| 1970s Albums | 1980s Albums | 1990s Albums | 2000s Albums | 2010s Albums |
|
AC/DC /
Back in Black The ultimate 80s party album.Providing you like to party-hardy, and want your music that way. AC/DC forged their way right into the top-40 pop charts with 2 songs on this album. Way ahead of their time. Amazon Half.com |
|
Van Halen /
1984 The classic Van Halen line-up, featuring David Lee Roth on vocals, is hard to top.By this time, they had established themselves as one of rocks best, and here they went after ballads and a modern sound. Soon, Sammy Hagar would replace Roth, and the rest is history. Amazon Half.com |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Yes /
90125 Yes returned to some original members, and the 80s-ish rock sound was just right for chart success. Yet, some of the best songs here never got any airplay,as singles.The soaring vocals, and vocal arrangements brought this music to life. Add in the soaring bass guitar, a driving beat and awesome guitar work. Amazon Half.com |
|
Bryan Adams /
Reckless Mixed right in among the greatest of the 80s, throw in Bryan Adams Reckless album. i don't know, just push play - it sounds incredible. A little juvenile, perhaps, or is that 80s-ish ,the music is solid. Amazon Half.com |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Dire Straits /
Brothers in Arms You either love it or you hate it. I want my MTV ...some of the classiest guitar was coming from Mark Knopflers' hand. Amazon Half.com |
|
Blue Oyster Cult /
Fire of Unknown Origin Blue Oyster Cults music has been described as 'the thinking mans rock n roll' . What kind of a name is that ...but these guys had brilliant compositions going for them. Having 'Cult' in your name, and a hit titled 'Don't Fear the Reaper' just adds to the mystique. It's great to see they made it into the 80s,with a modern sound. Amazon Half.com |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Ric Ocasek /
This Side of Paradise Ric Ocaseks' solo material really brought out the lighter side of his work.What was it, 3 of the 4 members of the Cars tried solo albums,but Ric easily topped them. The airy, ecclectic music is something from another era.Not really the 80s sound.And try to imagine him getting airplay without having been lead vocals for The Cars ? Forget it . Yet the music is sincere and artsy. Amazon Half.com |
|
Power Station /
debut album Duran Duran, with gritty Robert Palmer vocals, and a sexy saxophone.These guys must have spent plenty of time thinking up names for their groups,but the hit songs just kept rolling . Don't even think about it, just listen, and enjoy. Amazon Half.com |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Robert Plant /
Shaken n Stirred Ultimately, Robert Plant proved to be one of the greatest survivors of the'old guard' rock stars. While not essentially sounding anything like Led Zeppelin, he wrote and performed some great material as a solo artist. Arguably, any of his other albums could be here, but this is our favorite from Plant. Amazon Half.com |
|
Bob Seger /
Against the Wind The music on Bob Segers (and the Silver Bullet Band) Against the Wind is a soothing reminder that melody, and catchy lyrics are not everything . He garnered a few small hits here, but the variety in the music is sensational,when you get tired of traditional guitar based music. Bring on the piano. Amazon Half.com |
|||||||||||||||||
|
J Geils Band /
Love Stinks J Geils did a wonderful job at keeping the synthesizer sound of the 70s alive into the early 80s. There are songs on here, that I would love to go deaf listening to. No matter how funny you think that is. Nobody was putting out better music at the time,and the concerts were spectacular. Amazon Half.com |
|
The Cars /
Shake It Up The Cars. Again. You bet-cha. If you like The Cars music, this is arguably their best album. The Cars maintained their unique style, while surrounded by punk rockers, and new wave artists. That in itself, is a miracle.It's evident, just listening, that they were still having fun making music.And creating a status that had flair, Shake It Up invited you to dance.To move. Amazon Half.com |
||||||||||||
|
The Police /
Zenyatta Mondatta Most people think that the best of the 80s came in the later years of the decade. Not me. This is music,not some over-glorified fast guitar crap. Vocals, bass guitar,drums. Solid musicians. The police had such great success,but it wasn't 'everymans' kind of music. Amazon Half.com |
|
Madonna /
Like a Virgin The warmth, and the desire of Madonna in her early albums is amazing.She was bold. And she won many a heart with her antics. It was enough to make you forget the wealth of talent the performer had. But soon, the glory faded into a few mediocre film roles,and it was years before she found and re-invented her persona again.The music industry keyed off Madonna, and she kept rolling out solid hit songs,with few exceptions. Amazon Half.com |
||||||||
|
Howard Jones /
Dream Into Action Howard Jones was one of those synth musicians who should have never been heard in america. The Brits tried to keep them at home,for fear of ? (You call that music?) Alas, Howard hit the scene as punk and new wave were dying off,and he displayed enough creativity to reach the top 10 of the american charts.He had the style, and the fresh look of a new decade that was already half over.Just listen to the songs; it displays the thoughtfulness of a Brit,which was far greater than the average record buying american.Or maybe it just took us in new directions. Amazon Half.com |
|
Tears For Fears /
Songs From the Big Chair Another British , Tears For Fears personified the awakening of our conciousness: Shout! Let it all out. This is a light and wistful collection of songs that few would even attempt to perform. It beckons to your inner self. Somewhere in history, for unknown to me reasons, they replaced the original 'studio' version of one song on this album.And it ruined it. Maybe to fill in space,maybe to add a live element to the recordings,but the original 80s version is best. Amazon Half.com |
||||
|
The Fixx /
Reach the Beach
The Fixx were another group who played within themselves,they avoided the flash and glamour
of rock stardom, and they just made music.Not all of it was great,but the emotions and the tenor
are something unique. And they had/have a great following with people of all types. Amazon Half.com |
|
Janet Jackson /
Control "Gimme a Beat! Janet Jackson carried on the legacy of the Jacksons for older brothers. Who knew, that after Michael Jacksons Thriller album, that another Jackson would even dream of being in the same business ? Michael had some huge success, but Janet is clearly the cream of the pop music scene in the mid-1980s. Amazon Half.com |
|
Robert Plant /
The Principle of Moments I was never 'into' Led Zeppelin music,that much. It's good,no doubt. Once again, Robert Plants solo material is far more sophisticated than Led ever could be.Well, it was a different era. The Principle of Moments kept pace with the changes. Amazon Half.com |
|
The Cars /
Heartbeat City One album in my 70s top 20, and two albums in my 80s top 20 ? Wow. You must like The Cars. Out of all the groups out there, what made you choose them ? Ha! The Cars topped off their successes with a few awesome ballads on Heartbeat City. Really, the non-hits, the 'other' songs are what I really love about the Cars music. The moods, the acoustics-and some heartfelt lyrics that just made you feel alive. Amazon Half.com |
Sincerely, cleaverb
Return to the Top of the Page