Gezza

Yes sometimes "best selling act" means "best selling UK act" and again it depends on what multiplier you use for 1980-1982, using a higher multiplier would boost the earlier 80s acts higher up this rundown but I think the ones I use are more realistic given the limited information we know about the accepted wisdom and conventions of the period (i.e if you increase the multiplier then you get more million sellers in the early 80s). I have shaky at approx 3.8 million 1980-82 but you'd need to push that to 4.4 million to make him the biggest selling act of the 80s given we "know" the sales of the two acts 83-89.

All that remains to say is to thank all who have contributed to the thread with their own memories and thoughts. I'm finally leaving the 80s behind now and we venture into the 90s later in the month!

1. MADONNA (7,000,000) 22 TOP 40 HITS BEST SELLER: INTO THE GROOVE (723,000) BEST SELLING ACT OF 1985 & 1986 So, she left it late as we’ve seen but Madonna finally pulled clear of Shaky in the summer of 1989 and sold her 7 millionth single in the final week of the decade. She had more No 1 hits than any other act in the decade (6) and more top 10 hits stringing 21 of them back-to-back, her mixture of controversy of cracking tunes ensured that publicity was never hard and some iconic videos meant that no act sold as many singles as she did! She was the bestselling singles act of 85 and 86 (a double no one else achieved) and sold another million in 1987! In conclusion not only the Queen of pop but also queen of 80s sales- officially.

2. SHAKIN STEVENS (6,436,200) 27 TOP 40 HITS BEST SELLER: THIS OLE HOUSE (727,000) Well Shaky led the way from 1985 right through to April 1989 despite never being the top selling artist of any individual year of the decade, his mixture of regurgitated 50/60s hits and inoffensive pop proved a winning formula with kids and grown-ups alike. He was in the top 30 in every year of the 80s grabbing 14 top 10 hits including a quartet of chart toppers as he accumulated sales of over 6 million singles (that’s more than Oasis in the 90s). In truth his selling power had started to diminish as the late 80s came round and after 1987 he never got another top 10 single (the annual festive charting “Merry Christmas Everyone” aside) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm0J6-RezL4

Right then............

As we're concluding tomorrow with the top 2, here's the top 100 so far... 100. SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES (1,383,300) 99. JULIO IGLESIAS (1,385,900) 98. SINITTA (1,390,700) 97. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (1,418,900) 96. IRENE CARA (1,420,600) 95. THE COMMUNARDS (1,429,000) 94. BROS (1,456,800) 93. THE BANGLES (1,473,300) 92. YAZOO (1,473,900) 91. TOYAH (1,540,900) 90. MODERN ROMANCE (1,541,000) 89. KATE BUSH (1,542,700) 88. ALISON MOYET (1,554,000) 87. DOLLAR (1,569,200) 86. JIVE BUNNY & THE MASTERMIXERS (1,576,500) 85. THE STRANGLERS (1,577,600) 84. NIK KERSHAW (1,594,200) 83. GARY NUMAN (1,602,700) 82. TIGHT FIT (1,610,800) 81. FUN BOY THREE (1,621,800) 80. GEORGE BENSON (1,623,500) 79. ABC (1,624,200) 78. THE BEAT (1,641,600) 77. THE PRETENDERS (1,651,900) 76. DIRE STRAITS (1,660,649) 75. DONNA SUMMER (1,669,400) 74. IRON MAIDEN (1,671,300) 73. ROXY MUSIC (1,761,300) 72. GENESIS (1,762,300) 71. HOT CHOCOLATE (1,769,200) 70. ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (1,788,100) 69. STYLE COUNCIL (1,788,700) 68. NEW ORDER (1,800,900) 67. EDDY GRANT (1,851,300) 66. TINA TURNER (1,859,900) 65. THE NOLANS (1,867,600) 64. ODYSSEY (1,879,900) 63. BILLY OCEAN (1,909,700) 62. SHEENA EASTON (1,922,700) 61. FIVE STAR (1,938,800) 60. THOMPSON TWINS (1,966,300) 59. IMAGINATION (1,970,300) 58. THE SPECIALS (1,984,300) 57. U2 (1,984,400) 56. ERASURE (2,002,100) 55. SHALAMAR (2,006,200) 54. HOWARD JONES (2,012,900) 53. RICK ASTLEY (2,032,100) 52. BLONDIE (2,058,800) 51. BILLY JOEL (2,071,300) 50. LEVEL 42 (2,105,700) 49. PAUL YOUNG (2,112,700) 48. A-HA (2,118,400) 47. BAD MANNERS (2,170,500) 46. ROD STEWART (2,214,600) 45. JASON DONOVAN (2,261,500) 44. SIMPLE MINDS (2,271,800) 43. ABBA (2,297,500) 42. WHITNEY HOUSTON (2,368,700) 41. TEARS FOR FEARS (2,554,500) 40. ELTON JOHN (2,558,000) 39. PRINCE (2,622,100) 38. BAND AID (2,671,600) 37. JOHN LENNON (2,674,800) 36. ULTRAVOX (2,702,200) 35. DEXY’S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS (2,735,500) 34. SOFT CELL (2,764,100) 33. ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK (2,765,100) 32. GEORGE MICHAEL (2,804,100) 31. DEPECHE MODE (2,837,100) 30. PET SHOP BOYS (2,849,000) 29. KIM WILDE (2,894,200) 28. EURYTHMICS (2,932,000) 27. LIONEL RICHIE (2,962,000) 26. THE POLICE (3,080,900) 25. BUCKS FIZZ (3,277,500) 24. STATUS QUO (3,293,600) 23. BANANARAMA (3,310,000) 22. KYLIE MINOGUE (3,337,500) 21. THE HUMAN LEAGUE (3,381,100) 20. DIANA ROSS (3,395,500) 19. KOOL & THE GANG (3,401,300) 18. SPANDAU BALLET (3,567,200) 17. QUEEN (3,693,300) 16. THE JAM (3,719,800) 15. CULTURE CLUB (3,898,000) 14. ADAM & THE ANTS (4,144,200) 13. PAUL MCCARTNEY (4,174,900) 12. PHIL COLLINS (4,178,700) 11. FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (4,363,600) 10. DURAN DURAN (4,369,700) 9. UB40 (4,634,300) 8. STEVIE WONDER (4,786,200) 7. DAVID BOWIE (4,809,400) 6. WHAM! (4,831,100) 5. MICHAEL JACKSON (5,401,300) 4. MADNESS (5,434,400) 3. CLIFF RICHARD (5,590,300)

3. CLIFF RICHARD (5,590,300) 25 TOP 40 HITS BEST SELLER: MISTLETOE & WINE (760,000) Didn’t Cliff do well! After a mixed 70s he seemed to find his footing again in the 80s with a couple of chart toppers including the festive No 1 for 1988 “Misletoe & Wine”. He even managed to get 3 top 3 hits back to back in 1989- something he hadn’t done since his early 60s hey day so much had he returned to form! His tenacity sees him into bronze position in part due to all those duets in the 80s (Phil Everley, Sarah Brightman, Van Morrison, The Young Ones among others).

4. MADNESS (5,434,400) 21 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST HIT: BAGGY TROUSERS (561,000) BIGGEST SELLING ACT OF 1980 One of only 2 acts in the decade to sell a million in three different years in the 80s, Madness led the list in 1980 and again from 1982 to 1984 getting 14 top 10 singles from 15 releases between 1980 and 1984. The pace slackened thereafter and the group split in 1986 with a slimmed version continuing on with only 1 charting single but they were undeniably one of the defining acts of the decade.

5. MICHAEL JACKSON (5,401,300) 23 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: ONE DAY IN YOUR LIFE (686,000) It may surprise some that Jacko only comes in in 5th place on the rundown, and that his personal best seller in the decade is the often forgotten “One Day In Your Life” but these are both facts. Jackson was of course responsible for revolutionising the video promo and redefining how many singles you could pluck from an album as well as setting the standards for choreography in the medium. He entered the 80s as a popstar but was a megastar by the end of it becoming one of only 5 acts to shift 5 million singles in the decade.

6. WHAM! (4,831,100) 10 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: EVERYTHING SHE WANTS/ LAST CHRISTMAS (1,234,000) Here they are then- the biggest of the “big 4” in mid 80s pop, Wham! Started out with social commentary rapping but quickly abandoned the genre after their first three singles to make a deliberate ploy to become “the biggest band in the world”. It didn’t turn out so badly with 4 No 1 singles and 5 top 10 singles to their credit all in 4 years before splitting at their peak in 1986. Combined with sales of his solo career (he’s at No 32 on this list) would place George Michael at No 1 on this list, thanks in part to the boy’s good looks which saw “Whamania” become as big as “Duranmania” in the US, and they sold over 2 million singles in 1984 alone from just 3 releases.

7. DAVID BOWIE (4,809,400) 22 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: LET’S DANCE (616,000) Another 70s survivor who had an exceptional 80s scoring more chart toppers than he managed in the 70s. Bowie successfully borrowed from the New Romantic movement for his first 80s hit “Ashes To Ashes” and turned to Nile Rogers for his “Let’s Dance” era which proved his most successful in the decade with three top 2 hits and ran a mildly successful acting career in the process. Post 1986 his albums were not as successful and he decided to plough his energies into his group Tin machine by 1989 which may have cost him a few places on this list.

8. STEVIE WONDER (4,786,200) 12 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU (1,731,000) Since Wonder first had a hit back in 1966 he had gone 34 hits without a chart topper but the 80s gifted him two in the form of “Ebony & Ivory” and “I Just Called To Say I Love You” . The latter was the 2nd best selling single of the entire 80s contributing over a third of his total decade sales, it’s often forgotten that Wonder was signed at just 11 and by 13 was atop of the US Billboard charts, a record breaking feat at the time. He was also a very high profile star supporting the campaign to get Martin Luther King’s birthday a national holiday in the US, composing “Happy Birthday” for that reason, and was successful in 1983- not many pop stars can claim making a bank holiday!

I don't mind the odd UB40 80s track, "The Earth Dies Screaming" and "Don't Break My Heart" are the only ones that I would say I positively liked. But then I'm not overly keen on Reggae so maybe I prove your point? 😁

9. UB40 (4,634,300) 23 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: RED RED WINE (728,000) They are undoubtedly better remembered for their covers (and indeed their No 1’s have all been covers- of Neil Diamond, Sonny & Cher, and Elvis Presley) but UB40 were just as successful with their own compositions in the 80s. Their combination of reggae and pop seemed evergreen hitting the top 10 in 8 years of the decade and top 30 in the other 2 years meaning they never saw sales of less than 180k in any year of the 80s.

10. DURAN DURAN (4,369,700) 20 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: THE REFLEX (464,000) Into the top 10 with one of THE definitive acts of the decade, Duran Duran had come from the New Romantic movement but before long were staples in “Smash Hits” with expensive foreign lensed videos showcasing the excesses of the 80s and starring models. Cracking the US they were massive on both sides of the Atlantic and early pin ups for the MTV generation with a dedicated (mostly) young female audience scoring chart toppers in both countries. They had imploded by the late 80s when they were reduced to a trio by 1988 but they continue to this day, and yes they are the 3rd of the “big 4” to be on the list. The minor hit “Burning The Ground” in December 1989 gave them just enough sales to overtake FGTH at the death.

So tomorrow we start on the top 10 best selling singles act of the 80s!

11. FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (4,363,600) 7 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: RELAX (1,704,000) BEST SELLING ACT OF 1984 Here’s the act with the fewest single releases in the top 20 and the act who sold more than any other within a 12 month period- an eye watering 3.6 million singles in 1984. Struggling to make much impact initially it was the production talents of Trevor Horn coupled with marketing by Paul Morley transformed their compositions in chart topping anthems that spent 15 cumulative weeks at No 1 that year helped by a big splash of controversy taking weighty subjects (gay sex, politics, and religion) and eye catching promo’s all helped by the “ban” on their first single “Relax”. Once the decade was over they had two of the top 5 best selling singles of the 80s but had split after just 2 albums.

12. PHIL COLLINS (4,178,700) 13 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE (694,000) Counting his blessings for going solo, Collins managed to run a successful solo career in conjunction with his group work with Genesis for most of the decade- the group ending up at No 72 on this list. Although more an album seller in truth he did get 3 chart toppers in the 80s and was an even bigger success in the US.

1.188m

13. PAUL MCCARTNEY (4,174,900) 16 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: WE ALL STAND TOGETHER (614,000) In the 60s he was a Beatle and in the 70s he had Wings but in the 80s McCartney finally went truly solo. He actually had an impressive 80s scoring No 1 hits as a soloist, a duo, and a group (Ferry Aid and Scouse Aid) though they were all outsold by the Frog Song! But at 4 million sales he was certainly the most successful ex-Beatle of the 80s.

14. ADAM & THE ANTS (4,144,200) 9 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: STAND AND DELIVER (866,000) BEST SELLING ACT OF 1981 The first real phenomenon of the decade, we move over the 4 million mark with Adam & the Ants who famously formed when former manager Malcolm McLaren convinced his old band to leave Ant and form Bow Wow Wow. Ant Recruited again and struck it big selling a jaw dropping 3.1 million singles in 1981 alone (the second highest yearly total of the decade) and placed 4 singles in the top 40 at one point, quite something in the physical age. Ant disbanded the band in early 1982 having done its job and went on to solo success but never replicated this level of 1981.

Tomorrow we cross the 4 million mark- time for the big boys!

15. CULTURE CLUB (3,898,000) 10 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: KARMA CHAMELEON (1,268,000) BEST SELLING ACT OF 1983 The second of the “Big 4”, Culture Club were another act to come from the New Romantic movement of the early 80s. Boy George’s appearance on TOTP in 1982 sparked headlines and intense press coverage which never really relented as the decade wore on and George found himself in the tabloids for less positive reasons. They managed to crack the US too topping the charts with the all- conquering “Karma Chameleon” which was for a time the best selling single of the decade. They disbanded in 1986 as relations in the band deteriorated and George launched a moderately successful solo career.

16. THE JAM (3,719,800) 13 TOP 40 HITS BIGGEST SELLER: A TOWN CALLED MALICE/ PRECIOUS (623,000) For a group which split in 1982 and didn’t release any new singles thereafter, The Jam’s position here illustrates how phenomenally popular they were in the early 80s. Weller status as the a writer of snappy writer of pop music reflecting the social ills of the day meant they got considerable critical acclaim as well as sales and helped him go on to form The Style Council who themselves are on this list at No 69. They debuted at No 1 on three occasions in the decade- the only act to do so! They sold a million in both 1980 and 1982 and even sold over half a million of their back catalogue in 1983!

It was indeed Duran Duran, Wham and culture club between 82 and 86 roughly. Those years contain virtually all the respective bands top 10 singles (certainly in the 80s). FGTH, whilst huge in 84, struggled to make much impact outside of that year so were too fleeting to be considered in the same league I guess.