The Dirty Dozen - My Top Twelve Albums Of 1987

After writing up my list for 1986 inclusions, I thought it would suit me best to start whittling things down. As such, I had to take a really hard look at the contenders so far. From them, I've cut out several, and come up with the following which still have a shot at the wall:

Prince - 1999 (1982)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)
Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual (1983)
Ghostbuster (1984)
The Cars - Heartbeat City (1984)
Jacksons - Victory (1984)
"Weird Al" Yankovic - In 3-D (1984)
Prince And The Revolution - Purple Rain (1984)
Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party (1985)
USA For Africa - We Are The World (1985)
Prince And The Revolution - Around The World In A Day (1985)
Falco - Falco 3 (1985)
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Dare To Be Stupid (1985)
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet (1986)
Europe - The Final Countdown (1986)
Top Gun (1986)

Now, the thing to keep in mind here is that there are seventeen slots available on the wall. Well, obviously, I could make more room if I really wanted to, but for this purpose, it's all about the seventeen side by side. The problem here is that there are sixteen noted above, and three more years to get through.

That starts here with 1987, and the honorable mentions that didn't make the top twelve.

The guys behind Bad News hit my radar a long time ago, back in the days of watching The Young Ones on MTV. Their mock video for Bohemian Rhapsody was one that Weird Al played when broadcasting one of his infamous Al TV blocks on MTV, 1992's to be exact, and from there, I was hooked.

Home Again, Elevator Main, Pain, Not My Slave, and all those other songs that I loved from Oingo Boingo...That most people don't know unless they're a fan. Well, all of those are on their 1987 released Boi-ngo. Good stuff!

Buster Poindexter's self titled debut was a shocking surprise for me. I was expecting a quirky album filled with songs akin to Hot Hot Hot. However, what I got instead was a fantastic rhythm and blues release with a ton of hidden gems.

Who's That Girl's soundtrack has some great Madonna tunes that you're not going to find anywhere else. But, I would be remiss to not mention Michael Davidson's Turn It Up.

I never would have expected my fourteen year old self to like a film like La Bamba. I think the only reason I even watched it was because it had, "The guy from Young Guns". Regardless, I really got into it, and as a result was introduced to a whole new world of music.

I don't think I'd want a Rick Astley album for my wall, but I also won't deny his impact on the 80's. I mean, it's so iconic that it's taken on a life of its own with Rick Rolling.

Black was a hidden gem of the era. I got hip to the artist with his tune, Wonderful Life, and from there dove deep into his work. Highly underrated.

The Lost Boys soundtrack is just pure iconic to the 80's, and it kicks off my official 12 for the year. INXS, Lou Gramm, Echo And The Bunny Men, and Roger Daltry are the big names from the album. But who doesn't love Gerald McMahon's Cry Little Sister? Classic!

Debuting in 1987, Debbie Gibson became the dream come true that every teenager aspiring to be a singer looked to. She showed them all that if you had the talent, and followed your dreams, it was possible. Not only did she exhibit the Electric Youth vibe, but backed up her talent by writing her own songs. Out Of The Blue, Shake Your Love, and Only In My Dreams, all of them were written by her, along with all the others on the album.

Richard Marx was a late comer to the 80's as well. His self titled debut hit hard with hits; Hold On To The Night, Should Have Known Better, Don't Mean Nothing, and Endless Summer Nights. Marx became one of the crooners and heartthrobs of the era.

Despite being around for the majority of the 80's, INXS didn't break through until 1987's Kick. Though I've heard rumor that their popularity was forced by MTV, who mandated its VJ's to promote the band hard. As for me, I actually didn't care for them much until just a few years ago when I started to dive into their full discography. Kick, has since become one of my favorites.

Working with the likes of John Bon Jovi, Richie Sambroa, Michael Bolton, and Desmond Child, Cher crafted a masterful comeback in 1987. The self title album featured some of her best material to date; I Found Someone, We All Sleep Alone, Bang Bang, and Main Man, just to name a few.

Probably the best thing to happen to Whitney Houston was to separate herself from Jermaine Jackson, who produced her debut, and even sang duets with her. No disrespect to the Jackson Five member, but his music was always dated, and that's exactly what happened to Houston's self titled album when he got involved with it. For her second release, Whitney (the album) hit hard with Billboard chart toppers I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Love Will Save The Day, So Emotional, Didn't We Almost Have It All, and Where Do Broken Hearts Go.

Expose's debut really kicked down the doors for the female trio in 1987. Exposure featured the massive hits, Come Go With Me, Let Me Be The One, Seasons Change, and Point Of No Return.

Sign 'O' The Times is considered Prince's opus, and while I enjoy a lot off of it, it's far from what I'd call perfect. That saddens me to say that because I still hold the album in high regards. The good stuff is hands down amazing, but the bad stuff is really forgettable. I'd love to condense this down from it's two LP format to one really solid gem.

I want to say Def Leppard's Hysteria is a perfect album, but the sad reality of it is that it's not. At least not to me. Why? Because I couldn't even tell you how the last song, Love And Affection goes, and I barely remember anything outside of the chorus of Excitable. I mean, I'm not gonna lie. The rest of the album, delicious in every sense of the word.

Though my brother introduced me to Aerosmith through his many listening sessions of all of their albums pretty much daily, it was Permanent Vacation that found a special place in my heart in the early 2000's. It was an album I played pretty much daily myself as I drove down the road.

Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction was part of the reoccurring soundtrack of my life in high school. This was followed by their Use Your Illusion I and II albums, which also went into steady rotation. In fact, if I was considering 90's albums, those two would definitely be on the list of contenders for the wall.

Number one is a no brainer for the year. Michael Jackson's Bad is an amazing album. Far superior to Thriller, as far as I'm concerned. This one's got it all; pop, funk, rock, and ballads. Sheer perfection from start to finish.

There are a lot of albums here that I'd like for the wall, and these include Michael Jackson's Bad, Guns N' Roses' Appetite For Destruction (specifically the original cover), Aerosmith's Permanent Vacation, Def Leppard's Hysteria, and Prince's Sign 'O' The Times. Unfortunately, this kicks us up to twenty one titles, so right off the bat, four are going to have to go. However, I'm not going to make that decision just yet.

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