Top 100 Albums of the 80s
 

MB's Top 100 Albums of the 80s - Rate Your Music

CURRENT LIST ^


Okay this is going to be a giant collaborative effort and the goal is at the end to have the top 100 albums from the 60s to the 00s. I figure we should start with the 80s just because. So everyone should post what they think the best albums of the 80s are. I'm not going to give you a size regulation or anything you could post 100 or you could post 1. If you think someone nominated an album that isn't worthy then we'll argue it out and decide whether or not it belongs there. I've kind of composed a fairly extensive list already, let me know if you have any objections to the picks on there and suggest your own!

Please note, this list is completely tentative. Some of these albums I just mentioned because they tend to get but I don't feel they should be on. Once we compose a decent sized list then we can start knocking stuff off.


10,000 Maniacs "In My Tribe"
10,000 Maniacs "Blind Mans Zoo"
AC/DC "Back in Black"
Arvo Pärt "Tabula Rasa"
Astor Piazzolla "Tango: Zero Hour"
B52s "Wild Planet"
Bad Brains "Rock For Light"
Bathory "Blood Fire Death"
Bauhaus "In the Flat Field"
Bauhaus "The Sky's Gone Out"
Beastie Boys "Licensed to Ill"
Beastie Boys "Paul's Boutique"
Big Black "Songs About ****ing"
Black Flag "Damaged"
Black Flag "My War"
Bob Marley & The Wailers "Uprising"
Boogie Down Productions "Criminal Minded"
Bruce Springsteen "Born in the U.S.A."
Cabaret Voltaire "Red Mecca"
Candlemass "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus"
Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band "Doc at the Radar Station"
Cocteau Twins "Treasure"
Daniel Johnston "Songs of Pain"
David Bowie "Let's Dance"
De La Soul "3 Feet High and Rising"
Dead Kennedys "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables"
Death "Scream Bloody Gore"
Def Leppard "High 'N' Dry"
Dexy's Midnight Runners "Searching for the Young Soul Rebels"
Dinosaur Jr. "Bug"
Dinosaur Jr. "You're Living All Over Me"
Dio "Holy Diver"
Discharge "See Nothing, Hear Nothing, Say Nothing"
Echo and the Bunnymen "Ocean Rain"
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians "Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars"
Eric B. & Rakim "Paid in Full"
Elvis Costello "Trust"
Embrace "Embrace"
EPMD "Unfinished Business"
Faith No More "The Real Thing"
Fishbone "Truth And Soul"
Frank Zappa "Them or Us"
Fugazi "13 Songs"
G.B.H "City Baby Attacked By Rats"
George Harrison "Cloud Nine"
Glenn Branca "The Ascension"
Guns and Roses "Appetite For Destruction"
Husker Du "New Day Rising"
Husker Du "Zen Arcade"
Iron Maiden "The Number of the Beast"
Iron Maiden "Powerslave"
Jane's Addiction "Nothing's Shocking"
John Zorn "The Big Gundown"
Joy Division "Closer"
Killing Joke "Night Time"
King Crimson "Discipline"
King Crimson "Three of a Perfect Pair"
Lemonheads "Lick"
Lemonheads "Hate Your Friends"
Linton Kwesi Johnson "Bass Culture"
Living Colour "Vivid"
Madness "Absolutely"
Madness "The Rise and Fall"
Marillion "Script for a Jester's Tear"
Mass "Labour Of Love"
Meat Puppets "Meat Puppets II"
Metallica "Master of Puppets"
Metallica "...And Justice for All"
Michael Jackson "Thriller"
Miles Davis "Tutu"
Minor Threat "Minor Threat"
Ministry "Land Of Rape And Honey"
Mission of Burma "Vs."
Minutemen "Double Nickels on the Dime"
Morrissey "Viva Hate"
Moss Icon "Lybernum"
Mudhoney "Superfuzz Bigmuff"
Mudhoney "Mudhoney"
My Bloody Valentine "Isn't Anything"
Napalm Death "Scum"
Naked City "Naked City"
New Order "Power, Corruption & Lies"
New Order "Low Life"
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds "From Her To Eternity"
Nine Inch Nails "Pretty Hate Machine"
Nirvana "Bleach"
NoMeansNo "Wrong"
NWA "Straight Outta Compton"
Peter Gabriel "3"
Peter Gabriel "Security"
Peter Gabriel "So"
Pentagram "Day Of Reckoning"
Pet Shop Boys "Please"
Pet Shop Boys "Introspective"
Pixies "Doolittle"
Pixies "Surfer Rosa"
Prince "Dirty Mind"
Prince "Purple Rain"
Prince "Sign 'o' Times"
Public Enemy "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back"
Public Image LTD "Flowers of Romance"
Queensryche "Operation: Mindcrime"
Ramones "End of the Century"
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Mother's Milk"
REM "Lifes Rich Pageant"
Run DMC "Raising Hell"
Rush "Moving Pictures"
Rush "Permanent Waves"
Rites of Spring "Rites of Spring"
Sam Cooke "The Man and His Music"
Sebadoh "The Freed Man"
Sisters Of Mercy "First and Last and Always"
Slayer "Reign In Blood"
Slayer "South of Heaven"
Slayer "Hell Awaits"
Slayer "Show No Mercy"
Slick Rick "The Great Adventures of Slick Rick"
Social Distortion "Mommy's Little Monster"
Sonic Youth "Confusion Is Sex"
Sonic Youth "Daydream Nation"
Sonic Youth "EVOL"
Spacemen 3 "Playing With Fire"
Steve Roach "Structures From Silence"
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble "Couldn't Stand the Weather"
Stranglers "Black And White"
Swans "Cop"
Talk Talk "The Colour of Spring"
Talking Heads "Fear of Music"
The Birthday Party "Junk Yard"
The Butthole Surfers "Locust Abortion Technician"
The Clash "Combat Rock"
The Clash "Sandinista!"
The Cramps "Songs the Lord Taught Us"
The Cure "Boys Don't Cry"
The Cure "Disintegration"
The Cure "Pornography"
The Cure "The Head on the Door"
The Cult "Love"
The Damned "Strawberries"
The Damned "The Black Album"
The Descendents "Milo Goes to College"
The Durutti Column "The Return Of The Durutti Column"
The Fall "This Nation's Saving Grace"
The Feelies "Crazy Rhythms"
The Melvins "Gluey Porch Treatments"
The Misfits "Walk Among Us"
The Pogues "Rum, Sodomy and the Lash"
The Police "Synchronicity "
The Replacements "Let It Be"
The Residents "The Commercial Album"
The Smiths "The Queen is Dead"
The Smiths "Louder Than Bombs"
The Smiths "Meat is Murder"
The Smiths "The Smiths"
The Soft Boys "Underwater Moonlight"
The Stone Roses "The Stone Roses"
The The "Soul Mining"
The The "Mind Bomb"
The Jesus and Mary Chain "Psychocandy"
The Jesus and Mary Chain "Darklands"
This Heat "Deceit"
Tim Berne "Fractured Fairly Tales"
Tom Waits "Rain Dogs"
Tom Waits "Swordfishtrombones"
Traveling Wilburys "Volume I"
U2 "The Joshua Tree"
Ultramagnetic MC's "Critical Breakdown"
Van Halen "1984"
Van Halen "Fair Warning"
Violent Femmes "Violent Femmes"
Wipers "Is This Real?"
X "Los Angeles"
XTC "Skylarking"
Young Marble Giants "Colossal Youth"


REMOVED
Bad Brains "Bad Brains"
Bad Brains "I Against I"
Bruce Springsteen "Nebraska"
Cindi Lauper "She's So Unusual"
Circle Jerks "Group Sex"
Dead Kennedys "Plastic Surgery Disasters"
Death "Leprosy"
Gorilla Biscuits "Start Today"
Fields of the Nephilim "Fields of the Nephilim"
Joe Satriani "Surfin with the Alien"
Madonna "Like a Virgin"
Pantera "Metal Magic"
REM "Murmur"
Queen "The Works"
Queen "The Game"
Slayer "Hell Awaits"
Slayer "Show No Mercy"
Sonic Youth "Confusion Is Sex"
Sonic Youth "EVOL"
Steve Vai "Flex-Able"
Talking Heads "Remain In Light"
Tears for Fears "The Hurting"
The Pogues "Red Roses for Me"
The Replacements "Pleased to Meet Me"
The Replacements "Tim"
The Smiths "Strangeways, Here We Come"
The Sisters of Mercy "Floodland"

Also I'm not too familiar with some of these artists (The Fall, Jesus and Mary Chain, Bauhaus, New Order, etc) so I just took what, if I remember right, is generally considered their "masterpiece" so if you're more familiar with some artist and feel the album/albums I put weren't justified correct me on it. Also there's no limit to how many artists can be on one album. Also there's a huge lack of metal on this I know that's because I don't like metal. I know Maiden, Motorhead and all that released good albums in the 80s so if Selzter or jackhammer could take an interest here that'd be great.

good list

Do you think both the Sky's Gone Out and Flat Field could go on there? That's like 70 albums at most there, we have room.

yeah
the skys gone out is very good
unknown pleasures, was that 79' or 80
Gary Numan would be good.
You could put Rites of Spring's ep too

Unknown Pleasures was 79, what Numan album?

repreZENT

addedd thank you

thanks again

Reign In Blood
South of Heaven
Hell Awaits
Show No Mercy - All by Slayer
Leprosy - Death
Bleach - Nirvana

I think you're OK with those Fall /Mary Chain / New Order albums. Most diehard Fall fans would choose Hex Enduction Hour over This Nations Saving Grace but This Nations Saving Grace seems to be the most popular in general.

As for Motorhead all their best stuff came out in the 70s but Orgasmatron is their biggest album of the 80s. It's OK but I wouldn't say it's one of the best.

Good list. I would of had Embrace S/T in there or Fugazi 13 Songs. Ian MacKaye needs a mention somewhere.

I'd take off "sign o' the times" not one of prince's best albums. I would put in Lovesexy a better album IMO.

I see some genres complete missing from your list. You have come heavy stuff (faith no more, bad brains)but no some great albums are missing:

ACDC "Back in Black"

If you include 5 smiths albums you need at least one Van Halen record for balance. (In any top 100 5 from one artist is too many so I'd rethink this too) I'd include:

Van Halen "1984" If you want 2 add "Fair Warning" but none of the Sammy Hagar crap.

Iron Maiden "Powerslave" and "Number of the Beast"

Soundgarden "Badmotorfinger" One of the heaviest mixes of all time and the best grunge record ever!!

I listened to Living Colour "Vivid" Over and over again.
Tears for Fears "The Hurting" was a great record

From metalica you must have "master of puppets" and "...and Justice for All"

So to some up here are my additions:

ACDC "Back in Black"
Iron Maiden "Powerslave"
Iron Maiden "Number of the Beast"
Living Colour "Vivid"
Metallica "Master of Puppets"
Metallica "...And Justice for All"
Soundgarden "Badmotorfinger"
Van Halen "Fair Warning"
Van Halen "1984"

OMG just checked and London Calling was released in December 1979.

This is one of the greatest records of all time and its influence was throughout the 1980s. If you don't include it you should throw in "combat rock" for good measure.

December 1979 in the UK & Europe
January 1980 in the US

^ haha...I love it when someone does that.
Anoraks rule!

Oh yeah!! opps!

uhm how about 1984? van halen

or any other of there cds but van halen NEEDS to be up there...

Fields Of The Nephilim- s/t
Sisters Of Mercy-Floodland
Mass-Labour Of Love
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians-Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars
G.B.H-City Baby Attacked By Rats
Discharge-See Nothing, Hear Nothing, Say Nothing
Dio-Holy Diver
Fishbone-Truth And Soul
New Order-Low Life
Queensryche-Operation : Mindcrime
Killing Joke-Night Time
Ministry-Land Of Rape And Honey
Stranglers-Black And White
Linton Kwesi Johnson-Bass Culture

Sign O The Times is Princes Masterpiece, there is not one wasted track on there.

I used to love the Living Color album but it has dated a little to my ears.

Combat Rock will get added, I don't know about London Calling. If its on here it will be in the top 10, then when we do the 70s it will be in the top 10 again. Which is kind of cool or lame depending on how you look at it I think we should stick with initial release dates. Oh and I'm adding Sandinista too.

Updated, I added two Rush albums, Pantera and Helloween also. We have 137 albums so far.

Am i missing something or has no one mentioned appetite for destruction.

God you had to ruin it didn't you:p:

Are u taking the piss? Helloween? Pantera? OMFG

They're important albums, Helloween more so than Pantera. This is just a list to give us something to work with. After a few days we'll get into what stays and what goes, the order etc.

You know I respect you 100% but Helloween is Just a pure Iron Maiden rip off in the 80's. Their album has -100% influence than the queensryche album that I posted. That is classed as one of the most intelligently made metal albums ever. I know you are only collating albums but Helloween suck big style. I was there.

I'm just trying to represent everything fairly and when I have to do research on my own if I see an album constantly reoccurring on lists/articles I just assume it's worthy of mention. Thanks for your input I'll remove it. Any objections to Napalm Death "Scum"?

WHY ISN'T STRANGEWAYS LISTED!!
/
http://drogg.vocodex.org/moorisey/009.gif

this is true... appetite and appetite 2 were on the top of the best sellers list for at least half a year each

Edit: *sees your edit* my bad :P

You must be the first person who agrees with me on Helloween - most other metalheads seem to fellate them. I don't think they're particularly bad, and they're meant to be somewhat influential on power metal, but I just don't care too much for them. Whenever I listen to them, I can't help but think that I'd rather be listening to Maiden.


* Candlemass - Epicus Doomicus Metallicus (1986)
This was a great album and incredibly influential on doom metal. Despite the fact it wasn't heavy in a death metal sense, it has been called the heaviest album ever. I prefer this over most Black Sabbath.

* Bathory - Blood Fire Death (1988)
I don't really like all of Bathory's albums, but this is good and certainly very influential too - Quorthon single-handedly created folk/viking metal with this album.

* RHCP - Mother's Milk
Not quite as good as BSSM IMO, but still very good.

* Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
Urban might agree with me on this one. Great alt rock band.

* Marillion - Script for a Jester's Tear
This wasn't the most original prog album ever, but it was very well written and was around in a time when prog was in a slump. Fairly influential too.

* King Crimson - Discipline
One of the few prog bands unaffected by the 80s slump. Pretty good album and of interest is Thela Hun Ginjeet, which was probably the first jungle (electronica) song.



King Diamond's Abigail and Exodus' BBB are possible contenders, but we should see if others agree first. I haven't heard enough of the 80s material of Manilla Road or the Ozric Tentacles to comment on their eligibility.

Updated again, thanks guys. Stuff that wasn't listed that I added.

The Pogues "Red Roses for Me"
Sam Cooke "The Man and His Music"
Traveling Wilburys "Volume I"

I think you must have "London Calling" to only exist in a decade for one month hardly counts. I think it should be top 10 in the 70's and 80's it is just that good and its influence was widespread. Everyone from smiths fans to iron maiden fans could see its value.

I think if you have John Zorn (whom I love) you also need
Joe Satriani "Surfin with the Alien"
Steve vai "Flex-Able"

I'd add
King Krimson "Three of a Perfect Pair"
Frank Zappa "Them or Us" though "man form utopia" or "you are what you is" would be fine.

I'm not sure which are the right albums to add but Spandau Ballet and Simply Red are missing.

Probably you should also add:

Maddona "Like a Virgin"
Cindi Lauper (sp?) "She's so unsual" my god "time after time was covered by miles davis.

Oh yeah probalby

Miles Davis "Tutu"

So to some up:

Frank Zappa "Them or Us"
King Krimson "Three of a Perfect Pair"
Joe Satriani "Surfin with the Alien"
Steve vai "Flex-Able"
Maddona "Like a Virgin"
Cindi Lauper (sp?) "She's so unusual"
Miles Davis "Tutu"
THE CLASH LONDON CALLING

:laughing:

Thats one of the worst albums ever made , there are much more worthy albums than this bunch of tuneless noodling.

Hmm. perhaps a bit harsh. Hey steve vai has made worse ones LOL.

The influence of "The Attitude Song" on the shred scene that started in California is undeniable. There is some filler on this one for sure but I remember "Call it Sleep" also has a nice melody.
More good tunes than on most John Zorn (whom I love) records too!

Perhaps neither belong on the list.

Gotta have:

Michael Jackson "Thriller" (can't believe this one was missed)
Queen "The Works" remember live aid?
Queen "The Game"

If it didn't initially come out in the 80s it's not going on. Does anyone think we're ready to start debating the removal of times and deciding on the order?

Oh and updated.

Sebadoh "The Freed Man"
Dexy's Midnight Runners "Searching for the Young Soul Rebels"
The Soft Boys "Underwater Moonlight"
The Feelies "Crazy Rhythms"
Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band "Doc at the Radar Station"
Public Image "Flowers of Romance
Bruce Springsteen "Nebraska" & "Born in the U.S.A."

Just to throw a few more out there

Updated.

I thought that they balance each other. You know like opposites.
I'm still not sure if any of those belong in a top 100 list though. Although all three would be on mine.

How about Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel "3" the one with the melting face
Peter Gabriel "Security"
Peter Gabriel "So"

These ones are huge!!

appetite for destruction- GnR