Best Albums of 1984
Explore the best albums of 1984, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts.
Click to see how the rankings are calculated
Last updated: 3 hours ago
Last updated: 3 hours ago
"The most stunningly varied, eclectic, and just plain GOOD album I have ever owned. Had the same copy since I was 10, and nothing has ever beaten it. The songs managed to be brilliant and obtuse, yet still managed to appeal to a massive audience. "The Beautiful Ones" and "Take Me With You" are so ..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,381
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"The thing with Metallica, is that most of their songs don't need to be as long as they are. They just have an amazing 3 or 4 minutes, and drag out for another 4. Even though this album is one of their shorter ones, it suffers from that." Reply
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Hayden | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (6 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,988
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Comments:
"Bruce Springsteen's record company must have breathed a huge sigh of relief when he delivered his new album to them after the lo-fi bleakness of the all acoustic, Nebraska. Born in the USA, was Springsteen's shot at the title, his pop record, his ticket to superstardom. I'm sure Springsteen had p..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,716
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"One of the greatest debut albums, The Smiths self-titled album is an instant classic. Standout tracks include "This Charming Man", "Reel Around The Fountain", "Still Ill"." Reply
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joedec | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,697
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"I've been listening to this for a year, and I am still loving it so much. This is one of the greatest albums ever. It's well ahead of its time, filled with punk influence, but with tremendously diverse and dynamic songwriting. Let It Be is everything a great album ought to be. The Replacements' L..." [+] Reply
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HoldenM | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (9 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,340
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
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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Comments:
"Words cannot describe my love for this album! Who knows what they would've achieved if D. Boon hadn't gone at such a young age... It's pretty damn close to perfection, if only there were bands like this still around..." Reply
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Patman360 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,698
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Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
"The Special Edition, which includes more live versions, is amazing! I would recommend listening to that one" Reply
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lleon79 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,286
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"Creates such a wonderful vibe and atmosphere whenever I listen to it. "Otterley" is amazing." Reply
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
4,057
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Average Rating:
Comments:
"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) | +3 votes (4 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,997
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100
Best Albums of 1984 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
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| Various Artists | 21 | 2% | |
| Frank Zappa | 4 | 0% | |
| Black Flag | 4 | 0% | |
| The Milkshakes | 4 | 0% | |
| Touré Kunda | 3 | 0% | |
| Sir Georg Solti / Chicago Symphony Orchestra | 3 | 0% | |
| The Residents | 3 | 0% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
349 | 35% | |
 |
263 | 26% | |
 |
46 | 5% | |
 |
41 | 4% | |
 |
37 | 4% | |
 |
31 | 3% | |
 |
26 | 3% | |
| Show all | |||
Best Albums of 1984 chart changes
| Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 7 from 77th to 70th |
Up 5 from 51st to 46th |
Up 2 from 82nd to 80th |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 2 from 45th to 47th |
Down 2 from 71st to 73rd |
Down 2 from 80th to 82nd |
| New entries New entries in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 1 from 101st to 100th |
| Leavers Leavers from top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 32 from 96th to 128th |
