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BBC best albums of the 80's poll results

Arkless Electronics

Trade: Amp design and repairs.
Surprised we haven't already had a thread on this.... Too mainstream for all you too kool for skool fishies eh?:D

Top 20 greatest 80s album as voted for by listeners to Sounds of the 80s:

1. U2 - The Joshua Tree
2. Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms
3. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
4. Michael Jackson - Thriller
5. Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction
6. The Human League - Dare
7. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
8. Paul Simon - Graceland
9. ABC - The Lexicon Of Love
10. Prince - Purple Rain
11. Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love
12. Duran Duran – Rio
13. Tears for Fears - Songs From The Big Chair
14. Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA
15. AC/DC - Back In Black
16. Deacon Blue - Raintown
17. Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome To The Pleasuredome
18. INXS - Kick
19. George Michael - Faith
20. Pet Shop Boys - Actually

So what do you lot reckon to that?

For me there's a few there that are utter shite such as PSB, George Michael, INXS and some that should have just scraped a top 100 such as Dire Straits Brothers in arms (their worst album! love over gold should be there though), Duran Duran and Michael Jackson Thriller. Raintown should be higher up.
Where's Prefab Sprout though!?? All of their 80's albums should be there! The Dreaming was much better than Hounds of love 'n all! Where's Heaven 17? Thomas Dolby? Other than that not too bad a selection I guess. Glad to see Human league Dare up so high!
 
I guess for a BBC pop show audience vote it is actually pretty good. Some decent records there, but nothing even slightly off the beaten track. Nothing on Factory, nothing noisy from America (Husker Dü, Pixies, Sonic Youth etc), only two records by black artists (sadly no surprise), nothing representing the simply huge house/techno/electronica scene towards the end of the decade, no rap/hip-hop. They didn’t even pick the right Prince album FFS (Sign Of The Times, obvs). For a BBC easy listening audience I’m very surprised there is no Sade, EBTG etc (not knocking them, I have most of it).
 
Why do you care about these shite lists and what’s in the charts Jez?

As it is, I actually own 17 of those albums, omitting the top 2 and Faith, as it happens. Personally I wouldn’t have ranked them in that order and there would be others in my personal top 20 but :rolleyes:.
 
I was just about to suggest a poll, who owns how many. @Rob998 half way beat me to it.

I have 7, with no great urge to increase that score.

I admire anyone who can remember the decade in which anything was released, BTW.
 
Just 11 here; Stone Roses, Thriller, Dare, Queen Is Dead, Graceland, Lexicon Of Love, Purple Rain, Hounds Of Love, Welcome To The Pleasuredome, Kick, Actually.
 
I

I have 7, with no great urge to increase that score.
I have 4 (nos. 8,9,11,17). Race to the bottom! (Although 9 is only on vinyl, which probably counts as double, or half.)

I’d have said it was a list of the albums with most hit singles stuffed onto them, but no Phil, Whitney or Madge scuppers that theory, I guess.
 
Just three: Stone Roses, Queen Is Dead and Graceland. I'm not even sure about Graceland; we had a cassette copy which may have got biffed when we had a clear-out just before lockdown.
 
LLLOL
How many would you play without hesitation or a cringe beforehand (irrespective of the reaction once it was playing)?

Maybe the score should be age-adjusted too :)
 
I guess for a BBC pop show audience vote it is actually pretty good. Some decent records there, but nothing even slightly off the beaten track. Nothing on Factory, nothing noisy from America (Husker Dü, Pixies, Sonic Youth etc), only two records by black artists (sadly no surprise), nothing representing the simply huge house/techno/electronica scene towards the end of the decade, no rap/hip-hop. They didn’t even pick the right Prince album FFS (Sign Of The Times, obvs). For a BBC easy listening audience I’m very surprised there is no Sade, EBTG etc (not knocking it them, I have most of it).

I'm glad BBC listeners have better taste than you then! "nothing representing the simply huge house/techno/electronica scene towards the end of the decade, no rap/hip-hop" GOOD! it was/is the worst "music" ever to be recorded! I can't stand Sade or EBTG either=elevator music:D Purple Rain just edges it past Sign of the times for me though Around the world in a day better than either and Parade very good (the likes of "Sometimes it snows in April" and "Condition of the heart" are my fave Prince tracks).
 
Why do you care about these shite lists and what’s in the charts Jez?

As it is, I actually own 17 of those albums, omitting the top 2 and Faith, as it happens. Personally I wouldn’t have ranked them in that order and there would be others in my personal top 20 but :rolleyes:.

Just a talking point for a thread really.... And yes I have a big interest in what we get exposed to without much choice and why such (usually) crap stuff seems to be "the peoples choice", as it were, rather than what we choose to seek out and buy.
 
11 here if you take what I currently own, but only 5 if you take what I bought contemporaneously.

Seems more like a 1980-85 list though.

.sjb
 
FFS...

Curmudgeon Corner should be a Jez only area...

There is no music I hate as I hate techno, house, EDM etc. It's worse than little jimmy osmond or whitney houston even! I'm VERY proud of that and consider it a mark of impeccable good taste! And yes I hated it that much when I first ever heard it and was only in my early 20's cos I had good taste then as well:D
 
Wot no Bowie? Scary Monsters was 1980 and it's a straightforward rock album so should appeal to the R2 crowd. It's even got Ashes To Ashes on it.
 


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