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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"You've been transported to the fanciest lounge jazz club that you dreamt about visiting for years. All of that waiting has paid off when the entity singing on the main stage is the love of your life." Reply
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HazeyTwilight | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 1
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Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,491
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
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"Reminds me a lot of Orange Juice's "You Can't Hide Your Love Forever". Not too dissimilar: this is just on the post-punk side of things where that tends to lean on twee/indie pop more than this does. I like how they both combine post-punk with jazz, funk, soul, etc. It's real nice." Reply
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SuedeSwede | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 1
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Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,484
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"So what have you got yourself into now? Judas Priest album in hand, 'Screaming For Vengeance' the title. What a title! Doesn't that just put the aims of the band down on the counter, you're getting what you're getting and that's that? Released in a time when Judas Priest could do little wrong. 'S..." Reply
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,482
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"Not as good as Ocean Rain but getting there. Love the way it builds towards a climax towards the end of the 2nd side with a brace of brilliant songs." Reply
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johnner | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 3
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Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,477
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"A personal favorite of mine. Faith is a classic, Father Figure is a masterpiece, Monkey is a banger, and Kissing a Fool is a heartbreaker." Reply
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,477
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"This albums is a turning point for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It is the time that they are moving from the rawness of their post-punk influence to a more controlled, theatrical tone. The 1990s will see a much more melodic band, but for now, we are waving goodbye to the Cave we used to know ever..." Reply
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demetrios | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 5
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Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,465
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"I'm not a massive Prince fan but I do like a lot of his songs, but generally not whole albums. However this is one I do like, bought on cassette back in the day. This is my kind of Prince rather than the R&B stuff and I enjoy this more than Purple Rain, it doesn't mean it's better, just my musica..." Reply
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,454
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"Walking down a quiet city street at night, feeling the cool air flow by as you watch the last lights from the surrounding apartment buildings flicker out, losing yourself in your own introspection, contemplating love, loss, and heartbreak before realizing you've been walking for hours, full circl..." Reply
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,453
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Rank in 1980s:
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Average Rating:
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"Hard not to love this one...silly and beautiful masterpiece of subversive pop" Reply
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,448
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"If these guys aren't the archetype for Post-hardcore at its best then I don't know what this genre even is. This is one of the greatest punk albums I've ever had the pleasure of hearing" Reply
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,447
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 19 of 100
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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
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|||
 |
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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