YEARS
← THE BEST OF 1980 →
-1-
Women and Children First
Van Halen
Full disclosure; I wasn't listening to these albums yet in 1980. I was eight or nine years old and more interested in The Dukes of Hazzard than music. I don't think I even had any real albums of my own yet, but my OCD makes me need to start at the beginning of the decade. It's frequently called 80s metal afterall, so it seemed only right to start at 1980. Although I eventually went back and discovered these records, aside from the first three or four, I was never a huge fan of these other albums, but I was trying to come up with ten to keep it consistent, so this is what I scrounged up for the year. I personaly never cared for Iron Maiden with Paul Di'anno, but the cover is iconic enough to squeak it onto the list. Same for the early bluesier Whitesnake, or the pre-Mutt Leppard. The year was light for me so I allowed them in for the foundation of what they would become. Journey and Pat Benetar earned their places with stellar vocals. And even though Back In Black of course went on to become one of the best selling and most influential albums of the genre, for my money, Early Van Halen is hard to beat, and what better way to start the decade than with And the Cradle Will Rock?
-2-
Back in Black
AC/DC
-3-
Heaven and Hell
Black Sabbath
-4-
British Steel
Judas Priest
-5-
Animal Magnetism
Scorpions
-6-
Departure
Journey
-7-
Crimes of Passion
Pat Benatar
-8-
On Through the Night
Def Leppard
-9-
Ready an' Willing
Whitesnake
-10-
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
1980's TOP 10 GUITARISTS
1980's TOP 10 BASSISTS
1980's TOP 10 DRUMMERS