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).
"An affectionate parody of late 60's British psychedelica, sounding at times like Mighty Baby, Eclection and the Beatles! But quite fun to listen to nevertheless." Reply
"Great album. Great album. I didn't know who was until I heard this album. Oh, God, Lionel. You've been hurt. You've been hurt by somebody, that much is clear. Who hurt you, Lionel? Who hurt you?" Reply
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
300
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Decent soul album. Should've included both takes on Back to Life IMO." Reply
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
300
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Duran Duran at their darkest best The reason the teeny fans in the 80's did not get this masterpiece is that they wanted another "her name is Rio and she dances on the sand" however if the had listened to the rest of Rio, past the title track and "save a prayer" they would have found some pretty ..." [+] Reply
"Widely canned at the time for venturing boldly into Romanelli territory & not being Days of .. II, Medicine Show is actually a fascinating listen with totally sick guitar leads and a wide open & raucous sound that holds it own. I prefer Days of Wine & Roses, but damn isn't repeat listens to this ..." [+] Reply
"Incredibly as a big Nick Cave fan since 1988, this is the first time I have listened to it. I was surprised with the music, I was expecting it to just be searing punk but it was a lot more interesting than that. Sounds quite improvisational with all sorts of genres and styles. Cave's vocal perfor..." [+] Reply
- 
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.
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
298
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Solid metal. But, The mixing of this album sounds archaic, thus giving a slightly messy result, plus the guitars are put to the background, they do not really rule. Guitar solos do not convince me." Reply
- 
Jboy56 | 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.
"Life long Go-Betweens fan here Whilst 'Spring Hill Fair' was my first GB's album it was 'Before Hollywood' that completely resonated with me and the rest they say is history This album is important for a few reasons (1) It features the classic GB's line up of Grant McLennan , Robert Forster and L..." [+] Reply
- 
Brad1770 | 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.
"Beautiful traditional Mande music. Polyphonic kora and balafon melodies all over the place. Absolutely incredible." Reply
- 
Woozz | 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.
"At the age of 14 INXS were my life. Kick was the album that drew me in but this one became my favourite. For me it's their most consistent album and in Don't Change it has their first and finest anthem." Reply
Total albums: 1,000. Page 69 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% | |
| The Smiths | 8 | 1% | |
| Rush | 8 | 1% | |
| Iron Maiden | 8 | 1% | |
| R.E.M. | 7 | 1% | |
| Talking Heads | 7 | 1% | |
| U2 | 7 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
412 | 41% | |
 |
392 | 39% | |
 |
40 | 4% | |
 |
29 | 3% | |
 |
22 | 2% | |
 |
19 | 2% | |
 |
12 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Best Artists of the 1980s | |
|---|---|
| 1. The Smiths | |
| 2. Prince | |
| 3. The Cure | |
| 4. Pixies | |
| 5. Talking Heads | |
| 6. U2 | |
| 7. Metallica | |
| 8. Kate Bush | |
| 9. R.E.M. | |
| 10. The Stone Roses |
