UK Number One Albums in the 80s

The United Kingdom Albums Chart (currently called the Official Albums Chart) was published for the first time on July 22, 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts Company (OCC) on Fridays (previously Sundays). It is broadcast on BBC Radio 1 (top 5) and published in Music Week magazine (top 75), and on the OCC website (top 100).

To qualify for the Official Albums Chart the album must be the correct length and price. It must be more than three tracks or 20 minutes long and not be classed as a budget album. A budget album costs between £0.50 and £3.75. Additionally, various artist compilations – which until January 1989 were included in the main album listing – are now listed separately in a compilations chart. Full details of the rules can be found on the OCC website.

According to the canon of the OCC, the official British albums chart was the Melody Maker chart from November 8, 1958 to March 1960 (although the Record Mirror published charts from July 22, 1956); the Record Retailer chart from 1960 to 1969; and the Official Albums Chart from 1969 on. In the 1970s the new album chart was revealed at 12:45 pm on Thursdays on BBC Radio 1, and then moved to 6:05 pm (later 6:30 pm) on Wednesday evenings during the Peter Powell and Bruno Brookes shows. In October 1987 it moved to Monday lunchtimes, during the Gary Davies show, and from April to October 1993 it briefly had its own show from 7:00–8:00 pm on Sunday evenings, introduced by Lynn Parsons. Since October 1993 it has been included in The Official Chart show from 4:00 – 5:45 pm on Fridays (previously from 4:00 – 7:00 pm on Sundays). A weekly 'Album Chart' show was licensed out to BBC Radio 2 and presented by Simon Mayo, until it ended on April 2, 2007.

Though album sales tend to produce more revenue and, over time, act as a greater measure of an artist's success, this chart receives less media attention than the UK Singles Chart, because overall sales of an album are more important than its peak position.

The first number one album of the UK Albums Chart was Songs for Swingin' Lovers! by Frank Sinatra on July 22, 1956.

## UK Number One Albums in the 80s

### Rick Astley

***Rick Astley*** (born February 6, 1966) is an English singer, songwriter and radio personality. His 1987 song "Never Gonna Give You Up" was a No. 1 hit single in 25 countries and won the 1988 Brit Award for Best British Single. By the time of his retirement in 1993, Astley had sold approximately 40 million records worldwide.

Astley made a comeback in 2007, becoming an Internet phenomenon when the music video for "Never Gonna Give You Up" became integral to the meme known as "rickrolling". Astley was voted "Best Act Ever" by Internet users at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008, and his 2016 album 50 debuted in the UK at No. 1.

#### November 28, 1987: *Whenever You Need Somebody*

***Whenever You Need Somebody*** is the debut studio album by Rick Astley. It is his best-selling album and, according to his own official website, sold 15.2 million copies worldwide. The album was the #7 best-selling album in the UK in 1987.

* Released November 16, 1987
* One week, 4x Platinum
* Listen to *Whenever You Need Somebody* on Deezer.

### Johnny Hates Jazz

***Johnny Hates Jazz*** is a British band, currently consisting of Clark Datchler (songwriter, vocalist, keyboards) and Mike Nocito (guitarist, bassist, producer, engineer). In April 1987, they had international success with their first hit single "Shattered Dreams".

#### January 23, 1988: *Turn Back the Clock*

***Turn Back the Clock*** is the debut album by British band Johnny Hates Jazz, released at the beginning of 1988. The album, whose most famous single was "Shattered Dreams," peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart, and No. 56 on the US Billboard 200. Kim Wilde sings backing vocals on the song "Turn Back the Clock," which reached No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 10 in New Zealand.[3] The track "Foolish Heart" was originally released as a single in 1986 as "Me and My Foolish Heart."

* Released January 11, 1988
* One week, 2x Platinum
* Listen to *Turn Back the Clock* on Deezer

### George Michael

***George Michael*** (June 25, 1963 – December 25, 2016) was an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and philanthropist who rose to fame as a member of the music duo Wham! He was best known for his work in the 1980s and 1990s, including hit singles such as "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" and "Last Christmas", and albums such as *Faith* (1987) and *Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1* (1990).

George Michael released five studio albums, two compilation albums, one EP, 44 singles, three promotional singles, 31 music videos and five video albums. In his career, Michael sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time.

#### November 14, 1987: *Faith*

***Faith*** is the debut solo studio album by George Michael. It has won several awards, including the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1989.

* Released November 2, 1987
* One week (plus one week on November 2, 2017), 4x Platinum
* Listen to *Faith* on Deezer.

#### September 15, 1990: *Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1*

***Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1*** is the second solo studio album by George Michael. The album was Michael's final album of all-new material on Columbia Records until 2004's Patience. Disappointing album sales in the US led to Michael's legal battles against Sony Music, in which he accused the corporation of not fully supporting him as an artist.

* Released September 3, 1990
* One week, 4x Platinum
* Listen to *Listen Without Prejudice Vol 1* on Deezer.

#### May 25, 1996: *Older*

***Older*** is the third solo studio album by George Michael, released in Europe through Virgin Records and Aegean in the United States. The American release was the very first album released by DreamWorks Records. It was his first album since 1990's Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 – the five-and-a-half-year gap was due to the legal battle that Michael experienced with his record company. Michael dedicated three years to the recording of Older, and the album found him exploring new musical territories in a more serious fashion compared to his previous work.

At the time of release, the album was a huge commercial hit, particularly in Europe, but was received in America with a lukewarm critical approval. In the UK, the album was particularly notable for producing six top three hit singles in a two-year span, creating a record still unsurpassed. The high sales of the album presaged a re-issue of the album under the name of Older & Upper 18 months after its original release.

* Released May 13, 1996
* Three weeks, 6x Platinum
* Listen to *Older* on Deezer.

#### November 21, 1998: *Ladies & Gentlemen - The Best of George Michael*

***Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael*** is a greatest hits album by George Michael separated into two halves, with each CD containing music of a particular theme and mood. The first CD, titled "For the Heart", predominantly contains Michael's hit ballads, while the second CD, "For the Feet", comprises mostly his popular dance tunes. It was released through Sony Music Entertainment as a condition of severing contractual ties with the label.

Ladies & Gentlemen is notable for containing a large number of compilation tracks and duets that have not previously appeared on a George Michael album, including his US and UK number-one duet with Aretha Franklin, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)", previously available on Aretha Franklin's 1986 album Aretha; "Desafinado", the duet in Portuguese with Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto; and the Elton John duet "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", from John's 1993 album Duets.

After his death it was revealed by Geri Halliwell on The One Show that all the British profits of the album went to Terrence Higgins Trust.

* Released November 9, 1998

* Eight weeks, 8x Platinum
* Listen to Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael on Deezer.

### Now That's What I Call Music!

***Now That's What I Call Music!*** (1983–present), often shortened to Now!, is a series of various artists compilation albums released in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

#### December 5, 1987: Now That's What I Call Music 10

***Now That's What I Call Music 10*** or Now 10 was the first of the series to be released on double CD in addition to being available on Vinyl and audio cassette.

* Six weeks
* Released November 23, 1987
* Listen to Now That's What I Call Music 10 (Pixie1971 partial playlist) on Deezer.

### T'Pau

***T'Pau*** is a British pop group led by singer Carol Decker. They had a string of Top 40 hits in the UK in the late 1980s, most notably "China in Your Hand", "Heart and Soul" and "Valentine", and several hits in Europe, before disbanding in the early 1990s. Decker still performs under the name T'Pau at solo shows and 1980s nostalgia concerts.

#### November 21, 1987: *Bridge of Spies*

***Bridge of Spies*** is the debut album by British pop group T'Pau. For its US release, the album was renamed *T'Pau*.

* Released September 14, 1987
* One week, 4x Platinum
* Listen to *Bridge of Spies* (Prof Nostalgia playlist) on Deezer.

### Terence Trent D'Arby

Terence Trent D'Arby (born March 15, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, *Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby*, which included the singles "If You Let Me Stay", "Wishing Well", "Dance Little Sister" and "Sign Your Name".

#### July 25, 1997: Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby

***Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby*** is the debut studio album by Terence Trent D'Arby, which became an instant number one smash in the UK. Worldwide, the album sold a million copies within the first three days of going on sale.

* Released July 13, 1987
* One week, plus eight further weeks from January 30, 1988
* 5x Platinum
* Listen to *Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby* on Deezer

### Wet Wet Wet

***Wet Wet Wet*** are a Scottish band formed in 1982. They scored a number of hits in the UK charts and around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. The band is composed of Graeme Clark (bass, vocals), Tommy Cunningham (drums, vocals), and Neil Mitchell (keyboards, vocals). Lead vocalist and founding member Marti Pellow quit the band in 2017. A fifth, unofficial member, Graeme Duffin (lead guitar, vocals), has been with them since 1983. The band were named Best British Newcomer at the 1988 Brit Awards.

They are best known for their 1994 cover of The Troggs' 1960s hit "Love Is All Around", which was used on the soundtrack to the film Four Weddings and a Funeral. It was a huge international success and spent 15 weeks atop the British charts.

#### January 16, 1988: *Popped In Souled Out*

***Popped In Souled Out*** is the debut studio album by Scottish band Wet Wet Wet. Its offspring singles were "Wishing I Was Lucky", "Sweet Little Mystery", "Angel Eyes (Home and Away)" and "Temptation".

* Released September 1, 1997
* One week, 5x Platinum
* Listen to *Popped In Souled Out* on Deezer