Tango In The Night, Fleetwood Mac.
I don’t think it was popular in the US, but High Land, Hard Rain by Aztec Camera is a quintessential 80s LP for me.
More obscure, but the Giorgio Moroder soundtrack for Metropolis. Adam Ant, Pat Benatar, Loverboy, Freddie Mercury. Billy Squier. Bonnie Tyler. Jon Anderson. It’s one of my favorite albums.
Nor should you be. Madonna put out a lot of good music in the 80s and 90s. I am surprised it took until the 11th post before someone mentioned Thriller. The only song on the album I don’t care for these days is “The Girl is Mine” Jackson sang with Paul McCartney.
These kinds of lists are always tough because it’s difficult to distinguish a good album I liked from one that helped define a decade. But, in a way, I suppose any album that was popular helped define the decade, right? I’m going to go with Synchronicity by The Police. King of Pain is one of my favorite songs by them and the album includes Every Breath You Take which is probably their most famous song.
Yep. I’ll put two of my favorites in that group: The Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues; and The Cars - Heartbeat City. Great albums, but not quite decade defining. And I’ll add the aforementioned Rolling Stones - Tattoo You as well (and I love that one).
One that I think is decade defining that isn’t mentioned yet: Culture Club - Kissing to Be Clever.
Cindy Lauper She’s So Unusual
Pretenders Pretenders
The Clash London Calling
I went to a lot of college parties during this period and this was the soundtrack of many of them. The entire album played, front to back.
I had this album on constant rotation for a period on my Walkman (tape).
Another one that seemed to be played over and over. I loved that album, and the previous U2 albums.
My own contribution: Metallica’s Master of Puppets as well as And Justice for All. Their first two were huge in my circles, but these two dominated. They were definitive 80s light-thrash metal.
And that was the first album that I bought with my own money. It certainly belongs on at least the long list (if not the short list) of albums that define the 1980s.
My go-to’s were
Wall of Voodoo (Both versions)
Genesis (And any solo album by Mike, Phil or Tony)
Split Enz
The Police
Peter Gabriel
Kate Bush
Metallica Master of Puppets
Motley Crue Shout at the Devil
Scorpions Love at First Sting
Run DMC Raising Hell
Twisted Sister Stay Hungry
Bryan Adams Reckless
For soundtracks, I’d throw in Back to the Future.
Supertramp! Breakfast In America came out in 1979, but they’re an 80’s band through and through.
ZZ Top! Eliminator. Leggs, Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Loving, a lot of fun songs.
In 1980, I was a freshman in high school; in 1989, I got my master’s degree and started my career. Throughout that decade, music was a huge part of my life.
Most of the albums that come to mind for me as being definitional for the '80s have already been mentioned:
- Purple Rain (Prince)
- Thriller (Michael Jackson)
- So (Peter Gabriel)
- The Joshua Tree (U2)
- Like a Virgin (Madonna)
- Let’s Dance (David Bowie)
- Synchronicity (The Police)
- Footloose (various artists)
- Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits)
- Born in the U.S.A. (Bruce Springsteen)
- Hi Infidelity (REO Speedwagon)
- Licensed to Ill (Beastie Boys)
- Raising Hell (Run-D.M.C.)
- Rio (Duran Duran)
- No Jacket Required (Phil Collins)
9 to 5 and Odd Jobs – Dolly Parton
The Pressure Is On --Hank Williams Jr with two of his most famous songs “A Country Boy Will Survive” and "All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down) "
I cant remember the album but didn’t the pet shop boys have something like 7 or 8 top 10 hits in a row or was that just in the UK? My source it a TOTP intro saying the song that they had on was the 7th or 8th one
As soon as I read the the thread title, the first that came to mind were Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman by Ozzy Osbourne.
While not necessarily my cup of tea, any mention of the 1980s popular music that doesn’t include AC/DC would be remiss.
While AC/DC was certain popular in the 1980s, I wouldn’t say any of their albums during that time defined the era. Because their style remained pretty much the same throughout the 80s, and 90s, and 00s, etc. But at the same time, whenever I hear anything from Back in Black, it does remind me of the early 80s.
Many worthy albums already mentioned, but albums defining the 80s must include Depeche Mode and the Cure. It’s hard to pick one for each, but I propose:
The Head on The Door - The Cure
Black Celebration - Depeche Mode
I’m going to disagree there. I don’t recall ever seeing a music video by Supertramp (on MTV or anywhere else), and music videos are one of the things that really defined the decade.
I agree. Supertramp did their major work (and most of their albums) in the seventies, doing prog/art-rock that was typical for the decade.