For anyone who was a teenager in the 80s, like I was, this list of the best albums of the 80s will be a trip down memory lane. At the time I remember thinking how terrible our music was compared to the classic songs of the 50s, 60s and 70s. In hindsight, however, though there was certainly plenty of fluff, the 80s produced some of the biggest selling albums ever recorded, and we were fortunate enough to experience some of the greatest musicians in the prime of their careers. Here are my picks for the greatest albums of the decade of Cabbage Patch Kids, Top Gun, and Charles in Charge:

50 – Tears for Fears – Songs From the Big Chair – This 1985 album by British pop duo Tears for Fears spent 5 weeks atop the U.S. album charts, and had an even bigger run in the UK, remaining in the top 40 for over a year! Songs like Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Head Over Heels reached #1, #1 and #3 respectively on the U.S. Hot 100 are still pop music staples on radio stations to this day.

49 – Joy Division – Closer – Though certainly not as well known in mainstream music circles as their fellow Brits Tears for Fears, this band, despite their two album discography has a cult fan base. The album Closer was released in 1980 following the tragic death of lead vocalist Ian Curtis. The album produced their most popular single, Love Will Tear Us Apart which was awarded the #179 spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the top 500 songs of all time.

48 – The Replacements – Let It Be – Though most of the albums on this list will be notable because of their mainstream popularity and commercial success this is one rare instance where those considerations will be ignored. This 1984 album was radically different from the group’s early punk albums, bringing an eclectic mix of blues, jazz, rock, pop and even some country. Despite its lack of a bona fide hit the album is still considered by many to be one of the most original of the decade.

47 – Prince – Sign O’ The Times – In the 80s it can be argued that aside from Michael Jackson and Madonna there was no bigger name in music than Prince. Though this album, which was Prince’s first solo effort since his split with The Revolution, was not as commercially successful as Purple Rain and 1999 it did produce three top 10 hits, received tremendous critical acclaim, and is regarded by many as Prince’s best work.

46 – Cowboy Junkies – The Trinity Session – Forgive my bias but I always like to include a little Canadian content when I create these best of lists. However, regardless of what country you come from it is hard to argue this album’s inclusion as one of the best of the 80s. The hauntingly melodic album features a strong country influence, but can also fall under the categories of rock and pop. The main hit from the album was actually a cover of Velvet Underground’s Sweet Jane and is arguably the best rendition of that classic song to date.

45 – Tracy Chapman – Tracy Chapman – Yes, a folk album earns a much deserved spot on this list. In 1988 Tracy Chapman burst onto the music scene with this album, and the smash hit Fast Car. Follow-ups to Fast Car – Talkin’ Bout a Revolution and Baby I Can Hold You also broke the top 100, helping Chapman earn a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album, to go along with the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy she earned for Fast Car.

44 – The Smiths – The Smiths – One of the biggest British alternative rock bands of all time, The Smiths made an immediate impact on the music world with the release of this 1984 self-titled debut album. Fronted by the enigmatic Morrissey the band gained a strong underground following that strengthened with the subsequent releases of Meat is Murder, The Queen is Dead and Strangeways, Here We Come before the band broke up in 1987.

43 – Cyndi Lauper – She’s So Unusual – A self-descriptive album title if ever there was one, Cyndi Lauper’s debut album contains several of the best songs of the 80s. From the female party anthem, Girls Just Want To Have Fun to the high school dance favorite Time After Time the album featured several high-charting hits that helped the album to double platinum status back in 1984 (it has now sold more than 16 million copies worldwide), and earned Lauper an incredible six Grammy nominations, and two Grammy awards, the following year.

42 – Foreigner – 4 – One of the best rock albums of the early 80s, this 1981 record went all the way to #1 that year. Singles Urgent, Waiting for a Girl Like You and Juke Box Hero reached #1, #1 and #3 respectively on the mainstream rock charts that year with Waiting for a Girl Like You reaching #2 on the pop charts.

41 – Boogie Down Productions – Criminal Minded – The 80s marked the initial surge in popularity of rap and hip hop music and one of the most influential rap groups of the era was this New York based hip hop group comprised of DJ Scott La Rock, KRS-One and D-Nice. Their debut album Criminal Minded, though it achieved limited commercial success at the time, is widely considered one of the best rap albums of all time and is the only record which features DJ Scott La Rock who was murdered the same year as the album’s release.

40 – Talking Heads – Remain in Light – This album is generally considered the best work by this cult favorite American new wave band. It includes their signature hit Once in a Lifetime which features vocalist David Byrne speaking the verses, rather than singing. The song was once parodied on Saturday Night Live in which David Hall, dressed in a ridiculously large suit, parodies Byrne. Though not as commercially successful as most of these other records the album did reach a respectable #19 on Billboard 200 charts way back in 1980.

39 – Metallica – Master of Puppets – I felt I should include at least a little heavy metal flavor on the list. Metallica seemed like the logical choice to represent the genre, and though they had several great albums to choose from that decade, Master of Puppets is widely considered their best work, and many have proclaimed it the greatest heavy metal album ever recorded. It was the first Metallica album to obtain gold status, and has gone on to sell over 6 million copies worldwide to date.

38 – R.E.M. – Document – Though this was R.E.M.’s fifth studio album, 1987′s Document was the record that launched them into mainstream stardom, thanks in large part to the hit song, The One I Love. The song made it all the way to #9 on the U.S. Hot 100. It also featured the song It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine))) which was not a huge hit at the time of its release but has since been featured in numerous movies and TV shows including Independence Day, Tommy Boy, The Simpsons and Family Guy.

37 – N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton – As the mainstream popularity of rap and hip hop music continued to grow in the 80s, subgenres began to spring up, with one of the most popular being gangsta rap. With extremely controversial subject matter often glorifying violence this sort of music was the target of outrage from concerned parents to mass media. At the forefront of the gangsta rap movement was N.W.A., a rap supergroup that launched the careers of major stars like Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre. The controversy fueled sales and the album went double platinum without any radio airplay and before the band had ever gone on tour, becoming the first album to ever accomplish that feat.

36 – Madonna – Like a Prayer – While Michael Jackson was the most dominant male solo artist of the 80s, Madonna was just as big a force on the female side of the ledger. With smash hit album releases like her self-titled debut album Madonna and the controversial (for its era) Like a Virgin Madonna quickly became the undisputed queen of the airwaves through most of the 80s. With the 1989 album Madonna added more fuel to the controversial firestorm that seemed to follow her everywhere. For the album’s title track, Like a Prayer Madonna released an accompanying music video that had religious groups outraged due to the video’s controversial religious subject matter that included stigmata and burning crosses. The song went to number 1 despite, or perhaps because of, this controversy. The album also featured a pair of #2 hits in Cherish and Express Yourself and is widely considered Madonna’s finest artistic work to date.

35 – Eric B. & Rakim – Paid in Full – Though there have probably been hundreds of more commercially successful rap artists over the years, few command the respect of the hip hop community as this legendary 1980s rap duo. Rakim, who provides the lyrics, is one of the true poets of the genre, and his influence continues to be felt in hip hop music to this day. Paid in Full was the group’s signature album, and featured hits like Eric B. is President and I Ain’t No Joke which helped eventually drive the album to platinum status with over a million copies sold.

34 – ZZ Top – Eliminator – Few groups in music are more instantly recognizable than this rock band, and no wonder, when its members sport beards longer than Santa’s. One of the best rock albums of the decade the album reached #9 on the charts, and its major hits Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin’ and Legs all still get plenty of airplay on mainstream radio.

33 – The Rolling Stones – Tattoo You – No surprise to see an entry from the biggest rock band on the planet on the list of the best albums of the 80s. Featuring the hit Start Me Up the album spent 9 weeks at #1 in the U.S., the last Stones album to do so.

32 – John Cougar Mellencamp – American Fool – Whether you know him as John Cougar Mellencamp, John Cougar or John Mellencamp the simple fact is this guy knows how to make music, as attested to by the more than 40 million albums he has sold over his career three-plus decade career. The songs for which he is arguably best know – Jack and Diane and Hurts So Good both appeared on this 1982 album, reaching #1 and #2 respectively and driving the album itself to the pinnacle of the Billboard charts that year.

31 – Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique – The follow-up to the Beastie Boy’s smash debut album Licensed to Ill this ground-breaking hip hop album is one of the most original in the history of the genre, featuring mesmerizing beats, clever lyrics and literally dozens of samples from all walks of pop culture. It was so different from what the band had delivered on Licensed to Ill that fans of the group, and of hip hop in general were slow to warm to it. However, the album has withstood the test of time, and today regularly appears on best album lists from many major music publications including Rolling Stone magazine and VH1.

30 – Janet Jackson – Control – Though she couldn’t quite hang with brother Michael when it came to sheer star power, Janet Jackson didn’t do too badly stepping out from MJ’s enormous shadow to carve a niche for herself in the pop music industry. Her 1986 album control, featuring the hit songs What Have You Done for Me Lately? and Nasty went 5x platinum and has sold more than 14 million albums worldwide. Featuring 5 singles that cracked the top 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Control was one of the powerhouse records of the decade.

29 – Paul Simon – Graceland – Not surprisingly this album and the smash hit title track of the same name were inspired by Paul Simon’s visit to Elvis’s estate in Memphis. The song, and to a lesser extent, the album’s second Hot 100 hit You Can Call Me Al helped push the album to #3 on the U.S. charts and all the way to #1 in the UK. The critically acclaimed album from the more successful solo half of Simon and Garfunkel would go on to capture the Grammy for Album of the Year, with title track Graceland also capturing honors for Record of the Year.

28 – De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising – Much like Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique album this hip hop record is significantly different from most other examples of the rap and hip hop genre. In an attempt to categorize it the album has been branded under subgenres like alternative hip hop and jazz rap. Whatever umbrella it falls under there can be little question that this is one of the best rap albums of all time. With instant classics like Say No Go, Buddy and Me, Myself and I the album has much more meat than many of the one-and-done rap albums of the 80s that featured just a single signature hit song. If you are rap fan that hasn’t heard the work of this influential group definitely pick up this album for one of the finest examples of the genre.

27 – The Cure – Disintegration – One of the most popular alternative rock bands of the 80s The Cure built a huge cult following over the course of the decade with hit songs like Close to Me, The Caterpillar, The Hanging Garden and In Between Days. 1987′s Disintegration is widely considered the band’s best album, helping the Cure go from an alternative band nibbling at the consciousness of the mainstream music audience to international stars. The album produced 4 Hot 100 hits including Lullaby, Fascination Street, Pictures of You and Lovesong which made it all the way to #2 on the charts that year.

26 – Prince – 1999 – Though his most commercially successful album to date remains Purple Rain, it was his 1982 album 1999 that was the springboard for that success, cementing Prince’s status as a music superstar. Featuring the classic Prince hits 1999 and Little Red Corvette the album has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. On New Year’s Eve 1999 there can be little doubt that the title track from the album was played on radio stations, night clubs and house parties around the world as everyone “partied like it was 1999″ to usher in the new millennium.

25 – Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet – Alongside the massive surge in popularity of rap and hip hop artists in the 1980s another type of artist was enjoying their own moment in the sun. I speak, of course, of the “Hair Band”. With songs a notch above pop music and one below hard rock on the rock meter, wearing tight leather pants, and sporting the long feathered hair that was such an unfortunately popular look during the decade these hair bands appeared in droves. Poison, Whitesnake, Twisted Sister, Skid Row, Def Leppard, and of course, Bon Jovi are but a few examples of groups that fall under the “Hair Band” moniker. With 1986′s Slippery When Wet Bon Jovi created arguably the greatest hair band album of all time. The album featured massive hits like You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin’ on a Prayer and Wanted Dead or Alive that helped propel the album to #1 where it spent an impressive 8 weeks at #1.

24 – Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms – This revolutionary 1985 album was instrumental in ushering in the age of CDs while sounding the death knell on formats like cassette tape and vinyl records. It was the first album ever to sell a million copies on CD. Featuring hits like Walk of Life, So Far Away and Money for Nothing the album soared to number one in several countries around the world including the U.S., UK and Canada. The music video for Money for Nothing featured cutting edge (for its time) 3D animation, was one of the most aired videos on MTV, and routinely appears on lists of the greatest music videos ever made.

23 – The Pretenders – Pretenders – Though perhaps best known for their hit song Back on the Chain Gang this eclectic punk/rock/new wave group’s best work came with their 1980 debut album Pretenders. Though it didn’t contain a single top 10 single the whole in this case turned out to be more successful than the sum of its parts and the album went all the way to #1 in the UK and hit #9 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.

22 – Def Leppard – Hysteria – Another hair band takes the #22 spot on the list of the greatest 80s albums.1987′s Hysteria was British band Def Leppard’s first studio album since the success of the 1983 album Pyromania. The 4 year hiatus came after a 1984 car crash in which drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm. Allen would make a triumphant return, showcasing his amazing skill by playing the drums one-armed for the album. Fueled by hits like Pour Some Sugar on Me, Love Bites, Armageddon It, Animal and Rocket, Hysteria shot to #1 and is the band’s best selling album to date with more than 20 million copies sold worldwide.

21 – Van Halen – 1984 – One of the greatest rock bands of all time, and featuring one of the greatest guitarists to ever pick up an axe it is little surprise to see Van Halen make an appearance on this list. Fronted by the always energetic David Lee Roth the band had more than its fair share of personality and stage presence. 1984 features several of the band’s signature songs, including #1 smash hit Jump, along with Panama, I’ll Wait and Hot for Teacher.

20 – Midnight Oil – Diesel and Dust – Yes, there were bands from countries other than the U.S. and UK releasing music in the 80s. The band from Australia created a socially conscious record that set itself apart from the fluff music of the 80s. The album addressed both environmental issues and the difficulties faced by Australian Aborigines. The albums biggest hit, Beds Are Burning made the band a worldwide sensation, reaching the top 20 in several countries including the U.S., UK, France and South Africa.

19 – George Michael – Faith – George Michael’s first solo album after the break-up of British Pop duo Wham launched the already massively popular singer to even higher heights of superstardom. The album captured the 1989 Grammy for Album of the Year on the wings of an incredible four #1 hits, including Faith, Father Figure, One More Try and Monkey.

18 – The Smiths – The Queen is Dead – The third album by alternative British rock band The Smiths was also their best. Featuring classic Smiths’ tunes like Frankly Mr. Shankly, Bigmouth Strikes Again, Cemetry Gates, and Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others the album launched the band into superstardom in the UK, and to a lesser extent worldwide, reaching #2 on the UK album charts, and peaking at #70 on the Billboard album charts in America.

17 – Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill – Though Paul’s Boutique was a more critically acclaimed record, there can be no denying this is the album the Beastie Boys will forever be remembered by. The album, featuring the hits Fight for Your Right (To Party!), No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn and Brass Monkey revolutionized the hip hop genre becoming the first rap album to ever reach #1 on the U.S. Billboard charts. The album went on to sell over 5 million copies, and remains the fastest selling debut album released by Columbia Records.

16 – Run-D.M.C. – Raising Hell – Speaking of bands that helped popularize the rap genre, there are few that are in a league with this legendary group. Run-D.M.C., perhaps more than any other group in the 80s, helped rap music make the leap into mainstream music, and helped sustain a style that many predict would be another faze like disco had been in the 70s. Time Magazine once declared the album rap’s first masterpiece, and included it in their list of the best albums of the past 50 years. The album’s biggest single Walk This Way, a collaboration with Aerosmith, became the first hip hop song to crack the top 5 on the U.S. charts, helping to propel Raising Hell to the #6 spot on the Billboard 200.

15 – Bob Marley and the Wailers – Legend – Though most of the albums on this list are studio records, I’ve included this greatest hits album simply because it is the definitive collection of this legendary reggae artist’s career. The album is by far the best selling reggae album ever released, with worldwide sales in excess of 25 million. Legend is one of those rare compilations where each song is better than the last and the list of hits goes on and on, with classics such as I Shot the Sheriff, Buffalo Soldier, No Woman, No Cry and Stir It Up just scratching the surface. This album truly transcends genres and belongs in the collection of any music fans, regardless of their likes and dislikes.

14 – Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back – Another band with a strong political agenda, Public Enemy took advantage of the rising popularity of rap music to spread their message over lining their pockets. Featuring hard hitting lyrics by Chuck D, and the instantly recognizable back-up of Flavor Flav the album went all the way to #1 on the hip hop album charts, and with signature hits like Don’t Believe the Hype and Bring the Noise is considered not only the best work by this influential rap group, but one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time period.

13 – R.E.M. – Murmur – Though it doesn’t contain any of R.E.M.’s biggest radio hits like Losing My Religion, Stand or The One I Love this 1983 debut alternative rock album is arguably R.E.M.’s most critically acclaimed work. In fact, despite the fact that it only sold 200,000 copies in its first year Rolling Stone magazine proclaimed it the best album of 1983, beating out such heavyweights as Michael Jackson’s Thriller and The Police’s Synchronicity for the coveted accolade.

12 – INXS – Kick – Though middle-aged Australians who watched this band from its earliest days might argue that the band “sold out” with the release of this 1987 album there can be little argument that the record was one of the biggest commercial successes of all time, particularly for an Australian band. With more than 10 million copies sold in the U.S. alone, and four top ten hits, including Need You Tonight which went to #1 there are few albums that had a bigger mainstream impact in the 80s than Kick did.

11 – Peter Gabriel – So – Already famous for his time with British rock band Genesis, and for his first 4 solo albums Peter Gabriel 1,2,3 and 4 Peter Gabriel truly hit the big time as a solo artist with the 1986 of So. Featuring hits like Big Time, In Your Eyes and the #1 smash Sledgehammer the album went all the way to #1 on the UK album charts and #2 on the U.S. Billboard 200. The music video for Sledgehammer which featured cutting edge stop-motion animation is generally considered not only one of the best music videos of the 80s, but among the best of all time.

10 – Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A. – With a nickname like “The Boss” you know this guy is a legend in the music business. With the 1984 release of Born in the U.S.A. Springsteen cemented his legacy as a mainstream music superstar. With an astounding seven top 10 hits, three Grammy nominations and millions of albums sold worldwide there can be no denying The Boss his place in the top 10 albums of the 80s.

9 – Michael Jackson – Bad – Well, you knew it would be only a matter of time before this guy’s name showed up. No other artist dominated the 80s like Michael Jackson – not even close. With the release of his Thriller album Michael Jackson went from pop music star to pop music god. However, Jackson’s legions of fans would have to wait nearly 5 years for his next offering, and when Bad finally launched in the summer of 1987 and his starved fan-base snatched the album up in droves. To this day Bad has sold over 30 million copies, and its five number one Billboard Hot 100 singles (Bad, Dirty Diana, Man in the Mirror, The Way You Make Me Feel, I Just Can’t Stop Loving You) are the most from a single album in music history.

8 – Guns ‘N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction – Though groups like Poison, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi can definitely throw their hats in the ring there is only one clear choice for the title of the best hair band of the 80s. With the 1987 release of Appetite for Destruction Guns ‘N’ Roses, fronted by Axl Rose and with the now legendary Slash on lead guitar, made music history. The rock album became, and still remains, the fastest-selling debut album ever. Propelled by smash hits like Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City and Sweet Child o’ Mine the album went to #1 on the Billboard 200, and has gone on to sell more than 28 million copies.

7 – Madonna – Like a Virgin – Though her debut album Madonna which featured hits like Borderline, Holiday and Lucky Star had already made Madonna a pop star, it was her controversial 1984 album Like a Virgin that really put Madonna on the path to becoming the biggest female pop star of all time. Material Girl and title track Like a Virgin are two of Madonna’s biggest signature hits, and the accompanying music videos for both tracks made Madonna the object of desire for teenage boys everywhere back in the mid-80s.

6 – Prince – Purple Rain – Speaking of the biggest stars in pop music history there are few that measure up to Prince. When it came to commercial success this 1984 album represented the peak of Prince’s career. Massive hits like Let’s Go Crazy, When Doves Cry, Purple Rain and I Would Die 4 U launched Prince to #1 on the album charts. Coinciding with the release of the album Prince also starred in a motion picture bearing the same name as the album. Though not as critically acclaimed as the album the movie just heaped that much more attention on Prince and the album, spurring massive sales that have to date reached over 20 million copies worldwide.

5 – U2 – The Joshua Tree – If there is one band that can challenge The Rolling Stones for title of biggest in the world it would be this Irish group. For the better part of 3 decades U2 has been releasing one smash album after another, and have become legendary for putting on the best live concerts in the music business. Though they already had 4 studio albums under their belts and were certainly popular tt was the 1987 album The Joshua Tree that made U2 international superstars. The album features what are arguably the bands three biggest signature hits – With or Without You, Where the Streets Have No Name and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, with 2 of the three hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.

4 – The Clash – London Calling – Though this album was released in the UK in December of ’79, it didn’t hit U.S. shores until January of 1980 so thus slips onto the list of the greatest 80s albums on a technicality. One of the greatest punk albums of all time by one of the best punk bands, London Calling enjoyed more mainstream success than other albums in the genre, reaching #9 in the UK, and #27 on the U.S. Billboard charts. In 2007 London Calling was awarded one of the music industry’s highest honor when it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

3 – The Police – Synchronicity – The final studio album released by British pop rock band The Police was also their greatest. The album included the band’s biggest hit, Every Breath You Take which went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammys for Best Pop Performance and for Song of the Year. The album itself also went to #1 on the charts, an achievement made even more impressive due to the fact it had to temporarily unseat Michael Jackson’s monster Thriller album to do so.

2 – ACDC – Back in Black – If this was a list of the best hard rock bands of all time this Australian group would be the hands down #1 choice. ACDC has been thrilling fans for well over three decades and counting with their brand of music that walks the line between heavy metal and mainstream rock. In 1980 the band released their first studio album following the death of lead singer Bon Scott. However, fans embraced new lead singer Brian Johnson, and Back in Black took the band to new heights of stardom, with smash hits like You Shook Me All Night Long, Hells Bells, Shoot to Thrill and title track Back in Black all cracking the top 100. Back in Black has gone on to become the best-selling album by a band of all time, and the second best-selling album of all time overall with more than 45 million copies sold worldwide.

1 – Michael Jackson – Thriller – Not a lot of mystery here. There was only one logical choice for top spot on the list of the best albums of the 80s. The late legendary King of Pop set the music industry on its ear with the 1982 release of Thriller. The album went on to become the best-selling album ever with estimates of worldwide sales ranging as high as 110 million. At its peak the album was selling more than a million copies a week, and it is the only album to top the sales charts for two consecutive years, doing so in 1983 and 1984. Jackson took home a staggering 8 Grammys for his efforts at the 1984 Grammy awards. The album produced 7 top ten singles, including his signature hits Beat It, Billie Jean and the title track Thriller. The accompanying music videos to all three of the aforementioned songs are some of the best in music history, with Thriller in particular atop many lists in that category. Michael Jackson was a talent that comes along only once every few generations and Thriller represents the pinnacle of his amazing career.