Best Albums of the 1980s

Listed below are the best albums of the 1980s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 53,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade
Decade:
Year:
1980s decade summary
YearAlbums The number of albums from each year featuring in the greatest album charts. Score Total rank score for each year (made up of the total rank score from all albums in that year) Top Ranked Album The top ranked album from each year and where it ranks in the overall chart.
19802,111194,453
19812,144120,329
19822,119148,278
19832,122135,685
Murmur (141st)by R.E.M.
19842,127171,263
19852,127144,206
19862,246171,497
19872,449162,837
19882,537152,367
19892,557198,058
Total22,5391,598,974

The 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:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
754
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
754
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
746
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
742
Rank in 1988:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
742
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
741
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
737
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
734
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
732
Rank in 1987:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
732
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 34 of 100

Best Albums of the 1980s composition

Year Albums %


1980 117 12%
1981 120 12%
1982 110 11%
1983 97 10%
1984 102 10%
1985 81 8%
1986 96 10%
1987 87 9%
1988 93 9%
1989 97 10%
Artist Albums %


The Cure 10 1%
Iron Maiden 8 1%
Depeche Mode 8 1%
Rush 8 1%
The Smiths 7 1%
R.E.M. 7 1%
The Fall 7 1%
Show all
Country Albums %


United Kingdom 417 42%
United States 386 39%
Australia 40 4%
Mixed Nationality 27 3%
Canada 23 2%
Germany 22 2%
Ireland 12 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 966 97%
Yes 34 3%
Live? Albums %
No 977 98%
Yes 23 2%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 988 99%
Yes 12 1%
Best Albums of 1967
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
2. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico
3. The Doors by The Doors
4. Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
5. Forever Changes by Love
6. Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles
7. Songs Of Leonard Cohen by Leonard Cohen
8. The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn by Pink Floyd
9. Axis: Bold As Love by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
10. Strange Days by The Doors
11. Disraeli Gears by Cream
12. Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane
13. Days Of Future Passed by The Moody Blues
14. I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You by Aretha Franklin
15. Something Else By The Kinks by The Kinks
16. The Who Sell Out by The Who
17. Safe As Milk by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
18. Chelsea Girl by Nico
19. Goodbye And Hello by Tim Buckley
20. John Wesley Harding by Bob Dylan
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