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Best albums of 1987

A double album of one man playing everything, a debut from the loudest band in Los Angeles, and hip-hop working out that it could be a weapon rather than a party. Three records with nothing in common except that each one moved its own genre permanently.

According to Riffiter listeners, the best album of 1987 is Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses, rated 4.3/5 by 52 listeners.

  1. Appetite for Destruction cover№ 1Appetite for DestructionGuns N' Roses · 19874.2Weighted score4.3 avg · 52 ratings
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  1. 2Under the Sign of the Black Mark coverUnder the Sign of the Black MarkBathory · 19874.2 score · 4.4 avg · 9 ratings
  2. 3Among the Living coverAmong the LivingAnthrax · 19874.2 score · 4.3 avg · 24 ratings
  3. 4Hysteria coverHysteriaDef Leppard · 19874.2 score · 4.5 avg · 4 ratings
  4. 5Paid in Full coverPaid in FullEric B. & Rakim · 19874.1 score · 4.4 avg · 4 ratings
  5. 6Killing Technology coverKilling TechnologyVoivod · 19874.1 score · 4.3 avg · 5 ratings
  6. 7One Way Home coverOne Way HomeThe Hooters · 19874.1 score · 4.3 avg · 6 ratings
  7. 8Fighting the World coverFighting the WorldManowar · 19874.1 score · 4.1 avg · 18 ratings
  8. 9Hot Paradox coverHot ParadoxMartin Dupont · 19874.1 score · 4.2 avg · 5 ratings
  9. 10Louder Than Bombs coverLouder Than BombsThe Smiths · 19874.1 score · 4.1 avg · 140 ratings
  10. 11Sign "O" the Times coverSign "O" the TimesPrince · 19874.0 score · 4.1 avg · 14 ratings
  11. 12Bad coverBadMichael Jackson · 19874.0 score · 4.0 avg · 117 ratings
  12. 13Whitney coverWhitneyWhitney Houston · 19874.0 score · 4.0 avg · 20 ratings
  13. 14Mammoth coverMammothMammoth · 19874.0 score · 4.2 avg · 3 ratings
  14. 15Happy? coverHappy?Public Image Ltd. · 19874.0 score · 4.2 avg · 3 ratings
  15. 16Sister coverSisterSonic Youth · 19874.0 score · 4.1 avg · 4 ratings
  16. 17Strangeways, Here We Come coverStrangeways, Here We ComeThe Smiths · 19874.0 score · 4.1 avg · 5 ratings
  17. 18Tribute coverTributeOzzy Osbourne · 19874.0 score · 4.1 avg · 6 ratings
  18. 19Rock the House coverRock the HouseDJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince · 19874.0 score · 4.1 avg · 6 ratings
  19. 20Music for the Masses coverMusic for the MassesDepeche Mode · 19874.0 score · 4.0 avg · 11 ratings
  20. 21The Joshua Tree coverThe Joshua TreeU2 · 19874.0 score · 4.0 avg · 53 ratings
  21. 22Dream Evil coverDream EvilDio · 19874.0 score · 4.0 avg · 3 ratings
  22. 23Scum coverScumNapalm Death · 19874.0 score · 4.0 avg · 3 ratings
  23. 24Oh My Gawd!!!… The Flaming Lips coverOh My Gawd!!!… The Flaming LipsThe Flaming Lips · 19873.9 score · 3.9 avg · 4 ratings
  24. 25Schizophrenia coverSchizophreniaSepultura · 19873.9 score · 3.8 avg · 3 ratings
  25. 26Smooth Sailin' coverSmooth Sailin'The Isley Brothers · 19873.9 score · 3.8 avg · 3 ratings
  26. 27Jody Watley coverJody WatleyJody Watley · 19873.9 score · 3.8 avg · 4 ratings
  27. 28Document coverDocumentR.E.M. · 19873.9 score · 3.8 avg · 4 ratings
  28. 29Join the Army coverJoin the ArmySuicidal Tendencies · 19873.8 score · 3.7 avg · 3 ratings
  29. 30Characters coverCharactersStevie Wonder · 19873.8 score · 3.6 avg · 4 ratings
  30. 31So Emotional (Remixes) coverSo Emotional (Remixes)Whitney Houston · 19873.8 score · 3.6 avg · 4 ratings
  31. 32The Legacy coverThe LegacyTestament · 19873.8 score · 3.7 avg · 9 ratings
  32. 33Scream Bloody Gore coverScream Bloody GoreDeath · 19873.8 score · 3.7 avg · 9 ratings
  33. 34Permanent Vacation coverPermanent VacationAerosmith · 19873.8 score · 3.5 avg · 3 ratings
  34. 35The Ultra-Violence coverThe Ultra-ViolenceDeath Angel · 19873.7 score · 3.3 avg · 3 ratings
  35. 36Priest... Live! coverPriest... Live!Judas Priest · 19873.6 score · 3.3 avg · 6 ratings
  36. 37Abigail coverAbigailKing Diamond · 19873.5 score · 2.7 avg · 3 ratings
  37. 38Free as a Bird coverFree as a BirdSupertramp · 19873.4 score · 2.8 avg · 5 ratings
  38. 39A Momentary Lapse of Reason coverA Momentary Lapse of ReasonPink Floyd · 19873.3 score · 2.8 avg · 7 ratings
  39. 40Babacar coverBabacarFrance Gall · 19872 ratings
  40. 41Tunnel of Love coverTunnel of LoveBruce Springsteen · 19872 ratings
  41. 42Tango in the Night coverTango in the NightFleetwood Mac · 19872 ratings
  42. 43Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me coverKiss Me Kiss Me Kiss MeThe Cure · 19872 ratings
  43. 44Nightfall coverNightfallCandlemass · 19872 ratings
  44. 45The Beginning coverThe BeginningMercyful Fate · 19872 ratings
  45. 46Rhyme Pays coverRhyme PaysIce-T · 19872 ratings
  46. 47Even If and Especially When coverEven If and Especially WhenScreaming Trees · 19872 ratings
  47. 48Hall of the Mountain King coverHall of the Mountain KingSavatage · 19872 ratings
  48. 49Strange Cargo coverStrange CargoWilliam Orbit · 19872 ratings
  49. 50The ZZ Top Sixpack coverThe ZZ Top SixpackZZ Top · 19872 ratings

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Best albums of 1987 by genre

The genres that carried the period here, each with what listeners rate highest inside it.

The artists of 1987

Everyone who put a record out then, ordered by how listeners rate their catalog rather than by that one release.

Every artist of 1987, ranked →

1987, month by month

Not everything that came out, just where the weight fell. Some months carried a year; some were quiet and worth knowing about.

FAQ

What are the best albums of 1987?
On Riffiter, the highest-rated album of 1987 is Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses (4.3/5). The ranking below orders the year's releases by community rating.
How is the 1987 ranking decided?
By Riffiter listeners. Each album's community rating sets its place. Until a release has enough ratings, its popularity stands in, and the order shifts as more people rate.
Does the best-of-1987 list change?
Yes. It's built from live community ratings, so the order updates as people rate 1987 releases. The page refreshes a few times a day.