The Great Blitz Album Survey…Favourite Albums Across The Years…The 80s

General Gibberish Forums The Pool Room
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If there is one thing that Blitz never has enough of, it’s music threads…so here’s another one.

Over the coming weeks I am looking to develop a comprehensive list of Blitzer’s favourite albums for each year from 1960 through to 2024.

I’ll break it down into threads by decades so you don’t have to spend ages on putting your favourites together.

This third thread is for the 1980s.

I’m asking that you name your top three albums for each year…in order as your top album will get three votes, 2nd favourite will get 2 votes and 3rd favourite will get one.

Eg

3 - Fave Album (3 votes)
2 - 2nd fave (2 votes)
3 - 3rd fave 1 (1 vote)

Extra Info: Live albums are ok but greatest hits/compilations are not

I’ll keep a tally and present the details later.

I’m aiming to keep voting open for a week so get into it and have your say.

Format is simple:

Copy and paste the following data into your post…and then add the details

Band Name - Album

1980

3 -
2 -
1 -

1981

3 -
2 -
1 -

1982

3 -
2 -
1 -

1983

3 -
2 -
1 -

1984

3 -
2 -
1 -

1985

3 -
2 -
1 -

1986

3 -
2 -
1 -

1987

3 -
2 -
1 -

1988

3 -
2 -
1 -

1989

3 -
2-
1 -

If you missed the first thread (the 90s), here is the link for it:

If you missed the second thread (the 70s), here is the link for it:

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Oh my… 1980 to 1982 are just impossible…

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Ask @Paul_Peos for help…after all, he’s our resident 80s expert.

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17374115112143421265939141456646

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Dear god…or Allah…or Huey…or Mother Nature… whomever be your deity…

The decade that was dipped in synth, fake drums and early digital reverb. Where music went to die. Where Pop was king. A godawful horror show. I hate you. You sicken me…

ezgif-1-ff352d6e57

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Okay, this is my time to shine.
I may participate in this thread.

There’s no shortage of 80’s cringe amongst my CD collection.

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Toughen up princess :joy:

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1980’s

1980

3 Dire Straits - Making Movies
2 Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz
1 Flowers - Icehouse

1981

3 Van Halen - Fair Warning
2 Rush - Moving Pictures
1 Midnight Oil - Place Without A Postcard

1982

3 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 - Midnight Oil
2 Roxy Music - Avalon
1 Cold Chisel - Circus Animals

1983

3 Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood
2 R.E.M. - Murmur
1 The Police - Synchronicity

1984

3 Stevie Ray Vaughan - Couldn’t Stand the Weather
2 Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
1 Hoodoo Gurus - Stoneage Romeos

1985

3 Stevie Ray Vaughan - Soul to Soul
2 The Cult - Love
1 Sade – Promise

1986

3 Stevie Ray Vaughan - Live Alive
2 R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant
3 Vince Jones – Tell Me A Secret

1987

3 The Cult - Electric
2 Guns N’ Roses - Appetite For Destruction
1 R.E.M. - Document

1988

3 Living Colour - Vivid
2 Soundgarden - Ultramega OK
1 Steve Earle - Copperhead Road

1989

3 Stevie Ray Vaughan - In Step
2 Nirvana – Bleach
1 The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses

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89 is a pretty strong year.

81 is horrible.

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1980

3 – Cold Chisel - East
2 – AC/DC – Back In Black
1 – Ultravox - Vienna

1981

3 – The Church – Of Skins And Heart
2 – Spandau Ballet – Journeys To Glory
1 – Ultravox – Rage In Eden

1982

3 – ABC – The Lexicon Of Love
2 – Split Enz – Time And Tide
1 – The Church – The Blurred Crusade

1983

3 – The Police - Synchronicity
2 – Tears For Fears – The Hurting
1 – Marillion -Script For A Jester’s Tears

1984

3 – U2 – The Unforgettable Fire
2 - Lloyd Cole And The Commotions - Rattlesnakes
1 - Prince and The Revolution – Purple Rain

1985

3 – The Church - Heyday
2 – The Cure – The Head On The Door
1 – Dire Straits – Brothers In Arms

1986

3 – Peter Gabriel – So
2 – Stan Ridgway – The Big Heat
1 – Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls - Gossip

1987

3 – U2 -The Joshua Tree
2 – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust
1 – Chris Rea – Dancing With Strangers

1988

3 – U2 – Rattle and Hum
2 – Morrissey -Viva Hate
1 – Steve Earle – Copperhead Road

1989

3 – The Cure - Disintegration
2 - Weddings, Parties, Anything – The Big Don’t Argue
1 – Public Image Ltd – 9

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Hoo boy… some beauties have missed votes here…

1980

3 XTC - Black Sea
2 David Bowie - Scary Monsters
1 Peter Gabriel - Self-titled 3 (aka Melt)
HM: Pretenders - Self-titled, Ultravox - Vienna, Devo - Freedom Of Choice, Angels - Dark Room, Split Enz - True Colours, Wild Planet - B52’s, Icehouse - Flowers

1981

3 Oils - Place Without A Postcard
2 Human League - Dare
1 Matt Finish - Short Note
HM: The Sunnyboys - Self-titled, Ultravox - Rage In Eden, Adam & The Ants - Kings Of The Wild Frontier, Simple Minds - Sons And Fascination, Squeeze - East Side Story

1982

3 Oils - 10…1
2 XTC - English Settlement
1 Simple Minds - New Gold Dream 81-84
HM: Split Enz - Time & Tide, The Church - The Blurred Crusade, The Jam - The Gift, Peter Gabriel - Self-titled 4, Shabooh Shoobah - INXS, Yazoo - Upstairs At Eric’s

1983

3 Models - The Pleasure Of Your Company
2 The Police - Synchronicity
1 The The - Soul Mining
HM: Violent Femmes - Self-titled, Tears For Fears - The Hurting

1984

3 Oils - Red Sails In The Sunset
2 Hoodoo Gurus - Stoneage Romeos
1 INXS - The Swing
HM: Talk Talk - It’s My Life, REM - Reckoning, U2 - Unforgettable Fire, Echo & The Bunnymen - Ocean Rain

1985

3 The Church - Heyday
2 What A Life - Divinyls
1 The Cure - Head On The Door
HM: REM - Fables Of The Reconstruction, Hoodoo Gurus - Mars Needs Guitars, Smiths - Meat Is Murder, Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love, New Order - Low Life

1986

3 XTC - Skylarking
2 Talk Talk - The Colour Of Spring
1 Ups & Downs - Sleepless EP
HM: So - Peter Gabriel, Depeche Mode - Black Celebration, Do-Re-Mi - Domestic Harmony, The The - Infected, REM - Life’s Rich Paegent, Hüsker Dü - Candy Apple Grey, Billy Bragg - Talking To The Taxman About Poetry

1987

3 Weddings Parties Anything - Scorn Of The Women
2 Dukes Of Stratosphear - Psonic Psunspot
1 REM - Document
HM: The Cult - Electric, Smiths - Strangeways Here We Come, Depeche Mode - Music For The Masses

1988

3 Pixies - Surfer Rosa
2 Talk Talk - Spirit Of Eden
1 Billy Bragg - Worker’s Playtime
HM: Crowded House - Temple Of Low Men, The Pursuit Of Happiness - Love Junk, Ups & Downs - Underneath The Watchful Eye

1989

3 Tears For Fears - The Seeds Of Love
2 Pixies - Doolittle
1 The Cure - Disintegration
HM: XTC - Oranges & Lemons, The The - Mind Bomb, They Might Be Giants - Lincoln, Bob Mould - Workbook, Boom Crash Opera - These Here Are Crazy Times, Concrete Blonde - Free, Hoodoo Gurus - Magnum C um Louder

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Released 1983…I should kn ow as I bought the album in a record store in Notting Hill the day before I flew home

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Grrr… edited… The Police miss votes… it ain’t knocking any of the 1983 albums out…

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I wasn’t actually listening to many of these albums at the time. (I was only 9 when this decade ended). Most of them I went back to at various stages of my music listening journey, hence the weird genre mix from some years.

1980
3 - dead Kennedy’s - fresh fruit for rotting vegetables
2 - Talking heads - remain in light
1- David Bowie - Scary Monsters

1981
3 - ## nothing deserves a 3 this year from me
2 - Midnight Oil - Place Without A Postcard
1- Billy idol - Billy Idol

1982
3 - Midnight Oil - 10-1
2 - Cold Chisel - Circus animals
1- MDC - Millions of dead cops

1983
3 - Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
2 - Talking heads - Speaking in tongues
1- Metallica - Kill ‘em all

1984
3 - Echo & the Bunnymen - Ocean rain
2 - Metallica - Ride the lightning
1 - Queen - The works

1985
3 - INXS - Listen like thieves
2 - Talking heads - Little creatures
1- Minor threat - Salad days

1986
3 - Metallica - Master of puppets
2 - Crowded House - Crowded house
1- Megadeth - Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?

1987
3 - Dead Kennedy’s - Give me convenience or give me death
2 - INXS - Kick
1- Midnight Oil - Diesel and dust

1988
3 - Metallica - … and justice for all
2 - Pixies - Surfer Rosa
1- Big bad noise - The choirboys

1989
3 - Beastie Boys - Paul’s boutique
2 - Underworld - Underneath the radar
1- The Cure - Disintegration

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I was going to compliment you on some very good selections…but after that outrageous statement, you’re dead to me!

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It’s still a fine, fine album (other than the abortion that is Mother…)

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1980

3 - REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity
2 - Pretenders - Pretenders
1 - Split Enz - True Colours

I’ve tried to be disciplined and avoid ties or honourable mentions. But just look at the other releases in 1980 that moulded my taste in music for years to come:

Bob Seger - Against the Wind
Billy Joel - Glass Houses
Genesis- Duke
Sky - Sky 2
Aussie Crawl - The Boys Light Up
Devo - Freedom of Choice
Roxy Music - Flesh and Blood
Peter Gabriel Self Titled
Queen - The Game
The Angels - Dark Room
Ultravox - Vienna
AC/DC - Back in Black
Mentals - Espresso Bongo
Kate Bush - Never For Ever
David Bowie - Scary Monsters
Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July
The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
Debut albums from INXS and Icehouse/Flowers
Dire Straits - Making Movies
Bruce Springsteen - The River
John Lennon - Double Fantasy
Blondie - Autoamerican
Fleetwood Mac - Live

Wow. What a year.

1981

3 - Human League - Dare
2 - Toto - Turn Back
1 - Foreigner - 4

1982

3 - Icehouse - Primitive Man
2 - Dire Straits - Love Over Gold
1 - Tom Petty - Long After Dark

1983

3 - Cyndi Lauper- She’s So Unusual
2 - Eurythmics - Touch
1 - David Bowie - Let’s Dance

1984

3 - The Cars - Heartbeat City
2 - Prince - Purple Rain
1 - Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense

1985

3 - Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
2 - Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
1 - Sting - Dream of the Blue Turtles

1986

3 - Peter Gabriel - So
2 - Paul Simon - Graceland
1 - Pet Shop Boys - Please

1987

3 - Pet Shop Boys - Actually
2 - Midnight Oil - Diesel and Dust
1 - BoDeans - Outside Looking In

1988

3 - Tracey Chapman - Tracey Chapman
2 - Talking Heads - Naked
1 - Travelling Wilburys - Vol 1

1989

3 - Bee Gees - One
2 - Roy Orbison - Mystery Girl
1 - Del Amitri - Waking Hours

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Some nice choices, Swoods. Stan Ridgway!

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I’ve got Stoneage Romeos as 1984 if that helps. And Billy Bragg is 1986

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1980
3 - The Jam - Sound Affects
2 - Devo - Freedom Of Choice
1 - XTC - Black Sea

1981
3 - This Heat - Deceit
2 - Siouxsie And The Banshees - Juju
1 - Kraftwerk - Computer World

1982
3 - Midnight Oil - 10…1
2 - Bad Brains - Bad Brains
1 - Hunters & Collectors - Hunters & Collectors

1983
3 - Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
2 - The Chameleons - Script Of The Bridge
1 - R.E.M. - Murmur

1984
3 - Hoodoo Gurus - Stoneage Romeos
2 - Midnight Oil - Red Sails In The Sunset
1 - Husker Du - Zen Arcade

1985
3 - Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
2 - The Cure - The Head On The Door
1 - The Pogues - Rum Sodomy & The Lash

1986
3 - The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
2 - Big Black - Atomizer
1 - Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry

1987
3 - R.E.M. - Document
2 - Descendents - All
1 - Pixies - Come On Pilgrim

1988
3 - Pixies - Surfer Rosa
2 - R.E.M. - Green
1 - Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

1989
3 - The Cure - Disintegration
2 - Pixies - Doolittle
1 - Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique

Apologies to a handful of Cure and REM albums, as well as Birthday Party/Bad Seeds stuff.

12 Likes