Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of the Eighties

Features
By
published

Yeah, they dressed funny and their lyrics often lacked the angst and agonized self-awareness that we’ve come to expect in this decade of the rock and roll sissy-band, but the pop metal acts of the Eighties produced some top-shelf albums during their short reign.

In chronological order, these are the 20 best records woven, steamed and blow-dried by the most esteemed members of rock and roll’s Hair Club for Men before they were abruptly given the hook.

Check out the photo gallery below—and be sure to join the conversation in the comments section below the story.

Image 1 of 20
By the Guitar World Staff
More about music releases
Sam Fender performs on Day 2 of Leeds Festival 2023 at Bramham Park on August 26, 2023 in Leeds, England

“Exactly the kind of thing the Instagram algorithm won’t be injecting into your eyeballs every time you log on”: February 2025 Guitar World Editors’ Picks
WEMBLEY ARENA Photo of George HARRISON and Eric CLAPTON, with Eric Clapton, performing live onstage at the Princes Trust Concert

“It was like unraveling a mystery, trying to imagine what George might have meant”: Lost chords that George Harrison wrote down before his passing have been turned into a new song – and it was recorded using three of his famed Beatles guitars
Bassist and keyboard player John Paul Jones performing with British heavy rock group Led Zeppelin, at Earl's Court, London, May 1975. The band were initially booked to play three nights at the venue, from 23rd to 25th May, but due to public demand, two more concerts were later added, for 17th and 18th May.

“Bonzo and I were great groovers. People would dance to our music. There aren't many hard rock bands these days that people dance to”: John Paul Jones breaks down his Led Zeppelin bass approach – and what separated his and Jimmy Page's riffs
See more latest
Most Popular
Bassist and keyboard player John Paul Jones performing with British heavy rock group Led Zeppelin, at Earl's Court, London, May 1975. The band were initially booked to play three nights at the venue, from 23rd to 25th May, but due to public demand, two more concerts were later added, for 17th and 18th May.
“Bonzo and I were great groovers. People would dance to our music. There aren't many hard rock bands these days that people dance to”: John Paul Jones breaks down his Led Zeppelin bass approach – and what separated his and Jimmy Page's riffs
Todd Rundgren performs at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota on December 29, 1986
“The guitar was in horrible shape. The paint job was all flaked off, it didn’t have the original tailpiece... at one point, the headstock snapped off”: He's a hitmaker who owned Eric Clapton's “The Fool” SG, produced Meat Loaf, and played with Ringo Starr
Sue Foley performs during 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on May 05, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“You really can’t completely replicate what she does, which is a beautiful thing. She took it to her grave”: Sue Foley has spent 25 years researching the unsung female pioneers of guitar – these are the most important players she discovered
Man smiling whilst playing a black acoustic guitar in front of a hammock
"I'm past my prime": 5 common excuses for not learning the guitar – and 5 body and mind-boosting reasons you should
Cobra Kai composers Zach Robinson [left] and Leo Birenberg in the studio. Pictured in front of a bank of keyboards, Robinson plays an Ibanez RG550, while Birenberg plays woodwind.
“Not many people will let you go as hard as they let us go. With Cobra Kai, it’s like, ‘Turn the gain all the way up!’” How Cobra Kai’s soundtrack senseis brought black-belt guitarists Tim Henson, Tosin Abasi and Charlie Robbins to their musical dojo
Shem Lucas of Lowen
“The musicologist looked me square in the eye and said it couldn’t be done”: Meet Lowen, the heavy trailblazers defying metal rules by playing prog-doom in Middle Eastern and North African styles – scoring them a support tour with Zakk Wylde
Rick Derringer throws his hands in the air as he performs live with a B.C. Rich Mockingbird in 1977
“The most symbolic electric guitar of the ’70s”: Played by Rick Derringer and Aerosmith, effortlessly cool, the B.C. Rich Mockingbird was the ultimate ’70s guitar
David Gilmour performs onstage with Pink Floyd at Earls Court Arena in London on August 7, 1980
“I had a huge cue sheet up on my amps. Except for the Comfortably Numb solo, there were no moments where I could say, ‘Forget everything. Just play’”: For David Gilmour, Pink Floyd’s wildly ambitious the Wall tour was a blast – and a challenge
Nine Inch Nails at Lollapalooza in Waterloo, New Jersey on August 14, 1991.
“We were out to satisfy our animal instincts onstage. I think we spent $40,000 on gear that we smashed on Lollapalooza”: Nine Inch Nails made their name with infamously destructive live shows – this is the true story behind their epic guitar smash-a-thons
Midge Ure
“Phil Lynott said, ‘Gary Moore is out the band. Could you come over tomorrow?’ My initial reaction was, ’I’m not the guy you should be asking’”: When Midge Ure joined Thin Lizzy on a make-or-break US tour, he had just one day’s notice and no rehearsals