10 Best-Selling Rock Albums Of The 1980s
2. Appetite For Destruction - Guns N’ Roses (30,000,000)
Not only is this the runner-up on this list today, but this is also the only debut album to be recognised as one of the best-selling of the 80s.
In 1987, Guns N' Roses totally changed the game. Initially a poor seller, Appetite for Destruction eventually built up some momentum a year after its release and it just didn't stop.
Thanks to songs like Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City, and Sweet Child O' Mine, GNR quickly became the hottest band on the block and they had the stats to prove it.
Over twelve months after its release, Appetite for Destruction finally topped the US charts in the summer of 1988. It would go on to become the seventh best-selling album in US history with total sales of 18 million.
In total, the album has been bought over 30 million times, putting it in the esteemed ranks of the world's most-purchased records. It has remained consistently popular too, often appearing in lists of best debuts, best 80s rock albums, and best rock albums in general.
Appetite for Destruction just goes to show that, sometimes, success takes a little bit of time.