Top 100 Best Selling Albums Of The 80s

[Eric Generic]

a-ha's first three albums were SO good. I'd actually underrated Hunting High & Low a bit, until the Deluxe Edition came out and I realised/was reminded that the non-singles were much better than I gave credit for at the time. Scoundrel Days was always my favourite, but now I'm not sure. Hunting.. really is a great set of songs, with their best-ever track (Sun Always Shines on TV), and three other classic hits, plus The Blue Sky.

[gezza76]

91. TRUE- Spandau Ballet (772,000)



RELEASED: 27th February 1983

PEAK POSITION: 1

WKS ON CHART: 90

SINGLES RELEASED:

TRUE (1)
GOLD (2)
LIFELINE (7)
COMMUNICATION (12)

Being one of the first batch of “New Romantic” acts to break through in the charts (they first hit the top 10 back in 1980) Spandau Ballet ended up having to wait the longest before they got a No 1, but finally it came with the lead track from the “True” album. The album was released in March 83 and looked like peaking at No 7 until the lead single changed its fortunes and saw it top the album charts for a solitary week , this is actually the groups sole No 1 from 6 studio albums throughout the 80s, and finished 83 as it’s 6th biggest seller.

By the time 1983 came around Spandau had ditched the get up’s and the frilly shirts and were power dressing in suits as can be seen in the video, yet after this album only 3 top 10 hits were to come from the group who were a spent force come the end of the decade and an acrimonious ending looked it had killed them off for good- but incredibly a reunion was finally achieved in the late 00s though no new hits materialised from it....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT-FPC8G-FI

[gezza76]

90. EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE- THE SINGLES- The Police (773,00)



RELEASED: 27th October 1986

PEAK POSITION: 1

WEEKS IN CHART: 51

SINGLES RELEASED:

DON’T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME 86 (24)

Sting et al were unquestionably one of THE groups of the early 80s scoring 5 chart toppers between 1979-1983 and five straight No.1 albums between 79-86. When the group announced their split in 1986 (after Sting had launched his successful solo career) the inevitable greatest hits package followed supported by a remix of their biggest selling track and biggest selling 45 (that’s old speak for “single”) of 1980 “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”. It hardly proved a glorious end to their chart presence but it did its job as the album effortlessly debuted at No 1 in Nov 86 and proved to be a strong xmas seller ending 86 as it’s 11th biggest seller with over 600k sold.

Whilst it’s not the police’s biggest selling album of the decade it certainly outpaces any of Sting’s solo creations for the 80s...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1hVOz_NwXI

[gezza76]

89. MANILOW MAGIC- Barry Manilow (774,000)



RELEASED: 19th February 1979

PEAK POSITION: 4

WKS IN CHART: 105

SINGLES RELEASED:

NONE

One of only 4 albums from the 70s to make into our 80s survey, Barry Manilow was a big success when the decade opened. “Manilow Magic- The Best Of” to give it its proper title, was a 1979 release which refused to die, spending virtually 2 years on the album charts of the 80s. The Album ended up in the top 10 best sellers of 1980 and the top 20 of 1981, and would probably be higher on this survey had it not been for the poor state of album sales at the beginning of the decade. It’s another greatest hits compilation by a different title, summarising most of his major US hits throughout the 70s.

Manilow’s sole No 1 album in this country was “Barry- Live In Britain” in 1982, but this is his biggest seller though it never reached higher than No 4 in the weekly charts during the decade....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddIAvB2yilY

[Eric Generic]

Ha, what a mixed bag. Manilow Magic actually used to be on in the background around our house back in the early 80s; Mum had the cassette version.

The 1986 version of The Police's Don't Stand.. was actually a whole new recording of the song from scratch. Apparently the idea was to re-do a whole album's worth of their songs, but they couldn't get on with each other and this was the only one that emerged from the project. It didn't do very well, most people hate it, but really it's quite good if not on a par with the original.

Oh, and I forgot to comment on Elkie Brooks. A very undervalued and underrated singer, and interpreter of a wide range of material and styles.

[Baby Clyde]

Hi All

It's finally here, well it will be shortly, the top 100 best selling albums of the 1980s. This is designed to compliment the current 80s female thread that the Visitor has been running superbly!

WAHOO!!! So glad you're doing. I came really late to it on Buzzjack and find that site such a mess couldn't follow properly.

I think I owned something like 38 of the first 50.

This will be fab.

[Baby Clyde]

I'm worried about this thread progressing as I might have to buy everthing on Amazon, hopefully it won't be TOO expensive.

I already have #100 and #99 so things are looking up.

'Used and New' Phoenix 'Used and New'.

The best invention ever. Haven't bought an album for more than £1.50 for years.

[Baby Clyde]

Oh, and I forgot to comment on Elkie Brooks. A very undervalued and underrated singer, and interpreter of a wide range of material and styles.

I know I say this a lot but she's Britain's best ever female singer as far as I'm concerned. 'Pearls' is a fabulous album.

I was going to say the exact same thing as you about 'Back To Life'. I've always been annoyed that it's missing, properly from the album, which I've never been much of a fan of despite being completely obsessed with SIIS at the time.

I think 'Get A Life' is my favourite of their singles.

[Eric Generic]

Welcome to the thread at last, Mr BC!

The only Soul II Soul album everyone needs is Vol.4: The Classic Singles. When they were good, they were very very good. Keep On Moving is sublime, if a bit one dimensional over the 5 minutes. Just a perfect chillout track.

[gezza76]

I must admit that I didn't really get into Music until 1988 ( I was 12) My first album that I bought comes a lot later! It would have been "Bad" but despite purchasing at least 3 copies on vinyl every one seemed to skip so I ended up exchanging it for another album that became my first album. In the end I realised that I hadn't put the "latch" part on the turntable hand all the way down so the stylus was only making contact as the vinyl rose when it was spinning giving the impression of skipping!

Epic Fail for 12 yr old me!

[Eric Generic]

Whoops!

I was a late starter too, in terms of buying music. The start of 1984 was my Year Zero, and for many years - right into the 90s - I had hardly any CDs dating from before that in terms of when they were released. Nowadays my collection is more balanced between the old and the new.

[gezza76]

88. STAGES- Elaine Paige (787,000)



RELEASED: 24th October 1983

PEAK POSITION: 2

WKS IN CHART: 48

SINGLES RELEASED:

NONE

Elaine Paige is of course best known and most closely associated with the west end musical scene, and with the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber, but back in the 80s she was also a popular recording artist and here’s the proof. “Stages” was a collection of just that, popular musical numbers, which upon release in late 83 proved to be a surprise hit hitting No 2 in the run-up to xmas 83 behind Paul Young’s “No Parlez” and resulting in the 8th biggest seller of the year.

Its success prompted four follow up albums each one released to capture future Christmas markets, but they did not prove as popular, though of course Paige did achieve a No 1 Single with Barbara Dickson in early 85 with “I Know Him So Well”...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CAv9hfafAI

[gezza76]

87. HELLO I MUST BE GOING- Phil Collins (789,000)



RELEASED: 1st November 1982

PEAK POSITION: 2

WKS IN CHART: 147

SINGLES RELEASED:

YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE (1)
DON’T LET HIM STEAL YOUR HEART AWAY (45)
THRU THESE WALLS (56)

Though it contains his first solo No 1 single believe it or not this is Phil Collins’ worst selling album of the 80s. This means that he is one of only 3 acts to place 4 albums in the top 100 of the decade, and certainly sales of approaching 800k are nothing to be sniffed at in the context of album sales in the decade.

It did however provide him with his first solo chart topper in the form of his version of “You Can’t Hurry Love” but come the end of 83 the album only ranked at No 28, the secret to its appearance here is that it sold consistently throughout the decade still hovering around the charts well into 1989...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2nb72vsepU

[gezza76]

86. LIKE A PRAYER- Madonna (792,000)



RELEASED: 20th March 1989

PEAK POSITION: 1

WKS IN CHART: 41

SINGLES RELEASED:

LIKE A PRAYER (1)
CHERISH (3)
EXPRESS YOURSELF (5)
DEAR JESSIE (5)

Madonna’s place as the biggest female artist of the last 30 years is consolidated by placing 3 albums in the top 100 of the 80s. Starting us off is 1989’s “Like A Prayer” which marked the return of the material girl to the charts after a break of just over a year during which time, andwith the emergence of Kylie Minogue, Madonna’s position as leading female artist had been challenged.

“Like A Prayer” was a suitably controversial return to form with burning crucifixes, Stigmata, a Pepsi deal to show the video (which was only shown once before Pepsi withdrew it), and an album which ended the year as it’s 9th biggest seller. Just for you Gaga fans here’s the original “Born this Way”....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsVcUzP_O_8&ob=av2e

[gezza76]

85. HYSTERIA- Def Leppard (795,000)



RELEASED: 17th August 1987

PEAK POSITION: 1

WKS IN CHART: 95

SINGLES RELEASED:

ANIMAL (6)
LOVE BITES (11)
ROCKET (15)
POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME (18)
ARMAGEDDON IT (20)
HYSTERIA (26)

Sheffield’s Premier rock band hit the US big time before their homeland caught up and “Hysteria” remains the biggest selling album in their repertoire. Preceded by their first top 10 hit ever “Animal” nothing really prepared them for the success that Def Leppard then experienced. Conceived as a rock version of Jackson’s “Thriller” (where every track could have been a single) it was step away from rock towards more of a pop rock/ commercial sound than fans were used to. What they lost in rock fans they more than made up for in mainstream sales.

In part this is explained by the six hit singles lifted from it- all of which made the top 30 which kept the album in the public eye for 18 months and over 100 weeks! Charting in the top 75 albums of the year for all three years 87-89 and selling over 200k in each year which come the decade end mounted to almost 800k...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj-8CUTt_Ew

[gezza76]

84, THE WORKS- Queen (798,000)



RELEASED: 27th February 1984

PEAK POSITION: 2

WKS ON CHART: 93

SINGLES RELEASED:

RADIO GAGA (2)
I WANT TO BREAK FREE (3)
IT’S A HARD LIFE (6)
HAMMER TO FALL (13)

The first of three Queen albums on this survey is 1984’s “The Works” which, believe it or not, is the first Queen studio album to be home to three top 10 hits. The album was the 10th best seller of that year, no other studio album by the group spent longer on the charts during the decade than this one.

“Radio Gaga” marked a major return to form who had been missing from the top 10 since 1981, and the “Metropolis” themed video reminded the new decade that Mercury’s creativity had far from dried up, the album itself however failed to deliver the top spot, being denied that accolade by the Thompson Twins “Into The Gap” which it ended up outselling (albeit not by much)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHP-qgzUVLM&ob=av3e

[gezza76]

83. RUMOURS- Fleetwood Mac (800,000)



RELEASED:14th February 1977

PEAK POSITION: 28 (in the 80s)

WKS ON CHART: 297

SINGLES RELEASED:

NONE

Yes it’s the decade’s surprise! Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 album “Rumours” was a chart topper when it was released but never made the weekly top 20 at any point during the decade (Peaking at a lowly 28) but sold so consistently that in total it moved 800k over the course of the 80s. It did end up in the top 100 for every year from 1980-1982 and spent over five and a half years on the survey all told in the decade despite no singles being released to promote it during the period.

It’s the second of three appearances for the 70s supergroup and over 3 million copies of “Rumours” have been sold in the UK alone currently standing as the 14th biggest selling album ever, the 80s providing a healthy contribution to that total....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEi7GPkxfsE

[Eric Generic]

Woah, let's try and catch my breath here, haha.

I own every single one of this last batch, surprise surprise. It is indeed the weakest Phil Collins solo album of the 80s, but at the time he could spend 150 weeks on the chart whatever he released (see also: Dire Straits). Can't be too surprised to see Rumours in there, as I bought it myself in 1987. Their chart resurgence on the back of Tango In The Night did help their back catalogue sales in 1987/88.

Hysteria is a classic, classic album that I must have played the crap out of between '87 and '92.

The Works is not the first Queen album people think of, even of the 80s let alone their whole career, but it's full of really strong material (no surprise that it gave them such a good run of Top 10 hits). A little perturbed to find out 28 years later that the album's named after a notorious gay club in Germany!

[gezza76]

82. GREATEST HITS COLLECTION- Bananarama (801,000)



RELEASED: 10th October 1988

PEAK POSITION: 3

WKS IN CHART: 37

SINGLES RELEASED:

HELP (3)
NATHAN JONES (15)
CRUEL SUMMER 89 (19)
LOVE TRUTH & HONESTY (23)

No other girl group can claim as many hits as Bananarama, they practically had the genre to themselves during the decade so it’s no surprise that their greatest hits collection is present in the top 100 of the 80s. Released in time for xmas 88 the album had shifted over half a million before that year was out and the tracks kept on being released into 1989, although “Help” was re-recorded with French & Saunders for comic relief and differs from the album version.

Reviewing their career since 1982 up to 1989 it’s their biggest selling, most charted, and highest charting album they ever put their name too, and remained the best selling album by a girl group until Eternal overtook them in 1994....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GceqgxYDMbg

[gezza76]

81. THE COLLECTION- John Lennon (801,000)



RELEASED: 8th November 1982

PEAK POSITION: 1

WKS IN CHART: 42

SINGLES RELEASED:

LOVE (41)

This was the Christmas No 1 album for 1982, inevitable really as the first collection of greatest hits post Lennon’s death, topping the charts for 6 straight weeks into 1983. Only one hit made it in support of the album but it hardly needed it to sell this album.

It had sold enough by the end of 82 to rest as that year’s 10th biggest album shifting almost half a million and also ending 83 in the top 30 of the year and probably marked the end of the “mourning” period in terms of the UK charts,....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zezUAFR8cjw

[gezza76]

Re-Cap time

100. GREATEST HITS- Fleetwood Mac
99. DON'T BE CRUEL- Bobby Brown.
98. RUNNING IN THE FAMILY- Level 42.
97. WATERMARK- Enya
96. LABOUR OF LOVE- UB40
95. BE YOURSELF TONIGHT- Eurythmics
94. CLUB CLASSICS VOLUME I- Soul II Soul
93. PEARLS- Elkie Brooks
92. HUNTING HIGH AND LOW- A-Ha!
91. TRUE- Spandau Ballet

90. EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE- THE SINGLES- The Police
89. MANILOW MAGIC- Barry Manilow
88. STAGES- Elaine Paige
87. HELLO I MUST BE GOING- Phil Collins
86. LIKE A PRAYER- Madonna
85. HYSTERIA- Def Leppard
84. THE WORKS- Queen
83. RUMOURS- Fleetwood Mac
82. GREATEST HITS COLLECTION- Bananarama
81. THE COLLECTION- John Lennon

[gezza76]

80. GENESIS- Genesis (803,000)



RELEASED: 3rd October 1983

PEAK POSTION: 1

WKS IN CHART: 51

SINGLES RELEASED:

MAMA (4)
THAT’S ALL (16)
ILLEGAL ALIEN (46)

The Genesis story was one of continually improving sales and chart position since the early 70s and the new decade was to prove the greatest for the 3 piece. After both “Duke” and “Abacab” gave them No 1 albums, “Genesis” propelled the band into a true stadium act, and “Mama” became their biggest and highest chart placed single of their career.

Phil Collins was of course pursuing a solo career throughout the decade in addition to his genesis duties allowing him 6 appearances on this list in different combos- a record no one else can approach...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccs2rt0oSzQ&ob=av2e

[rashidhk81]

I remember getting Banananrama's Greatest Hits Collection for my birthday on tape and also the video. It brings back loads of childhood memories.

I got the CD years later which included "A Trick of the Night". Love that song.

Brilliant album. So many classics. "I Can't Help It" is probably my favourite.

Always loved Siobhan the best.

[letuinmybackdoor]

'Help' wasn't on the original release, it was released around 6 months later, after 'Love, truth..' and 'Nathan' were released, and then added to the album later. It was the 1989 comic relief single. It is a great album, and if you like SAW 'rams you listened to one side and if you liked early 80s shambolic yet classy pop 'rams you played the ther side. Or if you liked both you bought the CD! It was one of my first ever CDs.

[Booers]

So far I own 5 of the list! I got Bananrama's Greatest Hits in the late 90s and was very pleased it had Preacher Man on it, as I didn't know this track at all. Pop Life is a great album. Shame it tanked.