Best Albums of the 1980s
Explore the best albums of the 1980s, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts
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Last updated: 3 hours ago
"A very enjoyable album. It's certainly not in the same class as rumours, and, tusk, but at least it's Fleetwood Mac writing decent pop songs again. Big love, seven wonders, little lies, and, everywhere, are up there with their best songs. Pity about the last track though, the awful, You and i, pa..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1987
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Rank Score:
1,675
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"Great debut album. Love the male/female harmony between Exene and John Doe. Billy Zoom added rockabilly sound to some of the songs. Solid drumming by DJ Bonebrake. The lyrics on some of the songs and on many of the X albums are like dark poetry. This album was produced by Ray Manzarek of the Door..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1980
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Rank Score:
1,637
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"Due to Trevor Horn's lush production, this is one of the finest albums of the 1980's." Reply
Year of Release:
1982
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Rank Score:
1,622
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"This album put the pop into metal. Probably one of the albums we can thank (or blame) for the 80s hair metal explosion. I for one love it!" Reply
Year of Release:
1983
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Rank Score:
1,621
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"English Settlement marked the end of an era for XTC. It was the last album they ever performed live and the last to feature long time drummer Terry Chambers. It was here that the band began their slow metamorphosis from Frankenstein Punk to Pastoral Pop. This oncoming identity crisis coupled with..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1982
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Rank Score:
1,598
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"Australian jangle pop legends the Go-Betweens really just had this one great album. Everything else they've done has felt patchy to me. I think what makes 16 Lovers Lane such a success is its simplicity and unity of vision: heavy on mellow guitars, light on synths, and jam-packed with the poetry ..." [+] Reply
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buzzdainer | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1988
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Rank Score:
1,595
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"A perfectly timed breakout release for Judas Priest. British Steel does have a bit lighter lyrics than some of Priest's earlier releases and a lot of the band's concert staples came with this album. Key tracks: Living After Midnight, Breaking the Law, Metal Gods and You Don't Have to Be Old to Be..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,594
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"I listen to this one on vinyl all the time since my uncle gave me an original copy along with Purple Rain. The sum is greater than it's parts for sure as it has a loose concept going on based on the horrible movie Prince directed (The one talent he didn't exactly shine in, though a decent actor)...." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1986
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Rank Score:
1,574
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"Very good album. Favorite Tracks: And She Was, Creatures Of Love, The Lady Don't Mind, Stay Up Late, Walk It Down, Road To Nowhere A- 8.0" Reply
Year of Release:
1985
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Rank Score:
1,570
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"90/100 Underrated album by Queen, more pop than they 70s album but that doesn't mean its bad, its a good album with some solid songs" Reply
Year of Release:
1980
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Rank Score:
1,558
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 17 of 100
Best Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 119 | 12% | |
| 1981 | 120 | 12% | |
| 1982 | 108 | 11% | |
| 1983 | 95 | 10% | |
| 1984 | 100 | 10% | |
| 1985 | 86 | 9% | |
| 1986 | 93 | 9% | |
| 1987 | 87 | 9% | |
| 1988 | 99 | 10% | |
| 1989 | 93 | 9% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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|||
| The Cure | 10 | 1% | |
| Iron Maiden | 8 | 1% | |
| Depeche Mode | 8 | 1% | |
| Elvis Costello | 8 | 1% | |
| The Smiths | 8 | 1% | |
| Rush | 8 | 1% | |
| XTC | 8 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
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 |
411 | 41% | |
 |
392 | 39% | |
 |
40 | 4% | |
 |
29 | 3% | |
 |
23 | 2% | |
 |
20 | 2% | |
 |
11 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Best Albums of the 1980s chart changes
| Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 5 from 61st to 56th |
Up 3 from 97th to 94th |
Up 2 from 98th to 96th |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 3 from 56th to 59th |
Down 3 from 82nd to 85th |
Down 2 from 58th to 60th |
