Masterpiece 80's Studio Albums

[nichodido]

Also, I love Van Halen. Heck, I have Van Halen, Diver Down, 1984, 5150, and OU812 all on CD. But I would like to ask how OU812 is a masterpiece album. I mean it really only has 1 good song. I almost feel like you're just naming every popular album you know. Explain how it's a "masterpiece album". Something like Journey Escape is masterpiece.. OU812??? Cmon man..

 

[BikerDude]

Actually in the 80's I went mostly left of the dial.
A lot of semi forgotten bands.
But I'll grant that it was a time when things really started changing.
Uncle Tupelo, R.E.M.,Sonic Youth, Meat Puppets, on and on.

One of my fav's back then. Edfromohio rules.

 

[nichodido]

I have decided to redo my list.

1980:
Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz
Billy Joel - Glass Houses
REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity
Blondie - Autoamerican
AC/DC - Back In Black
Rush - Permanent Waves
The Pretenders - Pretenders
Pat Benatar - Crimes Of Passion
The Alan Parsons Project - Turn Of A Friendly Card

1981:
Quincy Jones - The Dude
Journey - Escape
Rush - Moving Pictures
Foreigner - 4
Genesis - Abacab
Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna
The Human League - Dare
The Police - Ghosts In The Machine
Men At Work - Business As Usual

1982:
Asia - Asia
Chicago - Chicago 16
Hall & Oates - H2O
Joe Jackson - Night & Day
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Toto - Toto IV
John Cougar - American Fool
The Clash - Combat Rock
Lionel Richie - Lionel Richie
Fleetwood Mac - Mirage
Pat Benatar - Get Nervous
Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger
Duran Duran - Rio

1983:
Yes - 90125
Asia - Alpha
Journey - Frontiers
Madonna - Madonna
Lionel Richie - Can't Slow Down
Robert Plant - The Principle Of Moments
Def Leppard - Pyromania
U2 - War
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
The Police - Synchronicity
Men At Work - Cargo

1984:
Chicago - Chicago 17
The Cars - Heartbeat City
Van Halen - 1984
Foreigner - Agent Provocateur
Bruce Springsteen - Born In The U.S.A.
Scorpions - Love At First Sting
Bryan Adams - Reckless
Steve Perry - Street Talk
Survivor - Vital Signs

1985:
Asia - Astra
The Outfield - Play Deep
Heart - Heart
Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair
Men At Work - Two Hearts

1986:
Van Halen - 5150
Billy Joel - The Bridge
Toto - Fahrenheit
Europe - The Final Countdown
Journey - Raised On Radio
Lionel Richie - Dancing On The Ceiling
Steve Winwood - Back In The High Life
GTR - GTR
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet
Peter Gabriel - So
Survivor - When Seconds Count

1987:
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Fleetwood Mac - Tango In The Night
Whitesnake - Whitesnake

1988:
Toto - The Seventh One
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Up Your Alley

1989:
Nothing

Still think 1989 was garbage. I did add to 87 and 88. Enjoy the new list everyone

 

[DJ Spanky]

I have decided to redo my list.

1989:
Nothing

This spurred me to think about a few I'd add to your list:

1981
Heavy Metal Soundtrack

1983
Eddie and the Cruisers Soundtrack

1986
Boston - Third Stage

1988
Bon Jovi - New Jersey

1989
Quincy Jones - Back On The Block

 

[Lynch]

1986
Boston - Third Stage

I can't believe that I missed this one on my list. Awesome album!

I know long time Boston fans might disagree with me, but I like Third Stage more than Don't Look Back

(pinch forefinger and thumb together), I was this close to buying a Rockman unit back in the day because of this album. The day that I went to buy one, I wanted to give it another test drive and ended up pulling an American made BC Rich off of the wall to tinker around with. Ended up trading in my Strat for that BCR and never did buy a Rockman

 

[TeleCat]

Going out on a limb here but I'm gonna mention Sentimental Hygiene by Warren Zevon - 1987. After a few years off he emerged clean and sober with a well written album with and a slew of killer guest musicians (Neil Young, Flea, David Lindley, Peter Buck).
Neil Young's lead guitar on the title track is hypnotic.

 

[E-Z]

Not sure if it is or was a '1980s masterpiece album' but I once bought a KING COBRA cd called READY TO STRIKE that featured Carmine Appice older brother of Vinny Appice of Dio & Black Sabbath as the bands drummer with the rest of the band being made up of a young bunch of guys about 10-15 years younger than Carmine and all wearing BIG HAIR 1980s style anyway I believe the album was there debut album and dated from 1985 and I personally thought it sounded pretty good.

There was one track in particular which may have been the opening track on side two on the vinyl album (my copy was a cd) that was a great 'road number' meaning that it would have sounded great listening to it while driving down a US state highway but I can't remember the name of the song??.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

1983:
Yes - 90125
Asia - Alpha
Journey - Frontiers
Madonna - Madonna
Lionel Richie - Can't Slow Down
Robert Plant - The Principle Of Moments
Def Leppard - Pyromania
U2 - War
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
The Police - Synchronicity
Men At Work - Cargo

No Duran Duran - Seven And The Ragged Tiger? They exploded with that album, and also burned out for a while afterwards.

I pretty much agree with your picks though. I owned a great majority of those albums.

 

[Dave78]

I think most of these are general consensus masterpiece albums. Though a few of them might not be, I still think they are in terms of them being the band's signature 80's album in their catalogue (in addition to just being a great album overall). Some of these albums have lost their luster with me personally over the years, but most haven't.

REO Speedwagon -- Hi Infidelity
RUSH -- Moving Pictures
The Scorpions -- Animal Magnetism
AC/DC -- Back In Black
Black Sabbath -- Heaven And Hell
Van Halen -- Fair Warning
Journey -- Escape
The Rolling Stones -- Tattoo You
YES -- 90125
Def Leppard -- Pyromania
Motley Crue -- Shout At The Devil
Michael Jackson -- Thriller
Bruce Springsteen -- Born In The U.S.A.
Tears For Fears -- Songs From The Big Chair
The Cult -- Love
Heart -- Heart '85
Ozzy -- The Ultimate Sin
Bon Jovi -- Slippery When Wet
Madonna -- True Blue (if not Like A Prayer)
Triumph -- The Sport Of Kings
Whitesnake -- Whitesnake '87
Wendy & Lisa -- Wendy & Lisa
U2 -- Where The Streets Have No Name (if not War)
INXS -- Kick (if not Listen Like Thieves)

 

[obscurerock]

The Number of the Beast - Iron Maiden (1982)