Six remarkable and unforgettable debut albums from the 1980s

What about the 1980s for music? It’s another great decade with a broad mix of styles and genres. Electro, synth, and techno all came to the fore. New wave helped us with the gradual transition from punk. And of course, R&B, soul, and Rock and Roll were all heavily in the mix.

There were massive selling albums from established artists. Michael Jackson sold over 100 million copies in total of his Thriller and Bad albums. AC/DC hit the heights then too with Back in Black, their first album after the death of lead singer Bon Scott. And that hot hit movie from 1987 Dirty Dancing, had its soundtrack album spend 18 weeks at number one on the US Billboard 200.

The decade also saw many great acts emerge. The fabulous Eurythmics, The Beastie Boys, Whitney Houston and Madonna to name just a few. Some acts new in the 1980s are still going strong today. 

Fantastic debut albums from the 1980s

U2, for example, released their debut album Boy in 1980 in the UK and followed it with their first tour of Europe and the US. Who'd have thought that some 40-plus years later they'd be coming towards the last weeks of a five-month residency with their phenomenal show at the Sphere, the stunning new immersive venue in Las Vegas?

Other artists came and went, but left very impressive music catalogues behind them after their excellent debut albums. Let’s take a look at six very remarkable and memorable debut albums from that decade.