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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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:
Rank Score:
35,266
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
290
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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:
Rank Score:
452
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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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:
Rank Score:
27,823
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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I first heard Fun and Games during the fall semester of my freshman year of college, when a guy from Atlanta who lived downstairs from me in my freshman dorm couldn't stop raving about it, and about the Connells more generally. The band was a sensation on college radio at the time, and were all the rage in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. They were "fratty," as another buddy of mine has said more recently. Yet what strikes me, listening to this album all these many years later, is how sweet, melodic, and sensitive these alternative rock songs are--sort of the antithesis of the fraternity scene of their origins. The Connells were never brilliant lyricists, but they more than make up for it with memorable melodies and guitar hooks you'll carry around with you for the rest of the day.
[First added to this chart: 02/17/2016]
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This self-titled album, Indigo Girls' second full-length, is one of the most iconic of my college years, and the album that my high school sweetheart loved more than any other. In terms of production, it's a big step forward from their self-produced debut Strange Fire, and it includes some well-chosen guest appearances from members of fellow Athens, Georgia, natives R.E.M. The formula here is pretty simple: acoustic guitar-driven folk music with a slightly dark edge and an air of Emory University pretention. That sounds a lot like criticism than it really is. What I mean is that the Indigo Girls aspire here to something more than Appalachia-infused contemporary folk; they're looking to make art. And for the most part, I think they've succeeded.
[First added to this chart: 03/10/2016]
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Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ deftly combined punk, folk, Southern rock, and country long before other, more successful bands that came out later ever thought of blending the genres into what later became known as alt-country. Kevn Kinney and company could rock as hard as anyone, as shown on tracks such as "Wild Dog Moon" and "Malfunction Junction." But their real strength lay in great melodies and songwriting, as on the the affecting homeage to Southern spring "Honeysuckle Blue" and the outsider singalong "Straight to Hell." The band has always enjoyed a cult following among those in the know, but it's still a little heartbreaking to me that they never really got the love they deserve from listeners and critics. It's the curse of being just a tiny bit ahead of their time.
[First added to this chart: 02/17/2016]
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Big Harvest was the one and only album released by Indio, the solo project of Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Peterson. It's long been rumored that Peterson has had other material to be released, but so far the only thing that's materialized is the 2007 single "No Way Down." Despite this ever-tantalizing history, Peterson's achievement on Big Harvest is pretty impressive. This album contains the great single "Hard Sun," which was later recorded by Eddie Vedder for the Into the Wild soundtrack, as well as several other songs that built upon the eighties work of Paul Simon, Sting, and other artists who capitalized on the "world" music trend that was dominating North American pop music by the mid-eighties, thanks to the Live Aid concert and other international efforts and collaborations. The album sounds a little dated now, but I still have a soft spot in my heart for it because of its earnestness and environmental themes. An unjustly overlooked record.
[First added to this chart: 02/18/2016]
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I started working in an independent record store during my freshman year of college. At the time I was one of only two employees, so I often worked at the store with my boss, who was obsessed with the burgeoning Madchester scene--a mixture of guitar rock, funk, sixties psychedelia, and house music--including such bands as Inspiral Carpets, Happy Mondays, The Charlatans, and Ned's Atomic Dustbin. Of all the Madchester bands, the one I truly loved, and still love, is The Stone Roses. Pompous and pretentious though they were, and although they really just had one good album (I'm not quite counting Second Coming), their self-titled debut is so terrific it deserves consideration for all-time great status. The opening track, "I Wanna Be Adored," is my favorite on the album, as the way it builds in volume and intensity sneaks up on you in ways that feel fresh, surprising, and ultimately rewarding.
[First added to this chart: 02/17/2016]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
24,858
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,391
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]
Total albums: 17. Page 1 of 2
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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|
|
| 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 | |||
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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| Pitchfork: The 100 Best Albums Of The 1980s (2002) | WayneMC | custom chart | 2020 |  |
| Top 100 Albums of the 1980s | Pitchfork | 1980s decade chart | 2002 | |
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s ratings
91/100 (from 22 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 22 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 90/100  | 03/26/2024 13:14 |  Goliath | | 86/100 |
| 90/100 | 03/26/2024 09:06 | Moondance | | 85/100 |
| 85/100 | 02/19/2023 13:31 |  Tamthebam | | 85/100 |
| 95/100 | 02/19/2023 11:01 |  MadhattanJack | | 85/100 |
| 90/100 | 02/19/2023 09:43 | Johnnyo | | 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).
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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
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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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)
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
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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95/100
From 
Larcx13 12/05/2020 15:56
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)
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
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!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
pa 07/18/2016 15:47
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!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From buzzdainer 07/17/2016 21:15
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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