[unoriginal lists] Pitchfork Media's top 100 albums of the 80s
Submitted by Nick Vane on Sun, 11/24/2002 - 04:47
Tags:
- 100: Minor Threat - Out of Step [Dischord; 1984]
- 099: Gang of Four - Songs of the Free [Warner Bros; 1982]
- 098: Cocteau Twins - Treasure [4AD; 1984]
- 097: Mekons The Mekons - Rock 'N' Roll [A&M; 1989]
- 096: Rites of Spring - Rites of Spring [Dischord; 1985]
- 095: Duran Duran - Rio [Capitol; 1982]
- 094: Meat Puppets - II SST; 1983]
- 093: David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) [RCA; 1980]
- 092: Kate Bush - Hounds of Love [EMI; 1985]
- 091: X - Los Angeles [Slash; 1980]
- 090: Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking [Warner Bros; 1988]
- 089: Boredoms - Soul Discharge [Shimmy-Disc; 1989]
- 088: Spacemen 3 - Playing with Fire [Fire; 1989]
- 087: Prince - Dirty Mind [Warner Bros; 1980]
- 086: The Police - Ghost in the Machine [A&M; 1981]
- 085: Paul Simon - Graceland [Warner Bros; 1986]
- 084: ESG - Come Away with ESG [99; 1983]
- 083: Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring [EMI; 1986]
- 082: The Fall - Perverted by Language [Rough Trade; 1983]
- 081: Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll [4AD; 1988]
- 080: Hüsker Dü - New Day Rising [SST; 1985]
- 079: Manuel Göttsching - E2-E4 [Spalax; 1981]
- 078: They Might Be Giants - Lincoln [Fire; 1989]
- 077: The Smiths - Strangeways, Here We Come [Sire; 1987]
- 076: The dB's - Stands for Decibels [IRS; 1981]
- 075: Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded [Sugar Hill; 1987]
- 074: Mekons - Fear & Whiskey [Sin; 1985]
- 073: Coil Horse - Rotorvator [Relativity; 1987]
- 072: Meat Puppets - Up on the Sun [SST; 1985]
- 071: Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me [Sire; 1987]
- 070: Elvis Costello - Trust [Columbia; 1981]
- 069: The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms [A&M; 1980]
- 068: Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense [Sire; 1984]
- 067: The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy & The Lash [MCA; 1985]
- 066: The Dukes of Stratosphear - Psonic Psunspot [Virgin; 1987]
- 065: The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight [Armageddon; 1980]
- 064: Television Personalities - ... And Don't the Kids Just Love It [Rough Trade; 1981]
- 063: Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth [Rough Trade; 1980]
- 062: R.E.M. - Reckoning [IRS; 1984]
- 061: Nurse with Wound - Homotopy to Marie [United Dairies; 1982]
- 060: Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska [Columbia; 1982]
- 059: Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction [Geffen; 1987]
- 058: Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom [Columbia; 1982]
- 057: Pixies - Come On Pilgrim [4AD; 1987]
- 056: King Crimson - Discipline [Warner Bros; 1981]
- 055: The Police - Synchronicity [A&M; 1983]
- 054: Big Black - Songs about F---ing [Touch & Go; 1987]
- 053: Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls & Marches [Ace of Hearts; 1981]
- 052: Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full [4th & Broadway; 1987]
- 051: Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man [Columbia; 1988]
- 050: Spacemen 3 - The Perfect Prescription [Fire; 1987]
- 049: Mission of Burma - Vs. [Ace of Hearts; 1982]
- 048: R.E.M. - Document [IRS; 1987]
- 047: John Zorn - Naked City [Tzadik; 1989]
- 046: XTC - English Settlement [Virgin; 1982]
- 045: Prince - Sign 'O' The Times [Paisley Park/Warner Bros; 1987]
- 044: Kraftwerk - Computer World [Warner Bros; 1981]
- 043: Run-DMC - Raising Hell [Profile; 1986]
- 042: Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Session [RCA; 1988]
- 041: Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill [Def Jam; 1986]
- 040: Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me [SST; 1987]
- 039: The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses [Silvertone; 1989]
- 038: The Cure - Disintegration [Fiction/Elektra; 1989]
- 037: The Replacements - Tim [Sire; 1985]
- 036: Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes [Rough Trade; 1983]
- 035: N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton [Ruthless/Priority; 1988]
- 034: Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden [EMI; 1988]
- 033: The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour [Kamera; 1982]
- 032: Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade [SST; 1984]
- 031: Sonic Youth - EVOL [SST; 1986]
- 030: U2 - The Joshua Tree [Island; 1987]
- 029: The Replacements - Let It Be [Twin/Tone; 1984]
- 028: New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies [Factory; 1983]
- 027: Michael Jackson - Thriller [Epic; 1982]
- 026: Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Get Happy [Columbia; 1980]
- 025: Black Flag - Damaged [SST; 1981]
- 024: Gang of Four - Solid Gold [Warner Bros; 1981]
- 024: Jesus & Mary Chain - Psychocandy [Blanco y Negro/Warner Bros; 1985]
- 022: My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything [Creation/Sire; 1988]
- 021: Brian Eno & David Byrne - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts [Sire; 1981]
- 020: This Heat - Deceit [Rough Trade; 1981]
- 019: Public Image, Ltd. - Second Edition [Virgin; 1980]
- 018: De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising [Tommy Boy; 1989]
- 017: Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime [SST; 1984]
- 016: Galaxie 500 - On Fire [Rough Trade; 1989]
- 015: XTC - Skylarking [Virgin; 1986]
- 014: Sonic Youth - Sister [SST; 1987]
- 013: The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace [Beggars Banquet; 1985]
- 012: Prince & The Revolution - Purple Rain [Warner Bros; 1984]
- 011: Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones [Island; 1983]
- 010: Joy Division - Closer [Factory; 1980]
- 009: Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back [Def Jam; 1988]
- 008: Tom Waits - Rain Dogs [Island; 1985]
- 007: Pixies - Surfer Rosa [4AD; 1988]
- 006: The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead [Sire; 1986]
- 005: R.E.M. - Murmur [IRS; 1983]
- 004: Pixies - Doolittle [4AD; 1989]
- 003: Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique [Capitol; 1989]
- 002: Talking Heads - Remain in Light [Sire; 1980]
- 001: Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation [Blast First/Enigma; 1988]
Author Comments:
well?
Not too shabby a list. It is the first one I've ever seen that agrees with me about Daydream Nation being the best album of the 80s, so I can't complain too much. I understand that Bruce Cockburn's Humans was probably a bit too obscure for the list, but The Pretenders' debut didn't make the cut?
I'm just going to assume they count London Calling as 79, its English debut date...
Honestly, though, this list is much, much better than most.
Thanks for posting this!
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Although, to be honest, I'm starting to question Daydream Nation's Best Of The 80s status. At least one album I've been grooving to as of late might be a bit better - Elvis Costello and the Attractions' Trust. It is tricky, in that it definitely gets loads better with each listen.
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
It could be that to Pitchfork's all-American writers, "Nation" resonated more deeply than did Elvis and his bunch from across the Atlantic. Possible.
Certainly could be, and even including English critics, I may well be alone in ranking Trust that highly, but given a possible American bias, then a double shame for dropping the Pretenders. Surely bed without dinner, at least. :)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Sonic Youth is kind of boring. My highly flawed top ten:
1.) This Heat, Deceit
2.) Talking Heads, Remain In Light
3.) Joy Division, Closer
4.) Pixies, Doolittle
5.) Soft Boys, Underwater Moonlight
6.) Mission of Burma, Vs.
7.) The Fall, This Nation's Saving Grace
8.) Chameleons, Strange Times
9.) The Sound, From The Lions Mouth
10.) Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions...
where are dire straits?