Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post Reply
User avatar
acroamor
Shake Some Action
Posts: 1490
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2012 3:16 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA

Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by acroamor »

https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-an ... the-1980s/

Interesting list, a big change from their old top 100.
User avatar
Elder
Unquestionable Presence
Posts: 522
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:59 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Elder »

1 Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain 1984
2 Michael Jackson - Thriller 1982
3 N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton 1988
4 Kate Bush - Hounds of Love 1985
5 Talking Heads - Remain in Light 1980
6 Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back 1988
7 Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation 1987
8 Janet Jackson - Control 1986
9 The Cure - Disintegration 1989
10 Sade - Diamond Life 1985
11 Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full 1987
12 Joy Division - Closer 1980
13 The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead 1986
14 Pixies - Doolittle 1989
15 Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique 1989
16 Madonna - Madonna 1983
17 Prince - Sign o’ the Times 1987
18 Kraftwerk - Computer World 1981
19 New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies 1983
20 Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded 1987
21 De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising 1989
22 Laurie Anderson - Big Science 1982
23 Minor Threat - Complete Discography 1989
24 Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden 1988
25 Arthur Russell - World of Echo 1986
26 Prince - 1999 1982
27 Cocteau Twins - Treasure 1984
28 Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska 1982
29 Eric B. & Rakim - Follow the Leader 1988
30 Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814 1989
31 Slayer - Reign in Blood 1986
32 Pixies - Surfer Rosa 1988
33 Prince - Dirty Mind 1980
34 Leonard Cohen - I’m Your Man 1988
35 The Replacements - Let It Be 1984
36 Black Flag - Damaged 1981
37 Sade - Stronger Than Pride 1988
38 Run-D.M.C. - Raising Hell 1986
39 R.E.M. - Murmur 1983
40 The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy 1985
41 Bad Brains - Bad Brains 1982
42 Tom Waits - Rain Dogs 1985
43 The Smiths - Hatful of Hollow 1984
44 Sinéad O’Connor - The Lion and the Cobra 1987
45 Fugazi - Fugazi 1988
46 Dinosaur Jr. - You’re Living All Over Me 1987
47 U2 - The Joshua Tree 1987
48 Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick 1988
49 Paul Simon - Graceland 1986
50 ESG - Come Away With ESG 1983
51 Sonic Youth - EVOL 1986
52 Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime 1984
53 David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) 1980
54 The Replacements - Tim 1985
55 Metallica - Master of Puppets 1986
56 Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. 1984
57 Galaxie 500 - On Fire 1989
58 My Bloody Valentine - Isn’t Anything 1988
59 Kate Bush - The Sensual World 1989
60 EPMD - Strictly Business 1988
61 Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense 1984
62 Glenn Branca - The Ascension 1981
63 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - From Her to Eternity 1984
64 Grace Jones - Nightclubbing 1981
65 Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes 1983
66 Vangelis - Blade Runner (Music From the Original Soundtrack) 1982
67 Julee Cruise - Floating Into the Night 1989
68 Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade 1984
69 Metallica - Ride the Lightning 1984
70 Ultramagnetic MC’s - Critical Beatdown 1988
71 Motörhead - Ace of Spades 1980
72 Michael Jackson - Bad 1987
73 This Heat - Deceit 1981
74 Bob Marley & the Wailers - Uprising 1980
75 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Juju 1981
76 Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine 1989
77 Depeche Mode - Music for the Masses 1987
78 Madonna - Like a Prayer 1989
79 The Fall - This Nation’s Saving Grace 1985
80 Manuel Göttsching - E2-E4 1984
81 Brian Eno / David Byrne - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts 1981
82 Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast 1982
83 Jungle Brothers - Straight Out the Jungle 1988
84 Lucinda Williams - Lucinda Williams 1988
85 The Blue Nile - Hats 1989
86 Guns N’ Roses - Appetite for Destruction 1987
87 Tears for Fears - Songs From the Big Chair 1985
88 The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses 1989
89 Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll 1988
90 R.E.M. - Reckoning 1984
91 George Michael - Faith 1987
92 Fleetwood Mac - Tango in the Night 1987
93 Steve Reich - “Different Trains” / “Electric Counterpoint” 1989
94 Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness 1989
95 Brian Eno / Daniel Lanois / Roger Eno - Apollo: Soundtracks and Atmospheres 1983
96 Fela Kuti - Coffin for Head of State 1981
97 The Raincoats - Odyshape 1981
98 Nirvana - Bleach 1989
99 Kool G Rap / DJ Polo - Road to the Riches 1989
100 Cyndi Lauper - She’s So Unusual 1983
101 Alice Coltrane - Turiya Sings 1982
102 Wipers - Youth of America 1981
103 Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill 1986
104 Public Image Ltd - Second Edition 1980
105 Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary 1988
106 Laurie Spiegel - The Expanding Universe 1980
107 The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms 1980
108 Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth 1980
109 The Cure - The Head on the Door 1985
110 X - Los Angeles 1980
111 Roxy Music - Avalon 1982
112 New Order - Technique 1989
113 Spacemen 3 - Playing With Fire 1988
114 INXS - Kick 1987
115 Madonna - Like a Virgin 1984
116 Misfits - Walk Among Us 1982
117 Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston 1985
118 Philip Glass - Solo Piano 1989
119 Steely Dan - Gaucho 1980
120 Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C. 1984
121 Pretenders - Pretenders 1980
122 Beat Happening - Beat Happening 1985
123 The Go-Go’s - Beauty and the Beat 1981
124 Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel of Love 1987
125 Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel 1980
126 Pet Shop Boys - Actually 1987
127 David Bowie - Let’s Dance 1983
128 AC/DC - Back in Black 1980
129 The D.O.C. - No One Can Do It Better 1989
130 Scientist - Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires 1981
131 Echo & the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain 1984
132 Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen 1985
133 XTC - Skylarking 1986
134 Jane’s Addiction - Nothing’s Shocking 1988
135 Big Black - Songs About Fucking 1987
136 Neneh Cherry - Raw Like Sushi 1989
137 Horace Andy - Dance Hall Style 1982
138 Big Daddy Kane - Long Live the Kane 1988
139 The Durutti Column - Vini Reilly 1989
140 3rd Bass - The Cactus Album 1989
141 Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion 1985
142 Midori Takada - Through the Looking Glass 1983
143 Descendents - Milo Goes to College 1982
144 The Clash - Sandinista! 1980
145 Daniel Johnston - Hi, How Are You: The Unfinished Album 1983
146 Geto Boys - Grip It! On That Other Level 1989
147 Virginia Astley - In the Gardens Where We Feel Secure 1983
148 Rites of Spring - Rites of Spring 1985
149 Anita Baker - Rapture 1986
150 La Monte Young - The Well-Tuned Piano 1987
151 The Clean - Compilation 1988
152 Meat Puppets - II 1984
153 Meredith Monk - Dolmen Music 1981
154 LL Cool J - Radio 1985
155 Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Imperial Bedroom 1982
156 Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July 1980
157 MC Lyte - Lyte as a Rock 1988
158 Judas Priest - British Steel 1980
159 Various Artists - The Indestructible Beat of Soweto 1985
160 Mr. Fingers - Amnesia 1988
161 Richard and Linda Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights 1982
162 King Sunny Adé & His African Beats - Syncro System 1983
163 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence 1983
164 Pauline Oliveros / Stuart Dempster / Panaiotis - Deep Listening 1989
165 Swell Maps - Jane From Occupied Europe 1980
166 Ice-T - Rhyme Pays 1987
167 Au Pairs - Playing With a Different Sex 1981
168 Nurse With Wound - Soliloquy for Lilith 1988
169 The Faith / Void - The Faith/Void 1982
170 Yellowman - Mister Yellowman 1982
171 Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85 1985
172 Duran Duran - Rio 1982
173 Tina Turner - Private Dancer 1984
174 Ornette Coleman - In All Languages 1987
175 Godflesh - Streetcleaner 1989
176 Psychic TV - Dreams Less Sweet 1983
177 Queen Latifah - All Hail the Queen 1989
178 Joe Jackson - Night and Day 1982
179 LiLiPUT - LiLiPUT 1982
180 808 State - 90 1989
181 Nuno Canavarro - Plux Quba 1988
182 ABBA - The Visitors 1981
183 The B-52’s - Wild Planet 1980
184 Change - The Glow of Love 1980
185 Too $hort - Life Is... Too $hort 1988
186 Paul McCartney - McCartney II 1980
187 Tom Tom Club - Tom Tom Club 1981
188 Yoko Ono - Season of Glass 1981
189 Butthole Surfers - Locust Abortion Technician 1987
190 Ini Kamoze - Ini Kamoze 1984
191 Bronski Beat - The Age of Consent 1984
192 Salt-N-Pepa - Hot, Cool & Vicious 1986
193 Flipper - Generic Album - Flipper 1982
194 Patrice Rushen - Straight From the Heart 1982
195 Cecil Taylor - For Olim 1987
196 Virgo - Virgo 1989
197 Whodini - Escape 1984
198 Mercyful Fate - Don’t Break the Oath 1984
199 Tenor Saw - Fever 1985
200 Malcolm McLaren - Duck Rock 1983
Fetch the Bolt Cutters...
User avatar
Elder
Unquestionable Presence
Posts: 522
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:59 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Elder »

compared to the old list

1 Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain 1984 (+11)
2 Michael Jackson - Thriller 1982 (+25)
3 N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton 1988 (+32)
4 Kate Bush - Hounds of Love 1985 (+88)
5 Talking Heads - Remain in Light 1980 (-3)
6 Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back 1988 (+3)
7 Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation 1987 (-6)
8 Janet Jackson - Control 1986 (new)
9 The Cure - Disintegration 1989 (+29)
10 Sade - Diamond Life 1985 (new)
11 Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full 1987 (+41)
12 Joy Division - Closer 1980 (-2)
13 The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead 1986 (-7)
14 Pixies - Doolittle 1989 (-10)
15 Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique 1989 (-12)
16 Madonna - Madonna 1983 (new)
17 Prince - Sign o’ the Times 1987 (+28)
18 Kraftwerk - Computer World 1981 (+26)
19 New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies 1983 (+9)
20 Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded 1987 (+55)
21 De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising 1989 (-3)
22 Laurie Anderson - Big Science 1982 (new)
23 Minor Threat - Complete Discography 1989 (new)
24 Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden 1988 (+10)
25 Arthur Russell - World of Echo 1986 (new)
26 Prince - 1999 1982 (new)
27 Cocteau Twins - Treasure 1984 (+71)
28 Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska 1982 (+32)
29 Eric B. & Rakim - Follow the Leader 1988 (new)
30 Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814 1989 (new)
31 Slayer - Reign in Blood 1986 (new)
32 Pixies - Surfer Rosa 1988 (-25)
33 Prince - Dirty Mind 1980 (+54)
34 Leonard Cohen - I’m Your Man 1988 (+17)
35 The Replacements - Let It Be 1984 (-6)
36 Black Flag - Damaged 1981 (-11)
37 Sade - Stronger Than Pride 1988 (new)
38 Run-D.M.C. - Raising Hell 1986 (+5)
39 R.E.M. - Murmur 1983 (-34)
40 The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy 1985 (-17)
41 Bad Brains - Bad Brains 1982 (new)
42 Tom Waits - Rain Dogs 1985 (-34)
43 The Smiths - Hatful of Hollow 1984 (new)
44 Sinéad O’Connor - The Lion and the Cobra 1987 (new)
45 Fugazi - Fugazi 1988 (new)
46 Dinosaur Jr. - You’re Living All Over Me 1987 (-6)
47 U2 - The Joshua Tree 1987 (-17)
48 Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick 1988 (new)
49 Paul Simon - Graceland 1986 (+36)
50 ESG - Come Away With ESG 1983 (+34)
51 Sonic Youth - EVOL 1986 (-20)
52 Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime 1984 (-35)
53 David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) 1980 (+40)
54 The Replacements - Tim 1985 (-17)
55 Metallica - Master of Puppets 1986 (new)
56 Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. 1984 (new)
57 Galaxie 500 - On Fire 1989 (-39)
58 My Bloody Valentine - Isn’t Anything 1988 (-36)
59 Kate Bush - The Sensual World 1989 (new)
60 EPMD - Strictly Business 1988 (new)
61 Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense 1984 (+7)
62 Glenn Branca - The Ascension 1981 (new)
63 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - From Her to Eternity 1984 (new)
64 Grace Jones - Nightclubbing 1981 (new)
65 Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes 1983 (-29)
66 Vangelis - Blade Runner (Music From the Original Soundtrack) 1982 (new)
67 Julee Cruise - Floating Into the Night 1989 (new)
68 Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade 1984 (-36)
69 Metallica - Ride the Lightning 1984 (new)
70 Ultramagnetic MC’s - Critical Beatdown 1988 (new)
71 Motörhead - Ace of Spades 1980 (new)
72 Michael Jackson - Bad 1987 (new)
73 This Heat - Deceit 1981 (-53)
74 Bob Marley & the Wailers - Uprising 1980 (new)
75 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Juju 1981 (new)
76 Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine 1989 (new)
77 Depeche Mode - Music for the Masses 1987 (new)
78 Madonna - Like a Prayer 1989 (new)
79 The Fall - This Nation’s Saving Grace 1985 (-66)
80 Manuel Göttsching - E2-E4 1984 (-1)
81 Brian Eno / David Byrne - My Life in the Bush of Ghosts 1981 (-60)
82 Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast 1982 (new)
83 Jungle Brothers - Straight Out the Jungle 1988 (new)
84 Lucinda Williams - Lucinda Williams 1988 (new)
85 The Blue Nile - Hats 1989 (new)
86 Guns N’ Roses - Appetite for Destruction 1987 (-27)
87 Tears for Fears - Songs From the Big Chair 1985 (new)
88 The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses 1989 (-49)
89 Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll 1988 (-8)
90 R.E.M. - Reckoning 1984 (-28)
91 George Michael - Faith 1987 (new)
92 Fleetwood Mac - Tango in the Night 1987 (new)
93 Steve Reich - “Different Trains” / “Electric Counterpoint” 1989 (new)
94 Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness 1989 (new)
95 Brian Eno / Daniel Lanois / Roger Eno - Apollo: Soundtracks and Atmospheres 1983 (new)
96 Fela Kuti - Coffin for Head of State 1981 (new)
97 The Raincoats - Odyshape 1981 (new)
98 Nirvana - Bleach 1989 (new)
99 Kool G Rap / DJ Polo - Road to the Riches 1989 (new)
100 Cyndi Lauper - She’s So Unusual 1983 (new)
101 Alice Coltrane - Turiya Sings 1982 (new)
102 Wipers - Youth of America 1981 (new)
103 Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill 1986 (-62)
104 Public Image Ltd - Second Edition 1980 (-85)
105 Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary 1988 (new)
106 Laurie Spiegel - The Expanding Universe 1980 (new)
107 The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms 1980 (-38)
108 Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth 1980 (-45)
109 The Cure - The Head on the Door 1985 (new)
110 X - Los Angeles 1980 (-19)
111 Roxy Music - Avalon 1982 (new)
112 New Order - Technique 1989 (new)
113 Spacemen 3 - Playing With Fire 1988 (-25)
114 INXS - Kick 1987 (new)
115 Madonna - Like a Virgin 1984 (new)
116 Misfits - Walk Among Us 1982 (new)
117 Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston 1985 (new)
118 Philip Glass - Solo Piano 1989 (new)
119 Steely Dan - Gaucho 1980 (new)
120 Run-D.M.C. - Run-D.M.C. 1984 (new)
121 Pretenders - Pretenders 1980 (new)
122 Beat Happening - Beat Happening 1985 (new)
123 The Go-Go’s - Beauty and the Beat 1981 (new)
124 Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel of Love 1987 (new)
125 Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel 1980 (new)
126 Pet Shop Boys - Actually 1987 (new)
127 David Bowie - Let’s Dance 1983 (new)
128 AC/DC - Back in Black 1980 (new)
129 The D.O.C. - No One Can Do It Better 1989 (new)
130 Scientist - Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires 1981 (new)
131 Echo & the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain 1984 (new)
132 Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen 1985 (new)
133 XTC - Skylarking 1986 (-118)
134 Jane’s Addiction - Nothing’s Shocking 1988 (-44)
135 Big Black - Songs About Fucking 1987 (-81)
136 Neneh Cherry - Raw Like Sushi 1989 (new)
137 Horace Andy - Dance Hall Style 1982 (new)
138 Big Daddy Kane - Long Live the Kane 1988 (new)
139 The Durutti Column - Vini Reilly 1989 (new)
140 3rd Bass - The Cactus Album 1989 (new)
141 Celtic Frost - To Mega Therion 1985 (new)
142 Midori Takada - Through the Looking Glass 1983 (new)
143 Descendents - Milo Goes to College 1982 (new)
144 The Clash - Sandinista! 1980 (new)
145 Daniel Johnston - Hi, How Are You: The Unfinished Album 1983 (new)
146 Geto Boys - Grip It! On That Other Level 1989 (new)
147 Virginia Astley - In the Gardens Where We Feel Secure 1983 (new)
148 Rites of Spring - Rites of Spring 1985 (-52)
149 Anita Baker - Rapture 1986 (new)
150 La Monte Young - The Well-Tuned Piano 1987 (new)
151 The Clean - Compilation 1988 (new)
152 Meat Puppets - II 1984 (-58)
153 Meredith Monk - Dolmen Music 1981 (new)
154 LL Cool J - Radio 1985 (new)
155 Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Imperial Bedroom 1982 (-97)
156 Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July 1980 (new)
157 MC Lyte - Lyte as a Rock 1988 (new)
158 Judas Priest - British Steel 1980 (new)
159 Various Artists - The Indestructible Beat of Soweto 1985 (new)
160 Mr. Fingers - Amnesia 1988 (new)
161 Richard and Linda Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights 1982 (new)
162 King Sunny Adé & His African Beats - Syncro System 1983 (new)
163 Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence 1983 (new)
164 Pauline Oliveros / Stuart Dempster / Panaiotis - Deep Listening 1989 (new)
165 Swell Maps - Jane From Occupied Europe 1980 (new)
166 Ice-T - Rhyme Pays 1987 (new)
167 Au Pairs - Playing With a Different Sex 1981 (new)
168 Nurse With Wound - Soliloquy for Lilith 1988 (new)
169 The Faith / Void - The Faith/Void 1982 (new)
170 Yellowman - Mister Yellowman 1982 (new)
171 Scritti Politti - Cupid & Psyche 85 1985 (new)
172 Duran Duran - Rio 1982 (-77)
173 Tina Turner - Private Dancer 1984 (new)
174 Ornette Coleman - In All Languages 1987 (new)
175 Godflesh - Streetcleaner 1989 (new)
176 Psychic TV - Dreams Less Sweet 1983 (new)
177 Queen Latifah - All Hail the Queen 1989 (new)
178 Joe Jackson - Night and Day 1982 (new)
179 LiLiPUT - LiLiPUT 1982 (new)
180 808 State - 90 1989 (new)
181 Nuno Canavarro - Plux Quba 1988 (new)
182 ABBA - The Visitors 1981 (new)
183 The B-52’s - Wild Planet 1980 (new)
184 Change - The Glow of Love 1980 (new)
185 Too $hort - Life Is... Too $hort 1988 (new)
186 Paul McCartney - McCartney II 1980 (new)
187 Tom Tom Club - Tom Tom Club 1981 (new)
188 Yoko Ono - Season of Glass 1981 (new)
189 Butthole Surfers - Locust Abortion Technician 1987 (new)
190 Ini Kamoze - Ini Kamoze 1984 (new)
191 Bronski Beat - The Age of Consent 1984 (new)
192 Salt-N-Pepa - Hot, Cool & Vicious 1986 (new)
193 Flipper - Generic Album - Flipper 1982 (new)
194 Patrice Rushen - Straight From the Heart 1982 (new)
195 Cecil Taylor - For Olim 1987 (new)
196 Virgo - Virgo 1989 (new)
197 Whodini - Escape 1984 (new)
198 Mercyful Fate - Don’t Break the Oath 1984 (new)
199 Tenor Saw - Fever 1985 (new)
200 Malcolm McLaren - Duck Rock 1983 (new)


out.

11 Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones 1983
14 Sonic Youth - Sister 1987
24 Gang of Four - Solid Gold 1981
26 Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Get Happy!! 1980
33 The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour 1982
43 Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Session 1988
46 XTC - English Settlement 1982
47 John Zorn - Naked City 1990
48 R.E.M. - Document 1986
49 Mission of Burma - Vs. 1982
50 Spacemen 3 - The Perfect Prescription 1987
53 Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls and Marches 1981
55 The Police - Synchronicity 1983
56 King Crimson - Discipline 1981
57 Pixies - Come on Pilgrim 1987
61 Nurse with Wound - Homotopy to Marie 1982
64 Television Personalities - ...And Don't the Kids Just Love It 1981
65 The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight 1980
66 The Dukes Of Stratosphear - Psonic Psunspot 1987
67 The Pogues - Rum Sodomy & the Lash 1987
70 Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Trust 1981
71 The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me 1987
72 Meat Puppets - Up on the Sun 1985
73 Coil - Horse Rotorvator 1986
74 Mekons - Fear and Whiskey 1985
76 The dB's - Stands for Decibels 1981
77 The Smiths - Strangeways, Here We Come 1987
78 They Might Be Giants - Lincoln 1988
80 Hüsker Dü - New Day Rising 1985
82 The Fall - Perverted by Language 1983
83 Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring 1986
86 The Police - Ghost in the Machine 1981
89 Boredoms - Soul Discharge 1989
97 Mekons - The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll 1989
99 Gang of Four - Songs of the Free 1982
100 Minor Threat - Out of Step 1983
Last edited by Elder on Tue Sep 11, 2018 1:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Fetch the Bolt Cutters...
Chris K.
Let's Get It On
Posts: 234
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:13 am

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Chris K. »

Wow, this list illustrates just have far P4's tastes have drifted from mine (in what seems like just two or three years). So many of the albums that are missing on this list (Underwater Moonlight, Stands for Decibels, The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll, etc) were albums they turned me on to with their original list. And it seems like nearly all of my favorites from their original list went down, while the albums I'm most ambivalent about went up (with some notable exceptions; I'm happy to see Kate Bush and Prince's gains!). I don't begrudge them, they're entitled to their opinions. I just don't really look forward to their lists the way I used to.
User avatar
StevieFan13
Wuthering Heights
Posts: 6967
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 5:00 pm
Location: New York, New York
Contact:

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by StevieFan13 »

The poptimism is strong with this one. I dunno, I agree with a lot of their high rankings, but I also miss the idiosyncrasy the original list had. Also, no Pogues is a downgrade.
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
Illiniq
Strange Fruit
Posts: 79
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2012 3:37 am

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Illiniq »

Chris K. wrote:Wow, this list illustrates just have far P4's tastes have drifted from mine (in what seems like just two or three years). So many of the albums that are missing on this list (Underwater Moonlight, Stands for Decibels, The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll, etc) were albums they turned me on to with their original list. And it seems like nearly all of my favorites from their original list went down, while the albums I'm most ambivalent about went up (with some notable exceptions; I'm happy to see Kate Bush and Prince's gains!). I don't begrudge them, they're entitled to their opinions. I just don't really look forward to their lists the way I used to.
I've never looked forward to their lists on past decades because I've always felt, more than any other magazine or website, that Pitchfork's rankings of era's before their time are carefully cultivated to reinforce whatever vision they are selling us now as to what constitutes "Great" music today, rather than genuinely trying to just lock in on what was best in that era for that era. We're in a Hip-Hop / R&B / Pop and Disco era right now, one where off to the side metal has been left alone but thrives, so Pitchfork's new list of the 80s is overloaded with titles that reinforces those genres as the best, at the expense of the acts and albums that informed the indie rock and noise rock and punk tastes the site was all about a decade ago.

So we get Prince's third and fourth best albums of the decade, Dirty Mind and 1999, ranked ahead of the very best effort of the decade by the likes of REM, The Replacements, The Jesus And The Mary Chain, Tom Waits, The Stone Roses, U2, The Minutemen, AC/DC, Guns And Roses, Roxy Music, The Pretenders, Peter Gabriel, etc, etc. something to which I think 4/5 people who actually lived through the decade and listened broadly would argue no f***ing way, including most Prince fans.

But give Pitchfok another ten years and the list will have an entirely different look again. There's just no consistency with that site other than their loyalty to the now.
McJagger
Strange Fruit
Posts: 69
Joined: Tue May 29, 2012 8:20 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by McJagger »

These Pitchfork lists used to turn me onto obscure and cool music. Could you say the same of these lists now? And if they are not introducing me to new, exciting music, what purpose does Pitchfork serve as a site for the appreciation of "alternative music"?
User avatar
Moonbeam
Full of Fire
Posts: 2543
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:40 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Moonbeam »

Illiniq wrote:
Chris K. wrote:Wow, this list illustrates just have far P4's tastes have drifted from mine (in what seems like just two or three years). So many of the albums that are missing on this list (Underwater Moonlight, Stands for Decibels, The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll, etc) were albums they turned me on to with their original list. And it seems like nearly all of my favorites from their original list went down, while the albums I'm most ambivalent about went up (with some notable exceptions; I'm happy to see Kate Bush and Prince's gains!). I don't begrudge them, they're entitled to their opinions. I just don't really look forward to their lists the way I used to.
I've never looked forward to their lists on past decades because I've always felt, more than any other magazine or website, that Pitchfork's rankings of era's before their time are carefully cultivated to reinforce whatever vision they are selling us now as to what constitutes "Great" music today, rather than genuinely trying to just lock in on what was best in that era for that era. We're in a Hip-Hop / R&B / Pop and Disco era right now, one where off to the side metal has been left alone but thrives, so Pitchfork's new list of the 80s is overloaded with titles that reinforces those genres as the best, at the expense of the acts and albums that informed the indie rock and noise rock and punk tastes the site was all about a decade ago.

So we get Prince's third and fourth best albums of the decade, Dirty Mind and 1999, ranked ahead of the very best effort of the decade by the likes of REM, The Replacements, The Jesus And The Mary Chain, Tom Waits, The Stone Roses, U2, The Minutemen, AC/DC, Guns And Roses, Roxy Music, The Pretenders, Peter Gabriel, etc, etc. something to which I think 4/5 people who actually lived through the decade and listened broadly would argue no f***ing way, including most Prince fans.

But give Pitchfok another ten years and the list will have an entirely different look again. There's just no consistency with that site other than their loyalty to the now.
1999 is Prince's best album of the decade. ;) If anything the list could use MORE Prince. Controversy, Parade, and Lovesexy all belong.

That said, I'm generally pretty happy with the list. Could have used some more synth pop from the early part of the decade (Eurythmics, Human League), and more non-English music, but it's a big time upgrade from the first list, IMO. Thrilled with the love for Janet though the order of the Janet albums should be swapped, and happy that Siouxsie and the Banshees managed to get an album on there (they deserve at least 3, IMO).
McJagger
Strange Fruit
Posts: 69
Joined: Tue May 29, 2012 8:20 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by McJagger »

It should be noted that "Second Edition" and "Metal Box" are the same album by Public Image Ltd., so it wasn't excluded from the new list.
User avatar
Elder
Unquestionable Presence
Posts: 522
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:59 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Elder »

I'm going to post this beautiful thought from Van Halen's David Lee Roth, which explains in a simple way the reason for so many changes in the list:

“Rock music critics like Elvis Costello because rock music critics look like Elvis Costello.”
Fetch the Bolt Cutters...
User avatar
Elder
Unquestionable Presence
Posts: 522
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:59 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Elder »

McJagger wrote:It should be noted that "Second Edition" and "Metal Box" are the same album by Public Image Ltd., so it wasn't excluded from the new list.
I will correct
Fetch the Bolt Cutters...
Illiniq
Strange Fruit
Posts: 79
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2012 3:37 am

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Illiniq »

Moonbeam wrote: 1999 is Prince's best album of the decade. ;) If anything the list could use MORE Prince. Controversy, Parade, and Lovesexy all belong.
We'll agree to disagree there.

While I've never seen a greater live performer in my lifetime, always been a touch underwhelmed by Prince on album. Wildly creative and inventive, and for that he should be celebrated, but not nearly as consistent a songwriter as most of the other all time greats, and may have had the worst production ear of just about any artist we would seriously consider in the rock/pop/soul top 25 all time - his mixes and arrangements were just so thin and weak so often. On albums like Dirty Mind and 1999 almost hard to listen to sometimes, even when one likes everything else about the song.
User avatar
bootsy
Shake Some Action
Posts: 1297
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2014 10:38 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by bootsy »

Illiniq wrote:
Moonbeam wrote: 1999 is Prince's best album of the decade. ;) If anything the list could use MORE Prince. Controversy, Parade, and Lovesexy all belong.
We'll agree to disagree there.

While I've never seen a greater live performer in my lifetime, always been a touch underwhelmed by Prince on album. Wildly creative and inventive, and for that he should be celebrated, but not nearly as consistent a songwriter as most of the other all time greats, and may have had the worst production ear of just about any artist we would seriously consider in the rock/pop/soul top 25 all time - his mixes and arrangements were just so thin and weak so often. On albums like Dirty Mind and 1999 almost hard to listen to sometimes, even when one likes everything else about the song.
I would probably lean more towards Purple Rain too. It's more accessible and I just listened to it recently and haven't listen to 1999 in a while. That might have something to do with it.

As for this list, I like it but I can definitely understand people not liking it all compared to the 2002 list. If it doesn't fit the type of music you like then you probably are going to favor one list over the other. Pitchfork has changed a LOT in 16 years so that plays a big factor in the difference. 2002 was also a list of 100 and this is 200 so maybe some of these albums that appear on the 2018 list may have been on the 2002 list if it was expanded to 200. This list is a lot more catering to the current trends in music for sure. I don't know how I feel about that. It caters to my interest but that doesn't necessarily make it right either.
Chris K.
Let's Get It On
Posts: 234
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:13 am

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Chris K. »

Illiniq wrote:I've never looked forward to their lists on past decades because I've always felt, more than any other magazine or website, that Pitchfork's rankings of era's before their time are carefully cultivated to reinforce whatever vision they are selling us now as to what constitutes "Great" music today, rather than genuinely trying to just lock in on what was best in that era for that era. We're in a Hip-Hop / R&B / Pop and Disco era right now, one where off to the side metal has been left alone but thrives, so Pitchfork's new list of the 80s is overloaded with titles that reinforces those genres as the best, at the expense of the acts and albums that informed the indie rock and noise rock and punk tastes the site was all about a decade ago.

So we get Prince's third and fourth best albums of the decade, Dirty Mind and 1999, ranked ahead of the very best effort of the decade by the likes of REM, The Replacements, The Jesus And The Mary Chain, Tom Waits, The Stone Roses, U2, The Minutemen, AC/DC, Guns And Roses, Roxy Music, The Pretenders, Peter Gabriel, etc, etc. something to which I think 4/5 people who actually lived through the decade and listened broadly would argue no f***ing way, including most Prince fans.

But give Pitchfok another ten years and the list will have an entirely different look again. There's just no consistency with that site other than their loyalty to the now.
You're absolutely right. Their lists have always been lopsided to an annoying degree, I guess I just discovered some pretty great underrated gems through them in the past.
User avatar
Moonbeam
Full of Fire
Posts: 2543
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:40 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Moonbeam »

Illiniq wrote:
Moonbeam wrote: 1999 is Prince's best album of the decade. ;) If anything the list could use MORE Prince. Controversy, Parade, and Lovesexy all belong.
We'll agree to disagree there.

While I've never seen a greater live performer in my lifetime, always been a touch underwhelmed by Prince on album. Wildly creative and inventive, and for that he should be celebrated, but not nearly as consistent a songwriter as most of the other all time greats, and may have had the worst production ear of just about any artist we would seriously consider in the rock/pop/soul top 25 all time - his mixes and arrangements were just so thin and weak so often. On albums like Dirty Mind and 1999 almost hard to listen to sometimes, even when one likes everything else about the song.
I LOVE the production on those records! 1999 in particular has such an awesome sound to it, which is what in part makes it my favorite album of all time.
jamieW
Keep On Movin'
Posts: 1938
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 9:19 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by jamieW »

Moonbeam wrote:
Illiniq wrote:
Moonbeam wrote: 1999 is Prince's best album of the decade. ;) If anything the list could use MORE Prince. Controversy, Parade, and Lovesexy all belong.
We'll agree to disagree there.

While I've never seen a greater live performer in my lifetime, always been a touch underwhelmed by Prince on album. Wildly creative and inventive, and for that he should be celebrated, but not nearly as consistent a songwriter as most of the other all time greats, and may have had the worst production ear of just about any artist we would seriously consider in the rock/pop/soul top 25 all time - his mixes and arrangements were just so thin and weak so often. On albums like Dirty Mind and 1999 almost hard to listen to sometimes, even when one likes everything else about the song.
I LOVE the production on those records! 1999 in particular has such an awesome sound to it, which is what in part makes it my favorite album of all time.
Pencil me in as another big fan of the production on "1999," comfortably my second favorite album by Prince. As an artist, he could be intentionally sparse and then also throw the kitchen sink at you. "1999" was the album that introduced me to him in my early teens and was mind-blowing at the time with its overt sexuality and musical diversity. I hadn't heard anything quite like it. (This was an album that managed to cross over to the mainstream at a time when some radio stations were refusing to play Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" because they deemed it too "suggestive.")
User avatar
Henrik
Site Admin
Posts: 6439
Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2012 10:09 am
Location: Älvsjö, Stockholm, Sweden
Contact:

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Henrik »

As for Moonbeam, it’s a change in line with my personal preference.

What a crime to leave out ”Swordfishtrombones” though. I will assume it was a mistake.
Everyone you meet fights a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.
User avatar
Moonbeam
Full of Fire
Posts: 2543
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:40 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Moonbeam »

In particular, a celebration of 80s pop should be welcome as it was an amazing decade for pop music which has long been derided by critics and the public alike. But 80s nostalgia is incredibly strong (stronger than 70s and 90s nostalgia from what I gather), such that it’s become more acceptable now to embrace the bright colors the 80s delivered like no other decade.
User avatar
Moonbeam
Full of Fire
Posts: 2543
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:40 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Moonbeam »

Henrik wrote:As for Moonbeam, it’s a change in line with my personal preference.

What a crime to leave out ”Swordfishtrombones” though. I will assume it was a mistake.
Yes, that is shocking! Swordfishtrombones definitely belongs!
Jonathon
Let's Get It On
Posts: 253
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 11:13 am

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Jonathon »

Murmur is my favorite album of the 80s, and it's drop is saddening. I wonder if we'll get an updated 90s list soon.
Jonathon
Let's Get It On
Posts: 253
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 11:13 am

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Jonathon »

Illiniq wrote:
Chris K. wrote:Wow, this list illustrates just have far P4's tastes have drifted from mine (in what seems like just two or three years). So many of the albums that are missing on this list (Underwater Moonlight, Stands for Decibels, The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll, etc) were albums they turned me on to with their original list. And it seems like nearly all of my favorites from their original list went down, while the albums I'm most ambivalent about went up (with some notable exceptions; I'm happy to see Kate Bush and Prince's gains!). I don't begrudge them, they're entitled to their opinions. I just don't really look forward to their lists the way I used to.
I've never looked forward to their lists on past decades because I've always felt, more than any other magazine or website, that Pitchfork's rankings of era's before their time are carefully cultivated to reinforce whatever vision they are selling us now as to what constitutes "Great" music today, rather than genuinely trying to just lock in on what was best in that era for that era. We're in a Hip-Hop / R&B / Pop and Disco era right now, one where off to the side metal has been left alone but thrives, so Pitchfork's new list of the 80s is overloaded with titles that reinforces those genres as the best, at the expense of the acts and albums that informed the indie rock and noise rock and punk tastes the site was all about a decade ago.

So we get Prince's third and fourth best albums of the decade, Dirty Mind and 1999, ranked ahead of the very best effort of the decade by the likes of REM, The Replacements, The Jesus And The Mary Chain, Tom Waits, The Stone Roses, U2, The Minutemen, AC/DC, Guns And Roses, Roxy Music, The Pretenders, Peter Gabriel, etc, etc. something to which I think 4/5 people who actually lived through the decade and listened broadly would argue no f***ing way, including most Prince fans.

But give Pitchfok another ten years and the list will have an entirely different look again. There's just no consistency with that site other than their loyalty to the now.
This is the problem. Pitchfork is stripping away the old pitchfork. I started to notice that when they did the top 50 albums of 1998, with an accompanying article about In The Aeroplane Over the Sea: A Divisive Classic Turns 20. This is the publication who's endorsement of said record took it from 675 of all-time into the top 250.

The original 80s list was monolith of alternative/ indie/ noise rock, and the 90s list actually defined my adult music tastes: Wilco, The Flaming Lips, Neutral Milk Hotel, Belle & Sebastian. I was 19 when that list came out, and it completely changed my music tastes.

The most subversive thing about this list is Madonna's S/T in the top 20, and The Cure outranking Joy Division. Pitchfork used to be anti-establishment, now they're anti-critic, anti-boomer darling artists, pro-dance floor. It's quite sad, really.
User avatar
Pierre
Into the Groove
Posts: 2207
Joined: Sat Mar 10, 2012 8:21 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Pierre »

Pitchfork rose at a time when the hipster subculture was in its infancy as an alternative-indie rock amateur publication, and catering to the predominantly mid-to-up class American white men, who grown listening to student radios, they were. Twenty years in, the hipster subculture has faded and a number of their ideas have made their way into mainstream pop culture. Therefore, it's only natural if they want to survive that Pitchfork reposition themselves to please a wider audience, including Afro-American people and the youth. Doing so, they may be trapped by the zeitgeist, but not following it was what nearly killed Rolling Stone back in the days. You can't blame them for learning from the lessons of the past.

I personally find their approach too American-centric anyway and I've lost interest in Pitchfork a while ago.

On-topic, you may or may not like to know that Louder Sound (ex-Team Rock, aka Classic Rock, Metal Hammer & Prog) are currently unraveling their own 200 best albums of the 1980s as 20-albums-per-year packs each week. An occasion to be reminded how the music culture of 30+ year old American white men has sharply divided between the mid-to-up and lower-to-mid classes since the late 1980s-through-1990s.
User avatar
Rob
Die Mensch Maschine
Posts: 7351
Joined: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:53 pm
Location: Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Rob »

Pierre wrote:Pitchfork rose at a time when the hipster subculture was in its infancy as an alternative-indie rock amateur publication, and catering to the predominantly mid-to-up class American white men, who grown listening to student radios, they were. Twenty years in, the hipster subculture has faded and a number of their ideas have made their way into mainstream pop culture. Therefore, it's only natural if they want to survive that Pitchfork reposition themselves to please a wider audience, including Afro-American people and the youth. Doing so, they may be trapped by the zeitgeist, but not following it was what nearly killed Rolling Stone back in the days. You can't blame them for learning from the lessons of the past.
The problem here is that I still think Pitchfork is hipster-centric and that poptimism is basically a hipster movement. I've always thought Pitchfork was hip and happening to a fault. The reason I never followed them was because their reviews all too frequently annoyed me because they revealed very little about the music and too much about the cultural climate in which they were written, full with obsessions about current fads (to say nothing of the writers trying very hard to come across as smart). There has been an air of fakeness over Pitchfork for quite some time now (I don't know if that was true when they just started), with music being reviewed based on how much they fit the cultural climate Pitchfork promotes instead of as music on itself. This new switch into poptimism and poptimism only is as false as when they were defiantly anti-pop. This magazine can't review music on it's own merit. With this new change they only reveal their lack of genuine vision. Laugh about Rolling Stone all you want, but for the most part they know what they are about, whether that is fashionable or not .

With this new move Pitchfork obviously wins some news readers, but I think they will lose more as people whose tastes they reflected are probably not going to change so radically along with them. Personally, I can't take the overhaul of this list seriously and not even because I'm generally not fan of 80's pop and it's nostalgic revisionism.
User avatar
Moonbeam
Full of Fire
Posts: 2543
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:40 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Moonbeam »

Man, 4 of the top 9 new albums are among my all time top 100! And then there is Like a Prayer, Grace Jones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Cyndi Lauper in the top 100. I officially love this list! For those who aren’t keen on it, I understand, but the old list is still there. For too long a lot of great 80s pop music has been slept on by critics. Hopefully this list will turn some people on to some amazing music just as the original list sounds like it did.
Bruno
Shake Some Action
Posts: 1384
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2012 1:33 pm
Location: São Paulo, Brasil
Contact:

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Bruno »

Moonbeam wrote:Man, 4 of the top 9 new albums are among my all time top 100! And then there is Like a Prayer, Grace Jones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Cyndi Lauper in the top 100. I officially love this list! For those who aren’t keen on it, I understand, but the old list is still there. For too long a lot of great 80s pop music has been slept on by critics. Hopefully this list will turn some people on to some amazing music just as the original list sounds like it did.
Agreed.

Some nice pop choices.
Monte
Let's Get It On
Posts: 291
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2016 9:10 am

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Monte »

Michael's sister at #8 alone invalidates this list. yikes
User avatar
bootsy
Shake Some Action
Posts: 1297
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2014 10:38 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by bootsy »

filmman wrote:Michael's sister at #8 alone invalidates this list. yikes
So where should it be? It's a great album. Are you saying it shouldn't be on the list at all or further down?
Harold
Into the Groove
Posts: 2331
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 3:56 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Harold »

bootsy wrote:
filmman wrote:Michael's sister at #8 alone invalidates this list. yikes
So where should it be? It's a great album. Are you saying it shouldn't be on the list at all or further down?
Based on his previous posts, he's not a fan of anyone in particular named Jackson (Samuel L., maybe). Given that and the "yikes," I'm guessing he's saying not at all. I wouldn't rank it that high, but I wouldn't yikes either. Seems a tad harsh.
User avatar
bootsy
Shake Some Action
Posts: 1297
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2014 10:38 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by bootsy »

Harold wrote:
bootsy wrote:
filmman wrote:Michael's sister at #8 alone invalidates this list. yikes
So where should it be? It's a great album. Are you saying it shouldn't be on the list at all or further down?
Based on his previous posts, he's not a fan of anyone in particular named Jackson (Samuel L., maybe). Given that and the "yikes," I'm guessing he's saying not at all. I wouldn't rank it that high, but I wouldn't yikes either. Seems a tad harsh.
That's funny.

Anyway I was just trying to get a gauge of whether he felt it was too high or just shouldn't be there at all by what he posted but as you said the 'yikes' is pretty much a dead giveaway.
User avatar
Moonbeam
Full of Fire
Posts: 2543
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:40 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Moonbeam »

filmman wrote:Michael's sister at #8 alone invalidates this list. yikes
:angry-nono:

Janet owns. Rhythm Nation 1814 worthy of a top 3 place and while I wouldn’t have Control that high, it still belongs on the list for sure. Your comment is obnoxious.
User avatar
StevieFan13
Wuthering Heights
Posts: 6967
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 5:00 pm
Location: New York, New York
Contact:

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by StevieFan13 »

Also, way to go invalidating a 30+ year career with tons of hit singles by just saying she’s Michael’s sister.
Music is a world within itself, with a language we all understand - Sir Duke (1976)
Bruno
Shake Some Action
Posts: 1384
Joined: Sun Feb 19, 2012 1:33 pm
Location: São Paulo, Brasil
Contact:

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Bruno »

Yep, Janet is a top 5 female rock artist, for sure.
User avatar
carlos74
Wannabe
Posts: 136
Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2016 6:51 am
Location: Madrid
Contact:

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by carlos74 »

I like this list more than the previous one. In the first half they have put the classic albums plus some very representative artists of the decade that are not usually taken into account by the critics. In the second half underground artists predominate, I at least had to consult many in rym to know who they were. Really the only thing that disappoints me is leaving out The Trinity Sessions.

I hope they are also encouraged to redo the list of the 70s and 90s.
Last edited by carlos74 on Sat Sep 15, 2018 6:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jonathon
Let's Get It On
Posts: 253
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 11:13 am

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Jonathon »

I will say this. As a list, I think it's terrible. 2 Sade Albums above Murmur is ridiculous. As a fan of this site, it's always interesting when we have some movements in the rankings. Hopefully this and lists like it will cause some interesting shifts, that will result in new discussion.
jamieW
Keep On Movin'
Posts: 1938
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 9:19 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by jamieW »

Since the eighties was the decade of my youth, I was curious to see just how many of my personal favorites made Pitchfork's 200. Of my top 100, only 34 featured (marked with a *). But then my list is even more "poptimistic," so that's not very surprising. Since I took these directly from my spreadsheet, I was a little surprised how many artists I really like that didn't make my list at all. But then I love the eighties enough that I could've tripled this list and still been listing albums I like a lot.

1. The Cure – Disintegration *
2. Sarah McLachlan – Touch
3. New Order – Low Life
4. The Cure – Seventeen Seconds
5. The Fixx – Reach the Beach
6. Bourgeois Tagg – Bourgeois Tagg
7. Ministry – With Sympathy
8. The Cars – Heartbeat City
9. New Order – Technique *
10. Prince – Purple Rain *
11. Michael Jackson – Thriller *
12. Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes *
13. Blue Oyster Cult – Fire of Unknown Origin
14. Modern Talking – The 1st Album
15. Gene Loves Jezebel – Discover
16. Janet Jackson – Rhythm Nation 1814 *
17. The Cure – The Head on the Door *
18. Tears for Fears – The Hurting
19. Ofra Haza – Shaday
20. Arvo Part – Tabula Rasa
21. Peter Gabriel – So
22. Leonard Cohen – I’m Your Man *
23. Philip Glass – Akhnaten
24. U2 – War
25. Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair *
26. The Sound – Jeopardy
27. Joy Division – Closer *
28. Julee Cruise – Floating Into the Night *
29. Pixies – Doolittle *
30. Philip Glass – Glassworks
31. Prince – 1999 *
32. Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate Machine *
33. New Order – Brotherhood
34. New Order – Movement
35. Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back *
36. Information Society – Information Society
37. Tom Waits – Frank’s Wild Years
38. Madonna – Like a Prayer *
39. Yello – Stella
40. Ministry – Twitch
41. The Cure – Pornography
42. The Waterboys – This Is the Sea
43. Yehuda Poliker – Efer Veavak
44. Fela Kuti – Original Suffer Head
45. The Cure – Faith
46. Tom Waits – Rain Dogs *
47. Exposé – Exposure
48. Bourgeois Tagg – Yoyo
49. Japan – Gentlemen Take Polaroids
50. The Feelies – Crazy Rhythms *
51. George Winston – December
52. Madonna – Like a Virgin *
53. Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation *
54. Philip Glass – Koyaanisqatsi
55. Japan – Quiet Life
56. The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead *
57. Depeche Mode – Music for the Masses *
58. Eric B & Rakim – Paid in Full *
59. Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman
60. Sinead O’Connor – The Lion and the Cobra *
61. The Cure – Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
62. Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden *
63. Journey – Frontiers
64. Astor Piazzolla – Tango: Zero Hour
65. Youssou N’Dour – Immigres/Bitim Rew
66. Marillion – Script for a Jester’s Tear
67. The Durutti Column – LC
68. Sisters of Mercy – Floodland
69. Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones
70. Faith No More – The Real Thing
71. Public Image Ltd. – Happy?
72. The Blue Nile – Hats *
73. Berlin – Pleasure Victim
74. Madonna – True Blue
75. Fleetwood Mac – Tango in the Night *
76. Madredeus – Os dias da Madredeus
77. Steve Roach – Structures from Silence
78. Kon Kan – Move to Move
79. Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Discobeat
80. Cyndi Lauper – She’s So Unusual *
81. Barbra Streisand – Guilty
82. Talking Heads – Remain in Light *
83. Prince – Controversy
84. Jane Birkin – Baby Alone in Babyalone
85. Kraftwerk – Computerwelt/Computer World *
86. Falco – Falco 3
87. Simple Minds – New Gold Dream
88. AC/DC – Back in Black *
89. Cocteau Twins – Treasure *
90. Violent Femmes – Hallowed Ground
91. Run-D.M.C. – Run-D.M.C.
92. This Mortal Coil – It’ll End in Tears
93. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Tender Prey
94. Depeche Mode – A Broken Frame
95. Manuel Göttsching – E2-E4 *
96. John Cale – Music for a New Society
97. Talk Talk – The Colour of Spring
98. New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies *
99. Public Image Ltd. – 9
100. The Human League – Dare

I do wonder if the eighties is THE decade that people like the least if they weren't actually alive during it. The people I know personally that were born in the nineties or later really dislike the decade, with the exception of a few punk bands. And they really despise the synth-pop, which (as indicated by my list) I absolutely adore.
User avatar
Elder
Unquestionable Presence
Posts: 522
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:59 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Elder »

it's a more democratic list and I like it.
it leaves the reader to decide which is his favorite genre.
Fetch the Bolt Cutters...
User avatar
Elder
Unquestionable Presence
Posts: 522
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:59 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Elder »

in the 1980's who cried were fans of REM
in the 1990's I think it will be Pavement's who will cry
Fetch the Bolt Cutters...
peteevans
Start Me Up
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu May 17, 2012 11:34 am

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by peteevans »

Anyone heard of The Nightfly ! Seems to be in many critics lists but can't find it's way into 200 albums by these lot !? Ridiculous.
Jonathon
Let's Get It On
Posts: 253
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 11:13 am

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Jonathon »

Elder wrote:in the 1980's who cried were fans of REM
in the 1990's I think it will be Pavement's who will cry
Indeed. I will be super sad. Pavement is the 90s band for me.

I think it's time for Pitchfork to rip off the band aid and do a ranked top 500 albums of all-time, akin to the rolling stone list, as opposed to their top 500 songs list which was era based, and chronological order. Though I'm starting to sense I would dislike any list they do at this point.
luvulongTIM
Different Class
Posts: 480
Joined: Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:14 am
Location: Rowland Heights
Contact:

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by luvulongTIM »

Fingers crossed that they ditch Pavement in their 90s list. Always thought they were a snobby poor mans Pixies or a Sonic Youth minus the passion and enthusiasm. To be clumped with those two indie powerhouse legends is an absolute crime. If they opted to rank Neutral Milks Aeroplane lower in favor of the catchiest lowfi legends Guided by Voices who deserve to be placed into that indie royalty vein with SY and Pixies Id be very gracious. Also I for one was greatly appreciative of their lack of Tom Waits on this list as well as their lack of synthpop and putting more emphasis on the guitar driven bands instead. That and them ranking Cocteau Twins ABOVE such greats as Spacemen 3, the Blue Nile, MBV, Galaxie 500 and Jesus and Mary Chain was incredibly ballsy but accurate. CTs are that influential and never got the credit they truly deserved. The only major issue that will continue to make them look fairly snobbish is they’ll likely continue to rank Guyville in their top 20 lists of Greatest 90 Albums and leave Phair’s two brilliant follow ups out in the cold like they were cheap leftovers and scraps of what should have been a brilliant career if she just kept things sounding Guyvillesque and didn’t evolve and move on from that era. I love this list for being so female friendly as well.
JR
Rust Never Sleeps
Posts: 667
Joined: Sun Feb 12, 2012 3:54 pm

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by JR »

This list definitely reads more mainstream-friendly, overall- not that there's anything wrong with that, as some of the most celebrated albums of all time are by mainstream acts.
Nassim
Full of Fire
Posts: 2793
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 2:35 pm
Location: Lille (France)

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Nassim »

Jonathon wrote:
Illiniq wrote:
Chris K. wrote:Wow, this list illustrates just have far P4's tastes have drifted from mine (in what seems like just two or three years). So many of the albums that are missing on this list (Underwater Moonlight, Stands for Decibels, The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll, etc) were albums they turned me on to with their original list. And it seems like nearly all of my favorites from their original list went down, while the albums I'm most ambivalent about went up (with some notable exceptions; I'm happy to see Kate Bush and Prince's gains!). I don't begrudge them, they're entitled to their opinions. I just don't really look forward to their lists the way I used to.
I've never looked forward to their lists on past decades because I've always felt, more than any other magazine or website, that Pitchfork's rankings of era's before their time are carefully cultivated to reinforce whatever vision they are selling us now as to what constitutes "Great" music today, rather than genuinely trying to just lock in on what was best in that era for that era. We're in a Hip-Hop / R&B / Pop and Disco era right now, one where off to the side metal has been left alone but thrives, so Pitchfork's new list of the 80s is overloaded with titles that reinforces those genres as the best, at the expense of the acts and albums that informed the indie rock and noise rock and punk tastes the site was all about a decade ago.

So we get Prince's third and fourth best albums of the decade, Dirty Mind and 1999, ranked ahead of the very best effort of the decade by the likes of REM, The Replacements, The Jesus And The Mary Chain, Tom Waits, The Stone Roses, U2, The Minutemen, AC/DC, Guns And Roses, Roxy Music, The Pretenders, Peter Gabriel, etc, etc. something to which I think 4/5 people who actually lived through the decade and listened broadly would argue no f***ing way, including most Prince fans.

But give Pitchfok another ten years and the list will have an entirely different look again. There's just no consistency with that site other than their loyalty to the now.
This is the problem. Pitchfork is stripping away the old pitchfork. I started to notice that when they did the top 50 albums of 1998, with an accompanying article about In The Aeroplane Over the Sea: A Divisive Classic Turns 20. This is the publication who's endorsement of said record took it from 675 of all-time into the top 250.

The original 80s list was monolith of alternative/ indie/ noise rock, and the 90s list actually defined my adult music tastes: Wilco, The Flaming Lips, Neutral Milk Hotel, Belle & Sebastian. I was 19 when that list came out, and it completely changed my music tastes.

The most subversive thing about this list is Madonna's S/T in the top 20, and The Cure outranking Joy Division. Pitchfork used to be anti-establishment, now they're anti-critic, anti-boomer darling artists, pro-dance floor. It's quite sad, really.
I think those critics are way exagerated, the original 80s list, more than any of their other lists, was fairly single-minded toward white guys with guitars who don't do metal, and though yes, I did discover lots of great albums thanks to that, the new one seems more balanced.
So yes, there is way more pop and they have pushed the dial on that a bit too far (2 Sade albums in the top 50 might be a bit of a stretch for instance), but we finally have 7 metal albums in the top 100, finally introducing Metallica 2 masterpieces in there... not exactly pushing a "poptimism" agenda in my book, and a needed correction. Arthur Russel or Laurie Anderson jumping in the top 50, and awesome experimental albums like The Expanding Universe or Deep Listening popping up further down the list also reflect more the adventurous side that Pitchfork always had, than any new trend.
If anything, the big change is that black music and music by women is getting a boost, and I think that's something that should be appreciated (even if the original Straight Outta Compton's ranking was fine with me).
Honestly the big drop of Murmur and the absence of Swordfishtrombones are the only 2 things I can't wrap my mind around (not that I agree with everything else, far from it, but nothing's shocking.
Nassim
Full of Fire
Posts: 2793
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 2:35 pm
Location: Lille (France)

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Nassim »

peteevans wrote:Anyone heard of The Nightfly ! Seems to be in many critics lists but can't find it's way into 200 albums by these lot !? Ridiculous.
If you look at the lists where it appears, they are mostly in what I would call the "conservative" side (not in a political kind of way to be clear), publications like Mojo, Uncut, Rolling Stone or Rock'n'Folk that have more of a focus on "classic rock" than other genres.
Nassim
Full of Fire
Posts: 2793
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 2:35 pm
Location: Lille (France)

Re: Pitchfork - The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s

Post by Nassim »

147 Virginia Astley - In the Gardens Where We Feel Secure 1983
The mistake comes from the Pitchfork list, but it seems that the album is actually called From Gardens Where We Feel Secure.
Post Reply

Return to “1980s”