List of UK Independent Albums Chart number ones of the 1980s

These are the UK Official Indie Chart number-one albums of the 1980s, as compiled by MRIB.[1]

Artist Album Record label Date first reached number one Total number of weeks[2]
1980
Adam and the Ants Dirk Wears White Sox Do It 19 January 1980 13*
Crass Stations of the Crass Crass 26 January 1980 5*
Joy Division Unknown Pleasures Factory 9 February 1980 1
Toyah Sheep Farming in Barnet Safari 23 February 1980 3
The Cramps Songs the Lord Taught Us Illegal 29 March 1980 1
The Pop Group For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder? Y 5 April 1980 3
The Slits Bootleg Retrospective Y 26 April 1980 3
The Fall Totale's Turns Rough Trade 17 May 1980 5
Toyah The Blue Meaning Safari 21 June 1980 2
Black Sabbath Live at Last NEMS 5 July 1980 3
Joy Division Closer Factory 26 July 1980 8
UB40 Signing Off Graduate 20 September 1980 11*
Bauhaus In the Flat Field 4AD 22 November 1980 2
The Fall Grotesque (After the Gramme) Rough Trade 6 December 1980 3
1981
Theatre of Hate He Who Dares Wins Burning Rome Records 4 April 1981 5
A Certain Ratio To Each... Factory 9 May 1981 1
The Exploited Punks Not Dead Secret 16 May 1981 2
Au Pairs Playing with a Different Sex Human 30 May 1981 2
UB40 Present Arms DEP International 13 June 1981 11*
Crass Penis Envy Crass 11 July 1981 5
Anti-Pasti The Last Call Rondelet 22 August 1981 2
Cabaret Voltaire Red Mecca Rough Trade 26 September 1981 1
Joy Division Still Factory 24 October 1981 1
Depeche Mode Speak & Spell Mute 21 November 1981 7*
New Order Movement Factory 5 December 1981 4*
1982
A Certain Ratio Sextet Factory 30 January 1982 4*
23 Skidoo Seven Songs Fetish 6 March 1982 1
Pigbag Dr Heckle and Mr Jive Y 13 March 1982 10*
The 4-Skins The Good, The Bad & The 4-Skins Secret 15 May 1982 1
Anti-Nowhere League We Are...The League WXYZ 29 May 1982 5*
The Exploited Troops of Tomorrow Secret 26 June 1982 3
Cabaret Voltaire 2x45 Rough Trade 24 July 1982 1
The Birthday Party Junkyard 4AD 31 July 1982 4
Crass Christ - The Album Crass 28 August 1982 1
Yazoo Upstairs at Eric's Mute 4 September 1982 12*
UB40 UB44 DEP International 16 October 1982 3*
Depeche Mode A Broken Frame Mute 30 October 1982 2
Toyah Warrior Rock: Toyah on Tour Safari 20 November 1982 2
1983
Various artists Pillows & Prayers Cherry Red 15 January 1983 5
Flux of Pink Indians Strive to Survive Causing Least Suffering Possible Spiderleg 19 February 1983 2
The Meteors Wreckin' Crew ID Records 5 March 1983 3
Sex Gang Children Song and Legend Illuminated 26 March 1983 2
Conflict It's Time to See Who's Who Corpus Christi 9 April 1983 3
Aztec Camera High Land, Hard Rain Rough Trade 30 April 1983 2
New Order Power, Corruption & Lies Factory 14 May 1983 7*
Crass Yes Sir, I Will Crass 18 June 1983 3
The Cramps ...Off the Bone Illegal 9 July 1983 2
Yazoo You and Me Both Mute 23 July 1983 8*
Depeche Mode Construction Time Again Mute 3 September 1983 5*
Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins 4AD 5 November 1983 4
The Cramps Smell of Female Big Beat 3 December 1983 3
The Fall Perverted by Language Rough Trade 24 December 1983 4
1984
Billy Bragg Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy Go! Discs 21 January 1984 6
The Smiths The Smiths Rough Trade 3 March 1984 12
New Model Army Vengeance Abstract 26 May 1984 1
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds From Her to Eternity Mute 2 June 1984 6
Xmal Deutschland Tocsin 4AD 14 July 1984 3
Various artists Rockabilly Psychosis and the Garage Disease Big Beat 4 August 1984 1
23 Skidoo Urban Gamelan Illuminated 11 August 1984 1
Theatre of Hate Revolution Burning Rome Records 18 August 1984 6
Skeletal Family Burning Oil Red Rhino 29 September 1984 2
Depeche Mode Some Great Reward Mute 13 October 1984 2
This Mortal Coil It'll End in Tears 4AD 27 October 1984 4
The Smiths Hatful of Hollow Rough Trade 24 November 1984 13
1985
The Smiths Meat is Murder Rough Trade 23 February 1985 12
The Long Ryders Native Sons Frontier 18 May 1985 2
New Order Low-Life Factory 1 June 1985 8
The Men They Couldn't Hang Night of a Thousand Candles Demon 27 July 1985 4
Colourbox Colourbox 4AD 24 August 1985 4
Guana Batz Held Down to Vinyl .... At Last! ID Records 21 September 1985 2
The June Brides There Are Eight Million Stories... Pink 5 October 1985 4
Hüsker Dü Flip Your Wig SST 2 November 1985 1
Depeche Mode The Singles 81→85 Mute 9 November 1985 3*
Microdisney The Clock Comes Down The Stairs Rough Trade 23 November 1985 1
Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel Nail Self Immolation/Some Bizzare 7 December 1985 2
Dead Kennedys Frankenchrist Alternative Tentacles 21 December 1985 5
1986
Half Man Half Biscuit Back in the DHSS Probe Plus 25 January 1986 6*
The Cramps A Date with Elvis Big Beat 1 March 1986 4*
Red Lorry Yellow Lorry Paint Your Wagon Red Rhino 22 March 1986 1
Depeche Mode Black Celebration Mute 5 April 1986 2
Cocteau Twins Victorialand 4AD 26 April 1986 4
That Petrol Emotion Manic Pop Thrill Demon 24 May 1985 5
The Smiths The Queen Is Dead Rough Trade 21 June 1986 8*
Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction High Priest of Love Food 16 August 1986 1
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Kicking Against the Pricks Mute 30 August 1986 4
Elvis Costello and the Attractions Blood & Chocolate Demon 27 September 1986 2
New Order Brotherhood Factory 11 October 1986 6
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Your Funeral... My Trial Mute 22 November 1986 2
Harold Budd, Elizabeth Fraser, Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde The Moon and the Melodies 4AD 6 December 1986 2
Dead Kennedys Bedtime for Democracy Alternative Tentacles 20 December 1986 7
1987
Wiseblood Dirtdish K 422 7 February 1987 3
The Smiths The World Won't Listen Rough Trade 28 February 1987 5
The Railway Children Reunion Wilderness Factory 4 April 1987 1
Erasure The Circus Mute 11 April 1987 16*
The Woodentops Live Hypnobeat Live Rough Trade 9 May 1987 1
Wire The Ideal Copy Mute 16 May 1987 2
Fields of the Nephilim Dawnrazor Situation Two 30 May 1987 2
Sonic Youth Sister Blast First 13 June 1987 3
Dead Kennedys Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death Alternative Tentacles 4 July 1987 5
Conflict Turning Rebellion into Money Mortarhate 8 August 1987 2
New Order Substance 1987 Factory 22 August 1987 5
Big Black Songs About Fucking Touch and Go 26 September 1987 1
The Smiths Strangeways, Here We Come Rough Trade 3 October 1987 5*
The Wedding Present George Best Reception 24 October 1987 5*
The Fall Palace of Swords Reversed Rough Trade 5 December 1987 2
The Stupids Jesus Meets The Stupids Vinyl Solution 19 December 1987 2
1988
The Woodentops Wooden Foot Cops on the Highway Rough Trade 5 March 1988 4
Erasure The Innocents Mute 30 April 1988 5*
The Sugarcubes Life's Too Good One Little Indian 21 May 1988 2
The House of Love The House of Love Creation 4 June 1988 4
The Weather Prophets Judges, Juries and Horsemen Creation 25 June 1988 1
A. R. Kane 69 Rough Trade 9 July 1988 1
Joy Division Substance Factory 23 July 1988 3
The Wedding Present Tommy Reception 13 August 1988 1
Various artists Doing It for the Kids Creation 20 August 1988 4
The Smiths Rank Rough Trade 17 September 1988 2
Cocteau Twins Blue Bell Knoll 4AD 1 October 1988 3
Dinosaur Jr. Bug Blast First 22 October 1988 1
Sonic Youth Daydream Nation Enigma 29 October 1988 3
Napalm Death From Enslavement to Obliteration Earache 19 November 1988 2
My Bloody Valentine Isn't Anything Creation 3 December 1988 3
Kylie Minogue Kylie PWL 24 December 1988 4
1989
Loop Fade Out Head 4 February 1989 1
New Order Technique Factory 11 February 1989 5
Spacemen 3 Playing with Fire Fire 18 March 1989 2
De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising Tommy Boy 1 April 1989 2
Pixies Doolittle 4AD 29 April 1989 3
Jason Donovan Ten Good Reasons PWL 20 May 1989 4*
The Stone Roses The Stone Roses Silvertone 3 June 1989 19*
Mega City Four Tranzophobia Decoy 24 June 1989 1
Fugazi Margin Walker Dischord 29 July 1989 2
The Primitives Lazy 86–88 Lazy 9 September 1989 1
Primal Scream Primal Scream Creation 30 September 1989 2
The Sugarcubes Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week! One Little Indian 14 October 1989 2
Erasure Wild! Mute 28 October 1989 3
Mudhoney Mudhoney Sub Pop 18 November 1989 2

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Indie Hits". Archived from the original on 16 October 2007 – via Cherry Red Records.
  2. ^ * indicates total weeks of non-consecutive runs at number one