Best Albums of the 1980s

Listed below are the best albums of the 1980s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 58,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade
Decade:
Year:
1980s decade 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:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
187
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
187
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
993.
101 
Live
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
187
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
187
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
187
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
185
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
185
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
185
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
185
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
1000.
All The Best! 
Compilation
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
185
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 100 of 100

Best Albums of the 1980s composition

Year Albums %


1980 119 12%
1981 120 12%
1982 106 11%
1983 98 10%
1984 102 10%
1985 83 8%
1986 94 9%
1987 87 9%
1988 97 10%
1989 95 10%
Country Albums %


United Kingdom 415 41%
United States 390 39%
Australia 40 4%
Mixed Nationality 27 3%
Canada 23 2%
Germany 20 2%
Argentina 12 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 966 97%
Yes 35 3%
Live? Albums %
No 980 98%
Yes 21 2%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 989 99%
Yes 12 1%
Best Albums of the 2020s
1. Ants From Up There by Black Country, New Road
2. The New Abnormal by The Strokes
3. Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers
4. Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple
5. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz
6. For The First Time by Black Country, New Road
7. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief
8. Promises by Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra
9. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar
10. Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay
11. Brat by Charli XCX
12. Blue Rev by Alvvays
13. Javelin by Sufjan Stevens
14. Hellfire by Black Midi
15. Folklore by Taylor Swift
16. Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd by Lana Del Rey
17. How I'm Feeling Now by Charli XCX
18. After Hours by The Weeknd
19. What's Your Pleasure? by Jessie Ware
20. A Light For Attracting Attention by The Smile
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