Beginning Friday, Stuck in the '80s will release its long-awaited list of the 80 must-own albums for '80s fans. I'll roll them out 20 albums at a time in alphabetical order -- there's no ranking this time.

It took about six months to compile the list. Four months of those were spent trying to figure out how to avoid completing the list. Who knew it'd be such an undertaking.

I don't want to give too much away, but here are some of the trends you'll notice when you see the completed list:

HARDEST BAND TO PICK JUST ONE ALBUM FOR: U2, without a doubt. I had to choose between Joshua Tree, War and Unforgettable Fire. (Under a Blood Red Sky is a concert album and not eligible.)

LAST BANDS CUT FROM THE LIST: After considering a list of more than 200 bands and albums, the last acts cut from the list were: Love & Rockets, Queensryche, 10,000 Maniacs, Berlin, the Fixx, Night Ranger, UB40 and Wham.

BIGGEST YEAR: That'd be 1984, which had 13 albums on the list.

LEANEST YEAR: What happened in 1988? Not much. Only one album made the list. The following year, only two albums made the list.

EARLIEST ALBUM: Elvis Costello got a jump on everyone else, releasing his entry on Feb. 15, 1980.

LATEST ALBUM: The B-52s, a band coming off a long sabbatical after the death of guitarist Ricky Wilson, released their entry on June 27, 1989.

HUSBAND AND WIFE ... AT THE TIME: One couple can claim two albums on this list. Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) and Chrissie Hynde (the Pretenders) were married at the time their albums were released. They divorced in 1990.

ARTIST WHO APPEARS MOST OFTEN: It's hard to know for sure, with some artists making small contributions to other projects. But at least two artists appears on three different albums: Sting and Thomas Dolby.

STILL ROCKING: Of the 80 bands listed, approximately 50 of them are still actively touring and recording music. One band, Scorpions, recently announced they will release their final album this year and disband after one last world tour.

NO LONGER WITH US: Five frontmen from the list have since passed away: Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury (Queen), Joe Strummer (the Clash), Michael Hutchence (INXS) and Ian Curtis (Joy Division).

Come back tomorrow morning when the first 20 albums from the list are unveiled.