501 Essential Albums of the '80s: The Music Fan's Definitive Guide

Break out the parachute pants, jelly shoes, and Aqua Net and indulge in this nostalgic illustrated trip through the 1980s’ most influential albums across all genres.

In 501 Essential Albums of the ’80s, Gary Graff leads a cast of fellow music journalists in presenting the music of one of the most pivotal decades in the history of recorded music…the decade that gave us some of the most monstrous-selling albums ever and introduced more and more listeners to emergent genres like indie rock and hip-hop.

With lively descriptions of the releases and nearly 600 images, this hefty volume curates 501 albums spanning genres and subgenres—pop, rock, hip-hop, R&B, metal, country, college and indie rock, and more—and features:

Year-by-year organization
Knowledgeable rundowns of every album featured
Album art for each selection
Artist imagery
Record label, release date, and producer(s) for each
Soundtracks and compilation releases


The journalists detail the circumstances of the releases, notable singles from each, their influence on contemporary and later artists…in short, why each is considered one of the best of the decade.

Madonna or Michael, Prince or the Police, Bruce or Black Flag, Men at Work or Mötley Crüe—whatever your tastes, you will relish this ultimate retrospective of the decade’s music.