Rock The Rankings
We ranked the greatest rock albums of the 80s from top to bottom, and if you're expecting Born In The U.S.A. to be number one...it isn't.
So now the question is: do you agree with where The Boss landed on our list—and the album that we put at number one? Well, there’s only one way to find out…
20: "Scarecrow" (John Mellencamp)
John Mellencamp spent much of the 80s writing songs that sounded like they had always existed. Scarecrow gave us Small Town, Lonely Ol' Night, and R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. It's one of those albums that feels uniquely American and somehow gets better every time you revisit it.
19: "Eliminator" (ZZ Top)
Three bearded Texans, a bright red hot rod, and enough MTV exposure to power an entire decade. Eliminator turned ZZ Top into superstars and somehow made songs about sharp-dressed men and legs sound like the coolest thing in the world. The 80s were a weird and wonderful time.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
18: "The Unforgettable Fire" (U2)
This album sometimes gets overshadowed by what came next, which is a little unfair. It was the bridge between the early U2 years and global superstardom. Pride (In The Name Of Love) remains one of the band's defining songs, and you can hear U2 starting to become the giant they were about to become.
Lex van Rossen/MAI, Getty Images
17: "Tattoo You" (The Rolling Stones)
By the early 80s, most bands would've been thrilled just to still be around. The Stones responded by releasing Start Me Up and reminding everyone who they were. Tattoo You wasn't just a comeback. It was proof that one of rock's greatest bands still had plenty left in the tank.
16: "1984" (Van Halen)
Imagine releasing Jump, Panama, and Hot For Teacher on the same album and then acting like that's perfectly normal. That's basically what Van Halen did. Eddie Van Halen was already a guitar legend by this point, but 1984 somehow made the band even bigger. Not many rock albums feel this fun.
15: "Reckless" (Bryan Adams)
Bryan Adams spent much of the 80s quietly becoming one of the most reliable hitmakers on earth. Then Reckless arrived and removed the word quietly from the conversation. Run To You, Summer Of '69, Heaven, and Somebody would be enough for most artists' greatest-hits album. Adams put them on one record.
14: "Back In Black" (AC/DC)
Let's be honest. Some readers are already wondering why this isn't higher. Fair question. After losing Bon Scott, AC/DC somehow responded by creating one of the biggest rock albums ever recorded. Every song sounds massive. Every riff hits hard. And somehow the album still sounds fresh more than four decades later.
Watal Asanuma/Shinko Music, Getty Images
13: "Murmur" (R.E.M.)
Long before alternative rock took over the world, R.E.M. was laying the groundwork. Murmur didn't arrive with stadium-sized hype or giant hit singles. It simply became one of the most influential albums of the decade. Plenty of bands that dominated the 90s owe this record a thank-you card.
12: "Hysteria" (Def Leppard)
Seven hit singles. Seven. That's the kind of number that sounds made up until you actually look it up. Def Leppard and producer Mutt Lange built a machine that produced one giant hook after another. If you listened to rock radio in the late 80s, you practically lived inside this album.
11: "Master Of Puppets" (Metallica)
Even people who don't listen to metal know this album. That's how important it became. Metallica took thrash metal and pushed it somewhere bigger, smarter, and more ambitious. The title track alone is enough to justify its place on this list, and the rest of the album somehow keeps up.
10: "Appetite For Destruction" (Guns N' Roses)
The late 80s had plenty of polished rock bands. Then Guns N' Roses arrived looking like they had just wandered out of a bar fight. Welcome To The Jungle, Sweet Child O' Mine, and Paradise City helped make this one of the most explosive debut albums rock music has ever seen.
9: "Sports" (Huey Lewis And The News)
There was a stretch in the 80s when Huey Lewis seemed to be everywhere at once. The Heart Of Rock & Roll, Heart And Soul, I Want A New Drug, and If This Is It all came from the same album. That's ridiculous. This record may not get as much critical love as some others here, but people actually played it.
8: "The Game" (Queen)
Queen had already made their mark before the 80s arrived, but The Game proved they still had plenty left in the tank. Another One Bites The Dust became one of the biggest songs of their career, while Crazy Little Thing Called Love showed they could jump between styles without breaking a sweat.
7: "Brothers In Arms" (Dire Straits)
If you were anywhere near a hi-fi store in the mid-80s, you probably heard this album whether you wanted to or not. Fortunately, it was great. Money For Nothing gets most of the attention, but the entire record sounds incredible. It's one of those albums that somehow gets better with age.
6: "Moving Pictures" (Rush)
Ask Rush fans to rank Rush albums and prepare to lose the rest of your afternoon. Even so, Moving Pictures usually ends up near the top. Tom Sawyer, Limelight, and Red Barchetta helped turn a famously complex band into arena-rock legends without sanding off what made them special.
5: "The Joshua Tree" (U2)
There was a stretch in the late 80s when U2 seemed less like a band and more like a force of nature. Where The Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, and With Or Without You all came from the same album. That's absurd. If someone ranked this number one, we wouldn't put up much of a fight.
Independent News and Media, Getty Images
4: "Born In The U.S.A." (Bruce Springsteen)
See? We didn't forget it. Eight Top 10 singles. One of the best-selling albums ever. An album cover almost everyone can recognize from across a room. It's a fantastic record. But being the most famous album of the decade doesn't automatically make it the best album of the decade.
3: "Purple Rain" (Prince And The Revolution)
If someone ranked this first, we'd understand. Prince blended rock, pop, funk, soul, and pure charisma into something that shouldn't have worked nearly as well as it did. Let's Go Crazy, When Doves Cry, and Purple Rain alone would be enough to secure its place near the top.
2: "Full Moon Fever" (Tom Petty)
Tom Petty spent years making great records, then somehow delivered one of his very best right at the end of the decade. Free Fallin', I Won't Back Down, and Runnin' Down A Dream are still everywhere today. Not bad for an album that almost feels like a greatest-hits collection disguised as a studio release.
1: "Synchronicity" (The Police)
Every Breath You Take. King Of Pain. Wrapped Around Your Finger. Synchronicity II. Miss Gradenko. Most bands would happily build an entire career around one song that good. The Police put all five on the same album. More than 40 years later, Synchronicity still sounds fresh, still gets played constantly, and still reminds people why The Police ruled the world in the early 80s.
Your Turn To Be Angry
No list like this ever survives without an argument. Some of you are already wondering why Back In Black isn't higher. Others are preparing a passionate defense of Born In The U.S.A. And somewhere out there, a Rush fan is writing a 2,000-word essay about why Moving Pictures should be number one. Maybe keep it under 2,000 words, but do let us know how our ranking looks to you.
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