A poll of Radio 2 listeners has concluded that The Joshua Tree was the best album of the 80s. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-54467937 The top ten these fools voted for was... 1) U2 The Joshua Tree 2) Dire Straits Brothers In Arms 3) The Stone Roses The Stone Roses 4) Michael Jackson Thriller 5) Guns N' Roses Appetite For Destruction 6) The Human League Dare 7) The Smiths The Queen Is Dead 8) Paul Simon Graceland 9) ABC Lexicon Of Love 10) Prince Purple Rain This is plainly wrong, and the actual top ten should read.... 1) The Pogues - Rum Sodomy and the Lash 2) The Smiths - The Smiths 3) The Clash - London Calling 4) The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses 5) REM -Green 6) U2 - War 7) Bob Marley - Legend 8)Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair 9) Paul Simon - Graceland 10) Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever All agreed?
It's like asking which girl is prettier or which beer is better. You will always get different opinions. As a U2 fan, I agree that the Joshua Tree was a fantastic album. I seen the original tour live in Wembley in 1987 and the 30th anniversary tour live in Croke Park in 2017 and at AT&T Stadium Arlington Texas. Brings back great memories. The other albums you mention above were also excellent. Personally, I would find it hard rating such good albums one to ten.
Problem being that the majority of Radio 2 listeners wouldn't even know half of the artists in your top ten, let alone the albums themselves - I'm actually surprised it wasn't full of Madonna, Five Star and other drivel from that era. Can't complain with your list much, but would have added a couple - The Final Cut by Pink Floyd and Closer by Joy Division.
I saw U2 at Wembley in 87 too - although I thought they were better at Milton Keynes Bowl in 85 on Unforgettable Fire tour. Saw them a few years ago at Hampden and if I could of got on stage I would.have given Bono a big slap to stop his pontificating - if I wanted a lecture I would've joined the Open University!
I know what you're saying. I seen them in 85 also in Croke Park. At times Bono annoys me too. If he just played his music and said nothing, people might like him a bit more. His childhood home is about 300 metres around the corner from where I grew up. My two kid Brother's went to the school where they were formed.
No. London Calling was released in December 1979. Your list is corrupt and needs to be purged. Clean version, in no particular order 1) Cowboy Junkies - Trinity Sessions 2) REM - Fables of the Reconstruction 3) Elvis Costello - Blood and Chocolate 4) The Smiths - The Smiths 5) Peter Gabriel - So 6) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Tender Prey 7) Lloyd Cole and the Commotions - Rattlesnakes 8) Squeeze - Argybargy 9) The The - Soul Mining 10) New Order - Power Corruption and Lies 10.1) Les Negresses Vertes - Mlah 10.2) Zucchero - Oro, Incenso & Birra 10.3) The Waterboys - Fisherman’s Blues 10.4) Tom Waits - Frank’s Wild Years Turns out there were a few more corkers than I initially remembered....
Anything Dire Straits with ‘Telegraph Road’ and ‘Tunnel of Love’ being my favourites. Australian Crawl - Reckless or any other from their song lists. Talking Heads - Road to Nowhere, classic. Inxs - various. Fleetwood Mac - Although there better material was written in the 70’s. Pink Floyd - As above....
Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables - Dead Kennedy’s Damaged - Black Flag Penis Envy - Crass English Rebel Songs 1381-1984 - Chumbawamba
The 90's was more my era but I am a massive REM fan and I'd probably have to go Murmur from their 80's output, no album sounded like it before and nothing has since. Guns Apetite for Destruction was another immense debut.
Iron Maiden Number of the Beast And Justice For All Metallica Blood Sugar Sex Magic Red Hot Chilli Peppers Brothers in Arms Dire Straits Zenyatta Mondatta The Police
