| The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1988 |
| TOP 50 POP ALBUMS (As published in the December 31, 1988, issue) |
| POS | TITLE – Artist (Label) |
| 1 | FAITH – George Michael (Columbia) |
| 2 | DIRTY DANCING – Original Soundtrack (RCA) |
| 3 | HYSTERIA – Def Leppard (Mercury) |
| 4 | APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION – Guns N’ Roses (Geffen) |
| 5 | KICK – INXS (Atlantic) |
| 6 | BAD – Michael Jackson (Epic) |
| 7 | TRACY CHAPMAN (Elektra) |
| 8 | INTRODUCING THE HARDLINE ACCORDING TO TERENCE TRENT D’ARBY (Columbia) |
| 9 | OU812 – Van Halen (Warner Bros.) |
| 10 | OPEN UP AND SAY...AHH! – Poison (Capitol) |
| 11 | TIFFANY (MCA) |
| 12 | NOW AND ZEN – Robert Plant (Es Paranza) |
| 13 | ROLL WITH IT – Steve Winwood (Virgin) |
| 14 | MORE DIRTY DANCING – Various Artists (RCA) |
| 15 | STRONGER THAN PRIDE – Sade (Epic) |
| 16 | HE’S THE D.J., I’M THE RAPPER – D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (Jive) |
| 17 | LET IT LOOSE – Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine (Epic) |
| 18 | SKYSCRAPER – David Lee Roth (Warner Bros.) |
| 19 | COCKTAIL – Original Soundtrack (Elektra) |
| 20 | ...NOTHING LIKE THE SUN – Sting (A&M) |
| 21 | THE LONESOME JUBILEE – John Cougar Mellencamp (Mercury) |
| 22 | LONG COLD WINTER – Cinderella (Mercury) |
| 23 | SIMPLE PLEASURES – Bobby McFerrin (EMI-Manhattan) |
| 24 | CLOUD NINE – George Harrison (Dark Horse) |
| 25 | NEW JERSEY – Bon Jovi (Mercury) |
| 26 | DON’T BE CRUEL – Bobby Brown (MCA) |
| 27 | MAKE IT LAST FOREVER – Keith Sweat (Vintertainment) |
| 28 | SCENES FROM THE SOUTHSIDE – Bruce Hornsby & The Range (RCA) |
| 29 | WHITESNAKE (Geffen) |
| 30 | WHENEVER YOU NEED SOMEBODY – Rick Astley (RCA) |
| 31 | ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL – Metallica (Elektra) |
| 32 | TOUGHER THAN LEATHER – Run-D.M.C. (Profile) |
| 33 | SAVAGE AMUSEMENT – The Scorpions (Mercury) |
| 34 | A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON – Pink Floyd (Columbia) |
| 35 | LOVESEXY – Prince (Paisley Park) |
| 36 | NAKED – Talking Heads (Sire) |
| 37 | HEART BREAK – New Edition (MCA) |
| 38 | TUNNEL OF LOVE – Bruce Springsteen (Columbia) |
| 39 | RATTLE AND HUM – U2 (Island) |
| 40 | OUT OF THE BLUE – Debbie Gibson (Atlantic) |
| 41 | HEAVY NOVA – Robert Palmer (EMI-Manhattan) |
| 42 | PERMANENT VACATION – Aerosmith (Geffen) |
| 43 | KINGDOM COME (Polydor) |
| 44 | THE JOSHUA TREE – U2 (Island) |
| 45 | GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM – Original Soundtrack (A&M) |
| 46 | PRIDE – White Lion (Atlantic) |
| 47 | IN EFFECT MODE – Al B. Sure! (Warner Bros.) |
| 48 | ANY LOVE – Luther Vandross (Epic) |
| 49 | LABOUR OF LOVE – UB40 (A&M) |
| 50 | HOT, COOL & VICIOUS – Salt-N-Pepa (Next Plateau) |
