1980 Hit Record Was Just Ranked the 'Top Rock Album of the '80s'
Most music enthusiasts will agree that the 1980s were an important era for rock-and-roll, with plenty of bands from the genre producing memorable records throughout the decade. However, some '80s rock albums simply made more of a splash than others.
On June 1, Ultimate Classic Rock released a ranking of "the top 100 rock albums released in the '80s," which highlighted hit records like Bruce Springsteen's The River from 1980, Piece of Mind by Iron Maiden from 1983, Bon Jovi's 1986 Slippery When Wet, The Clash's Combat Rock from 1982, George Harrison's Cloud Nine, released in 1987, andKate Bush's Hounds of Love.
The top five rankings featured Peter Gabriel's So from 1986, Paul Simon's Graceland, released in 1986, Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction from 1987, Disintegration by The Cure, released in 1989, with AC/DC's 1980 hit record Back in Black coming in at the top spot.
Brian Johnson Revealed He Was 'Scared' About Becoming a Member of AC/DC
Ultimate Classic Rock reported that AC/DC's first record following the 1980 death of Bon Scott was Back in Black. The publication noted that Brian Johnson took on the role of the band's vocalist to record Back in Black.
In a 2024 interview with AXS TV, Johnson opened up about joining AC/DC. He explained that he was a member of the band Geordie before he was asked to try out for AC/DC following Scott's death. He recalled that during the audition he "sang two songs" before he received "some nods and smiles" of approval from the band.
"I guess it was just this wonderful moment when you know the stars align," said the musician, now 78.
He also described becoming AC/DC's new singer as "beautifully scary."
"It was because I was 32 years old. I thought, 'What am I doing here? Listen, they're going to find out after a couple of days that I'm just not that good,'" said Johnson during the 2024 interview.
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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 5:45 PM.