I can tell you that ranking these was very difficult as there were a lot of amazing albums released that year. This was a big defining period for the music I listened to for the rest of that decade and still today.
If you click on the name of the album titles, you can link to my blog post for that album (all of these were reviewed by me for their 30th anniversary celebrations).
First, the honorable mentions...
104 Stevie Wonder - Original Musiquarium (out because it was a greatest compilation, mostly of 70's songs)
103 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Long After Dark
102 Paul Carrack - Suburban Voodoo
101 Melissa Manchester - Hey Ricky
Now, the top one hundred, in countdown order...
100 Thompons Twins - In the Name of Love
099 Chris de Burgh - the Getaway
098 Neil Diamond - Heartlight
097 Jefferson Starship - Winds of Change
096 André Cymone - Livin’ In the New Wave
095 Air Supply - Now and Forever
094 Fun Boy Three - Fun Boy Three
093 Billy Squier - Emotions in Motion
092 Sparks - Angst In My Pants
091 Rush - Signals
090 Michael Stanley Band - MSB
089 Spandau Ballet - Diamond
088 Rachel Sweet - Blame It On Love
087 Ashford & Simpson - Street Opera
086 Toni Basil - Word of Mouth
085 Laurie Anderson - Big Science
084 Rick James - Throwin' Down
083 Elton John - Jump Up!
082 Dionne Warwick - Heartbreaker
081 Kool and the Gang - As One
080 The Gap Band - The Gap Band IV
079 Ray Parker Jr. - The Other Woman
078 the Kids From Fame - Songs
077 Bow Wow Wow - The Last of the Mohicans
076 Kenny Loggins - High Adventure
075 the Waitresses - Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?
074 Kid Creole & the Coconuts - Tropical Gangsters
073 Dexys Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Ay
072 the Members - Uprhythm, Downbeat
071 Queen - Hot Space
070 Sheena Easton - Madness, Money & Music
069 INXS - Shabooh Shoobah
068 George Thorogood - Bad to the Bone
067 Romeo Void - Never Say Never EP
066 Fleetwood Mac - Mirage
065 Van Halen - Diver Down
064 the Who - It's Hard
063 the Motels - All Four One
062 The Sugarhill Gang - 8th Wonder
061 Sister Sledge - the Sisters
060 Men Without Hats - Rhythm of Youth
059 Josie Cotton - Convertible Music
058 Grace Jones - Living My Life
057 Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
056 Steel Breeze - Steel Breeze
055 Warren Zevon - the Envoy
054 Aretha Franklin - Jump to It
053 Vanity 6 - Vanity 6
052 Pat Benatar - Get Nervous
051 Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five – the Message
050 Squeeze - Sweets from a Stranger
049 Translator - Heartbeats and Triggers
048 Fashion - Fabrique
047 Lionel Richie - Lionel Richie
046 Phil Collins - Hello, I Must Be Going!
045 Richard and Linda Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights
044 the Beat/English Beat - Special Beat Service
043 Robert Hazard - Robert Hazard EP
042 Marshall Crenshaw - Marshall Crenshaw
041 Joe Jackson - Night and Day
040 Haircut One Hundred - Pelican West
039 Missing Persons - Spring Session M
038 The Time - What Time Is It?
037 Rick Springfield - Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet
036 Billy Joel - The Nylon Curtain
035 Thomas Dolby - the Golden Age of Wireless
034 Laura Branigan - Branigan
033 Asia - Asia
032 Go-Go's - Vacation
031 John Cougar - American Fool
030 Donna Summer - Donna Summer
029 Fast Times at Ridgemont High (soundtrack)
028 Don Henley - I Can't Stand Still
027 Soft Cell - Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing
026 Linda Ronstadt - Get Closer
025 Bertie Higgins - Just Another Day in Paradise
024 Stray Cats - Built For Speed
023 Adam Ant - Friend or Foe
022 The Flirts - 10¢ a Dance
021 Grease 2 (soundtrack)
020 Buckner & Garcia - Pac-Man Fever
019 the Waitresses - I Could Rule the World If I Could Only Get the Parts
018 the Kids From Fame - the Kids From Fame
017 Oingo Boingo - Nothing to Fear
016 Berlin - Pleasure Victim
015 A Flock of Seagulls - A Flock of Seagulls
014 Toto - Toto IV
013 Hall & Oates - H2O
012 Billy Idol - Billy Idol
011 Huey Lewis and the News - Picture This
010 Duran Duran – Rio
009 The Clash - Combat Rock
008 Culture Club - Kissing to Be Clever
007 Men at Work - Business as Usual
006 the Pointer Sisters - So Excited!
005 Yaz - Upstairs at Eric's
004 ABC - The Lexicon of Love
003 Heaven 17 – Heaven 17
002 Michael Jackson – Thriller
001 Prince - 1999
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Feel free to give me your top 10 albums from that year too.
4 comments:
Very impressive piece of work, ranking 104 albums from 31 years ago. I ranked top 26 and gave up on ranking the rest.
There are a few albums on your list I have been looking for - do you have all the albums listed, either on CD or vinyl? Did not include them on my list as I no longer seem to have them.
Knowing what a monumental undertaking the list was, I salute you. Comparing our lists along with Mark's (I've seen his initial work on it) is going to be fun. I'm calling dibs on first posted comparison.
Interesting choices my friend, you know mine would have been different. lol
Herc, I look forward to that discussion. As for having all of those on the list (on vinyl in the past or CD now), no not really. I have most in my library digitally but no where near all.
Madge, I would love to hear your top 10.
Love it. Thanks for putting in the effort. It's a time consuming but thoroughly enjoyable task, to be sure. I'm still working on my list of 82 and it is proving to be a more involved process than I had anticipated. Still, I should start rolling it out in about a month.
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