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.
19802,211192,921
19812,252120,543
19822,215147,469
19832,233134,895
Murmur (139th)by R.E.M.
19842,210169,451
19852,233143,343
19862,348168,575
19872,562160,353
19882,668151,463
19892,695195,902
Total23,6271,584,915

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:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
479
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
482.
Minor Threat 
Compilation
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1984
Appears in:
Rank Score:
478
Rank in 1984:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
478
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
477
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:
477
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1986
Appears in:
Rank Score:
475
Rank in 1986:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
475
Rank in 1980:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • eBay
  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1989
Appears in:
Rank Score:
474
Rank in 1989:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1983
Appears in:
Rank Score:
471
Rank in 1983:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
  • Amazon
  • eBay
  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1981
Appears in:
Rank Score:
470
Rank in 1981:
Rank in 1980s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 49 of 100

Best Albums of the 1980s composition

Year Albums %


1980 118 12%
1981 121 12%
1982 110 11%
1983 97 10%
1984 104 10%
1985 79 8%
1986 95 10%
1987 88 9%
1988 94 9%
1989 96 10%
Artist Albums %


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


United Kingdom 416 42%
United States 392 39%
Australia 39 4%
Mixed Nationality 28 3%
Canada 23 2%
Germany 22 2%
Argentina 12 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 970 97%
Yes 32 3%
Live? Albums %
No 979 98%
Yes 23 2%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 991 99%
Yes 11 1%
Recognised  Decade Charts (2020s)
1. 100 Best Albums of the 2010s: Staff Picks by Billboard (2019)
2. Top 100 Albums of the Decade by Crack Magazine (2019)
3. NME's Greatest Albums of The Decade: The 2010s by New Music Express (2019)
4. Top 50 Albums of the 2010s by The Wild Honey Pie (2019)
5. 100 Best Albums of the 2010s by Rolling Stone (2019)
6. The 50 best albums of the decade – 2010 to 2019 by Independent (2019)
7. The Needle Drop's Top Albums Of The 2010s by The Needle Drop (2019)
8. The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s by Pitchfork (2019)
9. The A.V. Club's 50 best albums of the 2010s by The A.V. Club (2019)
10. BrooklynVegan's Top Albums of 2010s by BrooklynVegan (2020)
11. All The Best Albums Of The 2010s, Ranked by Uproxx (2019)
12. Gorilla vs. Bear Albums of the 2010s by Gorilla vs. Bear (2019)
13. The 50 Best Albums of the Decade by Deep Cuts (2019)
14. The 100 Best Albums Of The 2010s by Stereogum (2019)
15. The 101 Best Albums of the 2010s by Spin (2020)
16. The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s by Paste (2019)
17. Die besten Platten 2010-2019 by Spex (2019)
18. BEST OF 2011 - 2020: Die besten Alben des Jahrzehnts by laut (2020)
19. Tiny Mix Tapes 2010s: Favorite 100 Music Releases of the Decade by Tiny Mix Tapes (2019)
20. Top 100 Albums of the 2010s by Consequence of Sound (2019)
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