100 Best Selling Albums of the 80's

by Peter Dodd, Justin Cawthorne, Chris Barrett

Rediscover the albums that defined the 1980s. From the feel-good pop of artists like Madonna and Michael Jackson to the classic rock of groups such as Genesis and Bon Jovi, in the '80s girls just wanted to have fun and boys wanted to party like it was 1999.

Albums of the 80s is the essential guide to the 100 best-selling albums of the decade, based on sales awards from the Recording Industry Association of America and the British Phonographic Industry. From Back In Blackto the soundtrack to Footloose, all of the top-selling albums of the period are featured, together with the original sleeve artworks. Each entry is packed full of information, including a track listing, musician and production credits, and facts about the album.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[J.J. Lair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice little trip down memory lane. The best selling albums of the era, not necessarily the best, but best selling. Springsteen has three albums, Def Leppard has two, Journey, Foreigner, Guns and Roses. There was best selling but not holding up, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston. Maybe not new info, but pleasant quick read.

[Manda · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Not Complete*

#100: Ozzy Osbourne; Blizzard of Oz
#99: The Rolling Stones; Tattoo You
#98: AC/DC; For Those About To Rock We Salute You
*I remember reading this as someone's 8th grade quote; smart person.
#97: Asia; Asia
#96: Prince; 1999
#95: Original TV Soundtrack; Miami Vice
#94: Van Halen; 5150
#93: Boston; Third Stage
#92: Tiffany; Tiffany
#91: Poison; Open Up and Say...Ahh
#90: Lionel Richie; Lionel Richie
#89: Sade; Promise
#88: Lionel Richie; Dancing On The Ceiling
#87: Culture Club; Colour By Numbers
#86: Tina Turner; Private Dancer
#85: Bryan Adams; Reckless
* I own this record
#84: Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band; Against The Wind
#83: Barbra Streisand; Memories
#82: Alabama; Mountain Music
#81: John Mellencamp; American Fool
#80: John Cougar Mellencamp; Scarecrow
* I own this record
#79: AC/DC; Who Made Who
#78: Bonnie Raitt; Nick Of Time
#77: Bruce Springsteen; The River
#76: Original Soundtrack; Flashdance
#75: Heart; Heart
#74: Fleetwood Mac; Tango In The Night
#73: Aerosmith; Permanent Vacation
#72: Guns N' Roses; G N' Lies
#71: Milli Vanilli; Girl You Know It's True
#70: Tom Petty; Full Moon Fever
#69: Don Henley; The End of the Innocence
#68: Wham!; Make It Big
#67: Sade; Diamond Life
#66: Enya; Watermark
#65: Madonna; Like A Prayer
#64: Christopher Cross; Christopher Cross
#63: Neil Young; The Jazz Singer
#62: Men At Work; Business At Usual
#61: Madonna; Madonna
#60: ZZ Top; Afterburner
#59: Janet Jackson; Control
#58: Anita Baker; Rapture
#57: Tears For Fears; Songs From The Big Chair
#56: Peter Gabriel; So
#55: Original Soundtrack; The Big Chill
#54: Journey; Frontiers
#53: Quiet Riot; Metal Health
#52: Foreigner; 4
#51: Cyndi Lauper; She's so Unusual
#50: Chicago; Chicago 17
* I actually own a Chicago IX: Greatest Hits record
#49: Metallica; Master Of Puppets
#48: U2; Rattle and Hum
#47: Whitesnake; Whitesnake
#46: Janet Jackson; Rhythm Nation 1814
#45: Phil Collins; But Seriously
#44: Phil Collins; Face Value
#43: Paul Simon; Graceland
#42: INXS; Kick
*I specifically burned the song "New Sensations" for my father on a compilation CD.
#41: Billy Joel; Glass Houses
*One of my favorite Billy Joel Albums
#40: Huey Lewis & The News; Sports
* I saw Huey Lewis & The News in the Summer of 2011 (definately not as good as saying; 'I saw him in 76' or 68'). I have Sports on record and cassette tape. I also picked up a signed copy of his 2010 Soulsville.
#39: Metallica; ...And Justice For All
#38: Aerosmith; Pump
#37: Eagles; Eagles live
#36: Genesis; Invisible Touch
#35: Tracy Chapman; Tracy Chapman
#34: Paula Abdul; Forever Your Girl
#33: Bobby Brown; Don't Be Cruel
#32: Bon Jovi; New Jersey
#31: Billy Joel; An Innocent Man
#30: New Kids On The Block; Hangin' Touch
#29: The Police; Synchronicity
#28: ZZ Top; Eliminator
#27: Journey; Escape
#26: Beastie Boys; Licensed To III
#25: Garth Brooks; Garth Brooks
#24: REO Speedwagon; Hi Infidelity
#23: Def Leppard; Pyromania
#22: Original Soundtrack; Footloose
#21: Madonna; True Blue
#20: Original Soundtrack; Top Gun
#19: Van Halen; 1984
#18: Whitney Houston; Whitney
#17: Lionel Richie; Can't Slow Down
#16: Madonna; Like A Virgin
#15: George Michael; Faith
#14: U2; The Joshua Tree
#13: Michael Jackson; Bad
#12: Bon Jovi; Slippery When Wet
#11: Original Soundtrack; Dirty Dancing
#10: Def Leppard; Hysteria
#9: Dire Straits; Brothers In Arms
#8: Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band; Live/1975-85
*This has to be one of the best records I have ever bought. 5 different records all in one case, got it at these little dive downtown.
#7: Prince & The Revolution; Purple Rain
#6: Phil Collins; No Jack Required
#5: Whitney Houston; Whitney Houston
#4: Guns N' Roses; Appetite For Destruction
#3: Bruce Springsteen; Born In The U.S.A.
#2: AC/DC; Back In Black
#1: Michael Jackson; Thriller

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doing exactly what it says on the tin, this works perfectly well as an exercise in nostalgia, looking at old album covers, seeing how concepts changed over the years and being reminded of old songs you’d forgotten about. Each album is accompanied by a 200-300 word mini-essay, a full track listing (with running times) and key information - no1 singles, grammy awards, where it was recorded, band personnel and producer - which is all very useful. The collection as a whole, however, suffers from some silly spelling errors and for a book of this size, that shouldn’t really have happened. So I’m torn - it was great to see the covers and read some of the backstory, but I don’t think it was presented in the best possible way. If you liked music in the 80s (and bought the albums of the day), you’ll probably love this come what may - if you hate 80s music, it won’t work for you at all.

[Ashley N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glossy coffee-table style book featuring a two-page spread for each album. Stylistically, the formatting was clear and informative. The reverse countdown presented pertinent facts for each album (release date, #1 singles, participants, producers), along with further commentary and interesting tidbits. As a child of the 80's, this book was a treasure trove to me, and I dare say I owned a good amount of the albums featured in some form or fashion.

I would have rated this book 5 stars if not for the numerous typos and a few content errors I found. Appears some further editing was needed.

[Taylor Orns · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book features all the stats of the top 100 albums of the 80’s. I enjoyed reading the album stats on each page. I wasn’t born in the 80’a but I do enjoy 80’s music. Being a music buff myself, I was very interested in the information and facts behind each album. That was good. HOWEVER, if you need a book to help you release a healthy dose of anger via ranting, my friend, this is the book for you. I STRONGLY disagree with some of the spots on this list. I know it’s based on copies sold, but COME ON. Billy Joel’s An Innocent Men should have been at the VERY LEAST top 15!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for these types of books. This one is filled with a lot of good info without getting too deep in the weeds. The layout is great, and the book is beautiful with the full page pictures of the all of the album covers. Looking forward to read the ‘90’s book also

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun trip down memory lane of many of the cassette tapes I owned. Nostalgia!

[Jim Goeller]

Fantastic. Just what I need to spark great memories.

[William Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read trying to find out how of the albums I had

[Melissa Kutcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun look at the top albums from the 1980's.

[Maya Brindle · Rating 5 out of 5]

not a fan of prince.

[Michael Cawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. I was surprised that Let’s Dance by David Bowie was missing.