Dave's Music Hall of Fame: Album Inductees (May 2023)

The Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums Originally posted 5/22/2023. January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog. To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This month marks the eighteenth group of album inductees. These are taken from are taken from the DMDB’s top pop albums of all time list. The focus of this set inductees is only on those pop albums from the ‘60s through ‘80s. Previous inductees to fit this category are Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet, Def Leppard’s Hysteria, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Journey’s Escape, Carole King’s Tapestry, The Police’s Synchronicity, Prince’s Purple Rain, Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A., U2’s The Joshua Tree, Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life, the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, the Grease soundtrack, and the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. See the full list of album inductees here.

The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night (1964) Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

The Beatles’ third album featured all original songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney – and what a collection it was. In addition to the chart-topping title cut and “Can’t Buy Me Love,” the album featured “I Should Have Known Better,” “And I Love Her,” and “If I Fell.” The U.S. version topped the charts for 14 weeks but was vastly inferior with only 8 of the 14 cuts from the UK version and four unnecessary instrumentals. Read more.

The Beatles Help! (1965) Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

As impressive as A Hard Day’s Night was, the Beatles outdid themselves with Help! Once again, the U.S. version was a truncated collection rounded out by unnecessary instrumentals. Both the U.S. and UK versions featured the #1’s “Help!” and “Ticket to Ride,” but the latter album also had “Yesterday,” another #1 in the U.S. The collection also included “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” and “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl.” Read more.

Phil Collins No Jacket Required (1985) Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

A Facebook post by Amanti Del Rock famously claimed that in the 1980s, one out of every four songs on the radio was by Phil Collins. While it was a humorously exaggerated claim, he did seem to be inescapable that decade, alternating between solo hits and success with his band Genesis. No Jacket Required was the album that established Collins as a superstar, giving him #1 hits with “One More Night” and “Sussudio” as well as top-10 hits “Don’t Lose My Number” and “Take Me Home.” The Grammy winner for Album of the Year would sell more than 25 million copies worldwide. Read more.

Whitney Houston Whitney (1987) Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

Whitney Houston’s self-titled debut album sent three songs to #1, setting up an impossibly high bar for her sophomore effort. Whitney pulled off the unthinkable – another four chart-toppers, including the iconic “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” It gave her a record seven consecutive #1 songs. The album spent eleven weeks atop the Billboard album chart and sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Read more.

Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989) Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

Jackson’s 1986 album Control gave her five top-ten hits, putting her in the top tier pop echelon alongside her famous brother Michael. His Thriller album spawned a record-setting seven top-tens. Janet outdid him with seven top-five hits from her Rhythm Nation 1814 album – four of them went all the way to #1. Read more.

Michael Jackson Bad (1987) Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

Michael Jackson faced an impossible task in creating a follow-up to Thriller, the best-selling album of all time. Bad would still sell an impressive 35 million copies worldwide and it would outdo its predecessor on one front. It became the first album in history to generate five chart-topping hits. Read more.

Billy Joel The Stranger (1977) Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

Billy Joel landed his first top-40 hit in 1973 with the iconic “Piano Man” but couldn’t match that accomplishment over his next couple of albums. 1977’s The Stranger, however, established Joel as a pop force to be reckoned with. He had a #3 hit with “Just the Way You Are” as well as top-40 hits “Movin’ Out,” “”Only the Good Die Young,” and “She’s Always a Woman.” The Grammy Hall of Fame inductee was his most successful album, selling 15 million copies worldwide. Read more.

Cyndi Lauper She’s So Unusual (1983) Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

Lauper’s video for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” was a perfect fit for MTV, showcasing her vibrant personality and equally colorful wardrobe. It became a fun party song that was also embraced as a message of female empowerment. It could have been a one-hit wonder, but she followed it with the chart-topping “Time After Time,” a ballad that showed she had some depth as well. She also landed top-five hits with “She Bop” and “All Through the Night.” She won the Grammy for Best New Artist and garnered nominations for Album, Record, and Song of the Year. Read more.

Madonna Like a Virgin (1984) Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

It isn’t often one can pinpoint the exact moment someone became a star. With Madonna, it was when she sang “Like a Virgin” while she writhed on stage in a wedding dress at the MTV Video Music Awards. The song spent six weeks at #1 and propelled the album of the same name to the top as well. The album also generated the top-five hits “Material Girl,” “Angel,” and “Dress You Up.” As if that weren’t enough, in the middle of the album’s success, she also topped the charts with “Crazy for You” from the movie Vision Quest and, in the UK, with “Into the Groove” from Desperately Seeking Susan. Read more.

George Michael Faith (1987) Inducted May 2023 as “Top Classic Pop (‘60s to ‘80s) Albums.”

George Michael sailed to success with Wham! and the #1 hit “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” He followed that with his own chart-topping “Careless Whisper,” making it clear that he was on the verge of becoming a breakout solo star. His 1987 album Faith more than accomplished that task. It generated four #1 songs, spent twelve weeks atop the Billboard album chart, and sold 25 million copies worldwide. It also won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Read more.

Whitney Houston Whitney hit #1

Whitney Whitney Houston

Released: June 2, 1987 Peak: 111 US, 2 RB, 16 UK, 16 CN, 13 AU Sales (in millions): 10.8 US, 2.24 UK, 24.3 world (includes US and UK), 28.32 EAS Genre: pop/R&B

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. I Wanna Dance with Somebody Who Loves Me (4/30/87, 12 BB, 13 BA, 12 CB, 13 GR, 13 RR, 13 AC, 2 RB, 12 UK, 11 CN, 15 AU) Just the Lonely Talking Again Love Will Save the Day (5/28/88, 9 BB, 11 CB, 6 GR, 7 RR, 10 AC, 5 RB, 10 UK, 8 CN, 77 AU) Didn’t We Almost Have It All (7/31/87, 12 BB, 11 BA, 12 CB, 11 GR, 11 RR, 13 AC, 2 RB, 14 UK, 2 CN, 27 AU) So Emotional (10/30/87, 11 BB, 4 CB, 2 GR, 11 RR, 8 AC, 5 RB, 5 UK, 9 CN, 26 AU) Where You Are Love Is a Contact Sport You’re Still My Man For the Love of You Where Do Broken Hearts Go (2/25/88, 12 BB, 11 BA, 11 CB, 11 GR, 11 RR, 13 AC, 2 RB, 14 UK, 6 CN, 48 AU) I Know Him So Well (with Cissy Houston) (11/30/88, --)

Rating: 4.043 out of 5.00 (average of 31 ratings) Quotable: The album that “established Houston as the era’s top female star.” – Ron Wynn, AllMusic.com Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Whitney Houston’s eponymous debut made her a star, selling 13 million in the U.S. and spending 14 weeks atop the Billboard album chart. The album fueled three #1 pop songs and a fourth hit which went to #3. After such miraculous success her first time out, a sophomore slump seemed inevitable. Instead, Whitney burst out of the gates as big as ever with 1987’s Whitney. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart TB putting her in elite company with Elton John, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen, WK making her the first female artist to accomplish the feat. The first single, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, became Whitney’s fourth consecutive #1 song. It was produced by Narada Michael Walden, who produced “How Will I Know” on her first album. He produced seven of the eleven tracks on Whitney. The song won the American Music Award for Pop/Rock Song of the Year and ranks in the top 1% of all songs, according to Dave’s Music Database. The second single, Didn’t We Almost Have It All, was another chart topper. It was produced by Michael Masser, who also produced the #1 hits “Saving All My Love for You” and “Greatest Love of All” on Houston’s first album. He also produced You’re Still My Man for the Whitney album. The latter “was originally recorded for the first album but was left off because Clive Davis felt it would be too much pop.” WK The album’s next two singles, So Emotional and Where Do Broken Hearts Go, were also produced by Warren. Both topped the Billboard Hot 100, making Houston the first artist in history to rack up seven consecutive #1 songs. AB She also tied the record for most #1 songs from one album, a feat which would be broken with Michael Jackson’s Bad album, released later that year. WK Love Will Save the Day, the fifth single from the album, failed to reach #1 but did make the top 10, giving Whitney Houston five top-10 hits from the album. Outside the U.S., I Know Him So Well was also released as a single. Like its predecessor, Whitney became one of the top 100 all-time worldwide bestsellers and one of the top 100 biggest #1 albums in U.S. chart history. It also got a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Not surprisingly, the album “established Houston as the era’s top female star. She later went on to more than solidify that status, with other hit albums and a budding film career. While this is a far cry from soul, it’s the ultimate in polished, super-produced urban contemporary material.” AM The album “served as a template for much of the contemporary R&B that followed in the late 1980s and early 1990s.” TB Upon the album’s release, critics generally acknowledged the “commercial value of the album” WK but, criticized her for not taking any risks or defining her personality through her songs. Rolling Stone’s Vince Aletti said, “the formula is more rigorously locked in than before…so…that Houston’s potential seems to have shrunk rather than expanded.” WK The Los Angeles Times’ Robert Hilburn said, “she has a sensational voice but didn’t assert much vocal character” WK on the second album. Time magazine’s Jon Pareles said, “Whitney plays everything safe. It uses three of the debut album’s producers…There are bouncy, tinkly songs aimed at teen-agers…and slow tunes aimed at sentimental adults, as before.” WK

Reviews: AM AllMusic.com review by Ron Wynn AB Michael Spilling (editor) (2015). Best-Selling Albums: From Vinyl Records to Digital Downloads. Amber Books Ltd.: London, United Kingdom. Page 120. TB Thunder Bay (2005). Albums: The Stories Behind 50 Years of Great Recordings. Thunder Bay Press; San Diego, CA. Page 237. WK Wikipedia Related DMDB Links: First posted 6/26/2011; last updated 6/26/2025.