Poll: What Was the Best Guitar Album of 1987?
Excess was the order of the day in 1987. Oliver Stone created an anti-hero in his scrupulous corporate raider Gordon Gecko, setting an archetypal standard for greed.
The Sunset Strip was getting grungier and bawdier with former rag-tag bands now lavishing in fame and wealth. There was wealth to go around -- at least until Black Monday hit on October 19.
Music was not the exception but in fact the leader of the late-eighties consumerist explosion. Albums got bigger and more ambitious. With the success of Michael Jackson's Bad and Def Leppard's Hysteria, it became possible to squeeze five, six, even seven singles out of an LP. Record companies poured dollars into artist development, production values soared and as a result some great albums found their way into the hands of listeners -- some of them budding young guitarists.
Though some could argue it was an era of overly polished sterility, there were some undeniably classic records in 1987. Most notable, of course, was The Return of Bruno, Bruce Willis' debut album. You will notice The Return of Bruno was not included in this week's poll. The certain overwhelming response to this album would simply be unfair to the other releases of 1987.
So with that in mind, check out the other great LPs on the list and let us know what your favorite is.
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