For Pelagius and Jay Santos and anyone else interested...

[il Padrino Ute]

I put together this list of some of my 50 favorite albums from the 80s. There are a few that were actually released in the late 70s, but they all pretty much would be considered the new wave/alternative/college genres with the exception of maybe two or three.

If it was a true favorites list, there would have been more than one by a number of artists. What I tried to do was list 50 artists and my favorite album from each.

In no particular order, here it is:

1. Furniture - The Wrong People
2. Icicle Works - The Small Price Of A Bicycle
3. Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen
4. The Rave-ups - Town and Country
5. Lotus Eaters - No Sense Of Sin
6. Wild Swans - Bringing Home The Ashes
7. Oingo Boingo - Good For Your Soul
8. China Crisis - Flaunt The Imperfection
9. The Lucy Show - Mania
10. Propaganda - A Secret Wish
11. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
12. The Police - Synchronicity
13. The Smithereens - Especially For You
14. OMD- Crush
15. Simple Minds - New Gold Dream ‘81-’82-’83-’84
16. Tears For Fears - The Hurting
17. Icehouse - Icehouse
18. Split Enz - True Colours
19. The Del Fuegos - Boston, Mass
20. Mental As Anything - Cats and Dogs
21. The English Beat - Wha’ppen?
22. The Jam - The Gift
23. Souixie and the Banshees - Tinderbox
24. Freur - Doot-Doot
25. Blancmange - Happy Families
26. The The - Soul Mining
27. Talk Talk - It’s My Life
28. XTC - Mummer
29. Miracle Legion - The Backyard
30. Ultravox - Rage in Eden
31. Nik Kershaw - The Riddle
32. Haircut 100 - Pelican West
33. New Order - Low-Life
34. The Cure - The Head On The Door
35. The Sisters of Mercy - First And Last And Always
36. The Call - Reconciled
37. Squeeze - Cool For Cats
38. Pet Shop Boys - Please
39. The Blow Monkeys - Limping For A Generation
40. Public Image Ltd. - 9
41. The Mighty Lemon Drops - Laughter
42. Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
43. Chilliwack - Wanna Be A Star
44. The Church - Of Skins And Heart
45. Modern English - After The Snow
46. The Pogues - Red Roses For Me
47. Pylon - Gyrate
48. Translator - Heartbeats and Triggers
49. The Psychedelic Furs - Mirror Moves
50. The Stranglers - Aural Sculpture

[pelagius]

Nice list IPU ... there are a few on there I have never listened to and a few I had pretty much forgotten about ... so it gives me some albums to check out.

I'm pleased to see the Stranglers made your list. I've always like the post-punk Stranglers stuff.

[landpoke]

Any 80's list that does not include the Crüe is morally bankrupt. And don't feed me your New Wave blah blah blah, the Crüe transcends the various genre and subcategories.

[MarkGrace]

I'm not a big aficionado of 80s music as I was still too young during that era, but none of the stuff I really like from that decade (Pixes, Joy Division -- I'm not counting New Order, Talking Heads) is represented on your list

[TripletDaddy]

epu, I don't get into lists, but I find yours odd.

It doesn't even contain a reference to your namesake...Birth School Work Death. What gives?

[bluegoose]

It took me down to #7 before I could figure out if the artist or the album was listed first.

No U2 or REM on that list. I'm shocked IPU.

[BigPiney]

My 2 favorite albums from the 80's

Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
and
The Traveling Wilburys - The Traveling Wilburys Vol 1

[il Padrino Ute]

I'm not a big aficionado of 80s music as I was still too young during that era, but none of the stuff I really like from that decade (Pixes, Joy Division -- I'm not counting New Order, Talking Heads) is represented on your list

Joy Division only released two albums before Curtis hanged himself. I really considered to add that band to the list, but went with New Order simply because of longevity.

I am kicking myself for not listing Talking Heads. I like the Pixies, but consider them more 90s than 80s.

I figured you were too young when you mentioned you hadn't heard of Prefab Sprout and Icicle Works.

epu, I don't get into lists, but I find yours odd.

It doesn't even contain a reference to your namesake...Birth School Work Death. What gives?

This is what happens when I don't really think about what I'm doing. Should I decide to make a list of my 10 favorite bands, The Godfathers would be on the list. As would Husker Du.

It took me down to #7 before I could figure out if the artist or the album was listed first.

No U2 or REM on that list. I'm shocked IPU.

U2's Unforgettable Fire was a great album. As is REM's Life's Rich Pagent. Again, this was a rushed list. If I had expanded the list to 75 artists, they would have been on there.

Any 80's list that does not include the Crüe is morally bankrupt. And don't feed me your New Wave blah blah blah, the Crüe transcends the various genre and subcategories.

I don't like the hair bands of the 80s, unless I wanted a good laugh.

[Mormon Red Death]

Any 80's list that does not include the Crüe is morally bankrupt. And don't feed me your New Wave blah blah blah, the Crüe transcends the various genre and subcategories.

Amen brother

[jay santos]

I put together this list of some of my 50 favorite albums from the 80s. There are a few that were actually released in the late 70s, but they all pretty much would be considered the new wave/alternative/college genres with the exception of maybe two or three.

If it was a true favorites list, there would have been more than one by a number of artists. What I tried to do was list 50 artists and my favorite album from each.

In no particular order, here it is:

1. Furniture - The Wrong People
2. Icicle Works - The Small Price Of A Bicycle
3. Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen
4. The Rave-ups - Town and Country
5. Lotus Eaters - No Sense Of Sin
6. Wild Swans - Bringing Home The Ashes
7. Oingo Boingo - Good For Your Soul
8. China Crisis - Flaunt The Imperfection
9. The Lucy Show - Mania
10. Propaganda - A Secret Wish
11. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
12. The Police - Synchronicity
13. The Smithereens - Especially For You
14. OMD- Crush
15. Simple Minds - New Gold Dream ‘81-’82-’83-’84
16. Tears For Fears - The Hurting
17. Icehouse - Icehouse
18. Split Enz - True Colours
19. The Del Fuegos - Boston, Mass
20. Mental As Anything - Cats and Dogs
21. The English Beat - Wha’ppen?
22. The Jam - The Gift
23. Souixie and the Banshees - Tinderbox
24. Freur - Doot-Doot
25. Blancmange - Happy Families
26. The The - Soul Mining
27. Talk Talk - It’s My Life
28. XTC - Mummer
29. Miracle Legion - The Backyard
30. Ultravox - Rage in Eden
31. Nik Kershaw - The Riddle
32. Haircut 100 - Pelican West
33. New Order - Low-Life
34. The Cure - The Head On The Door
35. The Sisters of Mercy - First And Last And Always
36. The Call - Reconciled
37. Squeeze - Cool For Cats
38. Pet Shop Boys - Please
39. The Blow Monkeys - Limping For A Generation
40. Public Image Ltd. - 9
41. The Mighty Lemon Drops - Laughter
42. Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
43. Chilliwack - Wanna Be A Star
44. The Church - Of Skins And Heart
45. Modern English - After The Snow
46. The Pogues - Red Roses For Me
47. Pylon - Gyrate
48. Translator - Heartbeats and Triggers
49. The Psychedelic Furs - Mirror Moves
50. The Stranglers - Aural Sculpture

Cool list, thanks. I'll digest it in detail when I get more time, i.e. at work. But don't cop out. You gotta rank them. At least the top 20.

[YOhio]

No Georgia Satellites? That list is shit.

[Surfah]

There is stuff there that I don't know cause I am too young. Also seems a bit devoid of some punk that was too notable to leave out, though I know your tastes lie in new age. Some great albums there too.

[MarkGrace]

I like the Pixies, but consider them more 90s than 80s.

Huh what? They released what many consider to be 2 of the 10 best albums of the 80s.

[il Padrino Ute]

Huh what? They released what many consider to be 2 of the 10 best albums of the 80s.

You're correct. I just didn't become a fan of them until the early 90s.

[TripletDaddy]

Huh what? They released what many consider to be 2 of the 10 best albums of the 80s.

Also, in fairness, the Pixie love did not come until later. Kurt Cobain did more for the Pixies than the Pixies ever did.

They were not hugely popular in the late 80s. I promise you that in 1989, nobody was hailing the Pixies as having put out one of the greatest records of the decade.

That being said, the Pixies did put out on the best albums of the decade. Unless you like hair metal, in which case, Motley Crue or Poison put out the best records.