Best Albums of the 1980s
Explore the best albums of the 1980s, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts.
Click to see how the rankings are calculated
Last updated: 4 hours ago
Last updated: 4 hours ago
"Allmusic gives this 2/5. Wow... that's a lot of hatin'! This is a super fun and excellent album." Reply
"I still gave this a 50 because, as always, the music is fantastically arranged, but GOD these lyrics are a complete joke. Considering one of the world's greatest poets decided to make an album consisting of cliche religious flash words and phrases you can hear at any Sunday mass, I would consider..." [+] Reply
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louisjwyatt | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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"Great hardcore punk album which is criminally underrated on this site. The sound has an edge but it’s not too heavy. Not a huge fan of first track but it gets progressively better reaching a peak with Kids From The Black Hole, No Way & Amoeba." Reply
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Brandon8 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Share your opinion and help others discover this album. The top-voted comments are showcased in our aggregate charts!
"WBA is one of my early bands that stuck into my ears. The beautiful guitar solos and ethereal and airy playing is always a treat to listen. The sound of this album is excellent and makes this a standout live album." Reply
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Jboy56 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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"ambient exotification , a quiet precursor to the superior "my life in the bush of ghosts" but has its own modest charms" Reply
"Bought this because of a Rolling Stone review. It ended being one of my favorites. "Fade Away" should've been a hit single, and the rest of the CD is just as outstanding. Even after all this time, it still sounds great." Reply
Share your opinion and help others discover this album. The top-voted comments are showcased in our aggregate charts!
"Compare this to Hotter than July. Which is better? July. But they aren't much different. This has great vibes throughout, not a bad/unlistenable song. You can absolutely listen to this as an album. Overjoyed could be in his top 3 of sweet songs not falling over into sappiness, and Wonder has a lo..." [+] Reply
"Natty get a phone call... Heavy killer dub LP, a record where traditional dub coexists with sci-fi effects (the cover's a dead giveaway) and the Echo and reverb turned up to 11. The first two tracks and the heavenly Shake The Nation are the key moments, where in the latter the drums sound like th..." [+] Reply
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Jimmy Dread | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 100 of 100
Best Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 120 | 12% | |
| 1981 | 120 | 12% | |
| 1982 | 108 | 11% | |
| 1983 | 95 | 10% | |
| 1984 | 101 | 10% | |
| 1985 | 87 | 9% | |
| 1986 | 92 | 9% | |
| 1987 | 86 | 9% | |
| 1988 | 99 | 10% | |
| 1989 | 92 | 9% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| The Cure | 10 | 1% | |
| The Smiths | 8 | 1% | |
| Rush | 8 | 1% | |
| XTC | 8 | 1% | |
| Prince | 8 | 1% | |
| Iron Maiden | 8 | 1% | |
| Elvis Costello | 8 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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411 | 41% | |
 |
393 | 39% | |
 |
40 | 4% | |
 |
29 | 3% | |
 |
23 | 2% | |
 |
19 | 2% | |
 |
11 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Best Albums of the 1980s chart changes
| Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 5 from 61st to 56th |
Up 3 from 41st to 38th |
Up 2 from 99th to 97th |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 3 from 38th to 41st |
Down 3 from 82nd to 85th |
Down 2 from 30th to 32nd |
Recognised
Decade Charts (2020s)
