New Musical Express • 20th December 1980

Alright mun, rewind the clocks, dust off the Dansette, and prepare for a proper history lesson with hairspray, heartbreak and absolute bangers. Back in December 1980, New Musical Express dropped its Vinyl Finals ’80 list — a definitive snapshot of what the UK was actually playing, buying and arguing about down the pub.

No algorithms. No playlists called Sad Indie Wintercore. Just vinyl, vibes, and strong opinions.

Below is the FULL, UNFILTERED LIST of every single and album that made the cut. Strap in. 🤘🖤

🎶 SINGLES OF 1980 (1–50)

1. Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
2. The Jam – Going Underground
3. The Beat – Mirror In The Bathroom
4. Joy Division – Atmosphere
5. David Bowie – Ashes to Ashes
6. Bow Wow Wow – Your Cassette Pet
7. Grace Jones – Private Life
8. David Bowie – Fashion
9. Bow Wow Wow – C30 C60 C90 Go
10. Stevie Wonder – Master Blaster
11. The Teardrop Explodes – Treason
12. Dexys Midnight Runners – Geno
13. The Jam – Start!
14. UB40 – Food For Thought / King
15. Elvis Costello – New Amsterdam
16. A Certain Ratio – Shack Up
17. Echo & The Bunnymen – Rescue
18. UB40 – My Way of Thinking / Think It’s Going To Rain Today
19. Kurtis Blow – The Breaks
20. The Beat – Best Friend / Stand Down Margaret
21. Elvis Costello – I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down
22. The Cramps – Drug Train
23. The Fall – Fiery Jack
24. Dexys Midnight Runners – Dance Stance
25. Robert Palmer – Johnny & Mary
26. The Beat – Hands Off… She’s Mine
27. The Subterraneans – My Flamingo
28. Magazine – A Song From Under The Floorboards
29. Comsat Angels – Independence Day
30. The Undertones – My Perfect Cousin
31. The Stranglers – Runaway Boys
32. Robert Wyatt – At Last I Am Free
33. Robert Palmer – Looking For Clues
34. Dexys Midnight Runners – There, There, My Dear
35. Madness – My Girl
36. Squeeze – Another Nail In My Heart
37. A Certain Ratio – Flight
38. The Au Pairs – Diet / It’s Obvious
39. Tom Browne – Funkin’ For Jamaica
40. Cabaret Voltaire – Seconds Too Late
41. Diana Ross – I’m Coming Out
42. Elvis Costello – Hi-Fidelity
43. Aswad – Warrior Charge
44. Richard Hell – Love Comes In Spurts
45. Smack – Edward Fox
46. The Police – Don’t Stand So Close To Me
47. The Beat – Bright Hell / My Heart
48. INXS – I Send A Message
49. Siouxsie & The Banshees – Happy House
50. Adam & The Ants – Dog Eat Dog

💿 ALBUMS OF 1980 (1–50)

1. Joy Division – Closer
2. Elvis Costello – Get Happy!!
3. The Beat – I Just Can’t Stop It
4. Black Uhuru – Sinsemilla
5. Holger Czukay – Movies
6. Talking Heads – Remain In Light
7. Echo & The Bunnymen – Crocodiles
8. Ry Cooder – Borderline
9. David Bowie – Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
10. Dexys Midnight Runners – Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
11. The Jam – Sound Affects
12. Bruce Springsteen – The River
13. UB40 – Signing Off
14. Magazine – The Correct Use Of Soap
15. The Cramps – Songs The Lord Taught Us
16. Ian Dury & The Blockheads – Laughter
17. Weather Report – Night Passage
18. John Martyn – Grace And Danger
19. Simple Minds – Empires And Dance
20. Suicide – Deceit
21. Bob Marley – Uprising
22. Smokey Robinson – Warm Thoughts
23. Young Marble Giants – Colossal Youth
24. Public Image Ltd – The Flowers Of Romance
25. Cabaret Voltaire – Voice Of America
26. Grace Jones – Warm Leatherette
27. D.A.F. – Die Kleinen Und Die Bösen
28. Iggy Pop – Soldier
29. Toots & The Maytals – Toots Live
30. Lou Reed – Growing Up In Public
31. Captain Beefheart – Doc At The Radar Station
32. The Specials – More Specials
33. Blue Öyster Cult – Cultösaurus Erectus
34. The Teardrop Explodes – Kilimanjaro
35. Millie & Andrea – Drop The Vibe
36. Captain Beefheart – Shiny Beast
37. The Distractions – Nobody’s Perfect
38. Stevie Wonder – Hotter Than July
39. John Cooper Clarke – Snap, Crackle & Bop
40. Linton Kwesi Johnson – Bass Culture
41. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Organisation
42. The Twinkle Brothers – Countrymen
43. Devo – Freedom Of Choice
44. James Blood Ulmer – Are You Glad To Be In America
45. Diana Ross – Diana
46. John Martyn – Glorious Fool
47. Siouxsie & The Banshees – Kaleidoscope
48. Comsat Angels – Waiting For A Miracle
49. Tom Waits – Heartattack And Vine
50. Etta James – Changes

🖤 FINAL RIFF

This list is a beautiful, chaotic time capsule. Post-punk rubbing shoulders with funk, reggae, synth weirdness, protest music, disco swagger and soul heartbreak. You can practically smell the vinyl sleeves and cigarette smoke.

If you reckon modern charts could never pull this off… you might be right, butt. But this is why we remember 1980 like a holy year of noise.

💬 Which of these is still in your regular rotation?
📀 Which one deserves a repress RIGHT NOW?
🔥 And which one would blow today’s TikTok charts clean off the stage?

Only at The Riff Report — where the past still sounds loud. 🤘