Friday, April 28, 2017

The Year 1984 Albums Calendar and Rankings

1984, now looking at it, was not all that great of a year, I guess for ALBUMS for my taste. It was it seemed a good year for SONGS. It was amidst the MTV craze and 80's singles. Friday Night Videos, icons like Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Huey Lewis, Springsteen, Wham!, Duran Duran, The Police, Phil Collins..80's icons and huge names that were known for songs and their videos.

The top 40 on Sunday mornings, and cassette tapes. I bought my 1st tape as a little kid in 1983 and 1984. Weird Al's album In 3-D namely. And often at the Great American Music store in the Highland Village store.

But as time as gone by and looking at Albums, 1984 has some very good albums, like what I consider my favorite Pat Metheny record in First Circle and my favorite U2 album in The Unforgettable Fire.

Rush's Grace Under Pressure is an album I do enjoy a lot, but I guess I don't see it greater than most of their classic catalog (Caress of Steel-Presto). But it's a great record, thus par for their course. And given the quality of the albums from 1984, it places quite high.

And Prince, I bought Purple Rain on tape and it was such a big deal and rival to Michael Jackson and Thriller then, even though the release dates were like 18 months apart.

But I was a sports kid, so 1984 was most remembered by me for that, but as a year, compared to other years from the 80's, I'm thinking it may not compare. But then again, I suspect a lot of the mid to late 80's albums were not too different.

That also being said, I do have a soft spot for 80's pop, and I included some albums with some of those songs. Also early Metal albums, Thrash, NWOBHM, Prog and Soundtracks.

1. Pat Metheny Group - First Circle
2, Rush - Grace Under Pressure
3. U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
4. Marillion - Fugazi
5. Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain OST
6. "Weird Al" Yankovic - In 3-D
7. Fates Warning - Night on Bröcken
8. Van Halen - 1984
9. Iron Maiden - Powerslave
10. Queensryche - The Warning
11. Metallica - Ride the Lightning
12. NRG - No Reasons Given
13. Marillion - Real to Reel
14. King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair
15.Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
16. Duran Duran - Arena
17. Wham! - Make it Big
18. XTC - The Big Express
19. David Gilmour - About Face


Van Halen - 1984.jpg
Van Halen - 1984
rel January 9, 1984

Footloose soundtrack 1984.jpg
Various Artists - Footloose (Original Soundtrack)
rel January 31, 1984

Simple minds-sparkle.jpg
Simple Minds - Sparkle in the Rain
rel February 6, 1984

The Sentinel
Pallas - The Sentinel
rel February 13, 1984

Queen The Works.png
Queen - The Works
rel February 27, 1984


The cover for "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D features "Weird Al" Yankovic's upper torso protruding out of an askew box with a wooden frame. The title is written in mock three-deminsional font. The sky and a yellow floor are featured in the background. This is a direct connection to evilness, seeing as there is a message in one of the songs on the album called"nature trail to hell" which has a backwards message saying that satan eats cheese whiz, also connecting cheese to evilness too.
"Weird Al" Yankovic - In 3-D
rel February 28, 1984

David Gilmour About Face.jpg
David Gilmour - About Face
rel March 5, 1984


Marillion - Fugazi.jpg
Marillion - Fugazi
rel March 12, 1984

Dire Straits - Alchemy Dire Straits Live.jpg
Dire Straits - Alchemy: Dire Straits Live
rel March 16, 1984

Three of a Perfect Pair.jpg
King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair
rel March 27, 1984

Laura Branigan - Self Control.png
Laura Branigan - Self Control
rel April 2, 1984

A watercolor painting of a snake with two heads that has the names of the songs from Reckoning written on it, with a large white square in the upper-left corner that has "R.E.M." written in it
R.E.M. - Reckoning
rel April 9, 1984

Rush Grace Under Pressure.jpg
Rush - Grace Under Pressure
rel April 12, 1984

Roger Waters Pros Cons HH.jpg
Roger Waters - The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
rel April 30, 1984

Theswing.jpg
INXS - The Swing
rel April 1984

The Bangles - All Over the Place.jpg
The Bangles - All Over the Place
rel May 23, 1984

Clannad Legend album cover.jpg
Clannad - Legend [TV Soundtrack]
rel May 1984

BruceBorn1984.JPG
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.
rel June 4, 1984

Princepurplerain.jpg
Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain
rel June 25, 1984

DioTheLastInLine.jpg
Dio - The Last in Line
rel July 2, 1984

IceCreamCastle.jpg
The Time - Ice Cream Castle
rel July 2, 1984

Sade - Diamond Life.png
Sade - Diamond Life
rel July 16, 1984

The artwork depicts an electric chair on a dark and ominous background being struck by lightning flowing from Metallica's pointed logo on top. The title is written in smaller white capital letters at the bottom.
Metallica - Ride the Lightning
rel July 27, 1984

MetalchurchselftitledAP.JPG
Metal Church - Metal Church
rel July 1984

Ne1984.jpg
New Edition - New Edition
rel September 28, 1984

Survivorvital.jpg
Survivor - Vital Signs
rel August 1984

Iron Maiden - Powerslave.jpg
Iron Maiden - Powerslave
rel September 3, 1984

MercyfulFateDBTO.jpg
Mercyful Fate - Don't Break the Oath
rel September 7, 1984

Queensryche - The Warning cover.jpg
Queensryche - The Warning
rel September 7, 1984

Night on brocken.jpg
Fates Warning - Night on Bröcken
rel September 1984

IOftenDreamofTrainsalbumcover.png
Robyn Hitchcock - I Often Dream of Trains
rel September 1984

A black-and-white photo of a castle with the album and artist name written in dark crimson banners above and below it
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
rel October 1, 1984

A Private Heaven.jpg
Sheena Easton - A Private Heaven
rel October 2, 1984

Hall Oates BigBamBoom.jpg
Hall and Oates - Big Bam Boom
rel October 12, 1984

XTC bigexpress84.jpeg
XTC - The Big Express
rel October 15, 1984

Wham! Make It Big European cover.jpeg
Wham! - Make it Big
rel October 23, 1984

Perfect Strangers (Deep Purple album - cover art).jpg
Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers
rel October 29, 1984

DuranDuranArena.jpg
Duran Duran - Arena
rel November 12, 1984

LikeAVirgin1984.png
Madonna - Like a Virgin
rel November 12, 1984

Emergency1984.jpg
Kool and the Gang - Emergency
rel November

Don Henley - Building the Perfect Beast.jpg
Don Henley - Building the Perfect Beast
rel November 19, 1984

Real to Reel by Marillion cover.jpg
Marillion - Real to Reel
rel November 1984

Dune album cover.jpg
Toto - Dune
rel December 1984

Seasidebandw.jpg
Cardiacs - The Seaside
rel 1984

Aerial Boundaries.jpg
Michael Hedges - Aerial Boundaries
rel 1984

Steve Morse - 1984 - The Introduction.jpg
Steve Morse - The Introduction
rel 1984

NRGalbumfront.jpg
NRG - No Reasons Given
rel 1984


Pmg - first circle.jpg
Pat Metheny Group - First Circle
rel 1984

Untitled
Thinking Plague - ...A Thinking Plague
rel 1984