The A Lists: 1984 (65)

• Bruce Springsteen: Born in the U.S.A. (Columbia)
• The Replacements: Let It Be (Twin/Tone)
• Laurie Anderson: United States Live (Warner Bros.)
• Parliament's Greatest Hits (Casablanca)
• Bob Marley and the Wailers: Legend (Island)
• John Lennon/Yoko Ono: Milk and Honey (Polydor)
• Black Uhuru: Anthem (Island)
• King Sunny Adé and His African Beats: Aura (Mango)
• Linton Kwesi Johnson: Making History (Island)
• Lou Reed: New Sensations (RCA Victor)
• Thomas Mapfumo: Ndangariro (Carthage)
• Wire: And Here It Is . . . Again . . . Wire (Sneaky Pete import)
• John Anderson: Greatest Hits (Warner Bros.)
• Los Lobos: How Will the Wolf Survive? (Slash)
• Arto Lindsay/Ambitious Lovers: Envy (Editions EG)
• Ramones: Too Tough to Die (Sire)
• Persian Gulf: Changing the Weather (Raven)
• The dB's: Like This (Bearsville)
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo: Induku Zethu (Shanachie)
• Ruben Blades y Seis del Solar: Buscando America (Elektra)
• Les Ambassadeurs: Les Ambassadeurs (Rounder)
• Rolling Stones: Rewind (1971-1984) (Rolling Stones)
• Hüsker Dü: Zen Arcade (SST)
• Toots and the Maytals: Reggae Greats: Toots and the Maytals (Mango)
• Minutemen: Double Nickels on the Dime (SST)
• Joe "King" Carrasco & the Crowns: Bordertown (Big Beat import)
• Run-D.M.C.: Run-D.M.C. (Profile)
• XTC: Waxworks: Some Singles 1977-1982 (Geffen)
• Prince and the Revolution: Purple Rain (Paisley Park)
• Laurie Anderson: Mister Heartbreak (Warner Bros.)
• Gil Scott-Heron: The Best of Gil Scott-Heron (Arista)
• David Johansen: Sweet Revenge (Passport)
• Big Black: Racer-X (Homestead)
• The Del-Lords: Frontier Days (EMI America)
• Pretenders: Learning to Crawl (Sire)
• Anna Domino: East and West (Les Disques du Crépuscle)
• Sparrow: King of the World (B's)
• Bangles: All Over the Place (Columbia)
• Half Japanese: Sing No Evil (Iridescence)
• Burning Spear: Reggae Greats: Burning Spear (Mango)
• Tom Verlaine: Cover (Warner Bros.)
• Ferron: Shadows on a Dime (Lucy import)
• Tina Turner: Private Dancer (Capitol)
• Teddy Pendergrass: Greatest Hits (Philadelphia International)
• Julie Brown: Goddess in Progress (Rhino)
• That's the Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk (A&M)
• Dumptruck: D is for Dumptruck (Incas)
• Motorhead: No Remorse (Bronze)
• The Embarrassment: Retrospective (Fresh Sounds)
• Robert Wyatt: 1982-1984 (Rough Trade)
• Meat Puppets: Meat Puppets II (SST)
• Herbie Hancock: Sound System (Columbia)
• The Reducers: Let's Go! (Rave On)
• Conjure (American Clavé)
• Rank and File: Long Gone Dead (Slash)
• The Neville Brothers: Neville-ization (Black Top)
• John Conlee: Greatest Hits (MCA)
• Robert Quine/Fred Maher: Basic (Editions EG)
• Blow-Up: Easy Knowledge (Polar)
• Harold Budd/Brian Eno: The Pearl (Editions EG)
• UB40: Geffery Morgan (A&M)
• The Judds: Wynonna and Naomi (RCA Victor)
• Iggy Pop: Choice Cuts (RCA Victor)
• Fat Boys: Fat Boys (Sutra)
• Go-Go's: Talk Show (I.R.S.)

Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s, 1990

The A Lists: 1983

The A Lists: 1985