Many times, I open these list pieces pulled from the best 1,000 albums ever archives with something along the lines of “while the pop music from that year was no great shakes, underneath the surface…”
But with 1980, the Top 40 stuff and the emerging scenes both are jam-packed with incredible stuff. Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 from 1980, for example, includes all-timer cuts from the likes of Blondie, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, and Queen for starters, but then even finds space for the one-of-a-kind “Funkytown,” by Lipps Inc. and “Take Your Time (Do It Right)” by The S.O.S. Band.
When I look at the albums from 1980 that made the best 1,000 albums ever, it’s startling to see how much pure innovation and boundary pushing is in the mix – starting first and foremost with the Dead Kennedys somehow walking a thin line of caustic hardcore punk and compulsively catchy tunes (that also pack in leftwing political messaging).
It goes on and on from there – The English Beat, Devo, the Wipers, The Jam, The Clash, early Prince and U2, and many more.
Here they are – the best 16 albums from 1980 ever, with a selected pull quote from each associated album piece for good measure. Hope you enjoy.
1) Dead Kennedys – Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables (#131 of best 1,000 albums ever)
The Dead Kennedys sit in something of a revered tier of cutting-edge music both from a no holds barred, zero fucks given musical point of view, and the same goes for their passion from a lyrical and political perspective.
2) The English Beat – I Just Can’t Stop It (#280)
One day I stumbled across a song called “Big Shot” and something clicked and I was all in on The English Beat. In fact, I quickly slotted “Big Shot” into that rare tier of songs that I’ll play over and over again in addition to throwing it into multiple curated playlists that I listen to often.
I finally understood that The English Beat’s blend of new wave, early ‘80s rock, and British-flavored ska and rock steady was super catchy, danceable, and wonderful.
3) Devo – Freedom of Choice (#284)
The subversive, slipped in message is: you have all the choice in the world, conformists, but you don’t want it. You CHOOSE instead to be robots, sheep.
4) Wipers – Is This Real? (#293)
It’s an extraordinary collection of dirty-yet-melodic punk rock that’s sort of one of the greatest grunge albums of all time, even though it was produced back in 1980.
5) The Selecter – Too Much Pressure (#303)
The Selecter belongs in the pantheon of great British bands who updated and revitalized ska by layering in elements of new wave and punk in the early 1980s.
6) X – Los Angeles (#317)
X’s unique sound – melodic punk rock sitting at the edges of punk, new-wave, and rockabilly – and Los Angeles’ time (1980) and place (LA, naturally) make me think about the SoCal scene of the era.
Legendary underground punk and hardcore bands such as Bad Religion, the Germs, the Minutemen, and Black Flag were forming in the region, and here comes X with that unique sound that was perhaps just a few ticks more accessible to mainstream music fans versus those other acts.
7) Madness – Absolutely (#358)
The best song on Absolutely is “Baggy Trousers,” which refers to the enormous pants that these dudes enjoyed wearing some years before a gentleman named MC Hammer entered the rap scene by way of Oakland, California.
“Baggy Trousers” is also a glorious and mischievous old school ska punk romp about the band’s childhood school days. A ringing bell – presumably a school bell – is a perfect touch.
8) Diana Ross – Diana (#529)
I’m not sure if there’s ever been a song that combines funk, disco, R&B, and pop better than “Upside Down.” I still get a kick out of hearing the little thwacking guitar chord at the beginning, and the beat, synthesizer, and Diana’s gorgeous vocals are deeply catchy and simply iconic.
9) Prince – Dirty Mind (#667)
And it turns out that Dirty Mind, released way back in 1980, is the best album that Prince ever produced as far as I’m concerned. It’s raw, a little grimy, and slightly underproduced. That all works in its favor as it’s also sexy, funked up, danceable R&B pop music that is impressive and, most importantly, really fun.
10) Electric Light Orchestra & Olivia Newton-John – Xanadu (#679)
While the ballad “Suddenly” is arguably the best-known song from the soundtrack, it’s Newton-John’s “Magic” that remains my favorite song from Xanadu. Because I was first exposed to this soundtrack as a kid, I’m not capable of defining whether or not it’s “cheesy,” but I just know that I’m able to unironically enjoy it to this day. Newton-John’s voice is simply gorgeous, and the backing vocals and production are on point.
11) The Clash – Sandinista! (#731)
Part of what makes Sandinista! worth revisiting is the sheer ambition behind it. London Calling (1979) – #150 of best 1,000 albums ever – pushed the band to musical places, and Sandinista! takes them even further, with a wild array of tracks that explore reggae, funk, gospel, and even children’s choirs. And politically, the band doubled down on their leftist, anti-authoritarian stance, naming the record after the Nicaraguan Sandinista movement.
12) Pretenders – Pretenders (#736)
The lead track, “Precious,” is the best song on the album, a fantastically fun full blast of punky new wave, punctuated delightfully by Hynde’s vocals.
13) U2 – Boy (#850)
Listening to “I Will Follow” in the 2020s – and this goes for Boy in general – I’m struck by how fresh and energetic and urgent it still sounds. This is a band with massive talent and massive ambitions.
14) Judas Priest – British Steel (#898)
It’s far too simplistic to call British Steel the “Breaking the Law album,” but at least in the U.S. it’s the song that is most closely tied to the band. And a powerhouse of catchy, riff-heavy heavy metal and rebellion it is.
15) The Jam – Sound Affects (#920)
“Start!” is probably my favorite song on Sound Affects, which bombastically struts out with a bass line that is clearly a funked up riff on The Beatles’ “Taxman.” Overall, it’s rocking and it’s fun. It also has fantastic vocals and harmonizes really nicely.
16) Various Artists – Wanna Buy A Bridge? (#935)
Released in 1980 by Rough Trade (and dig that name), it’s a pretty stunning collection of post-punk (but mostly leaning into the punk side, still, and thankfully so) artists out of the United Kingdom that was released in the U.S.