1980s

Top 20

1. The Queen Is Dead — The Smiths (1986)
2. Doolittle — Pixies (1989)
3. Remain In Light — Talking Heads (1980)
4. Disintegration — The Cure (1989)
5. The Stone Roses — The Stone Roses (1989)
6. The Joshua Tree — U2 (1987)
7. Hounds Of Love — Kate Bush (1985)
8. Thriller — Michael Jackson (1982)
9. Purple Rain — Prince And The Revolution (1984)
10. Daydream Nation — Sonic Youth (1988)
11. Closer — Joy Division (1980)
12. Master Of Puppets — Metallica (1986)
13. Surfer Rosa — Pixies (1988)
14. Rain Dogs — Tom Waits (1985)
15. Appetite For Destruction — Guns N' Roses (1987)
16. Graceland — Paul Simon (1986)
17. Spirit Of Eden — Talk Talk (1988)
18. Murmur — R.E.M. (1983)
19. Back In Black — AC/DC (1980)
20. Ride The Lightning — Metallica (1984)

1980

• Remain In Light — Talking Heads
• Closer — Joy Division
• Back In Black — AC/DC
• Scary Monsters — David Bowie
• Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables — Dead Kennedys
• Peter Gabriel (1980) — Peter Gabriel
• The River — Bruce Springsteen
• Permanent Waves — Rush
• Pretenders — Pretenders
• Making Movies — Dire Straits
• Seventeen Seconds — The Cure
• Crazy Rhythms — The Feelies
• Sandinista! — The Clash
• Ace Of Spades — Motörhead
• Boy — U2
• Heaven And Hell — Black Sabbath
• Dirty Mind — Prince
• Gaucho — Steely Dan
• Iron Maiden — Iron Maiden
• Sound Affects — The Jam

1981

• Moving Pictures — Rush
• Computerwelt — Kraftwerk
• Discipline — King Crimson
• Juju — Siouxsie And The Banshees
• My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts — Brian Eno & David Byrne
• Time — Electric Light Orchestra
• Dare — The Human League
• Faith — The Cure
• Damaged — Black Flag
• Deceit — This Heat
• Tattoo You — The Rolling Stones
• Youth Of America — Wipers
• Ghost In The Machine — The Police
• Fire Of Love — The Gun Club
• The Ascension — Glenn Branca
• Heaven Up Here — Echo & The Bunnymen
• Face Value — Phil Collins
• Killers — Iron Maiden
• Nightclubbing — Grace Jones
• Movement — New Order

1982

• Thriller — Michael Jackson
• The Dreaming — Kate Bush
• The Number Of The Beast — Iron Maiden
• Pornography — The Cure
• Nebraska — Bruce Springsteen
• 1999 — Prince
• Avalon — Roxy Music
• Rio — Duran Duran
• Love Over Gold — Dire Straits
• The Nightfly — Donald Fagen
• New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) — Simple Minds
• Combat Rock — The Clash
• Imperial Bedroom — Elvis Costello And The Attractions
• Peter Gabriel (1982) — Peter Gabriel
• Big Science — Laurie Anderson
• English Settlement — XTC
• Screaming For Vengeance — Judas Priest
• Hex Enduction Hour — The Fall
• Bad Brains — Bad Brains
• The Lexicon Of Love — ABC

1983

• Murmur — R.E.M.
• Power, Corruption & Lies — New Order
• War — U2
• Synchronicity — The Police
• Swordfishtrombones — Tom Waits
• Let's Dance — David Bowie
• Speaking In Tongues — Talking Heads
• Kill 'Em All — Metallica
• Soul Mining — The The
• The Crossing — Big Country
• Pyromania — Def Leppard
• Punch The Clock — Elvis Costello And The Attractions
• Eliminator — ZZ Top
• Colour By Numbers — Culture Club
• Construction Time Again — Depeche Mode
• She's So Unusual — Cyndi Lauper
• Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) — Eurythmics
• Genesis — Genesis
• Flashdance (OST) — Various Artists
• An Innocent Man — Billy Joel

1984

• Purple Rain — Prince And The Revolution
• Ride The Lightning — Metallica
• The Smiths — The Smiths
• Stop Making Sense — Talking Heads
• Born In The U.S.A. — Bruce Springsteen
• Some Great Reward — Depeche Mode
• Hatful Of Hollow — The Smiths
• Double Nickels On The Dime — Minutemen
• Zen Arcade — Hüsker Dü
• Treasure — Cocteau Twins
• Powerslave — Iron Maiden
• Ocean Rain — Echo & The Bunnymen
• The Unforgettable Fire — U2
• Legend: The Best Of Bob Marley And The Wailers — Bob Marley & The Wailers
• Reckoning — R.E.M.
• Diamond Life — Sade
• 1984 — Van Halen
• Rattlesnakes — Lloyd Cole And The Commotions
• Meat Puppets II — Meat Puppets
• E2-E4 — Manuel Göttsching

1985

• Hounds Of Love — Kate Bush
• Rain Dogs — Tom Waits
• Brothers In Arms — Dire Straits
• Meat Is Murder — The Smiths
• Psychocandy — The Jesus And Mary Chain
• Songs From The Big Chair — Tears For Fears
• The Head On The Door — The Cure
• Tim — The Replacements
• Steve McQueen — Prefab Sprout
• Rum Sodomy & The Lash — The Pogues
• Misplaced Childhood — Marillion
• Low-Life — New Order
• New Day Rising — Hüsker Dü
• This Nation's Saving Grace — The Fall
• This Is The Sea — The Waterboys
• Fables Of The Reconstruction — R.E.M.
• Little Creatures — Talking Heads
• Around The World In A Day — Prince And The Revolution
• Love — The Cult
• The Dream Of The Blue Turtles — Sting

1986

• The Queen Is Dead — The Smiths
• Master Of Puppets — Metallica
• Graceland — Paul Simon
• So — Peter Gabriel
• Skylarking — XTC
• The Colour Of Spring — Talk Talk
• Reign In Blood — Slayer
• Lifes Rich Pageant — R.E.M.
• Licensed To Ill — Beastie Boys
• Black Celebration — Depeche Mode
• Evol — Sonic Youth
• Slippery When Wet — Bon Jovi
• Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? — Megadeth
• Parade — Prince And The Revolution
• Somewhere In Time — Iron Maiden
• Raising Hell — Run-D.M.C.
• Invisible Touch — Genesis
• Atomizer — Big Black
• True Blue — Madonna
• Your Funeral... My Trial — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

1987

• The Joshua Tree — U2
• Appetite For Destruction — Guns N' Roses
• Sign "O" The Times — Prince
• Strangeways, Here We Come — The Smiths
• You're Living All Over Me — Dinosaur
• Document — R.E.M.
• Bad — Michael Jackson
• Music For The Masses — Depeche Mode
• Sister — Sonic Youth
• Hysteria — Def Leppard
• Substance — New Order
• Kick — INXS
• Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me — The Cure
• Louder Than Bombs — The Smiths
• Darklands — The Jesus And Mary Chain
• Come On Pilgrim — Pixies
• Diesel And Dust — Midnight Oil
• Paid In Full — Eric B. & Rakim
• Tango In The Night — Fleetwood Mac
• Tunnel Of Love — Bruce Springsteen

1988

• Daydream Nation — Sonic Youth
• Surfer Rosa — Pixies
• Spirit Of Eden — Talk Talk
• It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back — Public Enemy
• ...And Justice For All — Metallica
• Tracy Chapman — Tracy Chapman
• Isn't Anything — My Bloody Valentine
• Green — R.E.M.
• Straight Outta Compton — N.W.A
• Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son — Iron Maiden
• I'm Your Man — Leonard Cohen
• Nothing's Shocking — Jane's Addiction
• Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 — The Traveling Wilburys
• Operation: Mindcrime — Queensrÿche
• If I Should Fall From Grace With God — The Pogues
• 16 Lovers Lane — The Go-Betweens
• Tender Prey — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
• Viva Hate — Morrissey
• Starfish — The Church
• Rattle And Hum — U2

1989

• Doolittle — Pixies
• Disintegration — The Cure
• The Stone Roses — The Stone Roses
• Paul's Boutique — Beastie Boys
• 3 Feet High And Rising — De La Soul
• On Fire — Galaxie 500
• Bleach — Nirvana
• Pretty Hate Machine — Nine Inch Nails
• Full Moon Fever — Tom Petty
• New York — Lou Reed
• Like A Prayer — Madonna
• Technique — New Order
• The Real Thing — Faith No More
• The Sensual World — Kate Bush
• Rhythm Nation 1814 — Janet Jackson
• Floating Into The Night — Julee Cruise
• 13 Songs — Fugazi
• Hats — The Blue Nile
• Oh Mercy — Bob Dylan
• Wrong — NoMeansNo