With all the other music I've listened to over the years (thanks mum and dad), I figured I'd have a crack at this. In the interests of maximising musical diversity and little crossover as possible wth my metal-inclusive list, I have imposed a strict No Leather Jackets policy for artists on this list. This does disqualify some borderline rock/metal acts that would otherwise be obvious picks (*cough* GnR *cough*), but at least it keeps me from being lazy. Without further ado, let's start with the 1980s:
1980: AC/DC - Back in Black
AC/DC is the closest thing Australia has to a state religion, and as such non-ownership of this album is basically tantamount to heresy. The album born out of tragedy that finally sent AC/DC global,
Back in Black stands out as a true lightning-in-a-bottle moment in rock history. New man Brian Johnson, so different in style to Bon Scott, somehow manages to slip so seamlessly into the AC/DC sound that you'd think he'd been there the whole time. And that sound is captured here immaculately - much like on 1979's
Highway to Hell, Mutt Lange captures the band's sound in a way no-one else ever quite managed - crystal clear, without compromising on any of the band's characteristic gruffness. It's hard to dissect individual songs, because they all paint from the same palette (and to a very high level), but special credit must go to the title track's herculean riff and the infectious build of Hells Bells, both of which are the absolute zenith of what mainstream hard rock can be. Straight up,
Back in Black is damn near perfect.
1981: Rush - Moving Pictures
Thank heavens for Rush, taking the mantle of prog from the old world's old guard and carrying it into the 80s. Ironic then that by 1981 their most hardcore prog was already behind them, with 1980's
Permanent Waves beginning a trend toward more, shorter songs - but when they're as good as the songs are here, that's no bad thing. While lacking any single dominant epics in the vein of Xanadu or Hemispheres, the balance and consistency of the material here means that the album works both as a collection of songs and as a single work in its own right. The opening one-two of Tom Sawyer and Red Barchetta are an approachable and enjoyable pair of light rockers, before the downright intimidating YYZ leads us into the real meat. The Camera Eye, Vital Signs, and Witch hunt are all equally moody and enthralling, while Limelight offers a slightly more relaxed experience - the sonic equivalent of ducking out for a tab. It's a boring conclusion, but
Moving Pictures is regarded as Rush's best by many for a damn good reason.
1982: XTC - English Settlement
Haven't got much on this on tbh, it's mostly a sentimental choice - I remember dad playing it the car as a teenager and it stuck. English Roundabout and Senses Working Overtime have stuck with me, though - if you take nothing else away from this, it could well be these two songs (and I don't even like indie pop, generally speaking).
1983: ZZ Top - Eliminator
A typical cliche of rock in the 80s is the synthy, purist-enraging, shark-jumping sell-out album - but what happens when said shark jump becomes the band's most renowned work?
Eliminator's polished production and close control of song tempos (to match club tracks of the period) seems at odds with ZZ Top's image of a gool-ole-boys blues band, but the superb songwriting allows the album to balance these opposing forces with unerring grace. Thee three big singles (Gimme All Your Lovin,' Sharp Dressed Man, Legs) are all tight, toe-tappin' earworms that keep their elements in perfect balance to ensure the song is greater than the sum of its parts. Deeper album cuts Got Me Under Pressure and TV Dinners make for quality listening as well, while the night-driving anthem I Need You Tonight is a wonderful showcase of Billy Gibbons' guitar chops (INXS wishes they could do this). Top it off with the promotional hot rod on the album cover, and you have peak dad rock.
1984: Rush - Grace Under Pressure
Another year, another synth-tinged rock album. Though the band had really committed to keyboards two years prior on
Signals, for my money
Grace Under Pressure handles the sonic integration more effectively. Reflecting the cold war backdrop, Geddy uses the synths here to create a bleak, haunting atmosphere, while Alex adds some new wave elements to his playing that perfectly complement this sonic theme while still asserting themselves. Opener Distant Early Warning is nicely representative of the album's overall qualities and serves well as an overture for the rest of the album. The rest of the album does a bit more exploring with the same basic material - downbeat cuts Red Sector A and The Body Electric are both incredible haunting mood pieces, while The Enemy Within and Kid Gloves provide moments of energy and light to break up the atmospheric expanses. The last couple of tracks do fall off a bit, but by then the album has well and truly left its mark. Even among Rush's impressive discography,
Grace Under Pressure is totally unique and totally memorable.
1985: Pat Benatar - Seven the Hard Way
This one makes it three in a row for divisive synth departures. While not regarded particularly highly in loudwire lists (or by those involved at the time), I for one think Pat's most synth-heavy album is also amongst her best work. Much like the previous entry,
Seven the Hard Way works because those big synths work in tandem with Neil Giraldo's jangly guitar, with each sound asserting itself without ever overpowering the other. Although it's best known for featuring the movie sountrack single Invincible (a fantastically bombastic anthem in its own right), the album cuts more than stack up; Run Between the Raindrops is a beautiful ballad, Sex as a Weapon and Big Life are fun bops, and The Art of Letting Go is a perfectly balanced album closer. There's also a delightfully left-field cover here, with the Four Tops' Seven Rooms of Gloom receiving the full pop rock treatment. I'm not usually a fan of including covers, but this one works really well - it neither overshadows nor sticks out from the original material, all while being different enough from the original to deserve some credit of its own. A slightly different kind of Benatar experience, and all the better for it - well worth a listen.
1986: Big Country - The Seer
I was put onto Big Country through the wonders of the internet, and I'm glad I was. While most of their discography is nothing special,
The Seer is a one-off that sees the Scottish group simultaneously at their most celtic and most 80s, overflowing with folksy rhythms delivered through reverb-heavy guitars. Kate Bush duets on the atmospheric title track, while more upbeat cuts like Look Away, I Walk the Hill, and One Great Thing are just this side of full-blown drinking anthem. Good fun.
1987: Fleetwood Mac - Tango in the Night
I still don't think I've listened to this album all the way through. It doesn't matter. Headline cuts Everywhere, Little Lies, and Seven Wonders are three of the band's finest work, and hold up at parties to this day. They're a key component of why I get to be playlist dictator at most events with a speaker, and for that reason this album gets the nod.
1988: Roxette - Look Sharp
Sweden's second-most successful pop export is easily its most musically credible, and this album deserves a fair chunk of the credit all on its own. The five singles are the obvious high points, fully deserving of their reputation and earwormy in the extreme, with some of the most perfectly crafted hooks and choruses in music. The really impressive thing, though, is how deep the quality runs -
Look Sharp has 13 tracks and goes for nearly an hour, but it is consistently excellent throughout, and though cuts like Shadow of a Doubt and Sleeping Single won't jump out at you like the singles, you'll eventually come around (it's no their fault that they're up against all-time iconic pop hits). Guilty pleasure it may be, but after repeated spins in my car's CD player up against stuff like
Brave New World and
Heaven and Hell, it most definitely holds up on its own terms. Go on, try some . . .
1989: The Cure - Disintegration
Having been raised on the Cure's greatest hits CD in the car on the way to school, I've been loosely familiar with the group for a while now. That said, I hadn't actually listened to an album in full until this thread came along (congrats
@karljant ), but I'm glad I did. 1989's
Disintegration proves unequivocally that while Robert Smith is prone to self-indulgent mopery, he is damn good at converting that into song. The production is king here - the reverby guitar, soft bass, and flowing keys combine to form the sonic equivalent of a nice warm bath after one too many beverages. The opening trio of Plainsong, Pictures of You and Closedown set all this up, gently introducing you to the album to get you in the mood before the highlights appear. And they do come; Lovesong brings a little extra energy to the table with its infectious melodies without compromising on any of the album's "wilting flower" vibe, while Lullaby manages to be both trippy and bouncy at the same time, unobtrusive yet infectious. The Same Deep Water as You, at over nine minutes, sees the self-indulgence cranked all the way up, but thanks to the excellent production it manages to wash over you without becoming tiresome. Music to toaster bath with.
Disclaimer: I was originally going to do Saraya's excellent first album for 1989, but that fell foul of the Leather Jacket rule. 
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