Data collector – Biggest CSPC Albums of the 1980s

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In the 1980s, the advent of music videos fundamentally changed the musical landscape. Some artists knew how to take advantage of this new support to promote their albums and acquire a huge popularity, including Madonna and of course Michael Jackson. There is no suspense about the most successful album of this decade, it is obviously Thriller. Who rank behind this legendary album? You will find the answer in the list below!

The albums ranked here have been released from January 1, 1980 to December 31, 1989. All figures are given in EAS (equivalent album sales).

Please keep in mind that some albums haven’t been studied so far, e.g. Lionel Richie‘s Can’t Slow Down, Tracy Chapman‘s eponymous album and Van Halen‘s 1984. All figures reflect the value as collected at the time of the artist’s respective articles.

A lot of lists like this one are available in the Data Collector, so feel free to read them to gauge how your favorite artist charts on them.

ALBUMS RANKING – CSPC – 1980s

1. 1982 – Michael Jackson – Thriller – 116,732,000
2. 1987 – Michael Jackson – Bad – 62,899,000
3. 1980 – AC/DC – Back in Black – 58,224,000
4. 1986 – Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet – 50,117,000
5. 1987 – U2 – The Joshua Tree – 47,665,000
6. 1984 – Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A. – 47,373,000
7. 1987 – Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction – 46,651,000
8. 1985 – Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms – 45,751,000
9. 1984 – Madonna – Like A Virgin – 39,677,000
10. 1986 – Madonna – True Blue – 36,655,000
11. 1987 – Dirty Dancing – Dirty Dancing – 34,994,000
12. 1985 – Phil Collins – No Jacket Required – 30,956,000
13. 1989 – Phil Collins – …But Seriously – 29,736,000
14. 1980 – Queen – The Game – 29,481,000
15. 1985 – Whitney Houston – Whitney Houston – 28,646,000
16. 1981 – Phil Collins – Face Value – 27,602,000
17. 1984 – Wham! – Make It Big – 27,055,000
18. 1987 – George Michael – Faith – 26,767,000
19. 1987 – Whitney Houston – Whitney – 26,560,000
20. 1989 – Madonna – Like A Prayer – 25,419,000
21. 1983 – U2 – War – 24,747,000
22. 1980 – Barbra Streisand – Guilty – 22,973,000
23. 1983 – Billy Joel – An Innocent Man – 22,490,000
24. 1982 – Queen – Hot Space – 21,468,000
25. 1980 – ABBA – Super Trouper – 21,261,000
26. 1987 – Fleetwood Mac – Tango In The Night – 21,067,000
27. 1984 – Queen – The Works – 20,133,000
28. 1988 – Enya – Watermark – 19,936,000
29. 1988 – Bon Jovi – New Jersey – 19,564,000
30. 1983 – Madonna – Madonna – 18,537,000
31. 1988 – Metallica – …And Justice For All – 17,842,000
32. 1980 – Bruce Springsteen – The River – 17,545,000
33. 1989 – Janet Jackson – Rhythm Nation 1814 – 17,523,000
34. 1988 – U2 – Rattle And Hum – 16,822,000
35. 1982 – Phil Collins – Hello, I Must Be Going! – 16,598,000
36. 1981 – Rolling Stones – Tattoo You – 16,243,000
37. 1980 – Bob Marley – Uprising – 16,027,000
38. 1986 – Metallica – Master Of Puppets – 15,477,000
39. 1983 – David Bowie – Let’s Dance – 15,180,000
40. 1986 – Janet Jackson – Control – 14,963,000
41. 1980 – Billy Joel – Glass Houses – 14,930,000
42. 1984 – Metallica – Ride The Lightning – 13,928,000
43. 1986 – Queen – A Kind of Magic – 13,272,000
44. 1984 – U2 – The Unforgettable Fire – 13,156,000
45. 1987 – Pink Floyd – A Momentary Lapse of Reason – 12,334,000
46. 1989 – Cher – Heart of Stone – 12,163,000
47. 1981 – AC/DC – For Those About to Rock We Salute You – 11,930,000
48. 1980 – Dire Straits – Making Movies – 11,825,000
49. 1988 – Guns N’ Roses – Gnr Lies – 11,767,000
50. 1988 – Dirty Dancing – More Dirty Dancing – 11,097,000
51. 1983 – Elton John – Too Low for Zero – 10,642,000
52. 1987 – Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel of Love – 9,954,000
53. 1986 – Wham! – Music from the Edge of Heaven – 9,775,000
54. 1989 – Nirvana – Bleach – 9,449,000
55. 1982 – Dire Straits – Love over Gold – 9,423,000
56. 1989 – Elton John – Sleeping with the Past – 8,798,000
57. 1989 – Queen – The Miracle – 8,743,000
58. 1988 – Kylie Minogue – Kylie – 8,485,000
59. 1981 – ABBA – The Visitors – 8,461,000
60. 1982 – Fleetwood Mac – Mirage – 8,256,000
61. 1987 – Enya – Enya (The Celts) – 8,123,000
62. 1983 – Bob Marley – Confrontation – 8,011,000
63. 1989 – Billy Joel – Storm Front – 7,900,000
64. 1983 – Metallica – Kill ‘Em All – 7,686,000
65. 1983 – Pink Floyd – The Final Cut – 7,351,000
66. 1985 – Barbra Streisand – The Broadway Album – 7,209,000
67. 1980 – Rolling Stones – Emotional Rescue – 6,863,000
68. 1987 – Madonna – Who’s That Girl – 6,720,000
69. 1982 – Billy Joel – The Nylon Curtain – 6,483,000
70. 1988 – Phil Collins & Various Artists – Buster – 6,393,000
71. 1989 – Rolling Stones – Steel Wheels – 6,255,000
72. 1982 – Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska – 6,100,000
73. 1980 – David Bowie – Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) – 5,940,000
74. 1984 – Bon Jovi – Bon Jovi – 5,701,000
75. 1980 – U2 – Boy – 5,694,000
76. 1986 – Johnny Hallyday – Gang – 5,563,000
77. 1986 – Billy Joel – The Bridge – 5,411,000
78. 1984 – The Jacksons – Victory – 5,371,000
79. 1983 – Wham! – Fantastic – 5,070,000
80. 1989 – Billy Joel – Strom Front – 4,959,000
81. 1985 – Elton John – Ice on Fire – 4,936,000
82. 1981 – U2 – October – 4,454,000
83. 1986 – Rolling Stones – Dirty Work – 4,406,000
84. 1987 – Bee Gees – E.S.P. – 4,314,000
85. 1980 – The Jacksons – Triumph – 4,301,000
86. 1989 – Red Hot Chili Peppers – Mother’s Milk – 4,189,000
87. 1984 – David Bowie – Tonight – 4,180,000
88. 1988 – AC/DC – Blow Up Your Video – 4,149,000
89. 1983 – AC/DC – Flick of the Switch – 4,094,000
90. 1980 – Queen – Flash Gordon – 4,028,000
91. 1985 – Bon Jovi – 7800° Fahrenheit – 3,983,000
92. 1983 – Rolling Stones – Undercover – 3,931,000
93. 1983 – Barbra Streisand – Yentl – 3,929,000
94. 1983 – Bee Gees – Staying Alive – 3,917,000
95. 1985 – AC/DC – Fly on the Wall – 3,888,000
96. 1989 – Kylie Minogue – Enjoy Yourself – 3,580,000
97. 1984 – Elton John – Breaking Hearts – 3,538,000
98. 1987 – Cher – Cher – 3,145,000
99. 1985 – Johnny Hallyday – Rock N’ Roll Attitude – 3,124,000
100. 1985 – Renaud – Mistral gagnant – 2,910,000