After the debacle that was Spoiled Girl, Carly Simon moved to her fourth record label, Arista, and returned to soundtrack work, which had given her her second biggest hit, "Nobody Does It Better," from The Spy Who Loved Me, in 1977. This time, she wrote "Coming Around Again" for Heartburn, and it hit number 18 in early 1987, her biggest hit in more than six years…

With their second album, Actually, the Pet Shop Boys perfected their melodic, detached dance-pop. Where most of Please was dominated by the beats, the rhythms on Actually are part of a series of intricate arrangements that create a glamorous but disposable backdrop for Neil Tennant's tales of isolation, boredom, money, and loneliness…

Wariner's in charge vocally, and seems to glide through the album effortlessly. He's received more responsibility for his own direction, and – with one or two exceptions – has upgraded every aspect of his record, particularly in song selection and musicianship.

Taylor Dayne made a huge splash with the roaring dance/R&B title cut. Her big sound, flamboyant manner, and carefully calculated explosive delivery put her in the forefront at the time among female singers mixing soul and classic disco influences (Lisa Stansfield would soon emerge at the head of the class). The rest of the album is pleasant but inconsequential pop and dance filler.

Like a Hurricane is a third studio album by C. C. Catch. It was a successful album all across the Europe, and almost all of the tracks from the album are well known…

Using the textured sonics of The Unforgettable Fire as a basis, U2 expanded those innovations by scaling back the songs to a personal setting and adding a grittier attack for its follow-up, The Joshua Tree…

Wisely going only by her first name, Polish-by-way-of-England pop singer Basia Trzetrzelewska ("pronounced Basha Tshetshelevska"), joined by her musical partner Danny White, steps out of the band Matt Bianco to launch her solo career with Time and Tide…

Roles is a studio album by American pianist keyboardist Joe Sample, released in 1987 on MCA Records. The album peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Charts…