# Give me your top ten 80's albums. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870 "2014-10-20T00:41:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/1 "2014-10-20T00:41:57Z")
I picked ten because I think five is too few. For me I’m going to choose what I think are best, but I’m going to throw a couple in that I think are “Best” but wouldn’t be something I’d collect personally. I’ll asterisk those. In no particular order: 1. Kate Bush _Hounds of Love_ 2. Peter Gabriel _So_ 3. Pink Floyd _The Final Cut_ 4. Frankie Goes to Hollywood _Welcome to the Pleasuredome_ 5. Roxy Music _Avalon_ 6. Tears for Fears _The Seeds of Love_ 7. Talking Heads _Stop Making Sense_ 8. XTC _Skylarking_ 9. Michael Jackson _Thriller_\* 10. Prince and the Revolution _Purple Rain_\* ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/2 "2014-10-20T00:52:29Z")
1. Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction 2. Def Leppard - Hysteria 3. Beastie Boys - License to Ill 4. Michael Jackson - Thriller 5. Madonna - Like a Virgin 6. NWA - Straight out of Compton 7. Garth Brooks - Garth Brooks 8. Motely Crue - Girls, Girls, Girls 9. Billy Idol - Rebel Yell 10. Prince - Purple Rain ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/3 "2014-10-20T01:02:59Z")
1. Husker Du - New Day Rising 2. The Replacements - Let It Be 3. Prince - Sign O The Times 4. The Jesus & Mary Chain - Psychocandy 5. The Housemartins - London 0, Hull 4 6. The Go-Betweens - 16 Lovers Lane 7. Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime 8. The Pogues -Rum Sodomy & The Lash 9. R.E.M. - Murmur 10. XTC - Skylarking ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/4 "2014-10-20T01:04:29Z")
In no particular order: [ul] [li]Prince & The Revolution: Purple Rain[/li][li]Peter Gabriel: Melt[/li][li]Kate Bush: Hounds of Love[/li][li]Dire Straits: Brothers in Arms[/li][li]Roxy Music: Avalon[/li][li]Tom Petty: Full Moon Fever[/li][li]The Police: Synchronicity[/li][li]Elton John: Too Low for Zero[/li][li]Phil Collins: No Jacket Required[/li][li]Fleetwood Mac: Tango in the Night[/li][/ul] I know everyone hates Collins, but that album sounds like pure '80s, and it’s enjoyable from beginning to end. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/5 "2014-10-20T01:27:19Z")
No order. Just spitballin’ it: \*Pretenders - Pretenders (though this just barely sneaks in–The first three or four albums I thought of were all released in 1979. This one was Jan of '80.) \*Joy Division - Closer \*Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation \*Public Enemy - It Takes a Milliion to Hold Us Back \*Michael Jackson - Thriller \*Pixies - Doolittle \*Metallica - Kill 'Em All \*De La Soul - Three Feet High and Rising \*The Stone Roses - Stone Roses \*Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/6 "2014-10-20T01:42:27Z")
That’s actually kind of tough. There was a lot of good music that came through that period. 1. Rush - _Moving Pictures_ 2. Paul Simon - _Graceland_ 3. ZZ Top - _Eliminator_ 4. The Police - _Synchronicity_ 5. Vangelis - _Soundtrack of Chariots of Fire_ 6. Michael Jackson - _Thriller_ (I see a pattern forming here.) 7. Donald Fagen - _The Nightfly_ 8. Roger Waters - _Radio KAOS_ 9. Alan Parsons Project - _Eye in the Sky_ 10. Styx - _Paradise Theater_ …in no particular order, and with minimal thought. If I sat and considered it for a while, I’d probably change a few. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/7 "2014-10-20T03:04:03Z")
U2 - War U2 - The Unforgettable Fire U2 - The Joshua Tree Tears for Fears - Songs From the Big Chair Michael Jackson - Thriller Prince - Purple Rain The Police - Synchronicity Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska REM - Murmur Guns 'n Roses - Appetite for Destruction ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/8 "2014-10-20T08:55:16Z")
**The Cure** : _Pornography_ **Metallica** : _Ride the Lightning_ **Dire Straits** : _Brothers in Arms_ **The Sisters of Mercy** : _First and Last and Always_ **Kate Bush** : _Hounds of Love_ **Slayer** : _Reign in Blood_ **Guns N Roses** : _Appetite for Destruction_ **Depeche Mode** : _Music for the Masses_ **Siouxsie and the Banshees** : \*Peepshow \* **Tom Petty** : _Full Moon Fever_ ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/9 "2014-10-20T09:24:32Z")
1. R.E.M., Lifes Rich Pageant 2. Police, Ghost in the Machine 3. Shinehead, Unity 4. Paul Simon, Graceland 5. R.E.M., Reckoning 6. R.E.M., Green 7. John Cougar, American Fool 8. R.E.M., Murmur 9. Rush, Moving Pictures 10. U2, Under a Blood Red Sky Honorable Mention: 10,000 Maniacs, In My Tribe ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/10 "2014-10-20T09:39:24Z")
Maybe I will come up with a top 10 later, but I am happy to see love for Kate Bush’ _Hounds of love_ (my all-time #1 album). ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/11 "2014-10-20T10:03:27Z")
> [@Art\_Rock](#): > > Maybe I will come up with a top 10 later, but I am happy to see love for Kate Bush’ _Hounds of love_ (my all-time #1 album). My favourite Kate Bush songs are on other albums but as a whole, it may be the best thing she wrote so it’s no wonder it’s been mentioned several times. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/12 "2014-10-20T10:12:24Z")
1. Moody Blues - The Other Side of Life 2. Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers 3. The Church - Starfish 4. U2 - Live at Red Rocks 5. Rush - Grace Under Pressure 6. Billy Joel - Glass Houses 7. Asia - Asia 8. Van Halen - OU812 9. Simon and Garfunkel - The Concert in Central Park ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/13 "2014-10-20T10:22:59Z")
What they said. And “Night and Day”, Joe Jackson. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/14 "2014-10-20T10:28:10Z")
1. Kate Bush - Hounds of love 2. Dire Straits - Brothers in arms 3. Paul Simon - Graceland 4. Talking Heads - Remain in light 5. Peter Gabriel - So 6. Fischer Z - Red skies over paradise 7. Joe Jackson - Night and day 8. Martha and the Muffins - This is the ice-age 9. Japan - Tin drum 10. Talk Talk - It’s my life ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/15 "2014-10-20T10:39:52Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > 1. Moody Blues - The Other Side of Life > 2. Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers > 3. The Church - Starfish > 4. U2 - Live at Red Rocks > 5. Rush - Grace Under Pressure > 6. Billy Joel - Glass Houses > 7. Asia - Asia > 8. Van Halen - OU812 > 9. Simon and Garfunkel - The Concert in Central Park Gah. I missed number 8, so I’ll add in “Full Moon Fever” by Tom Petty. And go back to sleep. Although Alan Parsons’ “Eye in the Sky” could easily be on my list too. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/16 "2014-10-20T10:40:39Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > 1. U2 - Live at Red Rocks I think this is the same album (alternative title) as the one I included as “Under a Blood Red Sky.” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/17 "2014-10-20T10:53:04Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I think this is the same album (alternative title) as the one I included as “Under a Blood Red Sky.” Yes. You are correct. Hell of an album though! ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/18 "2014-10-20T10:55:25Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Yes. You are correct. Hell of an album though! Yes. U2 was one of the best live acts of the period. Also, I wanted to include something with my favorite U2 song, “Gloria,” but the studio album that song is from _(October)_ is hit and miss. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/19 "2014-10-20T11:13:24Z")
I don’t enjoy a lot of music from the 1980s, so I couldn’t come up with a list of ten. Of all the 1980s albums in my collection, only the following I’d say are really good: [ol] [li]The Beatles - _Past Masters, Vol. 2_[/li][li]Traveling Wilburys - _Traveling Wilburys Volume 1_[/li][li]Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - _Pack up the Plantation – Live!_[/li][li]Tom Petty - _Full Moon Fever_[/li][li]Dire Straits - _Brothers in Arms_[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870/20 "2014-10-20T11:51:39Z")
In no particular order: 1. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska 2. The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms 3. Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom 4. Richard and Linda Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights 5. Talking Heads - Remain in Light 6. Husker Du - Warehouse: Songs and Stories 7. The Replacements - Let It Be 8. The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy & the Lash 9. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation 10. The Clash - London Calling [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-top-ten-80s-albums/701870.md?page=2)