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Albums Of The Year And
End Of Year Critic Lists

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NME ceased publication in January 2018, but still has a web site.
NME Pop Poll Results 1952 - 1997

Critic And Reader Lists

›› NME Writers Tracks Of The Decade (2000-2009)
›› NME Writers Top 100 Albums Of The Deacde (2000-2009)

›› NME Writers Top 50 albums of 60’s, 70's & 80's.
›› NME Writers All time top 100 - 1974.
›› NME Writers All time top 100 Singles - 1976
›› NME Readers All time top 100 singles - 1976
›› NME Writers All time 100 LP’s - 1985
›› NME Writers All time top 150 singles - 1987
›› NME Readers All time top 100 albums - 1988
›› Debut & Doubles - The best and worst debut (1992) and double albums ever. (1991)
›› 40 Records That Captured the Moment - 40th Anniversary issue 9th May 1992
›› NME 100 Best independent singles ever from 1992.
›› NME Writers all time 100 best albums - 1993
›› NME Best Soundtrack albums of all time - 1995
›› The NME 100: How Rock Shook The World… - 1999 
›› Readers & Writers Choice For The Most Heartbreak Albums Of All Time 2000
›› NME 50 Greatest Artists of all time - 2002 - 50th Anniversary issue
›› NME’s 100 Greatest Singles Of All Time - 2002
›› NME 100 best albums 2003
›› NME 10 Great Live Albums - 2003
›› NME’s 100 Greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll Films - 2003
›› 117 Songs to soundtrack your summer - 2003
›› NME' 50 Greatest Cover Versions Of All  Time - 2005
›› 100 Greatest British Albums Of All Time - 2006
›› Radiohead - The National Anthems 2006
›› The Greatest Tracks Of The Decade (1996 – 2006)
›› NME Classic Albums & Singles - 2006 - 07
›› NME- The Greatest Indie Anthems Ever - 2007
›› NME Hall Of Fame - 2007
›› NME Albums Of The Year...So Far - July 2010
›› NME 50 Greatest Debut Albums - Nov 2010
›› John Lennon - 20 Most Underrated Tracks
›› NME 100 Greatest Albums You've Never Herd
›› NME 50 Darkest Albums Of All Time - 2011
›› NME 50 Greatest Live Albums - 2011
›› NME/Uncut 501 Lost Songs - 2011
›› NME.COM 150 Best Tracks Of Last 15 Years - 2011
›› NME 100 Greatest Albums You've Never herd...Pt 2 - 2012
›› NME - 60 Years Of NME: Best Of The Decades
›› 100 Greatest Songs Of NME's Lifetime - 2012
›› Readers Top Songs Of NME's Lifetime - 2012
›› 60 Most Important Albums Of NME's Lifetime - 2012
›› NME Greatest No 1 Singles In History - 2013
›› NME - 50 Albums That Built Punk - 2013
›› NME - 100 Greatest Britpop Songs - 2013
›› NME The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time - 2013
›› NME 60 Greatest Soundtrack Albums - 2014
›› NME - The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time - 2014
›› NME 101 Albums To Hear Befour You Die - 2014
›› NME 50 Must Have EP's - 2014
›› NME  30 Killer B-Side & Raraties Albums - 2014
›› NME Bowie: His Real Greatest Hits - 2014
›› NME Greatest ALbums Of The Decade So Far.. 2015
›› NME Tracks Of The Decade (2010's) So Far... 2015
›› NME 100 Greatest Beatles Songs - 2015
›› NME Lost Albums - 2015
›› NME 50 Albums To Hear Before You Die - 2016
›› NME Albums Of The Decade (2010's) - 2019
›› NME Songs Of The Decade (2010's) - 2019




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1980 NME Albums

Closer - Joy Division

1. Closer - Joy Division
2. Get Happy - Elvis Costello
3. I Just Can't Stop It - The Beat
4. Sinsemilla - Black Uhuru
5. Movies - Holger Czukay
6. Remain In Light - Talking Heads
7. Crocodiles - Echo And The Bunnymen
8. Borderline - Ry Cooder
9. Scary Monsters - David Bowie
10. Searching For The Young Soul Rebels - Dexys Midnight Runners
11. Sound Affects - The Jam
12. The River - Bruce Springsteen
13. Signing Off - Ub40
14. The Correct Use Of Soap - Magazine
15. Songs The Lord Taught Us - The Cramps
16. Laughter - Ian Dury & The Blockheads
17. Night Passage - Weather Report
18. Grace And Danger - John Martyn
19. Empires And Dance - Simple Minds
20. Suicide - Suicide
21. Uprising - Bob Marley & The Wailers
22. Warm Thoughts - Smoky Robinson
23. Colossal Youth - Young Marble Giants
24. Printemps Au Paris - Public Image Ltd.
25. Voice Of America - Cabaret Voltaire
26. Warm Leatherette - Grace Jones
27. Die Kleinen Und Die Bosen - D.A.F.
28. Soldier - Iggy Pop
29. Toots Live - Toots And The Maytals
30. Growing Up In Public - Lou Reed
31. Doc At The Radar Station - Captain Beefheart
32. More Specials - The Specials
33. Cultosaurus Erectus - Blue Oyster Cult
34. Kilimanjaro - The Teardrop Explodes
35. Blues For The Fisherman - Milcho Leviev & Art Pepper
36. Shiny Beast - Captain Beefheart
37. Nobody’s Perfect
38. Hotter Than July - Stevie Wonder
39. Snap Crackle & Bop - John Cooper Clarke
40. Bass Culture - Linton Kwesi Johnson
41. Organisation - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
42. Countrymen - The Twinkle Brothers
43. Freedom Of Choice - Devo
44. Are You Glad To Be In America - James Blood Ulmer
45. Diana - Diana Ross
46. Shadows And Light - Joni Mitchell
47. Kaleidoscope - Siouxsie And The Banshees
48. Waiting For A Miracle - Comsat Angels
49. Heartattack And Vine - Tom Waits
50. Changes - Etta James

Also Mentioned

• Real People - Chic
• Gyrate - Pylon
• Off The Coast Of Me - Kid Creole And The Coconuts
• Absolutely Madness - Madness
• Black Sea - Xtc
• Travelogue - The Human League
• Return Of The Durutti Column - Durutti Column
• In Performance - Donny Hathaway
• Phantom Tracks - Roy Loney
• The Long Riders - Ry Cooder
• Deguello - Zz Top
• The Art Of Walking - Pere Ubu
• Night In The Ruts - Aerosmith
• Jeopardy - The Sound
• Rev Up - The Revillos
• Betrayal - Jah Wobble
• Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Same
• Cristina - Same
• Do Animals Believe In God - Pink Military
• Boy - U2
• Peter Gabriel - (3)
• Argybargy - Squeeze
• Taking Liberties - Elvis Costello
• Commercial Album - The Residents

1980 NME Singles

1. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
2. Going Underground - The Jam
3. Mirror In The Bathroom - The Beat
4. Atmosphere - Joy Division
5. Ashes To Ashes - David Bowie
6. Your Cassette Pet - Bow Wow Wow
7. Private Life - Grace Jones
8. Fashion - David Bowie
9. C30 C60 C90 Go - Bow Wow Wow
10. Master Blaster - Steve Wonder
11. Treason - Teardrop Explodes
12. Geno - Dexys Midnight Runners
13. Start! - The Jam
14. Food For Thought/King - Ub40
15. New Amsterdam Ep - Elvis Costello
16. Shack Up - A Certain Ratio
17. Rescue - Echo And The Bunnymen
18. My Way Of Thinking - Ub40
19. The Breaks - Kurtis Blow
20. Stand Down Margaret/Best Friend - The Beat
21. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down - Elvis Costello
22. Drug Train - The Cramps
23. Fiery Jack - The Fall
24. Dance Stance - Dexies Midnight Runners
25. Johnny & Mary - Robert Palmer
26. Hands Off .. She's Mine - The Beat
27. My Flamingo - The Subterraneans
28. A Song From Under The Floorboards - Magazine
29. Independence Day - Comsat Angels
30. My Perfect Cousin - The Undertones
31. Runaway Boys - The Stray Cats
32. At Last I Am Free - Robert Wyatt
33. Looking For Clues - Robert Palmer
34. There, There My Dear - Dexys Midnight Runners
35. My Girl - Madness
36. Another Nail In My Heart - Squeeze
37. Flight - A Certain Ratio
38. Diet/It’s Obvious - The Au Pairs
39. Funkin’ For Jamaica - Tom Browne
40. Seconds To Late - Cabaret Voltaire
41. I’m Coming Out - Diana Ross
42. Hi-Fidelity - Elvis Costello
43. Warrior Charge - Aswad
44. Love Comes In Spurts - Richard Hell
45. Edward Fox - Smack
46. Don’t Stand So Close To Me - The Police
47. Hello I’m Your Heart - Bette Bright
48. Rise And Shine - Linx
49. Happy House - Siouxsie And The Banshees
50. Dog Eat Dog - Adam And The Ants

Also Mentioned


• Cartrouble - Adam And The Ants
• Kings Of The Wild Frontier - Adam And The Ants
• Baltimore - Tamlins
• Lovely One - The Jacksons
• Rapp Payback - James Brown
• Three Mantras - Cabaret Voltaire
• Bankrobber/The Callup - The Clash
• Keep It Up Part 2 - Dexys Midnight Runners
• Elastic Man - The Fall
• Holiday ‘80 Ep - The Human League
• There Goes Concorde Again - The Native Hipsters
• Let Me Talk - Earth, Wind & Fire
• Kebabtraume - D.A.F.
• Politics - Girls At Our Best
• You Gave Me Love - Crown Hights Affair
• Blue Boy/ Falling And Laughing - Orange Juice
• Enola Gaye - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
• Radio Drill Time - Josef K
• Whip It - Devo
• Requiem - Killing Joke
• Hunter Gets Captured By The Game - Grace Jones
• Soul Kiss - Chris Stamey
• Arauco - Robert Wyatt
• Final Day - Young Marble Giants
• Hi-Fidelity - Elvis Costello
• I Want To Be Straight - Ian Dury
• Stereotype - The Specials
• Let’s Get Serious - Jermaine -Jackson
• Cheap Sunglasses - Zz Top
• Talk Of The Town - Pretenders
• Seven Minutes To Midnight - Wah! Heat
• Heyday - The Sound



NME Pop Poll Results
(NME 24/01/81)

Many Thanks to Colin Hamilton For Supplying Pop Poll Results.


Best Group

1 The Jam
2 Joy Division
3 The Clash
4 Talking Heads
5 The Police
6 UB40
7 The Stranglers
8 Adam and the Ants
9 Genesis
10 The Fall

Album

1 Sound Affects - The Jam
2 Closer - Joy Division
3 Scary Monsters - David Bowie
4 Crocodiles - Echo and the Bunnymen
5 Signing Off - UB40
6 Remain In Light - Talking Heads
7 Kings Of The Wild Frontier - Adam and the Ants
8 Zenyatta Mondatta - The Police
9 I Just Can't Stop It - The Beat
10 Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel

Single

1 Going Underground - The Jam
2 Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division
3 Ashes To Ashes - David Bowie
4 Atmosphere - Joy Division
5 Start! - The Jam
6 Fashion - David Bowie
7 Bankrobber - The Clash
8 Enola Gay - OMD
9 Games Without Frontiers - Pater Gabriel
10 Dog Eat Dog - Adam and the Ants

Best New Act

1 UB40
2 Spandau Ballet
3 Echo and the Bunnymen
4 Stray Cats
5 Bow Wow Wow