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: 7 hours ago
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"An intoxicating Voodoo cabaret from a man whose voice alone is enough to get you drunk." Reply
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ButterThumbz | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 6
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Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,457
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"Brilliant production from Todd, excellent songs from the band, and they mesh together wonderfully. The best song on this album is "Dear God," though that's not technically on the album. "Grass," "Ballet for a Rainy Day," and "Earn Enough For Us" are all top tracks as well, and there isn't a weak ..." Reply
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Sandinistar | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 4
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Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,452
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"Please listen to the special edition, the original release is out of order and missing some of the best tracks." Reply
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,254
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"Bad inevitably failed to match Thriller both in terms of success and artistically. There’s no artistic achievements like Beat It or Billie Jean and it’s not as consistant as Thriller. However it still a fascinating record because it was almost impossible to follow an album like Thriller but MJ wa..." Reply
Year of Release:
1987
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,247
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"Wow! I used to listen to Treasure and Blue Bell Knoll a lot. It conjures up abstract imagery to take you through a winter's night." Reply
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radiofreespike | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 3
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Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,083
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"It's hard to choose between this and The Number of the Beast, but ultimately this has got to be Maidens best album and the best pure metal album yet made (AC/DC being disqualified for having to much roll in their rock). Every single track is strong AND it contains instant hits in Aces High, Flash..." Reply
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Bork | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 5
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Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,027
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Average Rating:
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"Ok, this is a seriously stellar album. Really. I Don't Believe In You, Give It Up, Living In Another World, and Life's What You Make It are all some of the best tracks that they had done up to this point in their career, and they are done in such a graceful and artful manner, belying what is to c..." Reply
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JulianR | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 5
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Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,002
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"Isn't It A Pity is a damn good song... This album is a strange experience, the guitars generally sound fantastic, but the vocals can REALLY throw you off if you're not ready for FLAT high notes. Somehow it doesn't steal from the experience for me, however. LOOK AT MY BLUE THUNDER!" Reply
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,978
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"Incredible album, exceptional song-writing, great lyrics, great melody, has it all." Reply
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albummaster | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 6
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Year of Release:
1988
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,957
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"My favorite PG album without doubt. Fair enough to those who prefer So but PGIII is much more my style, reminiscent of contemporaries like Talking Heads but you're never going to mistake Peter Gabriel for anyone else, and this album has his mark all over it. Intruder opens things in what can only..." Reply
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Caesar01 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) · 7
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Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,955
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 6 of 100
Best Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 117 | 12% | |
| 1981 | 120 | 12% | |
| 1982 | 108 | 11% | |
| 1983 | 96 | 10% | |
| 1984 | 100 | 10% | |
| 1985 | 87 | 9% | |
| 1986 | 93 | 9% | |
| 1987 | 87 | 9% | |
| 1988 | 100 | 10% | |
| 1989 | 92 | 9% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| The Cure | 10 | 1% | |
| Depeche Mode | 8 | 1% | |
| Elvis Costello | 8 | 1% | |
| The Smiths | 8 | 1% | |
| Rush | 8 | 1% | |
| XTC | 8 | 1% | |
| Prince | 8 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
411 | 41% | |
| |
392 | 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 62nd to 58th |
Up 2 from 100th to 98th |
Up 2 from 96th to 94th |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 3 from 56th to 59th |
Down 2 from 39th to 41st |
Down 2 from 59th to 61st |
