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: 3 hours ago
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"Astonishing arrangement and musical interplay from the Canadian trio. 1 complaint: it needs a longer run-time, or so it seems." Reply
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,625
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"My personal favourite album Prince ever released. This kaleidoscopic double album captures Prince at the peak of his studio craft and holds many of his greatest songs as a result. Track Picks: Sign 'O' the Times The Ballad of Dorothy Parker Starfish and Coffee Slow Love If I Was Your Girlfriend I..." Reply
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,417
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"Had no clue what to expect, thought it would be a band similar to AC/DC for some reason....Well, I was surprised. Fantastic album. A mixture of Folk and Punk, which I've never heard before. Probably go in my top 100 one day soon." Reply
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Hayden | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 6
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Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,783
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"Dated? Nah. Rearrange the lyrics in "Born" just a bit and you're talking about Iraqi war vets instead of Vietnam vets. My Hometown - written 30 years ago and the desperation found there describes what's going on now. And btw, Dancing in the Dark still grooves." Reply
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,707
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"Despite being a debut record, this album features a band whose sound, as unpolished as it may be, is very much theirs. Morrissey and Marr's performances give the band an instantly recognizable sound, and a good collection of songs displaying exceptional lyricism and good compositional skills make..." Reply
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,629
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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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"A true classic. This album has so much emotion and angst, but is also incredible catchy and listenable. Some of these songs are some of the best ever, I Will Dare, Androgynous, Sixteen Blue, Unsatisfied, We're Coming out. Wait every song is amazing. If you don't listen to this album you're missin..." Reply
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TheAstralPlane | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 6
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Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,308
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"I was 13 when this album came out. My foster parents were in their 40's and mostly dug soft rock and folk (like Sting, James Taylor, Bruce Cockburn, etc...) This was our common ground. It's an album everyone can love." Reply
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Decurso | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 2
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Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,799
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"It is easily one of te best albums ever. The second half is brilliantly constructed, with six classics and one interlude (Security of the First world)" Reply
Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,603
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"I wear a shirt with this album cover on it and it's made me more than a few friends." Reply
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PsychologistHD | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 11
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Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,258
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Average Rating:
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 3 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 | 86 | 9% | |
| 1986 | 93 | 9% | |
| 1987 | 87 | 9% | |
| 1988 | 99 | 10% | |
| 1989 | 93 | 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
410 | 41% | |
| |
392 | 39% | |
 |
40 | 4% | |
 |
29 | 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 2 from 58th to 60th |
Down 2 from 59th to 61st |
Down 2 from 67th to 69th |
Top
Commenters
1. garycottier
2,086
2. 
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junodog4
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3. 
HoldenM
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HoldenM
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4. 
paladisiac
711
paladisiac
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5. 
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Brad1770
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6. 
Mercury
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Mercury
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7. 
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meccalecca
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8. Untitled
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9. 
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johnner
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10. hairymarx1
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