Friday June 6th 9-10pm BST , and later on Mixcloud.com and our app.

Here’s a curated overview of major 1987 album releases from artists mentioned — a fascinating mix of rock, pop, funk, and progressive styles. These albums not only defined 1987, but left a lasting cultural mark:

U2 – The Joshua Tree

• Release: March 9, 1987
• Style: Arena Rock, Spiritual Rock
• Highlights: “With or Without You,” “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
• Legacy: Widely considered U2’s masterpiece, blending American roots influences with post-punk grandeur. It won Album of the Year at the Grammys.

Prince – Sign o’ the Times

• Release: March 30, 1987
• Style: Funk, Soul, Rock, Pop, Experimental
• Highlights: “Sign o’ the Times,” “U Got the Look,” “Adore,” “If I Was Your Girlfriend”
• Legacy: A double album tour de force, fusing politics, romance, and genre-breaking innovation. Many critics place this among the best albums of all time.

Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction

• Release: July 21, 1987
• Style: Hard Rock, Sleaze Rock
• Highlights: “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Paradise City”
• Legacy: Their debut exploded onto the scene with raw energy and swagger. Eventually became the best-selling debut rock album in history.

Pink Floyd – A Momentary Lapse of Reason

• Release: September 7, 1987
• Style: Progressive Rock, Psychedelic Rock
• Highlights: “Learning to Fly,” “On the Turning Away,” “Sorrow”
• Legacy: The first album post-Roger Waters, with David Gilmour steering the band. It revived Floyd’s commercial momentum despite mixed critical reactions.

Marillion – Clutching at Straws

• Release: June 22, 1987
• Style: Neo-Prog Rock
• Highlights: “Incommunicado,” “Sugar Mice,” “Warm Wet Circles”
• Legacy: A concept album about addiction and regret, and the final album with singer Fish. Considered one of their finest and most emotionally complex works.

The Smiths – Strangeways, Here We Come

• Release: September 28, 1987
• Style: Indie Rock, Baroque Pop
• Highlights: “I Started Something I Couldn’t Finish,” “Girlfriend in a Coma,” “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me”
• Legacy: Released after the band’s breakup, this album is darker and more sonically adventurous. A swan song that sealed their iconic status.

Sting – …Nothing Like the Sun

• Release: October 13, 1987
• Style: Jazz-inflected Pop, Adult Contemporary
• Highlights: “Englishman in New York,” “Fragile,” “We’ll Be Together”
• Legacy: Sting’s second solo album after The Police, blending jazz, Latin, and soul elements. Critically acclaimed for its sophistication and social commentary (dedicated partly to his mother and political themes like the Pinochet regime).