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: 5 hours ago
"The most ripped off album of the decade. Though the sound is dominated by synthesizers Bernard Sumner's melodic and decidedly subdued singing and guitar playing ensured that this record would be the most human synth pop album of the era. Sumner may not have been anywhere near as mesmerizing as th..." Reply
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,212
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"The greatest Smiths album because I don't know. I just seem to prefer this over Queen is Dead. Barbarism is especially mindblowing! The guitar on the joke isnt funny anymore fucks me out ma mind erry time aswell. All the tracks are insane!" Reply
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Medelsvensson | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,188
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Comments:
"This album is a ridiculously good collection of singles and b-sides recorded by The Smiths in the first couple years of their short existence. It is honestly my favorite Smiths album. Nearly every song is quality, with a few of the Smiths greatest songs on here. The album holds together with a re..." Reply
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Caesar01 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,074
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"God, "Pull Out The Pin" has to be one of the best war songs I've ever listened to. The desperate "I LOVE LIFE" battle-cry to the backdrop of helicopter sounds sends chills down my spine." Reply
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,067
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Comments:
"Number of the beast, was Iron Maiden's first album with Bruce Dickinson, which meant now that main songwriter Steve Harris could now write anything and not having to worry about accommodating the limited Paul D'ianno. Two thirds of the album consists of out and out Maiden classics. Children of th..." Reply
Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,046
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"This may not be his most exciting but this is his best written and most daring. It may not be others favorite (though it is mine) but this is his crowning achievement." Reply
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zags7000 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,630
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"Although it's still really gothic, Pornography is a really exciting album to listen to from the amazing opener of One Hundred Years to the train-wreck closer of Pornography (which happens to be the only bad track), and for that reason I prefer it to Disintegration. I mean, fine, Disintegration is..." Reply
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SuedeSwede | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +7 votes (7 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1982
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,629
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Comments:
"Instrumentally probably the most complex and best Smiths record. It does lack a bit of roughness of the first two records, or the overall brilliance of TQID, mostly in the lyrics. Although still unbelievably cool, humorous and ironic, the lyrics just seem a little more straightforward than the ot..." Reply
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LedZep | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,498
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Average Rating:
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"On paper it sounds like my wet dream, but I can't bring myself to really enjoy this. I find it surprisingly hollow. Melodies aren't anything amazing, and the feedback is more distracting, than actually contributing to a more interesting overall sound, which I feel is the case with most MBV's work..." Reply
Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,485
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"Before U2 or more specifically Bono became too full of themselves." Reply
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Detroit Rock Citizen | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,471
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Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 4 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 | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Cure | 10 | 1% | |
| Prince | 8 | 1% | |
| Iron Maiden | 8 | 1% | |
| Depeche Mode | 8 | 1% | |
| Elvis Costello | 8 | 1% | |
| The Smiths | 8 | 1% | |
| Rush | 8 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
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 4 from 100th to 96th |
Up 4 from 60th to 56th |
Up 3 from 97th to 94th |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 4 from 56th to 60th |
Down 3 from 82nd to 85th |
Down 3 from 95th to 98th |
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