100 Greatest Albums of 1987

1987 record album covers for The Joshua Tree, Appetite For Destruction, Sign O' The Times, and Paid In Full
Criteria: These 1987 albums were chosen for their initial and lasting popularity and their influence and impact on rock music in general. Also considered is critical acclaim. The list includes rock and roll and related genres that were influential on rock music.

Note: Yearly album lists go by earliest 'release date'.
Not necessarily the year an album peaked in the U.S. charts.
  1. The Joshua Tree - U2
  2. Appetite For Destruction - Guns N' Roses
  3. Sign O' The Times - Prince
  4. Paid In Full - Eric B. & Rakim
  5. Bad - Michael Jackson
  6. Hysteria - Def Leppard
  7. Faith - George Michael
  8. Document - R.E.M.
  9. Kick - INXS
10. Criminal Minded - Boogie Down Productions
11. Sister - Sonic Youth
12. Whitney - Whitney Houston
13. Yo! Bum Rush The Show - Public Enemy
14. Permanent Vacation - Aerosmith
15. Tunnel Of Love - Bruce Springsteen
16. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me - The Cure
17. Diesel And Dust - Midnight Oil
18. Strangeways, Here We Come - The Smiths
19. Bring The Family - John Hiatt
20. Introducing The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby - Terence Trent D'Arby
21. You're Living All Over Me - Dinosaur Jr.
22. Whitesnake/1987 - Whitesnake
23. Richard Marx - Richard Marx
24. Bigger And Deffer - LL Cool J
25. A Momentary Lapse Of Reason - Pink Floyd
26. Jody Watley - Jody Watley
27. Tango In The Night - Fleetwood Mac
28. Cloud Nine - George Harrison
29. Exposure - Exposé
30. Let It Loose - Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
31. Make It Last Forever - Keith Sweat
32. Surfing With The Alien - Joe Satriani
33. In The Dark - Grateful Dead
34. Bad Animals - Heart
35. Solitude Standing - Suzanne Vega
36. Cher - Cher
37. Out Of The Blue - Debbie Gibson
38. A Very Special Christmas - Various Artists
39. Girls, Girls, Girls - Mötley Crüe
40. How Ya Like Me Now - Kool Moe Dee
41. The Lonesome Jubilee - John Cougar Mellencamp
42. Tribute - Ozzy Osbourne & Randy Rhodes
43. ...Nothing Like The Sun - Sting
44. Floodland - Sisters Of Mercy
45. Whenever You Need Somebody - Rick Astley
46. Back For The Attack - Dokken
47. Robbie Robertson - Robbie Robertson
48. Music For The Masses - Depeche Mode
49. Rhyme Pays - Ice-T
50. Actually - Pet Shop Boys
51. In My Tribe - 10,000 Maniacs
52. La Bamba - Los Lobos and various artists
53. Tiffany - Tiffany
54. Pleased To Meet Me - The Replacements
55. Electric - The Cult
56. Heaven On Earth - Belinda Carlisle
57. The Uplift Mofo Party Plan - Red Hot Chili Peppers
58. Pride - White Lion
59. Spanish Fly - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam
60. Crushin' - The Fat Boys
61. The Lion And The Cobra - Sinéad O'Connor
62. One Heartbeat - Smokey Robinson
63. The Hunger - Michael Bolton
64. Living Large - Heavy D & The Boyz
65. Just Gets Better With Time - The Whispers
66. Among The Living - Anthrax
67. If I Were Your Woman - Stephanie Mills
68. Songs About Fucking - Big Black
69. Under The Sign Of The Black Mark - Bathory
70. All In The Name Of Love - Atlantic Starr
71. Abigail - King Diamond
72. Babylon & On - Squeeze
73. Scream Bloody Gore - Death
74. Famous Blue Raincoat: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen - Jennifer Warnes
75. Locust Abortion Technician - The Butthole Surfers
76. Warehouse: Songs And Stories - Hüsker Dü
77. Hearsay - Alexander O'Neal
78. Coming Around Again - Carly Simon
79. Echo & The Bunnymen - Echo & The Bunnymen
80. Saturday Night! The Album - Schoolly D
81. Never Let Me Down - David Bowie
82. Running In The Family - Level 42
83. Pebbles - Pebbles
84. Franks Wild Years - Tom Waits
85. Rhythm Killers - Sly & Robbie
86. It's Better To Travel - Swing Out Sister
87. Rock The House - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Princ
88. Into The Fire - Bryan Adams
89. Darklands - The Jesus And Mary Chain
90. Move Somethin' - 2 Live Crew
91. Children Of God - Swans
92. Characters - Stevie Wonder
93. The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death - The Housemartins
94. Crazy Nights - Kiss
95. Earth, Sun, Moon - Love & Rockets
96. Keeper Of The Seven Keys Pt. 1 - Helloween
97. Blow Your Cool - Hoodoo Gurus
98. Once Bitten - Great White
99. Bridge Of Spies/T'Pau - T'Pau
100. Big Generator - Yes
The Joshua Tree U2 album cover
Appetite For Destruction Guns N' Roses album cover
Sign O' The Times Prince album cover
Paid In Full Eric B. & Rakim album cover
Bad Michael Jackson album cover
Hysteria Def Leppard album cover
 DigitalDreamDoor Editor Picks for 1987
  Brett's choice - An unheralded great album from 1987
 •  This Is The Story - The Proclaimers
  Brian's choice:
 •  By the Light of the Moon - Los Lobos
  Ryan's choice:
 •  George Best - The Wedding Present
  Lew's choice:
 •  Outside Looking In - BoDeans


Top 100 Albums by Year: (in progress)