I know, Bon Jovi is a bit tacky. I just had to give credit to their best album. Even though I can't really listen to this New Jersey hard rock band's songs due to having heard too much of them and the songs being ridiculously overproduced, I have to say that they have done good job with making catchy pop-melodies and songs that are known to almost everyone. This album is the best collection of songs from the band. They're not yet in their cheesy state, where they make crappy songs like Always. My favourite song is acoustic-driven Wanted, Dead or Alive. Out of the less-well-known perfect hit songs, I have to mention I'd Die for You which is a masterpiece in the commercial pop genre. Listen to the album on Spotify.
I've never been a big fan of 80's electro and synth-pop. The sounds are way too tacky for my taste. That's why New Order has never really made a huge impression on me. Brotherhood is one of the band's best albums. I think the reason is, that you can actually hear quite a lot of instruments that sound natural on the background. The atmosphere is dark and industrial. I have difficulties to understand the whole Madchester club scene. I guess you had to be there at that time to really appreciate these songs. Brotherhood is, however, a classy album in the genre. The songs are not tacky and some of the songs can be seen as true influences to some of the later indie bands. The album cover is great! Listen to the album on Spotify.
Pet Shop Boys, to me, is the ultimate synth-pop band of the 80's. They have great sense of melodies and the unique vocals give them true personality. Please was the debut album from this London-based electro duo. i think they really started something unique and new with this album. They even had a world-wide hit, West-End Girls, on the album. This is actually one of the best albums by the band since the sounds look more into Kraftwerk's computer sounds than to the 90's techno. There are a lot elements from the 80's pop and indie as well. I was a bit surprised to hear Pet Shop Boys in one of the indie discos I went to, but when I thought about it, it fit right in there. The problem is that whole albums are not as good as they good be. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Billy Bragg is one of those artists that should genre-wise be among my favourites, but for some reason, he has never made that good impression on me. His political folk has all the right bits, good lyrics, catchy melodies and unique singing voice with a British accent. I think the biggest problem is the production. This album for example is played with electric guitars, but there is no bass or drums there. i think that these songs could've benefited a lot from adding these two instruments. The other option would be to keep it totally acoustic. Talking With the Taxman About Poetry is probably the best album by Billy Bragg, when it comes to songs themselves. I bought this album in vinyl a while ago and it recommended not to pay more than a certain amount for the album. I paid a bit more, but let's face it, prizes have changed since the 80's. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Metallica was one of the first bands, that became really important to me. I don't really listen to heavy metal anymore because I got tired of heavy riffs. Master of Puppets, however, is one of the best albums in the genre. Metallica's early albums rely on heavy and spanking guitar riffs, but the melodies are well thought-of and instrumental bits are fast but enjoyable. My all time favourite Metallica song, Orion, is eight and a half minutes of instrumental bliss. Metallica is at its best without singing. Then they just rely on accurate rhythm guitars and beautifully eerie melodies. Another enjoyable song is Welcome Home (Sanitarium), with it's calm and beautiful beginning. The title track also has its moments. Listen to the album on Spotify.
As I noted in 1988 list, The Church was one of my new findings making this list. Their indie pop-rock with clean guitars and airy vocals are beautiful and uplifting. Musical style could be comparable to early brit-pop band James. Hayday is a good day for relaxing moments. The shirts on the band members in the album cover are amazingly ridiculous. The best song in my opinion is Columbus. This song's melancholic tune appeals to me. I have to do more research on this Australian band to see if their whole career is as good as these few albums I've been listening to, because this band has what it takes to make its way on my best 80's bands list. If, like me, you haven't known this band existed, I encourage you to listen. Listen to the album on Spotify.
Here's another R.E.M. album. I have no choose, but to include one R.E.M. album on almost all of the 80's lists, since their sounds appeal to me much more than many other 80's bands. Their albums on I.R.S. record company were mainly protected from the tackiness of 80's artificial sounds. Life's Rich Pageant is not one of the best R.E.M. albums, but still it succeeds in being interesting, catchy and skilful. R.E.M. is not about full albums though. The band's strength lay in pop-singles. The quality is, nonetheless, so good, that the albums find their way into my lists and quite high positions as well. I Believe is probably the greatest example of the talent with which R.E.M. makes melodies. Listen to the album on Spotify.
New Model Army's The Ghost of Cain is one of the most interesting post-punk albums of the 1980's. Its sounds are deeply influenced by the first wave of punk, but melodies are much more elaborately constructed. Dark The Hunt has amazing treble-filled baselines and 51st State is a great catchy song that could be considered as a radio hit. I forgot at first to add this album to my list. For some reason it did not caught my eye when looking through 1986's albums. I felt, I must add it here, since it would be a shame not to mention such a great album. In addition to more traditional post-punk sounds, this album also has some more folky instrumentations. Heroes is also one of my favourite songs on this album. Listen to the album on Spotify.
I was introduced to The Feelies just a few years ago, when their 80's albums were re-issued on cd. it's a good thing too, because I think people would've forgotten this band otherwise. They play beautiful and playful indie rock. This band is a huge influence on many today's indie-pop bands. Their melodic hooks and clear guitar sounds are even more interesting than R.E.M.'s. This is one of those forgotten bands that I want everyone to find. As I've read some commentaries on The Feelies, I get the impression that their commercial success was always pretty modest, but critics have hailed this band. i can see that, but I don't see why this band couldn't receive the commercial success as well, since they can really make hits. Listen to the album on Spotify.
No surprises here. The Smiths' third album Queen Is Dead is among the best albums of all times. It's a classic and deserves its spot on the first place. It's a peculiar album in that sense, that it keeps getting better almost all the time by the end. Usually bands tend to place their best songs to the beginning of the album, but on this album, the order is almost upside down. Never Had No One Ever, Bigmouth Strikes Again, There Is a Light That Never Goes Out and Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others are my favourites due to their melancholic but beautiful melodies. These songs have become a part of my all time favourite lists. The rest of the album is just as good even though I myself am more into these melancholic tunes. Listen to the album on Spotify.
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