Here are 21 underrated rock albums from the 1980s that you absolutely need to own on vinyl.
Being underrated rock albums is about the only thing these titles have in common. Many of the selections on this list represent rock acts that took a risk that may not have landed with their entire fan base.
Iggy Pop‘s Zombie Birdhouse, for example, was considered meandering and a little too experimental for some who were introduced to the rocker through The Stooges’ music when it came out in 1982. Maybe they should get over it and consider giving it a second chance more than 40 years later.
READ MORE 11 Underrated ’90s Albums Every Rock Fan Should Own on Vinyl
Then there are those acts whose early work deserves to be remembered. Los Angeles punk band X is often remembered for their cover of “WIld Thing,” Their 1980 debut demands just as much, if not more, attention.
Here is a look at those underrated albums, along with releases from top rock acts from the ’80s, including Depeche Mode, The Cure and the Replacements.
The Cure, Seventeen Seconds (1980)
Key tracks: “A Forest,” “Play for Today,” “M”
The Jam, Sound Affects (1980)
Key tracks: “That’s Entertainment,” “Start!,” “Man in the Corner Shop”
Loverboy, Loverboy (1980)
Key tracks: “Turn Me Loose,” “The Kid is Hot Tonite,” “Always On My Mind”
Talking Heads, Remain in the Light (1980)
Key tracks: “Once in a Lifetime,” “Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On),” “Crosseyed and Painless”
X, Los Angeles (1980)
Key tracks: “Los Angeles,” “Johnny Hit and Run Paulene,” “Your Phone’s Off the Hook, But You’re Not”
Pretenders, Pretenders II (1981)
Key tracks: “I Go To Sleep,” “Message of Love,” “Talk of the Town”
Van Halen, Fair Warning (1981)
Key tracks: “Unchained,” “Mean Street,” “Hear About it Later”
Descendents, Milo Goes to College (1982)
Key tracks: “Hope,” “Suburban Home,” “Myage”
Iggy Pop, Zombie Birdhouse (1982)
Key tracks: “Run Like a Villain,” “The Villagers,” “Watching The News”
KIX, Cool Kids (1983)
Key tracks: “Body Talk,” “Cool Kids, “For Shame”
Social Distortion, Mommy’s Little Monster (1983)
Key tracks: “Mommy’s Little Monster,” “Another State of Mind,” “The Creeps”
R.E.M., Reckoning (1984)
Key tracks: “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville,” “So. Central Rain,” “Harborcoat”
Replacements, Let It Be (1984)
Key tracks: “Androgynous,” “I Will Dare,” “Unsatisfied”
Violent Femmes, Hallowed Ground (1984)
Key tracks: “Country Death Song,” “Jesus Walking On The Water,” “Never Tell”
Dead Milkmen, Big Lizard In My Backyard (1985)
Key tracks: “Bitchin’ Camaro,” “Dean’s Dream,” “Tiny Town”
Johnny Thunders, Que Sera Sera (1985)
Key tracks: “Short Lives,” “Alone In a Crowd,” “M.I.A.”
The Call, Reconciled (1986)
Key tracks: “I Still Believe (Great Design),” “Everywhere I Go,” “The Morning”
Depeche Mode, Black Celebration (1986)
Key tracks: “Stripped,” “A Question of Time,” “A Question of Lust”
Love and Rockets, Express (1986)
Key tracks: “Holiday on the Moon,” “Kundalini Express,” “All in My Mind”
Winger, Winger (1988)
Key tracks: “Seventeen,” “Headed for a Heartbreak,” “Madalaine”
Bad Religion, No Control (1989)
Key tracks: “You,” “I Want to Conquer The World,” “No Control”
And speaking of music from the ’80s that deserved more appreciation, here is a look at 25 bands from that decade that should have been bigger.
25 1980s Rock Bands That Should Have Been Bigger
Their ’80s moments in the spotlight were fleeting, but should these acts have deserved better?
Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire
