I’ve recently been going through every year in music for my thorough retrospectives, and as such I’ve been exposed to some fantastic albums. I wanted to talk about some of my favourites – this time looking at the 1980’s.
I reviewed fifty albums as part of that decade’s retrospectives (five per year), all of which were voted online as the best of their respective years. I’m picking my top 10 based on those original fifty. It’s possible I’ll miss out on some great albums, so I think these top 10’s should be viewed as companion pieces to those original retrospectives.
Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:
Top 10 Albums of the 1960’s
Top 10 Albums of the 1970’s
“Remain in Light” Songs Ranked
“Purple Rain” – Every Track Ranked
Honourable Mentions
I listened to fifty great albums from the 1980’s during my retrospectives, so it was almost impossible to pick the ten best. Here are five albums that almost made the cut:
Discipline (King Crimson) was yet another groundbreaking masterwork from one of music’s most visionary bands. I was tempted to include it in the top ten, but I actually think most of the live versions of tracks are better than the album versions (which makes the album itself seem underwhelming in hindsight).
Thriller (Michael Jackson) deserves a mention for esteem alone. It’s one of the most popular albums of all time, and it has some really catchy songs.
Sting and co. saved the best ’til last for Synchronicity (The Police). It came at a tumultuous time for the band, and yet they made some of their most famous work in spite of it.
No 80’s album list would be complete without a mention of Disintegration (The Cure). They were one of the great alternative bands.
And finally, there are some absolute bangers on Doolittle (The Pixies). If this list was eleven entries long, this would have just made it.
10 – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (Public Enemy)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Don’t Believe The Hype
- Bring The Noise
- Rebel Without A Pause
Especially now that I’m more caught up with music history (my retrospectives are up to 2022 at the time of writing), it’s fascinating to see how Rap music evolved – it would eventually become one of the best genres modern music has to offer.
Public Enemy were some of the original masters of the medium, and “It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back” is their biggest work. Songs like “Rebel Without A Pause”, “Bring The Noise” and “Don’t Believe The Hype” paved the way for a new generation of artists.
9 – Master Of Puppets (Metallica)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Master Of Puppets
- Orion
- Battery
There’s a bit of a “Stranger Things” effect nowadays with some of the 80’s songs and albums on this list. My generation may only know albums like “Master Of Puppets” from their appearances on the show, but I’ve always known them as exceptional works in their own right.
“Master Of Puppets” is a shot of pure Metal to the veins. It’s a collection of some of the best riffs you’ll ever hear, with songs like “Orion” and the title track being two of the best songs of the decade.
8 – So (Peter Gabriel)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- In Your Eyes
- Sledgehammer
- Don’t Give Up
Somehow, King Crimson’s “Discipline” is only the second best album Tony Levin played bass on in the 80’s – he saved his best basslines for Peter Gabriel’s magnificent “So”.
Gabriel wears his African influences on his sleeve for songs like “In Your Eyes”, he brings the funk in “Sledgehammer”, and he makes some really touching music with songs like “Don’t Give Up”. The overall production and mixing is incredible.
7 – Brothers In Arms (Dire Straits)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Brothers In Arms
- Money For Nothing
- Your Latest Trick
Weirdly, “Brothers In Arms” is the rare case of an album’s popularity overshadowing its brilliance. People write it off as a product of its time yet I think it’s easily one of the best albums of the decade.
The opening run of tracks – including “Money For Nothing”, “Walk Of Life” and “Your Latest Trick” is extremely strong, but I’m all about the finale. The title track is one of the most gorgeous, heartbreaking songs of any decade.
Is it controversial to call “Brothers In Arms” (the song) better than “Sultans of Swing”? Maybe a little …
6 – Hounds Of Love (Kate Bush)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)
- Cloudbusting
- Hounds Of Love
Nobody was making music like Kate Bush – especially when it comes to her Art Pop magnum opus “Hounds Of Love”.
She has some of the best songwriting and production of the era, and the song “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” has transcended the decade to become one of the most popular songs of all time.
It was a toss-up between that and “Cloudbusting” for the best song on the album. “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” got a “Stranger Things” boost, but there are days when I think “Cloudbusting” is the better, more interesting song. Let’s say they’re tied for first place and call it a day.
5 – Moving Pictures (Rush)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Tom Sawyer
- YYZ
- Limelight
Fun fact – I recently forced my dad to listen to Rush, specifically “Tom Sawyer”, because he’s a Rock fan and yet he’d never heard of them before. He didn’t like it. Needless to say, I’ve now lost all respect for his musical opinions.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more talented, more cohesive band than Rush, and you’d be even harder-pressed to find a more impressive Rock record than “Moving Pictures”. My top three songs especially – “Tom Sawyer”, “YYZ” and “Limelight” – boast some of the best musicianship I’ve ever heard.
4 – The Queen Is Dead (The Smiths)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
- Bigmouth Strikes Again
- I Know It’s Over
The Smiths released a lot of great albums in the 80’s, but my personal favourite of theirs has to be “The Queen Is Dead”.
There are so many fantastic tracks here. This would’ve been an all-time great album for “Bigmouth Strikes Again”, “I Know It’s Over” and “The Boy with the Thorn in his Side” alone, but then “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” cements it as something truly special.
3 – The Stone Roses (The Stone Roses)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- I Wanna Be Adored
- I Am the Resurrection
- Waterfall
I don’t know if The Stones Roses are particularly popular or well known over in America. As an Englishman, however, I can say they’re one of our finest 80’s bands.
They have such an enchanting, pseudo-psychedelic style which I love. Opener “I Wanna Be Adored” is an incredibly atmospheric beginning, “Waterfall” is a mid-album pick-me-up, and closer “I Am the Resurrection” is an astounding groove to end things.
Technically, standalone single “Fools Gold” wasn’t a part of the initial release (it’s included on streaming platforms nowadays), so I didn’t list it in my top three songs. For the record, though, it would easily be the number one song on the album. It’s one of my favourite songs ever.
2 – Purple Rain (Prince)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Purple Rain
- When Doves Cry
- Let’s Go Crazy
Everyone points to Michael Jackson as being the king of 80’s Pop … but I don’t think anyone was doing it quite like Prince. His iconic album “Purple Rain” was not only a commercial slam-dunk, but it’s also an extraordinary collection of songs.
It starts strong with “Let’s Go Crazy”, threatens to peak with “When Doves Cry”, and then it actually peaks on the closer “Purple Rain”. That track in particular is one of the greatest pieces of music ever recorded.
1 – Remain In Light (Talking Heads)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Once in a Lifetime
- The Great Curve
- Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)
I had to have a deep think while making this top ten. Talking Heads are one of my favourite bands ever, and “Remain In Light” is my favourite album of theirs. Does that make it the best album of the 80’s? As it turns out, yes.
David Byrne and co. were influenced by African polyrhythms, and they ended up making some of the most danceable yet unique songs ever. The first half is an increasingly energetic romp leading up to the masterpiece “Once in a Lifetime”, and then the second half slows things down to be more existential.
When you listen to “Remain In Light”, you know you’re hearing a band at the peak of their powers.
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