Not in any particular order...
Thriller- Michael Jackson (1982): It's now fashionable to claim
Off the Wall was better, but those folks are on crack. This was a monster that opened doors for black artists and changed pop music. Today's hip hop, pop, and rap are all influenced by
Thriller. No
Thriller, no Hip Hop and today's pop is different.
Purple Rain- Prince (1984): For a time, people asked "Michael Jackson or Prince?"
The Joshua Tree- U2 (1987): U2 went in a totally different direction than everyone else in the mainstream with
Joshua Tree. It was a rejection of plastic modern society and is probably more relevant today than in 1987.
Raising Hell- Run DMC (1986): Rap comes to the suburbs. Blondie introduced it to white America, Grandmaster Flash brought the streets to MTV, but Run DMC brought Hip Hop to the forefront and legitimized it. Although MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice made it mainstream, Run DMC became the first to explode onto the scene.
Appetite for Destruction- GnR (1987): Like U2,
Guns n Roses took popular music in a radical direction in 1987. Unlike U2's examination of America and modern materialism, GnR took a darker approach and examined the underworld in a way no had since
Exile on Mainstreet.
Back in Black- AC/DC (1980): AC/DC somehow survived the death of Bon Scott and turned that loss into one of the greatest tribute albums ever.
Born in the USA- Bruce (1984): Just about every song on this album became a hit. Bruce became a phenomenon and the embodiment of America. No one bothered to listen to the lyrics of the title track...
Murmur- REM (1983): While pop music was heading in multiple directions during the eighties including hair metal, new wave, hip hop, and some groups which defied categorization (Huey Lewis was played on rock stations that would follow Heart of Rock n Roll with Led Zeppelin), R.E.M. ushered in the alternative movement.
Murmur represented an attempt to get back to basics and bring fresh rock n roll back to an audience.
London Calling- The Clash (1980): The west appeared on the verge of utter collapse in the late seventies. High unemployment, stagnant economies, and disheartened populations wanted to go to the disco.
London Calling reflects the postwar apocalypse that hit during the seventies. Despite the coming ice age and sun zooming in, the album ends on an uplifting note with "Train in Vain."
Synchronicity- The Police (1983): Synchronicity made the Police the biggest band in the world. The album and its songs was omnipresent from summer of 1983 and into 1984. "Every Breath You Take" is one of the songs that defined the eighties.
