I've been thinking about how to phrase this, so I'll just ask everyone. What do you think were the most influential pop albums of the 80's and why? Maybe we could do this kinda like the fun & games forum, one post per day per member, because there's alot of albums to chose from. Maybe this could turn into a poll at some point if we get enough submissions.

Let set the ground rules as an album that charted more than one hit (in any country's pop charts) and had a noticeable influence on pop culture at the time or an noticable influence on music that followed. Crossover hits are great, as long as they charted somewhere on the pop charts. And remember, you can comment all you want on other submissions, but only one new submission per member per day.

I'll start things off with an obvious one:
Madonna - Like A Virgin
Arguably her most influential album of the decade, it made her from a star into a superstar, and began the "Madonna craze" in ladies fashion and inspired the sound of the "Madonna clones" that flooded the charts in the months after L.A.V. was released.

See? Easy! Now who wants to comment or submit your own? There's no wrong answers here, this is your opinion!

Purple Rain. Not only for the success it had in the motion picture field. But groups like Ready For The World and Jesse Johnson adopted a similar sound and were also big successes.

"Hunting high and low", by A-ha (1985)

This had more influence over here than in the states I guess. It proved to Scandinavians that Abba wasn't a lucky punch regarding making it big around the world with Scandinavian pop.

The videos this record spawned were classics that defined a new high in music-video making. Music and aesthetics combined that so defined the (pop)culture of the era.

Purple Rain. Not only for the success it had in the motion picture field. But groups like Ready For The World and Jesse Johnson adopted a similar sound and were also big successes.

Excellent choice! This one belongs for sure! :thumb:

"Hunting high and low", by A-ha (1985)
This had more influence over here than in the states I guess. It proved to Scandinavians that Abba wasn't a lucky punch regarding making it big around the world with Scandinavian pop.
The videos this record spawned were classics that defined a new high in music-video making, and are considered classics. Music and aesthetics combined that so defined the (pop)culture of the era.

Good point! I'm sure it did have more impact in Scandinavia, but the album was pretty huge in the States & elsewhere too. I think everyone was blown away the first time they saw the "Take On Me" video. :yesnod:

because Mr Badd stole my first thought :lol: ... Thriller-Michael Jackson... I can't believe I'm the first to say this one. With over one gazillion copies sold you can't deny this as being one of the biggest pop albums of all time, only "West side story" and "Eagles greatest hits" have sold more. Not only did the music have an influence but Michael himself did with white gloves, jackets with all the zippers and the moonwalk all becoming icons of 80's pop culture.

Thriller-Michael Jackson... I can't believe I'm the first to say this one.
There have only been 3 other submisions so far, give us some time. ;) :lol:
You make a great point, though, Thriller definitely belongs right at the top of any list of 80's albums!

Great Thread Nolan and in the spirit of such allow me to put forth the case for the Queen is Dead by The Smiths. Utterly original and fuelled by the negativity of Morrissey in contrast ot the Jangly pop of Johnny Marr, the Queen is Dead represents the other side of 80's Britain that Duran Duran and Wham left behind in their efforts to put a shiny happy spin on pop. The album contains a number of their best songs including "There is a light that never goes out" and "Bigmouth Strikes Again". Most of the Indie Bands of the 90's and today will happily endorse The Smiths as an influence and this is probably their most creative, polished and ultimately finest work

Quiet Riot- Mental Health- first harder album to go #1 replacing Thriller. Hard Rock and Heavy Metal always ahd a big following but received little time on mainstream radio. this album went number 1, had lots of play on MTV and all of a sudden other similar acts like Twisted Sister, Ratt, Motley Crue and later Poison and Warrant were all over mainstream radio and MTV.

I remember growing up as a kid right around this time,guys that had never listened to this kind of music were now wearing studded wristband and talking about OZZY and The Scorpians, months earlier they were wearing white gloves and trying to moonwalk

Great Thread Nolan and in the spirit of such allow me to put forth the case for the Queen is Dead by The Smiths. Utterly original and fuelled by the negativity of Morrissey in contrast ot the Jangly pop of Johnny Marr, the Queen is Dead represents the other side of 80's Britain that Duran Duran and Wham left behind in their efforts to put a shiny happy spin on pop. The album contains a number of their best songs including "There is a light that never goes out" and "Bigmouth Strikes Again". Most of the Indie Bands of the 90's and today will happily endorse The Smiths as an influence and this is probably their most creative, polished and ultimately finest work
I must admit that I, myself, am not too familiar with the Smiths' work, but I believe you when you say they had the profound effect they did. Good one!

Quiet Riot- Mental Health- first harder album to go #1 replacing Thriller. Hard Rock and Heavy Metal always ahd a big following but received little time on mainstream radio. this album went number 1, had lots of play on MTV and all of a sudden other similar acts like Twisted Sister, Ratt, Motley Crue and later Poison and Warrant were all over mainstream radio and MTV.

I remember growing up as a kid right around this time,guys that had never listened to this kind of music were now wearing studded wristband and talking about OZZY and The Scorpians, months earlier they were wearing white gloves and trying to moonwalk

Great memories! This is a good one for sure!

Born in the USA-Bruce Springsteen. 7 top 10 hits from the same album in the USA . This had never been done before, however, none went #1. (??) Perhaps not Bruce's best album but definitely his most influential of the 80's. Ronald Reagan wanted to use the title song in his campaign not realising it wasn't a flattering song for the USA. Bruce was very popular before this album but I think this is the one that shot him into superstardom and helped him on his way to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.

Great one, Daffy! That one's got to be right at the top! :thumb:
My next one is:
Van Halen - 1984
No even their best album of the 80's musically, this was rock turned pop at it's finest, IMO. This was the album that gave the electronic sound of synthesizers legetimacy in hard rock circles, and was David Lee Roth's finest hour (and ironically his Van Halen swan song) as the quentissential front man of the 80's. This album defined in large part the sound of the year it named, and set the standard for hard-partying "pop metal" for the rest of the decade. Additionally, it gave the band what was (correct me if I'm wrong) their only #1 hit, "Jump."
Comments?

"Jump" also charted on the R&B charts, very low mind you, but still. That's a good Nolan!

Here's another one:

Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual

Arguably one of the most successful debut albums of the 80's (or any decade), this album has just about everything that made 80's pop so great. Vivacious new wave blended with a folk undercurrent (thanks to collaboration with members of the Hooters), a teen girl anthem, a tear-jerker ballad, and a song about...um...another kind of jerking...so to speak...
Nevertheless, Cyndi's powerful voice and trademark look cranked out 5 charted hits, a feat she would never duplicate.

Next!

Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet. You literally could have had almost every single song released as a single. And, you couldnt go anywhere and NOT hear WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE for nearly a year.

Flashdance Soundtrack (1983) - It showed how a movie can make money other than at the box office but also in record sales. It had a couple of number one hits including the title track. Not only that it let the way for other great soundtracks such as Ghostbusters and Footloose.

Great Thread Nolan and in the spirit of such allow me to put forth the case for the Queen is Dead by The Smiths. Utterly original and fuelled by the negativity of Morrissey in contrast ot the Jangly pop of Johnny Marr, the Queen is Dead represents the other side of 80's Britain that Duran Duran and Wham left behind in their efforts to put a shiny happy spin on pop. The album contains a number of their best songs including "There is a light that never goes out" and "Bigmouth Strikes Again". Most of the Indie Bands of the 90's and today will happily endorse The Smiths as an influence and this is probably their most creative, polished and ultimately finest work

I definitly agree with you there - that certainly gets my vote for the most Influential Indie-pop album.

Some excellent replies here guys, and I can only speak from experience when I also recall the huge impact that A-ha's excellent 1985 'Hunting High And Low' had in the UK.

It really was a masterpiece of pop, perhaps the defining pop album along with such acts as Erasure and Wham!

I know Like a Virgin made her a star....but True Blue and Like a Prayer are FAR better albums, in terms of content and lyrical talent.

1983/84 were major years for influential albums from all areas...Born In The USA(Springsteen), Thriller(Jackson),Seven and the Ragged Tiger(Duran Duran), Synchronicity(Police), Rebel Yell(Idol), Pyromania(Def Lep), 1984(Van Halen) to name a few

Surfer Rosa by The Pixies. Not a huge seller in the Madonna, Michel Jackson sense but its filled with great tracks, the best one for me is Gigantic. And without the influence of the Pixies we may never have heard Kurt Cobain.

i think eurythmics really blew the world away when they arrived. so i'm gonna have to say sweet dreams(are made of this) of 1983. but touch of 1984 was an equally good album if you ask me.

Crush by OMD. As the critics said back in the day "A welcome return to real drums"

This album was not a real smash success in the US, but it did produce 1 US Top 40 hit with So in Love. Crush is a real masterpiece