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).
"Let me try and put this into context: you have a band that changed the definition of what an indie rock/alternative band could be, pioneered the new wave genre, released a number of songs that become club classics and have since gone onto to define electronica and dance music. And then, you take ..." [+] Reply
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DeusExMackia | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +11 votes (11 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:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,884
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"One of the best Bowie's records, should be rated higher than "Space Oddity" or "The Man who sold the world". This shows Bowie's artistry and versatility. People tend to be allergic to pop music, but it's not easy or lazy being likeable or make good music and still be popular, Bowie accomplished i..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,864
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
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Comments:
"This could've been so much better if it wasn't so damn long. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me has the most varied selection of songs in the Cure's discography, but that also means that many tracks don't hold up very well. "Just Like Heaven" is one of my favorite songs of all time, and there are other gr..." [+] Reply
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lleon79 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 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:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,858
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"This is not heavy metal. As an example of the hard rock/glam metal genre, this is the pinnacle of pop music. People dismiss this album as a mechanised sell-out, but this is a masterpiece. Mutt Lange's production on this LP is technically flawless. Such outstanding work done by him and the enginee..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,823
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"My favourite album by The Cure. It's one of those albums perfect for a dreary rainy day. Feels very minimal as if Smith produced the whole thing in his basement, it all builds up momentum to "A Forest" which is probably their best song. "Play for Today", "In Your House", and "M" are other highlig..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,767
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"Mark Knopfler goes for the epic on Dire straits fourth album. Love over gold, only consists of five songs, but they are all excellent. Telegraph road, is a stunning opening track, and it's followed by the atmospheric, private investigations. Side gives us the enjoyable, industrial disease, the lo..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,765
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"A lot of emotion on this record. Romeo and Juliet and tunnel of Love are just beautiful songs, offset by a no-nonsense rocker in solid Rock. Have to say though...the live versions of most of these songs are better." Reply
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Decurso | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 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:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,734
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Not sure why there's so little love for this album here. For me, it's a great listen with lots of enjoyable tracks. Stand out song for me is Never Tear Us Apart." Reply
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albummaster | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 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:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,732
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"Thoroughly enjoyable mid-eighties prog pop/rock album. Misplaced childhood, was a magnificent success for Marillion, and is still one of their best, if not their best album. Featuring the massive hit single, Kayleigh, it also includes, lavender, and the, heart of Lothian singles. It's still a gre..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,729
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"This is the album where Depeche Mode really started to discover their sound and start to experiment with a darker undertone. While it would be executed better on later releases, this early dive into more harsh and tense sounds makes for fantastic listening as you really can feel the raw nature of..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,639
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
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Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 10 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% | |
 |
391 | 39% | |
 |
40 | 4% | |
 |
29 | 3% | |
 |
22 | 2% | |
 |
20 | 2% | |
 |
12 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
