McQ's Favorite Albums Of 1983

Throughout 2023/2024 McQ's best of will be revisiting 1983 and re-evaluating all of it's significant album releases.

Elvis Costello's uneven Punch The Clock is the latest addition to our rankings.

Highest Recommends

1. Murmur - REM

2. Swordfishtrombones - Tom Waits

3. Violent Femmes

Strong Recommends

4. Speaking In Tongues - The Talking Heads

5. War - U2

6. Power, Corruption And Lies - New Order

7. Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) - The Eurythmics

8. Uh-Huh - John Cougar Mellencamp

9. Sychronicity - The Police

10. Koyaanisquatsi - Philip Glass

11. Let's Dance - David Bowie

12. Kill 'Em All - Metallica

13. Rebel Yell - Billy Idol

14. Colour By Numbers - Culture Club

15. Labour Of Love - UB40 

16. She's So Unusual - Cyndi Lauper

17. High Land, Hard Rain - Aztec Camera

18. Madonna

Solid Recommends

19. Touch - The Eurythmics

20. The Crossing - Big Country

21. Eliminator - ZZ Top

22. Soul Mining - The The

23. Under A Blood Red Sky - U2

24. Bad Influence - Robert Cray

25. Confrontation - Bob Marly & The Wailers

26. Texas Flood - Stevie Ray Vaughn

27. Out Of Step EP - Minor Threat

28. Pyromania - Def Lepperd

29. Punch The Clock - Elvis Costello

29. The Wild Heart - Stevie Nicks

30. Cargo - Men At Work

31. Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart - Van Morrison

32. Hootenanny - The Replacements

Mild Recommends

33. Can't Slow Down - Lionel Richie

34. Flashdance - Various Artists

35. The Adventures - Djam Leelii & Mansour Seck

36. Kilroy Was Here - Styx

1983 Albums Of Critical Note I've Yet To Assess In Full

90125 - Yes

An Innocent Man - Billy Joel

Appollo: Atmospheres And Soundtracks - Brian Eno

Before Hollywood - The Go-Betweens

Break Out - The Pointer Sisters

Clics Modernos - Charly Garcia

Construction Time Again - Depeche Mode
Duck Rock - Malcolm McLaren

Emergency Third Rail Power Trip - The Rain Parade

Fervor / Lost & Found - Jason & The Scorchrs

Frontiers - Journey

Future Shock - Herbie Hancock

Genesis

Hand Of Kindness - Richard Thompson

Head Over Heels - Cocteau Twins

Hearts And Bones - Paul Simon
Holy Diver - Dio

Infidels - Bob Dylan

Jonathan Sings - The Modern Lovers

Learning To Cope With Cowardice - Mark Stewart & The Maffia

Legandary Hearts - Lou Reed
Life's A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy - Billy Bragg
Love Wars - Womack And Womack
Meat Puppets II

Mommy's Little Monster - Social Distortion

More Fun In The New World - X

No Parlez - Paul Young

Over The Edge - Wipers

Peace Of Mind - Iron Maiden

Perverted By Language - The Fall
Porcupine - Echo And The Bunnymen

Proof Through The Night - T-Bone Burnett
Rock For Light - Bad Brains

Saturn Strip - Alan Vega

Script For A Jester's Tear

Script Of The Bridge - The Chameleons

Seven and the Ragged Tiger - Duran Duran

Shout At The Devil - Motley Crue

Sports - Heuy Lewis & The News

Suicidal Tendencies

Synchro System - King Sunny Ade

The Hurting - Tears For Fears

Trouble In Paradise - Randy Newman

Where Angels Fear To Tread - Mink DeVille

You Gotta Say Yes To Another Excess - Yello

Last Updated 04.03.24