Author Topic: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s  (Read 6576 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline bosk1

  • King of Misdirection
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 12791
  • Bow down to Boskaryus
Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« on: October 28, 2014, 03:54:05 PM »
So what are THE top 12 albums that you feel defined music for the '80s?  To me, these are albums that are "must have" albums in the collection, and ones that I listened to endlessly (and still want to hear).  Top 12 rather than top 10 because:  (1) the metric system is stupid, (2) 12 is more, and (3) I couldn't narrow my list to 10. 

1.  Journey - Escape:  To me, this album really captures the '80s.  So many classics that EVERYBODY knows.
2.  Def Leppard - Pyromania:  My gateway to "rock."  Such a good album.  They had figured out how to write hits, but still had that hunger and edge to their sound.  This, to me, is when the band was at their absolute best.
3.  U2 - The Joshua Tree:  If I could only have one U2 album, this would be it, and I would be satisfied. 
4.  Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair:  This album was the reason I started this thread.  I heard Everybody Wants To Rule The World this morning and had to stop and ask myself why this album is not currently in my collection.  This whole album has such a great sound.
5.  Queensryche - Operation:Mindcrime:  This album may actually rank higher on my "favorites" list, but in terms of defining the '80s, I had to put it a bit lower because it is somewhat of an oddball in terms of '80s sound.
6.  Y&T - In Rock We Trust:  Although Black Tiger is their true "classic" album, this is the one where they finally had some commercial success in the U.S., and this was my gateway album into the band.  Plus, all in all, I feel it is perhaps their most consistent album from start to finish.
7.  Michael Jackson - Thriller:  Shame this album is ranked so low, given how many hits are on it. 
8.  Def Leppard - Hysteria:  Yeah, they get two albums on my list.  Hysteria was that good.  I am still intrigued by how obssessed they were with equaling Thriller that they took so long to write this...and by the fact that, in terms of writing an entire album of "hits," they succeeded.
9.  Whitesnake - s/t:  Like a lot of bands on this list, to me, this album represents the band at their highest point.  Even though there are some retreads of older songs on this one, that nasty Sykes guitar tone on this album took them to another level.  Start to finish, a great hard rock album.
10.  Journey - Frontiers:  The only other band to have multiple albums on my list.  But this one was so. good.  Some of the highs may be higher than Frontiers (Separate Ways, Faithfully), but it is a slightly less consistent album. 
11.  Cinderella - Long, Cold Winter:  Perhaps an unlikely choice.  But this is the album that took them from "good band" to having a unique identity and really showed off that Keiffer had a knack for just writing really good songs.
12.  Metallica - Ride the Lightning:  Yeah, most people might go with Puppets or AJFA.  But THIS is the true classic to me. 

Runner up/honorable mention:  Corey Hart - Boy in the Box:  This one was SO close to making it.  Never Surrender still remains one of my all-time favorite songs to this day.




"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline bosk1

  • King of Misdirection
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 12791
  • Bow down to Boskaryus
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2014, 03:58:11 PM »
In before TAC posts a list with an MSG album on it.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Online wolfking

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 46293
  • Gender: Male
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2014, 04:01:46 PM »
Man, this would take some time to do.  The inclusion of Songs From the Big Chair makes me happy, that would probably make my list too.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline TAC

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 74107
  • Gender: Male
  • Arthritic Metal Horns
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2014, 04:03:47 PM »
No Duran Duran? Madonna?

Interesting list. I think there's one list for 80's music, but there's another for 80's rock. I think if you retitled the thread to your "personal" most important 80's albums, that would make more sense. I just need guidance on how to proceed. :lol

In before TAC posts a list with an MSG album on it.
I'd go with MSG (his second album 1981) ;D
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Offline bosk1

  • King of Misdirection
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 12791
  • Bow down to Boskaryus
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2014, 04:25:54 PM »
I think if you retitled the thread to your "personal" most important 80's albums, that would make more sense.

I hear you, but I don't think I want to be any more specific.  I will leave it a bit soft so people can kinda go either direction.

And I hear you on the "music list" vs. "rock list" thing.  I thought about that.  But, again, I think I want it to be this way.  Makes it a bit more interesting.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline TAC

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 74107
  • Gender: Male
  • Arthritic Metal Horns
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2014, 04:32:25 PM »
Gonna sleep on it. But Michael Jackson will NOT be on it! :)
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
Winger Theater Forums........or WTF.  ;D
TAC got a higher score than me in the electronic round? Honestly, can I just drop out now? :lol

Online wolfking

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 46293
  • Gender: Male
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2014, 04:43:01 PM »
I think if you retitled the thread to your "personal" most important 80's albums, that would make more sense.

I hear you, but I don't think I want to be any more specific.  I will leave it a bit soft so people can kinda go either direction.

And I hear you on the "music list" vs. "rock list" thing.  I thought about that.  But, again, I think I want it to be this way.  Makes it a bit more interesting.

Yeah go with this.  It makes you think how really important non rock and metal albums are to you.  Anyone could list their fav metal albums and forgot the obscure ones, that really would deserve to be on any list.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline Lowdz

  • Posts: 10378
  • Gender: Male
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #7 on: October 28, 2014, 05:05:46 PM »
I'll have to think about this. Albums that defined the 80s for me - pretty much the soundtrack to my youth then and no crappy pop music - it just didn't exist for me  :biggrin::metal  but 12 isn't anywhere near enough...

In no particular order:

Operation: mindcrime - with I&W my most played album. Perfection.

Iron Maiden - Killers - Maiden ruled the 80s and this was the first album I heard by them. Still their best for me.

Bon Jovi - New Jersey - Slippery was obviously huge but this follow up was better in every way. There is a confidence on this album they hadn't had up until then, the confidence that comes with selling a shitload of albums and touring to millions.

Vinnie Moore - Mind's Eye - My most played shred album, but it's much more than that. With the likes of Satch and Vai instrumental guitar became mainstream. Pretty unthinkable these days  :omg:

Vinnie Vincent - Invasion - if the 80s were over the top then this album summed that up. Everything is OTT but the guitars even more so. vinnie saved KISS, was fired, came out with his own band that was signed with a huge advance, was fired from his own band...

Dokken - Back For The Attack - a great melodic rock album with George Lynch at his best.

Yngwie J Malmsteen's Rising Force - S/T. This is one of those albums that changed the course of my listening and made me a huge fan of the guitar and even nudged me towards listening to some classical music. The main reason I became such a fan of instrumental guitar. Mike Varney should have sent me a personal thank you for keeping his Shrapnel label going.

Y&T - Mean Streak - Just a great 80s rock album. I played the crap out of this.

WASP - S/T - another album that couldn' t have come from any other decade.

Keel - 1987 - not a well-known or particularly well regarded album but it did it for me. Big guitars, big vocals, big choruses and big hair. The 80s  :biggrin:

Whitesnake - 1987 - another album that was everywhere back in the day.

Dream Theater - WDADU - Another one of those standout moments where I knew I was hearing something special.

There were hundreds of others that were huge for me - Rush, Marillion, Magnum, Tesla, Cinderella, Winger, Europe, G'n'R before I went off them, Gary Moore, T-Mac, Jason Becker, Steve Vai, Scorpions, Vain, Vicious rumors, KISS (still great after the make up came off), Judas Priest, Poison, Alice Cooper, Saxon, Motorhead, AC/DC, Def Leppard (some of us were there from the 1st album), David Lee Roth and VH, Giant, Motley Crue, Ratt, so many.

Ahh they were the days.

Offline Mosh

  • For I have dined on honeydew!
  • Posts: 3825
  • Gender: Male
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #8 on: October 28, 2014, 05:22:54 PM »
1: Prince - Purple Rain
2: Rush - Moving Pictures
3: Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
4: Van Halen - 1984
5: Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance
6: Metallica - Master of Puppets
7: Michael Jackson - Bad
8: Genesis - Invisible Touch
9: Marillion - Misplaced Childhood
10: Winger - S/T
11: Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
12: Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation

More rock than pop oriented, but I'd say these albums were really influential for my current tastes.
New Animal Soup scifi space opera for fans of Porcupine Tree, Mastodon, Iron Maiden: Chariots of the Gods

https://animalsoup.bandcamp.com/album/chariots-of-the-gods

Offline Zook

  • Evil Incarnate
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 14144
  • Gender: Male
  • Take My Hand
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #9 on: October 28, 2014, 05:23:27 PM »

12.  Metallica - Ride the Lightning:  Yeah, most people might go with Puppets or AJFA.  But THIS is the true classic to me. 


Holy crap we agree on something. Hell is an icy tundra right now.

Offline bosk1

  • King of Misdirection
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 12791
  • Bow down to Boskaryus
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #10 on: October 28, 2014, 05:33:04 PM »
Bon Jovi - New Jersey - Slippery was obviously huge but this follow up was better in every way. There is a confidence on this album they hadn't had up until then, the confidence that comes with selling a shitload of albums and touring to millions.

It doesn't make my list, but I comlpetely agree with everything you said about it.

Dokken - Back For The Attack - a great melodic rock album with George Lynch at his best.

My favorite album of theirs.  Mr. Scary remains one of my favorite rock guitar instrumental tracks of all time.

Y&T - Mean Streak - Just a great 80s rock album. I played the crap out of this.

And OF COURSE I have a soft spot for this album for very obvious reasons.  :biggrin:
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline bosk1

  • King of Misdirection
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 12791
  • Bow down to Boskaryus
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2014, 05:35:52 PM »

12.  Metallica - Ride the Lightning:  Yeah, most people might go with Puppets or AJFA.  But THIS is the true classic to me. 


Holy crap we agree on something. Hell is an icy tundra right now.

We agree on a lot of things.  I just don't normally admit it out loud.

But if you want me to ruin the moment, I could just point out that I consider my Metallica collection to be complete with only having Lightning, Puppets, AJFA, and the Black album, and nothing else.  I love all four of those albums, and don't care about any of the others before or after.

1: Prince - Purple Rain

Oooooooooooo, good call.  I had forgotten that one.  It still wouldn't quite make my list, but definitely belongs in the conversation.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline Zook

  • Evil Incarnate
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 14144
  • Gender: Male
  • Take My Hand
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2014, 05:37:23 PM »

12.  Metallica - Ride the Lightning:  Yeah, most people might go with Puppets or AJFA.  But THIS is the true classic to me. 


Holy crap we agree on something. Hell is an icy tundra right now.

We agree on a lot of things.  I just don't normally admit it out loud.

But if you want me to ruin the moment, I could just point out that I consider my Metallica collection to be complete with only having Lightning, Puppets, AJFA, and the Black album, and nothing else.  I love all four of those albums, and don't care about any of the others before or after.

I own Kill 'em All, but don't hold it that highly. Otherwise, my collection stops at The Black Album as well. Your move.

Offline bosk1

  • King of Misdirection
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 12791
  • Bow down to Boskaryus
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #13 on: October 28, 2014, 05:39:05 PM »

12.  Metallica - Ride the Lightning:  Yeah, most people might go with Puppets or AJFA.  But THIS is the true classic to me. 


Holy crap we agree on something. Hell is an icy tundra right now.

We agree on a lot of things.  I just don't normally admit it out loud.

But if you want me to ruin the moment, I could just point out that I consider my Metallica collection to be complete with only having Lightning, Puppets, AJFA, and the Black album, and nothing else.  I love all four of those albums, and don't care about any of the others before or after.

I own Kill 'em All, but don't hold it that highly. Otherwise, my collection stops at The Black Album as well. Your move.


Uh...marry me? 
Your move.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline Zook

  • Evil Incarnate
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 14144
  • Gender: Male
  • Take My Hand
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #14 on: October 28, 2014, 05:46:48 PM »

12.  Metallica - Ride the Lightning:  Yeah, most people might go with Puppets or AJFA.  But THIS is the true classic to me. 


Holy crap we agree on something. Hell is an icy tundra right now.

We agree on a lot of things.  I just don't normally admit it out loud.

But if you want me to ruin the moment, I could just point out that I consider my Metallica collection to be complete with only having Lightning, Puppets, AJFA, and the Black album, and nothing else.  I love all four of those albums, and don't care about any of the others before or after.

I own Kill 'em All, but don't hold it that highly. Otherwise, my collection stops at The Black Album as well. Your move.


Uh...marry me? 
Your move.


Offline bosk1

  • King of Misdirection
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 12791
  • Bow down to Boskaryus
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #15 on: October 28, 2014, 05:50:55 PM »
Dude, you're a single parent.  You need a baby daddy with a stable income and lifestyle.  And since I love AJFA and don't currently own a copy, I need you to complete my Metallica collection.  It's a pretty near perfect arrangement.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline Zook

  • Evil Incarnate
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 14144
  • Gender: Male
  • Take My Hand
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #16 on: October 28, 2014, 05:58:06 PM »
Dude, you're a single parent.  You need a baby daddy with a stable income and lifestyle.  And since I love AJFA and don't currently own a copy, I need you to complete my Metallica collection.  It's a pretty near perfect arrangement.

God dammit, my girlfriend is real! I'm not referring to my hand, you a-hole!

Offline bosk1

  • King of Misdirection
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 12791
  • Bow down to Boskaryus
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #17 on: October 28, 2014, 06:00:12 PM »
But, Zook...she's the sort who can't know anyone intimately, least of all a man. She doesn't know what a man is. She wants you for a possession, something to look at, like a painting or an ivory box. Something to own and to display. She doesn't want you to be real, or to think, or to live. She doesn't love you. But I love you. I want you to have your own thoughts and ideas and feelings, even when I hold you in my arms...it's our last chance.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline Zook

  • Evil Incarnate
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 14144
  • Gender: Male
  • Take My Hand
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #18 on: October 28, 2014, 06:02:30 PM »
In Houston they say that?

Offline bosk1

  • King of Misdirection
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 12791
  • Bow down to Boskaryus
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #19 on: October 28, 2014, 06:05:32 PM »
That's okay.  I'll just smile and I'll learn to pretend.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline Outcrier

  • Posts: 3904
  • Gender: Male
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #20 on: October 28, 2014, 06:06:01 PM »
Albums i would have to think a bit but, if talking artists or bands, these are the first that came to mind:

The Smiths
The Cure
Metallica
Iron Maiden
Michael Jackson
R.E.M.
Prince 
Joy Division/New Order
Outcrier: Toughest cop on the force.

Online wolfking

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 46293
  • Gender: Male
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #21 on: October 28, 2014, 06:09:39 PM »
Man, this thread got derailed real quick lol.
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline Mosh

  • For I have dined on honeydew!
  • Posts: 3825
  • Gender: Male
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #22 on: October 28, 2014, 06:12:19 PM »
12.  Metallica - Ride the Lightning:  Yeah, most people might go with Puppets or AJFA.  But THIS is the true classic to me. 

While it didn't make my list, RTL would be my favorite Metallica, by far. I chose Puppets because it was one of  my first metal albums and dominated my CD player for years.

Quote from: Bosk

Oooooooooooo, good call.  I had forgotten that one.  It still wouldn't quite make my list, but definitely belongs in the conversation.
If I had to choose one 80s pop album, this would be it. Perfection on every level, I even prefer it to Thriller.
New Animal Soup scifi space opera for fans of Porcupine Tree, Mastodon, Iron Maiden: Chariots of the Gods

https://animalsoup.bandcamp.com/album/chariots-of-the-gods

Offline Fluffy Lothario

  • Posts: 4778
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #23 on: October 28, 2014, 07:31:18 PM »
I used to think of the 80s as The Decade That Taste Forgot. Austin Powers shared a similar sentiment, though he extended it to the 70s too. My own listening habits have only occasionally coincided with anything from the entire decade.

Michael Jackson and U2 are obviously unmissable. Stevie Ray Vaughan is more or less on the same level.

I won’t bother going into detail on thrash, other than that I prefer Lightning and Justice over Puppets,  and Anthrax are vastly underrated. Spreading the Disease and Among the Living are great albums.

Other albums that come to mind:
Rush - Moving Pictures
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations
Faith No More - The Real Thing
Bob Dylan - No Mercy

Other than that, I like New Order, but not enough to go beyond a Best Of, and a handful of REM songs. And that’s about it.

The Smiths, The Swans, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dire Straits, The Stone Roses and Talk Talk are on my radar to check out.

Offline bosk1

  • King of Misdirection
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 12791
  • Bow down to Boskaryus
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #24 on: October 28, 2014, 07:48:35 PM »
I used to think of the 80s as The Decade That Taste Forgot.

That's just crazy talk.  The '80s is generally considered to be the most universally beloved decade in the history of humanity.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline rumborak

  • DT.net Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 26664
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #25 on: October 28, 2014, 08:14:28 PM »
Thumbs up on Invisible Touch.
Also:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_albums_by_year_in_the_United_States#1980s

Funny that no one in this thread mentions Back In Black. It's the 5th most sold album in the world, of all time.
"I liked when Myung looked like a women's figure skating champion."

Offline bosk1

  • King of Misdirection
  • Administrator
  • *****
  • Posts: 12791
  • Bow down to Boskaryus
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #26 on: October 28, 2014, 08:19:00 PM »
Funny that no one in this thread mentions Back In Black. It's the 5th most sold album in the world, of all time.

Good call.  I don't care for it, but yeah, good call.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has descended from the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Story to the mystical aphorisms of the fortune cookie."

Offline KevShmev

  • EZBoard Elder
  • *****
  • Posts: 41963
  • Gender: Male
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #27 on: October 28, 2014, 09:14:48 PM »
Michael Jackson - Thriller
U2 - The Joshua Tree
The Police - Synchronicity
Price and the Revolution - Purple Rain
Def Leppard - Hysteria
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet
INXS - Kick
AC/DC - Back in Black
Rush - Moving Pictures (homer pick :biggrin:)
Van Halen - 1984
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction (overrated as hell, but its impact cannot be denied)
Huey Lewis and the News - Sports

Offline Big Hath

  • DT.net Veteran
  • ****
  • Posts: 5781
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #28 on: October 28, 2014, 09:33:48 PM »
Wow, Kev, my list is very similar.  No order to this other than by year:

AC/DC - Back in Black
Rush - Moving Pictures
Toto - Toto IV
Van Halen - 1984
Chicago - 17
Guns and Roses - Appetite For Destruction
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Def Leppard - Hysteria
Metallica - . . . And Justice For All (although I like MOP more, this feels more like an "80s" album to me while MOP is more timeless if that makes sense)
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique


Sports, Synchronicity, and Slippery just missed.
Winger would be better!

. . . and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.

Offline bl5150

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 9132
  • Gender: Male
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #29 on: October 28, 2014, 09:47:38 PM »
That's better guys...............Van Halen making a couple of appearances.  Just for fun I'll try and get an album from each year in there .  Some of these didn't make my top 50 , so as per the thread title we're talking influential/definitive rather than favourite these days.

1980:  AC/DC : Back In Black
           Ozzy : Blizzard of Ozz

1981: Foreigner : 4

1982: KISS: Creatures of the Night

1983: Def leppard: Pyromania
          Journey: Frontiers (if you add in the 2 tracks cut for movie soundtracks I think it's better than Escape)

1984:  Van Halen : 1984

1985: Yngwie: Marching Out

1986: Europe: The Final Countdown

1987:  Whitesnake : 1987

1988" Queensryche : Operation Mindcrime

1989: Savatage : Gutter Ballet

« Last Edit: October 28, 2014, 09:53:34 PM by bl5150 »
"I would just like to say that after all these years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights, I still don't need glasses. I drink right out of the bottle." - DLR

www.theguitardojo.com.au

Online wolfking

  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 46293
  • Gender: Male
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #30 on: October 29, 2014, 05:30:26 AM »
Alright, I'll have a crack.  I sorta have mixed essential 80's albums with my favs.  This is no in particular order;

Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
Queensryche - Operation Mindcrime
Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith
King Diamond - Abigail
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien
Yngwie Malmsteen - Odyssey
Savatage - Gutter Ballet
WASP - WASP
Tears for Fears - Songs From the Big Chair
Everyone else, except Wolfking is wrong.

Offline jingle.boy

  • I'm so ronery; so sad and ronery
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 44566
  • Gender: Male
  • DTF's resident deceased dictator
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #31 on: October 29, 2014, 06:26:48 AM »
Michael Jackson - Thriller
U2 - The Joshua Tree
The Police - Synchronicity
Price and the Revolution - Purple Rain
Def Leppard - Hysteria
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet
INXS - Kick
AC/DC - Back in Black
Rush - Moving Pictures (homer pick :biggrin:)
Van Halen - 1984
Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction (overrated as hell, but its impact cannot be denied)
Huey Lewis and the News - Sports

As far as the Rock (not pop, and not metal) genre goes, this is as close to 'spot on' as this thread is going to get.  Perhaps I'd swap Kick and Sports for something else.  Contenders would be:

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
Europe - The Final Countdown

Honorable mentions
Maiden - The Number of the Beast (ok, Metal, but it crossed into Rock genre radio stations)
Various Artists - The Dirty Dancing Soundtrack (soft rock... emphasis on the soft)
Triumph - Allied Forces (honestly, in 1980, it was as big - perhaps bigger - than Moving Pictures... at least up here)
That's a word salad - and take it from me, I know word salad
I fear for the day when something happens on the right that is SO nuts that even Stadler says "That's crazy".
Quote from: Puppies_On_Acid
Remember the mark of a great vocalist is if TAC hates them with a special passion

Offline King Postwhore

  • Couch Potato
  • DTF.org Alumni
  • ****
  • Posts: 59297
  • Gender: Male
  • Take that Beethoven, you deaf bastard!!
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #32 on: October 29, 2014, 06:31:41 AM »
I need to think about this before I post.  Very interesting topic.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'.” - Bob Newhart
So wait, we're spelling it wrong and king is spelling it right? What is going on here? :lol -- BlobVanDam
"Oh, I am definitely a jackass!" - TAC

Offline ariich

  • Roulette Supervillain
  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 27971
  • Gender: Male
  • sexin' you later
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #33 on: October 29, 2014, 07:12:45 AM »
Not really one for thinking too much about what would "define" the 80s, but I'll post my top 12 of the 80s. I suppose in some ways this list does do a good job of defining the 80s for me, as it includes some pretty great albums in genres that were very prominent in the 80s such as metal, hard rock and pop, plus the early stages of prog metal and American punk rock.

1. Metallica - ...And Justice for All
2. Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse of Reason
3. The Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky
4. Rush - Permanent Waves
5. Iron Maiden - Powerslave
6. Metallica - Master of Puppets
7. R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant
8. Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime
9. Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
10. Michael Jackson - Thriller
11. Bad Religion - Suffer
12. Guns n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction

Ariich is a freak, or somehow has more hours in the day than everyone else.
I be am boner inducing.

Offline hefdaddy42

  • Et in Arcadia Ego
  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 52785
  • Gender: Male
  • Postwhore Emeritus
Re: Top 12 albums that defined the '80s
« Reply #34 on: October 29, 2014, 07:41:52 AM »
This would take some time, but any such list must include Thriller or it is invalid.

Equally, any such list must NOT include Y&T.
Hef is right on all things. Except for when I disagree with him. In which case he's probably still right.