30 Years Ago | Pop Music in 1987

By 1987 popular music was dying, the Australian charts were being dominated by Stock, Aiken and Waterman artists and dance acts. By 1988 it became too much for me, and when Rick Astley hit #1 early in '88 I turned off the Radio and have not turn in back on since.

There was some good music in 1987 though:

Concrete Blonde - Free. My favourite album from that year.
Midnight Oil - Diesel and Dust
Bryan Ferry - Bete Noire
Heart - Bad Animals
Paul Kelly - Gossip
Suzanne Vega - Solitude Standing
INXS - Kick

 

And while we're at it, I might as well post my complete individual songs list from 1987. Yowzah!

R.E.M. - The One I Love (from Document - Alt./Indie Rock) .01
Public Enemy - Rebel Without A Pause (single - Hiphop) .02
Hanan Bulu Bulu - Arabian title (World Music/Sudan) .03
Tom Waits - Way Down In The Hole (from Frank's Wild Years - Singer/songwriter) .04
Sinéad O' Connor (from The Lion And The Cobra - Pop/Rock) .05
Bathory - Woman Of Dark Desire (from Under The Sign Of The Black Mark - Metal) .06
Swans - You're Not Real, Girl (from Children Of God - Postpunk) .07
Sterling Void & Paris Brightledge - It's All Right (single - Electronica/House) .08
Suicidal Tendencies - Suicidal Maniac (from Join The Army - Metal/Punk) .09
Dead Can Dance (from Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun - Postpunk) .10

Tom Waits - Yesterday Is Here (from Frank's Wild Years - Singer/songwriter) .11
The House Of Love (single - Alt./Indie Rock) .12
Gadir Jahan - Kabuliman (World Music/Afghanistan) .13
Public Enemy - Bring The Noise (from Less Than Zero - Hiphop) .14
Night Writers - Let The Music Use You (single - Electronica/House) .15 Nightwriters = Frankie Knuckles.
Chris Isaak - Blue Hotel (from Chris Isaak - Pop/Rock) .16
Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal (from Bad - R&B/Pop) .17
Laibach (from Opus Dei - Postpunk) .18
LL Cool J - Going Back To Cali (single - Hiphop) .19
Joe Smooth - Promised Land (from Promised Land - Electronica/House) .20

Rhys Chatham - Die Donnergötter (from Die Donnergötter - Experimental) .21
DJ Pierre's Pfantasy Club - Mystery Girl (single - Electronica/House) .22
INXS - Need You Tonight (from Kick - Pop/Rock) .23
Maria Marquez - Canto Del Pilon (from Potatoes - World/Venezuela) .24
Macabre - Serial Killer (from Grim Reality - Metal/Punk) .25
Red Hot Chili Peppers - No Chump Love Sucker (from The Uplift Mofo Party Plan - Alt./Indie Rock) .26
World Of Skin - Still A Child (from Blood, Women, Roses - Postpunk) .27 Swans-side project.
Fat Boys - Crushin' (from Crushin' - Hiphop) .28
Meredith Monk - Double Fiesta (from Do You Be - Experimental) .29
The Sugarcubes - Birthday (single - Postpunk) .30

Beatmasters - Rok Da House (single - Electronica/House) .31
The Bevis Frond - Reflections In A Tall Mirror (from Inner Marshland - Alt.Rock/Garage) .32
Prince - The Cross (from Sign Of The Times - R&B/Funk) .33
Spoonie Gee - The Godfather (from The Godfather Of Rap - Hiphop) .34
The Steppes - Bigger Than Life (from Drop Of The Creature - Garage Rock) .35
Sonic Youth Catholic Block (from Sister - Alt./Indie Rock) .36
Death Angel - Thrashers (from The Ultra-Violence - Metal) .37
Guadalcanal Diary - Where Angels Fear To Tread (from 2 X 4 - Alt./Indie Rock) .38
Guns 'n Roses - Welcome To The Jungle (from Appetite For Destruction - Metal) .39
That Petrol Emotion - Static (from Babble - Alt./Indie Rock) .40

Nitzer Ebb - Let Your Body Learn (from That Total Age - Postpunk) .41
Dinosaur Jr. - Little Fury Things (from You're Living All Over Me - Alt./Indie Rock) .42
World Party - World Groove (single - Pop/Rock) .43
Able Tasmans (from A Cuppa Tea And A Lie Down - New Zealand Indie) .44
Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Alien (from Surfing With The Alien - Pop/Rock) .45
Throwing Muses - A Feeling (from The Fat Skier - Indie/Postpunk) .46
Scratch Acid - Mary Had A Little Drug Problem (from Beserker - Alt./Indie Rock) .47
No Strange - Smiling Time (from L'Universo - Italian Garage) .48
Butthole Surfers - Human Cannonball (from Locust Abortion Technician - Alt./Indie Rock) .49
Pailhead - I Will Refuse (single - Alt./Indie Rock) .50 Al Jourgensen & Ian McKaye (Fugazi) collab.

Charles Hayward - Make Believe (from Survive The Gesture - Postpunk) .51 ex-This Heat.
Sly & Robbie - Let's Rock (from Rhythm Killers - Electronica/Reggae) .52
JVC Force - Strong Island (single - Hiphop) .53
Chris Isaak - Lie To Me (from Chris Isaak - Pop/Rock) .54
Pop Will Eat Itself - U.B.L.U.B. (from Box Frenzy - Alt./Indie Rock) .55
Julian Cope - Spacehopper (from Saint Julian - Alt./Indie Rock) .56
Suns Of Arqa - La Pucelle D'Orleans (from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Seven - Postpunk/Reggae) .57
Marillion - Incommunicado (from Clutching At Straws - Rock/Prog) .58
The Primitives - Stop Killing Me (single - Alt./Indie Rock) .59
Accuser - Screaming For Guilt (from The Conviction - Metal) .60

Midnight Oil - Beds Are Burning (from Diesel And Dust - Pop/Rock) .61
Snakefinger - The Ballad Of Sawney Bean (from Night Of Desirable Objects - Postpunk) .62
Paolo Conte - Max (from Aguaplano - Italian Popular) .63
The Replacements - Alex Chilton (from Pleased To Meet Me - Alt./Indie Rock) .64
Chab Hamid - Lala Sadia (from Le Disque D'or Du Raï - World/Algeria) .65
The Blue Aeroplanes - Spitting Out Miracles (from Spitting Out Miracles - Alt./Indie Rock) .66
R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World As We Know It (from Document - Alt./Indie Rock) .67
The Wonder Stuff - Unbearable (single - Alt./Indie Rock) .68
Death In June - Hail! The White Grain (from Brown Book - Postpunk) .72
Marianne Faithfull - Love, Life And Money (from Strange Weather - Pop/Rock) .70

Jungle Brothers - Because I Got It Like That (single - Hiphop) ,71
Opal - Soul Giver (from Happy Nightmare Baby - Alt./Indie Rock) .69
Revolting Cocks - No Devotion (from You Goddamned Son Of A Bitch - Postpunk) .73
Meat Puppets- Bad Love (from Huevos - Alt./Indie Rock) .74
Bathory - Massacre (from Under The Sign Of The Black Mark - Metal) .75
Rhythim Is Rhythim - Strings Of Life (single - Electronica/Techno) .76
The Chills - Party In My Heart (single - Alt./Indie Rock) .77
Master Musicians Of Tanzania - Nhongolo (from Mateso - World/Tanzania) .78
The Broken Jug - Rain Of Death (from Burning Down The Neighborhood - Alt./Garage) .79
Spacemen 3 - Ecstacy Symphony/Transparant Radiation (from The Perfect Prescription - Alt./Indie Rock) .80

The Proclaimers - Over And Done With (from This Is The Story - Pop/Rock) ;81
Henry Rollins - Men Are Pigs (from Drive-By Shooting - Alt./Indie Rock) .82
Sex Clark Five (from Strum & Drum - Alt./Indie Rock) .83
The Ramones - I Wanna Live (from Halfway To Sanity - Punk) .84
Omar & The Howlers - Shadow Man (from Hard Times In The Land Of Plenty - Pop/Rock) .85
Yello - Si Señor The Hairy Grill (from One Second - Synthpop/Postpunk) .86
The Shamen - Something About You (from Drop - Alt./Indie Rock) .87
Suicidal Tendencies - War Inside My Head (from Join The Army - Metal/Punk) .88
Jane Siberry - The White Tent The Raft (from The Walking - Pop/Rock) .89
fIREHOSE - For The Singer of R.E.M. (from If'n - Alt./Indie Rock) .90

U2 - Where The Streets Have No Name (from The Joshua Tree - Rock/Alt.Rock) .91
Yiorgos Mangas - Chorepste Tsifteteli (from Yiorgos Mangas - World/Greece) .92
Voi Vod - Tornado (from Killing Technology - Metal) .93
Eric B. & Rakim - Chinese Arithmetic (from Paid In Full - Hiphop) .94
Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu - The Queen And I (from 1987: What The **** Is Going On!? - Electronica) .95
Rhythm Pigs - Bad Reactor (from Choke On This - Punk) .96
Pet Shop Boys - It's A Sin (from Actually - Synthpop) .97
Sexton Ming - The Ming Is In Your Town (from Old Horse Of The Nation - Alt./Indie Rock) .98
Phuture - Acid Tracks (single - Electronica/Techno) .99
Game theory - The World's Easiest Job (from Lolita Nation - Alt./Indie Rock) .100

Stock, Aitken & Waterman - Roadblock (single - Pop/Dance) .101
The Housemartins - The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death (from The People Who Grinned - Indie/Pop) .102
Yargo - Carrying Mine (from Bodybeat - Pop/Rock) .103
Swans - Beautiful Child (from Children Of God - Postpunk) .104
Victoria Williams - Happy (from Happy Come Home - Singer/songwriter) .105
The Nits - In The Dutch Mountains (from In The Dutch Mountains - New Wave) .106
Metallica - One (from ...And Justice For All - Metal) .107
Fingers Inc. - Stars (single - Electronica/Techno) .108
The Go-Betweens - The Clarke Sisters (from Tallulah - Alt./Indie Rock) .109
Boiled In Lead - French Tunes (from Hotheads - Folkrock) .110

Terence Trent D'Arby - Dance Little Sister (from Introducing The Hardline - Pop/R&B) .111
Titãs - Todo Mundo Quer Amor (from Jesus Não Tem Dentes No País Dos Banguelas - Brazilian Indie) .112
Boogie Down Productions - 9mm Goes Bang (from Criminal Minded - Hiphop) .113
The Wedding Present - All This And More (from George Best - Alt./Indie Rock) .114
Ralphi Rosario - In The Night (single - Electronica/House) .115
Sting - Englishman In New York (from ...Nothing Like The Sun - Pop/Rock) .116
Loop - Soundhead (from Heaven's End - Alt./Indie Rock) .117
Anthrax - Caught In A Mosh (from Among The Living - Metal) .118
Startled Insects - Glass Mountain (from Curse Of The Pheromones - Postpunk/Experimental) .119
The Gun Club - Breaking Hands (from Mother Juno - Alt./Indie Rock) .120

My Bloody Valentine - Strawberry Wine (single - Alt./Indie Rock) .121
Negativland - Yellow, Black And Rectangular (from Escape From Noise - Experimental) .122
Manka Le Phallang - Ea Nyoloha Khanyapa (from Homeland - World/Lesotho) .123
Wire - The Point Of Collapse (from The Ideal Copy - Postpunk) .124
Swamptrash - Foggy Mountain Breakdown (from It Makes No Never Mind - Folk Revival) .125
David Sylvian - Mother & Child (from Secrets Of The Beehive - Postpunk) .126
Hue And Cry - Labour Of Love (from Seduced And Abandoned - Pop/Rock) .127
Pascal Comelade - Valse De La Demoiselle Aux Jeux Verts (from El Primitivismo - Experimental) .128
LL Cool J - I'm Bad (from Bigger And Deffer - Hiphop) .129
Barrence Whitfield - The Girl From Outer Space (from Ow! Ow! Ow! - Rhythm & Blues) .130

Screaming Blue Messiahs - Sweet Water Pools (from Bikini Red - Alt./Indie Rock) .131
Salt-N-Pepa Push It (single - Hiphop) .132
Eugene Chadbourne - Wine Me Up (from The History Of The Chadbournes In America - Alt./Indie Rock) .133
Death - Evil Dead (from Scream Bloody Gore - Metal) .134
John Zorn - Two-Lane Highway (from Spillane - Experimental) .135
Union Carbide Productions - Ring My Bell (from In The Air Tonight - Alt./Indie Rock) .136
Alexander O' Neal - Fake (from Hearsay - R&B/Soul) .137
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Me & My Friends (from The Uplift Mofo Party Plan - Alt./Indie Rock) .138
Robert Owens - I'm Strong (Vocal Mix) (single - Electronica/House) .139
The Weather Prophets - Walking Under A Spell (from Mayflower - Alt./Indie Rock) .140

John Hiatt - Alone In The Dark (from Bring The Family - Pop/Rock) .141
The Communards - Tomorrow (from Red - Synthpop) .142
Ultramagnetic MC's - Traveling At The Speed Of Thought (single - Hiphop) .143
Jan Garbarek - All Those Born With Wings Pt. 1 (from All Those Born With Wings - Fusion) .144
The Cure - Just Like Heaven (from Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me - Postpunk) .145
Gibson Bros. - Poor Me (from Big Pine Boogie - Alt./Indie Rock) .146
Model 500 - Off To Battle (single - Electronica/Techno) .147
Los Lobos - My Baby's Gone (from By The Light Of The Moon - Pop/Rock) .148
Momus - Murderers, The Hope Of Women (from The Poison Boyfriend - Pop/Rock) .149
Anne Clark - Homecoming (from Hopeless Cases - Postpunk) ,150

The Wipers - Against The Wall (from Follow Blind - Alt./Indie Rock) .151
Marc Almond - Saint Judy (from Mother Fist And Her Five Daughters - Pop/Postpunk) .152
Napalm Death - Control (from Scum - Metal/Punk) .153
Joe Strummer - The Unknown Immortal (from Walker - Pop/Rock) .154
Mory Kanté - Yé Ké Yé Ké (album version) (from Akwaba Beach - World/Mali) .155
Skinny Puppy - Addiction (from Cleanse Fold And Manipulate - Postpunk) .156
George Michael - Faith (from Faith - Pop) .157
Tröckener Kecks - Eén Op Eén Miljoen (from Eén Op Eén Miljoen - Dutch Alt.Rock) .158
Front 242 - Rerun Time (from Official Version - Postpunk) .159
Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (from Whenever You Need Somebody - Pop) .160

Public Enemy - You're Gonna Get Yours (from Yo! Bum Rush The Show - Hiphop) .161
Yeah Jazz - Probablyy This Winter (from Imminent - Alt./Indie Rock) .162
Karen Finley - Sacred Meat (from The Truth Is Hard To Swallow - Spoken Word/Electronica) .163
Faith No More - Introduce Yourself (from Introduce Yourself - Alt./Indie Rock) .164
Bomb The Bass - Beat Dis (single - Electronica) .165
The Soup Dragons - Head Gone Astray (from Hang Ten! - Alt./Indie Rock) .166
***** Galore - Wretch (from Right Now - Alt./Indie Rock) .167
Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody (from Whitney-Pop/R&B) .168
Tyree - Acid Over (single - Electronica/Techno) .169
Agent Steel - Unstoppable Force (from Unstoppable Force - Metal) .170

Primal Scream - Imperial (from Sonic Flower Groove - Alt./Indie Rock) .171
The Young Gods - Jimmy (from The Young Gods - Postpunk) .172
M/A/R/R/S - Pump Up The Volume (single - Electronica) .173
Gaye Bikers On Acid - Motorvate (from Drill Your Own Hole - Alt./Indie Rock) .174
The Smiths - Shoplifters Of The World Unite (single - Alt./Indie Rock) .175
Muslimgauze - Gulf War Pt. 1 (from Abu Nidal - Postpunk/Experimental) .176
Les Sheriff - Arrête De Parler (from Pan! - French Punk) .177
Pixies - Vamos (from Come On Pilgrim - Alt./Indie Rock) .178
Frontline Assembly - Casualties (from The Initial Command - Postpunk) .179
Shelleyan Orphan - Epitaph Ivy And Woe (from Helleborine - Pop/Indie) .180

Sinead O' Connor - Just Like U Said It Would B (from The Lion And The Cobra - Pop/Rock) .181
Thin White Rope - Take It Home (from Moonhead - Alt./Indie Rock) .182
Schoolly D - Housing The Joint (from Saturday Night!: The Album - Hiphop) .183
Bruce Springsteen - Ain't Got You (from Tunnel Of Love - Pop/Rock) .184
The Verlaines - Take Good Care Of It (from Bird Dog - Alt./Indie Rock) .185
Frankie Knuckles - Only The Strong Survive (single - Electronica/House) .186
Cardiacs- There's Too Many Irons In The Fire (single - Alt./Indie Rock) .187
The Pogues & The Dubliners - The Irish Rover (single - Folk Revival) .188
Renée De haan - Vuile Huichelaar (single - Dutch Popular) .189
The Mission - Tower Of Strength (from Children - Rock/Postpunk) .190

Suzanne Vega - Solitude Standing (from Solitude Standing - Singer/songwriter) .191
D.R.I. - Decisions (from Crossover - Punk/Metal) .192
Big Black - El Dopa (from Songs About ****ing - Alt./Indie Rock) .193
Liz Torres & Master C&J - In The City (Club Mix) (single - Electronica/House) .194
Cookie Crew - Females (single - Hiphop) .195
The Jesus & Mary Chain - Darklands (from Darklands - Alt./Indie Rock) .196
Talulah Gosh - Talulah Gosh (single - Alt./Indie Rock) .197
The Cult - Wild Flower (from Electric - Pop/Rock) .198
Coldcut - Beats + Pieces (single - Electronica) .199
Squirrel Bait - Tape From California (from Skag Heaven - Punk/Alt. Rock) .200


Sorry for the indulgence, folks!

 

This is the version I have. It has a 12" single as part of the package. This is perhaps the best sleeve of the three.

 

Maybe few people remember it was in 1987 when Ponty did this nice album

 

Andy Taylor - Thunder

 

Hooters - One Way Home

 

Still one of my favorites from '87:

 

Ooh, I like that one! Never saw it before.

 

In 1987 I was 6 and that entire year was all about The Monkees and (later in the year) Michael Jackson for me.

 

Another classic but not well-known track is Given to Dreaming by Lowlife:

 

What??? Speak for yourself.

I was there and had all previous albums.

 

At the time, it was all about GNR and Def Leppard. Those are both great albums that have stood the test of time.
Some of my other favorites that were released in 87:

King Diamond - Abigail
Manilla Road - Mystification
Tony Macalpine - Maximum Security
Savatage - Hall of the Mountain King
Husker Du - Warehouse
Warlock - Triumph and Agony
Motorhead - Rock N' Roll
Pixies - Come on Pilgrim
Black Sabbath - The Eternal Idol
Whitesnake - s/t

 

Only because you were a fan. Not everyone was/is. Don't get me wrong: i've warmed up to the band, somewhat, and even own some of their hits, but U2 just wasn't in my musical sphere in 1987. They never really will be. And, you have no use for some bands I liked in 1987, so we're even.

 

U must have been living under a rock. JT was as ubiquitous as it gets.

 

I agree with all of these..except Duran Duran oh and Kenny Rogers.

 

1987 was a formative year for me. I was 13 and working a paper route so able to buy my own records and singles. My year was dominated by:
Savage- Eurythmics
Cher- Cher
Hysteria- Def Leppard
Bad Animals- Heart
Actually- Pet Shop Boys
Whitney- Whitney Houston
Bad- MJ
Faith- George Michael
Tunnel Of Love- Bruce Springsteen
Lonesome Jubilee- John Mellencamp
Sign'O'The Times- Prince
Raindancing- Alison Moyet
Wow! - Banarama
Heaven On Earth- Belinda Carlisle
Diesel and Dust- Midnight Oil
Bridge of Spies- T'Pau

....and many, many more

 

Yeah Nothing Like The Sun is a great album...had forgotten it was 1987.

 

I've been waiting for someone to mention this! My favorite Hooters record.

 

Released November 15th 1986. This album went BIG TIME in 1987.

Licensed to Ill



Singles from Licensed to Ill

1. "Hold It Now, Hit It"
   Released: April 15, 1986
2. "Paul Revere"
   Released: August 13, 1986
3. "The New Style"
   Released: November 6, 1986
4. "Brass Monkey"
   Released: January 5, 1987
5. "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)"
   Released: February 22, 1987
6. "No Sleep Till Brooklyn"
   Released: March 1, 1987
7. "Girls"
   Released: May 6, 1987

 

No, I wasn't living under a rock. I mean, I heard about them, and maybe even heard a song, but i ignored them because they didn't play the music I was interested in. Not everyone in the world loved rock music, or U2.

 

It was 30 years today, Lionel Richie taught the band to play!

 

Aside from the last paragraph, this was a good enough article. At least someone is celebrating this amazing album.

Reigning supreme after three decades - Independent.ie

 

I recall in the late 80's pop music was changing, and all the hits from 1979 to 1984, were fading away, the pop music was getting tamer......