Best Albums of the 1980s
Explore the best albums of the 1980s, based on over 2 million album rankings across 61,000 charts
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Last updated: 8 hours ago
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"One of the quintessential albums of all time, from the compositions of Johnny Marr, the lyrics and voice of Morrisey, and the overall mystic of The Smiths make this a timeless album. Impeccable production quality, 110% effort on every song, their heart and soul on every song." Reply
Year of Release:
1986
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Rank Score:
31,262
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"What a beautiful album it is, as close to pefection as The Cure ever got simultaneously creating the definitive goth rock album. Slow-pacing of this album with its tracks lenght and long instrumental parts only gets you into a better mood to listen to this dark, magical piece of music. In the fir..." Reply
Year of Release:
1989
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Rank Score:
25,432
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"Not many albums can be said to have created a generation. This did. From the opening bass of I wanna be adored not a single thing could be improved upon. utter absolute perfection." Reply
Year of Release:
1989
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Rank Score:
21,883
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"Eccentric, sensual, a true feast for the ears; Bush does music narrative like no one else, all the while pushing the boundaries of the genre she's built for herself. The idea shouldn't make sense: two smaller albums in one normal length album. And yet its pulled off with brilliant tenacity. The o..." Reply
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DeusExMackia | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 11
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Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,746
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"This entire album is very good. The last three songs (Twenty Four Hours, The Eternal & Decades) are on an entirely different tier of greatness." Reply
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ShaneSpear | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 8
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Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,249
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"Talk Talk had long left their pop sound (which was also great just different than this) and the styles of day were far from what they were doing, so this album sort of went unnoticed at the moment only to be discovered as a masterpiece later. Worthy of long listens." Reply
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,334
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"One of the greatest debut albums, The Smiths self-titled album is an instant classic. Standout tracks include "This Charming Man", "Reel Around The Fountain", "Still Ill"." Reply
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joedec | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 4
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Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,607
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"For a long time Peter Gabriel and the idea of a commercial breakthrough seemed polar opposites. With So Gabriel suddenly demonstrated that there was a market (again) for intelligent and well crafted songwriting." Reply
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swhaze | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 7
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Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,315
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"This represents the sound of the 80S that I don't like. Digital sounding drums, everything sounds produced, ugly synth sounds.. Even the live instruments (sax in 'latest trick' e.g.) sound like they're coming from a digital synth. The most famous track here 'Walk of Life' sounds very dated, like ..." Reply
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wooolf | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 2
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Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,804
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"The most ripped off album of the decade. Though the sound is dominated by synthesizers Bernard Sumner's melodic and decidedly subdued singing and guitar playing ensured that this record would be the most human synth pop album of the era. Sumner may not have been anywhere near as mesmerizing as th..." Reply
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,244
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Total albums: 411. Page 1 of 42
Best Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 118 | 12% | |
| 1981 | 120 | 12% | |
| 1982 | 108 | 11% | |
| 1983 | 96 | 10% | |
| 1984 | 100 | 10% | |
| 1985 | 87 | 9% | |
| 1986 | 93 | 9% | |
| 1987 | 87 | 9% | |
| 1988 | 99 | 10% | |
| 1989 | 92 | 9% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Cure | 10 | 1% | |
| Elvis Costello | 8 | 1% | |
| The Smiths | 8 | 1% | |
| Rush | 8 | 1% | |
| XTC | 8 | 1% | |
| Prince | 8 | 1% | |
| Iron Maiden | 8 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
411 | 41% | |
| |
391 | 39% | |
 |
40 | 4% | |
 |
28 | 3% | |
 |
23 | 2% | |
 |
21 | 2% | |
 |
11 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Best Albums of the 1980s chart changes
| Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 4 from 70th to 66th |
Up 4 from 62nd to 58th |
Up 3 from 94th to 91st |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 4 from 57th to 61st |
Down 2 from 33rd to 35th |
Down 2 from 38th to 40th |
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