Best Albums of the 1980s

Listed below are the best albums of the 1980s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 56,000 greatest album charts.

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summaryThe best artists of the 1980s were The Smiths, Prince, Pixies, The Cure, Talking Heads, U2, Metallica, Kate Bush, R.E.M. and The Stone Roses.
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Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,471
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
98.
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,724
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,881
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,685
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,522
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,505
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,266
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,191
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,007
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
897
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 40. Page 1 of 4

Best Albums of the 1980s composition

Year Albums %


1980 120 12%
1981 119 12%
1982 109 11%
1983 98 10%
1984 101 10%
1985 82 8%
1986 96 10%
1987 88 9%
1988 96 10%
1989 93 9%
Artist Albums %


The Cure 10 1%
Iron Maiden 8 1%
Depeche Mode 8 1%
The Smiths 8 1%
Rush 8 1%
U2 7 1%
The Fall 7 1%
Show all
Country Albums %


United Kingdom 419 42%
United States 389 39%
Australia 40 4%
Mixed Nationality 27 3%
Canada 23 2%
Germany 23 2%
Ireland 11 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 966 96%
Yes 36 4%
Live? Albums %
No 980 98%
Yes 22 2%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 990 99%
Yes 12 1%
Best Artists of the 1970s
1. Pink Floyd
2. David Bowie
3. Led Zeppelin
4. Neil Young
5. The Rolling Stones
6. The Clash
7. Fleetwood Mac
8. Black Sabbath
9. Stevie Wonder
10. The Who
11. Genesis
12. Brian Eno
13. Joni Mitchell
14. Paul McCartney
15. Bob Dylan
16. Yes
17. Bob Marley
18. Bruce Springsteen
19. Nick Drake
20. Marvin Gaye
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