Masterpiece 80's Studio Albums

nichodido

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What were the most phenomenal masterpieces of the 80s? I'll name a few to start (some might not be filled with hits, just my opinion on every song, also not ranked, I'm a big Asia fan :)):

1980:
Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz
Billy Joel - Glass Houses
REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity

1981:
Quincy Jones - The Dude
Journey - Escape
Rush - Moving Pictures

1982:
Asia - Asia
Chicago - Chicago 16
Hall & Oates - H2O
Joe Jackson - Night & Day
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Toto - Toto IV

1983:
Yes - 90125
Asia - Alpha
Journey - Frontiers
Madonna - Madonna

1984:
Chicago - Chicago 17
The Cars - Heartbeat City

1985:
Asia - Astra
The Outfield - Play Deep

1986:
Van Halen - 5150
Billy Joel - The Bridge
Toto - Fahrenheit
Europe - The Final Countdown
Journey - Raised on Radio

1987, 1988, 1989:
Nothing

I honestly feel the 80s got worse ever since 87. 86 held up the 80s from it's fall back in 85, but it just went to complete garbo except for a few things in 87-89.

82 and 86 were best years I would say, and the average masterpiece albums from my list per year would be (including 87-89): 2.7
 

Slaytallica

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(1980) Lightning to the Nations - Diamonhead
(1980) Ace of Spades - Motorhead
(1980) Back in Black - AC/DC
(1980) Permanent Waves - Rush
(1980) Zenyatta Mondatta - The Police
(1983) Holy Diver - Dio
(1984) Powerslave - Iron Maiden
(1985) Pentagram
(1987) Appetite for Destruction - Guns n Roses
(1988) Danzig
 

Lynch

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Oy! Going to take me a few minutes to compile a list. I'm sure I'll forget some, but I can DEFINITELY make a list for every year, being as the 80's is by far my favorite decade of music.
 

Lynch

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Tough to keep each year's list short, but I'll do my best. Also, I'm barely touching some of the better pop albums of the era. This is mostly hard rock and metal with a few surprises stuck in, simply because they are too good to ignore. I also know that I'll be missing albums, mostly going off of the top of my head for this:



1980:
AC/DC - Back in Black
Judas Priest - British Steel
Scorpions - Animal Magnetism
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
Ozzy - Blizzard of Ozz
Van Halen - Women and Children First
Pat Benatar - Crimes of Passion

Honorable mention:
Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
Queen - The Game
Pat Travers - Crash and Burn
Michael Schenker Group - The Michael Schenker Group



1981:
Black Sabbath - The Mob Rules
Def Leppard - High 'n' Dry
Motley Crue - Too Fast For Love
AC/Dc - For Those About to Rock
Van Halen - Fair Warning
Ozzy - Diary of a Madman
KISS - Music from "The Elder"
Journey - Escape
Billy Squier - Don't Say No

Honorable mention:
Judas Priest - Point of Entry
Dokken - Breaking the Chains
Iron Maiden - Killers
Loverboy - Get Lucky
Sammy Hagar - Standing Hampton
Michael Schenker Group - The Michael Schenker Group
Genesis - Abacab
Foreigner - 4
Triumph - Allied Forces
REO Speedwagon - High Infidelity
Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
Styx - Paradise Theater



1982:
Scorpions - Blackout
KISS - Creatures of the Night
Iron Maiden - Number of the Beast
Prince - 1999
Michael Jackson - Thriller

Honorable Mention:
Axe - Offering
Van Halen - Diver Down
Whitesnake - Saints & Sinners
Twisted Sister - Under the Blade
Asia - Asia
 

Lynch

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1983:
Ozzy - Bark at the Moon
Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil
Def Leppard - Pyromania
Dio - Holy Diver
KISS - Lick It Up
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
Journey - Frontiers
Huey Lewis and the News - Sports
ZZ Top - Eliminator

Honorable Mention:
AC/DC - Flick of the Switch
Y&T - Mean Streak
Metallica - Kill 'Em All
Quiet Riot - Metal Health
Accept - Balls to the Wall
Steeler - Steeler
Lita Ford - Out For Blood
Twisted Sister - You Can't Stop Rock'n'Roll
Krokus - Headhunter
Loverboy - Keep It Up



1984:
Scorpions - Love at First Sting
Metallica - Ride the Lightning
Whitesnake - Slide it In
Lita Ford - Dancing' on the Edge
Ratt - Out of the Cellar
Dokken - Tooth and Nail
Triumph - Thunder Seven
Prince - Purple Rain
W.A.S.P.- W.A.S.P.
KISS - Animalize
Van Halen - 1984

Honorable Mention:
Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry
Keel - Lay Down the Law
Bryan Adams - Reckless
Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers
Bon Jovi - Bon Jovi



1985:
Dokken - Under Lock and Key
W.A.S.P. - The Last Command
Motley Crue - Theatre of Pain
Ratt - Invasion of Your Privacy
Keel - The Right to Rock
Heart - Heart
Yngwie Malmsteen - Marching Out
Iron Maiden - Live After Death
Accept - Metal Heart

Honorable Mention:
KISS - Asylum
ZZ Top - Afterburner
Loverboy - Lovin' Every Minute of It
Bon Jovi - 7800° Fahrenheit
Dio - Sacred Heart
Loudness - Thunder in the East
 

Lynch

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1986:
Tesla - Mechanical Resonance
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Ozzy - The Ultimate Sin
Cinderella - Night Songs
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet
Keel - The Final Frontier
Ratt - Dancing Undercover

Honorable Mention:
David Lee Roth - Eat 'Em and Smile
Poison - Look What the Cat Dragged In
Great White - Shot in the Dark
Yngwie Malmsteen - Trilogy
Fastway - Trick or Treat
Black Sabbath - Seventh Star
Stryper - To Hell With the Devil
Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
Europe - The Final Countdown
Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time
Van Halen - 5150



1987:
Ace Frehley - Frehley's Comet
Def Leppard - Hysteria
Guns n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Dokken - Back For the Attack
Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien
Dio - Dream Evil
Motley Crue - Girls, Girls, Girls
Great White - Once Bitten
Whitesnake - Whitesnake
Sammy Hagar - I Never Said Goodbye
Ozzy - Tribute
Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation

Honorable Mention:
Michael Jackson - Bad
Keel - Keel
McAuley Schenker Group - Perfect Timing
Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys, p1
Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King
Faster Pussycat - Faster Pussycat
Warlock - Triumph and Agony
Heart - Bad Animals
Deep Purple - The House of Blue Light



1988
:
Metallica - ... And Justice For All
Cinderella - Long Cold Winter
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
Ratt - Reach For the Sky
Ozzy - No Rest For the Wicked
Scorpions - Savage Amusement
Winger - Winger
GnR - Lies
Van Halen - OU812
Bon Jovi - New Jersey

Honorable Mention:
Ratt - Reach For the Sky
Lita Ford - Lita
David Lee Roth - Skyscraper
Bulletboys - Bulletboys
Yngwie Malmsteen - Odyssey
Kix - Blow My Fuse
Poison - Open Up and Say ... Ahh!



1989
:
Tesla - The Great Radio Controversy
Skid Row - Skid Row
Badlands - Badlands
Motley Crue - Dr. Feelgood
Alice Cooper - Trash
Babylon A.D. - Babylon A.D.
Ace Frehley - Trouble Walkin'
Great White - ... Twice Shy

Honorable Mention:
KISS - Hot in the Shade
Joe Satriani - Flying in a Blue Dream
Whitesnake - Slip of the Tongue
Black Sabbath - Headless Cross
Aerosmith - Pump
Garth Brooks - Garth Brooks (yeah, I said it!)
 

nichodido

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I like all of your lists! Now I might not like some of your picks (i.e. Garth Brooks), but just the fact that you took your time to write this out. Thanks for your time! I also realized that you put mostly all Bon Jovi albums in except for Slippery When Wet, with his 2 most popular songs, and also another huge hit on it. Any reason? My favorite song personally from Bon Jovi is Runaway, but that's me.
 

Lynch

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It's there. Check 1986.

All four of those first BJ albums were solid, through and through. That being said and as a fan of everything the band did in the 80's, I STILL say they have no place being in the RnR Hall of Sham.
 

BikerDude

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I drank a lot back then.
I remember great music but the details mostly elude me.

But not Bon Jovi.
That much is clear to me.
He is NOT a freaking cowboy.


55-36825-jon-bon-jovi-old-pic-promo-card-315-1477413119.png
 
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