Sunday, March 26, 2017

The Year 1980 Albums Calendar + Rankings

1980, sort of a transitional year for music and progressive rock. I see the Yes and Genesis records as sort of their last of a classic era, and even better than their previous records.

Lot of Hard Rock and early Metal and interesting "new wave" stuff as well as Classic Rock artists putting out albums.

And the continuation and extension of a lot of Jazz-Fusion, although some good records, none of them being my favorites, but also hardly their worst.

Certainly a good year, and ultimately, better than some years from that era, but at the same time, hardly comparing to some of my favorite years overall.


1. Yes - Drama
2. Rush - Permanent Waves
3. Genesis - Duke
4. Hawkwind - Levitation
5. Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
6. Al Di Meola - Splendido Hotel
7. Queen - Flash Gordon
8. The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
9. Bruce Springsteen - The River
10. The Alan Parsons Project - The Turn of a Friendly Card
11. Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel [3]
12. Yes - Yesshows
13. Van Halen - Women and Children First
14. Weather Report - Night Passage
15, Mike Rutherford - Smallcreep's Day
16. Queen - The Game
17. David Bowie - Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)
18. U2 - Boy
19. XTC - Black Sea
20. Kerry Livgren - Seeds of Change
21. Steve Hackett - Defector
22. John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy
23. Bruford - Gradually Going Tornado


A cartoon version of Trevor Horn. On top of it is the red text "Buggles The Age of Plastic," as well the names of the tracks included on side one of the album.
Buggles - Age of Plastic
rel January 10, 1980

Rush Permanent Waves.jpg
Rush - Permanent Waves
rel January 14, 1980

Terminal Jive - Sparks.jpg
Sparks - Terminal Jive
rel January 28, 1980

Cd-cover-mike-rutherford-smallcreeps-day.jpg
Mike Rutherford - Smallcreep's Day
rel February15, 1980

Bill Bruford Gradually Going Tornado.jpg
Bruford - Gradually Going Tornado
rel February 1980

Billy Joel - Glass Houses.jpg
Billy Joel - Glass Houses
rel March 10, 1980

Journey Departure.jpg
Journey - Departure
rel March 23, 1980

Duke Genesisalbum.jpg
Genesis - Duke
rel March 24, 1980

Van Halen - Women and Children First.jpg
Van Halen - Women and Children First
rel March 26, 1980

Sacredsongs.jpg
Daryl Hall - Sacred Songs
rel March 1980

Iron Maiden (album) cover.jpg
Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
rel April 14, 1980


Black Sabbath Heaven and Hell.jpg
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
rel April 25, 1980

Splendido hotel.jpg
Al Di Meola - Splendido Hotel
rel May 10, 1980

Peter Gabriel (self-titled album, 1980 - cover art).jpg
Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel [3]
rel May 23, 1980

Flesh and Blood album cover.jpg
Roxy Music - Flesh and Blood
rel May 23, 1980

A dinosaur-like monster with long teeth and 5 eyes stands majestically in front of a mountain landscape.
Blue Oyster Cult - Cultösaurus Erectus
rel June 14, 1980

Queen The Game.png
Queen - The Game
rel June 30, 1980

Untitled
Steve Hackett - Defector
rel June 1980

Hall Oates Voices.jpg
Hall and Oates - Voices
rel July 29, 1980

Black Sabbath Live At Last.jpg
Black Sabbath - Live at Last
rel July 1980

Seeds of Change album.jpg
Kerry Livgren - Seeds of Change
rel July 1980

Yes Drama.jpg
Yes - Drama
rel August 18, 1980

Xanadualbumcover.jpg
Electric Light Orchestra / Olivia Newton-John - Xanadu
rel August 1980

DavidBowieScaryMonstersCover.jpg
David Bowie - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
rel September 12, 1980

XTC - Black Sea album cover.jpg
XTC - Black Sea
rel September 12, 1980

Celebrate!.jpg
Kool and The Gang - Celebrate!
rel September 29, 1980

Hotter July.jpg
Stevie Wonder - Hotter than July
rel September 29, 1980

Police-album-zenyattamondatta.jpg
The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
rel October 3, 1980

PrincDirtyMind.jpeg
Prince - Dirty Mind
rel October 8, 1980

Album cover containing four portraits covered by red blocks of colour, captioned "TALKING HEADS" (with inverted "A"s) at the top and (much smaller) "REMAIN IN LIGHT" at the bottom.
Talking Heads - Remain in Light
rel October 8, 1980

The River (Bruce Springsteen) (Front Cover).jpg
Bruce Springsteen - The River
rel October 17, 1980

Sleeve of Making Movies.svg
Dire Straits - Making Movies
rel October 17, 1980


U2 - Boy
rel October 20, 1980

Untitled
Hawkwind - Levitation
rel October 27, 1980

Untitled
Jon Anderson - Song of Seven
rel October 1980

The Alan Parsons Project - The Turn of a Friendly Card.jpg
The Alan Parsons Project - The Turn of a Friendly Card
rel November 1, 1980

 Motörhead - Ace of Spades (1980).jpg
Motorhead - Ace of Spades
rel November 8, 1980

JohnLennon-albums-doublefantasy.jpg
John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy
rel November 17, 1980

Steely Dan - Gaucho.jpg
Steely Dan - Gaucho
rel November 21, 1980

Yesshows.jpg
Yes - Yesshows
rel November 24, 1980

WRnightpassage.jpg
Weather Report - Night Passage
rel November 1980

Queen Flash Gordon.png
Queen - Flash Gordon
rel December 8, 1980

Dixie Dregs Dregs Of The Earth.jpg
Dixie Dregs - Dregs of the Earth
rel 1980

8081album.jpg
Pat Metheny - 80/81
rel 1980

Related image
Hermeto Pascoal - Cérebro Magnético
rel 1980

Untitled
Speedway Blvd - Speedway Blvd
rel 1980

LP - Sussman Lawrence - Hail to the modern hero!
Sussman Lawrence - Hail to the Modern Hero
rel 1980