This is from the former UK music weekly, the Sept 30th 1989 'Exit the '80's' issue. It was voted for by the staff from 241 total inital choices

1. Psychocandy - The Jesus & Mary Chain ('85)
2. Joy Division - Closer ('80)
3. Madonna - Like A Virgin ('84)
4. Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones ('83)
5. Public Enemy - Yo! Bum rush the show ('87)
6. Metallica - Master Of Puppets ('86)
7. Lou Read - New York ('89)
8. Pixies - Surfa Rosa ('88)
9. U2 - The Joshua Tree ('87)
10. Husker Du - Warehouse: Songs and Stories ('87)
11. Echo and the Bunnymen - Crocodiles ('80)
12. The Smiths - The Smiths ('84)
13. The Birthday Party - Junkyard ('82)
14. Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill ('86)
15. Prince - Parade ('86)
16. Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction ('87)
17. Prince - Sign 'O' The Times ('87)
18. Talking Heads - Remain In Light ('80)
19. Prince - Purple Rain ('84)
20. Pixies - Doolittle ('89)
21. Michael Jackson - Thriller ('84)
22. The Sisters of Mercy - First & Last & Always ('85)
23. The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy & The Lash ('85)
24. The The - Soul Mining ('83)
25. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs ('86)
26. Bruce Springsteen 7 The E Street Band - Born In The USA ('84)
27. AC/DC - Back In Black ('80)
28. Big Black - Atomiser ('80)
29. R.E.M. - Murmur ('83)
30. Husker Du - Flip Your Wig ('85)
31. The Cramps - Songs The Lord Taught Us ('80)
32. Prince - 1999 ('83)
33. Dexy’s Midnight Runners - Searching for the young soul rebels ('80)
34. The The - Infected ('86)
35. The Young Gods - The Young Gods ('87)
36. The Gun Club - Miami ('82)
37. Pet Shop Boys - Actually ('87)
38. Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom ('82)
39. Sonic Youth - Sister ('87)
40. The Smiths - The Queen is Dead ('86)
41. Bruce Springsteen - The Tunnel Of love ('87)
42. Peter Gabriel - So ('86)
43. The Birthday Party - Prayers On Fire ('81)
44. The Human League - Dare ('81)
45. ABC - The Lexican Of Love ('82)
46. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska ('82)
47. U2 - Boy ('80)
48. Black Flag - Damaged ('82)
49. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses ('89)
50. Pil - Album ('86)
51. De La Soul - Three feet high and rising ('89)
52. Sonic Youth - Bad Moon Rising ('85)
53. Dexy’s Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Ay ('82)
54. Husker Du - Candy Apple Grey ('86)
55. George Michael - Faith ('86)
56. Van Morrison & The Chieftains - Irish Heartbeat ('88)
57. Elvis Costello - Get Happy!! ('80)
58. New Order - Low Life ('85)
59. U2 - The Unforgettable Fire ('84)
60. ZZ Top - Eliminator ('83)
61. Motorhead - Ace Of Spades ('80)
62. R.E.M. - Green ('88)
63. John Cougar Mellencamp - Lonesome Jubilee ('87)
64. Husker Du - New Day Rising ('84)
65. Nick Cave - The Firstborn Is Dead ('85)
66. The Pogues - Red Roses For Me ('84)
67. The Wedding Present - George Best ('87)
68. Sonic Youth - Evol ('86)
69. Slayer - Reign In Blood ('86)
70. Celtic Frost - Into The Pandemonium ('87)
71. New Order - Power Corruption & Lies ('83)
72. Discharge - Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing ('82)
73. Welcome To The Pleasuredome - Frankie Goes to Hollywood ('84)
74. The Pogues - If I Should Fall From Grace With God ('88)
75. The Fall - Hex Induction Hour ('82)
76. The Cure - Pornography ('82)
77. Happy Mondays - Bummed ('88)
78. Janes Addiction - Nothing's Shocking ('88)
79. The Fall - The Wonderful & Frightening World Of ('84)
80. Dead Kennedys - Frankenchrist ('85)

OK- love Madonna and any acclaim that comes her way, but Like a Virgin (while a decent pop album) ranked that high, and especially when Like a Prayer isn't even represented? Sure, it has two monumental and impactful singles, but...

Enough Prince albums on there?

This list does seem to be notable for the artists it includes, but which of their albums it excludes. For example, Husker Du have four albums and Sonic Youth have three, but neither Zen Arcade nor Daydream Nation are included. Yo! Bum Rush the Show is No. 5, but Nation of Millions is nowhere to be seen. The Dead Kennedys round out the list, but not with Fresh Fruit. And apparently that Madonna thing is odd, too.

JR, I concur about Madonna. Like a Virgin is among her worst albums, and certainly her worst of the 80s.

As for Prince, I think he warrants at least 5, but I would change the order around a bit.

Psychocandy better than The Nightfly by Donald Fagen ( not even in the list !! ) i think not somehow. No wonder i stopped buying Sounds around 1975. Kid critics who know nowt about music should not be considered and clog up half the lists on this web site.

A Terrible list.

No Daydream

It may not be the perfect list of the 80's, but it's got some whacking good music on it. Anyone looking down on that decade (as I've tended to do myself) ought to be cured just by listening to the top 15 albums on it.

Well, Moon, LAV still is better than most of the stuff put out by wanna-bes and such. :) But because M set such a high standard for herself... The two tracks I could do without (though are tolerable) are "Pretender" and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore," the latter improved in its Something to Remember incarnation.

3 Sonic Youth albums too many on that list!

I think as it was done in late 1989 there probably wasn't much time to take in the albums of the past 18 months and probably a reluctance to vote for albums that were that new by the staff.

I don't like "Pretender", "Stay", or especially "Shoo Bee Doo". To me, Like a Virgin is a classic case of the blockbuster 80s album- heavy on the hits and heavy on the filler. I think her debut is virtually flawless, and True Blue is quite solid, while Like a Prayer is her best album in my eyes. So year, Like a Virgin isn't bad, per se, but I would sooner recommend a compilation to someone interested in getting the singles.

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