Thriller - by Michael Jackson (1982)
Starting off with the big one, the Number One Selling Album of All Time. Everywhere. That's right, throughout the whole world, this is the best-selling album ever. Yes, Thriller even beat out the likes of Elvis Presley and The Beatles. But even if Michael Jackson wasn't a favorite of yours, if you were around back in the early 1980s, you have to admit this album was everywhere. On the radio. On TV (especially MTV). In magazines. Just all over the place. There was, obviously, some great songs here. Who could forget "Thriller" and "Billie Jean?"
Asia - Asia (1982)
Asia isn't the best-known band out there, though they had a string of hits in this album with "Only Time Will Tell," "Heat of the Moment" and "Only Time Will Tell." What I find so influential about the band Asia is they were the first of several similar bands (such as The Outfield) that weren't quite hard rock, but were a little more than true soft rock. This seemed to be a trend throughout the '80s. And in my opinion, it was a decent album ... not a favorite, but worth listening to.
The Lexicon of Love - ABC (1982)
British. New Wave. Pop. Sure, there were bigger bands than ABC (like Flock of Seagulls and Duran Duran), but this album was one of the first that really helped kick off what's come to be known as the Second British Invasion, which was basically a bunch of English pop musicians. It's arguable what's true New Wave and which bands should be included in the Second British Invasion, but for the MTV generation I'd kick things off with The Lexicon of Love and ABC. Those other bands (even including The Police) were big on the radio, but they had yet to master the music video, though they soon would. This album included the popular "Poison Arrow" and "The Look of Love (Part One)."
The Number of The Beast - Iron Maiden (1982)
This wasn't Iron Maiden's first album, but it was the band's first really big album with such songs as "Run to the Hills" and "The Number of the Beast." Maybe you don't think heavy metal music is mainstream enough, but it doesn't matter. This band and this album might be the most influential heavy metal album of all time (sorry, Black Sabbath). The rest of the '80s was filled with metal and hard rock bands, some mainstream and some underground, who learned their stuff from The Number of the Beast.
Synchronicity - The Police (1983)
The band's last studio album together, and that's a shame in my opinion. This album produced the iconic, simple song "Every Breath You Take" and also included great songs like "Synchronicity II" and "King of Pain." The '80s, especially the early and mid-80s just wouldn't have been the same without The Police and Synchronicity.
Eliminator - ZZTop (1983)
Come on. Who could forget chart toppers like "Legs" and "Sharp Dressed Man?" ZZTop was a '70s holdover band that really made it big, and into the mainstream, with this top album. And the videos? They were some of the best of early MTV.
She’s So Unusual - Cyndi Lauper (1983)
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun." "Time After Time." "She Bop." All of these and more were big hits off this recording. Earning 5 Grammy nominations, She's So Unusual shot Lauper to the top of the charts and ensconced her as an '80s pop icon. She also had some pretty funny videos.
Sports - Huey Lewis and the News (1983)
1982's Picture This was a pretty big album for Huey Lewis and the News, but it was Sports that shot this band to music royalty. Okay, at least music royalty for the mid-1980s. But who could argue with great songs like "I Want A New Drug," "Walking on a Thin Line" and "The Heart of Rock & Roll?" The band's next album, Fore, was nearly as good as Sports and had its own share of hits.
Purple Rain - Prince (1984)
Prince had had several hit songs before Purple Rain was released, but even today I'd guess most people would think this is his best album (though I'm not sure how Prince would feel about that). Purple Rain had a perfect mix of pop, ballads and even some hard-rock guitar solos. Heck, there's even just a touch of a gospel feel in a couple of songs. This album really had everything. Just a few of the amazing songs here were "Purple Rain," "Let's Go Crazy" and "When Doves Cry." But overall, just an awesome album.
1984 - Van Halen (1984)
It's no easy task to pick a Van Halen album for this list. For one thing, there are so many great albums to pick from. For another, fans of the band always seem to be split between David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar, the two best-known lead singers of the band. 1984 was the last album to feature Roth at the lead, but the reason I decided to include it instead of any of the other albums is because Van Halen's only No. 1 hit, "Jump," can be found on this record. Hope that satisfies some folks as to my reasoning. Other great songs here include "Panama" and "Hot for Teacher."
Like a Virgin - Madonna (1984)
Love her or hate her, any child of the '80s would have to admit Madonna had a huge influence on the music of the generation, especially with this album. Such hits as "Material Girl," "Like a Virgin" and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" can be found here. This was Madonna's second album, and while her first album did very well, I've always felt Like a Virgin was the first album to sort of cement her into music history.
The Smiths - The Smiths (1984)
This is probably the least-known band and least-known group on this least, but they still deserve to be here. The Smiths, with lead vocalist Morrisey, were a gigantic influence on the indie, alternative and underground music scenes of this period, and even later. Heck, it's possible that if there had never been The Smiths, grunge might not have even taken off if the early '90s (maybe). This was the band's first album, and it did much better on the UK charts than it did in the United States. A few songs from here are "Suffer Little Children," "The Charming Man" and "Hand in Glove."
Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen (1984)
If you are an American living or born any time after 1984, you just about have to know this album. The title song, "Born in the U.S.A.," has been played over and over and over on radios and TV for years. But that doesn't mean it's not a good song. In fact, it's a pretty good song, though it suffers from overplay. Other great songs on this album from The Boss include "Glory Days" and "My Hometown."
Heartbeat City - The Cars (1984)
The Cars was one of those bands that had been around a little while, since the late '70s, but really took advantage of the video revolution and increased their potential and their profits. Heartbeat City was the result, a pretty good album that had some big hits with songs like "Drive," "Magic" and "You Might Think." Unfortunately, The Cars wasn't a band that had longevity, but they still put out some goods albums in the '80s.
No Jacket Required - Phil Collins (1985)
Phil Collins was not an unknown when this album came out. He was the lead singer of Genesis at the time, and had had two solo albums before. But No Jacket Required shot Collins (and subsequently Genesis) into the big, big, big time. Songs included "One More Night," "Sussudio" and "Take Me Home."
Scarecrow - John Cougar Mellencamp (1985)
In my opinion, John Cougar Mellencamp's last really big album and his best. Not only was this a solid album with songs like "Scarecrow" and "Small Town," but it also helped to the show the plight of the American farmer at that time.
Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston (1986)
I'm not the biggest Whitney Houston fan, but even I'm familiar with this album's hits, like "You Give Good Love," "Saving All My Love for You" and "Greatest Love of All." There's no doubt, Whitney Houston has had a large influence on R&B and pop music ever since.
Raising Hell - Run-D.M.C. (1986)
This one album did so many things. It boosted rap music into acceptance by mainstream audiences, it brought back the career '70s music icons Aerosmith, and it had some darn fine tunes. As well as fun and funny videos. "It's Tricky" and "Walk This Way" were the biggest hits from Raising Hell, but there were plenty of other catchy songs, like "My Adidas."
Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi (1986)
Bon Jovi's album after this one, New Jersey, has actually been a bigger seller over the years. But I always felt Jon and the boys really hit there stride here, with Slippery When Wet. "Wanted Dead or Alive" is still to this day my all-time favorite Bon Jovi song, but I also like "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Never Say Goodbye."
Appetite for Destruction - Guns ’N Roses (1987)
For hard rock fans, this album was like a breath of fresh air. Guns 'N Roses got back to the bluesy roots of hard music and not only rocked with the best of them, but lead the pack. One of the best hard rock albums of all time, keeping hard rock at the top of the charts another 5 or so years until grunge came along. "Welcome to the Jungle" was the first big MTV and radio hit, but it was followed up by songs like "Paradise City" and "Nightrain."
Document - REM (1987)
REM was around before Document was released, and they had a few decent MTV hit videos and plenty of airtime on college radio stations, but it was really this album that shot the band up into superstardom. Breakthrough songs like "The One I Love" and "It's The End of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" were all over MTV and the radio at the time.
The Joshua Tree - U2 (1987)
Sure, U2 had lots of hits and good albums before The Joshua Tree, but this was the album that ensured the band would be around for a long, long time as superstars. And this is one of the biggest mainstream albums that could be called "political" for its time. "With or Without You," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and "Bullet the Blue Sky" are just a sampling of the fantastic tunes found here.
Faith - George Michael (1987)
How could this album have not had an influence on pop music, and even R&B to some extent? With hits like "Faith," "Father Figure" and "I Want Your Sex (Parts I & II)" that are still catchy more than 20 years later, this has to be one of the most fun albums ever. No? Not your thing? Don't worry. Millions of others will disagree. And this was back when George Michael was still a hearthrob for teen girls.
Don’t Be Cruel - Bobby Brown (1989)
This album came at the end of the '80s, but it was still influential then and continued to be so into the 1990s. Bobby Brown, a former member of New Edition, helped to fuse R&B and hip hop together on this album, and many other performers attempted to follow him or improve upon him in the coming years, some successful and some not. This album had a really huge song. Do you remember what it was? "My Prerogative." There were some other cool songs, too, like "Don't Be Cruel" and "Roni."
Garth Brooks - Garth Brooks (1989)
With this album, Garth Brooks really paved the future of country music. Even if you don't like country music or Garth Brooks, you'd have to admit this one album has influenced nearly all of country since. "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" was always one of my favorites from this record, but "The Dance" was the really big hit and it's still remembered today.
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