The 25 biggest Classic Rock albums of 1984

13 April 2024, 11:00

'84 was a strong year for rock albums: everything from Metallica to Maiden, Foreigner to Springsteen. Take a look at a selection of the best, right here.

By Radio X

@RadioX

1. Van Halen - 1984: released 9th January 1984

   The sixth studio album from Eddie and Alex Van Halen was the last to feature David Lee Roth on vocals for nearly 30 years. It included the huge hit Jump.

   

2. The Pretenders - Learning To Crawl: released 21st January 1984

   The third album from Chrissie Hynde's band featured a new line-up after the deaths of original members James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon. The record included the hits Back On The Chain Gang, Middle Of The Road and the evergreen seasonal classic 2,000 Miles.

   

3. Bon Jovi - Bon Jovi: release date 21st January 1984

   Jon Bon Jovi and co's debut album featured the singles Burning For Love, She Don't Know Me and Runaway.

   

4. Whitesnake - Slide It In: release date 30th January 1984

   The British hard rock band fronted by former Deep Purple man David Coverdale issued their sixth studio album, which included the singles Guilty Of Love, Give Me More Time, Standing In The Shadow, and Love Ain't No Stranger.

   

5. Simple Minds – Sparkle In The Rain: released 6th February 1984

   The sixth studio album from the Scottish rockers included the songs Up On The Catwalk and Waterfront.

   

6. The Alarm - Declaration: release date 13th February 1984

   The Welsh rock band's debut album included the singles Sixty-Eight Guns, Where Were You Hiding When The Storm Broke? and The Stand.

   

7. Queen - The Works: released 27th February 1984

   After the lukewarm response to their Hot Space album in 1982, Queen had a huge hit with their eleventh studio album, which featured I Want To Break Free, Radio Ga Ga and Hammer To Fall.

   

8. Scorpions - Love At First Sting: released March 1984

   The German metal band's ninth album included the hits Rock You Like A Hurricane, Still Loving You and Big City Nights.

   

9. Marillion - Fugazi: release date 12th March 1984

   The Aylesbury prog band's second studio album went Top 5 in the UK and included the singles Assassing and Punch And Judy.

   

10. The Cars - Heartbeat City: released 13th March 1984

    The fifth studio album from the Boston rockers included You Might Think and the ballad Drive, which gained a boost after it was used to soundtrack a moving charity film during the Live Aid gig the following year.

    

11. INXS - The Swing: release date 21st March 1984

    The fourth album from the Aussie rockers included the Nile Rodgers-produced single Original Sin, plus Dancing On The Jetty, I Send A Message and Burn For You.

    

12. Rush - Grace Under Pressure: release date 12th April 1984

    The twelfth album from the Canadian progressive rock band included the tracks The Body Electric, Distand Early Warning and Red Sector A.

    

13. R.E.M - Reckoning: released 9th April 1984

    The second album from Athens, Georgia's finest exports included the singles So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry) and (Don't Go Back To) Rockville.

    

14. Tina Turner – Private Dancer: released 29th May 1984

    Tina's big comeback album was her first in five years and included the massive hits What's Love Got To Do With It, I Can't Stand The Rain and the huge title track.

    

15. Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA: released 4th June 1984

    The landmark seventh studio album from The Boss included the massive title track, Glory Days, I'm On Fire and Dancing In The Dark.

    

16. Prince - Purple Rain: released 25th June 1984

    The Purple One's sixth studio album was also the soundtrack to his first film and included the singles When Doves Cry, Let's Go Crazy, I Would Die 4 U and the unforgettable title track.

    

17. Dio - The Last In Line: release date 2nd July 1984

    Ronnie James Dio's post-Black Sabbath project reelased their second album, which indluded the singles We Rock and Mystery.

    

18. Metallica - Ride The Lightning: released 27th July 1984

    The second studio album from the metal legends included the classic song Creeping Death.

    

19. Iron Maiden - Powerslave: release date 3rd September 1984

    The fifth album from British heavy metal titans included the singles 2 Minutes To Midnight and Aces High, plus a 13-minute musical version of Coleridge's Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.

    

20. David Bowie - Tonight: release date 24th September 1984

    Bowie's follow-up to the mammoth hit Let's Dance was seen as something of a disappointment, but that didn't stop Tonight topping the charts in the UK. Blue Jean and Loving The Alien were both promoted with elaborate videos, while the title track was a cover of an Iggy Pop song, from the 1977 album Lust For Life.

    

21. U2 - The Unforgettable Fire: released 1st October 1984

    The Irish band's fourth studio album was a huge worldwide hit, bolstered by the band's appearance at Live Aid the following year. Singles were The Unforgettable Fire and Pride (In The Name Of Love) and also included was the live favourite Bad.

    

22. Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers: release date 29th October 1984

    The veteran rock band's eleventh studio album went Top 5 in the UK and included the singles Knocking At Your Back Door and Perfect Strangers.

    

23. Bryan Adams - Reckless: release date 5th November 1984

    The Canadian musician's fifth album was a huge international hit, including the singles Run To You and Summer Of '69. It's since gone three times Platinum in the UK.

    

24. Don Henley - Building The Perfect Beast: release date 19th November 1984

    The former Eagles man's second solo album included his huge hit The Boys Of Summer, plus the singles Sunset Grill, Not Enough Love In The World and All She Wants To Do Is Dance.

    

25. Foreigner - Agent Provocateur: release date 14th December 1984

    Featuring the Number 1 single I Want To Know What Love Is, the British-American band's fifth studio album also includes the tracks Growing Up The Hard Way, Down On Love and That Was Yesterday.