The List

I’ve wanted to do something like this for a while, and now seemed as good a time as any. My goal was to make the list a true reflection of my taste (while also having at least a little bit of variation), so I used the following criteria:

• At least one album from every year of the 1980s
• No more than two albums per artist – with the exception of solo careers and spin-off bands (e.g., Genesis and Phil Collins, Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, etc.)
• Albums that I either count among my favorite or thought I had something interesting to say about

And then when it comes to sharing each blog post, my plan is to:

• Write and publish one post per week for 80 weeks (God help me)
• Post them in chronological order by year (without getting into the month and day)

I’ve mapped out all 80, but if you have a tempting suggestion, I will consider subbing it in for a lower tier album. Let me know what you think.

The Archive

1. Gaucho – Steely Dan (1980)
2. Remain In Light – Talking Heads (1980)
3. McCartney II – Paul McCartney (1980)
4. Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) – David Bowie (1980)
5. Autoamerican – Blondie (1980)
6. Blizzard of Ozz – Ozzy Osbourne (1980)
7. Clues – Robert Palmer (1980)
8. Sandinista! – The Clash (1980)
9. Hotter Than July – Stevie Wonder (1980)
10. Black Sea – XTC (1980)
11. Flesh + Blood – Roxy Music (1980)
12. Telekon – Gary Numan (1980)
13. Terminal Jive – Sparks (1980)
14. Kilimanjaro – The Teardrop Explodes (1980)
15. Guilty – Barbra Streisand (1980)
16. Sacred Songs – Daryl Hall (1980)
17. Healing – Todd Rundgren (1981)
18. Moving Pictures – Rush (1981)
19. Tattoo You – The Rolling Stones (1981)
20. Honi Soit – John Cale (1981)
21. Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club (1981)
22. Face Value – Phil Collins (1981)
23. Abacab – Genesis (1981)
24. Discipline – King Crimson (1981)
25. You Are What You Is – Frank Zappa (1981)
26. La folie – The Stranglers (1981)
27. Ghost in the Machine – The Police (1981)
28. East Side Story – Squeeze (1981)
29. Bella Donna – Stevie Nicks (1981)
30. Law and Order – Lindsey Buckingham (1981)
31. The Visitor – Mick Fleetwood (1981)
32. Mirage – Fleetwood Mac (1982)
33. The Nightfly – Donald Fagen (1982)
34. Rip It Up – Orange Juice (1982)
35. 1999 – Prince and the Revolution (1982)
36. If That’s What It Takes – Michael McDonald (1982)
37. The Lexicon of Love – ABC (1982)
38. The Blue Mask – Lou Reed (1982)
39. Big Science – Laurie Anderson (1982)
40. Thriller – Michael Jackson (1982)
41. Avalon – Roxy Music (1982)
42. Power, Corruption & Lies – New Order (1983)
43. Eliminator – ZZ Top (1983)
44. She’s So Unusual – Cyndi Lauper (1983)
45. Rebel Yell – Billy Idol (1983)
46. Murmur – R.E.M. (1983)
47. Let’s Dance – David Bowie (1983)
48. Speaking in Tongues – Talking Heads (1983)
49. 1984 – Van Halen (1984)
50. Born in the U.S.A. – Bruce Springsteen (1984)
51. Swoon – Prefab Sprout (1984)
52. Like a Virgin – Madonna (1984)
53. Ride the Lightning – Metallica (1984)
54. Diamond Life – Sade (1984)
55. Double Nickels on the Dime – Minutemen (1984)
56. I Feel for You – Chaka Khan (1984)
57. Purple Rain – Prince and the Revolution (1984)
58. Brothers in Arms – Dire Straits (1985)
59. Psychocandy – The Jesus and Mary Chain (1985)
60. Songs from the Big Chair – Tears for Fears (1985)
61. Flaunt the Imperfection – China Crisis (1985)
62. Freaky Styley – Red Hot Chili Peppers (1985)
63. Riptide – Robert Palmer (1985)
64. Boys and Girls – Bryan Ferry (1985)
65. Graceland – Paul Simon (1986)
66. The Queen Is Dead – The Smiths (1986)
67. So – Peter Gabriel (1986)
68. Please – Pet Shop Boys (1986)
69. Control – Janet Jackson (1986)
70. 5150 – Van Halen (1986)