Post your top 10 albums from the 80's

The cars s/t was 1978 so it would be considered 70's NOT 80's

 

Talking Heads - Remain in Light
While many people like the more punky-sounding Heads, their experimental era in the early '80s holds a special place in my heart since that's what I heard first and this album was the height of their career for me. The mixture of foreign beats and synth music proves that they are at their best when they're not making sense. Favorite track: "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)"

Rush - Moving Pictures
'70s Rush is best Rush for me but they still made enjoyable music in the following decade for the most part and Pictures is their best of the decade. The over 10-minute songs still exist but the shorter length pop tunes still have that Rush flavoring that makes them stand out against most prog rock bands' material from the '80s like Yes and Genesis. I still like them but Rush is the winning prog band of the decade. Favorite track: "YYZ"

Metallica - Master of Puppets
The '80s was a mighty decade for heavy metal and a can't think of another band from the decade that encouraged other metal acts to delve into complex sounds other than Metallica. Unlike other thrash metal songs back then, Metallica's were like epic stories in the form of a 6 to 8-minute song. You could argue that they were the most "symphonic" metal band for their time. While they did lose creative energy as of late, Puppets will always be their magnum opus. Favorite track: "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"

Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel 3: Melt
I was always a huge admirer of Peter's work and his third album has the perfect mix of his pop, dark, and story-telling side. It also has some of the best production I've heard in an '80s album. Mr. Steve Lillywhite really knew what he was doing. Definitely my go-to Peter album. Favorite track: "Biko"

Benny Andersson, Tim Rice, and Björn Ulvaeus - Chess
This was one of the biggest music surprises to me. I felt that ABBA was heavily overhyped for me and I could never get into them so I was shocked to find out that the male half was responsible for this rather fun concept album for the musical of the same name about an international chess tournament between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. The mixture of classical and new wave music surprisingly works here and the vocal performances are excellent, which makes for some of the most beautiful orchestra work and catchy pop tunes I've ever heard. I honestly wouldn't mind seeing this musical live. Favorite track: "Bangkok/One Night in Bangkok"

Joy Division - Closer
It's a shame that lead singer, Ian Curtis, hung himself two months before this second album of the band was released. I feel like they had tremendous potential and this album shows. While I love the debut, Unknown Pleasures, Closer felt much more eerie and effective and the fact that Ian took his own life before the public could hear these songs makes it much more disturbing. Favorite track: "The Eternal"

The Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky
Here's another instance where a prog rock band embraced the new sounds of the '80s while still keeping a touch of complexity. While it may be more poppy than Moving Pictures, it's still damn good art pop. It's also an instance where the rest of the album is better than the hit song (the title track in this case, as good as it is though). Favorite track: "Silence and I"

Slayer - Reign in Blood
If Master of Puppets represented the complexity of '80s thrash metal, then Reign in Blood represents the harshness but it's a good harshness. Not only is it one of the most intense roller coasters in all of music but it may be the best sounding '80s metal album as it doesn't have the overproduction that's present in a lot of them, especially in many glam metal albums. Sadly, this album was a victim of the nonsensical loudness war, weakening the enjoyment of the sound so in order to listen to this album in the best way possible, you should hunt down an original pressing. Favorite track: "Angel of Death"

Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Iron Maiden, when they brought in Bruce Dickinson, has always been very theatrical for a metal band. In some cases, it would be rather laughable but Maiden was the biggest exception. They proved that you can head bang to such over the top imagery and they perfected the over the top metallic sound with Powerslave. Everything good about past albums like Number of the Beast and Piece of Mind was amped up to 11 here and they weren't afraid to throw in lengthy songs. Maiden is my favorite British metal band and Powerslave is their pinnacle. Favorite track: "Rime of the Ancient Mariner"

Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel 4: Security
This one may be the most filled with African beats, which was of course a popular trend in the '80s. I felt Peter was the best at experimenting with such sounds since he had a genuine fascination with African culture, while other musicians thought the sounds were just cool to exploit. The songs were also becoming a bit longer too but the songwriting and musicianship is strong enough to keep one from getting bored and Peter always makes his music as interesting as possible. Favorite track: "San Jacinto"

 

Dire Straights- Brothers In Arms
U2- Joshua Tree
Cindi Lauper-She's So Unusual
ZZ Top- Eliminator
Pat Benatar- Crimes of Passion
GNR- Appetite for Destruction
John Mellencamp- American Fool
Michael Jackson- Thriller
David Bowie- Let's Dance
Prince- Purple Rain
Aerosmith- Pump
Hall and Oates- Rock n Soul Pt. 1
(Well, that's a dozen. The best for me, lots of memories.)

 

What a great musical decade the Eigties were....
My personal list:


Joy Division - Closer (1980) Best song: 'Heart and Soul'

The Jam - Sound Affects (1980) Best song: 'That's Entertainment!'

Brian Eno & David Byrne - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (1981) Best song: 'Regiment'

Echo & the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain (1984) Best song: 'Thorn of Crowns'

David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees (1984) best song: 'My Red Guitar'

The Gun Club - The Las Vegas Story (1984) Best song: 'The Stranger in Our Town'

The Fall - The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall (1984) Best song: 'Lay of the Land'

Black Uhuru - Black Uhuru (1980) Best song: 'Plastic Smile'

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Firstborn Is Dead (1985) Bests song: 'Tupelo'

XTC - Skylarking (1986) Best song: 'Grass'

Simple Minds - Sons and Fascination (1981) Best song: 'Theme for Great Cities'

 

In no order:

Adolescents—Adolescents (1981) "Amoeba"

Bad Brains—Bad Brains (1982) "Big Take Over"

Descendents—Milo Goes To College (1982) "Bikeage"

The Misfits—Walk Among Us (1982) "Astro Zombies"

Cock Sparrer—Shock Troops (1983) "I Got Your Number"

Rites Of Spring—Rites Of Spring (1985) "Spring"

Dag Nasty—Can I Say (1986) "I've Heard"

Bad Religion—Suffer (1988) "Do What You Want"

Gorilla Biscuits—Start Today (1989) "New Direction"

Operation Ivy—Energy (1989) "Room Without A Window"

 

Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Neil Young - Freedom
Pete Townshend - White City
Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade
Bob Dylan - Oh Mercy
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
David Bowie - Scary Monsters
Lou Reed - New York
My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything

 

Dare - The Human League (Love Action (I Believe In Love))
Remain In Light - Talking Heads (The Overload)
The Lexicon Of Love - ABC (Valentine's Day)
Computerwelt - Kraftwerk (Nummern)
Penthouse And Pavement - Heaven 17 (Let's All Make A Bomb)
Oh, No! It's Devo - Devo (Speed Racer)
A Secret Wish - Propaganda (The Chase)
Metamatic - John Foxx (He's A Liquid)
Naked - Kissing The Pink (Love Lasts Forever)
The Official Secrets Act - M (Join The Party)

 

Talking Heads - Remain In Light (Born Under Punches)
REM - Murmur (Perfect Circle)
Suzanne Vega - Suzanne Vega (Small Blue Thing)
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love (Cloudbusting)
XTC - The Big Express (I Remember the Sun)
Terry Riley - Shri Camel (Celestial Valley)
Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians - Fegmania! (Goodnight I Say)
Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85 (Perfect Way)
Richard Thompson - Mirror Blue (Can't Win)
Donald Fagen - The Nightfly (Green Flower Street)

 

For now...

Dwight Yoakam - Guitars Cadillacs
Dwight Yoakam - Hillbilly Deluxe
Jerry Lee Lewis - Killer Country
Steve Earle - Guitar Town
Carlene Carter - Musical Shapes
Iggy Pop - Zombie Birdhouse
Tom Petty and the HBs - Southern Accents
The Blasters - The Blasters
Fabulous Thunderbirds - Powerful Stuff
Del Shannon - Drop Down and get Me

 

talking heads remain in light
elvis Costello imperial bedroom
rem murmur
the smiths the queen is dead
xtc English settlement
prefab sprout steve mc queen
lloyd cole rattlesnakes
bob mould workbook
the stone roses S/T
the style Council our favorite shop

 

Sorry, but all i can think of are 5:
Paul McCartney - Tug of War: The Pound is Sinking
Brian Wilson - S/T: Love and Mercy
George Harrison - Cloud Nine: If That's What it Takes
Paul McCartney - Flowers in the Dirt: My Brave Face
Beach Boys - Still Crusin': Somewhere Near Japan

 

in no particular order except #1. Some of these may be wrong, I don't keep track of years and can't believe anybody does!

1. Jim Carroll Band - Catholic Boy
Neil Young - Freedom, Ragged Glory, Reactor, Trans
Culture Club - Kissing To Be Clever, Colour By Numbers
Police - Syncronicity
Pretenders II
Clash Sandinista
Elvis C. Imperial Bedroom
Heaven 17 - The Luxury Gap
Berlin - Pleasure Victim

 

01. Talking Heads - Remain In Light 1980
02. The Residents - Commercial Album 1980
03. U2 - Boy 1980
04. The Cramps - Psychedelic Jungle 1981
05. Tom Waits - Frank's Wild Years 1987
06. Motörhead - No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith 1981
07. Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back 1988
08. King Sunny Adé -Juju Music 1982
09. Slayer - Reign In Blood 1986
10. Julian Cope - World Shut Your Mouth 1984


Honorable mentions:
11. Yello - Stella 1985
12. No Means No - Wrong 1989
13. Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love 1985
14. The Nomads - Where The Wolf Bane Blooms 1983
15. Joy Divsion - Closer 1980
16. Bad Religion - Suffer 1988
17. Prince - Sign O' The Times 1987
18. David Byrne & Brian Eno - My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts 1981
19. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation 1988
20. Laurie Anderson - Big Science 1982

 

In no particular order

1. The Cure, Disintegration ('89)
2. The Cure, Faith ('81)
3. Kate Bush, The Sensual World ('89)
4. Kate Bush, Never For Ever ('80)
5. Peter Murphy, Deep ('89)
6. Tears For Fears, The Hurting ('83)
7. The Sugarcubes, Life's Too Good ('88)
8. Dead Can Dance, Dead Can Dance ('84)
9. The Cure, The Head On The Door ('85)
10. The Cure, Seventeen Seconds ('80)

 

[In no particular order]

The Associates - Sulk (Party Fears Two)

Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain (Walk Out To Winter)

Terence Trent D'arby - Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'arby (Sign Your Name)

U2 - The Joshua Tree (Red Hill Mining Town)

Human League - Dare (Sound of The Crowd)

David Bowie - Scary Monsters (Because You're Young)

Roxy Music - Flesh and Blood (The Same Old Scene)

Paul McCartney - Tug of War (Here Today)

Inxs - Kick (The Loved One)

Michael Jackson - Thriller (Human Nature)

 

LOL--those are my three favorite tracks on the album!

 

Prince- Sign o the Times, "Strange Relationship"or "If I Was Your Girlfriend"
Van Halen- Fair Warning, "Dirty Movies"
Megadeth-Peace Sells, "Wake Up Dead"
Iron Maiden-Number of the Beast, "Hallowed Be Thy Name"
The Pretenders-s/t, "The Wait"
KISS-Creatures of the Night, "War Machine"
Black Sabbath-Heaven and Hell, "Children of the Sea"
Violent Femmes-s/t, "Blister In the Sun"
Guns N Roses, Apetite for Destruction, "Rocket Queen"
The Minutemen, Double Nickels on the Dime, "The Glory of Man"

 

This is tough. So many I had to leave off.

Talking Heads -Little Creatures "Road To Nowhere"
Talking Heads -Naked "Cool Water"
Kirsty MacColl - Kite "Innocence"
REM - Green "Stand"
B-52s - Cosmic Thing "Love Shack"
Adrian Belew - Mr. Music Head "1967"
The Bears - Rise And Shine "Complicated Potatoes"
John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Milk and Honey "Borrowed Time"
Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl "Straight Up"
Cyndi Lauper - True Colors "True Colors"

 

I have trouble picking one favorite! 1980 alone has like a dozen amazing albums. I'll go year-by-year, just to make it easier.

1980: Ace of Spades song: "Shoot You in the Back"
1981: Moving Pictures song: "Limelight"
1982: Blackout song: "Dynamite"
1983: Pyromania song: "Stagefright"
1984: Ride the Lightning song: "Ride the Lightning"
1985: Thunder in the East song: "Get Away"
1986: Somewhere in Time song: "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner"
1987: Appetite for Destruction song: "Paradise City"
1988: So Far So Good, So What!! song: "In My Darkest Hour"
1989: Pump song: "The Other Side"

 

The Name of This Band is Talking Heads-Talking Heads
Disintegration-The CURE(South Park Approved)-Tough call between this album and 17 Seconds & Kiss Me x 3)
Ocean Rain-Echo & the Bunnymen(tough call between this album and Heaven Up Here)
Under a Blood Red Sky-U2
English Settlement-XTC
Back on the Block-Quincy Jones
The Correct Use of Soap-Magazine
Night & Day-Joe Jackson(Tough Call between this album & Blaze of Glory)
III(Melt)-Peter Gabriel(tough call between this album and Security, So & Passion)
Moving Pictures-RUSH

 

Here's 13.

The Clash - Sandinista!, "The Call Up"
The Mekons - Rock and Roll, "Memphis Egypt"
The Waterboys - This is the Sea, "The Whole of the Moon"
Joy Division - Closer, "Atrocity Exhibition"
Echo and the Bunnymen - Heaven Up Here, "Over the Wall"
John Cale - Music for a New Society, "Taking Your Life in Your Hands"
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Tender Prey, "The Mercy Seat"
The Go-Betweens - Spring Hill Fair, "Unkind and Unwise"
New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies, "Blue Monday"
The Jam - Sound Affects, "Pretty Green"
Gang of Four - Solid Gold, "Cheeseburger"
David Bowie - Scary Monsters, "It's No Game Pt. 1"
King Crimson - Beat, "Waiting Man"

 

Wynton Marsalis, Black Codes (from the Underground)
Keith Jarrett, Nude Ants
Stray Cats, Built for Speed
The Blues Brothers Soundtrack
Pat Metheny Group, Offramp
ZZ Top, Eliminator
Rush, Moving Pictures
Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Laurie Anderson, Big Science
Tchaikovsky, Bernstein, New York Philharmonic, Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique"

 

Metallica - Master of Puppets (Orion)
Metallica - ...and Justice for All (To Live is to Die)
Black Flag - The Process of Weeding Out (Your Last Affront)
King Crimson - Beat (Two Hands)
Talking Heads - Remain in Light (The Great Curve)
Kate Bush - Never for Ever (Egypt)
Kate Bush - The Dreaming (Houdini)
Freddie Mercury/Montserrat Caballe - Barcelona (The Fallen Priest)
Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden (Strange World)
Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (The Clairvoyant)

That was hard...and I didn't even include any jazz albums, otherwise I'd be here all day.

 

Tough choice

Lexicon of love - ABC
Food, Sex & Paranoia - Furniture
Peel Sessions - The Only Ones
Steve McQueen - Prefab Sprout
Hats - The Blue Nile
High Land Hard Rain - Aztec Camera
Soul Mining - The The
Don't Stand Me Down - Dexys
Avalon - Roxy Music
The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths

 

1. Joe Jackson, Night & Day ("Steppin' Out")
"Steppin' Out" was my very first teenage song obsession, and unlike many such early enthusiasms, this album still holds up for me just as much now as it ever did. An almost indescribable blend of 1930s Cole Porter-ish sensibilities, latin percussion, and early 1980s new wave hooks (with beautiful bass guitar and piano lines, but no electric guitars), no one has ever made another album quite like this. Every single song is a classic, IMHO, with one of the most perfect album closers ever in "A Slow Song."

2. Talk Talk, Spirit of Eden ("I Believe in You")
Another almost indescribable album, which some suggest inaugurates the genre of "post-rock." Lush yet spacious, this manages to combine an expansive, cinematic soundscape with a sense of powerful, almost spiritual intimacy.

3. Kate Bush, The Sensual World ("This Woman's Work")
Like many fans of the groundbreaking Hounds of Love, I initially found this album to be disappointingly tame and conventional. However, its sensual pleasures only grew and expanded over time, eventually eclipsing even her other great albums for me. Rich and moody, with the Trio Bulgarka adding an almost otherworldly quality, the album takes one on a powerfully compelling emotional journey.

4. Crowded House, Temple of Low Men ("Into Temptation")
Pure pop perfection from beginning to end, this album feels like the best of the Beatles' Red and Blue albums combined into a single, concisely unfolding narrative. Crisp sound, inventive arrangements, clever lyrics, catchy and haunting melodic hooks, and flawless performances by everyone involved (but particularly singer/songwriter Neil Finn) create one of the most enjoyable albums of the decade.

5. Roxy Music, Avalon ("More Than This")
An album resented as a sellout by many fans of the band's earlier, more experimental phases, it has nevertheless become a high water mark of lushly sophisticated adult pop (and a legendarily effective "make-out" record). Enveloping the listener in layers of exotically romantic textures, held together by Bryan Ferry's yearning vocals, the album almost defines the term "atmospheric pop."

6. Joe Jackson, Big World ("Forty Years")
Purposely less polished than his other albums of the period, Big World was an album of new songs recorded live in front of an audience instructed not to applaud or make any other sounds. Aiming to combine the raw adrenaline of a live performance with the perfection of a studio album, it is remarkably successful, largely because the material is so perfectly designed for such a recording approach. Combining the concise new wave punkiness of his earliest albums with a distinct 1940s swing era feel and lyrics evoking the excitement and pain of international travel, this album is powerful, immediate, at catchy as all get-out.

7. Danny Wilson, Meet Danny Wilson ("Steamtrains to the Milky Way")
Anchored by one of the catchiest singles of the decade in "Mary's Prayer," this album combines the 1940s film noir nostalgia of Joe Jackson with the polished synth pop of Tears for Fears. Gary Clark's warmly contagious pop hooks are the perfect vehicles for his rich, soulful vocals. The album is cleverly sequenced, making it one of the most impressive debut albums of the decade.

8. Mike Oldfield, Five Miles Out ("Five Miles Out")
In the context of a career divided between adventurous, mainly instrumental early albums and more pop song oriented later ones, this album manages to keep the two sides perfectly balanced, and as a result is possibly Oldfield's most satisfying album. Almost like a more contemporary update of King Crimson's Larks' Tongues in Aspic, Five Miles Out blends a few well-crafted pop songs (including the original "Family Man" later covered by Hall & Oates) with alternatively majestic and hypnotic instrumental explorations.

9. Kate Bush, The Hounds of Love ("Cloudbusting")
Regarded by many as her career peak, Hounds of Love is a remarkable achievement, combining memorable hit singles with an almost hallucinatorily adventurous sidelong epic.

10. Dire Straits, Love over Gold ("Telegraph Road")
Going even further in the cinematic direction suggested by their previous album Making Movies, Love Over Gold puts Mark Knopfler's fluid guitar leads and bluesy vocals in service of widescreen epics like "Telegraph Road" and evocative tone poems like "Private Investigations" and the title track. The almost explosive dynamics and shimmering piano runs with vibraphone accents have helped to make this somewhat of an audiophile favorite.

Honorable Mentions:

11. Tears for Fears, The Seeds of Love ("Swords and Knives")
12.Kate Bush, The Dreaming ("All the Love")
13. Steve Winwood, Talking Back to the Night ("Talking Back to the Night")
14. Joe Jackson, Blaze of Glory ("Evil Empire")
15.The Style Council, Confessions of a Pop Group ("It's a Very Deep Sea")
16. Marilllion, Clutching at Straws ("Warm Wet Circles")
17. Ultravox, Rage in Eden ("Rage in Eden")
18. Yes, Drama ("Run Through the Light")
19. David Bowie, Scary Monsters ("Ashes to Ashes")
20. Asia, Alpha ("Midnight Sun")