My 100 Favorite Albums of the Eighties

When compiling my Seventies list, I basically referred to my lists of favorite albums of each year to determine my list. So, when the countdown was finished, I was quite satisfied with my choices. Did I rank important albums low or left off historically important albums? Yes, I did in retrospect. But, I basically wanted to pimp the albums that find their ways onto my turntable, into my CD player (less often these days as I have purged most of them while slowly replacing them with vinyl) and onto my Amazon streaming service. Sure, I still love Jackson Browne, David Bowie’s Berlin trilogy and Nick Drake, among many others, I just did not have room for everything I love. Therefore, I went with my favorites.

And, believe me, the Seventies were BRUTAL to rank. Absolutely, the Sixties laid the ground work for the concept of a total piece of art called the “album.” But, man, the Seventies definitely pushed the boundaries of the recording studio, the musical technology and instrumentation, the live presentation of the music and, perhaps most importantly, the definition of this modern music labelled as rock & roll. When touring through the music of the Seventies, you hear just how far and wide the umbrella of rock & roll would become. It’s because of the Seventies that we have to recognize disco, country, rap, techno and all other genres and subgenres as part of rock & roll. Some of this stuff rocks like Aerosmith or AC/DC, while others roll like Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. And in between, there’s room for everything else.

Which leads us to my personal favorite decade, the Eighties. To be perfectly honest, Eighties music, when compared to the sounds of the Seventies, seems to be less organic and a little more sterile. Historically speaking, the Eighties were the decade in which we as a society were beginning to transition from the analog days of recording to the future of digital recording, for better or worse. So, the Eighties has certain robotic sounds associated with it that both dates it and endears it to the listener. At the time, the feeling was blues-based rock was becoming only for the virtuosos and not the garage musicians. So, punk set out to change that. While the form actually lasted only two years, the attitude remained. Punk was rooted in the sounds of the Fifties rockers and Sixties garage rockers, so it burnt itself out. But, post punk, followed by New Wave (it’s pop form), alternative and the like, turn up the mantle for a more longer lasting approach to music with angular guitar and keyboard sounds (Thank you David Bowie and your aforementioned Berlin trilogy!), funk/disco/reggae/dub-like grooves and a total disregard for the blues. And it did take a while for the music to catch on, particularly in the States, these ideas in sound and production are still ringing true today in all forms of rock & roll.

With all that said, here are MY 100 favorite albums of the Eighties. I tend to lean toward the non-traditional side of music, since that was what I was listening to. Plus, I feel like The Jesus & Mary Chain sound much more fresh than anything Bon Jovi or Poison have ever recorded. And now, on with the countdown!

100. Metallica – Master of Puppets (1986)

99. Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust (1988)

98. Janet Jackson – Control (1986)

97. The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead (1986)

96. Prince – Parade (1986)

95. The Cure – Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me (1987)

94. Tina Turner – Private Dancer (1984)

93. John Hiatt – Bring the Family (1987)

92. Sade – Diamond Life (1984)

91. Robbie Robertson – Robbie Robertson (1987)

90. U2 – War (1983)

89. George Clinton – Computer Games (1982)

88. De La Soul – 3 Feet High & Rising (1989)

87. Marshall Crenshaw – Field Day (1983)

86. Michael Jackson – Bad (1987)

85. Kate Bush – Hounds of Love (1985)

84. Van Halen – 1984 (1984)

83. Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes (1983)

82. Joe Jackson – Night and Day (1982)

81. Tom Petty – Full Moon Fever (1989)

80. New Order – Low-Life (1985)

79. David Bowie – Let’s Dance (1983)

78. The Jam – Sound Affects (1980)

77. Rick James – Street Songs (1981)

76. INXS – Kick (1987)

75. Prince & the Revolution – Around the World in a Day (1985)

74. Eurythmics – Touch (1983)

73. Brian Eno & David Byrne – My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (1981)

72. Sting – The Dream of the Blue Turtle (1985)

71. Madonna – Like a Prayer (1989)

70. The Smiths – The Smiths (1984)

69. Billy Squier – Don’t Say No (1981)

68. Rush – Permanent Waves (1980)

67. Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation (1988)

66. Peter Gabriel – So (1986)

65. Joy Division – Closer (1980)

64. R.E.M. – Reckoning (1984)

63. Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill (1986)

62. The Police – Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)

61. Madonna – Madonna (1983)

60. Daryl Hall & John Oates – Big Bam Boom (1984)

59. Run-D.M.C. – Raising Hell (1986)

58. Eric B. & Rakim – Paid in Full (1987)

57. Cyndi Lauper – She’s So Unusual (1983)

56. The Time – What Time Is It? (1982)

55. Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair (1985)

54. John Cougar Mellencamp – Uh-Huh (1983)

53. Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska (1982)

52. Daryl Hall & John Oates – H2O (1982)

51. Paul Simon – Graceland (1986)

50. Daryl Hall – Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine (1986)

49. The Cure – Disintegration (1989)

48. Daryl Hall & John Oates – Private Eyes (1981)

47. John Cougar Mellencamp – Scarecrow (1985)

46. Rush – Moving Pictures (1981)

45. The B-52’s – Cosmic Thing (1989)

44. The J. Geils Band – Freeze-Frame (1981)

43. Bruce Springsteen – The River (1980)

42. N.W.A – Straight Outta Compton (1988)

41. Talking Heads – Speaking in Tongues (1983)

40. The Waterboys – Fisherman’s Blues (1988)

39. Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love (1987)

38. Roxy Music – Avalon (1982)

37. Stone Roses – Stone Roses (1989)

36. New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies (1983)

35. Madonna – Like a Virgin (1984)

34. Dexys Midnight Runners – Too-Rye-Aye (1982)

33. Daryl Hall & John Oates – Voices (1980)

32. R.E.M. – Document (1987)

31. The Police – Synchronicity (1983)

30. David Bowie – Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1980)

29. The Go-Go’s – Beauty and the Beat (1981)

28. AC/DC – Back in Black (1980)

27. The Police – Ghost in the Machine (1981)

26. Prince – Dirty Mind (1980)

25. Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique (1989)

24. Culture Club – Colour by Numbers (1983)

23. XTC – Skylarking (1987)

22. The Cure – The Head on the Door (1985)

21. Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction (1987)

20. George Michael – Faith (1987)

19. Janet Jackson – Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)

18. John Cougar Mellencamp – The Lonesome Jubilee (1987)

17. Hüsker Dü – New Day Rising (1985)

16. Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)

15. Marshall Crenshaw – Marshall Crenshaw (1982)

14. Bob Mould – Workbook (1989)

13. Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel (III: Melting) (1980)

12. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Hard Promises (1981)

11. Pixies – Doolittle (1989)

10. Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman (1989)

9. R.E.M. – Lifes Rich Pageant (1986)

8. The Style Council – My Ever Changing Moods (1984)

7. U2 – The Joshua Tree (1987)

6. Prince – 1999 (1982)

5. R.E.M. – Murmur (1983)

4. Talking Heads – Remain in Light (1980)

3. Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A. (1984)

2. Prince & the Revolution – Purple Rain (1984)

1. Prince – Sign ‘o’ the Times (1987)