My Top Ten Eighties Albums

Getting a bit tricky doing these lists now, as the chances of people having actually heard the albums and thus realise how much rubbish I am talking increases with every passing decade. However given how popular these threads have become would be unfair to all my fans for me not to continue. As always these are in no particular order, apart from the Roses which is obviously the best album ever made, ever.

The The – Infected – One of the most angry and political albums you’d ever care to hear. In eight tracks the brilliant Matt Johnson sums up Thatcher’s Britain about as well as anyone ever did. Very underrated band The The, Soul Mining is also brilliant, but for me this is his master work and something of a lost classic.

Prince – Sign of the Times – His purpleness is not really my barrow but Sign of the Times is absolutely brilliant. The title track is for me his finest hour and the album rarely lets up from that standard, ceaselessly creative and irrepressively funky Sign of the Times is as good a way of any as to convince doubters as to Prince’s genius.

De La Soul – Three Feet High and Rising – I am not much of a fan of hip hop, am far too white and far too dull. Despite that Three Feet is undeniably brilliant, has more ideas on one album than most bands manage in a career. Also they manage to get through the whole album without feeling the need to tell you how much they paid for their watch, which is an obvious plus point.

Haircut 100 – Pelican West – Realise this is a choice that is likely to raise a few eyebrows, but those that have not heard it will just have to take my word for it that it is brilliant. Perfectly realised pop songs from start to finish. Nick Heyward is a brilliant song writer, who managed the ever tricky feat of being equally as loved by the NME as he was by Smash Hits.

Dexy’s Midnight Runners – Searching for the Young Soul Rebels – Dexy’s released three albums in the 80s and I gave genuine consideration to putting them all in the list, as they are all brilliant, but eventually plumped for their debut. Whilst everyone else was making punk and new wave Kevin Rowland was making records influcenced by Stax and Northern Soul. As I mentioned all his albums are great, but the debut is more easily accessible than some of his later work.

The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses – My favourite album ever, still sounds as fresh and exciting today as it did back then. An album I still listen to pretty much every week. Tina did not get a ticket for the comeback as well.

The Smiths – Meat Is Murder – Opinion differs as to what is the best Smiths album, most would in all likelihood plump for The Queen is Dead, but this is my list so sod em. For me the Smiths were never better than this, Johnny Marr’s guitar sounds great and Morrissey’s lyrics were never better, witty, insightful and nowhere near as whiny as he can often tip into. Got to be honest there is not a single Smiths album I am obsessed with but could not have an eighties list without having them in somewhere.

The Jesus and Mary Chain – Psycho Candy – Proving once and for all that Superfly is not the only good thing to have come out of Scotland Psycho Candy is absolutely brilliant, the key to the Mary Chain is that below all the white noise and feedback there are some brilliant melodies and tunes. A hugely influential album from a truly great band.

R.E.M. – Document – Like the Smiths is difficult to choose which REM album should make the cut but in this instance I would choose Document. For me it hits the sweet spot between their earlier lo fi work and the stadium filling anthems of their later career.

Bruce Springsteeen – Nebraska – Think I am right in saying the Boss has the honour of being the first artist to make two entries onto these lists. Nebraska marked a change in direction for Springsteen. Gone are the E Street Band and Bruce’s blue collar power rock, replaced by a plaintive acoustic tone. Not the most cheery album in the world but in Johnny 99 and Atlantic City it does contain some of Springsteen’s best ever song writing.

ABC - The Lexicon Of Love
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Rattlesnakes
David Sylvian - Secrets Of The Beehive
Prince & The Revolution - Parade
Prince - Sign Of The Times
Captain Beefheart - Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)
Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel Of Love
Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
Transvision Vamp - Pop Art
Kate Bush - The Sensual World

Rowley wrote:Tina did not get a ticket for the comeback as well.

Was there really any need for that?

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Rowley wrote:Tina did not get a ticket for the comeback as well.

Was there really any need for that?

Absolutely none whatsoever. However after 30 albums I run out of things to say.

Rowley wrote: I run out of things to say.

Here's hoping.

I found it quite difficult to choose a top 10 so I chose a top 12 instead.  There are so many good 80s albums that it could quite easily have been a top 14.

REM - Life's Rich Pageant
The Cure - The Head On The Door
REM - Green
The Primitives - Lovely
Pink Floyd - The Final Cut
The House Of Love - The House Of Love
Dead Kennedys - Bedtime For Democracy
Sisters Of Mercy - Floodland
Talking Heads - Speaking In Tongues
Jesus And Mary Chain - Darklands
Lloyd Cole And The Commotions - Mainstream
PIL - Album

The House of Love is an excellent call Galted.

It is a piece of genius. Would have gone for Document and Rattlesnakes too which were previously chosen.

Thought of including Please by the Pet Shop Boys as well but suspected that it would incur the wrath of Rowley.

Not at all Galted, quite like the Pet Shop Boys. Will be honest Bronski Beat's Age of Consent nearly made the cut, which is a brilliant album, although not one of Michael's favourites one would suspect.

Rowley wrote:Not at all Galted, quite like the Pet Shop Boys.

Pet shop boys are headlining the Bingley festival down the road from here, should be good i expect.

Rowley wrote:Not at all Galted, quite like the Pet Shop Boys. Will be honest Bronski Beat's Age of Consent nearly made the cut, which is a brilliant album, although not one of Michael's favourites one would suspect.

Can't believe Fine Young Cannibals missed the cut to be honest....

Good band Sean, but for me never really released any great albums.

Were The Jesus And Mary Chain hugely influential? Or just hugely influenced - by the Velvet Underground.

JuliusHMarx wrote:Were The Jesus And Mary Chain hugely influential? Or just hugely influenced - by the Velvet Underground.

Bit of both, massively influential on the shoe gazing scene of a few years later (whether that is a good thing or not is up for debate) also now their influence can be heard in bands like BRMC

Echo and the Bunneymen

And even though it is uncool to like them these days, Joshua Tree was a pretty special album for U2.

seanmichaels wrote:Echo and the Bunneymen

Included in my list sean. I think you'll find my list is the one you should pay most attention to if you really want to learn about the truly great 80s music.

JuliusHMarx wrote:

seanmichaels wrote:Echo and the Bunneymen

Included in my list sean. I think you'll find my list is the one you should pay most attention to if you really want to learn about the truly great 80s music.

I agree. Lists are bad enough, and 606v2 is obsessed with them, but if you're going to post one, just post the list and let it speak for itself.

None of this self-indulgent nonsense that Jeff has posted.

So unnecessary and cruel Tina. A lot of albums in each decade to choose from, one should at least make the effort to justify your choices, or give people an indication as to what they can expect, should they be unfamiliar with the works under discussion.

If I delete all evidence of the Roses jibe, which was unwarranted, will you retract your comment?

Hard to choose just 10, but here are some of my favourites, (ones I still listen to quite often), in no particular order:

Love - The Cult
Hysteria - Def Leppard
Green - REM
Master of Puppets - Metallica
Dr Feelgood - Motley Cue
Watermark - Enya
Disintegration - The Cure
Misplaced Childhood - Marillion
Permanent Waves - Rush
Powerslave - Iron Maiden

Really can't be @rsed to post 10 but I'd like to add Tom Petty's (minus some of the Heartbreakers) Full Moon Fever to other people's choice of 9.

Oh and despite being hugely fashionably unfashionable in any other decade I think Dire Strait's Brother in Arms is a great album which stands the test of time.

.

1. Paul Simon - Graceland....
2. INXS - X
3. Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
4. The Pointer Sisters - I'm so excited...
5. Suzanne Vega - Solitude Standing .......(2nd behind Bush as songwriter)
6. Talking Heads - Little creatures...
7. Mister Mister - Welcome to the real World
8. Bob Dylan - Infidels.....
9. The Rolling Stones - Tattoo You...
10. The best of Blondie..........