Forum menu
Fair play to those with the conviction to pick one.
Some crackers in there.
We can all pick four/maybe five that's the easy choice. It's just one folks. Just one.
i live in hope that in the future society will look back on all these 'greatest subjective thing of some arbitrary time period' and say 'how quaint they were darhllingg, haha haha!'
Ace of
SpadesBass
FTFY 😉
Lots of good choices.
Technique.
Yes, this.
yep
One of the best albums ever recorded. An absolute masterpiece
Sonic temple the cult?
1984 vanhalen
Whitesnake 1987
Dare
The Human League
Avant garde electronica at the time.
Disintegration – The Cure
Rum Sodomy & the Lash - Pogues.
Tango in the Night - Mac
Nevermind - Nivana
Much of the above. New Order, Smiths, Roses….
The colour of spring
Talk Talk
Still the album I listen to every time from the hotel to the airport.
Disintegration - my best album ever.
A couple of years ago, I’d have agreed with you.
They never should have released the singles ‘born to run’ and ‘born in the USA’ over here.
Far too strident sounding.
I’ve heard some of his live performances on radio 2, etc, and they’re not unpleasant.
I just bought the colour of spring and soulmining on vinyl terrific albums.
Surely some bowie in there too.
Joshua Tree U2
Appetite for Destruction.
It's a tough choice but if you can only have one. 🤷♂️
Reign in Blood.
@gowerboy beat me to it, but another shout for Hounds of Love by Kate Bush. Been listening to it a lot lately after getting myself a fretless bass and trying learn some of the songs (Morning Fog being a particular gem). Inventive, uplifting, and utterly original.
Also love most of the suggestions above though too, particularly The The....was quite the decade for music, eh?
London Calling was '79, just.
Loads of great albums already mentioned, so im going with Boat to Bolivia, Martin Stephenson.
Lots of great choices already suggested across a range of genres.
Personally, 19 year old me was properly blown away by Appetite for Destruction. From the opening riffs, right through. So much energy and emotion.
Massive Attack Blue Lines or the Stone Roses for me
Some great suggestions, not all to my taste but I'm aware of them and how well the albums have stood up over time.
My pick was releaseed March 1990... so if we're working with the view that the new decade doesn't start until 1991 (the whole "there was no year 0") the the best album of the 1980s was Depeche Mode - Violator.
Failing that, Appetite for Destruction. Or the Lexicon of Love. Or Purple Rain. Or The Joshua Tree.
Blue Lines and Nevermind were both 1991.
Stone Roses for me.
Welcome to the Pleasuredome.
Paradise Theater
Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records - Chumbawamba.
It was a gateway into a world of anarcho madness for me.
Nevermind – Nivana
Wrong decade.
I do like these threads as it gives you hope in humanity that there are people who like both bikes and good music.
On Fire - Galaxie 500
But could quite easily be:
Children of God - Swans
Streetcleaner - Godflesh
Treasure - Cocteau Twins
Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth
Doolittle - Pixies
Songs about F@cking - Big Black
Damaged - Black Flag
Psychocandy - JaMC
Stone Roses - I was an idiot back then*, I got it as part of some kind of music club, an automatic subscription thing that I always forgot to cancel and, as I didn't want it, I didn't listen to it for years. Almost life-changing when I finally did. 🙂
* This has not changed.
Anybody like/remember Japan?
yes one of my favourite bands.
I’m torn between:
Sulk by The Associates
St Julian by Julian Cope
Back in the DHSS
Reading the first page of this I realis3d I had never listened to ‘Closer’ as a full album, so that is this morning sorted out.
But, in doing the searching, I asked my GF what she though and, without hesitation, she replied it was Queensrÿche “ Operation: Mindcrime”. So, I offer that from her.
This is really difficult though. London Calling was ‘79, News of the World was ‘77 so are both out and, despite like The Police at that time, Sychronicity is not in the amazing level.
Screw it, I’ll say ‘Organisation’ by OMD. And then spend the day listening to Master of Puppets and Joy Division.
Much as London Calling is a great 80s album even though it actually came out in the late 70s….. Paul’s Boutique in my best album from the 80s even though it’s really a soundtrack to the 90s
Tears for fears - Songs from the big chair.
I saw them live twice and they didn't disappoint.
There are too many (like most decades) for me, included but not limited to:
Thriller - Micheal Jackson (how this wasn't the second post is beyond me)
Purple Rain Prince, perhaps not as good as Dirty Mind, but the man is so prolific there's still Sign O the Time and Parade in the eighties
Graceland - Still astonishing
Murmur - REM They released what 10-12 albums in the eighties? pick one they're nearly all solid...Maybe Green?
It Takes a Nation... P.E.
Dolittle
Scary Monsters and Super Creeps.
Faith - Why is he sniffing his arm pit on the cover though?
Dare.
Psycho Candy - If nothing else it annoyed my parents.
Oh God, the more I think about it, the more there are, some excellent suggestions already though
Straight Outta Compton was the 80's wasn't it?
Paul's Boutique? Perhaps not their best though?
The Greatest Album of the 1980's was from 1979.
My favourite album full stop never mind of the 80’s. Side 1 is great, side 2 is epic…
[img] 
[/img]
Eric B & Rakim - Follow The Leader
@the-muffin-man, I remember buying it (as a cassette) and being so excited to hear it that I made my dad put it in the car, still to this day Jig of Life takes me right back there. Amazing album
And I’ll throw this into the mix too (too much hilarity I’ll assume!). Works brilliantly as an album*, and is so much more than ‘that song’.
[img] 
[/img]
*both this and hounds of love were thought of as a whole to, not just a collection of songs which we get now. You pick and choose now. I can’t recall the last album I bought which was an integrated body of work.
Mrovershoot
There were many brilliant albums in the 80’s but I was 18 when it came out and that’s what I would call my defining 80’s album, plus the Chameleons were bloody great.
Yeah, I guess it and the Chameleons live defined the decade for me to.
I’m torn between:
Sulk by The Associates
St Julian by Julian Cope
Back in the DHSS
There's another three great ones, and Ocean Rain, AND Hounds of Love!
I love the eighties!
The Stone Roses
Correct...saved me reading the rest of the thread
Remain in Light
The rest of the decade was a let down.
Missing so far (for me):
Double Nickels on the Dime - Minutemen
From Her to Eternity/Tender Prey - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Confusion is Sex/Kill Yr Idols, EVOL & Sister - Sonic Youth
Tabula Rasa - Arvo Pärt
Keep on Movin’ - Soul II Soul
Today - Galaxie 500
Let’s not forget 13 Songs - Fugazi now either… 🙄
There is bound to be more but a lot of what I was thinking of turns out to be later… I got a lot more ‘diverse’ in the 90’s/00’s…
Oh, London Calling was released in Jan 80 (in America) so technically just squeaks in 😜
Stop Making Sense. That was on repeat for days on end in my student house when someone got a Walkman with auto reverse plugged it in to the speakers. Probably the only album we could all agree on because not everyone liked Heartland…
As everyone has said above many to chose from but this morning I’m choosing fresh fruit for rotting vegetables by the Dead Kennedys. Because every tune is a banger
If you were born in the USA it has to be London Calling.
Pleasantly surprised how many of these albums I own(ed) across the genres.
A lot of teenage memories being stirred.
Opened this thread to post the stone roses and see that is in the op.
I’m 100% with @Merak on this. That album changed my musical life.