Essential Studio Albums

[Birds in Hell]

Added! Some familiar faces there.

Since you've done their catalogue so far, you may as well add:

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Through the Looking Glass

It's a covers album, their next album of original material won't be til '88.

[Jorge]

We got maybe 8 more albums from ‘86, so on to ‘87 we go, where we know we got some good ones. That said, your suggestions to complete the list are always encouraged!

Grateful Dead - In the Dark
Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel of Love
Midnight Oil - Diesel and Dust
Ten Years After - Universal
Warren Zevon - Sentimental Hygiene
The Smiths - Strangeways, Here We Come
The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me
Sonic Youth - Sister
10,000 Maniacs - In My Tribe
The Jesus and Mary Chain - Darklands
Sinead O’Connor - The Lion and the Cobra
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)
R.E.M. - Document
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Michael Jackson - Bad
Prince - Sign O’ the Times
Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded
Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full
Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush the Show
Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
Faster Pussycat
Whitesnake
Def Leppard - Hysteria
Motley Crue - Girls, Girls, Girls
Guns N’ Roses - Appetite for Destruction
Green River - Dry As a Bone/Rehab Doll
Soundgarden - Screaming Life/Fopp

1987! Just a few suggestions

Swans - Children of God
Philip Glass - Akhnaten
Jane Siberry - The Walking
Fleetwood Mac - Tango in the Night
Descendents - All
Suzanne Vega - Solitude Standing

[Kalevi]

Cloud 9

[liebzz]

The Saints - All Fools Day

This was a really good last minute addition, and it ends up being well placed with albums that will follow. The immediate reaction was that this seemed very reminiscent of the Rolling Stones, and I think much of that has to do with vocal delivery (in some spots it’s eerily similar). Add to that the single and really outstanding Just Like Fire Would, to be later covered by Springsteen. I also really enjoyed See You in Paradise and Temple of the Lord, but all of this is just really solid rock music front to back.

The Essential Track: Just Like Fire Would

Up Next: Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel of Love

[Higgs]

Glad you enjoyed it. I honestly think Chris Bailey may be my favourite vocalist. Not sure what it is about him but I love his delivery.

My personal fave track is All Fools Day - a great closer.

[liebzz]

Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel of Love

I have heard this album more than my fair share of times for an album I have just never fully gotten behind. Bruce largely eschewed the E Street Band for this, and I still get bothered that Bruce’s voice doesn’t fit with synthetic drums or this kind of hollow sounding music. Are there great songs on here that deserve recognition? Absolutely. Spare Parts, Two Faces, Brilliant Disguise, One Step Up and Valentine’s Day are all great, but this one where the individual tracks are better than the full product.

The Essential Track: One Step Up

Up Next: Fleetwood Mac - Tango in the Night

[liebzz]

Fleetwood Mac - Tango in the Night

Their best album since Tusk, this one is extremely front loaded. Big Love, Seven Wonders, Everywhere, Little Lies and the title track (which rips) are all in the first seven songs, and basically the most essential part of this. The remainder is pretty good, but it doesn’t quite live up to that fire. They still definitely had something left for this one.

The Essential Track: Tango in the Night

Up Next - Sting - …Nothing Like the Sun

[wease]

What? Not Big Love?!?

[liebzz]

What? Not Big Love?!?

I actually like Big Love live much better, though yes it is quite good. Tango in the Night is fantastic though.

[liebzz]

Sting - …Nothing Like the Sun

So Sting said to himself that if he slows things down, adds some slow horns, and some percussion, it’ll be classy. In case you couldn’t tell, not a fan of this one. He seemed to go full on background on the elevator music. The kind of stuff that you might jam out to whilst yelling “REPRESENTATIVE!!” Somewhere in there he had a full on uptempo pop song but I can’t care to remember which it was. I was just not into this at all despite a long history of positivity the Police and I think even the first solo album.

The Essential Track: Englishman in New York

Up Next: George Harrison - Cloud 9

[liebzz]

George Harrison - Cloud 9

This was a very enjoyable pop album, and you can sense working with Jeff Lynne that it’s part Beatles fan service (When We Was Fab which also includes Ringo), and in parts it reminded me of Tom Petty, which makes perfect sense since the three of them would soon be part of the Traveling Wilburys. Wreck of the Hesperus was excellent as was Devil’s Radio, and you can’t get through this one without talking about the pop candy that is Got My Mind Set on You. He also made good use of Eric Clapton in his spots here.

The Essential Track: When We Was Fab

Up Next: Rick Astley - Whenever You Need Somebody

[Higgs]

Got My Mind Set on You is indeed 'pop candy'. Might throw that on right now, perfect happy Sunday morning tune.

[wease]

Got My Mind Set on You is indeed 'pop candy'. Might throw that on right now, perfect happy Sunday morning tune.

The last time a Beatle had a number one single.

[liebzz]

Got My Mind Set on You is indeed 'pop candy'. Might throw that on right now, perfect happy Sunday morning tune.

It’s gonna take time, a whole lotta precious time.

[liebzz]

Rick Astley - Whenever You Need Somebody



The Essential Track: Never Gonna Give You Up

Up Next: Suzanne Vega - Solitude Standing

[wease]

Did you actually listen to it?

[LoathedVermin72]

That album is genuinely good. NGGYU isn’t even my favorite track.

[liebzz]

Yes. I 100% listened to it today.

Together Forever is one of those songs etched in my nightmares of what 80s music was, as is It Would Take a Strong Strong Man. It’s pretty much a collective of half-assed love songs and that play into the cliche of the time. There are plenty of great pop albums from this era, many of which we’ve discussed, but this ain’t one for me.

[liebzz]

Suzanne Vega - Solitude Standing

This at once feels like a continuation of the folk rock tradition from the 60s and 70s, and also a preview of the folk pop of the modern day. To be standing at those crossroads seems like a worthy compliment for a strong album here of songs that display a decent amount of range yet are also cohesive on this album. Tom’s Diner sandwiches the album nicely, first only Vega, then instrumental. Ironbound/Fancy Poultry was one that really hit the mark well. Nearly everything here is very good - certainly something that could have easily existed in the Albums of 2026 thread as naturally as this one.

The Essential Track: Ironbound/Fancy Poultry

Up Next: Whitney Houston - Whitney

[liebzz]

Whitney Houston - Whitney

As a pure musical instrument, Whitney Houston’s singing voice is truly remarkable - not since at least Aretha Franklin do I think we’ve covered a vocalist this purely outstanding. That talent certainly made her a commercial icon, with legions of fans. For me, the voice is spectacular but the songs ring hollow, in not a dissimilar way to the Rick Astley’s songs also don’t register. For all the notes she hits, I never once felt moved here - as if it all is just studio musicians simply playing their notes, Whitney included.

The Essential Track: Didn’t We Almost Have It All

Up Next: Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris - Trio