Your Favourite (NON film / game / tv scores) Albums from the 80s

I think a thread like this needs to have parameters. For example, you can add a rule that you can only have one album pr. artist/band/etc. Otherwise, my list would be full of multiple albums by Jarre, Alan Parsons, Supertramp etc.

Mostly mainstream and radio-friendly (which still kicks ass to this day), and some good old hard-rock / metal.

A-Ha - Hunting High and Low
A-Ha - Scoundrel Days
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet *
Depeche Mode - Some Great Reward *
Duran Duran - Seven and the Ragged Tiger *
Europe - The Final Countdown *
Guns n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction *
Iron Maiden - Powerslave
Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Michael Jackson - Bad
Manowar - Kings of Metal
Metallica - Ride the Lightning
Metallica - Master of Puppets
Metallica - And Justice for All
Mr Mister - Welcome to the Real World *
U2 - The Joshua Tree *

* Of these I once bought a vinyl on release.

Strangely enough I bought the A-Ha and MJ albums during the last 6 years, very long overdue.

No parameters, otherwise mine would be a very short list.

And I forgot the band and album that started it all (Duran Duran)

I guess everyone can do what they want. Volker didn't specify anything.

Just to challenge myself, though, I'm gonna keep it to one album pr. artist.

Can't you nudge Motorhead in there? That takes it to at least two

Here's my pretty eclectic list...


WORD OF MOUTH - Jaco Pastorius

IF THIS BASS COULD TALK - Stanley Clarke

THE SENSUAL WORLD - Kate Bush

ELIMINATOR - ZZ Top

THE ESSENTIAL - Mark King

CRISES - Mike Oldfield

SIGN O'THE TIMES - Prince

GRACE AND DANGER - John Martyn

WHEN A GUITAR PLAYS THE BLUES - Roy Buchanan

STILL LIFE TALKING - Pat Metheny Group

TREASURE - The Cocteau Twins

THERE & BACK - Jeff Beck

THE KISS ( AND OTHER MOVEMENTS ) - Michael Nyman

ONE SECOND - Yello

BOYS AND GIRLS - Bryan Ferry

INFECTED - The The

HOTTER THAN JULY - Stevie Wonder

SCARY MONSTERS - David Bowie

BORN TO LAUGH AT TORNADOES - Was Not Was

COSMIC THING - The B-52's

We're a pretty caring bunch around here. I mean, where else would you go?

OK, these are just 20 random albums (more or less) that all mean a lot to me. I'm missing about a gazillion albums (mostly in the rock idiom), but hey -- you gotta start somewhere. I managed to boil it down to one album pr. artist, except APP (and I cheated a bit when including solo albums by Floyd members):

ABBA - "The Visitors" (1982)

a-ha - "Hunting High and Low" (1985)

The Alan Parsons Project - "Eye in the Sky" (1982) / "The Turn of a Friendly Card" (1980)

David Gilmour - "About Face" (1984)

Roger Waters - "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" (1984)

Oingo Boingo - "Dead Man's Party" (1985)

Supertramp - "Famous Last Words (1982)

Pink Floyd - "Momentary Lapse of Reason" (1987)

Dire Straits - "Love Over Gold" (1982)

Manfred Mann's Earthband - "Somewhere in Afrika" (1982)

Jean Michel Jarre - "En Concert - Houston/Lyon" (1987)

Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus - "Chess" (1984)

Vangelis - "Direct" (1988)

The Rolling Stones - "Tattoo You" (1981)

Metalica - "Kill 'em All" (1983)

Peter Gabriel - "So" (1986)

Michael Jackson - "Thriller" (1982)

Kraftwerk - "Computer World" (1981)

Pet Shop Boys - "Actually" (1987)

Tangerine Dream - "Optical Race" (1987)

(if I think the 80s was hard, I can only imagine how hard it must be with the 70s -- which is the most-represented decade in my collection, popular music-wise).

Some things I've never managed to latch on to include indiepop, punk or more 'gritty' affairs. But raw rock'n'roll, I can appreciate -- I considered including stuff like Springsteen's "Born in the USA" (or his 3CD live set) as well as John Fogery's brilliant solo album "Centerfield". But I DO like 80s rap and hip hop, including Grandmaster Flash, Sugar Hill Gang, Run DMC, Ice-T, Public Enemy etc. Just not enough to put it on the list. I DON'T like most rap and hip hop from the 90s onwards.

All of these came to mind earlier when the subject came up in the other thread.

I'll put a list together later when I can be arsed.

Yes, I think so -- but it's more "polished" and pop/blues-oriented (with some elements of traditional folk), since Gilmour is now the main songwriter. I like the hit song "Learning to Fly", but there's FAR more to this album than that; some very film music-like segments as well.

"Love over Gold" - Dire Straits
Yes, that one definitely!

Oh, and as Timmer mentiones Bryan Ferry

"Avalon" by Roxy Music

And "The Hunting of the Snark" by Mike Batt

I have a strange history with 80s music. I was only 7 when 1990 came along - not old enough to have formed much of a personal musical identity. I most just listened to whatever my parents played in car or on the radio, which was mostly 70s stuff. I didn't really get into 80s music until some of my friends (who had older siblings) introduced me to it. I got to know and like it better and better as the 90s went on. By the turn of the century I was pretty familiar with Depeche Mode, Erasure, Duran Duran, Van Halen, and Journey (they were my favorites). I never got into Michael Jackson or Prince at all. We had a radio station that would play tons of 80s music that listened to all the time in the late 90s. My favorite band by far was U2, and there albums were the only 80s albums I ever actually purchased. I had October, Joshua Tree, and Rattle and Hum. I still love Joshua Tree. It's one of my favorite albums ever.

I mostly agree with you here, I've always felt that his departure was "our" gain.

As for PF I could never get into their last album with Waters, The Final Cut.

I really like "The Piper at the Gate of Dawn" but I also thing that PF got more cohesive with Gilmore instead of Barrett. As to "The Final Cut": I like the album but it's not really a PF product. It's essentially a Waters solo album. Much more so than "The Wall" that had already been dominated by Waters.

Volker

Off the top of my head.

Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
- The greatest rock album of all time and my second favourite album of all time (Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell is #1). Second best opening to an album EVER; "Welcome To The Jungle." My second favourite song of all time; "Sweet Child O' Mine." (First best opening and favourite song "Bat Out Of Hell" )

Prince - Purple Rain
- Listened to this one to death when it first came out. Still a favourite to this day! Prince's guitar playing never got the respect it deserved!

Duran Duran - Rio
- Classic 80's album. One of my favourite bands.

Michael Jackson - Thriller
- The first ever album I purchased on my own. Great sound quality too.

Van Halen - 1984
- Eddie Van Halen is a legendary guitarist. Panama might be my favourite Van Halen song.

Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet
- Hit after hit after hit. Perfect 80's hard rock album.

Beastie Boys - License To Ill
- Fight For Your Right To Party! The quintessential 80's anthem right there. These guy revolutionized music!

U2 - Joshua Tree
- Simply perfect!

AC/CD - Back In Black
- The Razor's Edge is my favoirte AC/DC album but holy shit... the sheer amount of classic tunes on this album alone is mind boggling!

Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA
- It's my Dad's Favourite album and so we listened to it in the house all the time... and I didn't mind it. I still listen to it this day!

Aerosmith - Pump
- "Love in an Elevator" made me a fan. "Janie's Got a Gun" is exquisite musical storytelling!

Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry
- Their videos were outrageous. Song's were tuneful and crowd pleasing. My son LOVES these guys and wakes up every morning to "I Wanna Rock." No word of a lie!

ZZ Top - Eliminator
- Killer southern guitar rock!

Back to the Future - Songtrack
- Huey Lewis and the News wrote two of my all time favourite movie tunes.

Bryan Adams - Reckless
- A shit ton of chart toppers on this one. A summer favourite for me.

NWA - Straight Outta Compton
- These guys opened my eyes to a life style I had no idea existed. These guys were lyrical poets. Dr Dre. is easily one of the GREAT musical artists. Ice Cube had such a singular sound. I wish he was around to add his rhymes to "100 Miles And Runnin'", which is still one of THE greatest songs of all time.

That's all I got.

-Erik-