| The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1985 |
| TOP 50 BLACK CONTEMPORARY ALBUMS (As published in the December 28, 1985, issue) |
| POS | TITLE – Artist (Label) |
| 1 | THE NIGHT I FELL IN LOVE – Luther Vandross (Epic) |
| 2 | ROCK ME TONIGHT – Freddie Jackson (Capitol) |
| 3 | WHITNEY HOUSTON (Arista) |
| 4 | EMERGENCY – Kool & The Gang (De-Lite) |
| 5 | SINGLE LIFE – Cameo (Atlanta Artists) |
| 6 | AROUND THE WORLD IN A DAY – Prince & The Revolution (Paisley Park) |
| 7 | READY FOR THE WORLD (MCA) |
| 8 | SOLID – Ashford & Simpson (Capitol) |
| 9 | JESSE JOHNSON’S REVUE (A&M) |
| 10 | DIAMOND LIFE – Sade (Epic) |
| 11 | STARCHILD – Teena Marie (Epic) |
| 12 | ONLY FOR YOU – Mary Jane Girls (Gordy) |
| 13 | PURPLE RAIN – Prince & The Revolution (Warner Bros.) |
| 14 | CAN’T STOP THE LOVE – Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly (Capitol) |
| 15 | WHO’S ZOOMIN’ WHO – Aretha Franklin (Arista) |
| 16 | NEW EDITION (MCA) |
| 17 | STREET CALLED DESIRE – Rene & Angela (Mercury) |
| 18 | PATTI LaBELLE (Philadelphia Int’l) |
| 19 | TRULY FOR YOU – The Temptations (Gordy) |
| 20 | NIGHTSHIFT – Commodores (Motown) |
| 21 | SO MANY RIVERS – Bobby Womack (MCA) |
| 22 | PLANETARY INVASION – Midnight Star (Solar) |
| 23 | PRIVATE DANCER – Tina Turner (Capitol) |
| 24 | IN SQUARE CIRCLE – Stevie Wonder (Tamla) |
| 25 | THE WOMAN IN RED – Original Soundtrack/Stevie Wonder (Motown) |
| 26 | AS THE BAND TURNS – Atlantic Starr (A&M) |
| 27 | RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT – DeBarge (Gordy) |
| 28 | FAT BOYS (Sutra) |
| 29 | BEVERLY HILLS COP – Original Soundtrack (MCA) |
| 30 | GLOW – Rick James (Gordy) |
| 31 | DREAM OF A LIFETIME – Marvin Gaye (Columbia) |
| 32 | WE ARE THE WORLD – USA For Africa (Columbia) |
| 33 | ELECTRIC LADY – Con Funk Shun (Mercury) |
| 34 | SO GOOD – The Whispers (Solar) |
| 35 | ESCAPE – Whodini (Jive) |
| 36 | A LITTLE SPICE – Loose Ends (MCA) |
| 37 | UTFO (Select) |
| 38 | COLOR OF SUCCESS – Morris Day (Warner Bros.) |
| 39 | THE FAMILY (Warner Bros./Paisley Park) |
| 40 | SUDDENLY – Billy Ocean (Jive) |
| 41 | GAP BAND IV – The Gap Band (Total Experience) |
| 42 | CHINESE WALL – Philip Bailey (Columbia) |
| 43 | SHEILA E. IN ROMANCE 1600 (Warner Bros./Paisley Park) |
| 44 | KING OF ROCK – Run-D.M.C. (Profile) |
| 45 | SWEPT AWAY – Diana Ross (RCA) |
| 46 | MEETING IN THE LADIES ROOM – Klymaxx (Constellation/MCA) |
| 47 | MAURICE WHITE (Columbia) |
| 48 | I FEEL FOR YOU – Chaka Khan (Warner Bros.) |
| 49 | THE FAT BOYS ARE BACK – Fat Boys (Sutra) |
| 50 | LIKE A VIRGIN – Madonna (Sire) |