The 1980s was a decade that brought us some of the greatest rock music of all time, and WatchMojo has compiled a list of the Top 10 Best 80s Rock Albums to help us relive those glory days. From Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet” to Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”, these albums defined a generation and helped shape the landscape of rock music for years to come.
Each album on the list brings something unique to the table, whether it’s the anthemic choruses of ACDC’s “Back in Black” or the soulful guitar work of Mark Knopfler on Dire Straits’ “Brothers in Arms”. And of course, who could forget the iconic sound of Prince and the Revolution on “Purple Rain”, a soundtrack that transcended the film and became a cultural phenomenon in its own right?
But perhaps the most defining album of the decade, according to WatchMojo, is U2’s “The Joshua Tree”. With timeless hits like “With or Without You” and “Where the Streets Have No Name”, this album solidified U2’s place in rock history and continues to be enjoyed by fans old and new to this day.
So whether you’re a die-hard fan of 80s rock or just looking to discover some classic albums, be sure to check out WatchMojo’s list of the Top 10 Best 80s Rock Albums and let us know which album you think helped define the decade in the comments. And don’t forget to subscribe to WatchMojo for more great content on music, movies, and pop culture.
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All you got is this moment welcome to watch Mojo and today we’re looking at enduring 1980s rock albums we’re excluding pop rock albums and heavier bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden but will include more commercially viable forms of Metal number 10 Slippery When Wet Bon Joby to on the these boys from New Jersey had already experimented with AO and art rock prior to striking commercial gold with 1986’s Slippery When Wet a songwriting partnership with Desmond child combined the best elements of Bon job’s already hooky nature with the
Shiniest elements of the emerging hair metal scene the results on slippery when proved to be commercial Perfection with songs like Living on a Prayer You Give Love a Bad Name and wanted Dead or Alive going on to become certified hits I’m aoy on a Ste Beyond this slippery wi wet also
Serves as perhaps the perfect Bon Joy record a virtual textbook for younger bands that would emerge in their Wake number nine disintegration The Cure Spiderman Comes The Cure is many different things to many different people for some they’re a Gothic Rock Cornerstone for others they’re a pop band with a unique look both viewpoints are correct but it’s with disintegration that The Cure was able to please both ends of that
Spectrum eaten The album is defiantly dense Moody and layered there’s an almost impenetrable Darkness at play that bears worthwhile fruit for those taking the musical Plch elsewhere disintegration is also full of well-crafted memorable songs pictures of you was a hit single as was love song but these Tunes never felt like outliers instead disintegration is like a great musical painting able to be admired and analyzed in many different ways by anyone who stops by for an
Appreciation I Will Always Love You I Will Always Love You number eight Back in Black ACDC Back in been too long I’m glad to what does a band do when they’ve lost one of the most dynamic frontmen of all time Australia’s ecdc could have very easily
Hung up their boots and went home after the untimely demise of Bon Scott in 1980 instead of doing this ACDC decided to both mourn and celebrate the loss of Scott by carrying on with an album that forever marks the man’s Legacy back and black fittingly opens up
With the sound of tolling church bells before new singer Brian Johnson announces his arrival with Hell’s Bells Rolling Thunder Power and Rain from that point on it’s classic ACDC with a new inspired Edge the band never looked back and fans welcomed this new version of the ACDC with open Arms and speaking of arms number Seven Brothers in Arms Dire Straits the the massive worldwide success of Dire Straits has proven that it’s not always the loudest rock band that wins if anything 1985’s brothers and arms succeeds best during its quieter moments such as on your latest trick and the evocative title Track brother elsewhere the huge hit single Money for Nothing showcased songwriter Mark no’s sense of humor and witty Lyrics make no mistake however Dire Straits is all about the guitar work and neer’s emotive style is on Full display here the man’s bluesy soulfulness is enough to make even the hardest heart weep and brothers in- arms represents this statement beautifully you do the work yeah you do the walk
Of you do the walk of number six Born in the USA Bruce Springsteen I get up in The it wasn’t as if the boss Bruce Springsteen had anything to prove back in 1984 when he released Born in the USA the man was already a certified legend in the music industry pioneering a singer songwriter career that influenced Legions that said Born in the USA also
Perhaps has the distinction of being the most misunderstood album and title track of all time this was due largely to its release in the midst of the Cold War as well as during a time of heavy moralistic conservatism withinin the United States down in a
Dead the first kick I hit the as a result the title track was often mistakenly seen as pro-american rather than the scathing critique it actually Is number five invisible touch Genesis whoever assumed that progressive rock died in the 1970s apparently wasn’t paying attention to the career trajectories of bands like genesis the British Prague institution managed to Pivot wonderfully after the departure of their singer Peter Gabriel and its invisible touch that saw Genesis at the
Height of their pop Prowess the music here is commercially viable while still retaining the musical intricacies that defined early Genesis songs like Land of Confusion And the title track are catchy short but also smartly Composed meanwhile the two-part Domino proved that Genesis were still more than capable of pleasing old fans along with the New number four Purple Rain Prince and the revolution dear beloved we gaed here today to get this thing called it’s not every day that a film soundtrack enters the cultural Zeitgeist but then again Purple Rain isn’t exactly an average film Soundtrack the album arrived at exactly the right time to capitalize upon Prince’s meteoric rise in popularity and influence but it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that it would succeed fortunately the songs couldn’t be Ignored the track list reads like a variable who’s who of Prince Classics including let’s go crazy I would die for you when dov’s cry and the Epic title track this is what it sounds like C Purple Rain is an album that’s endured to the modern day and is worth all of the
Hype number three Appetite for Destruction Guns and Roses Welcome to the Jung we got fun games there are few Rock Records released both then and now that possess the poppable feeling of danger that permeated Appetite for Destruction simp said Guns and Roses felt like the real deal Street punks
That had sharpened their songwriting skills to a fatal knife’s Edge Easy E to Appetite for Destruction is it mere mindless aggression nor reductive posturing instead the album encapsulates everything that defines Rock Rebellion a snotty attitude that fies compositional Perfection take me down to the paradise where the brasses green and
Axel Rose and crew ensured that everything was note perfect on appetite from the riffs and arrangements to a production that was hard edged Yet full of clarity this hard rock classic is one for the ages number two Pyromania de Leopard it’s a challenge to Signal out which album truly defin Glam medals chart dominance tenure during the 1980s White Snake self-titled 1987 album was certainly a commercial smash as was de leopard’s hysteria from that same year however we’d argue that 1983’s Pyromania offers a better balance of Pop influence and Def Lep’s metallic
Pedigree photograph Foolin and Rock of Ages are radio Staples to this day yet songs like stage fright Die Hard the Hunter and Billy’s got a gun are heavy melanic Diamonds Pyromania truly has something for everybody from memorable hooks to heavy riffs it’s also an album that showcases de leopard firing on all creative Cylinders before we unveil our top pick here are a few honorable mentions Shout at the devil mle crew a stylistic statement of [Applause] Intent 1984 Van Halen a blueprint for Sunset Strip Glam the stone roses the stone roses early influential alt Rock I to be hounds of love Kate Bush art rock with a generational vocal Talent Escape Journey absolute AO Heaven stop before we continue be sure to subscribe to our Channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest
Videos you have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them if you’re on your phone make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications number one the Joshua Tree you too St rarely has a band been so defined by a single album the Joshua tree is for
Many music fans the reason why they fell in love with you too and it’s difficult to argue against that love since so many of the songs here have rightfully gone on to become Classics with or without you with or without you where the streets have no name and I still hav’t
Found what I’m looking for are still played on the radio today the edg’s guitar tone and style are still being copied by generations of guitarists seeking his [Applause] secrets and Bano remains one of Rock’s most iconoclastic front men with a Moody and Rich voice full of melodic Nuance said simply you’s the Joshua Tree helped Define the 1980s which 1980s album do you think helped Define the decade let us know in the Comments gra it did you enjoy enjoy this video check out these other clips from watch Mojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos
Video “Top 10 Best 80s Rock Albums” was uploaded on 03/05/2024 to Youtube Channel WatchMojo.com