Best Albums of the 1980s

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Listed below are the best albums of the 1980s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 54,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade

Decade:

Year:

1980s decade summary

Year	Albums 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.
1980	2,189	193,371	Remain In Light (26th)by Talking Heads
1981	2,225	120,650	Moving Pictures (155th)by Rush
1982	2,178	147,733	Thriller (72nd)by Michael Jackson
1983	2,226	135,375	Murmur (139th)by R.E.M.
1984	2,185	170,269	Purple Rain (78th)by Prince And The Revolution
1985	2,213	143,808	Hounds Of Love (56th)by Kate Bush
1986	2,331	169,160	The Queen Is Dead (17th)by The Smiths
1987	2,542	161,341	The Joshua Tree (54th)by U2
1988	2,633	152,302	Daydream Nation (71st)by Sonic Youth
1989	2,667	196,772	Doolittle (19th)by Pixies
Total	23,389	1,590,782

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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41.

Nebraska

Bruce Springsteen

Year of Release:

1982

Appears in:

712 charts

Rank Score:

5,806

Rank in 1982:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

310

Average Rating:

80 (966 votes)

Comments:

42.

Synchronicity

The Police

Year of Release:

1983

Appears in:

797 charts

Rank Score:

5,535

Rank in 1983:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

322

Average Rating:

79 (1,019 votes)

Comments:

43.

War

Year of Release:

1983

Appears in:

755 charts

Rank Score:

5,520

Rank in 1983:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

325

Average Rating:

79 (1,181 votes)

Comments:

44.

Songs From The Big Chair

Tears For Fears

Year of Release:

1985

Appears in:

611 charts

Rank Score:

5,298

Rank in 1985:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

340

Average Rating:

79 (662 votes)

Comments:

45.

Speaking In Tongues

Talking Heads

Year of Release:

1983

Appears in:

606 charts

Rank Score:

5,272

Rank in 1983:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

341

Average Rating:

81 (772 votes)

Comments:

46.

...And Justice For All

Metallica

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

623 charts

Rank Score:

5,196

Rank in 1988:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

345

Average Rating:

80 (1,127 votes)

Comments:

47.

Double Nickels On The Dime

Minutemen

Year of Release:

1984

Appears in:

571 charts

Rank Score:

5,043

Rank in 1984:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

351

Average Rating:

80 (626 votes)

Comments:

48.

Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

Dead Kennedys

Year of Release:

1980

Appears in:

669 charts

Rank Score:

4,959

Rank in 1980:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

359

Average Rating:

80 (739 votes)

Comments:

49.

Skylarking

XTC

Year of Release:

1986

Appears in:

582 charts

Rank Score:

4,899

Rank in 1986:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

367

Average Rating:

80 (620 votes)

Comments:

50.

Document

R.E.M.

Year of Release:

1987

Appears in:

682 charts

Rank Score:

4,776

Rank in 1987:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

372

Average Rating:

80 (906 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 5 of 100

Best Albums of the 1980s composition

Year	Albums	%

1980	117	12%
1981	120	12%
1982	108	11%
1983	98	10%
1984	102	10%
1985	80	8%
1986	95	10%
1987	88	9%
1988	93	9%
1989	99	10%

Artist	Albums	%

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

Country	Albums	%

	413	41%
	391	39%
	41	4%
	26	3%
	23	2%
	22	2%
	12	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	967	97%
Yes	33	3%

Live?	Albums	%
No	980	98%
Yes	20	2%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	988	99%
Yes	12	1%

« View best albums of the 1970sView best albums of the 1990s »

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Best Albums of the 1970s
1. The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd
2. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd
3. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie
4. Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) by Led Zeppelin
5. London Calling by The Clash
6. Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
7. The Wall by Pink Floyd
8. Animals by Pink Floyd
9. Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division
10. Who's Next by The Who
11. Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan
12. Exile On Main St. by The Rolling Stones
13. Marquee Moon by Television
14. Hunky Dory by David Bowie
15. Pink Moon by Nick Drake
16. Paranoid by Black Sabbath
17. What's Going On by Marvin Gaye
18. Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones
19. Low by David Bowie
20. Blue by Joni Mitchell