Driven in large part by MTV’s debut on August 1, 1981, a set of British (and Australian, Irish, New Zealander and Scottish) new wave, post-punk and synthpop musical artists found success in the United States during what is now called “the Second British Invasion.” In a previous essay, I argue this “invasion” ran from September 26, 1981, when “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by The Police entered the Billboard Hot 100, to December 22, 1984, when “Do Know They It’s Christmas?” by BandAid entered that same chart. That previous essay lists the top 100 singles of the Second British Invasion (“SBI”) – out of 171, from 63 unique artists – based upon weekly chart positions in the Billboard Hot 100.
In this essay, then, I examine the chart success of SBI albums on the Billboard Top 200 during this same 167-week period.[1] Unlike singles, for which chart position was determined by a combination of sales and airplay, album chart positions are based solely upon sales rankings from a representative sample of record stores. Freed from the strictures of airplay, some albums – especially those featuring multiple successful singles – can chart more than a year on the Billboard Top 200. When a new album is particularly successful, it can drive albums in that artist’s back catalog to reenter the chart. Indeed, during a 32-week stretch starting August 27, 1983 – when Synchronicity entered its 6th (of 17) week at #1 – all five albums by The Police charted on the Billboard Top 200.
A total of 185 albums from 89 unique artists – if one considers Adam & the Ants (2 albums) and Adam Ant (2 albums) a single artist – spent an average 22.8 weeks on the Billboard Top 200, albeit with a median stay of just 16 weeks. Average weeks is inflated by the 18 albums charting more than 1 year (52 weeks) during this period; seven albums charted more than 1½ years (78 weeks). Looking only at the top 100 – a more apples to apples comparison to singles – these albums charted an average 11.9 weeks, with a median of 7 weeks. The 171 SBI singles spent a comparable 12.4 weeks, on average, on the Billboard Hot 100, but with a much higher median of 13 weeks. Note that Billboard repeats its charts for the last week of the year; I exclude those charts.
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I used this formula to calculate album points. While “top 40” was a singles category because of its association with weekly countdowns, reaching the top 30 makes an album a near-lock to be one of the top 100 albums of the year.
POINTS = Σ(201 – weekly chart position) + #weeks in Top 100 + 2 * #weeks in Top 30 + 5 * #weeks in Top 10 + 10 * weeks at #1.
For example, Night and Day by Joe Jackson entered the Billboard Top 200 at #172, advancing to #78 the next week. For the first week, it earned 201-172=29 points. For the second week, it earned 201-78=123 points. And so forth. During its 56 weeks on the Billboard Top 200, it garnered 8,045 points. It earned an additional 99 points for spending 45 weeks in the Top 100, 12 weeks in the Top 30 (12*2 =24) and six weeks in the Top 10 (6*5 =30), peaking at #4 for five weeks, for a total of 8,144 points.
The Billboard website is missing chart positions at the very bottom of 15 of the 167 album charts examined here: #195-200 for the weeks of June 4 to July 2, 1983 and August 25 to September 15, 1984, as well as #198-200 for the weeks of July 9, 1983 and September 22, 1984; #199-200 for the weeks of May 8, 1983 and August 18, 1984; and #200 for the weeks of July 16, 1983 and September 29, 1984. I interpolated a position of #198 on June 11, 1983 for Spandau Ballet’s True, and the following week’s chart reveals Shriekback’s Care was #197 on June 25, 1983. Beyond that, these missing data do not materially affect these analyses.
With that, then, here are the top 100 SBI albums. Underlined albums entered the Billboard Top 200 prior to September 26, 1981, while those in italics still charted on December 22, 1984.
#100. When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going by Bow Wow Wow
Debut: March 26, 1983 (#101)
Peak Position: #82, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 13
Weeks in Top 100: 6
Total Points: 1,198
#99. Make It Big by Wham!
Debut: November 10, 1984 (#50)
Peak Position: #23, 3 weeks (eventually #1 for 3 weeks)
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 7
Weeks in Top 100: 7
Weeks in Top 30: 6
Total Points: 1,234 (well over 10,000 all told)
#98. Like Gangbusters by JoBoxers
Debut: October 15, 1983 (#184)
Peak Position: #70, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 14
Weeks in Top 100: 8
Total Points: 1,246
#97. Prince Charming by Adam & the Ants
Debut: December 12, 1981 (#75)
Peak Position: #94, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 20 (reentered for 8 weeks February 12, 1983)
Weeks in Top 100: 4
Total Points: 1,266
#96. The Gift by The Jam
Debut: March 27, 1982 (#184)
Peak Position: #82, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 16
Weeks in Top 100: 8
Total Points: 1,270
#95. The Real Macaw by Graham Parker
Debut: August 20, 1983 (#166)
Peak Position: #59, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 100: 14
Weeks in Top 100: 7
Total Points: 1,291
#94. Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing by Soft Cell
Debut: August 14, 1982 (#157)
Peak Position: #57, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 14
Weeks in Top 100: 7
Total Points: 1,323
#93. The Alarm by The Alarm
Debut: July 30, 1983 (#153)
Peak Position: #126, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 37 (reentered for 20 weeks January 28, 1984)
Total Points: 1,343
#92. Outlandos D’Amour by The Police
Reentered (after reaching #23 in 1979): August 20, 1983 (#195)
Peak Position: #130, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 34
Total Points: 1,351
#91. Hysteria by Human League
Debut: June 16, 1984 (#87)
Peak Position: #62, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 100: 13
Weeks in Top 100: 7
Total Points: 1,375
#90. The Last of the Mohicans by Bow Wow Wow
Debut: May 15, 1982 (#118)
Peak Position: #67, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 22
Weeks in Top 100: 6
Total Points: 1,442
#89. Beauty Stab by ABC
Debut: December 17, 1983 (#86)
Peak Position: #72, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 13
Weeks in Top 100: 10
Total Points: 1,459
#88. Kim Wilde by Kim Wilde
Debut: June 5, 1982 (#168)
Peak Position: #86, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 22
Weeks in Top 100: 5
Total Points: 1,472
#87. Upstairs at Eric’s by Yazoo (Yaz in United States)
Debut: October 2, 1982 (#143)
Peak Position: #92, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 31
Weeks in Top 100: 5
Total Points: 1,493
#86. Going For Broke by Eddy Grant
Debut: June 23, 1984 (#186)
Peak Position: #64, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 17
Weeks in Top 100: 11
Total Points: 1,755
#85. Difford and Tilbrook by Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook
Debut: June 14, 1984 (#131)
Peak Position: #55, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 15
Weeks in Top 100: 9
Total Points: 1,566
#84. Another Grey Area by Graham Parker
Debut: April 10, 1982 (#113)
Peak Position: #51, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 16
Weeks in Top 100: 11
Total Points: 1,665
83. Pretenders II by Pretenders
At #10 on September 26, 1981
Peak Position: #10, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 14
Weeks in Top 100: 9
Weeks in Top 40: 4
Weeks in Top 10: 1
Total Points: 1,684
82. Human Racing by Nik Kershaw
Debut: May 5, 1984 (#195)
Peak Position: #70, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 20
Weeks in Top 100: 9
Total Points: 1,696
81. What Is Beat? by The English Beat
Debut: December 17, 1983 (#190)
Peak Position: #87, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 21
Weeks in Top 100: 6
Total Points: 1,704
80. Time and Tide by Split Enz
Debut: May 8, 1982 (#127)
Peak Position: #58, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 20
Weeks in Top 100: 9
Total Points: 1,715
79. Parade by Spandau Ballet
Debut: August 18, 1984 (#125)
Peak Position: #50, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 16
Weeks in Top 100: 11
Total Points: 1,766
78. No Parlez by Paul Young
Debut: April 14, 1984 (#180)
Peak Position: #79, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 20
Weeks in Top 100: 7
Total Points: 1,780
77. Deep Ski Skiving by Bananarama
Debut: April 16, 1983 (#136)
Peak Position: #63, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 19
Weeks in Top 100: 8
Total Points: 1,789
76. Quartet by Ultravox
Debut: March 12, 1983 (#114)
Peak Position: #61, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 17
Weeks in Top 100: 11
Total Points: 1,791
75. New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) by Simple Minds
Debut: February 19, 1983 (#131)
Peak Position: #69, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 18
Weeks in Top 100: 10
Total Points: 1,823
74. The Unforgettable Fire by U2
Debut: October 20, 1984 (#47)
Peak Position: #12, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 10
Weeks in Top 100: 10
Weeks in Top 30: 9
Total Points: 1,844
73. Sparkle in the Rain by Simple Minds
Debut: February 18, 1984 (#154)
Peak Position: #64, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 24
Weeks in Top 100: 12
Total Points: 1,861
72. English Settlement by XTC
Debut: March 20, 1982 (#103)
Peak Position: #48, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 20
Weeks in Top 100: 10
Total Points: 1,913
71. Strip by Adam Ant
Debut: December 10, 1983 (#93)
Peak Position: #65, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 25
Weeks in Top 100: 12
Total Points: 2,019
70. After the Snow by Modern English
Debut: March 19, 1983 (#184)
Peak Position: #70, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 28 (reentered for 12 weeks March 10, 1984)
Weeks in Top 100: 10
Total Points: 2,054
69. Heart Land by Real Life
Debut: January 7, 1984 (#195)
Peak Position: #58, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 24
Weeks in Top 100: 12
Total Points: 2,064
68. Icicle Works by Icicle Works
Debut: April 21, 1984 (#147)
Peak Position: #40, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 18
Weeks in Top 100: 13
Total Points: 2,103
67. Singles 45’s and Under by Squeeze
Debut: January 8, 1983 (#122)
Peak Position: #47, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Hot 100: 21
Weeks in Top 100: 11
Total Points: 2,124
66. My Ever Changing Moods (Café Bleu in UK) by The Style Council
Debut: April 7, 1984 (#190)
Peak Position: #56, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 22
Weeks in Top 100: 12
Total Points: 2,203
65. The Flat Earth by Thomas Dolby
Debut: March 17, 1984 (#96)
Peak Position: #35, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 18
Weeks in Top 100: 15
Total Points: 2,272
64. White Feathers by Kajagoogoo
Debut: June 11, 1983 (#189)
Peak Position: #38, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 20
Weeks in Top 100: 14
Total Points: 2,294
63. The Politics of Dancing by Re-Flex
Debut: December 24, 1983 (#188)
Peak Position: #53, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 27
Weeks in Top 100: 12
Total Points: 2,338
62. Goodbye Cruel World by Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Debut: July 7, 1984 (#74)
Peak Position: #35, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 21
Weeks in Top 100: 14
Total Points: 2,351
61. You Broke My Heart in 17 Places by Tracey Ullman
Debut: March 24, 1984 (#93)
Peak Position: #34, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 20
Weeks in Top 100: 15
Total Points: 2,379
60. Heaven 17 by Heaven 17
Debut: February 12, 1983 (#115)
Peak Position: #68, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 29
Weeks in Top 100: 9
Total Points: 2,383
59. It’s My Life by Talk Talk
Debut: April 7, 1984 (#168)
Peak Position: #42, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 22
Weeks in Top 100: 15
Total Points: 2,423
58. The Hurting by Tears for Fears
Debut: May 7, 1983 (#184)
Peak Position: #73, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 27
Weeks in Top 100: 13
Total Points: 2,433
57. Declaration by The Alarm
Debut: March 10, 1984 (#95)
Peak Position: #50, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 21
Weeks in Top 100: 17
Total Points: 2,525
56. Atf by After the Fire
Debut: March 12, 1983 (#159)
Peak Position: #25, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 20
Weeks in Top 100: 16
Weeks in Top 30: 7
Total Points: 2,678
55. Sweets From a Stranger by Squeeze
Debut: May 29, 1982 (#107)
Peak Position: #32, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 30
Weeks in Top 100: 16
Total Points: 2,683
54. The Swing by INXS
Debut: May 26, 1984 (#169)
Peak Position: #52, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 28
Weeks in Top 100: 16
Total Points: 2,721
53. Phantoms by The Fixx
Debut: September 8, 1984 (#46)
Peak Position: #19, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 16
Weeks in Top 100: 16
Weeks in Top 30: 9
Total Points: 2,723
52. Imperial Bedroom by Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Debut: July 24, 1982 (#100)
Peak Position: #30, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 23
Weeks in Top 100: 16
Weeks in Top 30: 3
Total Points: 2,735
51. The Youth of Today by Musical Youth
Debut: January 8, 1983 (#119)
Peak Position: #23, 4 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 22
Weeks in Top 100: 16
Weeks in Top 30: 6
Total Points: 2,760
50. Mirror Moves by The Psychedelic Furs
Debut: May 26, 1984 (#135)
Peak Position: #43, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 27
Weeks in Top 100: 16
Total Points: 2,769
49. Side Kicks (Quick Step and Side Kick in UK) by Thompson Twins
Debut: February 26, 1983 (#87)
Peak Position: #34, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 25
Weeks in Top 100: 17
Total Points: 2,917
48. Shabooh Shoobah by INXS
Debut: March 19, 1983 (#190)
Peak Position: #46, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 31
Weeks in Top 100: 12
Total Points: 2,964
47. Listen by A Flock of Seagulls
Debut: May 28, 1983 (#115)
Peak Position: #16, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 23
Weeks in Top 100: 16
Weeks in Top 30: 8
Total Points: 2,988
46. Punch the Clock by Elvis Costello & the Attractions
Debut: August 13, 1983 (#61)
Peak Position: #24, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 23
Weeks in Top 100: 17
Weeks in Top 30: 7
Total Points: 3,088
45. Shuttered Room by The Fixx
Debut: November 13, 1982 (#193)
Peak Position: #106, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 49 (Reentered for 18, 2 wks July 20, 1983; September 15, 1984)
Total Points: 3,112
44. Human’s Lib by Howard Jones
Debut: March 24, 1984 (#167)
Peak Position: #59, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 31
Weeks in Top 100: 21
Total Points: 3,218
43. Madness by Madness
Debut: April 30, 1983 (#150)
Peak Position: #41, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 29
Weeks in Top 100: 20
Total Points: 3,238
42. Forever Now by The Psychedelic Furs
Debut: November 13, 1982 (#125)
Peak Position: #61, 4 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 31
Weeks in Top 100: 23
Total Points: 3,442
41. Too-Rye-Ay by Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Debut: February 12, 1983 (#93)
Peak Position: #14, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 24
Weeks in Top 100: 20
Weeks in Top 30: 10
Total Points: 3,490
40. Labour of Love by UB40
Debut: November 26, 1983 (#179)
Peak Position: #39, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 37
Weeks in Top 100: 18
Total Points: 3,516
39. Fascination! by Human League
Debut: June 18, 1983 (#175)
Peak Position: #22, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 28
Weeks in Top 100: 20
Total Points: 3,610
38. Bananarama by Bananarama
Debut: June 2, 1984 (#187)
Peak Position: #30, 5 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 30
Weeks in Top 100: 22
Weeks in Top 30: 5
Total Points: 3,796
37. The Golden Age of Wireless by Thomas Dolby
Debut: March 19, 1983 (#141)
Peak Position: #13, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 28
Weeks in Top 100: 22
Weeks in Top 30: 10
Total Points: 3,891
36. True by Spandau Ballet
Debut: May 14, 1983 (#184)
Peak Position: #19, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 36 (Reentered for 31 weeks August 27, 1983)
Weeks in Top 100: 22
Weeks in Top 30: 7
Total Points: 3,894
35. Pelican West by Haircut 100
Debut: April 24, 1982 (#188)
Peak Position: #31, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 36
Weeks in Top 100: 21
Total Points: 3,933
34. Blinded by Science (US EP release) by Thomas Dolby
Debut: February 5, 1983 (#159)
Peak Position: #20, 4 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 31
Weeks in Top 100: 23
Weeks in Top 30: 6
Total Points: 4.091
33. Body and Soul by Joe Jackson
Debut: April 7, 1984 (#111)
Peak Position: #20, 4 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 29
Weeks in Top 100: 23
Weeks in Top 30: 12
Total Points: 4,176
32. Killer on the Rampage by Eddy Grant
Debut: April 23, 1983 (#152)
Peak Position: #10, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 30
Weeks in Top 100: 24
Weeks in Top 30: 13
Weeks in Top 10: 3
Total Points: 4,330
31. Points on a Curve by Wang Chung
Debut: February 25, 1984 (#182)
Peak Position: #30, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 37
Weeks in Top 100: 27
Weeks in Top 30: 3
Total Points: 4,406
30. Don’t Stop (US EP release) by Billy Idol
Debut: October 24, 1981 (#185)
Peak Position: #71, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 67 (Reentered for 62 weeks September 10, 1983)
Weeks in Top 100: 8
Total Points: 4,476
29. Naked Eyes by Naked Eyes
Debut: April 16, 1983 (#137)
Peak Position: #32, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 41
Weeks in Top 100: 28
Total Points: 4,618
28. Special Beat Service by English Beat
Debut: November 13, 1982 (#152)
Peak Position: #39, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 43
Weeks in Top 100: 28
Total Points: 4,732
27. Friend or Foe by Adam Ant
Debut: November 6, 1982 (#189)
Peak Position: #16, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 35
Weeks in Top 100: 28
Weeks in Top 30: 11
Total Points: 4,737
26. The Crossing by Big Country
Debut: September 24, 1983 (#114)
Peak Position: #18, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 41
Weeks in Top 100: 29
Weeks in Top 30: 12
Total Points: 5,434
25. Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret by Soft Cell
Debut: January 30, 1982 (#121)
Peak Position: #27, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 41
Weeks in Top 100: 28
Weeks in Top 30: 9
Total Points: 5,436
24. Under a Blood Red Sky (Live at Red Rocks) by U2
Debut: December 10, 1983 (#68)
Peak Position: #28, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 55
Weeks in Top 100: 25
Weeks in Top 30: 4
Total Points: 5,553
23. The Lexicon of Love by ABC
Debut: September 25, 1982 (#92)
Peak Position: #24, 10 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 38
Weeks in Top 100: 32
Weeks in Top 30: 15
Total Points: 5,561
22. Dare by Human League
Debut: February 27, 1982 (#193)
Peak Position: #3, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 38
Weeks in Top 100: 30
Weeks in Top 30: 18
Weeks in Top 10: 9
Total Points: 5,644
21. Touch by Eurythmics
Debut: February 4, 1984 (#55)
Peak Position: #7, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 37
Weeks in Top 100: 34
Weeks in Top 30: 19
Weeks in Top 10: 6
Total Points: 6,039
20. Learning to Crawl by Pretenders
Debut: February 4, 1984 (#25)
Peak Position: #5, 4 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 42
Weeks in Top 100: 33
Weeks in Top 30: 20
Weeks in Top 10: 10
Total Points: 6,259
19. Into the Gap by Thompson Twins
Debut: March 17, 1984 (#98)
Peak Position: #10, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 41
Weeks in Top 100: 38
Weeks in Top 30: 18
Weeks in Top 10: 2
Total Points: 6,463
18. Zenyatta Mondatta by The Police
At #135 on September 26, 1981 (down from #5)
Peak Position: #88, 4 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 103 (reentered for 39 weeks August 13, 1983)
Weeks in Top 100: 14
Total Points: 6,567
17. Cargo by Men at Work
Debut: May 7, 1983 (#11)
Peak Position: #3, 5 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 48
Weeks in Top 100: 37
Weeks in Top 30: 22
Weeks in Top 10: 14
Total Points: 7,068
16. A Flock of Seagulls by A Flock of Seagulls
Debut: May 22, 1982 (#141)
Peak Position: #10, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 49
Weeks in Top 100: 41
Weeks in Top 30: 18
Weeks in Top 10: 3
Total Points: 7,167
15. Reach the Beach by The Fixx
Debut: May 28, 1983 (#99)
Peak Position: #8, 2 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 53 (reentered for 7 weeks September 8, 1984)
Weeks in Top 100: 41
Weeks in Top 30: 23
Weeks in Top 10: 10
Total Points: 7,344
14. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics
Debut: May 28, 1983 (#189)
Peak Position: #15, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 58
Weeks in Top 100: 45
Weeks in Top 30: 14
Total Points: 7,402
13. Billy Idol by Billy Idol
Debut: July 31, 1982 (#153)
Peak Position: #45, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 102 (reentered for 80 weeks on May 28, 1983)
Weeks in Top 100: 28
Total Points: 7,732
12. Night and Day by Joe Jackson
Debut: July 17, 1982 (#172)
Peak Position: #4, 5 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 56
Weeks in Top 100: 45
Weeks in Top 30: 12
Weeks in Top 10: 6
Total Points: 8,144
11. War by U2
Debut: March 19, 1983 (#91)
Peak Position: #12, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 75 (reentered for 6+ weeks November 10, 1984)
Weeks in Top 100: 57
Weeks in Top 30: 13
Total Points: 8,869
10. Combat Rock by The Clash
Debut: June 12, 1982 (#99)
Peak Position: #7, 5 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 59
Weeks in Top 100: 47
Weeks in Top 30: 35
Weeks in Top 10: 9
Total Points: 8,889
9. Seven and the Ragged Tiger by Duran Duran
Debut: December 10, 1983 (#30)
Peak Position: #8, 5 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 54
Weeks in Top 100: 49
Weeks in Top 30: 37
Weeks in Top 10: 14
Total Points: 9,090
8. Colour By Numbers by Culture Club
Debut: November 5, 1983 (#48)
Peak Position: #2, 6 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 58
Weeks in Top 100: 45
Weeks in Top 30: 36
Weeks in Top 10: 29
Total Points: 9,144
7. Rebel Yell by Billy Idol
Debut: December 3, 1983 (#175)
Peak Position: #6, 3 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 55
Weeks in Top 100: 54
Weeks in Top 30: 20
Weeks in Top 10: 5
Total Points: 9,230
6. Duran Duran (US release w/“Is There Something I Should Know”) by Duran Duran
Debut: February 19, 1983 (#179)
Peak Position: #10, 1 week
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 86
Weeks in Top 100: 37
Weeks in Top 30: 10
Weeks in Top 10: 1
Total Points: 9,252
5. Synchronicity by The Police
Debut: July 2, 1983 (#17)
Peak Position: #1, 17 weeks (non-consecutive)
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 74
Weeks in Top 100: 56
Weeks in Top 30: 46
Weeks in Top 10: 36
Weeks at #1: 17
Total Points: 11,828
4. Ghost in the Machine by The Police
Debut: October 24, 1981 (#16)
Peak Position: #2, 5 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 106 (reentered for 39 weeks August 13, 1983)
Weeks in Top 100: 49
Weeks in Top 30: 26
Weeks in Top 10: 23
Total Points: 11,870
3. Rio by Duran Duran
Debut: June 5, 1982 (#164)
Peak Position: #6, 7 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 125
Weeks in Top 100: 33
Weeks in Top 30: 21
Weeks in Top 10: 11
Total Points: 11,974
2. Kissing to Be Clever by Culture Club
Debut: January 8, 1983 (#141)
Peak Position: #14, 10 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 87
Weeks in Top 100: 78
Weeks in Top 40: 32
Total Points: 12,978
1. Business as Usual by Men at Work
Debut: July 3, 1982 (#179)
Peak Position: #1, 14 weeks
Weeks on Billboard Top 200: 88
Weeks in Top 100: 71
Weeks in Top 30: 44
Weeks in Top 10: 30
Weeks at #1: 14
Total Points: 13,847
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This list suggests peak position is less strongly associated with album points than single points. In fact, while the correlation between highest chart position and points is -0.91 for singles, it is “only” -0.69 for albums. For both formats, though, the strongest association with points is weeks spent on the chart: 0.94 for singles and 0.93 for albums. This explains the high point totals of The Police’s Zenyatta Mondatta (#18) – in its 48th week on the Billboard Top 200 (as I count them) on September 26, 1981, then charting another 103 non-consecutive weeks – and The Fixx’s debut album Shuttered Room (#45), which accumulated 3,112 points over 49 non-consecutive weeks despite never topping #106. Longevity also boosted two Billy Idol albums – the Don’t Stop EP (#30) and Billy Idol (#13) – which peaked at #71 and #45, respectively.
No album was helped more by longevity, though, than Duran Duran’s Rio. Entering the Billboard Top 200 at #164 on June 5, 1982, it struggled to gain traction, stalling out at #122 in weeks 6 to 8. After that, it bounced between #127 and #165 for 20 weeks. Then, on December 25, 1982 – the week “Hungry Like the Wolf” entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #77 on the strength of heavy MTV airplay – Rio jumped to #95. On February 26, 1983, 37 weeks after it entered the Billboard Top 200, Rio entered the Top 10 at #7. It remained in the top 10 for 11 weeks, peaking at #6 for seven consecutive weeks. Rio then spent 14 of the next 15 weeks in the top 100, dropping out for good in its 64th week. It spent an additional 61 weeks bouncing between #101 and #200, ultimately earning it 11,974 points, third only to two debut albums: Culture Club’s Kissing to Be Clever (12,978) and Men at Work’s Business as Usual (13,847). Rounding out the top five are two albums by The Police: Synchronicity (11,828) and Ghost In the Machine (11,870).
It is a testament to its staying power that Kissing to Be Clever never charted higher than #14, where it spent 10 non-consecutive weeks. Overall, it spent 78 weeks in the top 100, seven more than Business as Usual; three other albums also spent more than a year in the top 100: Rebel Yell by Billy Idol (#7), Synchronicity and War by U2 (#13), with 54, 56 and 57 weeks, respectively.
Rounding out the top 10, meanwhile are two additional Duran Duran albums – Seven and the Ragged Tiger (#9) and Duran Duran (#6) – plus the second Culture Club album, Colour By Number (#8) and The Clash’s Combat Rock (#10). Overall, The Police have four of the top 100 albums, while Adam/and the Ants, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Thomas Dolby, Duran Duran, The Fixx, Human League, Billy Idol, and U2 each have three. In total, 29 artists have multiple albums in the top 100.
The 89 SBI artists charting on the Billboard Top 200 during this time averaged 2.1 albums and 4,883.0 total points; medians are 2.0 and 2,541, respectively. A total of 117 SBI albums reached the top 100, 45 reached the top 30, 20 reached the top 10 and two reached #1: Business As Usual (14 weeks) and Synchronicity (17 weeks); Make It Big by Wham! was later #1 from March 2 to March 16, 1985. By comparison, 98 SBI singles reached the Top 40 and 44 reached the top 10, with nine reaching #1.
Twenty-eight artists, meanwhile, totaled more points than average; The Jam (5) and Bow Wow Wow (4) also placed at least four albums on the Billboard Top 200 in this time frame.
28. Naked Eyes (5,409 points; 2 albums)
27. Squeeze (5,503; 3)
26. Bananarama (5,585; 2)
25. Spandau Ballet (5,649; 2)
24. Eddy Grant (5,870; 2)
23. INXS (5,986; 4)
22. The Psychedelic Furs (6,212; 3)
21. The English Beat (6,436; 2)
20. ABC (7,020; 3)
19. Big Country (7,191; 3)
18. Soft Cell (7,583; 3)
17. Adam/and the Ants (8,060; 4)
16. Pretenders (8,230; 3)
15. The Clash (8,889; 1)
14. Elvis Costello & the Attractions (9,236; 4)
13. Thompson Twins (9,658; 4)
12. Thomas Dolby (10,254; 3)
11. Human League (10,952; 4)
10. A Flock of Seagulls (11,178; 3)
9. The Fixx (13,179; 3)
8. Joe Jackson (13,948; 4)
7. Eurythmics (14,122; 3)
6. U2 (17,118; 5)
5. Men At Work (20,915; 2)
4. Billy Idol (21,438; 3)
3. Culture Club (23,008; 3)
2. Duran Duran (32,024; 5)
1. The Police (32,967; 5)
The top five artists by album points do not surprise. The Police have three of the top 20 albums, including two in the top five, while Duran Duran has three of the top 10 albums. Culture Club also has two of the top 10 albums, while Billy Idol’s three albums combined for 224 weeks on the Billboard Top 200. Men at Work has the #1 album overall, with their follow-up Cargo at #17.
The most surprising artist on the list above is U2, who released four albums – October (#104, 2 weeks), War, Under a Blood Red Sky and The Unforgettable Fire – during this period; their debut album Boy returned for two weeks in November 1984, peaking at #188. As of December 22, 1984, the latter three albums – peaking at #12, #28 and #12, respectively – had spent 140 total weeks on the Billboard Top 200, with War and the live Under a Blood Red Sky tallying 130 of them. U2 achieved this album success despite placing only three singles on the Billboard Hot 100: “New Years’s Day” (#53, 2 weeks), a live recording of “I Will Follow” (#81, 2 weeks) and “Pride (In the Name of Love)” (#33, 1 week). In this they resemble Elvis Costello & the Attractions, 14th by album points, who released four top 50 albums in this period – three in the top 100 plus Almost Blue (#50, 2 weeks) – but only charted two singles: “The Only Flame in Town” (#56, 1 week) and “Everyday I Write the Book” (#36, 1 week).
Ten SBI albums, meanwhile, charted at least 62 weeks on the Billboard Top 200, four times the median chart stay of 15.5 weeks.
10. Don’t Stop (67 weeks)
9. Synchronicity (74)
8. War (75)
7. Duran Duran (86)
6. Kissing to Be Clever (87)
5. Business as Usual (88)
4. Billy Idol (102)
3. Zenyatta Mondatta (103)
2. Ghost In the Machine (105)
1. Rio (125)
Figure 1 below tracks the success of SBI albums over time. Curiously, while total points tracked closely with number of singles in the top 40, here it tracks closely with number of albums in the top 200.
Figure 1: Second British Invasion albums over time
On September 26, 1981, nine SBI albums were already on the Billboard Top 200, including Pretenders II (#10) and the durable Zenyatta Mondatta (#135); all were at their peak or dropping.[2] Not until October 24, 1981 did new albums enter the chart – four, including Ghost In the Machine (#16) and Don’t Stop (#185).[3] Total points did not begin to rise, though, until March 20, 1982, the week Human League’s Dare jumped to #72 in its 4th week and Soft Cell’s Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret reached #39 in its 8th week. Points rose steadily until plateauing on June 12, 1982, when Dare had reached #6, while Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, Haircut 100’s Pelican West, Squeeze’s Sweets From a Stranger, A Flock of Seagulls and Combat Rock all climbed the top 100. Indeed, two of the earliest videos I recall on heavy rotation when we signed up for MTV around May 1982 were “Love Plus One” by Haircut 100 and “Black Coffee in Bed” by Squeeze. Over the next 31 weeks, an average 19.7 SBI albums charted on the Billboard Top 200, with 9.2 in the top 100, 3.4 in the top 20, and between 0 and 3 albums in the top 10 – some combination of Dare, Business as Usual (reached #1 November 13, 1982), A Flock of Seagulls, Night and Day and Combat Rock.
On January 22, 1983, however, these values began to rise dramatically. Business as Usual was still #1, and Combat Rock was in its first of five weeks at #7. Only two other SBI albums were in the top 30, though, Adam Ant’s Friend or Foe (#26) and ABC’s The Lexicon of Love (#27). Eight other albums were in the top 100, including the rapidly rising Rio (#43) and Kissing to Be Clever (#70). Also rising were English Beat’s Special Beat Service (#51) and Musical Youth’s The Youth of Today (#57).
The album portion of the Second British Invasion peaked for the first time on June 4, 1983, when 37 albums were on the Billboard Top 200, yielding 4,224 total points, topped by Cargo in its 3rd of five weeks at #3. Here are the 20 albums in the top 100 that week; albums in boldface reached the top 10 at some point:
#3. Cargo
#14. The Golden Age of Wireless by Thomas Dolby
#16. Kissing to Be Clever
#17. Business as Usual
#18. Rio
#20. War
#25. Killer on the Rampage by Eddy Grant
#29. Atf by After the Fire
#35. Too-Rye-Ay by Dexy’s Midnight Runners
#37. Naked Eyes by Naked Eyes
#38. Listen by A Flock of Seagulls
#46. Shabooh Shoobah by INXS
#52. Madness by Madness
#57. Blinded by Science by Thomas Dolby
#64. Reach the Beach by The Fixx
#65. Deep Sea Skiving by Bananarama
#78. Billy Idol
#82. Side Kicks by Thompson Twins
#90. Night and Day
#99. Special Beat Service
This week fell during of a 29-week stretch from March 26 to October 8, 1983, during which SBI artists averaged 3,981.2 points, and 34.1 albums on the Billboard Top 200, with 20.7 in the top 100, 7.4 in the top 30, and 1.9 in the top 10 – led by Synchronicity at #1 for 11 of these weeks.
After that, however, there was a precipitous drop in points and number of charted albums, bottoming out on December 3, 1983: 2,582 points from 25 albums on the Billboard Top 200, 11 in the top 100, four in the top 30, and two in the top 20 – Synchronicity at #2, Colour By Numbers at #8.
As with singles, though, “reinforcements” were on their way, and total points and number of charted albums rose as fast as they had fallen, until a second, even higher peak on June 16, 1984: 4,468 points, driven by 39 albums on the Billboard Top 200. Here are the 22 albums in the top 10 that week; albums in boldface reached the top 10 at some point:
#7. Colour By Numbers
#10. Seven and the Ragged Tiger
#14. Into the Gap by Thompson Twins
#16. Rebel Yell
#20. Body and Soul by Joe Jackson
#26. Touch by Eurythmics
#29. Learning to Crawl by The Pretenders
#41. Points on a Curve by Wang Chung
#42. It’s My Life by Talk Talk
#44. Icicle Works by Icicle Works
#47. Mirror Moves by The Psychedelic Furs
#49. Synchronicity
#61. The Swing by INXS
#63. My Ever Changing Moods by The Style Council
#65. Wonderland by Big Country
#72. You Broke My Heart in 17 Places by Tracey Ullmann
#75. Kissing to Be Clever
#77. Declaration by The Alarm
#78. Human’s Lib by Howard Jones
#87. Hysteria by Human League
#89. The Flat Earth by Thomas Dolby
#93. Labour of Love by UB40
This week fell towards the end of a 19-week stretch from March 17 to July 21, 1984 during which SBI artists averaged 4,282.5 points, and 39.8 albums on the Billboard Top 200, with 21.6 in the top 100, 6.1 in the top 30, and 2.1 in the top 10. This period overlaps slightly with a run of nine weeks – February 11 to April 7, 1984 – in which there four top 10 albums by SBI artists: some combination of Colour By Numbers, Synchronicity, Learning to Crawl, Seven and the Ragged Tiger and Touch.
As before, however, there was a precipitous drop, followed by a slight uptick in November and December, as new albums from Duran Duran (the top 5 live album Arena), Culture Club (Waking Up With the House of Fire; #26 for four weeks), The Fixx (Phantoms; #19 for 3 weeks) and U2 (The Unforgettable Fire; #12 for 3 weeks) jostled for position in the top 30 with Wham!’s Make It Big (#23 as of December 22, 1984). Just below at #33 was the debut album from Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Welcome to the Pleasure Dome.
The latter two albums hint at the more dance-oriented direction these artists would take over the next few years. In the meantime, the second album by Tears For Fears, Songs From the Big Chair, would top the Billboard Top 200 from July 13 to August 3, 1985 – and again on August 24, 1985, driven by two #1 singles: “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “Shout,” with “Head Over Heels” reaching #3. Two years later, U2 released The Joshua Tree, which topped the Billboard Top 200 from April 25 to June 20, 1987, spawning two #1 singles: “With or Without You” and “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” A third single, “Where the Streets Have No Name,” peaked at #13. Tears For Fears had more chart success in 1989 with their top 10 Seeds of Love album.
In the third and final essay in this series, I will address the top artists of the Second British Invasion and examine this period chronologically.
Until then…if you like what you read on this website, please consider making a donation. Thank you.
[1] Technically, the chart was called Top LP and Cassette, but I use this title for ease of presentation.
[2] The other seven were Squeeze’s East Side Story (#52), Joe Jackson’s Joe Jackson’s Jumpin’ Jive (#72), Icehouse’s Icehouse (#82), The Pretenders’ Extended Play (#114), Adam and the Ants’ Kings of the Wild Frontier (#191), Split Enz’s Waiata (#194) and The Psychedelic Furs’ Talk Talk Talk (#200).
[3] The other two were Rage in Eden by Ultravox and Dance by Gary Numan, which peaked at #144 and #165, respectively.
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