One day at Amoeba Hollywood I proclaimed that Aztec Camera's 1983 release High Land, Hard Rain was one of the best records of the '80s. This single statement eventually led to over 200 Amoebites ranking their top 10 favorite albums from the ‘80s.

From the beginning we realized that it was impossible for most of us to condense our favorites from all genres into a tiny top ten list. So, we limited our lists to Rock/Pop and its sub-genres like punk, metal, goth, and new wave. Even so, it was a difficult selection process because not only are there hundreds of amazing records to consider, there is also the added dynamic of time.

The '80s were a long time ago and the music has had many years to gestate. We have a deep sense of nostalgia and sentiment with these albums as our fondest memories are associated with them. These are albums we LOVE.

- Henry Polk

P.S. We'll be posting new additions to the '80s list project from Amoeba staff members on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. See all entries in our ‘80s list series.

P.P.S. The '80s List Book is available for sale at Amoeba Hollywood.


Heather Long
Pixies – Doolittle (1989)
Husker Du – Zen Arcade (1984)
Judas Priest – British Steel (1980)
X – Los Angeles (1980)
Pretenders – Pretenders (1980)
The Cure – Disintegration (1989)
The Clash – London Calling (1980)
Duran Duran – Rio (1982)
Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast (1982)
Adam And The Ants – Kings Of The Wild Frontier (1980)

Grunge authorities Mudhoney have just announced tour dates along our fine West Coast via SubPop. Without further ado:

04/29/2011 - Oakland, CA, The New Parish
04/30/2011 - San Diego, CA, Casbah, with The Makeup Sex
05/01/2011 - Los Angeles, CA, Echoplex
06/24/2011 - Seattle, WA, Tractor Tavern
06/25/2011 - Portland, OR, Dante’s

Sub Pop Records, the legendary Seattle based record label first made famous back in the late eighties/early nineties for putting anti-fashion "grunge" acts on the music map, recently teamed up with Nike to launch the slick looking and pricey Sub Pop sneaker line: the Nike SB Blazer Elite Quickstrike -- Sub Pop Records. This high (street) fashion item is available on sites such as Sneaker.com, where the new Nike/Sub Pop collaborative design is described as "a new quickstrike SB. The shoe was made to go along with the Sub Pop Single Club 3.0’s first release “Gebel Barkal” b/w “(Version)” from the band OM. The record label is most known for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands. This is a great shoe for any SB or record collector. This is 100% deadstock and considered pure heat!"  

The site Kicks On Fire describes the new line this way: "This pair of Quickstrikes sport a combination suede / leather construction in a green, yellow, and grey color scheme. Other features include white and black accents, as well as a star on the ankle."  And the cost for a pair of these puppies? Anywhere from $140 to $180 + tax depending on where you purchase them, except if you buy them directly from Sub Pop you can get them for the considerably lower price of $90 a pair. Buy the cheaper priced ones directly from the record label by clickng here.  But as the hard-working Sub-Popper Teal Garrels informs me they have less than 300 pairs to offer for sale and that they come in US men's sizes 6 through 13. Teal adds his description on the street fashion footwear as such, "The shoes have their own catalogue number (SP780) which is proudly displayed on the back of the heel. The Singles Club logo (including July 2009- Limited Edition) graces the inside of the tongue while the Sub Pop logo can be found on the front as well as on the insole of the high top sneaker."