Best Albums of the 1980s

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6.

The Joshua Tree 

 U2

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"Some of the comments about this album and this band are absurd - sure U2 became rather annoying, but that has nothing to do with this album. This is not a pretensious album, its a haunting album. I find Bono's singing on this album to be about the best male performance ever, all of you men know w...""Some of the comments about this album and this band are absurd - sure U2 became rather annoying, but that has nothing to do with this album. This is not a pretensious album, its a haunting album. I find Bono's singing on this album to be about the best male performance ever, all of you men know what i mean, you cant hit those notes, who can? Tell me which male singer could do this and still sound open, not like Plant or Cornell, who are shrill, the heavy rocker screech has its - awesome - place but they could not pull this off. That aside, the songs are simple, but back then U2 had the darkness in their sound, the bitter sweetness, the torn-ness - and they mastered it. I love radio head, but how are a full 3 of their albums in front of this? Radio head impressed us so much by giving us progress from this, showing what was next and what had a better future - but they could never have done this. Bono now is mystifyingly annoying, how or why or what is this? What counsel is there for him? What is his condition, that seems to grate? The mind boggles. He is still the most interesting of them to listen to but... Their music now for me is just boring pop, all sweetness and light. A bunch of guys loving their amazingness, their freedom, money and their legacy and boring us to death. But lets not forget the J Tree! "  [+]  Reply

- drewlander2106 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (4 helpful | 1 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:

1,884 charts

Rank Score:

17,977

Rank in 1987:

1

Rank in 1980s:

6

Overall Rank:

52

Average Rating:

 83 (2,483 votes)

Comments:

231

15.

Appetite For Destruction 

 Guns N' Roses

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"I get that there are reasons people dislike Guns n Roses and that Axl is an ass, but I do not understand people who listen to this and say it's boring or a ripoff. In a way I find criticisms of GnR similar to criticisms of Aerosmith (7os era Aerosmith that is) - it's blues based rock music, of co...""I get that there are reasons people dislike Guns n Roses and that Axl is an ass, but I do not understand people who listen to this and say it's boring or a ripoff. In a way I find criticisms of GnR similar to criticisms of Aerosmith (7os era Aerosmith that is) - it's blues based rock music, of course it doesn't sound entirely new or original. But like Aerosmith, GnR simply did it better than anyone else around. Both bands had a very distinctive lead singer with a huge stage presence (and personally I think both Steven Tyler and Axl were good lyricists for what they were trying to accomplish). Both bands had solid rhythm sections. And both bands had excellent dual guitar work. In a way these bands are the progression of bands like the Rolling Stones, who also had the five piece, two guitar setup, and a very distinctive lead singer. Apart from that, I think it's important when rating music to try and judge it as if it wasn't totally played out. Yes, I'm not necessarily going to search out Welcome to the Jungle or Sweet Child to hear them for the millionth time, but the fact I've heard them so often is entirely separate from whether the songs are actually good. And I defy any fan of rock music to tell me with a straight face that they don't understand why Welcome to the Jungle is played at every sporting event - it's because it's an incredibly exciting song that gets you amped, with one of the most memorable intros of any song I can think of. That said, this isn't a perfect album. In particular, I think the second (roses) side is noticeably weaker than the first (guns) side. But I think the first side contains, at worst, high energy rock songs (It's So Easy and Out Ta Get Me) and at best, two of the most anthemic rock songs ever. Lyrically, these songs do a great job of capturing where GnR and Axl specifically were at while they were recording. Mr. Brownstone and Nighttrain capture the essence of an active drug addiction very well. Mr. Brownstone specifically I think is one of GnR's absolute best tracks, and grievously underrated. I suppose there are some who simply dislike GnR's sound - for me, the first six tracks on this album sound like rock music is supposed to sound like. A real shame that the band was already fracturing (for a multitude of reasons) by the time this album was released, but for this one album, they sound like the greatest rock band in the world."  [+]  Reply

- Caesar01 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 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:

1,408 charts

Rank Score:

10,706

Rank in 1987:

2

Rank in 1980s:

15

Overall Rank:

118

Average Rating:

 78 (1,967 votes)

Comments:

170

22.

Sign "O" The Times 

 Prince

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"Nowhere near as accessible as Purple Rain, but overtly diverse. Not as concise either, which makes it all the more appealing. Like London Calling, the White Album and Melon Collie and Infinite Sadness. A great double album."  Reply

- nas062080 | 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:

896 charts

Rank Score:

8,467

Rank in 1987:

3

Rank in 1980s:

22

Overall Rank:

168

Average Rating:

 81 (960 votes)

Comments:

58

38.

Strangeways, Here We Come 

 The Smiths

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"Strangeways suffers the same fate "Wish" did. It was the follow-up to an absolute masterpiece and the context gives it an unfair rep. I'd say that this is the strongest Smiths record behind TQID. The production value is fantastic. Last Night I Dreamt is a masterpiece and a cornerstone of their ov...""Strangeways suffers the same fate "Wish" did. It was the follow-up to an absolute masterpiece and the context gives it an unfair rep. I'd say that this is the strongest Smiths record behind TQID. The production value is fantastic. Last Night I Dreamt is a masterpiece and a cornerstone of their overall repertoire . While Death At One's Elbow is clearly the worst Smiths original, the album is very consistent in quality and overarching sound. I will say that the one drawback to this record is the diminished virtuosity of the rhythm section. Andy's basslines aren't nearly as popping and melodic as they were in the early years of the Smiths. Moz and Stephen Street really take over on this album, and I'd be inclined to say that Strangeways sounds more like Viva Hate than they do to any other Smiths record."  [+]  Reply

- Cosmo | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 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:

749 charts

Rank Score:

5,562

Rank in 1987:

4

Rank in 1980s:

38

Overall Rank:

295

Average Rating:

 81 (1,139 votes)

Comments:

64

43.

You're Living All Over Me 

 Dinosaur

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"These guys are given shit credit in this community. Dinosaur Jr. are alt-rock legends."  Reply

- Connor | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +14 votes (14 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:

658 charts

Rank Score:

5,265

Rank in 1987:

5

Rank in 1980s:

43

Overall Rank:

315

Average Rating:

 82 (743 votes)

Comments:

45

50.

Document 

 R.E.M.

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"Another great album from R.E.M. I personally don't like it as much as the albums that came before it, but it is still very good. Tracks 1-4 are great, and 6 & 7 are their best known songs for a reason. After that it loses my interest a little."  Reply

- Ben4 | 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:

1987

Appears in:

711 charts

Rank Score:

4,540

Rank in 1987:

6

Rank in 1980s:

50

Overall Rank:

366

Average Rating:

 80 (934 votes)

Comments:

48

54.

Bad 

 Michael Jackson

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"Quite a step down from the amazing Thriller. There are a few awesome songs on here ("Smooth Criminal" is one of Michael's finest songs), but there are unfortunately quite a bit of trash too ("Just Good Friends" is the worst of them). The album also has this kind of cold, harsh 80's production, th...""Quite a step down from the amazing Thriller. There are a few awesome songs on here ("Smooth Criminal" is one of Michael's finest songs), but there are unfortunately quite a bit of trash too ("Just Good Friends" is the worst of them). The album also has this kind of cold, harsh 80's production, that I'm not too big a fan of either."  [+]  Reply

- | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (3 helpful | 1 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:

614 charts

Rank Score:

4,247

Rank in 1987:

7

Rank in 1980s:

54

Overall Rank:

390

Average Rating:

 76 (947 votes)

Comments:

63

69.

Music For The Masses 

 Depeche Mode

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""Nothing" is a pleasant surprise on side 2, to go along with a great Side one."  Reply

- Kuzh69 | 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:

501 charts

Rank Score:

3,579

Rank in 1987:

8

Rank in 1980s:

69

Overall Rank:

476

Average Rating:

 80 (621 votes)

Comments:

33

82.

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Sister 

 Sonic Youth

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"A savagely good record. Sonic Youth's "screw you mom", flannel shirt wearing, ever-so-slightly-edgy teenage phase. More accomplished than previous works, but less monumental and less polished than what would follow, meaning it delivers that rough, bitter taste that made this era of SY so damn goo...""A savagely good record. Sonic Youth's "screw you mom", flannel shirt wearing, ever-so-slightly-edgy teenage phase. More accomplished than previous works, but less monumental and less polished than what would follow, meaning it delivers that rough, bitter taste that made this era of SY so damn good in absolute spades. It takes time and consideration to be appreciated, but beneath its raw, feedback-driven and strangely subtle overtone is a beautiful creation that strings together the last remains of punk and post-punk, with hints of alt rock and art rock, all of which is brought together in a tumultuous 40-something-minute record. Not an easy album to listen to, but one that - like much of Sonic Youth's discography - is extremely satisfying."  [+]  Reply

- DeusExMackia | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 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:

522 charts

Rank Score:

3,207

Rank in 1987:

9

Rank in 1980s:

82

Overall Rank:

539

Average Rating:

 80 (655 votes)

Comments:

43

90.

Substance 
Compilation

 New Order

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"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 ...""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 all of their best work, their biggest hits, a couple of remixes and some previously unheard work, and put into a double album which has one of the best names for an album ever. The result is Substance. This isn't just some compilation or 'best of' album; it's the New Order bible."  [+]  Reply

- 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:

344 charts

Rank Score:

2,862

Rank in 1987:

10

Rank in 1980s:

90

Overall Rank:

587

Average Rating:

 84 (493 votes)

Comments:

38

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Total albums: 88. Page 1 of 9

Best Albums of the 1980s composition

Year	Albums	%
1980	120	12%
1981	119	12%
1982	107	11%
1983	96	10%
1984	102	10%
1985	87	9%
1986	92	9%
1987	88	9%
1988	98	10%
1989	91	9%

Artist	Albums	%
The Cure	10	1%
Prince	8	1%
Iron Maiden	8	1%
Elvis Costello	8	1%
The Smiths	8	1%
Rush	8	1%
XTC	8	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	412	41%
	393	39%
	40	4%
	29	3%
	22	2%
	20	2%
	11	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	964	96%
Yes	36	4%

Live?	Albums	%
No	981	98%
Yes	19	2%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	988	99%
Yes	12	1%