Excellent!!! Almost as good as number of the beast.

Hands down the best metal album ever made. Contains the hits "Hallowed be thy name", "Run to the hills", "22 Acacia Avenue", "the Number of the Beast", and "Invaders". Gotta get this, or you JUST AIN'T A SCUMDOG!!!

This album was actually concieved as an answer to the album I have at #9, but the end result sounds far different. 40+ songs, usually clocking in somewhere between the 1 and 2 minute mark featuring some awe-inspiring grooves, witty (and often funny) social commentary, and the occasional guitar solo. Ideal driving music.

The first band to combine the speed and intensity of hardcore punk with guitar-heroism and classic pop hooks, not to mention 2 singer-songwriters in guitarist bob mould and drummer grant hart, each with his distinct style and voice. I'm hard-pressed to pick a favorite album, but if you put a gun to my head, I'd probably take this, with 1985's classic "New Day Rising" and 1987's far more polished and poppy-but everybit as good "Warehouse: Songs and Stories" coming in close behind. The songs on zen arcade are incredibly diverse but can be initially off-putting due to the seeming unevenness or lack of cohesion. Punk tunes like "Broken Home/Broken Heart", "Chartered Trips", and the raging "The Biggest Lie" are tempered by weird expiraments ("Hare Krshna", "The Toothfairy and the Princess", "Dreams Reoccurring"(reprised as "Reoccurring Dreams", a live 13-minute jam)), more straightforward pop songs ("Somewhere", "Standing by the Sea", "Pink turns to Blue" and the heartbreaking "Whatever"), even a couple of uncharacteristically gentle piano ballads in "One Step at a Time" and "Monday will never be the Same". A landmark album that breaks away from hardcore tradition to create something infinitely more intesting.

The greatest album by one of the greatest bands of all time. Side 1 is upbeat and full of killer dance tunes, while side 2 is a darker more reflective listening experience, but it's all equally enjoyable.

Hip-hop? Hippies? Makes sense.

When I think of The Replacements, I think of beer. Beer for breakfast, beer for lunch, beer as therapy, beer as consolidation, beer as a means of enlightenment, beer as life-affirming celebration, beer as beer...and dammit it makes me thirsty.

Morrissey, Marr, and the less important guys(just kidding...Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke will get their mention here) create a pop tour de force about anarchy,lonliness, homosexuality, suicide, homicide, great britain, and the joys of literature, whilst marr creates a lush, harmonious, largely ambient atmosphere, that nicely contrasts morrissey's eccentric voice and bizzare, but cutting lyrics, as well as joyce and rourke's driving rythms. bloody essential!

The Pixies formula has been aped by so many bands in the wake of nirvana's success (cobain himself claiming "Teen Spirit" a pixies rip-off) that it's easy to forget just how revolutionary they were. The soft-loud dynamics, the jagged chord progressions, the brilliantly twisted lyrics, the male-female interwoven vocal harmonies, the ability to combine harsh abrasive punk-rock sneering with an unashamed affinity for the classic pop craftsmanship of bands like the beatles and big star...it goes on. Although every pixies album is completely essential, I find this, their full-length debut to be their most consistently satisfying, from the crunchy opener "bone machine" to the calculated cocaphony of "something against you" to the sweet kim deal-sung "gigantic" to the monumental "where is my mind?"(which, in one 80's nostalgia-website music-loving writer's opinion is one of the greatest(as in, like "top 10 greatest ever") songs ever made) to the creepy romantic-longing of "cactus"(recently covered by david bowie), to the shimmering melodic album-closing "brick is red" surfer rosa is a rock & roll classic, the stuff of time capsules.

The importance and influence of this band cannot be overstated. Although they only put out 2 full-length albums and a number of killer singles, joy division's music is still immitated left and right today, but alas joy division is inimitable, even if they never achieved the commercial success of many of the latter day poachers they would inspire. peter hooks' angular melodic bass-playing, bernard sumner's searing guitar work and ian curtis' dark baritone, intense vocals, and haunting lyrics created an otherworldly sound that simply cannot be duplicated. "closer" is their best album and "24 Hours", it's centerpiece is the most terrifying piece of music I've ever heard...it's hard not to make the connection between this song's lyrics(and this whole album, for that matter) and Ian's tragic suicide("got to find my destiny/before it gets too late"). Other highlights include the miserable dance pop of "Isolation", the somber piano-driven "The Eternal", "A Means to an End", and the Closer-closer "Decades", which has one of the greatest synth-riffs of all time and a jaw-droppingly beautiful but incredibly disturbing vocal.

A fuzzy rock masterpiece. It might take awhile for the songs to work their way into your system, but once, they're there, they aren't leaving. Combine icy velvets/joy division-derived drony emotive-yet-detatched melodicism with rootsy jangle pop ala the byrds, and the power-poppery of big star and you have a general idea. But this album doesn't sound like anything that came before or after it...timelessness actually kind of factors into the album's over-all feel..it doesn't sound like it came from any specific era, as much as it does an entirely different universe. Essential music.

This album encompasses all that is great about music. There's so much power and emotion within these songs, that defies logic for me to bother with trying to explain it in this little space...well, here goes: There's a feeling of freedom and possibilities that run throughout this album, a feeling of cathartic open-ended nirvana, equal parts cerebral and visceral; a sonic juggernaught of glorious pop songs drenched in mind-altering feedback and layers of discordent, yet hummable melodies . The guitar-playing is mind-blowingly inventive and abstract without ever getting overly pretensious or indulgent and the rythm section is relentless without being overbaring. The lyrics are wide-ranging and interesting, managing to be universally compelling and incredibly personal, creating a surreal, but intimate atmosphere that sucks you in on first listen and leaves you jonzing for more, as the songs tear away at your skull while you sleep and turn your brain into conflicting disjointed fragments, equally influenced byincessently gorgeous melodies and chaotic white noise.rock.

This cd is so much FUN!!!!

The quintessential new romantic gem!

The best of Madge!!!

If you pinned me down, I'd have to say this is my favorite 80's cd

I love every song on it!

I hate "Take On Me" and it's a shame that's all america heard from them!

Their best work to date. I love the songs although it was a very slick production

Amazing.

Morten Harket's voice is purely angelic

Their best cd.

this is sooooo cool and so 80's how could you not include this

another great album from JCM has stood the test of time well

a great album

pure 1986 its great

A must have in every Aussie kids collection in the mid 80's still stands out today!!!

I love this Album everytime I hear it I'm back in highschool in 1986

the begining of a legend I reckon this is her best a great 80s Album

A great Rock album play it loud

A great album to play really loud especially the song Glory Days

how good is this album!!! its an absoulute masterpiece

The first release of a band with big hits in the early 90's that has returned to life in 2002. Manchester Sound, techno-rock. The inspiration for bands as EMF

Spanish rock band mixing traditional rock of the sixties, seventies with latin american and spanish sounds and the modern tecnology,those days, samplers. Produced by the British Jo Dworniak (ex I-Level)

Soul, pop and samplers very well mixed in this cocktail of great tracks.

Trevor Horn (ex-Buggles and even ex-Yes) and his friends playing with a Fairlight CMI.

Teen and fresh pop songs with a little bit of soul and funk on top of a electronic production based on the legendary Fairlight CMI. The band is maybe only known in Spain.

Great american rock of the 80's. Suzanne Vega appears on In A Lonely Place.

Sofisticated and elegant production by Trevor Horn (Buggles, Yes), for this good collection of pop-white soul songs

The best work during the 80's of this veteran band.

International, Nº.1 Are enough reasons to listen to this album. Electronic ambients( less experimental as previous works, smart lyrics.

Their darkest work, their best compositions, especially dressed in black again

It wouldnt be fair to miss this one as my old classic

A beautiful, haunting sound from the Scottish Masters of New Wave Rock

The masters of techno-pop are the indisputable kings in their own rights. I cant be grateful enough that they are still around after two decades of relentless class showing

When you listen to Fixx you have to know it is a band something serious to listen to and to judge that you have to be serious about this album first

Well! What can I say here. The King of Pop does it like no one can

The title track is enough to leave one wondering how far the bounderies of Metal Rock can stretch. This piece of rock leaves you absolutely breathless! Maiden has an average imagination that is way beyond one's wildest imagination

Simple lyrics for bourgeois. The average man cant feel average after listening to this marvel. Indeed the best work by the Boss to-date

Metal at its best. " Touch of Evil" and " One shot at glory" still leave me out of my tracks

For those who missed out on this there is still time to listen to this gem and look for anything short of perfect

I just couldnt get enough of this masterpiece in that winter of 1984

group reforms back to early line-up to put out a high quality effort! ian gillan is a very under-rated vocalist.

to see ratt on the one hit wonders list makes me sick; put out 3-4 good albums with lots of high quality material!

a blend of hard rock and pop, great songs and billy g. is one hell of a guitar player.

a great effort that gave the german band worldwide fame. great songs , vocals and guitar work!

ok, maybe they didn't finish that strong, but this album speaks for itself!

quite an impact for a groups first album. crank it up and wake up the neighbors!

the best effort of one of the most under-rated groups ever. although mostly known for "whip it" ( a quality song ), they have 15-20 songs which are even better!

comeback album after bon scott's death. quite a statement, their best effort ever in my opinion!

their peak between their musical and commercial success. no weak links, quite a trio of musicians.

top to bottom a real gem. sure to wake ya up if you're a little sleepy!

Girl could rock and look good doing it. She paved the way for many frontwomen to come is still around today. You go girl!

This album is a treat from start to finish. Have you ever listened to "Still of the Night?" This guy can wail and is backed up by perfect guitar work and song writing. I know it was almost released in the ninties but it barely made it in and that's all that counts.

I may be chastised for this but it was an essential album for my teenage years. I actually wore out the tape 'til it finally broke and I graduated to cd. "I want your sex" and "father figure" defined the late eighties for many.

Music in the eighties, or now for that matter, wouldn't be what it was if it weren't for this man. A unique album with a sound and flare that few could duplicate, not that they didn't try. This has to be on the list. Who's Bad¿!!!

The peak of 80's glamour rockers, Def Lepard, bombarded listeners with a barrage of hits in rapid succession. Not one song on this album is without merit. You couldn't turn on the radio without hearing these guys.

The embodiment of "Singer Song Writer". Que up the ablum, sit back, and relax.

Come on . . . . . . . . I mean COME ON !!!!

Look up "rock'n ass band" in the dictionary and you'll see a pictute of Van Halen. Every member contributes 100% to the flashy and professional success of this icon of American rock band.

Do I really need to explain this one¿

The difinitive 80's ablum. Nothing is perfect, but this album comes close. The King of Pop still riegns over the masses and all must acknowledge his acomplishment and talent. Too bad he went wierd on us.

I had to sneek New Order, Very solid synth work, one of the pioneers of big electronic sound.

in 1980, basicaly 10 solid years of Peter evolving, growing and changing, while never failing to put out truly briliant records.

It was either deep in 1989 or...

I'd never listened to Joy Division, untill after 1980, I'd realy never heard of them untill Ian Curtis was dead. Closer, is a sincere indication he was not sticking around, but a very, very good record.

Why did noone noitce this group evr existing? Remember "Getting Away With It"?

The Cure again but, Robert is beyond anything that has ever existed, so sad, so amazing.

Morresy had to end up in here somwhere.

Recorded in '89 rleased in '90, so I'm making it count.

Haunting lyrics, and embracing songs.

When I bought the LP the, Siouxise look-a-like sales girl, said It would change my life, and it did.