Best Albums of the 1980s

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
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.
19802,197193,846
19812,232120,841
19822,186147,863
19832,230135,228
Murmur (139th)by R.E.M.
19842,195169,925
19852,222143,945
19862,339169,225
19872,552161,124
19882,643151,950
19892,678196,977
Total23,4741,590,924

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:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,450
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,411
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,364
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,313
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,226
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,170
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:
3,095
Rank in 1982:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1985
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,017
Rank in 1985:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,014
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,998
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 9 of 100

Best Albums of the 1980s composition

Year Albums %


1980 118 12%
1981 121 12%
1982 108 11%
1983 98 10%
1984 101 10%
1985 80 8%
1986 95 10%
1987 89 9%
1988 94 9%
1989 96 10%
Artist Albums %


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


United Kingdom 416 42%
United States 390 39%
Australia 41 4%
Mixed Nationality 26 3%
Canada 23 2%
Germany 22 2%
Argentina 12 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 967 97%
Yes 33 3%
Live? Albums %
No 979 98%
Yes 21 2%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 988 99%
Yes 12 1%
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6. The Best Albums of 2023 by FLOOD Magazine (2023)
7. Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023 by Exclaim! (2023)
8. NME Albums Of The Year 2023 by New Music Express (2023)
9. Dit zijn de 20 beste albums van 2023 by OOR (2023)
10. The 27 best albums of 2023 by The A.V. Club (2023)
11. Top 55 Albums of 2023 by The Alternative (2023)
12. Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2023 by Under The Radar by Under The Radar (2023)
13. The 100 Best Albums of 2023 by Rolling Stone (2023)
14. Albums Of The Year 2023 by Rough Trade (2023)
15. Les Inrocks Albums of the Year 2023 by Les Inrocks (2023)
16. Albums of 2023 by God is in the TV (2023)
17. Uncut Best 75 Albums Of The Year 2023 by Uncut (2023)
18. The Best Albums of 2023 by The Ringer (2023)
19. Best Albums of 2023 by Northern Transmissions (2023)
20. The Needle Drop's Top 50 Albums of 2023 by The Needle Drop (2023)
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