Treble's Best Albums of the '80s

by Treble Staff; Intro by Terrance Terich

09.05.2006





Out of all the `best of' lists dealing with albums from decades past, I most looked forward to working on the '80s. As far as coming of age, being exposed to some of the best music, and starting a lifetime love with literally hundreds of bands, the '80s were my proving ground. Some of the first cassettes I ever owned were bought in the early part of the decade, while the latter years found my obsession with music only growing, never realizing that CD's (as opposed to the cassettes that began the decade) would take over entire rooms of my house.

When last we left our decade retrospectives, the '70s had come to a close with the eventual fade of prog, the fiery death of disco and the brash gobsmack in the face that was punk. In a way, just like Paul Thomas Anderson portrayed in Boogie Nights when William H. Macy's character committed suicide at the New Year's Eve party, the '80s brought on a loss of innocence. The '80s began on a dark turn with the suicide of Ian Curtis and ended with the explosion of gangsta rap and baggy Britpop. In between was a wealth of different styles and genres and the rise of some of the biggest artists in rock history including U2, the Pixies, Depeche Mode, New Order, Michael Jackson and the Smiths.

Punk continued its onslaught in the beginning of the decade by penetrating the west coast with the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag while post-punk rose from its non-existent ashes in Gang of Four and Echo & the Bunnymen. 1982 brought on some of the biggest albums of the decade with the aforementioned Thriller, a stellar dark album from the Boss and watershed albums from Duran Duran, the Clash and Prince. The middle of the decade revived the idea of the independent label as college radio rose in popularity thanks to R.E.M., Hόsker Dό, and the Replacements.

Last year, the Clash's London Calling ended up as the largest single vote receiver in the entire decade of the 70's, just barely making the cut with its mid-December release in the UK in 1979. The biggest vote-getter in the '80s turned up in mid June of 1986, a powerhouse of an album by a couple of kids known by some as Morrissey and Marr. Following close behind in the overall totals were albums by the Pixies and Joy Division. And while most everyone could agree on the overall merits of those particular albums, others sadly didn't make the cut. Some of those might still be included in this '80s retrospective as "Personal Bests," albums which meant a great deal to a particular Treble writer, yet didn't rate in the final tally.

Albums by the Television Personalities, the Comsat Angels, the Fall, Roxy Music, the Stray Cats, Bauhaus, Devo, Split Enz, the Durutti Column, the Birthday Party, PIL, Mission of Burma and yes, even Journey, were unfortunately left behind. Yet their omission proves the strength of the final list as each album had to be incredibly strong to end up passing muster. So break out the jelly bracelets, the Members Only jackets, Rubik's Cubes, Pac-Man video games and Cabbage Patch Dolls, it's time for a fun-filled flux capacitor fueled trip to the `me' decade. 1.21 gigawatts!!!!

1980

10. AC/DC — Back in Black (Atco)

When Bon Scott died in 1980 after suffocating on his own vomit from a night of excessive drinking and falling asleep in his car with his head tilted back against the head rest, the remaining members were pressed to find a new lead singer. Through the grapevine of the music business, the members of AC/DC heard about a brute singer from Newcastle, England whose scraping vocal purveyance was similar to Scott. Enter Brian Johnson. – Susan Frances



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9. Dead Kennedys — Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (Alternative Tentacles)

Not only was it the best selling and most touted record of the Dead Kennedys' career, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is also one of Steve Buscemi's all time favorite records. That factoid alone should be enough to wrap up this review and make you go get it ASAP, pending you don't have a copy. Led by the craggy voiced Jello Biafra and the wrangling riffs of guitarist East Bay Ray (who also produced) with a full throttle punk assault, Biafra's lyrics were very satirical, yet still managed to convey and come across better than the raw truth. – Chris Pacifico

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8. The Clash — Sandinista (Epic)

Sure, making a breakout, landmark, iconic, legendary, and universally praised album is a great thrill but the tricky part comes with following it up. Case in point would have to be the Clash's 1979 groundbreaking London Calling. It was the first time that a punk band with their sway opened the door experimentation, peeking their heads into a slew of sounds. In 1980 they walked right in with Sandinista! a triple record assortment of reggae, rockabilly, twang, pop, go-go and a whole plethora of others. And how cool were the Clash? They made sure that the label sold it at the price of a single LP agreeing to pay the difference out of their own royalties. – Chris Pacifico

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7. Echo & The Bunnymen — Crocodiles (Korova - Sire)

Crocodiles at its best is a showcase for Ian McCulloch's snappy rhythm guitar lines (which he claims he nicked from VU), his singular lyrics and dramatic voice. At its worst, Crocodiles is the first bold step in a long series of bold steps for a band just finding its footing. Rather than stumble, however, Echo plant their feet firmly, finding their own sound that's heavily influenced, yet never derivative. Over the next few years, Ian's voice will only become more seasoned, and the band as one will explore new territories of pop and post-punk. But for that raw psychedelic sound, you simply can't beat Crocodiles, a stellar debut by any measurement. – Terrance Terich

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6. The Jam — Sound Affects (Polydor)

Clever guy, that Paul Weller. Along with the rest of The Jam, he created sound effects that have lasted 20 years after the fact. Look at the bands spiraling out of the pop machine today, derived from their nifty mod look and pumping out angular rhythms that punk fans in the '80s seem to recall well. On a related note, Weller had quite a lot to do with bringing "post-punk" to our lips, a term music journalists now keep sacks of next to their desks, tossing them into their writing like cheap seasoning. But Sound Affects, the Jam's 1980 release, trumps those achievements in its ambition. Many a hippie music teacher has rambled about uniting the world through song, and in choosing the title he did, Weller, in his own misanthropic way, was praising music's ability to make an emotional connection with its listeners. It's well-referenced that Revolver was a major inspiration for this record, with Weller even going so far as nicking the bass line from "Taxman" for "Start!" Though they reach for homage, the music is clearly their own. – Andrew Good

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5. David Bowie — Scary Monsters (RCA)

Gone was the Nietzschean, space-wunderkind of youth, the strutting, multicolored peacock of pop artists. He'd gone weird for a time, visiting Berlin, making strange sounds and dreaming about `heroes.' But even spacemen grow up, and when Bowie returned from his voyage into ambient and experimental realms, he brought a certain world-weariness with him to the recording studio. Scary Monsters, almost perfunctorily labeled his last great album-, echoes with howls from a man against a wall. Alienation from the world, his fans, his fans-turned-artists, and, of course, himself, makes this certainly one of Bowie's most angry releases. But as with earlier incarnations, Bowie the artist and Bowie the pop musician have equal authority over his work, crafting some of his most popular songs in an altogether distinctive album. – Andrew Good

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4. Elvis Costello and the Attractions — Get Happy (Columbia)

While Get Happy!! marked the beginning of a new decade for the world, Costello was still churning out the type of mirthful and defamatory pop goodness that had come to define him. It's not so much that his style was "new" as it is was "smart;" expanding on old romantic conventions with tortured wisdom and caustic grins. "Love For Tender" kicks off the album with these precise elements, a twist inducing organ touch coupled with the second to none rhythm section of the Attractions' Thomas brothers, the play-on-words title alone suggests the unctuous charisma and de-beautification of romance the lyrics come to reveal: "So in love, I'm so sincere/Just like a well-known financier/You know I've never been corrupt/I'll pay you a compliment/And you'll think I am innocent/You can total up the balance sheet/And never know if I'm a counterfeit/You won't take my love for tender..." – Kevin Falahee

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3.X — Los Angeles (Slash)

Forever associated with Brett Easton Ellis novels in my mind, X really beat my prejudice with the whirring stick. Los Angeles provides fairly simplistic music--rather obviously punk and unconcerned with much. But, it's really, really, good. Somewhere between a West Coast Raw Power and an American Never Mind the Bollocks, few albums sound this seamlessly ramshackle. Doe's bass, Zoom's guitar, Cervenka's yelp—it could all have been picked from a bargain bin at Amoeba. Suitable sounds when the greatest sin is apathy. – Thomas Lee

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2.Talking Heads — Remain in Light (Sire)

Taken as a whole piece from its relentlessly paced beginnings to its eventual slowing into a defeated crawl, Remain in Light depicts a a series of narrators trying to come to grips with various existential crises and the onset of middle age. These narrators are navigating through their problems in a world that has become overloaded with useless information. As these narrators finally succumb to the yoke, the darker message underlying Remain in Light steps forward, a decrepit Atlas hunched over like a question mark. The future is defined not by the occasional glimmer of bright lights but the melancholy and the mystery of an unfamiliar road. – Hubert Vigilla

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1.Joy Division — Closer (Factory)

Joy Division didn't last long; only two studio albums under their belt, and things were brought to an abrupt halt in 1980 when frontman Ian Curtis hanged himself in his flat. Though the remaining three members would soldier on as the decidedly more upbeat New Order, leaving behind an exponentially larger discography and still performing today. But even with only two albums in tow, Joy Division made their moments count. Closer, which was, in effect, a career "closer," ended things at the band's peak. It's a dark and dingy record; it's a disturbing and uneasy museum of horrors and curiosities. And in many of it's finest moments, it absolutely rocks. It's no wonder so many bands attempt to steal from Closer, hardly anything else sounds this masterful and overwhelming. – Jeff Terich

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Personal Best

Bauhaus - In The Flat Field (4AD)

This might have been the true beginning of a genre we would all soon mock and ridicule. Though The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees technically came before, Bauhaus were the true superstars of goth. Peter Murphy was the requisite theatrical frontman, which was one reason why they were initially panned by critics. But theatricality was the point. Rock `n' roll is meant to be a show, a spectacle, an experience. And In the Flat Field was one damn impressive one. — Jeff Terich

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Prince - Dirty Mind (Warner Bros.)

Prince was somewhat of an anomaly in the music business. He started in the same city as Bob Dylan, yet his music crossed more genres that Dylan ever could have, and that's really saying something. With two albums under his belt in the late '70s and a few minor hits, Prince solidified his status as master songwriter, composer and sex god in 1980 with the masterful Dirty Mind. In fact, Dirty Mind began one of the best successive album runs in pop history, lasting until late in the decade. It was Prince's time, and although rivaled commercially by Michael Jackson, far outshone the self-proclaimed `king of pop' in sheer scope of work. – Terrance Terich

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Teardrop Explodes - Kilimanjaro (Fontana)

Call it a punk rock Romulus and Remus story; in Liverpool in the late '70s, there existed two post-punk siblings, Echo and the Bunnymen and Teadrop Explodes. While they were both spawned from the same family (Wah!) they each took decidedly different paths. Echo would last for the better part of a decade, split and reform with varying degrees of success, but Teardrop Explodes, essentially, exploded, leaving behind the ashes of two great albums, their peak being the awe-inspiring Kilimanjaro. Psychedelic, intense and altogether unique, it was the mark of a highly volatile, exciting, but ultimately short-lived band. Though Wilder followed shortly, nothing would match the power and weirdness of this awesome debut. – Jeff Terich

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U2 - Boy (Island)

Every story has to start somewhere and U2's starts with Boy. Looking back on it now, who would have ever thought that the little Irish band who won a contest sponsored by Guinness would be selling out every show they play, no matter what the size of the venue. Boy wasn't a huge splash, merely a ripple, but those ripples cascaded into tidal waves, affecting everything in its path. – Terrance Terich

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1981

10. The Raincoats — Odyshape (Rough Trade)

Odyshape is a difficult album to describe. The closest thing I can come to is this: rather than a clandestine peer downstairs to catch a conversation, Odyshape is more like listening to disjointed voices that come and go in a hallway or on a city street below; you're still listening in, but the voices are jumbled and even more off-kilter than before. For instance, on "Go Away," the bass and drums and guitar and vocals and siren squeals of violin move at once independently and yet in some anarchic order like the frantic motion of an octopus' tentacles. – Hubert Vigilla

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9. Kraftwerk — Computer World (EMI)

Kraftwerk's pioneering work in the field of electronic music makes this album essential listening not only so you can see where a lot of what followed actually came from, but because it captures the zeitgeist of post-war West Germany and the hypnotic rhythms and sounds sound as compelling and unexpected today as they did in 1981. The synthesized voices are bone-chillingly eerie, the sound of the album is pristine and remarkably prescient. – Chris Griffiths

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8. The Gun Club — Fire of Love (Slash)

Fire of Love is, quite possibly, the scariest album released in 1981. Bloodlust, voodoo, heroin, alcohol and Satan himself populate this album, exorcised by the possessed, preachin' frontman Jeffrey Lee Pierce, a man known as much for his unruly behavior offstage as he was for his intense performances. Bands this destructive and haunted shouldn't last long, though the Gun Club carried well into the '90s, even if no subsequent release replicated the harrowing and gruesome experience of their fiery debut. – Jeff Terich

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7. The Cure — Faith (Fiction)

Early on, The Cure had a reputation for being overly gloomy with their haunting dirges, somber tones, and ghostly blurry vocals. Faith, their third (or fourth if you count Boys Don't Cry) album in a catalog that spans 41 albums (counting all of their the LP's, live records, reissues, and deluxe editions), showcases the band's artistic leaning toward goth rock, synth-pop, electro-prog, and ambient music. The atmospheric pieces of Faith produce cavernous echoes, strong funky beats countered by minimalist drum rolls, and spacious arrangements that spread mesas of sound waves across wide melodic fields. – Susan Frances

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6. X — Wild Gift (Slash)

At the risk of being thought exceedingly literal in my interpretation, I have chosen to think of Wild Gift as just that, an offering, simply a gift—though not a simple gift. That "wild" is a part of the title is illustrative of the fact that X was at the time a band not only consciously, but willfully reckless. And as with many other Los Angeles bands at the time, this was in part a response to stifling boredom and unrest, dissatisfaction with the sprawling suburban landscape emanating from the city and the regimented existences it offered as possibilities. It was a wildness fixated on, if not decapitating outrightly, devaluing a broad range of authority figures and the mores which they espoused. But more than that, it was an expression, through music and excessive living, of the irreducible inner turbulence which artists have been rendering actual for time immemorial. – Tyler Parks

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5. The Police — Ghost in the Machine (A&M)

Ghost in the Machine might have been one of those albums that got more wear out of side A than side B in its vinyl incarnation, but the darkness and political messages throughout made it a perfect example of Reagan / Thatcher-age blues, depression and paranoia. Of course, we seem to be living in a similar if not worse age today, making Ghost in the Machine ripe for a revisit. So, whaddya say guys? Ready for a reissue, or better yet, a reunion tour? – Terrance Terich

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4. Psychedelic Furs — TalkTalkTalk (Columbia)

Few bands in the '80s created pop singles as perfect as the ones The Psychedelic Furs did. Yet their biggest, "Pretty in Pink," didn't receive its due until five years after its release, with the addition of big time production values and extra saxophone. Listening to the remainder of Talk Talk Talk, from which "Pretty in Pink" comes, it makes perfect sense. Though the hooks were there, so were the jagged barbs, the cynicism, the dissonance; pop stardom wasn't quite in the cards. A perfect post-punk album was, however, and with that under their belts, there was very little to stand in their way. – Jeff Terich

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3.Black Flag — Damaged (SST)

Damaged was an album with which many disenfranchised kids could identify, expressing their outrage toward all forms of authority, be it at school, in a social context, the police and, yes, parents. Anti-social numbers like "Spray Paint (The Walls)" said it all (even though the track itself is only 33 seconds) with Rollins screaming "I don't want to see the plan succeed/There won't be room for people like me/My life is their disease/It feels good and I'm gonna go wild!" – Chris Pacifico

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2.Gang of Four — Solid Gold (Warner Bros.)

It's hard for me to imagine Bloc Party singing about the "Price Of Gas" if Jon King hadn't first sung out against consumerism in the quirky "Cheeseburger." And I'd be willing to bet that The Rakes wouldn't be protesting the drudgery of the 9 to 5 workday if not for "A Hole In The Wallet." It has me hoping that maybe Billy Joe Armstrong will re-listen to Gang Of Four's first two albums before he steps back into the studio to make the follow-up to American Idiot (Dear God, please!). Those influenced aside, Solid Gold, as a stand alone collection of songs that characterized the post-punk movement it would later foster, is rather remarkable. – Mars Simpson

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1.Elvis Costello and the Attractions — Trust (Columbia)

Trust, Costello's fifth full-length, is an odd one. It didn't have songs that were nearly the standout successes that were featured in his first three albums, and yet "From a Whisper to a Scream" was the first single to actually chart with Billboard. "Clubland" is an instantly recognizable song that appears on most of Costello's greatest hits collections, yet isn't usually held up to the standards set by such tracks as "Radio Radio" or "(What's So Funny Bout) Peace Love and Understanding." The truth is that Trust is probably the most diverse and yet consistently great album that Elvis and the Attractions ever released. – Terrance Terich

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Personal Best

Duran Duran - Duran Duran (Capitol)

Duran Duran set the standard for the new romantic movement, creating songs based almost entirely around synthesizer and bass while sporting poofy clothes and gravity-defying hair. Posters of every member, individually or as a group, adorned teenage girls' walls, including those of my sister. There was no denying the power of Duran Duran, girls wanted to be with them, boys wanted to be them. Out of all of their albums, only their first two have stood the test of time, and it was the first, self-titled album, that proved to be the blueprint for the bevy of 80's knockoffs out there today. – Terrance Terich

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Echo & The Bunnymen - Heaven Up Here (Sire)

Following their debut release Crocodiles, Liverpool lads Echo and the Bunnymen didn't let the lore of the sophomore slump fall upon them with Heaven Up Here, which was not only their most driven and possibly darkest album of their career but the first one to earn a spot on the UK's Top Ten album chart at the time. – Chris Pacifico

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Brian Eno and David Byrne - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (Sire)

Brian Eno and David Byrne had begun a collaborative sort of relationship back in 1978, when Eno took on production duties for the Talking Heads' album, More Songs About Buildings And Food, but their collaborative works wouldn't achieve their critical mixture until the '80s, when their experimental work would splinter off from the Talking Heads and gel into the oddball sample-based work, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Though hundreds of albums seem to have borrowed from its multi-cultural mix of samples, funk and digital ambience, Ghosts still out-weirds, and out-funks, them all. – Jeff Terich

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1982

10. X — Under the Big Black Sun (Slash)

With all due respect to their incredible debut, Los Angeles, it is Under the Big Black Sun on which X transcends their LA punk roots and solidifies them as a truly great band. The story of Under the Big Black Sun is a tragic one. Before recording, Cervenka learned that her sister had been killed by a drunk driver. It is a clichι to say that pain begats great art but a clichι wouldn't be a clichι if there weren't some truth behind it. – Molly B. Eichel

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9. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five — The Message (Sugar Hill)

Looking at the cover to The Message provides an overview of the entire album. You've got Grandmaster Flash, the Furious Five and Duke Bootee looking fresh—striking a pose on the street as if this brief bit of posturing were done while en route to a B-boy party—while in the background you've got glimpses of urban decay best depicted by the torn up storefront sign. It's an eclectic and solid album all the way through that epitomizes all that's great about old school hip-hop, but it's the combination of the party atmosphere and urban decay that makes The Message an important creative social statement for everyone involved. – Hubert Vigilla

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8. Prince — 1999 (Warner Bros.)

Appreciation of Prince is always more fully rendered by the fluid movement of bodies. The clumsy groping of language seems particularly ill adapted to the task. 1999 demands to be expressed visually and physically. It has crossed my mind that I should simply depict the movements, fluid to the imagination of their purveyors, of a group of people in a dimmed living room, all of them slightly licentious with intoxication, all of them feeling the groove that is 1999. – Tyler Parks

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7. Duran Duran — Rio (Capitol)

While their debut contained a trio of hit singles in "Planet Earth," "Girls on Film" and "Is There Something I Should Know," it was Rio that made Duran Duran into superstars, teen idols and music video heroes. Rio was actually the first cassette I ever bought with my own money so it holds a special place in my heart. It wasn't the first album I ever owned; I did have a handful of vinyl records, but the early '80s heralded the debut of the Walkman and cassettes were all the rage. Unfortunately, the small rectangular plastic case couldn't well represent the largesse of the biggest '80s new romantic band in the land, Duran Duran. Rarely does an album cover truly fit the style and attitude within, with maybe only the Clash's London Calling as the most obvious example, but the Nagel painted cover not only encapsulated the slick new wave of the stylish band, but also the early '80s in general. – Terrance Terich

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6. The Clash — Combat Rock (Epic)

Combat Rock, a short and rather succinct effort in comparison to Sandinista!'s self-censorship-be-damned complex, is a surprisingly consistent and oft-bewildering statement-of-brevity, a far cry from the "sell out" so many punker-than-thou breast beaters proclaimed at the time. And for all the supposed controversy that came with a classic punk band hitting mass airwaves, both hit singles ("Should I Stay, Or Should I Go?" and "Rock The Casbah") are brilliant pop songs, not only two of the strongest in the Clash's catalog, but two of the '80s' most endearing hits. – Paul Haney

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5. Mission of Burma — Vs. (Ace of Hearts)

It took Mission of Burma 22 fucking years to follow-up their debut album, Vs. This can be attributed to the band members' countless other projects with which they became involved, the band itself essentially dissolving. But it may have something to do with the album being a complete statement in and of itself. As guitar, bass, drums, tape loops and unruly, civilly disobedient shouts combine in viscous, caustic motion, something beautiful and horrendously painful forms. One listen to "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate" and all other songs become irrelevant. But then again, The Obliterati does kick a lot of ass. – Jeff Terich

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4. Elvis Costello and the Attractions — ImperialBedroom (Columbia)

It has been said that certain songwriters throughout the twentieth century have been seekers of the end to their own medium—that they are ever in pursuit of the "perfect pop song." To name only a few of the most obvious: Burt Bacharach and Phil Spector, Ray Davies, Lennon and McCartney, Brian Wilson. Naturally then, there have been some songwriters, often the same that sought the above grail, who since the advent of the album's supremacy in the 1960s, have been, consciously or not, drawn to the composition of a "perfect pop album." Elvis Costello is one such songwriter, and more than any other of his albums, Imperial Bedroom reflects this. – Tyler Parks

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3.Michael Jackson — Thriller (Epic)

Some would argue that it's the greatest single recording in the history of music—it still ranks as best selling album of all time—showcasing an artist fully in control of the creative forces rampant in his mind. From beginning to end, Thriller is Michael Jackson's royal proclamation, the crown of Pop-landia belonged solely to him. From incorporating vastly different influences, the new romantic tinged "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" to the driving rock beat of "Billie Jean," Michael was able to create a work of art that everyone could access and share. – Dean Steckel

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2.The Cure — Pornography (Fiction)

Pornography, despite its titular implications, is far from a salacious feast for those in search of stimulation. It's a horrific experience. Love is hopeless, sex is repulsive, people are unsympathetic and cruel, and life simply isn't worth living. And yeah, there's that ever-present drug problem. Robert Smith eventually got comfortable, got married and wrote a few hit singles. To hear Smith on Pornography, though, was to hear him inches from losing it altogether. – Jeff Terich

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1.Bruce Springsteen — Nebraska (Columbia)

Bruce Springsteen was at a time in his life when he didn't necessarily need to record demos. He had just come off the double album, The River which spawned yet another hit single for the Boss in "Hungry Heart." It would be two more years until Bruce would vault old time American rock and roll back into the forefront of American consciousness with Born in the U.S.A. But in between those monumental successes was a quiet, dark and disturbing album, recorded by Springsteen in his basement without the `E' Street Band. More often than not, reviewers tend to make grandiose statements about artists or albums being essential when they're really not. But if there is one album that I would surreptitiously place on every CD rack in every home in America, it is Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska. – Terrance Terich

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Personal Best

The Birthday Party - Junkyard (4AD)

In The Birthday Party's world, there is no mid-range; there is only bowel trembling low-end and eardrum shattering highs. The sound of The Birthday Party circa 1982 was something like a knife fight between Iggy Pop, Bo Diddley and Suicide—and everybody gets cut. It seems only appropriate, then, that there would be a song titled "6" Gold Blade" on the album, brutally describing a murder over a haunting mix of rockabilly and no-wave, bluesy riffs combining with sledgehammer bass grooves. – Jeff Terich

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English Beat - Special Beat Service (Sire)

Gone were attacks on Thatcher and her reign over England and in their place, songs about love triangles, kids' games and various aspects of relationships. With the subject matter, so too did styles change. There were still the requisite sax-heavy skanking numbers and at least one toasting track, but for the most part, the English Beat became a jangly pop confection, and one that made an absolutely exquisite album. Special Beat Service quickly became one of my favorite albums, and still finds its way into my playlist on a regular basis. – Terrance Terich

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1983

10. David Bowie — Let's Dance (Virgin)

After a three-year hiatus, David Bowie had risen from his cocoon and transformed once again to a bleach blonde pompadoured new romantic funkster. Major Tom had bookended the seventies in "Space Oddity" and "Ashes to Ashes," and the early '80s gave birth to a new type of Bowie superhero, the Modern Lover. Bowie had influenced an entire batch of musicians that emerged in the early `80s as the new romantics. So, to complete the musical circle of life, Bowie recorded his own new romantic album with the guidance of Nile Rodgers. From Scary Monsters to Let's Dance, Bowie seemed far less troubled and ready to have a good time, thus the inviting party-like title. – Terrance Terich

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9. Aztec Camera — High Land, Hard Rain (Sire-Rough Trade)

High Land, Hard Rain is one of those absolutely brilliant debuts, one that showcases an artist with both immediate musical genius and limitless potential. It's quite rare that I use the term `guitar god,' as I find it too often thrown about without merit, but Roddy Frame, at only 19 when High Land, Hard Rain was released, truly deserves the title. His acoustic stylings go from jazz to pop to Spanish flavors with each song, and each note is intricately played and placed. His lyrics were smart enough to be considered second only to Elvis Costello. His voice was deep, slightly nasal and with just a little Scottish accent, years before Britpop would become the mode du jour. – Terrance Terich

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8. Echo & The Bunnymen — Porcupine (Sire)

The Bunnymen's decision to keep things a little cynical, or at least sensible, despite making music to move mountains, has been a defining characteristic. They've never quite crossed over to super band status, and one senses that they couldn't punch the air without a telling smile. Yet they've been up there, with company friendly songs, an available, endearing alternative on the festival and radio circuit. Both Chris Martin and a typical smirking independent critic would make a strong case for their existence. Porcupine embodies the things the Bunnymen do best. – Thomas Lee

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7. The Police — Synchronicity (A&M)

By the end of their career, The Police were not only at the height of popularity, but at an artistic peak as well. Synchronicity, the band's fifth and final album, was their most finely crafted pop album, loaded with hit singles that, despite appeasing the masses, represented their height of artistic creativity. No longer the brash young new wavers from the UK that churned out "Fallout" in 1978, The Police evolved into one of the biggest bands in the world, creating universal anthems while remaining smart and musically adventurous. Shortly afterward, they went on indefinite hiatus, and as far as we know, that hiatus is still on. – Jeff Terich

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6. Violent Femmes — Violent Femmes (Slash)

From the famous day they were discovered playing on a corner in Milwaukee, the Violent Femmes have been undeniably influential on both mainstream and underground music movements. Additionally, their self-titled debut is famous in its minimalist production, creative song structures, and infectious lyrics and tempos. And although the album did not become famous until a decade after its release, its underground popularity in the 1980s ultimately defined the album's overall influence on music history. To this day, you can't go a few blocks without meeting someone, anyone, who can recite the lyrics and imitate the percussive beats of "Blister in the Sun." – Anna Gazdowicz

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5. Talking Heads — Speaking in Tongues (Sire)

Speaking In Tongues is full of the fractured disco hinted at by the poppier side of Remain in Light and more fully realized on bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz's side project the Tom Tom Club. The split with Eno as a producer stripped the band of the harsher rhythms that marked their previous collaborations with the former Roxy Music member, making Speaking in Tongues a much smoother, but no less potent, listen. – Molly B. Eichel

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4. U2 — War (Island)

Before the ballads that would come to define their sound, before Bono made a mockery of the Spanish language and before they enlightened Dubya as to the African plight and way before those ridiculous fockin' sunglasses, U2 was a rock band, churning out cathartic pieces of dynamite that teemed with politic undertones. War, the group's third album, would come to stand as their opus and a creative benchmark that had not been reached in the music scene of Europe since London Calling. – Kevin Falahee

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3.Tom Waits — Swordfishtrombones (Island)

I have no idea what the hell a swordfishtrombone is. Maybe the gin-soaked boy knows. Maybe it's one of the soldier's things. Perhaps it grows underground Frank may have encountered one during his wild years, while on shore leave, or back in Johnsburg, Illinois. It could be at the end of trouble's braids or pumped full of thirteen shells from a thirty-ought six. Maybe it's in the neighborhood in a town with no cheer. Only one thing's for sure: it's one of Tom Waits' finest albums, and the initial descent toward bizarre boho experimentalism that would soon become his trademark. – Jeff Terich

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2.R.E.M. — Murmur (I.R.S.)

If Murmur was intended to be what its title suggested, it failed at being a bit of throwaway sound in the halls of college radio and '80s indie rock. Though when looking at and listening to R.E.M.'s debut - that seminal work that birthed alternative music, a phrase whose meaning has been used in recent years to refer to any and all bands - you can understand the aptness of the title rather than its irony. – Hubert Vigilla

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1.New Order — Power, Corruption & Lies (Factory)

There are dark themes on Power, Corruption and Lies, and there are melancholy melodies. But despite these shadowy moments, New Order's second album was the first in which they truly distanced themselves from Joy Division and released strong, cohesive statement all their own. Inspired in part by Kraftwerk while still retaining some of the post-punk guitar work that marked their early singles, Power was New Order's first perfect album, a triumphant and joyous statement of artiness and danceability; it's the thinking man's dance record and the dance music fan's cred-maker. It's one of the hippest albums on our whole entire list, and despite being electronica in its infancy, absolutely timeless. – Jeff Terich

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Personal Best

Tears for Fears - The Hurting (Mercury)

The Hurting would be Tears for Fears' most collaborative effort. Curt and Roland nearly equal each other in the lead vocal department with the opening title track featuring both as the frontmen. With each progressive album, TFF would become more and more Roland's brainchild as he agonized over every nuance and dominated the microphone. I am hard pressed to think of any other band that featured one singer on every successful pop single, with resulting albums favoring the `other' singer. Hit songs "Mad World," "Pale Shelter" and "Change" were all sung by Smith, and he is only given one major song to front on Songs from the Big Chair. How that worked out is beyond me. – Terrance Terich

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1984

10. U2 — The Unforgettable Fire (Island)

For their fourth album, U2 looked to Brian Eno, who had just formed a partnership with Daniel Lanois, for guidance. Eno had previously produced the legendary `Berlin' trilogy with David Bowie, a series of landmark albums by the Talking Heads, and the first albums from art-pop new wave band Devo. Lanois had played guitar and pedal steel on Raffi records. But together, they emerged as the pre-eminent production duo who produced not only The Unforgettable Fire, but also Peter Gabriel's So, and U2's gargantuan hit, The Joshua Tree. – Terrance Terich

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9. Talking Heads — Stop Making Sense (Sire)

In the movie, there's superb cinematography, a performance-art style of stage choreography, and one really big suit. In the movie soundtrack, there's absolutely amazing recording quality and perfect representation of the Talking Heads at their peak of '80s success. We all enjoy live recordings, and we enjoy them even more when they capture the best performances of one of the best bands of all time. – Anna Gazdowicz

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8. Bruce Springsteen — Born in the USA (Columbia)

Born in the USA was a strange evolutionary turn for Bruce. In 1982's breathtakingly amazing Nebraska, he seemed to abandon his brothers in the E Street Band and set out on a path of stark minimalist beauty. But the boys in the band come roaring back with the polished Born in the USA and it's their power that gives Bruce's stories strength. Every song on the album sounds as if there is an army behind it and you can almost feel the band's sense of camaraderie, which is only bolstered by Born in the USA's squeaky clean production.

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7. R.E.M. — Reckoning (IRS)

You're the brightest young band in the country. You've just come off of a year promoting a murky and artsy post-punk masterpiece. You're a college radio sensation. You've received Rolling Stone's prestigious honor of "Album of the Year." So how do you follow it up? With another ten classic songs of Rickenbacker jangle, among them some of the most accessible and crisp of your career, and all of them featuring cryptic and garbled yet articulately sung lyrics courtesy of Mumbly Joe Stipe. That's how. – Jeff Terich

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6. Echo & the Bunnymen — Ocean Rain (Sire)

The cover, as Spinal Tap would put it, could be none more blue, immediately setting a tone for the music within. Then you have Les and Pete each manning an oar, propelling the boat, as they do the band with their tight rhythm section. Then there's Will, arms crossed, pensive, sitting in the middle of the boat. He is somewhere between the artistic vision of Ian and the musicianship of the other two, wanting to be adventurous, but also keeping it reined in. Finally, there's Ian, leaning over the bow, one finger touching the surface of the water, ever inquisitive, trying to glean something from the blue. – Terrance Terich

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5. The Minutemen — Double Nickels on the Dime (SST)

Perhaps the most precise definition of The Minutemen is given within the first twenty seconds of Double Nickels: the first sound is D. Boon's car starting and the first lyric is "Serious as a heart attack." No doubt, this is a group that was, in one sense, serious as a heart attack, both in the content of their lyrics and in the distinctive music which they produced—music steeped in a broad curiosity and playful disregard for the boundaries, more and more leaden at the time, which punk rock had built around itself. – Tyler Parks

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4. Husker Du — Zen Arcade (SST)

Zen Arcade was a concept album of sorts, which revolved around an adolescent who runs away from a home life where he felt disenfranchised only to find out that the outside world is a much harsher place. Zen Arcade is one of the most influential albums of the past 25 years and has had a ripple effect soar all the way through most underground, independent, punk/alternative music since. It was also their last that displayed their most soaring solid hardcore knack that blended melodic pop distinctions and other psychedelic elements at times. – Chris Pacifico

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3. The Replacements — Let It Be (Twin/Tone)

People love the Replacements. Some of them mildly and with a knowing smile, others desperately and without cessation. All of those characteristics responsible for this love can be found in one shape or another on Let it Be. It is one of those rare albums which, though a departure from a band's previous work, seems to at once define them more accurately and more completely. That is, it does not feel like experimentation or the band getting away from its itself, but a more accurate distillation of what The Replacements are, of what they sound like. – Tyler PArks

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2. Prince — Purple Rain (Warner Bros.)

Prince battled off derisions about his height, sexuality, religion, appearance, race and just about everything in between, still vaulting himself into super stardom, not waiting for people to recognize his talents, but telling them, with Purple Rain in particular, that he was a star. Prince also shared a similar career ideology and path as my other favorite solo artist, David Bowie. Besides all of the comparisons that could be made due to the various slurs and criticisms heaped on each of them, on Bowie's album, The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, he created an alter ego, someone who could express everything he was thinking through a mask of sorts. So too did Prince on his fifth album, essentially a distilled soundtrack to the breakthrough musical film, Purple Rain, in the character of `the Kid' and his backup band, given title credit for the first time, the Revolution. – Terrance Terich

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1.The Smiths — The Smiths (Rough Trade - Sire)

One of those stuffy British rock magazines, be it Q, Mojo or Uncut, I can't really remember, called "This Charming Man" the birth of the indie rock single. That could have been said about a lot of songs that came before it, but The Smiths took a decidedly unconventional approach. Power chords and stadium anthems were off-limits. The working class joe and the rebellious, destructive punk were nowhere in sight. This wasn't just rock music, it was art. And since then, for better or for worse, every college kid in the US and the UK since this album's release has been using it as source material for mix tapes. – Jeff Terich

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Personal Best

The Alarm - Declaration (IRS)

The Welsh band The Alarm, a handful of singles in hand, had been heavily influenced by punk and native folk, but were suffering the slings and arrows of comparisons to another fiery and bombastic Celtic outfit, U2. So, when their debut album finally hit, it was bound to suffer the same fate, loved by many and blasted by critics as derivative. Declaration was the perfect name for the full-length debut, as it announced the arrival of a band with just as much passion, just as much politics, and far more hair than their critical counterparts. – Terrance Terich

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Spinal Tap - This is Spinal Tap (Polydor)

Spinal Tap represented everything that was right (in a kitschy way) and wrong (in the wrong way) with heavy metal. Garish, immature, misogynistic and poorly dressed, the big-haired guitar gods strutted around, vamping in leather or spandex pants while plowing mysticism and pseudo-religious mumbo jumbo for a hint of artistic or magical legitimacy. This is likely what led Michael McKean, David St. Hubbins' civilian alter ego, to proclaim that their metal music caricature band represented everything that a 14 year-old believed was sexy (i.e., things that weren't all that sexy). – Hubert Vigilla

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