An incalculable number of albums have been released in music history, but only 58 have earned the coveted distinction of Album Of The Year GRAMMY winner so far. From Henry Mancini's The Music From Peter Gunn to Taylor Swift's 1989, some of these elite albums have arguably surprised, some were seemingly consensus choices and still others have fostered lasting debate. In part three of Album Of The Year GRAMMY Winners, explore the albums that won — and were runners-up for — music's biggest prize for the 1980s.

1980 ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross

Christopher Cross is the only artist in GRAMMY history to land "the big four" — Album Of The Year, Best New Artist, Record Of The Year, and Song Of The Year — in a single year. Cross took flight this year on the wings of his debut solo album and its lilting hit single "Sailing," which also won for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for Cross and producer Michael Omartian. Cross penned nine pop gems, and Omartian lined up top-flight session men and notable backing contributions from Michael McDonald, Don Henley and Eric Johnson, among others. Within the next year, Cross would win a Best Original Song Oscar for "Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do)" (co-written with Peter Allen, Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager) for the Dudley Moore comedy, but future efforts would not attain similar commercial success.

Other Nominees:
Glass Houses, Billy Joel
The Wall, Pink Floyd
Trilogy: Past, Present, Future, Frank Sinatra
Guilty, Barbra Streisand

1981 ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Double Fantasy
John Lennon & Yoko Ono

This year's Album Of The Year winner was a favorite driven by both an artistic and emotional resonance: John Lennon's "comeback" album, recorded with wife Yoko Ono, was his first since taking five years off to raise his son Sean. For fans, the fact that Double Fantasy was released less than a month before Lennon was murdered outside his New York City apartment building makes some of its more impressionable songs ("Beautiful Boy [Darling Boy]," "[Just Like] Starting Over," "I'm Losing You," "Watching The Wheels") that much more precious. Some critics took issue with the album's slickness — it was the '80s, after all — but it was hard to challenge songs radiating such buoyant happiness and peaceful self-content.

Other Nominees:
Mistaken Identity, Kim Carnes
Breakin' Away, Al Jarreau
The Dude, Quincy Jones
Gaucho, Steely Dan

1982 ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Toto IV 
Toto

It was a very good year for Toto, the group comprised of some of the busiest on-call musicians on the Los Angeles studio scene. In addition to Album Of The Year, Toto took home Record Of The Year for the catchy cut "Rosanna," named for (but not about) keyboardist Steve Porcaro's then-girlfriend, actress Rosanna Arquette. The group was named Producer Of The Year and Toto IV was also named Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical. To top it off, keyboarist David Paich was honored with a GRAMMY for Best Vocal Arrangement For Two Or More Voices, and Paich, Jerry Hey and Jeff Porcaro were honored for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s), in both cases for "Rosanna." Like groups such as Booker T. & The MG's before them, Toto proved the depth of talent in America's finest session musicians.

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Toto - Rosanna

Other Nominees: 
The Nightfly, Donald Fagen
The Nylon Curtain, Billy Joel
Tug Of War, Paul McCartney
American Fool, John Cougar Mellencamp

1983 ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Thriller
Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's Thriller, and its endless string of hits, dominated the charts with a 37-week run at No. 1. Nominated for 12 GRAMMYs, it won eight, including Record Of The Year ("Beat It") and Album Of The Year. For his work on the album, Quincy Jones joined Jackson as Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical). With exposure heightened by constant rotation on MTV, many of Thriller's songs were approached as visual pieces of pop art — there's no doubt they forever changed the way we see music. Guests such as Paul McCartney ("The Girl Is Mine") and Eddie Van Halen ("Beat It") got much of the attention, but the album also featured important musical contributions from the members of Toto and the likes of David Foster, Paul Jackson Jr. and Rod Temperton (writer of the frightening title track).

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Michael Jackson - Beat It (Official Video)

Other Nominees:
Let's Dance, David Bowie
An Innocent Man, Billy Joel
Synchronicity, the Police
Flashdance — Motion Picture Soundtrack, Various Artists

1984 ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Can't Slow Down
Lionel Richie

In 1984 the Reagan administration was firmly entrenched in the White House, MTV was soaring as a worldwide phenomenon and the Commodores had just two years earlier made top rank. Following a successful run as the group's lead singer, Lionel Richie began to branch out and write for other artists. His No. 1 hit duet with Diana Ross, "Endless Love," from the film of the same name, preceded his work as a solo artist. Can't Slow Down was Richie's second album, driven by the party anthem "All Night Long (All Night)" as well as "Hello" and "Penny Lover," among other standout tracks. It would go on to sell 10 million copies.

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Lionel Richie - All Night Long (All Night)

Other Nominees: 
She's So Unusual, Cyndi Lauper
Purple Rain — Motion Picture Soundtrack, Prince And The Revolution
Born In The U.S.A., Bruce Springsteen
Private Dancer, Tina Turner

1985 ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

No Jacket Required
Phil Collins

The charity single "We Are The World," written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson — and performed by a slew of pop stars of all stripes — brought home Record and Song Of The Year, but Phil Collins' No Jacket Required was anointed Album Of The Year. Filled with colorful hits such as "Sussudio," "Take Me Home" and "One More Night," No Jacket Required was stylistically miles away from Collins' experimental, prog-rock days in Genesis. But its combination of synthesized undertones and pop sensibilities would help charter the sound of a new era. Appropriately, Collins and the album's co-producer Hugh Padgham shared the award for Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical).

Other Nominees:
Brothers In Arms, Dire Straits
Whitney Houston, Whitney Houston
The Dream Of The Blue Turtles, Sting
We Are The World: USA For Africa, Various Artists

1986 ALBUM OF THE YEAR 

Graceland
Paul Simon

One of pop's most successful forays into world music, Graceland was an experiment stemming from Paul Simon's longtime fascination with South African culture. Coupled with a diverse collection of guests (including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Los Lobos, Linda Ronstadt, and the Everly Brothers), it stood out from the pack. A majority of the songs also uniquely incorporate elements of the slinky South African mbaqanga style, and a few of the lyrics touch upon the subject of apartheid (part of the album was recorded in Johannesburg). But Graceland is less a message album than it is a shining example of the spiritual and rhythmic connection linking music around the globe. The title track would also garner a Record Of The Year GRAMMY for 1987.

Other Nominees:
So, Peter Gabriel
Control, Janet Jackson
The Broadway Album, Barbra Streisand
Back In The High Life, Steve Winwood

1987 ALBUM OF THE YEAR

The Joshua Tree
U2

No longer post-punk indie darlings by 1987, U2 had become full-fledged rock stars. The Joshua Tree, co-produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois (who first came onboard with the band's previous release, The Unforgettable Fire), is a big reason why. Standout tracks such as "Where The Streets Have No Name," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and the haunting "With Or Without You" are pure and heartfelt, and found U2 coming into their own as a voice of their generation. By further embracing American influences like folk and blues they first touched upon with The Unforgettable Fire — and addressing political and religious themes with conviction — U2 created their most popular and critically acclaimed album to date.

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U2 - With Or Without You

Other Nominees:
Whitney, Whitney Houston
Bad, Michael Jackson
Trio, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt
Sign 'O' The Times, Prince

1988 ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Faith
George Michael

At the 31st Annual GRAMMYs, Bobby McFerrin's optimistic "Don't Worry, Be Happy" was crowned Song and Record Of The Year, and neo-folkie Tracy Chapman was named Best New Artist, but Faith had the substance to stand alone as Album Of The Year. George Michael's debut solo release after parting with the British duo Wham! is pure pop escapism, replete with a rich mix of beat-heavy dance club jewels ("Faith"), slow burns ("Father Figure"), jazzy torch songs ("Kissing A Fool"), and risqué romps ("I Want Your Sex"). Tightly produced by Michael (who wrote or co-wrote all the songs), the album is recognized as a pop classic and has earned RIAA diamond certification for sales in excess of 10 million copies.

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George Michael - Faith (US Version)

Other Nominees:
Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman
Simple Pleasures, Bobby McFerrin
… Nothing Like The Sun, Sting
Roll With It, Steve Winwood

1989 ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Nick Of Time
Bonnie Raitt

Eighteen long years after her self-titled debut, Bonnie Raitt became a mainstream success with Nick Of Time. In addition to Album Of The Year, the Don Was-produced disc brought Raitt two other GRAMMYs; to cap off the night, she was also awarded a Best Traditional Blues Recording GRAMMY for "I'm In The Mood" for her pairing with bluesman John Lee Hooker on his album The Healer. On Nick Of Time, Raitt — known for her keen ability to swing from traditional blues to rock and back — created her most consistent collection of songs evidenced by John Hiatt's "Thing Called Love," "Have A Heart" and the GRAMMY-winning self-penned title track. Nick Of Time's wins remain a defining illustration of how GRAMMY night can become a star-making evening.

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Bonnie Raitt - Thing Called Love

Other Nominees: 
The Raw And The Cooked, Fine Young Cannibals
The End Of The Innocence, Don Henley
Full Moon Fever, Tom Petty
Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1, Traveling Wilburys