1980's - Top 50 Albums

12-15-08 1980’s – Top 50

From the same “Rock Album Best 100” book from Record Collector Magazine in Japan. They also broke it down by decade (60’s, 70’s & 80’s) – of course, some of these 80’s titles did not make the “Top 100” over-all. I believe these titles are selected by the editors, as no “number of votes” are indicated. For our amusement:

1. TALKING HEADS – Remain In Light
2. U2 – Joshua Tree
3. SCRITTI POLITTI – Cupid & Psyche ’85
4. DONALD FAGEN – The Nightfly
5. THE POLICE – Synchronicity
6. PEFAB SPROUT – Steve McQueen
7. THE POP GROUP – How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?
8. THE BEASTIE BOYS – License To Ill
9. PETER GABRIEL – So
10. SONIC YOUTH – Daydream Nation
11. THE STYLE COUNCIL – Our Favourite Shop
12. LOU REED – New York
13. PRINCE – Sign O’ The Times
14. THE STYLE COUNCIL – Café Bleu
15. THE SMITHS – self-titled debut
16. ROXY MUSIC – Avalon
17. JOY DIVISION – Closer
18. THE CLASH – Sandanista
19. U2 – War
20. JOHN LENNON & YOKO ONO – Double Fantasy
21. KEITH RICHARDS – Talk Is Cheap
22. XTC – Black Sea
23. BEN WATT – North Marine Drive
24. PUBLIC IMAGE LTD. – Flowers Of Romance
25. AZTEC CAMERA – High Land, Hard Rain
26. THE BLUE NILE – Hats
27. PRINCE – 1999
28. THE ROLLING STONES – Tattoo You
29. YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS – Colossal Youth
30. JESUS & MARY CHAIN – Psychocandy
31. BRIAN WILSON – self-titled
32. GUNS ‘N’ ROSES – Appetite For Destruction
33. FAIRGROUND ATTRACTION – The First Of A Million Kisses
34. R.E.M. – Murmur
35. HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS – Sports
36. PRINCE – Around The World In A Day
37. STEELY DAN – Gaucho
38. THE PALE FOUNTAINS – Pacific Street
39. JOHN HIATT – Bring The Family
40. MICHAEL JACKSON – Thriller
41. ELVIS COSTELLO – King Of America
42. TOM WAITS – Rain Dogs
43. THE SMITHS – The Queen Is Dead
44. THE STONE ROSES – self-titled
45. XTC – English Settlement
46. AC/DC – Back In Black
47. STEVE WINWOOD – Back In The High Life
48. XTC – Skylarking
49. LOS LOBOS – How Will The Wolf Survive?
50. FABRIZIO DE ANDRE – Creuza De M

I stopped at #50, as I felt that this was a title that none of us had ever heard! The highlights of the rest of the 80’s (up to #100) are (in no particular order); THE BUGGLES “The Plastic Age”, SERGE GAUINSBOURG “Love On The Beat”, MOTORHEAD “Ace OF Spades”, LEONARD COHEN – “I’m Your Man”, PETER GABRIEL – “III”, ELVIS COSTELLO – “Get Happy” (which is #100), JOE JACKSON “Night and Day”, KATE BUSH “The Dreaming”, ROBERT WYATT – “Old Rottenhat” and THE SPECIALS “More Specials”.