For most artists in the 80s, it was either go big or go home. The music industry hit towering new heights in the decade, fueled by the dawn of MTV and a whole new era of stars. An influx of mega-albums that spawned numerous hits drove that rise.
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We can’t say that all of those multi-platinum albums were created equal in terms of quality. But we know that these four LPs, all among the top 25 biggest sellers of the decade, matched the art with the commerce.
‘Synchronicity’ by The Police (1983)
No massive album in the 80s came as close to not existing as Synchronicity. For all their success, the three members of The Police simply couldn’t get along when the time arrived to make their fifth album. (Turns out they’re still not on the same page.) At one point, they held a meeting to decide whether to even bother making another album. Luckily, they put aside the animosity and cranked out one of the biggest and best last albums in rock history. The hits (“Every Breath You Take”, “King Of Pain”, and “Wrapped Around Your Finger”) went way deeper than the average pop songs at the time. Believe it or not, they briefly tried to pull together again a few years later, but the sessions crumbled, leaving this as a stunning swan song.
‘Purple Rain’ by Prince And The Revolution
Considering that he had just made his biggest pop impact with the singles from his 1999 album (released in 1982), Prince easily could have hunkered down and focused on the follow-up. But he raised the degree of difficulty by using his newest songs to fuel a semi-autobiographical film that he’d also spearhead. Purple Rain easily could have turned into a folly in lesser hands. But Prince thrived, in part because he had a steady band (the Revolution) to help bring his ideas to life. This is one of those albums that doesn’t have a single miss on it. The anthems (“When Doves Cry”, “Let’s Go Crazy”, the title track) intermingle smoothly with the personal laments (“The Beautiful Ones”) and the statements of weirdness (“Computer Blue”).
‘Born In The U.S.A.’ by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen tore himself apart at the thought of releasing Born In The U.S.A. He clearly had an inkling that his turn towards the commercial would elevate him to new levels of stardom. And he wasn’t sure if he wanted to make that commitment in his life. Of course, he went for it and was rewarded with a never-ending string of hit singles from the album. Amazingly enough, you could make the argument that two non-singles (“No Surrender” and “Bobby Jean”) are the best things here. That shows off the depth of this LP. The guy had about 70 songs from which to choose when it came down to it. Kudos to Springsteen and key collaborators like producer Jon Landau for getting the absolute maximum out of what he had.
‘Brothers In Arms’ by Dire Straits
The previous three albums on this list came from artists who seemed ready-made for pop idol status. You could in no way say that about Dire Straits. As respected as they were in the rock community, their most recent releases prior to Brothers In Arms hadn’t produced anything close to mainstream radio exposure. And their frontman, Mark Knopfler, didn’t like playing the fame game. But then “Money For Nothing” happened, and the floodgates opened. When you listen to Brothers In Arms these days, you don’t hear a band reaching for hits. Dire Straits still did what they did best, from breezy shuffles (“Walk Of Life”) to moody art pieces (the title track). The audience simply met them at their artistic peak.
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