Yes, Michael Jackson turns 50 this Friday, and it’s been more than 25 years since he released his finest album.

The years that surround Jackson’s 1982 magnum opus, “Thriller,” marked major shifts in pop music, from the underground to the top of the charts. The mellow California-centric rock of the mid- to late ’70s gave way to the new wave that bubbled up from punk, which, though a massive influence, proved too harsh for mainstream consumption.

Another force rising from the underground was rap. It would be the final years of the ’80s before rap gave us genre-defining statements such as Public Enemy’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” De La Soul’s “3 Feet High and Rising” and N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton,” but it was making its way onto the charts by 1980. That’s the year Sugarhill Gang climbed just inside the Top 40 with “Rapper’s Delight.”

Much of the music clogging the pop charts in the five years on either side of the still thrilling “Thriller” was fleeting in its appeal, but many albums of the era have stood the test of time, remaining influential and enjoyable to this day. Here are some of our favorites. (Keep in mind that these are all albums that made some impact on the mainstream pop charts. Dig a little deeper into the underground, and you’ll find many more gems that still shine.)

1. Prince — “Purple Rain” (1984) The man had an incredible run of brilliant music during the ’80s and this was his commercial pinnacle. It’s a monster artistic achievement, too, but so are “Sign O’ the Times” and “1999.”

2. Talking Heads — “Remain in Light” (1980) Who knew a bunch of artsy white kids from New England could be this funky? This innovative, album sounded like nothing else at the time and it’s still a stunner.

3. Paul Simon — “Graceland” (1986) Take one of our greatest songwriters, add some South African musical textures (especially the gorgeous voices of Ladysmith Black Mambazo) and you get an album that earned a well-deserved Grammy for album of the year.

4. The Police — “Synchronicity” (1983) It seemed overplayed back in 1984, but time has been kind to this thoughtful and tuneful album.

5. Blondie — “Parallel Lines” (1978) Perfect, polished pop from start to finish, with Deborah Harry at her sultry-sweet best.


Others worthy of consideration

Van Halen — “Van Halen” (1978)

Duran Duran — “Rio” (1982) (yes, really, go give it a listen)

Kate Bush — “Hounds of Love” (1985)

U2 — “The Joshua Tree” (1987)

Run-DMC — “Raising Hell” (1986)

I think that many artists they named have better albums within the time period!

1999 is much better than Purple Rain, although I do love Purple Rain.

Moonbeam said:

I understand why people always pick OR Purple Rain OR Sign O The Times for lists like these. Even though I totally adore and understand your love for 1999, people will either pick PR for the fact it brought him global mega stardom and SOTT for vindicating critical acclaim.

HamsterHuey said:

Yes, but 1999 holds up better than both.

I don't think they mean that they're artists' best albums, but they sound the most timeless.

Thriller isn't my favorite, but it sounds less dated than Off the Wall or Bad. Purple Rain sounds less dated than 1999. And IMO Joshua Tree sounds less dated than Achtun Baby, though that's a close call.

NDRU said:

True. Based on that standard, I think Moonbeam has a point on 1999v. SOTT. Because 1999 may be Prince's most duplicated and mined work, for good reason.

But I also think Ghost holds up just as well as Synchronicity.

Off The Wall doesn't sound dated to me at all. Bad, OTOH, does.

Then again, it's all a matter of perspective. If it resonated with you at the time, to some extent, it will be both timeless (because you'll love it forever) AND dated (because some works are so tied to what was going on in your life at the time, especially as a child or teen).

As for the non-Prince/MJ selections:

- - It Takes A Nation of Millions . . . is not only the best album in hip-hop history, but one of the very best of the last 30 years, period. It still sounds better than anything the rap game is putting out today.

Other ones that should be considered, in my opinion:

Elvis Costello- This Year's Model
Tom Waits- Swordfishtrombones
Björk- Vespertine