1987’s Best Rock Albums? These Are My Top 5 Picks!
1987 was a massive year for rock — but which albums really stood out? In this video, I’m sharing my personal top 5 favourite rock albums from that year. These aren’t based on sales, reviews or polls… just the ones I still listen to today.
You might agree with some. You’ll probably disagree with others. And that’s the fun of it. I’d love to hear your top 5 albums from ’87 in the comments below.
???? Don’t forget — we’ve also been running daily classic rock polls right here on the channel for the past three years. Check the ‘Posts’ tab to see how the community voted in our recent 1987 album contest!
???? Drop your top 5 albums from 1987 in the comments — no wrong answers here!
#ClassicRock #1987Albums #RockAlbumCountdown #VinylCommunity #vrprocks
0:00 Intro
1:19 Number 5
4:40 Number 4
6:12 Number 3
9:58 Number 2
12:55 Honourable Mentions
13:30 Number 1
#1987s #Rock #Albums #Top #Picks
Originally posted by UCS-4G1mJnTSbeitBMJo8KiA at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAUEu6YS00M
Hard not to pick Appetite at number 1. Not really the biggest Fleetwood Mac fan. Whitesnake and Def Leppard were huge that year
87's one of the easiest years for me to rank I think, there just isn't as much serious competition as other years cause (with the exception of 2 of your picks…Tango in the Night and Kick) there's not alot I really really love….was right in the middle of 3 of the worst years of my life…kinda makes sense, I guess. I liked some of the choices much better years ago, but as far as what I still love the most 1.) Fleetwood's Tango in the Night, 2.) George Harrison – Cloud Nine, 3.) 10000 Maniacs – In My Tribe, 4.) INXS – Kick 4.) Peter Wolf – Come as You Are. Tango was the best album of the year. Still stunning from top to bottom! Interesting to hear others' thoughts! Great job!
My top 5:
1. Appetite
2. Hysteria
3. Whitesnake
4. Tango in the night
5. Darklands
And next would be
6. Kick
7. Bad
Wss just about to enter my teen years in 1987 and the rock and metal was only getting better!
My ???? in no particular order
The Lonesome Jubilee – JCM
Permanent Vacation – Aerosmith
Whitesnake
Faith – George Michael
Appetite For Destruction
Great video! Hard to argue with Appetite for Destruction being number 1 for 87, it was a powerhouse. Id throw in Hysteria as another monster from that year, aling with the Whitesnake release. Surfing with the Alien is very different but also worth a mention
John Sykes. Whitesnake. Best album 87. The end
What days do you upload your videos on YouTube? I know your podcast used to be on Monday.
Love your work!
Tango in the Night was my first Fleetwood Mac album. I won't argue with its inclusion here.
My 5 would be
1 Joshua Tree
2 Whitesnake
3 Appetite
4 Hysteria
5 Document
Great choice of albums! Very eclectic. I bought the GnR album simply because I liked the album cover, which was a couple of months before MTV played "Welcome to the Jungle." I don't listen to the album as much now, but I totally agree with you about the song "Think About You." My picks are very different now than in 1987, but my current top 5 from that year are The Joshua Tree by U2, The Eternal Idol by Black Sabbath (I like how different it is from other Sabbath, which seemed to change with every singer), Surfing With the Alien by Joe Satriani, Big Generator by Yes (I love Yes whether they are prog crazy or prog pop, "Holy Lamb" being my favorite track), and Introducing the Hardline According to … Terrence Trent D'Arby. I still go back to those albums more than any others from that year. I absolutely love your channel!
U2 The Joshua Tree…ever heard of it?
I agree about Tony Martin. I honestly have very little dealings with Black Sabbath post-Ozzy. For me, it's just not Black Sabbath without him (or Bill Ward). And I love YES! They've had a million members, so it's not that I can't accept change. It's just Black Sabbath is Tony, Ozzy, Geezer and Bill, in my mind. Dio is a great singer, but I'm not a huge fan of his lyrics. So he can sing them with authority and power, but what he's saying does nothing for me. I actually enjoy Black Sabbath with Ian Gillan, and I saw that tour! I think Born Again just needs a remix. That's a good album.
But after that I really did not listen to anything Tony did with Black Sabbath. I was onboard for Glenn Hughes, but at the same time, the vocalist situation was obviously tenuous. Would he be around for another album, or …? It has only been in recent years I've listened to Tony Martin era Black Sabbath, and I found I actually enjoyed it. I think he's just as powerful a singer as Dio. I was surprised in fact. Again, it's not Black Sabbath to me, but I do think Martin's time with the band yielded some really good songs.
Mine are
1. Hall Of The Mountain King-Savatage
2. Taking Over-Overkill
3. Dream Evil-Dio
4. Abigail-King Diamond
5. Surfing With The Aĺien-Joe Satriani
Just missing
Rock You To Hell-Grim Reaper
Schitzophrenia-Sepultura
Tribute-Ozzy Osbourne/Randy Rhoads
How bout 8? But I can’t put them in order:
Door To Door-The Cars
Tango In Night-Fleetwood Mac
Inside Information-Foreigner
Frozen Ghost-Frozen Ghost
Bad Animals-Heart
Hai Hai-Roger Hodgeson
Man Of Colours-Icehouse
Wildside-Loverboy
I think your selection is very good. In any case, the quality is exceptionally high. My top 5 from 1987 would be:
Guns 'n' Roses – Appetite for Destruction
Def Leppard – Hysteria
KISS – Crazy Nights
Rory Gallagher – Defender
Gary Moore – Wild Frontier
87 ranking for me↓
①Whitesnake
②Black Sabbath/Eternal Idol
③Ozzy/TRIBUTE
④DIO/Dream Evil
⑤EZO
、、、and much much more、、
Dokken、Pink Floyd、Gary Moore etc、、
No shame in liking outliers, Paul. It pays to be open-minded.
For me, Tony Martin more than held his own. I was big on Appetite at the time, not so keen on Axl's vocals now. I first heard INXS with Falling Down The Mountain on ITV's mid 80s night time music video shows. I prefer the earlier stuff from Whitesnake and Fleetwood Mac.
I don't really have a top 5 as such, but some others of mine (that you've not already covered) include:
Gary Moore – Wild Frontier
Marillion – Clutching At Straws
McAuley Schenker Group – Perfect Timing
Rory Gallagher – Defender
Deep Purple – Bad Attitude
I loved Tony Martin era it was so mature for Sabbath and so many well written songs! Tony Martin is a Master singer and songwriter! Paul could you try get an interview with Tony? I saw INXS two week before Michael was culled ermm suicided himself they were brilliant/Mike walks across one of the bars in this massive 6 bar facility in Toronto. Then I saw them a few years alter with some John guy singing on a temp basis. I respect his talent but despise Coverdale for what he did to Sykes!
My 1987 Top 5:
5. Metallica – The $5.98 EP
4. Anthrax – Among the Living
3. INXS – Kick
2. U2 – The Joshua Tree
1. Guns N Roses – Appetite for Destruction
REM's Document is the best of the year in my opinion. I dont know what we mean by ’rock’ in this context, but Depeche Mode's Music for the Masses is also good.
Tango in the Night – is a wonderful album!
Great picks! John McVie is such a great tasteful bass player. Kudos for the INXS love as well. Great band and great album. ????????????????????
My favorite vocalist is Geoff Tate he has a gift his range is unreal! My favorite guitarist is SRV so much feeling! My favorite bass player Geddy Lee brilliant call backs with Neil or Alex! Most underrated is Candlebox great debut album. Favorite band Bad Company with Rush a close 2nd. Favorite song Molly Hatchet’s Dreams I’ll Never See! Would love to hear from some people’s favorites!
I'm not even going to watch this because GNR's Appetite for Destruction is marked out in the thumbnail.
Not holding Appetite up as one of the greatest rock albums ever negates your credibility.
I have four of those five albums, I never really got into INXS though.
Eternal Idol : I love it , has a hard rock, doomy vibe , it’s a great album!!!
Last year I bought it again , double cd , with the Ray Gillan’s recordings as well.
Also favourites from 1987:
Among the Living/ Anthrax ( favourite band)
Nightfall / Candlemass
No comments are needed here…
Scream Bloody Gore : a great debut for Chuck Schuldiner
Yup, INXS 'Kick' is kickass.
The Cure ? Always.
Great Live albums from 1987 are
WASP 'Live…In The Raw'
and Judas Priest 'Priest Live'.
Love the Tony Martin-era Sabbath!
I enjoy the channel. Everyone has their favorites and to the younger crowd you had to live through the 80s. We had tunes for every one to enjoy.
Every band pretty much had a song on an album that everyone liked.
Great White once bitten is all killer no filler.
Hysteria is the same.
whitesnake & Dokken.
Rock on ????????
The Cult – Electric or The Cure's kiss me album or REM's Document
I really go along with GNR and Whitesnake, the others hold very little for me. Married in 86, and very much living for more than music through 87, and as a result I can't remember what was around at that time. And as a note to the snowflakes that can't handle words misspelled, get over it. I have dyslexia and do my best. TTFN