Village Voice Pazz & Jop (USA)

1. The Clash: London Calling (Epic)
2. Bruce Springsteen: The River (Columbia)
3. Talking Heads: Remain in Light (Sire)
4. Pretenders: Pretenders (Sire)
5. Public Image Ltd.: Second Edition (Island)
6. Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band: Doc at the Radar Station (Virgin)
7. Elvis Costello & the Attractions: Get Happy!! (Columbia)
8. Stevie Wonder: Hotter Than July (Tamla)
9. Prince: Dirty Mind (Warner Bros.)
10. Gang Of Four: Entertainment! (Warner Bros.)
11. Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel (Mercury)
12. Steely Dan: Gaucho (MCA)
13. Michael Jackson: Off the Wall (Epic)
14. Peter Townshend: Empty Glass (Atco)
15. Rockpile: Seconds Of Pleasure (Columbia)
16. X: Los Angeles (Slash)
17. The Feelies: Crazy Rhythms (Stiff)
18. Dire Straits: Making Movies (Warner Bros.)
19. David Bowie: Scary Monsters (RCA Victor)
20. The Rolling Stones: Emotional Rescue (Rolling Stones)
21. The English Beat: I Just Can't Stop It (Sire)
22. Joy Division: Closer (Factory import)
23. Smokey Robinson: Warm Thoughts (Tamla)
24. Squeeze: Argybargy (A&M)
25. Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth (Rough Trade import)
26. T-Bone Burnett: Truth Decay (Takoma)
27. Van Morrison: Common One (Warner Bros.)
28. The Police: Zenyatta Mondatta (A&M)
29. Lydia Lunch: Queen of Siam (ZE)
30. Iron City Houserockers: Have a Good Time (But Get Out Alive) (MCA)
31. Professor Longhair: Crawfish Fiesta (Alligator)
32. The Specials: The Specials (Chrysalis)
Neil Young: Hawks and Doves (Reprise)
34. Arthur Blythe: Illusions (Columbia)
35. Carlene Carter: Musical Shapes (Warner Bros.)
36. Graham Parker: The Up Escalator (Arista)
37. John Lennon/Yoko Ono: Double Fantasy (Geffen)
38. Joan Armatrading: Me Myself I (A&M)
39. Diana Ross: Diana (Motown)
40. Pink Floyd: The Wall (Columbia)



OOR (The Netherlands)

1. Talking heads - Remain in light
2. Bruce Springsteen - The river
3. John Hiatt - Two bit monster
4. Captain Beefheart - Doc at the radar station
5. Public image ltd - Metal box
6. Robert Palmer - Clues
7. Joy division - Closer
8. Cure - Seventeen seconds
9. Joe Jackson - Beat crazy
10. Echo & the Bunnymen - Crocodiles
11. Graham Parker - The up escalator
12. Dire straits - Making movies
13. U2 - Boy
14. UB40 - Signing off
15. Clash - London calling
16. B-52's - Wild planet
17. Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel (3)
18. Johnny G - G-beat
19. XTC - Black sea
20. A. More - Flying doesn't help
21. Police - Zenyatta mondatta
22. David Bowie - Scary monsters ... super creeps
23. John Martyn - Grace and danger
24. Jack Bruce and friends - I've always wanted to do this
25. Stevie Wonder - Hotter than july
26. Mink DeVille - Le chat bleu
27. Black uhuru - Sinsemilla
28. Comsat angels - Waiting for a miracle
Jam - Setting sons
30. Rolling stones - Emotional rescue
Specials - More Specials
32. Ian Gomm - What a blow
Split enz - True colours
34. Jeff Beck - There and back
35. Alex Chilton - Like flies on sherbert
36. Lydia Lunch - Queen of Siam
37. Young marble giants - Colossal youth
38. New musik - From A to B
39. Orchestral manoeuvres in the dark - Organisation
40. Chic - Real people
41. Associates - The affectionate punch
Beat - I just can't stop it
43. Jacksons - Triumph
Steely dan - Gaucho
45. Paul Simon - One-trick pony
46. Nasmak - Nasmak plus instruments
Rod Stewart - Foolish behaviour
48. Linton Kwesi Johnson - Bass culture
49. Joan Armatrading - Me myself I
50. Van Morrison - Common one



NME (UK)

1. Closer - Joy division
2. Get happy - Elvis Costello
3. I just can't stop it - The beat
4. Sinsemilla - Black uhuru
5. Movies - Holger Czukay
6. Remain in light - Talking heads
7. Crocodiles - Echo and the bunnymen
8. Borderline - Ry Cooder
9. Scary monsters - David Bowie
10. Searching for the young soul rebels - Dexys midnight runners
11. Sound affects - The jam
12. The river - Bruce Springsteen
13. Signing off - UB40
14. The correct use of soap - Magazine
15. Songs the lord taught us - The cramps
16. Laughter - Ian Dury & the blockheads
17. Night passage - Weather report
18. Grace and danger - John Martyn
19. Empires and dance - Simple minds
20. Suicide - Suicide
21. Uprising - Bob Marley & the Wailers
22. Warm thoughts - Smoky robinson
23. Colossal youth - Young marble giants
24. Printemps au paris - Public image ltd.
25. Voice of America - Cabaret Voltaire
26. Warm leatherette - Grace Jones
27. Die kleinen und die bosen - D.A.F.
28. Soldier - Iggy pop
29. Toots live - Toots and the maytals
30. Growing up in public - Lou Reed
31. Doc at the radar station - Captain Beefheart
32. More Specials - The Specials
33. Cultosaurus Erectus - Blue Oyster Cult
34. Kilimanjaro - The teardrop explodes
35. Blues for the fisherman - Milcho Leviev & Art Pepper
36. Shiny beast - Captain Beefheart
37. Nobody’s perfect
38. Hotter than July - Stevie Wonder
39. Snap Crackle & Bop - John Cooper Clarke
40. Bass Culture - Linton Kwesi Johnson
41. Organisation - Orchestral manoeuvres in the dark
42. Countrymen - The Twinkle Brothers
43. Freedom of choice - Devo
44. Are you glad to be in America - James blood Ulmer
45. Diana - Diana Ross
46. Shadows and light - Joni Mitchell
47. Kaleidoscope - Siouxsie and the banshees
48. Waiting for a miracle - Comsat angels
49. Heartattack and vine - Tom Waits
50. Changes - Etta James

Also Mentioned

Real people - Chic
Gyrate - Pylon
Off the coast of me - Kid Creole and the Coconuts
Absolutely Madness - Madness
Black sea - XTC
Travelogue - The Human league
Return of the durutti column - Durutti column
In performance - Donny Hathaway
Phantom tracks - Roy Loney
The long riders - Ry Cooder
Deguello - ZZ Top
The art of walking - Pere Ubu
Night in the ruts - Aerosmith
Jeopardy - The sound
Rev up - The Revillos
Betrayal - Jah Wobble
Orchestral manoeuvres in the dark - Same
Cristina - same
Do animals believe in god - Pink military
Boy - U2
Peter Gabriel - (3)
Argybargy - Squeeze
Taking liberties - Elvis Costello
Commercial Album - The Residents



Sounds (UK)

1. Remain In Light - Talking Heads
2. The Absolute Game - The Skids
3. Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel
4. The River - Bruce Springsteen
5. Closer - Joy Division
=. The Pretenders - The Pretenders
7. Black Sea - XTC
8. The Correct Use Of Soap - Magazine
9. Crocodiles - Echo And The Bunnymen
10. Sound Affects - The Jam
11. Boy - U2
12. Wild Planet - B-52s
13. I Just Can't Stop It - The Beat
14. Freedom Of Choice - Devo
15. Laughter - Ian dury
16. Scary Monsters And Super Creeps - David Bowie
17. Wheels Of Steel - Saxon
==. Heartattack And Vine - Tom Waits
19. Empires And Dance - Simple Minds
20. Get Happy - Elvis Costello
==. Absolutely - Madness



Rolling Stone (USA)

Best Album - London Calling - The Clash

* The River - Bruce Springsteen
* Remain In Light - Talking Heads
* Doc At The Radar Station - Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band
* Le Chat Bleu - Mink De Ville



Hot Press (Ireland)

1.Talking Heads - Remain In Light
2. U2 - Boy
3. Joy Divison - Closer
4. Captain Beefheart - Doc At The Radar Station
5. Ry Cooder - Borderline



Melody Maker (UK)

1. Remain in light - Talking heads

* Get Happy - Elvis Costello
* Pretenders - The pretenders
* Vienna - Ultravox
* Searching for the young soul rebels - Dexy's midnight runners
* Crocodiles - Echo & the bunneymen
* Closer - Joy division
* Scary monsters - David Bowie
* Boy - U2
* Empires & dance - Simple minds
* Kings of the wild frontier - Adam and the ants
* Sandinista - The Clash
* Absolutely - Madness



Rockerilla (Italy)

1. Joy Division-Closer
2. Talking Heads-Remain in light
3. Cramps-Songs the lord taught us
4. Clash-Sandinista!
5. Bruce Springsteen-The river
6. Killing Joke-Killing Joke
7. Dead Kennedys-Fresh fruit for rotting vegetables
8. David Bowie-Scary monsters
9. X-Los Angeles
10. P.I.L.-Paris au primtemps (Paris in the spring)
11. Pop Group-For how much longer do we tolerate mass murder
12. Psychedelic Furs- The Psychedelic Furs
13. Crass-Station of the Crass
14. Peter Gabriel-Peter Gabriel III