The 80s was a time when artists from all different genres began to crossover together into a new modern sound. The popular music genre of the 80s was also known as the New Romantic era. It was a time when many new young artists emerged with their own unique sounds and felt they had something to say musically in today’s music scene.
“Thriller” by Michael Jackson
This album by Michael Jackson is considered the best selling album of all time. It was released on November 30, 1982 and sold around 70 million copies worldwide. The album has a total of at least 3 singles charting at number 1 at various music charts, making it one of the most successful albums by any artist. It is also the best selling album ever in the United States.
“The Joshua Tree” by U2
This album was released in March 1987 and has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. It is considered one of the most influential albums ever recorded. The songs on the album are considered to be some of U2’s best work. It topped charts in over 20 countries, and is recorded as one of the most fast-selling British albums in history. Arguably, it is the album that shot the band into stardom.
“Purple Rain” by Prince
This album was released in June 1984 and is one of the best selling albums of all time. It helped to put Prince on the map and has sold over 25 million copies worldwide. The album has sold more than 13 million copies in the United States alone, making it one of the most successful albums ever released by a solo artist.
“The Queen is Dead” by The Smiths
This album was released in June 1986 and is also considered one of the best albums of the 80s. It peaked at number 2 in the UK Albums Chart and spent nearly two years staying on that list. With a sound that was clearly heavily influenced by the Detroit garage rock scene, it helped to really put The Smiths on the map as one of the most influential bands of all time. Sometime in the late 1990, it was certified Gold by the RIAA.
“Back in Black” by AC/DC
This is the seventh studio album by AC/DC. It was released in July1980 and is one of the best selling albums by any artist. It helped to put AC/DC on the map and has sold approximately 50 million copies worldwide, making it the second best-selling album in music history following Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
It follows the commercial success of their 1979 album, “Highway to Hell.” In fact, after Back in Black, other albums by AC/DC including “If You Want Blood You’ve Got It”, “Highway to Hell”, and “Let There Be Rock” all re-entered the British charts, which made AC/DC the first band since the Beatles to have 4 different albums simultaneously holding place in the charts.
On 9 December 2019, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified this song to be 25x Platinum.
