Rock and Reel

100 Favorite Albums of the 1980s: 60-41

Previous: 80-61

60. Bruce Springsteen- The River

Paste: #26 on adjusted list

Slant: excluded

59. Mission of Burma- Vs.

Slant: excluded

58. The Replacements- Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash

Slant: excluded

57. XTC- Skylarking

Paste: #30 on adjusted list

Slant: +11

56. Pretenders- Pretenders

Paste: #42 on adjusted list

Slant: +13

55. The Police- Synchronicity

Paste: +31

Slant: excluded

54. Bob Dylan- Oh Mercy

Paste and Slant: excluded

53. Paul Simon- Graceland

Paste: +43

Slant: +36

52. Elvis Costello- Blood & Chocolate

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by me

Slant: excluded

51. Beastie Boys- Licensed to Ill

Paste: +12

Slant: +41

50. Roxy Music- Avalon

Paste: excluded

Slant: +16

49. Michael Jackson- Thriller

Paste: +43

Slant: +48

48. Prince- Dirty Mind

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by me and Paste

Slant: +9

47. The Replacements- Pleased to Meet Me

Paste: #46 on adjusted list; two-album rule exclusion by me

Slant: excluded

46. The Smiths- Strangeways, Here We Come

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by Paste

Slant: -2

45. Brian Eno and David Byrne- My Life in the Bush of Ghosts

Paste: excluded

Slant: -10

44. Minutemen- Double Nickels on the Dime

Paste: +6

Slant: -7

43. X- Los Angeles

Paste: -9

Slant: -17

42. Dead Kennedys- Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

Paste and Slant: excluded

41. Talk Talk- Spirit of Eden

Paste: -1

Slant: +1

Next: 40-21

100 Favorite Albums of the 1980s: 100-81

About a month ago, Paste (which still exists online) posted its “80 Best Albums of the 1980s.” I enjoyed the list but forget about it soon thereafter.

This past week, Slant published its “Best Albums of the 1980s.” It was odd that these two sites both decided to do the same amusing but otherwise random list. Naturally, I played along and also ranked my top 100 albums of popular music’s most underrated decade.

I recently ranked my top 10 albums for each year from 1965 to 2007 (linked below). I have been updating these lists from time to time, so I used these as guidelines. This top 100 should be consistent with the top 10s lists from the 80s.

Also, I decided to quantify the differences between my list and those of the two online magazines. Being a compulsive geek, I controlled for albums I have not heard (and took into consideration Paste’s two-album limit). This resulted in 51 albums I had heard on Paste’s lists and 61 on Slant’s. A “+” indicates the album was higher on their list, and a “-“ indicates the album was higher on mine. I only used my top 51 and my top 61 to compare with the respective lists, but I posted all of my picks anyway.

And lastly, I did not consider the Clash’s London Calling, which landed on both of the other lists. It might be the greatest rock album ever made, but in my mind, it is a 1970s release because of its U.K. drop date.

100. The Smiths- The Smiths

Paste: #39 on adjusted list

Slant: #37 on adjusted list

99. U2- Unforgettable Fire

Paste: #34 on adjusted list

98. Elvis Costello- Spike

97. The Police- Zenyatta Mondatta

96. U2- Boy

95. The Replacements- Hootenanny

94. Metallica- Kill ‘em All

93. R.E.M.- Fables of the Reconstruction

92. Elvis Costello- Almost Blue

91. The Cure- Disintegration

Paste: #15 on adjusted list

Slant: #13 on adjusted list

90. Guns ‘N Roses- Appetite for Destruction

Paste: #21 on adjusted list

Slant: #30 on adjusted list

89. The Clash- Combat Rock

Slant: #52 on adjusted list

88. Prince- 1999

Slant: #7 on adjusted list

87. Elvis Costello- Imperial Bedroom

Slant: #42 on adjusted list

86. Iron Maiden- The Number of the Beast

85. Captain Beefheart- Doc at Radar Station

84. David Bowie- Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

Paste: #40 on adjusted list

Slant: #22 on adjusted list

83. Boogie Down Productions- Criminal Minded

82. Meat Puppets- Meat Puppets II

Slant: #57 on adjusted list

81. Motorhead- Ace of Spades

Next: 80-61

100 Favorite Songs: The Top 10

See 100-11

10. Public Enemy- Fight the Power

9. Depeche Mode- Enjoy the Silence

8. Rage Against the Machine- Killing in the Name

7. Neil Young- Cortez the Killer

6. Sonic Youth- Teen Age Riot

5. The Beatles- This Boy

4. The Replacements- Bastards of Young (Non-Album Live Version Below)

3. Pulp- Common People

2. Stevie Wonder- Love’s In Need of Love Today

1. Bruce Springsteen- Thunder Road (Live/1875-85 Version)

See Also: My 100 Favorite Songs of All Time (2 years ago), My 100 Favorite Songs of the Decade (2 years ago), Top 10 Songs Of Each Hall of Fame Inductee Class: 1986-Present (2 years ago)

Top 10 Albums of 1990

1. Pixies- Bossanova

Listen: “Velouria”

2. Depeche Mode- Violator

Listen: “Enjoy the Silence”

3. Ice Cube- AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted

Listen: “Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)”

4. Public Enemy- Fear of a Black Planet

Listen: “Fight the Power”

5. Neil Young- Ragged Glory

Listen: “Country Home”

6. Primus- Frizzle Fry

Listen: “The Toys Go Winding Down”

7. Jane’s Addiction- Ritual de lo Habitual

Listen: “Stop”

8. Slayer- Seasons in the Abyss

Listen: “War Ensemble”

9. The Replacements- All Shook Down

Listen: “The Last”

10. LL Cool J- Mama Said Knock You Out

Listen: “Mama Said Knock You Out”

Updated: April 21, 2012

Top 10 Albums of 1987

1. U2- The Joshua Tree

Listen: “Where the Streets Have No Name”

2. Prince- Sign ‘O’ the Times

Listen: “If I Was Your Girlfriend”

3. Eric B. & Rakim- Paid in Full

Listen: “Eric B. is President”

4. The Smiths- Strangeways, Here We Come

Listen: “Girlfriend in a Coma”

5. The Replacements- Pleased to Meet Me

Listen: “Alex Chilton”

6. R.E.M.- Document

Listen: “The One I Love”

7. Public Enemy- Yo! Bum Rush the Show

Listen: “You’re Gonna Get Yours”

8. Michael Jackson- Bad

Listen: “Man In The Mirror”

9. Bruce Springsteen- Tunnel of Love

Listen: “Brilliant Disguise”

10. Sonic Youth- Sister

Listen: “Schizophrenia” [Non-Album Live Version]

Honorable Mention: Boogie Down Productions’ Criminal Minded

Updated: February 8, 2012

Top 10 Albums of 1985

1. The Replacements- Tim

Listen: “Left of the Dial”

2. Tom Waits- Rain Dogs

Listen: “Hang Down Your Head”

3. The Jesus and Mary Chain- Psychocandy

Listen: “Just Like Honey”

4. Husker Du- New Day Rising

Listen: “Celebrated Summer”

5. Camper Van Beethoven- Telephone Free Landslide Victory

Listen: “Take the Skinheads Bowling” [Non-Album Live Version]

6. The Pogues- Rum, Sodomy and the Lash

Listen: “Dirty Old Town”

7. New Order- Low-Life

Listen: “Love Vigilantes”

8. R.E.M.- Fables of the Reconstruction

Listen: “Love Vigilantes”

9. Bob Dylan- Empire Burlesque

Listen: “Emotionally Yours”

10. The Smiths- Meat Is Murder

Listen: “How Soon Is Now?”

Archival Highlight: Sam Cooke- One Night Stand: Live at Harlem Square Club, 1963

Listen: “Bring It On Home to Me”

Updated: December 31, 2011

Top 10 Albums of 1984

1. The Replacements- Let It Be

Listen: “Unsatisfied”

2. Bruce Springsteen- Born in the U.S.A.

Listen: “No Surrender”

3. Prince- Purple Rain

Listen: “Let’s Go Crazy”

4. Husker Du- Zen Arcade

Listen: “Turn on the News”

5. R.E.M.- Reckoning

Listen: “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville”

6. Run-D.M.C.- Run-D.M.C.

Listen: “Sucker M.C.’s (Krush-Groove 1)”

7. Minutemen- Double Nickels On the Dime

Listen: “Viet Nam”

8. Metallica- Ride the Lightning

Listen: “Fade to Black”

9. Meat Puppets- Meat Puppets II

Listen: “Plateau”

10. U2- The Unforgettable Fire

Listen: “Bad”

Honorable Mention: Bruce Cockburn’s Stealing Fire, Madonna’s Like a Virgin, The Smiths’ The Smiths, Van Halen’s 1984

Updated: January 29, 2012

Top 10 Albums of 1983

1. R.E.M.- Murmur

Listen: “Talk About the Passion”

2. Tom Waits- Swordfishtrombones

Listen: “16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six”

3. Violent Femmes- Violent Femmes

Listen: “Add It Up”

4. U2- War

Listen: “Sunday Bloody Sunday”

5. The Police- Synchronicity

Listen: “Wrapped Around Your Finger”

6. Minor Threat- Out of Step

Listen: “Betray”

7. Stevie Ray Vaughan- Texas Flood

Listen: “Dirty Pool” [Non-Album Live Version]

8. Metallica- Kill ‘Em All

Listen: “Seek & Destroy”

9. The Replacements- Hootenanny

Listen: “Within Your Reach”

10. Bob Dylan- Infidels

Listen: “Jokerman”

Honorable Mention: Elvis Costello’s Punch the Clock, Neil Young’s Everybody’s Rockin’

Updated: January 21, 2012

20 Favorite Paul Westerberg Lines

This 9 to 5 bullshit don’t let you forget whose suicide you’re on. (“World Class Fad”)
Whatever makes you lonesome, it’s the same that sets you free. Now whatever makes you happy, I’m pretty sure isn’t me. (“Whatever Makes You Happy”)
How do you say, “I miss you” to an answering machine? (“Answering Machine”)
You’re looking funny – you ain’t laughing, are you? (“Sixteen Blue”)
For the kids you stay together, then you nap ‘em and you slap ‘em in a highchair. (“Little Mascara”)
Income tax deduction, what a hell of a function. (“Bastards of Young”)
“Hush” was the first word you were taught. (“Merry Go Round”)
The bridegroom drags you ‘cross that room. Said I do, but honey you were just a kid. Your eyes said I did. (“Nobody”)
Just add water, I’m disappointed. (“Let the Bad Times Roll”)
She closes her mouth to speak and closes her eyes to see. Thought about an’ only loved, she’s achin’ to be – just like me. (“Achin’ to Be”)
If bein’ afraid is a crime, we hang side by side at the swingin’ party down the line. (“Swingin’ Party”)
Kewpie dolls and urine stalls will be laughed at the way you’re laughed at now. (“Androgynous”)
Label wants a hit, and we don’t give a shit. (“Treatment Bound”)
I never travel far without a little Big Star. (“Alex Chilton”)
If it’s a temporary lull, why’m I bored right outta my skull? (“I’ll Be You”)
Well you wish upon a star that turns into a plane, and I guess that’s right on par. Who’s left to blame? (“Valentine”)
I hate my father – one day I won’t. (“I Hate Music”)
You could feel the loneliness in your hairstyle. (“What About Mine?”)
One more time to do it all wrong. One more night to get it half right. (“We’re Comin’ Out”)
There was liquor on my breath. You were on my mind. (“If Only You Were Lonely”)