Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s by buzzdainer

These days, when people talk about "eighties music" as if it were a genre, mainly they're referring to Michael Jackson and Madonna and George Michael. Maybe some of the one-hit wonders like Frankie Goes to Hollywood and the Georgia Satellites. Or the Pretty in Pink soundtrack. Or hair metal, which ruled the musical culture of my hometown in Maine with bands such as AC/DC and the Scorpions. None of those things quite describes my own musical experience of the eighties. On the one hand, I definitely knew about the stuff that was popular; it was the water in which we all swam. On the other hand, as a teenager I actively sought out music that moved me differently--the things that felt a little edgier, a little riskier, a little more emotionally charged without being completely overwrought. Well, okay, and some of the overwrought stuff, too.

A representative moment I still remember well is from fall of my eighth grade year. My English teacher gave us an assignment to bring to class a cassette tape including a song we liked for its lyrics, and we had to distribute a transcription of the lyrics to our classmates and give them an interpretation of what we thought the lyrics meant. When you're a teenager, music is tied closely to identity, or at least it was for me, and I spent a lot of time thinking of what song I should bring. I eventually settled on Hüsker Dü's "Pink Turns to Blue," because I wanted something I figured nobody else had heard, something that felt more rebellious and badass than Def Leppard or Bon Jovi. My classmates, and my teacher, were visibly uncomfortable trying to listen to the opening lines, "Going out each day to score, she was no whore but for me / Celebrating every day the way she thought it should be." If my goal was to signal to my classmates that I wasn't to be messed with, mission accomplished. Which is funny to think about now, since I now think of music as a means for bringing people together, not alienating them. Nevertheless, and maybe paradoxically, I still love a lot of that same music I loved then--perhaps because it connects me to a past version of myself that I still have a certain affection for.

• Chart updated: 07/21/2024 13:15
• (Created: 02/16/2016 18:26).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

There are 15 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s has an average rating of 91 out of 100 (from 22 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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1. (=)

Doolittle 

 Pixies

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It's surprising to me that for an album that is relatively difficult listening in places, Doolittle has become an uncontroversial classic. The appeal, I think, is that behind Black Francis's maniacal screaming and Kim Deal's keening, there are great melodies, memorable (and often hilarious) production flourishes, and clever songwriting. As A.A. Dowd of the Onion's A.V. Club incomparably expressed it, "Doolittle marries psychotic gibberish to sunny surf-rock hooks." My favorites here are "Hey," "Here Comes Your Man," and of course, "Monkey Gone to Heaven." [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

2,515 charts

Rank Score:

35,200

Rank in 1989:

1

Rank in 1980s:

2

Overall Rank:

19

Average Rating:

 88 (2,910 votes)

Comments:

290

2. (=)

The Joshua Tree 

 U2

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It's actually a little gratifying to see The Joshua Tree sitting as the #1 album for 1987 here on BEA. When I was in high school, U2 were an indisputably cool band that was not only loved by people from my generation, but also my parents' generation. That's a rare thing. But then, over the past few decades, there's been a fairly intense backlash against U2, focusing mainly on Bono's cult of personality. I've always felt that such criticism was pretty off base when you consider the far worse things other celebrities have done compared to Bono's penchant for short-term political causes and wearing sunglasses indoors because he has glaucoma. Cut the dude some slack, I say. And if you need reminding, play the opening minute and a half of "Where the Streets Have No Name" really loud, and try to remember what it was like hearing the building intensity of that great rock song for the very first time. [First added to this chart: 05/11/2016]

Year of Release:

1987

Appears in:

1,835 charts

Rank Score:

19,408

Rank in 1987:

1

Rank in 1980s:

6

Overall Rank:

52

Average Rating:

 83 (2,421 votes)

Comments:

227

3. (=)

Diesel And Dust 

 Midnight Oil

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I went through a period of loving Aussie rock so much back in the late eighties that I wound up spending my junior year of college in Perth. Of all those Australian bands that I loved back then, Midnight Oil was probably the best, and is the one that has had the most staying power for me. They made a number of good albums, but Diesel and Dust was their best. It brings together the guitar-driven, punk sensibilities of their earlier albums with the more meticulously produced, more obviously political, more mainstream later works. "Beds Are Burning" was the hit single from this album, but I think "The Dead Heart," also released as a single, is even better: a moving, beat-driven meditation on the theft of land from the continent's aboriginal people. [First added to this chart: 02/26/2016]

Year of Release:

1987

Appears in:

285 charts

Rank Score:

1,827

Rank in 1987:

18

Rank in 1980s:

152

Overall Rank:

978

Average Rating:

 76 (321 votes)

Comments:

23

4. (5) 1

Hounds Of Love 

 Kate Bush

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I'm still not sure whether or not, overall, I like Kate Bush. I've spent quite a lot of time listening to The Dreaming, and I don't hear much there that I love. But Hounds of Love is another story. It's one of those consistently great, inspired, timeless albums that transcends both its genre and the time period in which it was made. Since I moved to Montana, I've been especially taken with "The Big Sky," which captures through synths and airy, breathy vocals the vertigo feeling of standing under the biggest, most expansive sky on Earth. [First added to this chart: 05/27/2016]

Year of Release:

1985

Appears in:

1,374 charts

Rank Score:

19,065

Rank in 1985:

1

Rank in 1980s:

7

Overall Rank:

56

Average Rating:

 85 (1,368 votes)

Comments:

101

5. (4) 1

Remain In Light 

 Talking Heads

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This may have been the last Talking Heads studio album that I discovered, and in this case last was definitely not least. The cross between funk, African rhythms, and early 1980s electronics works perfectly. And of course, this album includes Talking Heads' finest moment, the fascinating and beautiful and mysterious "Once in a Lifetime," which seems to be on every consequential movie soundtrack between 1980 and 1989. [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

1980

Appears in:

1,997 charts

Rank Score:

29,804

Rank in 1980:

1

Rank in 1980s:

3

Overall Rank:

26

Average Rating:

 87 (2,251 votes)

Comments:

195

6. (=)

Workbook 

 Bob Mould

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When a band I love breaks up, most of the time I'm less enamored of the new bands, side projects, and solo endeavors that ensue afterward. There's often something special about the chemistry between band members that makes whatever they were doing unique and special, and it can be difficult for even the most talented musicians and songwriters to recapture the magic. I assumed that would be the case with Hüsker Dü, as Bob Mould and Grant Hart brought such different and complementary energies to that great punk/alternative rock band. But I think Workbook surpasses anything Hüsker Dü ever did. The use of acoustic guitar, paired with the searing distortion-heavy electric lead guitars for soloing, draws attention to Mould's talents as a lyricist in ways that Hüsker Dü's wall of noise tended to obscure. An unexpected and still much-underappreciated album, Workbook is an incredibly consistent collection of songs with many highlights, perhaps the most memorable of which is the scorching guitar work on "Wishing Well." [First added to this chart: 05/15/2016]

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

109 charts

Rank Score:

452

Rank in 1989:

45

Rank in 1980s:

502

Overall Rank:

3,278

Average Rating:

 78 (82 votes)

Comments:

4

7. (=)

Graceland 

 Paul Simon

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A watershed album in the history of pop music, and one I remember fondly from my high school days. A buddy of mine and I recorded a silly lip-sync video of "You Can Call Me Al" based on the music video featuring Paul Simon and Chevy Chase. I believe I played Chevy Chase playing Paul Simon. Not a very original concept, but that's no fault whatsoever of the album itself, which actually broke a lot of ground by bringing together Simon's clever, folksy, hyper-literate songwriting with African rhythms and instrumentation, including contributions from Nguni folk musicians Ladysmith Black Mambazo that integrate surprisingly well with Paul Simon's late-night Manhattan sensibilities. I've probably listened to this album a few too many times for it to feel genuinely fresh, but it still brings a smile to my face. [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

1986

Appears in:

1,109 charts

Rank Score:

11,361

Rank in 1986:

3

Rank in 1980s:

16

Overall Rank:

125

Average Rating:

 81 (1,329 votes)

Comments:

79

8. (=)

Disintegration 

 The Cure

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When I was in high school, loving The Cure was a way of declaring myself as somehow outside the mainstream, refusing to go along with the crowd that loved Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. That's funny to think about now, since The Cure has become synonymous with that vague genre we now call "eighties music." What's incredible is that these songs still sound just as urgent and immediate to me now as they did in 1989. "Fascination Street" is such a great song, so mysterious with its surging bass line and whirling guitars. [First added to this chart: 02/17/2016]

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

1,804 charts

Rank Score:

27,758

Rank in 1989:

2

Rank in 1980s:

4

Overall Rank:

31

Average Rating:

 86 (2,000 votes)

Comments:

152

9. (=)

Violent Femmes 

 Violent Femmes

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Violent Femmes' self-titled debut album delivers some of the most cathartic teen angst ever put on record ("Blister in the Sun"), along with some genuinely cringeworthy moments ("Gimme the Car"). I'm willing to excuse some of the more juvenile turns of phrase because Gordon Gano and company really do seem to understand rejection and are able to translate what is really a very personal experience into something universal. And back in the eighties when I first loved Violent Femmes, I don't think I fully appreciated their musicianship. But check out bassist Brian Ritchie's work on nearly every song here: his bass playing gives the album its unique musical signature. It's so strange that the band changed direction so abruptly on their next album, Hallowed Ground, since they seemed to have found a winning formula here. [First added to this chart: 05/19/2016]

Year of Release:

1983

Appears in:

894 charts

Rank Score:

8,026

Rank in 1983:

2

Rank in 1980s:

25

Overall Rank:

204

Average Rating:

 81 (983 votes)

Comments:

73

10. (=)

Purple Rain 
Soundtrack

 Prince And The Revolution

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I have not always loved Prince. But some years ago I had a friend who was obsessed with Prince: he had Lovesexy on vinyl, and he had the absurdly naked inside sleeve tacked to his wall. And this friend wasn't even gay. He just liked Prince that much. Purple Rain, however, is the gold standard of Prince's discography, with the wonderful and sexy "When Doves Cry" as the track I want to hear again and again. [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

1984

Appears in:

1,400 charts

Rank Score:

16,221

Rank in 1984:

1

Rank in 1980s:

11

Overall Rank:

79

Average Rating:

 83 (1,619 votes)

Comments:

127

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s composition

Year	Albums	%
1980	7	7%
1981	7	7%
1982	8	8%
1983	9	9%
1984	7	7%
1985	12	12%
1986	9	9%
1987	9	9%
1988	15	15%
1989	17	17%

Artist	Albums	%
Talking Heads	6	6%
R.E.M.	5	5%
Hüsker Dü	4	4%
Pixies	3	3%
The Replacements	3	3%
U2	3	3%
Elvis Costello And The Attractions	3	3%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	65	65%
	20	20%
	6	6%
	4	4%
	3	3%
	2	2%

Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s chart changes

Biggest climbers
Up 1 from 5th to 4th Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush

Biggest fallers
Down 1 from 4th to 5th Remain In Light by Talking Heads

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 22 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
90/100	03/26/2024 13:14	Goliath	349	86/100
90/100	03/26/2024 09:06	Moondance	463	85/100
85/100	02/19/2023 13:31	Tamthebam	598	85/100
95/100	02/19/2023 11:01	MadhattanJack	181	84/100
90/100	02/19/2023 09:43	Johnnyo	2,128	80/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 2% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 91.0/100, a mean average of 93.4/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 93.4/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 5.7.

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s comments

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From buzzdainer 03/26/2024 14:37

Thank you, Moondance, for those suggestions. I've heard a couple of those albums, but the others are new to me. I do like that Robbie Robertson album quite a bit, and of course Dire Straits was a staple of my eighties music listening. I probably could have added a few more Australian bands to this list, since there was so much great Aussie rock from that period.

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Rating:  

90/100

From Moondance 02/19/2023 21:50

I always admire the thoughtful quality of charts & comments from buzzdainer and this is no exception. The inclusion of 6 Australian artists is quite excellent!
A couple of suggestions: ex The Band's Robbie Robertson - Robbie Robertson; Andy Pawlak - Shoebox Full of Secrets; Kauffamn & Caboor - Songs From Suicide Bridge; ex Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison's - Casual Gods; Dire Straits.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

90/100

From Johnnyo 02/19/2023 09:44

Great chart and love the descriptions that accompany the entries

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

From buzzdainer 04/24/2021 20:49

Larcx13, I don't think you're at all off base to say Talking Heads were a strange band. For me that's part of their appeal. I think as a teenager I gravitated to them because I identified with their weirdness, their decidedly outside-the-mainstream aesthetic, because like most teenagers, I didn't feel like I fit into the mainstream. Nowadays I care less about that, and I just appreciate Talking Heads for fusing together elements of new wave and funk to create really well-made pop music. Although I have Remain in Light rated my favorite Talking Heads album, I might recommend starting with Little Creatures, which is a bit more accessible, or Stop Making Sense, which captures their live sound in a way that might enable a new listener to "get" them a bit better than their albums from the seventies and early eighties.

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Rating:  

95/100

From Larcx13 12/05/2020 15:56

I should give talking heads some time. What i heard up to now was quite strange.

Nice list.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From emptysquares 08/30/2020 11:01

Love your chart and there's a few entries I need to check out. Special respect for getting Billy Bragg in there - I didn't think our Bill travelled that far!

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

From buzzdainer 07/18/2016 15:57

Thanks for the nice comment, pa! Doolittle is definitely worth checking out, especially given your appreciation for the likes of Fugazi, Meat Puppets, Yo La Tengo, Hüsker Dü, and others. It's plenty challenging and weird in its own way, but also melodic and likeable. Happy listening, and thanks for visiting my chart!

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Rating:  

100/100

From pa 07/18/2016 15:47

Hey there :)
I really like your chart too and I love the inclusion of Zen Arcade and California by AMC.
Doolittle is still on my wishlist...I'll check it out soon!

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Rating:  

95/100

From stangetzaway 07/17/2016 22:36

Excellent mix of headliners and blue collar alternative acts. Quite a few I haven't heard so will have to check out.

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From buzzdainer 07/17/2016 21:15

Thanks, garycottier, for rating and commenting on this chart! Greg Brown is a bluesy, nostalgic singer-songwriter from Iowa who sings about the midwestern landscapes of his youth and a wide range of other topics. He's funny and irreverent, and a great guitar player. I'd recommend starting with some of his albums from the nineties, especially Further In, Dream Café, and The Poet Game. And yes, I love The Trinity Session--such a languid, dreamy, haunting listening experience. Margo Timmins is, in my opinion, one of the great vocalists of her generation.

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