The best albums of the early 1980s: 69 hits everyone should hear
Содержание
In the '80s, the era disco was coming to an end, and new genres of music began to emerge. This decade was a fateful one, for it was then that the world witnessed the creation of albums legendary Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden and many others. Curtis Blow made one of the first hip-hop tracks. Diana Ross, Donna Summer and Grace Jones have also made great results in this direction. "Queen" released one of the most marketed albums of the year. In this article, we've compiled the greatest hits of the early 1980s. It was a period in which there was something for of each.
69. The Cramps - Songs the Lord Taught Us
The band's debut album, which combines rock with creepy theatricality.
68. Art Ensemble of Chicago - Full Force
The improvisational jazz band's 1980 album includes some of their most compelling work.
67. Black Sabbath - Heaven & Hell
The heavy metal band's ninth studio album and first without the Ozzie. It turned out to be a completely new music. The success of this album showed that the band remains very flexible and dynamic, capable of creating masterpieces even without the most famous member of the team.
66. Pete Townshend - Empty Glass
The solo album by a member of The Who is an intimate and frank A portrait of a thinker who has more questions than answers.
65. Egberto Gismonti - Circense
Drawing inspiration from of the circus, The Brazilian composer's 1980 album combines traditional Brazilian rhythms with sounds from around the world.
64. George Jones - I Am What I Am
The country singer's 1980 album was one of his most commercially successful records. Includes hits such as "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and "I'm Not Ready Yet".
63. Jon Hassell / Brian Eno - Fourth World Vol. 1 - Possible Musics
Eno and Hassell's legendary collaboration is. ambient music with a global meaning. It proves the possibility of linking pop music with music from Africa and Asia.
62. Harold Budd/Brian Eno - Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror
The album is a continuation of Eno's ambient hits. The tracks consist of beautiful piano Harold Budd's fragments with Eno's electronic developments. This collaboration created subtle and exciting music that still sounds timeless.
61. Ramones - End of the Century
In the punk band's fifth studio record, "Ramones," it teamed up with the maestro of 1960s pop by Phil Spector to create one of their most popular albums. This collaboration disappointed some of their punk purist fans. But at the same time, the album exposed listeners to new music that hadn't been in this direction before.
60. Robert Palmer - Clues
Palmer's sixth solo album, although not notable for its length, is one of his most successful projects. The artist skilfully combines in rock and soul music compositions.
59. Rubén Blades - Maestra Vida
The Blades and Willie Colon's association expanded the boundaries of salsa music by creating a salsa opera style track that reflected the relationship between Carmelo and Manuela.
58. Merle Haggard - Back to the Barrooms
The country singer has recorded his 31st album, which is about the search for a consolations in alcohol because of a broken heart. This song is a tragic, though perhaps not entirely believable, tale of love and loss.
57. Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue
By 1980, the band was still on top of their game thanks to their hits from the previous decade. And their 1980 album didn't exceptions - the band continues its series of legendary songs.
56. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Against the Wind
Continuing his streak of successful records, Seger has released this album featuring touching ballads such as the fan favourite "You'll Accomp'ny Me".
55. The Blues Brothers - The Blues Brothers: Music From The Soundtrack
The soundtrack to the beloved film introduced young generation with seminal works by blues and R&B legends such as Ray Charles, Solomon Burke and Cab Calloway.
54. Adam and the Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier
Like their earlier work, the band's second new wave album owes a debt to percussion from Burundi. The band utilises this powerful foundation to create an album of daring pop tune.
53. Tom Waits - Heartattack and Vine
Timeless, Waites' seventh studio album is based on R&B, blues, rock and jazz. Tom wasn't afraid to experiment - listen to this album and you'll change your mind about what each of the above sounds like musical directions.
52. Brothers Johnson - Light Up the Night
The pop/R&B duo's fourth studio album was their last with Quincy Jones. It represents an optimistic, cheerful And an irresistible conclusion to an iconic band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDzH7ecKt7U
51. J. Geils Band - Love Stinks
The album gained popularity thanks to the catchy title track, dedicated to the loves.
50. Steve Winwood - Arc of a Diver
The multi-instrumentalist's 1980 album from hit with the song "While You See a Chance" laid the foundation for his meteoric success in the next decade.
49. Laurie Spiegel - The Expanding Universe
The avant-garde composer's debut album is a pioneering work in the genre computer of music, proving that it can evoke the most vivid emotions.
48. Kate Bush - Never For Ever
The then enigmatic singer's album was her first album to top the charts of that era.
47. Stevie Wonder - Hotter than July
An album by the king of pop from the 1980s reflects A balance between pleasant jams and political ballads.
46. The Clash - Sandinista!
The iconic rock band's fourth studio album took the approach that they improved on London Calling. The band managed to combine even more disparate genres such as gospel and punk. The result is a brilliant cacophony of sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCoAq2299xA
45. Ryuichi Sakamoto - B-2 Unit
The second solo album from the unique Japanese composer includes the electronic classic "Riot In Lagos," featuring Sakamoto's experiments with sound.
44. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Kaleidoscope
The rock band's third studio album was recorded after the departure of two band members. "Siouxsie and the Banshees" showed how versatile and innovative you can sound even when you're on a facets collapse.
43. UB40 - Signing Off
The debut album from the multicultural pop-reggae band, which showcases the active political and social position of the members of the collective. The album begins with the fiery composition "Little By Little" and songs that denounce class inequality. The record ends with the MLK tribute "King".
42. The Cure - Seventeen Seconds
The English rock band's second album is considered to be the first in the of the trilogy, which explored existential questions about life, loss and mental instability.
41. The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms
The Jersey band's debut album uses the band's experimental an approach to rhythm that takes her music out of standard rock and into a new genre.
40. The Human League - Travelogue
The 1980s synth-pop band's album is. the last one, which was recorded with their classic line-up, and before they adopted a more mainstream pop sound.
39. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Uprising
The reggae giant's 1980 album was the last one recorded during his lifetime, but aside from that, it ranks among the most popular of all time records and includes the timeless classic, "Redemption Song."
38. David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
Bowie's 14th studio longplay is sometimes referred to as his "last great album" because of its perfect blend of experimental music with rock. This one release wonderfully rounds out his '70s era.
37. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Get Happy!!!
Costello's serious approach to making music is on full display on this record, where he turns to soul music in all its variations, from the brilliance of Motown to the toughness of Southern soul.
36. Japan - Gentlemen Take Polaroids
Fourth studio album by the English collective combines experimental flourishes of genres such as glam rock and pop to create one of the band's best records.
35. John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy
The fifth joint studio album of the most famous tandem of musicians was John Lennon's first record after a break, as well as his last creation. The record became both a symbol of the creator's return and a farewell to him.
34. Judas Priest - British Steel
The band's '80s heavy metal album paved the way for heavy metal to become an accepted and popular genre, thanks to the likes of singles, like Breaking the Law.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-g-f_j5z9k
33. Killing Joke - Killing Joke
The English band's eponymous debut album was self-produced and is hardcore and post-punk. The release has influenced countless groups in the years to come.
32. Kurtis Blow - Kurtis Blow
The Breaks' debut album should be listened to by every hip-hop fan, as it is one of the earliest major records in this genre, released in the '80s
31. Pat Benatar - Crimes of Passion
Featuring the blockbuster hit "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and a fantastic cover of Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights," the singer's album is a explosion pop-rock, which is characterised by its cheerfulness.
30. Linton Kwesi Johnson - Bass Culture
The dub-poet's album demonstrates rhythmic intensity, incendiency(especially the track "Inglan is a Bitch") inherent in dub music.
29. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
The band's heavy metal album made adjustments to the direction of metal music. The record added more to the genre creativities and a harder and faster sound that's characteristic of punk music.
28. Dexys Midnight Runners - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
The British band's debut album was famed for its blend of R&B with heavy rock. To create a combination that few bands at the time were able to do.
27. Dire Straits - Making Movies
After David Knopfler left, Mark Knopfler began to change the band and make his own music, showing the world a unique style.
26. Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (AKA Melt AKA III)
The album's title happens to reflect its cover art, which shows Gabriel with half of his face melting off. Gabriel's third solo album was a breakthrough and made him one of the most popular artists of the decade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_iNMlWJQmc
25. X - Los Angeles
The punk band's debut album with the title track, which has become a kind of punk anthem, is a transition into a prosperous West Coast punk scene of the late '70s and early '80s.
24. U2 - Boy
The world-famous rock band's first album allowed them to pack stadiums in the following years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYRfea-bwP4
23. The Jam - Sound Affects
This successful release showed the band's use of a more abstract themes instead of straightforward lyrics. In terms of pop appeal, the move paid off, debuting at number two on the English chart.
22. Donna Summer - The Wanderer
Disco Maven's eighth studio album completed her transformation from dancefloor queen to radio-orientated fusion artiste who skilfully combines the three popular genres of the 80s era: R&B, rock and dance pop.
21. Echo & The Bunnymen - Crocodiles
The English band's energetic debut features some of the best guitar work of the decade and is a reference to favourites fans songs like "Rescue" and "Happy Death Men."
20. George Benson - Give Me the Night
The album by the jazz guitarist turned 80's pop star is a great one bridge between the two genres and features the unforgettable title track.
19. John Foxx - Metamatic
Fox's solo debut is a shining example of synth-pop that turns the synth from instrument to muse and blurs the boundaries between human and with a car.
18. REO Speedwagon - Hi Infidelity
The band's album topped the charts in the 80s. The vocalist took the energy of live performances and successfully transferred it to the recording studio. After that this music was already on the radio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLKVfva7fFo
17. Squeeze - Argybargy
The explosive album from the British band is a must listen each to a fan - this team's rock 'n' roll sounds different.
16. Steely Dan - Gaucho
The 1980 album raises social themes, that people are becoming mud and mucus.
15. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz
With an increased focus on guitar and melody, the rock star's debut studio album took metal in a new direction and showed that the Ozzie is perfectly capable of realising his talent on his own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlHoKOazyVU
14. The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
The award-winning pop-rock band's third studio album "Grammys." "Don't Stand So Close To Me," put them on the path to superstardom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SgVJg5lQxI&list=PLrpyDacBCh7CtSVA-XbsiLbMK6KU9zhCI
13. Neil Diamond - The Jazz Singer
Though the film starring Diamond flopped, the soundtrack starring him was a success and confirmed that he was more suited to the role the singer, than an actor.
12. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
The band's electronic music making debut is full of inventive melodies and danceable grooves, that never cease to amaze and make you marvel at them.
11. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables
This album by the punk rock band is debut. It consists of strong and unabashedly social and political tracks that would later influence the development of hardcore bands.
10. Roberta Flack - Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway
The duo's 1980 album is bittersweet in the sense that it was released after the tragic demises Hathaway in 1970, but so sweet in the sense that two impressive voices created timeless music.
09. Motörhead - Ace of Spades
The rock band's fourth studio LP is the album that made them one of the most popular teams.
08. Bruce Springsteen - The River
Springsteen's 1980 album Never One Afraid to Grow Up develops themes that take us from adolescence into the adult life.
07. Grace Jones - Warm Leatherette
The fashion and music legend's first album, recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, was a rotary moment in her career, as she shed the disco gloss of her previous albums and began creating songs in reggae and punk music styles.
06. Joy Division - Closer
The rock band's last studio album was released just after the suicides vocalist Ian Curtis, and so it could be mistakenly considered a gloomy album. However, this release is the work of a band that was at the height of its popularity at the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07yuk-3_X_s
05. Queen - The Game
The album is presented in a new style, as the band experimented with their sound for the first time and used the synthesisers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tZ-M_QuPmg
04. Talking Heads - Remain In Light
David Byrne's fascination with the rhythms of Africa is on full display in this landmark release.
03: Prince - Dirty Mind
Prince's third album differs from his previous recordings (those were great too) and turned him into a a pop star.
02. Diana Ross - Diana
The creation of the pop legend's 1980 album was supported by the disco band Chicwho released one of the hits, "I'm Coming Out", which facilitated Diana Ross' graceful transition from disco to pop-R&B.
01. AC/DC - Back In Black
This is the band's first album with vocalist Brian Johnson, who is an excellent successor Bona Scott. Johnson manages to match Scott's inimitable energy, hinting at the beginning of a new chapter for the band.
