Romeoblu said:

Here are a few others I think are wonderful:

The Cure- Seventeen Seconds, Faith, Pornography, Japanese Whispers[i], [i]The Top, Disintegration
Eurythmics- In the Garden, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), Touch, 1984: For the Love of Big Brother, Be Yourself Tonight, Revenge, Savage, We Too Are One
Madonna- Like a Prayer
Janet Jackson- Rhythm Nation 1814
Blondie- Autoamerican
David Bowie- Scary Monsters
Depeche Mode- Speak and Spell, Some Great Reward, Black Celebration
The Smiths- The Smiths, The Queen Is Dead, Strangeways, Here We Come
George Winston- December
Talking Heads- Speaking in Tongues
Tom Tom Club- Tom Tom Club
Echo and the Bunnymen- Porcupine, Ocean Rain
Roxette- Look Sharp!
Grace Jones- Warm Leatherette, Nightclubbing, Living My Life
Kraftwerk- Computer World
Gap Band- IV
Joan Jett- Bad Reputation, I Love Rock 'n Roll
Lou Reed- The Blue Mask
Aerosmith- Pump
Technotronic- Pump Up the Jam
INXS- Kick
Pretenders- Pretenders
Cydni Lauper- She's So Unusual
Joy Division- Closer
Berlin- Pleasure Victim
Soft Cell- Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
Mtume- Juicy Fruit

IstenSzek said:

Moonbeam said:

Oh, no!

Cheek said:

Hell yes!

Moonbeam said:

I like Listen To My Heart!

TheKnowledge said:

oh yeah, sure... Husker Du.. Pixies... Sonic Youth... REM... Tom Waits... bla bla bla... what an awfully predictable list! wasn't that whole bunch already released under "Top 100 most unoriginal music critics choices"? let me help you to complete it with Joy Division, Jesus & Mary Chain, Stone Roses, Lloyd Cole etc. etc. etc.
...oh, and I was hardly able to read on after Guns'n Roses ..so except for a few selected albums (Prince, PE, Bambaata... Freaky Styley if you want...) this list pretty much sums up what sucked most about the 80ees... boooooring!! to much incredible depressing old farts music.. but the Smiths definitley takes the crown as the MOST boring and depressing band in the history of popular music

.
[Edited 7/30/07 3:59am]

daPrettyman said:

I take any bet he/she never even heard one complete album by Atlantic Starr or the Jones Girls

Okay -- here's my attempt. This is my top ten albums of the 80s, with no artist allowed to be included more than once:

1. Sign O’ The Times -- Prince
Also #1 if I'm making a list of the top albums of the rock era. Modern popular music's most gifted artist at his peak. Standouts include the title track, "Dorothy Parker" and "Adore" and, really, just about all the other songs, too.
2. "Gaucho" -- Steely Dan
Along with Aja (best album of the 70s IMO), one of the two best Dan albums. Some of the most fascinating, beautiful, musically complex rock (or is it jazz?) ever... and "Hey Nineteen" is one of the all-time great singles.
3. "Thriller" -- Michael Jackson
One of MJ's top two (along with "Off the Wall")... Billie Jean, the title track, and much more... "Top 40" music at its very best.
4. "Rio" -- Duran Duran
The best album from perhaps the most underrated band of its generation... still not getting their due, even though they are clearly the primary influence for current it band The Killers. The best track, "New Religion," wasn't even a single.
5. "Born In the USA" -- Bruce Springsteen
More great "Top 40" music -- tell me the mid-80s weren't a great time for popular music. 6 top 10 singles, and I think non-single "Downbound Train" may be Bruce's best track ever.
6. "The Nightfly" -- Donald Fagen
Steely Dan's Donald Fagen goes solo -- an ultra-cool concept album, with highlight being final track "The Goodbye Look" (also the title of an excellent novel by Ross MacDonald, that almost surely inspired the song).
7. "Vivid" -- Living Colour
The best hard rock album of the decade -- includes classic "Cult of Personality" along with infectious shoulda-been-a-single "I Want to Know."
8. "Synchronicity" -- The Police
More great songs that were also big hits. Of course "Every Breath You Take" is the monster smash, but "King of Pain" is the one that really showcases Sting at the absolute top of his game.
9. "Appetite for Destruction" -- Guns 'N Roses
A somewhat uneven (and ocassionally overrated), but still extremely important album with some truly great tracks. "Sweet Child O' Mine" deserved all its success -- perhaps the best "metal" ballad ever.
10. "Like a Prayer" -- Madonna
Not an earth-shaking musical accomplishment like some of the albums on this list, but nonetheless, an almost irressistible collection of catchy pop songs, including the top-shelf title track (a #1 hit).

.
[Edited 7/30/07 3:41am]

Dancelot said:

That's the spirit! Now make fun of his COSBY SWEATER!!!

Anxiety said:

well, he/she as the obvious keeper of eternal musical truth and quality control, was snobby enough to rant on other peoples choices, so I'm sure he's able to swallow some of the same

Dancelot said:

i hear ya. i only wanted to harsh on you because you razzed pixies and sonic youth.

I can't do these list things anymore, but I'll gladly share somebody else's list.

Rolling Stone's list of the best albums of the 80s. I remember tearing into this list with my brother when it first came out.

1. London Calling - The Clash
2. Purple Rain - Prince & The Revolution
3. The Joshua Tree - U2
4. Remain In Light - Talking Heads
5. Graceland - Paul Simon
6. Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
7. Thriller - Michael Jackson
8. Murmur - REM / (Circus Animals - Cold Chisel)
9. Shoot Out The Lights - Richard And Linda Thompson /(Diesel And Dust - Midnight Oil)
10. Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
11. Get Happy - Elvis Costello & The Attractions
12. It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us - Public Enemy / (Kick - INXS)
13. Diesel And Dust - Midnight Oil / (Human Frailty - Hunters & Collectors)
14. So - Peter Gabriel
15. Let It Be - The Replacements / (True Colours - Split Enz)
16. 1999 - Prince / (Post - Paul Kelly)
17. Synchronicity - The Police
18. Dirty Mind - Prince
19. New York - Lou Reed
20. Pretenders - Pretenders
21. Rain Dogs - Tom Waits
22. The Smiths - The Smiths / (Crowded House - Crowded House)
23. Red - Black Uhuru / (The Smiths - The Smiths)
24. Los Angeles - X / (16 Lovers Lane - The Go-Betweens)
25. Tunnel Of Love - Bruce Springsteen
26. Back In Black - AC/DC
27. Appetite For Destruction - Guns 'N' Roses
28. Control - Janet Jackson
29. Double Fantasy - John Lennon & Yoko Ono
30. How Will The Wolf Survive? - Los Lobos
31. Avalon - Roxy Music
32. Uh-Huh - John Cougar Mellencamp
33. Zen Arcade - Husker Du / (Prayers On Fire - The Birthday Party)
34. Tattoo You - The Rolling Stones
35. Kill Em All - Metallica
36. Rapture - Anita Baker / (Eliminator - ZZ Top)
37. Midnight Love - Marvin Gaye
38. Imperial Bedroom - Elvis Costello & The Attractions / (Lovetown - Stephen Cummings)
39. Eliminator - ZZ Top / (Rapture - Anita Baker)
40. War - U2
41. Document - REM
42. Strong Persuader - The Robert Cray Band
43. Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen
44. Oh Mercy - Bob Dylan
45. Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth
46. Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (Third Solo Album - 1980)
47. Private Dancer - Tina Turner
48. Skylarking - XTC / (Quasimodo's Dream - The Reels)
49. Crazy Rhythms - The Feelies / (Cats And Dogs - Mental As Anything)
50. Madonna - Madonna
51. Run DMC - Run DMC
52. Making Movies - Dire Straights
53. Bring The Family - John Hiatt / (Born Sandy Devotional - The Triffids)
54. Speaking In Tongues - Talking Heads
55. Centrefield - John Fogerty
56. Closer - Joy Division
57. Empty Glass - Pete Townsend / (The Swing - INXS)
58. The Indestructible Beat Of Soweto - Various Artists
59. Computer Games - George Clinton / (Brave - Kate Ceberano)
60. The Blue Mask - Lou Reed
61. Doc At The Radar Station - Captain Beefheart
62. Pyromania - Def Leppard / (Time And Tide - Split Enz)
63. Entertainment - Gang Of Four
64. Vivid - Living Colour / (The Pleasure Of Your Company... - Models)
65. In My Tribe - 10,000 Maniacs / (East - Cold Chisel)
66. Fiyo On The Bayou - The Neville Brothers
67. Trouble In Paradise - Randy Newman / (Primitive Man - Icehouse)
68. The Specials - The Specials / (Gossip - Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls)
69. Radio - LL Cool J
70. Travelling Wilburys Vol. 1 - Travelling Wilburys
71. Crowded House - Crowded House / (10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 - Midnight Oil)
72. Marshall Crenshaw - Marshall Crenshaw / (The Blurred Crusade - The Church)
73. Building The Perfect Beast - Don Henley
74. Sign O' The Times - Prince
75. She's So Unusual - Cyndi Lauper
76. Second Edition - Public Image Ltd
77. Robbie Robertson - Robbie Robertson
78. Dare - The Human League
79. Guitar Town - Steve Earle / (Tender Prey - Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds)
80. Suzanne Vega - Suzanne Vega
81. 1984 - Van Halen / (East Side Story - UK Squeeze)
82. East Side Story - UK Squeeze / (1984 - Van Halen)
83. Let's Dance - David Bowie
84. Faith - George Michael
85. Freedom - Neil Young
86. The River - Bruce Springsteen
87. Steel Wheels - The Rolling Stones
88. Lives In The Balance - Jackson Browne
89. Who's Zooming Who - Aretha Franklin
90. ... Nothing Like The Sun - Sting
91. Lyle Lovett - Lyle Lovett / (Stoneage Romeos - Hoodoo Gurus)
92. Full Moon Fever - Tom Petty
93. The Night I Feel In Love - Luther Vandross / (For The Working Class Man - Jimmy Barnes)
94. Power, Corruption & Lies - New Order
95. Scarecreow - John Cougar Mellencamp
96. Colour By Numbers - Culture Club
97. The Mona Lisa's Sister - Graham Parker / (loveBUZZ - The Humingbirds)
98. Labour Of Love - UB40
99. What's Up, Dog? - Was (Not Was) / (Max Q)
100. Sun City - Artists United Against Apartheid

RipHer2Shreds said:

They think Madonna's Madonna is better than Sign O' The Times???

Dancelot said:

I imagine they haven't either.

The Pixies - Doolittle
Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel of Love; Nebraska; Born in the U.S.A.
Social Distortion - Social Distortion
The Clash - London Calling (although released in the UK in '79)
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
Paul Simon - Graceland
The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me
Prince - Sign 'O' the Times; Purple Rain
Bob Dylan - Infidels; Oh Mercy
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Lou Reed - New York
Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen
The Style Council - Our Favourite Shop
Madonna - Madonna
Joan Jett - Bad Reputation
Pretenders - Pretenders
Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights
Don Henley - The End of the Innocence
Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
Marshall Crenshaw - Marshall Crenshaw
Steve Earle - Exit 0
Lyle Lovett - Lyle Lovett & His Large Band
John Mellencamp - The Lonesome Jubilee

Anxiety said:

alright damn it here's my list! you guys are gonna love this!

Rainy Davis - Sweetheart
Klymaxx - Meeting in the ladies room
Prince - Controversy
Rockwell - Somebody's watching me
Guns n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Grandmaster Flash & the furious five - The message
Shalamar - Hearbreak
Apollonia 6
Madame X - Just that type of girl
Al B. Sure - Night & Day
Alisha
Madonna - Fisrt album
Tom Tom Club
Grace Jones - Nightclubbing
Stevie Nicks - Belladonna

Here's my first pass:

10. Prince - Purple Rain (1984)
9. Split Enz - True Colours (1980)
8. Gap Band - Gap Band IV (1980)
7. Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July (1980)
6. Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)
5. Prince - Sign 'O' the Times (1987)
4. Prince - Lovesexy (1988)
3. Guy - Guy (1988)
2. Crowded House - Crowded House (1986)
1. Crowded House - Temple of Low Men (1988)

Honorable Mention: Duran Duran - Rio, Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair, Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814, George Michael - Faith

Here are my 100 favourite '80s albums. Instead of ranking them by preference, in keeping with the nature of this thread and with a bit of inspiration from Sextonseven, I've tried to rate them by level of musical snobbiness (if that's an actual word...probably not).

1 ) opal - Happy Nightmare Baby
2 ) The Beatnigs - the beatnigs
3 ) Spacemen 3 - Playing with fire
4 ) Rain Parade - Emergency Third Rail Power Trip
5 ) alan vega - alan vega
6 ) robert wyatt - old rottenhat
7 ) barbara manning - lately I keep scissors
8 ) The Fall - grotesque
9 ) flipper - generic flipper
10 ) dream syndicate - days of wine and roses
11 ) spacemen 3 - sound of confusion
12 ) peter case - peter case
13 ) The Mekons - Rock N' Roll
14 ) the fall - room to live
15 ) brian eno - ambient on land
16 ) Cabaret Voltaire - the crackdown
17 ) the fall - This Nation’s Saving Grace
18 ) The Feelies - the good earth
19 ) mekons - fear and whiskey
20 ) Go-Betweens - 16 Lovers Lane
21 ) the fall - the wild and frightening world of…
22 ) the triffids - born sandy devotional
23 ) colin newman - a-z
24 ) Cabaret Voltaire - 2X45
25 ) the fall - a part of america there-in
26 ) big black - songs about fucking
27 ) the fall - hex enduction hour
28 ) Blue Nile - A Walk Across the Rooftops
29 ) The Feelies - only life
30 ) The Fall - Perverted by Language
31 ) The Teardrop Explodes - Kilimanjaro
32 ) blasters - american music
33 ) Spacemen 3 - the perfect prescription
34 ) Galaxy 500 - This is our Music
35 ) the bats - daddy's highway
36 ) mekons - honky tonkin'
37 ) Colourbox - Colourbox
38 ) Cabaret Voltaire - red mecca
39 ) kraftwerk - computer world
40 ) The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms
41 ) negativland - helter stupid
42 ) king crimson - discipline
43 ) the saints - all saints day
44 ) yes - drama
45 ) Tom Verlaine - flashlight
46 ) Woodentops - giant
47 ) Blue Nile - hats
48 ) that petrol emotion - babble
49 ) Aztec Camera - high lands, hard rain
50 ) the fall - slates
51 ) pete shelley - homosapien
52 ) george jones - I am what I am
53 ) Elvis Costello - imperial bedroom
54 ) Rodney Crowell - keys to the highway
55 ) Killing Joke - killing joke
56 ) go-betweens - Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express
57 ) marshall crenshaw - marshall crenshaw
58 ) Hugo Largo - mettle
59 ) Eno/Byrne - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
60 ) Lou Reed - new sensations
61 ) The dBs - repercussions
62 ) lucinda williams - lucinda williams
63 ) Dexy's Midnight Runners - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
64 ) roseanne cash - seven year ache
65 ) Sonic Youth - sister
66 ) XTC - skylarking
67 ) Prince - sott
68 ) The dBs - stands for decibels
69 ) Go-Betweens - tallulah
70 ) donald fagen - the nightfly
71 ) Fun Boy Three - Waiting
72 ) Killing Joke - what's this for
73 ) x - wild gift
74 ) big country - the crossing
75 ) Rodney Crowell - diamonds and dirt
76 ) yes - 90125
77 ) bob dylan - indfidels
78 ) los lobos - how will the wolf survive
79 ) go-betweens - spring hill fair
80 ) richard and linda thompson - shoot out the lights
81 ) prefab sprout - two wheels good
82 ) colourfield - virgins and philistines
83 ) china crisis - flaunt the imperfection
84 ) green on red - gas food lodging
85 ) lone justice - lone justice
86 ) the lucy show - undone
87 ) megadeth - peace sells…but who's buying
88 ) stan ridgway - the big heat
89 ) coil - horse rotorvator
90 ) lyle lovett - pontiac
91 ) squeeze - east side story
92 ) julian cope - saint julian
93 ) roseanne cash - king's record shop
94 ) New Order - Power, Corruption and Lies
95 ) pet shop boys - introspective
96 ) ABC - Lexicon of Love
97 ) randy newman - land of dreams
98 ) was (not was) - born to laugh at tornados
99 ) the lilac time - paradise circus
100 ) chris rea - the road to hell

TheKnowledge said:

The first list because its more to my taste, but i would put in Control.

TheKnowledge said:

Although I strongly disagree with this guy, The Smiths does deserve acknowledgement.

Otherwise, great list, Romeo!

Also, you can throw in the Specials first 2 albums.

dig

Anxiety said:

Gawd, The Smiths, I'd rather my teeth were drilled with roadworks in the distance.....

Dancelot said:

exactly what i was thinking

lighten up, "TheKnowledge"

Here's my list, it's limiting because I've only had so much '80s albums to choose from:

1.) 1999 - Prince
2.) Thriller - MJ
3.) Faith - George Michael
4.) Control - Janet
5.) Street Songs - Rick James
6.) Don't Be Cruel - Bobby Brown
7.) Guy - Guy
8.) Sign O' The Times - Prince
9.) Heartbreak - New Edition
10.) Rhythm Nation 1814 - Janet
11.) Midnight Love - Marvin Gaye
12.) It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Down - Public Enemy
13.) Back in Black - AC/DC
14.) Appetite for Destruction - Guns 'N' Roses
15.) Legend - Bob Marley (though it's a greatest-hits set )
16.) Triumph - The Jacksons

damosuzuki said:

Congratulations, I only have one album on your entire list. (I had terribly commercial tastes in the 80s. )

I do want to get that first Killing Joke record though. There are lots of good songs on that one.

Prince - 1999
Rick James - Throwin' Down
The Barkays - Nightcruising
Midnight Star - No Parking On The Dance Floor
The Gap Band - IV
Slave - Stone Jam
The Jacksons - Triumph
Shalamar - Three For Love
Lakeside - Your Wish Is My Command