Out of the Blue

On the first listen I wondered how a 16-year-old could know so much about love, but then realised that’s probably the dreamiest time for some teenagers. By the time “Between the Lines” came on, I was starting to get into it. The second listen landed better. Teen pop isn’t really for me, but I can certainly appreciate this album. Standouts: Staying Together, Foolish Beat, Red Hot, Between the Lines.

This was just boring to me because it all sounded the same. I like felt there was no background music or music at all and the vocals were just the same.

Funny. Recalling the "Debbie Gibson or Tiffany?" question - where a few years before this it was "Cyndi Lauper or Madonna" (I was entirely more on the "David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar" guitar side of the road). Of course at the time us little judgmental punks thought all this pop was "trash" but I recall some begrudging respect given to Debbie for her having (supposedly?) written all the songs herself. Funny to think that even in 1987 we were arguing the merits of authenticity. ok blahblahblah already - I listened and yeah this was a perfect aural encapsulation of a major part of the mid/late 80s. Full cheese. Those "drum" and keyboard sounds are comically horrible but not unique to her at all. Also is this that much different than the next decade's Christina etc etc. Yeah I don't like it but it was a big thing and I can see some justification that it should have been in the book. 4/10 2 stars IMO: Belonged in the book? Yes.

Pleasant enough i guess

Best Song: Only in My Dreams. I could imagine this being used in a Disney (or knockoff) film to cover a montage. Worst Song: Between the Lines. What a wretched ballad. Overall: So intensely bubblegum that I can't understand how it was added to this list. This album feels like it probably had a shelf life of exactly one month from when it came out, after which it became unlistenably stale.

Right out of the gate with the late easy cheese synths and drum machines. Only In My Dreams is a total bop. That's about it though.

Favorite Track: Only in My Dreams

absolute bilge

I'm not sure how much Gibson added to this. For that time frame, everything was auto tuned, so I don't know how much was her and how much could have been any female voice.

This is impossible to rate. On one hand, she was my first boyhood crush and was fairly culturally significant for a rather famous period of American history. On the other... This is trash music. Devoid of any value really.

Denim, glitter and aged dancemoves, right?

1.8 One of the most uninspiring albums I've heard on here in a while. Just generic 80s guff, I was searching hard for anything below the surface but I ain't hearing it. Not surprised I've never heard of this before.

In short, this album is a teeny bopper rip off of Madonna's early work, which is to say it's synthpop/dance-pop with some freestyle elements. I'm not a fan of Madonna, so unfortunately the diet version does nothing for me. The song Only In My Dreams shows some talent, but really that's the only salvagable part of this. There are a couple of interesting things. As said before there's some elements of 80s freestyle, which wasn't really represented on the actual list. The most interesting thing by far is that Gibson wrote every song on the album, which is very rare for young radio friendly pop artists like her (even Madonna didn't write all the songs on her debut), and she was just 16 when it was released! Should it be on the list: No Top 3 songs: Out of the Blue, Only In My Dreams, Shake Your Love

Some of the tracks are ok at times, but overall it was very cheesy

I am pretty sure I said oh no as this popped up. Turns out it was the record I needed at that moment. Perfectly pleasant pop. Everything about it brought me back to sitting in the back seat of my parents station wagon with the faux wood panels on the side. But of nostalgia I didn’t know I had.

Why is this on here, this is awful lmao. 80s teen slop.

Every album is the favorite album of someone, right? I'll give this one an extra star, since it's indeed quite impressive, given she was only 16 when it was released.

Buena voz femenina para un disco pop ochentero a tope. Bases parecidas, ritmos bailongos y sin mucho más que destacar. Normalito para ser de la época.

So sunny and wholesome my teeth hurt. User 180, favorite album Live Through This, you are an enigma.

The future only belongs in the hands of itself And the future is… e-lec-tric youth

Madonna-lite.

madonna-lite. very, very lite

It's completely harmless background music, but every time I focused up on it I just got more bored and annoyed. It's inoffensive, but I can hear this or stuff that sounds like it at every major retailer across the United States, why would I listen to a front-to-back album of it?

Honestly this is just some pop I see no point of being on here nothing is bad about it but thats the truth 3/5

C'mon guys... What're we doing here? I'm not saying this is bad by any means -- in fact there were a few songs that were straight boppers (Only in My Dreams, Red Hot) -- but this does sort of feel like replacement level glimmery, no worries 80s pop. Like much of this genre it feels wholly disposable. That said, it is kind of hard to hate on something so bright and fun. Also low key really enjoy Between the Lines -- something in the key progression reminds me of the synths on "Intro" by Mong Tong from their album Mystery (worth checking out for some synth heavy psych). Man I'm struggling. This feels like a high 3 to low 4. Going high 3 because I don't expect to be back, but I didn't hate the journey.

About as good as 80's pop gets. Nice use of the synths and bass with a bubbly voice to create some catchy tunes. Can't really hate it, but I don't think this one will be remembered by the time the credits roll.

Had a few parts that were fun, but was overall just some absolute 80s dance-pop shite. I just want to listen to more Snarky Puppy.

Some classic 80's pop songs going on hard here. I really do enjoy Only In My Dreams though. Also the only song I think I knew on here. The rest kinda flew by. I feel like I've heard worse 80's pop but nothing really stood out to me except that one song. High 2.

Really

Overall this album was fine. I recognized a few of the songs as they were clearly very popular, but besides that I never connected with anything. I was hoping for a moment where I understood what was going on or connected to a song, but that never happened for me. Seemed like very basic 80's pop. I know Debbie was a big pop icon at the time, but I'm not sure if that really translated to present time. I didn't hate it, but I don't know if this really needs to be on the list.

Dance-pop, teen pop. Pufff. Un 2.

Por los primeros acordes, se sabe que es un álbum de los 80. Muy simple para mi gusto.

not my kind of jam please and thank you

en varmaan muuten tämmöstä purkkapoppia arvostelisi näin korkealla, mutta onhan siinä upeat kasarisaundit. 3/5

Music is meh. I'm more blown away by the fact I've never heard of this woman and how commercially successful she was in her time. 4/10

This is classic late-80s teen-pop: catchy and polished. Some songs stick, but a lot are forgettable. Foolish Beat was her only big hit here, and honestly, it’s one of the more forgettable tracks. In Europe, Stock, Aitken & Waterman artists like Kylie Minogue dominated this segment of the market. And of course Madonna, but Madonna was a rebel and Debbie is anything but. She didn't stand a chance.

I enjoyed this. It was fun. Sorta Bangles. Sorta Go-Go’s. She allegedly wrote, produced, and executed this album at the sixteen. Very impressive. It sometimes feels like an album written by a sixteen year old, but never too much. Just the right amount of youthful fun and easy energy exuding from this. I’m a phan. 4/5

I narrowly missed out on Debbie Gibson. I heard the radio hits, but as an elementary school boy in the late 80’s I was oblivious to her popularity, talent, and unique place in pop music history. (I probably didn’t pay very much attention to what my female classmates were listening to.) My parents were listening to pop radio, but mostly in the Madonna and Paula Abdul range. Later on, I wasn’t a fan but knew more about the rise of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and later Taylor Swift, Lorde, and Billie Eilish. But I needed to understand Gibson better, especially after reading a little bit about her early career. So I had an extensive and weird conversation with ChatGPT about her. Weird because of how stunningly informative, quick, and in-depth it was. The amount of information rapidly synthesized was crazy. And now I’m stunned by how special Gibson’s career was. Writing everything herself, and helping produce it, at age 17. Fitting in a unique niche sound and style wise at a time when that was exactly what pop music needed. Not really evolving beyond that style due to personal desire, timing, and other factors. It’s a pretty cool bit of music history with an incredibly talented teenager. She’s a pretty egregious omission from the 1001. Not really my jam, but so much respect for her.

This is the most 80's album I've ever heard. But nothing in there made me think anyone would ever need to listen to it.

Is this some kind of in-joke? I don't get it and it's not funny

I mean ... Once I complete listening to the 1089 out of the 1001 albums to listen before you die, I too was angry and twisted, tempted to inflict pain on other listeners just out of a sense of anger. Unlike the wanker who nominated this piece of pop, unfit for a pub quiz trivia question I learned that the anger was because a deep seated insecurity that I can no longer blame on others and instead I must learn to accept and nurture myself instead of never quite getting the sense of justice I aspired for by tearing aural holes in the minds of others. Remove this from your Guantanamo playlist and place a daisy in the barrel of a rifle.

Egendomligt val av skiva. Det var inte bra då, det är inte bra nu. Lite oförarglig musik förvisso.

Not for me

It’s fine for 80s pop.

Ah, Debbie Gibson. Gen X heartthrob for many young men (and women) that grew up during that time (Personally, I preferred Tiffany, but that's because I've got a thing for redheads). If you ever watched "How I Met Your Mother" Gibson was one of the main influences for "Robin Sparkles" and listening to this album, you can almost smell the comingled scents of hairspray, deep fryers, and denim.

Favorite songs: Fallen Angel, Shake Your Love, Foolish Beat, Only in My Dreams, Red Hot, Out of the Blue Least favorite songs: Between the Lines 4/5

August 12, 2025 I've been working through my own list of albums (with blackjack and hookers), and recently I have put on ones by Bryan Adams, Men Without Hats and Madonna. Hence I am pretty primed towards 80s pop at the moment. Oh I must have heard "Only in My Dreams" before- great chorus Great start, and if I bought this as a teen in the 80s it would have been worth it for the first couple tracks alone (that is, if I wasn’t beaten up for owning a Debbie Gibson record). Wasn’t impressed as much by the second half, but it wouldn’t be the first pop album to be ‘top heavy’. 3.5 HL: title track, "Only in My Dreams", “Wake Up to Love”

Wow this felt violently 80s! Full on! I didn't love it but it was fun nostalgia and easy to visualise the perms and outfits bopping to this on TOTP

Oh my Madonna this is 80s as hell. I can't even imagine hearing this and it not sounding old and cheesy to the nth degree. It's fine stuff but it does sound like Madonna but with that special spark taken out. All the songs very much have the same structure and blend into one but it's not bad, it's just cookie cutter pop from the 80s.

I for one, will not be drawing a face on my knee. Odd choice.

Cheesy 80s girly pop, very Madonna. Enjoyable enough. "Foolish Beat" is well done, "Fallen Angel" reminds me of a Van Damme movie. Good guitar solo on the title track, a good dose of sax throughout and overall good feel.

Like others, I thought this was another troll suggestion. Listening to it, it is anodyne tosh. But it does capture that segment of the late 1980s in a way nothing much else on the list seems to. Genuinely quite entertained to realise I remembered some of it.

Corny '80s synthpop. Foolish Beat was the number 1 hit single, but if you asked me to guess which song on the album was the big hit then I wouldn't have been able to tell you. They all sound so equally generic that I don't think I would ever come back to this album or it's songs. The polished production, the nothing hooks, the midtempo ballads and love songs, they're all conducive to a very safe pop album. CONTENDER FOR THE LIST: Please no.

Out of the Blue is just basic wholesome 80s pop, which is alright because it stays away from really bad 80s tropes and just seems to have fun. Probably doesn't deserve a 3 because it's really shallow and unambitious but it's an inoffensive 2/5 listen. Someone just had a teenage crush on her and added this to the list for nostalgae.

Well I wasn’t expecting that. I guess all generations have their Taylor Swifts.

This album is a fun blast from the past, but I don't really understand the significance overall. It sounds like a lot of other teeny pop from this era. Some fun songs, some hits, but ultimately a forgettable pop album from a pretty forgettable pop era 3/5

A trip down memory lane or a p*ss take? I remember her name (pretty American teen) but none of the songs. She's a Madonna wannabe who can't hold her notes. I normally like the 80s but this is awful.

Just the most boring, twinkly over-produced type of late 80s pop music. Complete snoozefest.

I submitted a pop album for the user list as I complained there wasn't enough pop music. Acts that were massive and had impact on music got nothing but some obscure band that no one listens to, barely has any spotify streams did. This is the kinda stuff I want to see more of. Is it the best pop album? No. But is interesting? Yeah to me it is. My personal rating: 3/5 My rating relative to the list: 4/5 Should this have been included on the original list? Slight yes.

Someone thought that it is a good idea to recommend this album. They have a "good" taste in music if they had one album to propose and this is the one they chose.

Not sure why it was on the list but it was fun in a bubble-gum way.

Not for me.

Really not my thing, but a nice slice of 80s pop.

Fun, inoffensive 80s pop with some catchy choruses but nothing much else going on

This must have been an album played a bunch when someone was growing up because I'm not sure why else it would be here. Nothing bad, just a basic late 80's pop album. It doesn't move the needle any which way but it has that 80's charm.

Decent pop album, nothing really special to me though. 2.5/5

Unexpected pop banger from the 80s!

And here I was thinking that those records by Nik Kershaw, Avicii, Jimmy Eat World and Arctic Monkeys were poor choices for this second list... I stand corrected. Far worse choices are actually waiting for us all, lurking just around the corner. "Out of the blue" indeed. If only this was an attempt to troll the other users, this could be funny at least. Alas, I'm not so sure this is what really happened here... Besides, a Rick Astley album would have pulled off that trick in a far funnier fashion anyway. Most of us here have probably been "rickrolled" online once or twice in their lives. That's part of the man's legend now. 😉 As another reviewer aptly pointed out, you only need to look at this laugh-out-loud ridiculous album "artwork" -- doing everything one *shouldn't* do in that realm -- to predict how cheesy and appalling the music's gonna be. The font used for the artist's name and album title is especially on point. Bad taste is not a criminal offence, fortunately. But you sometimes wish it is. I could have stopped there and not listened to the music. Honesty and curiosity made me listen, though. That's a half-hour from my life that is not coming back. Yeah, I know, that's only 30 minutes out of the 40 this album lasts. To be honest, I *did* skip to the next song before one was over once in a while. I have a couple of kinks, but self-harm is not one of them. 0/5 for the purposes of this list of albums you must listen to before you die. 3/10 for any purposes whatsoever related to the appreciation of good or at least *decent* music. In more details: 3 points because Debbie wrote *all the songs* in the album at the tender age of 16, which is indeed worthy of praise, I'm not gonna deny that. Then 5 points for stuff such as musical competency, large popular impact in the US (not elsewhere, crucially), "professional" production values, etc... To which I retracted half a point for *each* track. Because each and every one of those ten songs is an insult to the very concept of artistry itself. Pop music can be good music. But not when it's only mind-numbing, blatantly childish dross like that. So where's the "0" button here? Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 4 Albums from the users list I *might* include in mine later on: 7 Albums from the users list I won't include in mine: 11 (including this one)

Over produced and under written, although she was a child at the time. That 80s gated drum sound means it sounds really dated. Fine as far as pop goes, and it is an oddly underrepresented genre in the book, but this is not the best example of (good) dance-pop

Having grown up during this album’s release, I don’t particularly remember this artist. It is pretty decent 80’s pop music. Nothing to complain about here really. Solid at what it does.

Another remarkable user album choice. Let me take it seriously. :-) - Makes sense because objectively speaking, if teen pop must be part of the 1001 list, then this album should have been picked instead of that Britney Spears album. And it is well timed given her memoir that just got out. - Does not make sense, as it is one of those many 80s pop albums: a couple of high-quality singles + filler. I own a copy of the Foolish Beat 12-inch but at the time never cared too much about the rest of the album. my vote in 1988: 2/5 my vote in 2025: 2/5 (for nostalgia reasons)

Kudos to Debbie Gibson for being a singer/Songwriter/performer/arranger, which is a massive achievement for anyone but even more massive for a woman in the period. But sadly this doesn’t make the music good.

The most 80s mall pop to ever do it. I give credit that she wrote her songs though. A fun, short, dated bop that I'll never listen to again.

why would you add this to the list?

Family Guy cutaway music. Props to the guy who submitted this though.

Pop is valid. I enjoyed this nostalgic visit to the 80s and the likes of some music I haven't heard in a long time. I love that Debbie Gibson wrote all the songs. A great change of pace!

I appreciate this more now than when it was fresh. Respect!

Some brave soul put this out there… I expected the reaction to be more negative. In college my roommate Don was the world’s biggest Debbie Gibson fan, and I didn’t take to that very well. I’ve become less judgy in my old age, and now better appreciate a young artist who does her own thing - even refusing to cover her focus-pulling knee and starting a face-knee trend. A bit on the sweet side, but hey… there’s room here for sweet.

One thing I've learned from this list is that not all albums, and in fact few, may qualify as the one album you would have if you were stranded on a deserted island. But in the sense that this is upbeat.. and it's not five Bjork albums. The pop melodies are catchy and it provides a good representation of 80s pop.

Not opposed to this. Definitely give her some credit for the time putting together her own music when we have otherwise seen so much (especially recently) of hitmakers writing for a pretty face/voice. There's a few catchy tracks, and the rest is pretty inoffensive other than the general weird feeling I get of listening to 10 tracks about a young girl's perspective on relationships & love.

I wasn’t aware of Debbie Gibson before today, so not sure why this is any better than the 80’s pop albums already on the list. My UK bias would have Kylie on ahead of this, but 80’s pop isn’t really my thing.

My little 8 year old self loved this album so much! I'll admit I still seek it out from time to time! Aside from the nostalgia, it's super 80s & impressive she was so young when writing it. Good album pick, it belongs here!

An interesting choice. It's from the start of completely artificial pop, and the scene hadn't become completely formulaic at this point, which means this album makes some odd, but delicious choices.

Someone is really living out their best 80s bubblegum pop dreams by recommending this album

This is the most 80s album I’ve heard in a long time. Mainline, unadulterated Olivia newton-john type 80s pop. Shake your love was my fav.

If the 80s was one album, it would be this album. This should have made it to the list.

The fact that Debbie (co)wrote most of these songs while only sixteen does not excuse her for putting the annoying Shake Your Love on repeat in my head for weeks.

This is such an out of pocket selection, I really did not expect it. Debbie Gibson, that you? Did you do the 1001 albums challenge? Good for you girl! I see you're keeping the hustle going, making sure we all experience your brand of syrupy 80's pop. I like the 80's, so this is fine. But, Madonna Cyndi and Whitney all did it better... so. There's no reason to try and revise history.

Dance-pop, teen pop. Pufff. Un 2.

Great album but is it so 80's. It's bubblegum pop at its finest really, you listen to this and then fast forward 10 years to Brittany spears and see that things didn't change a lot really.

Hadn't heard of her previously, and thought this was a joke entry, however as soon as this started I could picture the hairstyles and dancing which this took place to. This had personality which crucially more modern pop just does not have. Had a smile on my face all the way through and isn't that what this is all about?

Well made 80s pop. Nice voice. Rating: 3 Playlist track: Foolish Beat Date listened: 04/10/24

The first user recommended album that came to me. Where have I gone wrong in my life?!? But actually I kind of liked it. Probably biased because 15 year old me had a crush on her when the album came out!

Perfectly pleasant, hooky bubblegum that doesn't really do much for me. I was about a year younger than Gibson when this album came out and I didn't care for it then either. I will say this for her: She has a nice singing voice and her best songs show a real talent for songcraft. I don't hate it, but now I need to go listen to something else. Fave Song: Only in My Dreams

I'm actually a little impressed that Debbie Gibson wrote and co-produced a good part of this but it's definitely not my thing and it wasn't in 1987 either.

Nah

Cute. Not for a best album list, but cute

Decent enough pop music, especially given the fact that Debbie Gibson wrote and produced this album at 16. The lyrics seems a bit too all knowing for a 16 year old, but jokes aside, this is quite an achievement. I’m not sure it belongs on this list though I do hear the seeds of later 90s and early 2000s pop here.

Ok I've never heard this (or even heard OF it) before, but here's a quick couple of predictions based solely on the album cover: 1. pop music (duh) 2. frustratingly wholesome (call me nostradamus) 3. horribly dated (you don't say) Really branching out with these predictions. I mean, in Australia we had Kylie Minogue and this isn't far off the same sound, vibe, era etc. It might have been fun if I'd grown up with it? I was never huge on the teen girl pop thing, even back when I was that age. But listening to this for the first time, as a 40-year-old man in 2024, just makes me uncomfortable. Like I'm a grown man hanging around outside a primary school and the staff are about to call the cops. One of the tracks has 32mil plays on Spotify, so I was hoping I'd recognise it, but nup. I wonder if Debbie ever looked back and thought "actually, that wasn't the biggest heartbreak of my life after all", lol. After this album I listened to a few of her other, later (adult) songs as well, just so I didn't feel like such a creep, but the music didn't improve. Her most famous song has 128mil plays and it was completely unfamiliar. Gotta pay some respect to her for never having "teen star goes wild" phase, though. Looks like she went from a wholesome teen to a wholesome broadway revue singer. But Out of the Blue gets a 2/5.

Good that Debbie writes the pop songs and ballads herself. Nowhere near as good as Madonna’s late 80s pop albums. Quite forgettable albeit with catchy choruses and completely inoffensive without any edginess. Scrapes three stars because it’s so wholesome!!!