Top 10


Top 10 for 1980

Rock

TheBigBlack

TheBigBlack's Rock Top 10

08

Double Fantasy

John Lennon & Yoko Ono
Double Fantasy

Classic Rock | Album | 17 October 1980

'Double Fantasy' is the fifth studio album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and the final one to feature Lennon before his death. The album marked Lennon's return to recording music full-time, following his five-year hiatus to raise his son Sean. The final album features songs from both Lennon and Ono, largely alternating between the two in its track listing. Upon its release, the album stalled on music charts and received largely negative reviews from music critics, with many focusing on the album's idealisation of Lennon and Ono's marriage. However, following Lennon's murder three weeks after its release, it became a worldwide commercial success and went on to win the 1981 Grammy Award for Album Of The Year. In subsequent decades, the album has been viewed favourably, with Lennon's songs in particular garnering praise as some of his finest.

 


07

Nine To The Universe

Jimi Hendrix
Nine To The Universe

Classic Rock | Compilation Album | ?? March 1980

'Nine To The Universe' is a posthumous compilation album by Jimi Hendrix. It was the third album of Hendrix recordings to be produced by Alan Douglas. The album contains five jam sessions, edited by Douglas. It reached number 127 on the Billboard 200 chart.

 


06

Saved

Bob Dylan
Saved

Classic Rock | Album | 20 June 1980

 


05

East

Cold Chisel
East

Rock | Album | 2 June 1980

'East' is the third studio album by Cold Chisel. The album peaked at No. 2 and spent 63 weeks on the national chart. It was the biggest-selling Australian album release of the year. It was the only Cold Chisel album to chart in America, reaching 171 on the Billboard 200. It also reached number 32 on the New Zealand charts.

 


04

Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

Dead Kennedys
Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables

Punk | Album | 1 September 1980

 


03

Dark Room

The Angels
Dark Room

Hard Rock | Album | 16 June 1980

 


02

Ace Of Spades

Motorhead
Ace Of Spades

Hard Rock | Album | 8 November 1980

'Ace Of Spades' is the fourth studio album by Motorhead. It is the band's most commercially successful album, peaking at number four on the U.K. Albums Chart and reaching gold status in the U.K. by March 1981. It was preceded by the release of the title track as a single in October, which peaked in the U.K. Singles Chart at No. 15 in early November. It was the band's debut release in the United States. In 2020, the album was ranked at 408 on Rolling Stone's '500 Greatest Albums Of All Time' list.

 


01

Back In Black

AC/DC
Back In Black

Hard Rock | Album | 25 July 1980

'Back In Black' is the eighth album by AC/DC. It was the band's first album to feature Brian Johnson as lead singer, following the death of Bon Scott, their previous vocalist. It has sold an estimated 50 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums in music history.

 


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Metal

TheBigBlack

TheBigBlack's Metal Top 10

10

Head On

Samson
Head On

Heavy Metal | Album | 27 June 1980

'Head On' is the second studio album by Samson. The cover art features the band's masked drummer, Thunderstick. This is the first album with future Iron Maiden-frontman Bruce Dickinson on vocal duties. The instrumental 'Thunderburst' is credited as co-written by Steve Harris. The track is in fact an alternate version of 'The Ides Of March', an early Iron Maiden song written during the brief time in 1977 in which Thunderstick was in Iron Maiden. Iron Maiden released their own version on the Iron Maiden album 'Killers' the next year, though Steve Harris credited the song solely to himself, annoying the members of Samson.

 


09

Wheels Of Steel

Saxon
Wheels Of Steel

Heavy Metal | Album | 3 May 1980

'Wheels Of Steel is the second studio album by Saxon. It was their first album to enter the U.K. Albums Chart, peaking at number 5, and is their highest-charting album in the U.K. to date. The album eventually went on to achieve gold status in the UK.

 


08

I'm A Rebel

Accept
I'm A Rebel

Heavy Metal | Album | 2 June 1980

'I'm A Rebel' is the second studio album by Accept. It was the first of three consecutive Accept records to utilize Dirk Steffens as producer. The album finds Accept continuing to search for their musical direction, experimenting with a more commercial sound than on their debut. Bassist Peter Baltes once again sings lead vocals on two tracks, the slower-paced songs "No Time to Lose" and "The King".

 


07

British Steel

Judas Priest
British Steel

Heavy Metal | Album | 14 April 1980

'British Steel' is the seventh album by Judas Priest. It was the band's first album to feature Dave Holland on drums. The album saw them reprise the commercial sound they had established on 'Killing Machine', but this time they abandoned some of the dark lyrical themes which had been prominent on their previous releases. During an interview with Wall Of Sound's Educate Ebony podcast, Max Cavalera stated British Steel is the "essential thrash metal" album everyone needs to hear and says "I'm sure you can ask Metallica, if it wasn't for British Steel they wouldn't be here."

 


06

Angel Witch

Angel Witch
Angel Witch

Heavy Metal | Album | 12 March 1980

'Angel Witch' is the first album by the band Angel Witch. The cover features a painting formerly attributed to John Martin titled 'The Fallen Angels Entering Pandemonium'. The album made Angel Witch one of the key bands in the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) scene, and has proven influential on subsequent movements, particularly on then-upcoming thrash metal artists.

 


05

Lightning To The Nations

Diamond Head
Lightning To The Nations

Heavy Metal | Album | 3 October 1980

'Lightning To The Nations' (also known as 'The White Album') is the debut album by Diamond Head. It was originally self-released in a plain white sleeve with no title or track listing, and was subsequently named after the first track on the album.

 


04

Ace Of Spades

Motorhead
Ace Of Spades

Hard Rock | Album | 8 November 1980

'Ace Of Spades' is the fourth studio album by Motorhead. It is the band's most commercially successful album, peaking at number four on the U.K. Albums Chart and reaching gold status in the U.K. by March 1981. It was preceded by the release of the title track as a single in October, which peaked in the U.K. Singles Chart at No. 15 in early November. It was the band's debut release in the United States. In 2020, the album was ranked at 408 on Rolling Stone's '500 Greatest Albums Of All Time' list.

 


03

Blizzard Of Ozz

Ozzy Osbourne
Blizzard Of Ozz

Heavy Metal | Album | 20 September 1980

'Blizzard Of Ozz' is the debut studio album by Ozzy Osbourne, released on 12 September 1980 in the U.K. and on 27 March 1981 in the U.S. The album was Osbourne's first release following his firing from Black Sabbath in 1979. It is the first of two studio albums Osbourne recorded with guitarist Randy Rhoads prior to Rhoads' death in 1982. In 2017, it was ranked 9th on Rolling Stone's list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time".

 


02

Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden

Heavy Metal | Album | 14 April 1980

'Iron Maiden' is the debut studio album by Iron Maiden. It is the band's only album to feature guitarist Dennis Stratton. Although Iron Maiden have since criticised the quality of the album's production, the release was met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number four on the U.K. Albums Chart and helping the band achieve prominence in mainland Europe.

 


01

Heaven And Hell

Black Sabbath
Heaven And Hell

Heavy Metal | Album | 1 April 1980

'Heaven And Hell' is the ninth studio album by Black Sabbath. It was the first album to feature vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who replaced original vocalist Ozzy Osbourne in 1979. The album was a commercial success, particularly in the United States, where it reached number 28 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum for one million sales. In the U.K. it sold well enough to be certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry in April 1982.

 

To say the least, 'Heaven And Hell' is a masterpiece. Generally classic heavy metal albums use verbs like 'brutal' or 'fast' or 'angry' to describe them, but none of those words ring true here. The album is a thing of beauty, full of winding harmonies and stellar musicianship - a work of art that will stand for all time as a reflection of the pinnacle of heavy music of the period. With Ozzy Osbourne and his drink and drug fuelled unpredictability jettisoned for the final time, the band knew that survival would rely on them rebuilding from the ground up into something far more streamlined and modern. They had stretched their wings on the previous two albums (reasonably unsuccessfully), and now was the time to find the Black Sabbath for a new decade. A key part of this renewal would be finding the right vocalist, and Ronnie James Dio - having recently exited Richie Blackmore's Rainbow - was the perfect choice. For many fans, the voice of Osbourne was a defining piece of the band's identity, so by replacing that voice with someone infinitely more talented and professional required music that matched. The songs are sleek and full of melodies never heard before on a Sabbath album, and the production is smooth as silk - really allowing the songs to shine. Dio's vocals are sublime throughout, and he launches songs like 'Children Of The Sea' and 'Die Young' toward places Osbourne, with his limited range, would not have even dreamt of. The vocals on the title track are transcendent, not to mention the incredible solo by Tony Iommi - one of the greatest ever committed to tape. This was more than just a new album, it was an announcement of what the 1980s had in store for heavy music. The band would never make an album as good as this again, and some would say it even bettered anything they had released preceding it.


TheBigBlack

TheBigBlack's Metal Honourable Mentions

On Through The Night

Def Leppard
On Through The Night

Hard Rock | Album | 14 March 1980

'On Through The Night' is the debut studio album by Def Leppard. It charted at No. 15 on the U.K. Albums Chart and No. 51 on the Billboard 200. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on 18 November 1983 and platinum on 9 May 1989.

 


TheBigBlack

TheBigBlack's Metal Dishonourable Mentions

'Live At Last'

Black Sabbath
'Live At Last'

Heavy Metal | Album | 1 July 1980

'Live At Last' is the first live album by Black Sabbath. Despite its wide distribution and success (it peaked at No.?5 on the U.K. Albums Chart), the album was released without the permission or knowledge of the band. The album was, however, technically released legally by the band's former manager Patrick Meehan who owned the rights to the recording. It was re-released with the approval of the band in 2002 as part of the two-disc 'Past Lives' set.

 


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