Def Leppard, Paul McCartney & All the Acts With Billboard 200 Top 10 Albums Each Decade Since the ’80s
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Def Leppard joins an elite group of acts – and is one of just three groups – with a newly charting top 10 title on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the 1980s, ‘90s, 2000s, ‘10s and now the ‘20s. The band’s latest studio effort, Diamond Star Halos, bows at No. 10 on the June 11-dated list.
Def Leppard scored its first Billboard 200 top 10 with Pyromania, which first reached the tier on the March 12, 1983-dated tally, eventually peaking at No. 2 on the May 14, 1983, chart. The group hit the top 10 once more in the 1980s with Hysteria, which started its top 10 run on Aug. 29, 1987, and began a six-week run at No. 1 on the July 23, 1988, chart.
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In the 1990s, the British band visited the top 10 twice, with Adrenalize (No. 1 for five weeks in 1992) and Retro Active (No. 9, 1993). In the 2000s, the group again collected a pair of top 10s, with Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (No. 10, 2005) and Songs From the Sparkle Lounge (No. 5, 2008). In the 2010s, the act sent its self-titled studio set to No. 10 in 2015.
As Def Leppard — who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in its 2019 class — extends its streak to a fifth decade with a new Billboard 200 top 10, here’s a look at all the acts that have linked such a run so far dating to the ’80s.
Acts With New Top 10 Albums on the Billboard 200 Chart in the 1980s, ‘90s, 2000s, ‘10s & ‘20s:
AC/DC
Def Leppard
Paul McCartney
Metallica
Ozzy Osbourne
Robert Plant
Prince
Bruce Springsteen
James Taylor
AC/DC, Def Leppard and Metallica are the only groups to achieve the distinction above.
Meanwhile, McCartney (including his work with Wings), Springsteen and Taylor’s streaks stretch back six decades to the ’70s, and that’s not counting the output of, and McCartney’s driving contributions to, The Beatles, who landed 17 top 10 sets on the Billboard 200 in the ’60s (and 15 more since).
