Rocking Through the '80s: Top 10 Albums
These are the rock albums that defined a decade. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at enduring 1980s rock albums.
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00:00 "I'm a goddess of small ends"
00:03 Welcome to WatchMojo,
00:05 and today we're looking at enduring 1980s rock albums.
00:09 We're excluding pop rock albums and heavier bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden,
00:14 but we'll include more commercially viable forms of metal.
00:17 "Welcome to the jungle, walk and find me, do your...
00:21 "Jah-lah-lah-lah-lah-lah-lah-lah-lah-lah, Miss, Miss"
00:32 These boys from New Jersey had already experimented with AOR
00:37 and Art Rock prior to striking commercial gold with 1986's "Slippery When Wet".
00:43 A songwriting partnership with Desmond Child combined the best elements of Bon Jovi's already hooky nature
00:49 with the shiniest elements of the emerging hair metal scene.
00:53 "Breathing in, oh, living on a prayer"
00:58 The results on "Slippery When Wet" proved to be commercial perfection,
01:02 with songs like "Living on a Prayer", "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Wanted Dead or Alive" going on to become certified hits.
01:10 "I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride"
01:16 Beyond this, "Slippery When Wet" also serves as perhaps the perfect Bon Jovi record,
01:21 a virtual textbook for younger bands that would emerge in their wake.
01:25 "Breathing in, oh, living on a prayer"
01:32 9. Disintegration - The Cure
01:36 "You can't destroy the flames, the Spider-Man comes"
01:40 The Cure is many different things to many different people.
01:44 For some, they're a gothic rock cornerstone.
01:47 For others, they're a pop band with a unique look.
01:50 Both viewpoints are correct, but it's with Disintegration that The Cure was able to please both ends of that spectrum.
01:57 "Feel like I'm being eaten by a thousand lion children, furry hoes"
02:04 The album is defiantly dense, moody and layered.
02:07 There's an almost impenetrable darkness at play that bears worthwhile fruit for those taking the musical plunge.
02:14 "Only I know how to fight alone"
02:18 Elsewhere, Disintegration is also full of well-crafted, memorable songs.
02:23 "Pictures of You" was a hit single, as was "Love Song", but these tunes never felt like outliers.
02:29 Instead, Disintegration is like a great musical painting,
02:33 able to be admired and analysed in many different ways by anyone who stops by for an appreciation.
02:39 "I will always love you, I will always love you"
02:45 8. Back in Black - AC/DC
02:49 "Back in Black, I hate to say, I've been too young, I'm glad to be back"
02:54 What does a band do when they've lost one of the most dynamic frontmen of all time?
02:58 Australia's AC/DC could have very easily hung up their boots and went home after the untimely demise of Bond's Scott in 1980.
03:06 Instead of doing this, AC/DC decided to both mourn and celebrate the loss of Scott
03:12 by carrying on with an album that forever marks the man's legacy.
03:17 "You're my man, you're my man"
03:20 Back in Black fittingly opens up with the sound of tolling church bells
03:24 before new singer Brian Johnson announces his arrival with Hell's Bells.
03:29 "I'm a rolling thunder, power and rain"
03:32 From that point on, it's classic AC/DC with a new, inspired edge.
03:37 The band never looked back and fans welcomed this new version of the AC/DC with open arms.
03:43 "Yeah, yeah, you should be all night long"
03:49 And speaking of arms…
03:51 7. Brothers in Arms – Dire Straits
03:56 "All the night bodies have been struck between the symbols of their beck"
04:02 The massive worldwide success of Dire Straits has proven that it's not always the loudest rock band that wins.
04:09 If anything, 1985's Brothers in Arms succeeds best during its quieter moments,
04:15 such as on "Your Latest Trick" and the evocative title track.
04:19 "You did not discern me, my brother, I see now"
04:25 Elsewhere, the huge hit single "Money for Nothing" showcased songwriter Mark Knopfler's sense of humour and witty lyrics.
04:31 "Install microwave oven, custom kitchen delivery"
04:38 Make no mistake however, Dire Straits is all about the guitar work,
04:42 and Knopfler's emotive style is on full display here.
04:45 The man's bluesy soulfulness is enough to make even the hardest heart weep,
04:50 and Brothers in Arms represents this statement beautifully.
04:53 "You do the work, yeah, you do the work, my love, yeah, you do the work, my love"
05:00 6. Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen
05:04 "I get up in the evening, and I ain't got nothing to say"
05:11 It wasn't as if the boss, Bruce Springsteen, had anything to prove back in 1984 when he released Born in the USA.
05:18 The man was already a certified legend in the music industry,
05:22 pioneering a singer-songwriter career that influenced Legions.
05:25 "Even if we're just dancing in the dark"
05:29 That said, Born in the USA also perhaps has the distinction of being the most misunderstood album and title track of all time.
05:36 This was due largely to its release in the midst of the Cold War,
05:40 as well as during a time of heavy moralistic conservatism within the United States.
05:45 "Born down in a dead man's town, the first kick I took was when I hit the ground"
05:52 As a result, the title track was often mistakenly seen as pro-American, rather than the scathing critique it actually is.
06:00 "I'm a doer, I'm a doer, like a daddy, I'm a doer"
06:07 5. Invisible Touch – Genesis
06:11 "I must have dreamed a thousand dreams"
06:14 Whoever assumed that progressive rock died in the 1970s apparently wasn't paying attention to the career trajectories of bands like Genesis.
06:22 The British Prague Institution managed to pivot wonderfully after the departure of their singer, Peter Gabriel,
06:28 and it's Invisible Touch that saw Genesis at the height of their pop prowess.
06:33 "Can't you see this is a land of confusion"
06:36 The music here is commercially viable while still retaining the musical intricacies that defined early Genesis.
06:43 Songs like Land of Confusion and the title track are catchy, sure, but also smartly composed.
06:50 "She shoots the hat at Invisible Touch"
06:53 Meanwhile, the two-part domino proved that Genesis were still more than capable of pleasing old fans along with the new.
07:01 "Do you see, do you see what you have done"
07:07 4. Purple Rain – Prince and the Revolution
07:11 "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get to this thing called life"
07:17 It's not everyday that a film's soundtrack enters the cultural zeitgeist, but then again Purple Rain isn't exactly an average film's soundtrack.
07:25 "Let's go crazy, let's get nuts"
07:29 The album arrived at exactly the right time to capitalize upon Prince's meteoric rise in popularity and influence,
07:37 but it wasn't a foregone conclusion that it would succeed. Fortunately, the songs couldn't be ignored.
07:43 "I do it just for you, yeah, you don't want me to, no, you don't"
07:49 The tracklist reads like a variable who's who of Prince classics,
07:53 including "Let's Go Crazy", "I Would Die For You", "When Doves Cry" and the epic title track.
07:59 "This is what it sounds like when the doves cry"
08:03 Purple Rain is an album that's endured to the modern day and is worth all of the hype.
08:09 "Purple Rain, Purple Rain"
08:13 3. Appetite for Destruction – Guns N' Roses
08:17 "Welcome to the jungle, we got fun and games"
08:21 There are few rock records released both then and now that possessed the palpable feeling of danger that permeated Appetite for Destruction.
08:29 Simply said, Guns N' Roses felt like the real deal. Street punks that had sharpened their songwriting skills to a fatal knife's edge.
08:37 "Yeah, it's so easy, easy when everybody's trying to please me"
08:42 Appetite for Destruction isn't mere mindless aggression nor reductive posturing.
08:48 Instead, the album encapsulates everything that defines rock rebellion, a snotty attitude that belies compositional perfection.
08:55 "Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty"
09:00 Axl 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.
09:10 This hard rock classic is one for the ages.
09:13 "Oh, oh, oh, sweet child of mine"
09:18 Number 2. Pyromania - Def Leppard
09:22 "I'm out of love, out of love"
09:26 It's a challenge to signal out which album truly defined glam metal's charred dominance tenure during the 1980s.
09:33 Whitesnake's self-titled 1987 album was certainly a commercial smash, as was Def Leppard's hysteria from that same year.
09:40 However, we'd argue that 1983's Pyromania offers a better balance of pop influence and Def Leppard's metallic pedigree.
09:48 "Oh, oh, oh, fool of the day"
09:52 Photograph, Foolin' and Rock of Ages are radio staples to this day.
09:57 Yet songs like Stage Fright, Die Hard, The Hunter and Billy's Got a Gun are heavy, melodic diamonds.
10:03 "We're the ones that rock"
10:07 Pyromania truly has something for everybody, from memorable hooks to heavy riffs.
10:13 It's also an album that showcases Def Leppard firing on all creative cylinders.
10:18 "I'm out of love, out of love"
10:24 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions.
10:28 Shout of the Devil - Motley Crue
10:31 A stylistic statement of intent.
10:33 "She's got the looks I kill, and kill"
10:39 1984 - Van Halen
10:42 A blueprint for Sunset Strip glam.
10:44 "I've got a pen, so bad, I'm not the teacher"
10:50 The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses
10:53 Early influential alt-rock.
10:55 "I wanna be a dog"
11:01 Pounds of Love - Kate Bush
11:03 Art rock with a generational vocal talent.
11:06 "If I want it, I want it"
11:11 Escape - Journey
11:13 Absolute AOR heaven.
11:15 "Don't stop believin'"
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11:35 1. The Joshua Tree - U2
11:44 Rarely has a band been so defined by a single album.
11:47 The Joshua Tree is, for many music fans, the reason why they fell in love with U2.
11:53 And it's difficult to argue against that love,
11:55 since so many of the songs here have rightfully gone on to become classics.
12:00 "With or Without You"
12:05 With or Without You, Where the Streets Have No Name, and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
12:10 are still played on the radio today.
12:12 The Edge's guitar tone and style are still being copied by generations of guitarists seeking his secrets.
12:19 "Where the Streets Have No Name"
12:25 And Bono remains one of rock's most iconoclastic frontmen,
12:29 with a moody and rich voice full of melodic nuance.
12:33 "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
12:37 Said simply, U2's The Joshua Tree helped define the 1980s.
12:43 "What I'm Looking For"
12:46 Which 1980s album do you think helped define the decade?
12:50 Let us know in the comments.
12:52 "Take Your Fears"
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13:06 [music]