neil Young
10. Nirvana