Choose your favorite album for each year of the '80s

Pick an album, any album!

 

The 1980s brought a new level of commercial pursuit to the record business. The once-thriving rockstars of old struggled to keep up with new trends, and new sounds. 

Each year of the '80s had an entire world of sound, so there's plenty to choose from. Let's see which albums you love each year. We've selected 5 of the highest-selling albums of each year while excluding things like Greatest Hits and Live releases. So, now the table is set for you to show us what your taste is made of! Have fun, and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below!

  1. 1980
  2. 1981
  3. 1982
  4. 1983
  5. 1984
  6. 1985
  7. 1986
  8. 1987
  9. 1988
  10. 1989

Choose your favorite album for each year of the '80s

Your Result...

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90 Comments

Moverfan 5 months ago
Fifty-one percent? Okay, but inaccurate. I didn't have any interest in any of the albums listed for 1987 and 1988 and I still don't. Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins and Bob Seger--yes, please. But let's throw the Eagles, the Oak Ridge Boys and the Statler Brothers in there, too!
ETristanBooth 5 months ago
I have to say, I'm not crazy about most of this list. The exceptions are George Michael, Paul Simon, The Police, Culture Club, U2, and Tears for Fears. In addition to this list, when I think of the 80s, I think of the Pet Shop Boys and Simply Red.
Charleshorse 5 months ago
I loved the 80s music but, imo, Michael Jackson ruled !!!!!!
fitch 5 months ago
Overall horrible choices offered---
1980-- Bob Marley-"Uprising"
1981-- Gang of Four-"Solid Gold"
1982-- Richard+Linda Thompson-"Shoot Out the Lights"
1983--B52s-"Whammy!"
1984--Minutemen-"Double Nickels On the Dime"
1985--Husker Du- "New Day Rising"
1986--The Smiths-"The Queen is Dead"
1987--REM-"Document"
1988--The Pogues-"If I Should Fall From Grace With God"
1989--Neil Young-"Freedom"
327053 fitch 5 months ago
Great choices 😄
Moverfan 327053 5 months ago
I read the list of albums and wondered just when Wham! called themselves Whammy...then I noticed it's an album by the B52s. I'm going to take my nap now...
dodgebob 5 months ago
80%, for the choices given, that's pretty good, but I'm more of a rocker than songs that make ya cry, or dance. Turn up the volume, turn up the bass, play your air guitar like only you know how, do a drum solo when you put your air guitar down, and sing those lyrics loud.
Never mind the car next to ya, you're rock'in baby.
STTOS 5 months ago
64% similar - 64% similar to the most popular responses. It's funny, #s 1-8 were easy for me to choose because I have multiple albums listed for each year and just chose my favorite. But for #s 9-10 I don't own any of the albums so I chose what I thought would be the most popular response. I was right for #9 but wrong for #10. I always thought that my interest in "new" music lasted through the 80's but I guess it actually stopped in 1987. ;) By the way, IMO, the year with the worst choice of albums is #9, 1988. Again, just my opinion.
BobbyGlasspie 5 months ago
No Duran Duran on any any of list what a shame 😞
George58 5 months ago
I did the 1st three questions & that was it. The rest were mostly pop or soft oriented music which I wasn't into. What, No Black Sabbath - Heaven And Hell for 1980. That should have been on there. IMHO Ronnie James Dio was a better vocalist than any of those 5 selected for 1980. Again, MY opinion, so no haters.
clovergirl 5 months ago
83%. Some answers were toss-ups, as I liked two of the choices and deciding between the two was a challenge.
Art1957 5 months ago
I got incredibly bored with almost every New York radio stations "playlist" in 1983. I was lucky enough to be living on Long Island and discovered the legendary WLIR 92.7 and listened to "New Wave" for many years after and still do. I don't know many of the albums listed here except for the very popular ones.
MadMat2102 5 months ago
67%. Actually, my favorite album from 1982 was 1999 by Prince, but it wasn't on the list.
Bapa1 MadMat2102 5 months ago
My favorite Prince album.
dodgebob Bapa1 5 months ago
my favorite hasn't come out yet, I hear they found stuff that hasn't been heard as of yet.
TimothyMadigan 5 months ago
48%
The only year i had a problem was 1985 - would happily take either Dire Straits' or Tears for Fears' album.

Otherwise, it's, in order, REO, Foreigner, MJ, The Police, Prince, Tears for Fears, Madonna, U2, Paula Abdul and Madonna again (not liking the final 3 years' choices).
Amalthea 5 months ago
The '80s were truly my decade. I turned 16 in 1980 & got married in 1985. Life truly began that decade.
1) I love them all but went with what I listened to the most that year: REO
2) Once again, all good choices but went with nostalgia: Men At Work.
3) I actually DO have them all but went with the obvious: Thriller
4) I bought a lot of albums in the '80s; I have all of these as well but I have more memories attached to Eliminator
5) Not even difficult. Only 2 I cared for and went with Prince.
6) Finally gave Phil Collins a vote
7) Another not difficult one: Paul Simon by a landslide
8) I went back & forth between Def Leppard & U2 & finally decided on Def Leppard (You couldn't PAY me to pick Buns'n'Noses)
9) The '80s were starting to become the '90s, which I refer to as the Black Hole of pop culture. I went with Paula Abdul
10) Had to fall back on Phil Collins
dodgebob Amalthea 5 months ago
Well, the late 60's were rocks best with bands like Cream, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendricks, Z.Z. Top, Jefferson Airplane, Rush and a whole lot more.
dodgebob dodgebob 5 months ago
...and Black Sabbath
327053 Amalthea 5 months ago
Wow!! My choices were similar to yours! Love REO! Saw them live in Albuquerque 4 years ago! I miss the 80s 😞
gockionni 5 months ago
49% but that’s par - the 80’s were a blur for me entertainment wise, I was busy doing the mom thing. In fact, those years were so blurry, I thought for a moment that MeTV got the Springsteen album wrong until I realized it was Born to Run that I was thinking of…🤣
hootsjeff 5 months ago
If I could, I would pick 95% of those albums as the best at the same time.
80's were one of the best times for music. Hands down. 👍👍
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