For this week's Ranked!, we compiled the twenty-five greatest albums from 1980. Tell us what you think of our list when you get down to #1. And let us know if you would've ordered them differently.
Here are Numbers 1-5:
5. John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy
What can I say? Mama raised a Beatles girl, tried and true, even through the rough solo albums. Best of 1980? Okay, I get how that's arguable. It did, however, win Best Album at the Grammys that year. Now, most memorable? Absolutely, but for the saddest reason a Beatles fan can remember: three weeks later, John Lennon was shot and killed. While Yoko's voice drives me absolutely up a wall, there's a nostalgic and heartstrings factor that I cannot get over in love for anything with the name Lennon, and the love that man could show. "For the other half of the sky..." Thanks for one more go-around, John.--J-Hawke
4. Queen, The Game
This one was Queen's most commercially successful album, and also gives us one of the most memorable quotes from a song: "Another One Bites The Dust." This also brought on the synth, and really, when you're talking '80s rock, isn't that sort of a requirement? I think this has to be included in a list such as this because of the success and memorability of the album for all of these reasons. Now granted, when I think Queen, my mind goes to "Bohemian Rhapsody" and has a tough time pulling off that track. However, when you look at the full catalog, this one, without a doubt, sticks out as a top-player of its time.--J-Hawke
3. Van Halen, Women And Children First
I was one of the biggest Van Halen fans around. While Women And Children First wasn't my favorite Van Halen album, even a halfway decent Van Halen album is better than most bands' offerings (at least in the '70s and early '80s). This album had lots of Van Halen classics: the keyboard-driven (no, really!) "And The Cradle Will Rock," "Everybody Wants Some," the bluesy acoustic fun of "Could This Be Magic?," and "In A Simple Rhyme," one of their best, but most underrated songs.--Chris
2. The Police, Zenyattà Mondatta
Few things in life are more exciting than finding your first true musical love. While I will readily admit that when 1980 came around, I was already using the money that would have previously been spent on Pop Rocks and RC Cola on my first very carefully picked album purchases, none of them had the kind of earth-shattering effect that The Police's third album hit me with.It was like a gut punch from some sort of Nordic pied piper trio and I went batshit crazy with the rest of the world while Sting, Stewart and Andy continued their meteoric rise into the rock and roll stratosphere. While Zenyatta received mixed reviews at the time, with critics pointing to the reggae/punk genius of their first two releases for contrast, it was something that the masses ate up. For proof of its permanent place in my heart, know that that the original vinyl album with pristine cover and album sleeve INTACT is resting gently on my lap while I type this.--Dufmanno
