10 Best-Selling Rock Albums Of The 1980s
People in the 80s just couldn't get enough of these monster hits.
Making music is all about expressing yourself.
It's about reaching down deep inside and presenting the world with something that will spark others to take time to reflect on their inner-most feelings.
Oh, and money.
It's also about making money.
In case you hadn't heard, musicians make boatloads of cash. Well, they do if they're famous.
The 1980s was a great to be a famous musician, as some of the best-selling albums of all time were brought into the world.
Monster hits from the likes of Michael Jackson, Queen, Phil Collins, Whitney Houston and many more all sold in their millions, helping those hard-up executives buy that yacht they'd always dreamed about.
In terms of rock music, some of the biggest unit-shifters of all time were released in the 80s. The following ten albums have all sold tens of millions of copies since they first came out and show no signs of slowing down.
Accurate sales figures are near-impossible to find, so we've used the accepted estimates in most of these entries. Also, no greatest hits or soundtracks were counted, so it's just studio releases from here on out.
Got that? Good.
10. New Jersey - Bon Jovi (19,000,000)
The 1980s were a great time to be in the orbit of Bon Jovi.
The gods of hair metal exploded in popularity in 1986 with the release of their third album (more on that later) and have gone on to become one of the symbols of 80s rock for millions of people born nowhere near the decade.
Their final 80s release came out in 1988 and paid homage to the group's home state. New Jersey was the band's attempt to prove that they were not just a one-hit wonder and boy, were they right.
The record was a huge hit across the world. It topped the charts in Canada, Australia, Finland, and Switzerland. In fact, the only nation where it didn't crack the top ten was The Netherlands, where it only reached number 36!
What do they have against Bon Jovi?
At home, New Jersey also went to number one and shifted around 7 million copies to American fans. This, combined with the record's global success, leaves us with an estimate sales figure of 19 million units.
A strong showing all round - unless you're Dutch.
You lot need to up your game.