All the Number 1 albums of the 1980s

October 10 marks National Album Day, the UK's leading initiative that celebrates the UK's enduring love for the album format, organised by the BPI in association with Bowers & Wilkins.

The theme for the third annual National Album Day is the Eighties, giving the nation a chance to reflect on their favourite albums from that iconic decade. For the first time ever, event-exclusive coloured vinyl reissues are hitting the high street to commemorate NAD, with records from the likes of Duran Duran, Meat Loaf and Cyndi Lauper up for grabs.

We're taking it back to the 80s too in celebration, looking back at every Number 1 album of the decade. Take a trip down memory lane below.

MORE: The biggest albums of every year since 1956

1980

1980 was a hugely successful year for ABBA. They started the year at Number 1 with Greatest Hits Volume 2, and their studio album Super Trouper was the year's best-selling album. It also spawned the two chart-topping singles The Winner Takes It All, and the title track. To top it all off Super Trouper was the year's Christmas Number 1 album and spent more weeks ruling the Official Albums Chart than any other album in 1980.

MORE: ABBA's greatest hits collection Gold is the longest-running Top 100 album ever

DATE	TITLE	ARTIST	WKS AT NO.1
12/01/1980	GREATEST HITS VOLUME 2	ABBA	1
19/01/1980	PRETENDERS	PRETENDERS	4
16/02/1980	THE LAST DANCE	VARIOUS ARTISTS	2
01/03/1980	STRING OF HITS	SHADOWS	3
22/03/1980	TEARS AND LAUGHTER	JOHNNY MATHIS	2
05/04/1980	DUKE	GENESIS	2
19/04/1980	GREATEST HITS	ROSE ROYCE	2
03/05/1980	SKY 2	SKY	2
17/05/1980	THE MAGIC OF BONEY M	BONEY M	2
31/05/1980	MCCARTNEY II	PAUL MCCARTNEY	2
14/06/1980	PETER GABRIEL	PETER GABRIEL	2
28/06/1980	FLESH AND BLOOD	ROXY MUSIC	1
05/07/1980	EMOTIONAL RESCUE	ROLLING STONES	2
19/07/1980	THE GAME	QUEEN	2
02/08/1980	DEEPEST PURPLE	DEEP PURPLE	1
09/08/1980	BACK IN BLACK	AC/DC	2
23/08/1980	FLESH AND BLOOD	ROXY MUSIC	3
13/09/1980	TELEKON	GARY NUMAN	1
20/09/1980	NEVER FOR EVER	KATE BUSH	1
27/09/1980	SCARY MONSTERS AND SUPER CREEPS	DAVID BOWIE	2
11/10/1980	ZENYATTA MONDATTA	POLICE	4
08/11/1980	GUILTY	BARBRA STREISAND	2
22/11/1980	SUPER TROUPER	ABBA	9

1981

1981 saw huge Number 1 albums from the likes of Phil Collins, The Human League and The Police, but it was Adam & The Ants who dominated. Their second album Kings of the Wild Frontier shifted the most copies that year, spent 12 weeks at Number 1 and spawned three UK Top 5 singles.

The year also saw the release of Queen's Greatest Hits. Spending a respectable four consecutive weeks at Number 1, the album would go on to become the UK's best-selling of all time.

MORE: 50 incredible Official Chart facts about Queen

DATE	TITLE	ARTIST	WKS AT NO.1
24/01/1981	KINGS OF THE WILD FRONTIER	ADAM & THE ANTS	2
07/02/1981	DOUBLE FANTASY	JOHN LENNON & YOKO ONO	2
21/02/1981	FACE VALUE	PHIL COLLINS	3
14/03/1981	KINGS OF THE WILD FRONTIER	ADAM & THE ANTS	10
23/05/1981	STARS ON 45	STAR SOUND	5
27/06/1981	NO SLEEP TILL HAMMERSMITH	MOTORHEAD	1
04/07/1981	DISCO DAZE AND DISCO NITES	VARIOUS ARTISTS	1
11/07/1981	LOVE SONGS	CLIFF RICHARD	5
15/08/1981	THE OFFICIAL BBC ALBUM OF THE ROYAL WEDDING	VARIOUS ARTISTS	2
29/08/1981	TIME	ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA	2
12/09/1981	DEAD RINGER	MEAT LOAF	2
26/09/1981	ABACAB	GENESIS	2
10/10/1981	GHOST IN THE MACHINE	POLICE	3
31/10/1981	DARE!	HUMAN LEAGUE	1
07/11/1981	SHAKY	SHAKIN' STEVENS	1
14/11/1981	GREATEST HITS	QUEEN	4
12/12/1981	CHART HITS '81	VARIOUS ARTISTS	1
19/12/1981	THE VISITORS	ABBA	3

1982

The Human League kicked off the year by returning to Number 1 after they captured 1981's Christmas Number 1 single Don't You Want Me. Barbra Streisand picked up the year's biggest album with nine-week chart-topper Love Songs.

MORE: The female solo artists with the most UK Number 1 albums

However when it comes to longevity, The Kids From Fame ruled the roost for 12 non-consecutive weeks with their self-titled album, and as the famous Irene Cara song from the accompanying Fame film goes, those kids are "gonna live forever" in chart history.

DATE	TITLE	ARTIST	WKS AT NO.1
09/01/1982	DARE!	HUMAN LEAGUE	3
30/01/1982	LOVE SONGS	BARBRA STREISAND	7
20/03/1982	THE GIFT	JAM	1
27/03/1982	LOVE SONGS	BARBRA STREISAND	2
10/04/1982	THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST	IRON MAIDEN	2
24/04/1982	1982	STATUS QUO	1
01/05/1982	BARRY LIVE IN BRITAIN	BARRY MANILOW	1
08/05/1982	TUG OF WAR	PAUL MCCARTNEY	2
22/05/1982	COMPLETE MADNESS	MADNESS	2
05/06/1982	AVALON	ROXY MUSIC	1
12/06/1982	COMPLETE MADNESS	MADNESS	1
19/06/1982	AVALON	ROXY MUSIC	2
03/07/1982	THE LEXICON OF LOVE	ABC	4
24/07/1982	FAME	ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK	2
07/08/1982	THE KIDS FROM FAME	KIDS FROM FAME	8
02/10/1982	LOVE OVER GOLD	DIRE STRAITS	4
30/10/1982	THE KIDS FROM FAME	KIDS FROM FAME	4
27/11/1982	THE SINGLES - THE FIRST TEN YEARS	ABBA	1
04/12/1982	THE JOHN LENNON COLLECTION	JOHN LENNON	6

1983

Unbelievably debuting at only Number 29 on the Official Albums Chart in November 1982, it wasn't long before Michael Jackson's Thriller took the world by storm with its second single Billie Jean and third single Beat It. Thriller is the seventh best-selling album of all-time in the UK, reaching sales of 4.4 million.

MORE: Artists with the most Top 10 singles in the UK

DATE	TITLE	ARTIST	WKS AT NO.1
15/01/1983	RAIDERS OF THE POP CHARTS	VARIOUS ARTISTS	2
29/01/1983	BUSINESS AS USUAL	MEN AT WORK	5
05/03/1983	THRILLER	MICHAEL JACKSON	1
12/03/1983	WAR	U2	1
19/03/1983	THRILLER	MICHAEL JACKSON	1
26/03/1983	THE HURTING	TEARS FOR FEARS	1
02/04/1983	THE FINAL CUT	PINK FLOYD	2
16/04/1983	FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF NIGHT	BONNIE TYLER	1
23/04/1983	LET'S DANCE	DAVID BOWIE	3
14/05/1983	TRUE	SPANDAU BALLET	1
21/05/1983	THRILLER	MICHAEL JACKSON	5
25/06/1983	SYNCHRONICITY	POLICE	2
09/07/1983	FANTASTIC!	WHAM!	2
23/07/1983	YOU AND ME BOTH	YAZOO	2
06/08/1983	THE VERY BEST OF THE BEACH BOYS	BEACH BOYS	2
20/08/1983	18 GREATEST HITS	MICHAEL JACKSON PLUS THE JACKSON FIVE	3
10/09/1983	THE VERY BEST OF THE BEACH BOYS	BEACH BOYS	1
17/09/1983	NO PARLEZ	PAUL YOUNG	1
24/09/1983	LABOUR OF LOVE	UB40	1
01/10/1983	NO PARLEZ	PAUL YOUNG	2
15/10/1983	GENESIS	GENESIS	1
22/10/1983	COLOUR BY NUMBERS	CULTURE CLUB	3
12/11/1983	CAN'T SLOW DOWN	LIONEL RICHIE	1
19/11/1983	COLOUR BY NUMBERS	CULTURE CLUB	2
03/12/1983	SEVEN AND THE RAGGED TIGER	DURAN DURAN	1
10/12/1983	NO PARLEZ	PAUL YOUNG	1
17/12/1983	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC	VARIOUS ARTISTS	4

1984

Bob Marley & The Wailers' greatest hits Legend spent a whopping 12 weeks at Number 1 in 1984, and has gone on to become the album with the second-most weeks ever accumulated in the Official Albums Chart, with over 900 logged in the Top 100.

And while Legend's tenure at the top was long, it wasn't 1984's biggest album. Sales wise Lionel Richie came out on top with Can't Slow Down. The two-week chart-topper features the Top 10 singles All Night Long (All Night), Running with the Night and Number 1 smash Hello.

MORE: Official Charts' Pop Genius Quiz: The Eighties

DATE	TITLE	ARTIST	WKS AT NO.1
14/01/1984	NO PARLEZ	PAUL YOUNG	1
21/01/1984	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC	VARIOUS ARTISTS	1
28/01/1984	THRILLER	MICHAEL JACKSON	1
04/02/1984	TOUCH	EURYTHMICS	2
18/02/1984	SPARKLE IN THE RAIN	SIMPLE MINDS	1
25/02/1984	INTO THE GAP	THOMPSON TWINS	3
17/03/1984	HUMAN'S LIB	HOWARD JONES	2
31/03/1984	CAN'T SLOW DOWN	LIONEL RICHIE	2
14/04/1984	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC II	VARIOUS ARTISTS	5
19/05/1984	LEGEND - THE BEST OF BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS	BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS	12
11/08/1984	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 3	VARIOUS ARTISTS	8
06/10/1984	TONIGHT	DAVID BOWIE	1
13/10/1984	THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE	U2	2
27/10/1984	STEELTOWN	BIG COUNTRY	1
03/11/1984	GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROAD STREET (OST)	PAUL MCCARTNEY	1
10/11/1984	WELCOME TO THE PLEASUREDOME	FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD	1
17/11/1984	MAKE IT BIG	WHAM!	2
01/12/1984	THE HITS ALBUM/THE HITS TAPE - 32 ORIGINAL HITS	VARIOUS ARTISTS	7

1985

Before they had their own chart, multiple artist compilations were allowed on the Official Albums Chart, and they were all the rage in 1985, with The Hits Album 2 spending six weeks at Number 1, and NOW That's What I Call Music! 5 tallying five weeks on top.

MORE: Every Number 1 album by a female solo artist

Close behind them with four weeks at Number 1 was Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms. It topped the charts in April and returned to the top in August, making it a mainstay seller for much of the year. Its success ran into 1986 too, when it spent even more time at the top - 10 weeks from January through March.

1985 also saw seminal albums from the likes of Kate Bush and Bruce Springsteen reach the helm of the Official Albums Chart.

DATE	TITLE	ARTIST	WKS AT NO.1
19/01/1985	ALF	ALISON MOYET	1
26/01/1985	AGENT PROVOCATEUR	FOREIGNER	3
16/02/1985	BORN IN THE U.S.A.	BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN	1
23/02/1985	MEAT IS MURDER	SMITHS	1
02/03/1985	NO JACKET REQUIRED	PHIL COLLINS	5
06/04/1985	THE SECRET OF ASSOCIATION	PAUL YOUNG	1
13/04/1985	THE HITS ALBUM 2/THE HITS TAPE 2	VARIOUS ARTISTS	6
25/05/1985	BROTHERS IN ARMS	DIRE STRAITS	2
08/06/1985	OUR FAVOURITE SHOP	STYLE COUNCIL	1
15/06/1985	BOYS AND GIRLS	BRYAN FERRY	2
29/06/1985	MISPLACED CHILDHOOD	MARILLION	1
06/07/1985	BORN IN THE U.S.A.	BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN	4
03/08/1985	BROTHERS IN ARMS	DIRE STRAITS	2
17/08/1985	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 5	VARIOUS ARTISTS	5
21/09/1985	LIKE A VIRGIN	MADONNA	1
28/09/1985	HOUNDS OF LOVE	KATE BUSH	2
12/10/1985	LIKE A VIRGIN	MADONNA	1
19/10/1985	HOUNDS OF LOVE	KATE BUSH	1
26/10/1985	THE LOVE SONGS	GEORGE BENSON	1
02/11/1985	ONCE UPON A TIME	SIMPLE MINDS	1
09/11/1985	THE LOVE SONGS	GEORGE BENSON	1
16/11/1985	PROMISE	SADE	2
30/11/1985	THE GREATEST HITS OF 1985	VARIOUS ARTISTS	1
07/12/1985	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 6	VARIOUS ARTISTS	2
21/12/1985	NOW - THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM	VARIOUS ARTISTS	2

1986

The classic stop-motion music video for Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer was *everywhere* in 1986, resulting in his most successful album So topping the chart for two weeks.

The best-seller of the year was Madonna's True Blue, her third album that saw Madonna shoot into the realms of superstardom that her previous album Like A Virgin had cemented. True Blue spent six weeks leading the pack and spawned three Number 1 singles Papa Don't Preach, True Blue and Isla Bonita.

MORE: 60 incredible chart facts and feats about Madonna

DATE	TITLE	ARTIST	WKS AT NO.1
04/01/1986	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 6	VARIOUS ARTISTS	2
18/01/1986	BROTHERS IN ARMS	DIRE STRAITS	10
29/03/1986	HITS 4	VARIOUS ARTISTS	4
26/04/1986	STREET LIFE - 20 GREAT HITS	BRYAN FERRY & ROXY MUSIC	5
31/05/1986	SO	PETER GABRIEL	2
14/06/1986	A KIND OF MAGIC	QUEEN	1
21/06/1986	INVISIBLE TOUCH	GENESIS	3
12/07/1986	TRUE BLUE	MADONNA	6
23/08/1986	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 7	VARIOUS ARTISTS	5
27/09/1986	SILK AND STEEL	FIVE STAR	1
04/10/1986	GRACELAND	PAUL SIMON	5
08/11/1986	EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE - THE SINGLES	POLICE	2
22/11/1986	HITS 5	VARIOUS ARTISTS	2
06/12/1986	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 8	VARIOUS ARTISTS	6

1987

1987 saw Whitney Houston come into her own, with her self-titled spending six weeks at Number 1. Featuring classics like chart topper I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) and So Emotional, how could it not?!

How to top Thriller was surely a dilemma for Michael Jackson, and in some ways he did so with Bad. Much like Thriller, it was a best-selling release of the year, and while his previous set spent longer at Number 1, Bad produced more Top 10 hits than its predecessor, and is one of just eight studio albums to feature seven or more UK Top 10 singles.

MORE: Every Number 1 album in UK chart history

DATE	TITLE	ARTIST	WKS AT NO.1
17/01/1987	THE WHOLE STORY	KATE BUSH	2
31/01/1987	GRACELAND	PAUL SIMON	3
21/02/1987	THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA	LONDON STAGE CAST	3
14/03/1987	THE VERY BEST OF HOT CHOCOLATE	HOT CHOCOLATE	1
21/03/1987	THE JOSHUA TREE	U2	2
04/04/1987	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 9	VARIOUS ARTISTS	5
09/05/1987	KEEP YOUR DISTANCE	CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT	2
23/05/1987	IT'S BETTER TO TRAVEL	SWING OUT SISTER	2
06/06/1987	LIVE IN THE CITY OF LIGHT	SIMPLE MINDS	1
13/06/1987	WHITNEY	WHITNEY HOUSTON	6
25/07/1987	INTRODUCING THE HARDLINE ACCORDING TO TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY	TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY	1
01/08/1987	HITS 6	VARIOUS ARTISTS	4
29/08/1987	HYSTERIA	DEF LEPPARD	1
05/09/1987	HITS 6	VARIOUS ARTISTS	1
12/09/1987	BAD	MICHAEL JACKSON	5
17/10/1987	TUNNEL OF LOVE	BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN	1
24/10/1987	NOTHING LIKE THE SUN	STING	1
31/10/1987	TANGO IN THE NIGHT	FLEETWOOD MAC	2
14/11/1987	FAITH	GEORGE MICHAEL	1
21/11/1987	BRIDGE OF SPIES	T'PAU	1
28/11/1987	WHENEVER YOU NEED SOMEBODY	RICK ASTLEY	1
05/12/1987	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 10	VARIOUS ARTISTS	6

1988

Kylie Minogue arrived on the scene and she did so in style, bagging 1988's best-selling album with her six-week Number 1 Kylie, which featured the four Top 2 singles. Over 30 years on, Kylie has had a chart-topping album in each of the last four decades.

MORE: The acts with the most Number 1s on the UK's Official Albums Chart

The longest-reigning Number 1 of the year was Terence Trent D'arby's debut album Introducing the Hardline According To... which logged eight weeks in pole position in 1988, and had also managed one week at the helm the previous year.

DATE	TITLE	ARTIST	WKS AT NO.1
16/01/1988	POPPED IN SOULED OUT	WET WET WET	1
23/01/1988	TURN BACK THE CLOCK	JOHNNY HATES JAZZ	1
30/01/1988	INTRODUCING THE HARDLINE ACCORDING TO TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY	TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY	8
26/03/1988	VIVA HATE	MORRISSEY	1
02/04/1988	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 11	VARIOUS ARTISTS	3
23/04/1988	SEVENTH SON OF A SEVENTH SON	IRON MAIDEN	1
30/04/1988	THE INNOCENTS	ERASURE	1
07/05/1988	TANGO IN THE NIGHT	FLEETWOOD MAC	2
21/05/1988	LOVESEXY	PRINCE	1
28/05/1988	TANGO IN THE NIGHT	FLEETWOOD MAC	1
04/06/1988	NITE FLITE	VARIOUS ARTISTS	4
02/07/1988	TRACY CHAPMAN	TRACY CHAPMAN	3
23/07/1988	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 12	VARIOUS ARTISTS	5
27/08/1988	KYLIE	KYLIE MINOGUE	4
24/09/1988	HOT CITY NIGHTS	VARIOUS ARTISTS	1
01/10/1988	NEW JERSEY	BON JOVI	2
15/10/1988	FLYING COLOURS	CHRIS DE BURGH	1
22/10/1988	RATTLE AND HUM	U2	1
29/10/1988	MONEY FOR NOTHING	DIRE STRAITS	3
19/11/1988	KYLIE	KYLIE MINOGUE	2
03/12/1988	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 13	VARIOUS ARTISTS	3
24/12/1988	PRIVATE COLLECTION 1979-1988	CLIFF RICHARD	2

1989

In the 1980s, there was no Kylie Minogue without Jason Donovan! Neighbours co-star Jason's debut album Ten Good Reasons featured a trio of UK Number 1 singles and was the best-seller of 1989.

Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan spent six weeks at Number 1 with Cuts Both Ways, the most of any artist that year.

MORE: Every artist who has scored the Official UK Chart double

DATE	TITLE	ARTIST	WKS AT NO.1
07/01/1989	NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC 13	VARIOUS ARTISTS	1
14/01/1989	THE INNOCENTS	ERASURE	1
21/01/1989	THE LEGENDARY ROY ORBISON	ROY ORBISON	3
11/02/1989	TECHNIQUE	NEW ORDER	1
18/02/1989	THE RAW AND THE COOKED	FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS	1
25/02/1989	A NEW FLAME	SIMPLY RED	4
25/03/1989	ANYTHING FOR YOU	GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE	1
01/04/1989	LIKE A PRAYER	MADONNA	2
15/04/1989	WHEN THE WORLD KNOWS YOUR NAME	DEACON BLUE	2
29/04/1989	A NEW FLAME	SIMPLY RED	1
06/05/1989	BLAST!	HOLLY JOHNSON	1
13/05/1989	STREET FIGHTING YEARS	SIMPLE MINDS	1
20/05/1989	TEN GOOD REASONS	JASON DONOVAN	2
03/06/1989	THE MIRACLE	QUEEN	1
10/06/1989	TEN GOOD REASONS	JASON DONOVAN	2
24/06/1989	FLOWERS IN THE DIRT	PAUL MCCARTNEY	1
01/07/1989	BATMAN (OST)	PRINCE	1
08/07/1989	VELVETEEN	TRANSVISION VAMP	1
15/07/1989	CLUB CLASSICS VOLUME ONE	SOUL II SOUL	1
22/07/1989	A NEW FLAME	SIMPLY RED	2
05/08/1989	CUTS BOTH WAYS	GLORIA ESTEFAN	6
16/09/1989	ASPECTS OF LOVE	LONDON STAGE CAST	1
23/09/1989	WE TOO ARE ONE	EURYTHMICS	1
30/09/1989	FOREIGN AFFAIR	TINA TURNER	1
07/10/1989	THE SEEDS OF LOVE	TEARS FOR FEARS	1
14/10/1989	CROSSROADS	TRACY CHAPMAN	1
21/10/1989	ENJOY YOURSELF	KYLIE MINOGUE	1
28/10/1989	WILD!	ERASURE	2
11/11/1989	THE ROAD TO HELL	CHRIS REA	3
02/12/1989	... BUT SERIOUSLY	PHIL COLLINS	5