Guitarist/keyboardist Tony MacAlpine really hits his stride on Maximum Security. While it's not all that different from his first album, Edge of Insanity, it's just much better. The album's captivating neoclassical/fusion forays are filled with plenty of beautiful melodies and hair-raising solos; MacAlpine simply lights up the fretboard – and the keyboard, for that matter. Opening with a stormy harpsichord motif, the album's leadoff track, "Autumn Lords," sounds promising from the start. The piece soars with dramatic classical precision and features some truly breathtaking guitar/keyboard interplay. The album rarely falters from there; the flash guitar workout of "Hundreds of Thousands," which moves at warp speed, gives way to the gorgeous "Tears of Sahara," featuring guest solos by George Lynch.

The album that was Manfred Mann's commercial breakthrough was a departure from the previous albums made with the Earth Band. Though the personnel are the same and the musicianship is as mind-blowing as ever, the songs are shorter and punchier, in some cases more poppy. This is not to say that the band had sacrificed a bit of ingenuity or complexity, but the long jams are gone in favor of briefer sound portraits. Nightingales and Bombers included Manfred Mann's first cover of a Bruce Springsteen song, the album-opening "Spirits in the Night," a single that charted, and became one of the only pieces written in 10/4 time ever to do so.

Silverhead's second record, 16 and Savaged, finds the unit much tighter, yet like any great rock & roll band, they maintained that all-important swagger. The addition of guitarist Robbie Blunt gives the group an added punch, and he and Rod Davies proved to be one of glam's best twin-guitar attacks. Vocalist Michael Des Barres steps up as well, and his Steve Marriott-bumping-into-Rod Stewart rasp never sounded better, before or since. The boys come out blazing on the groovy opener, "Hello New York," nailing the Bolan strut and swiping the "Get It On" licks, while the gleefully sleazy "More Than Your Mouth Can Hold" has a definite Faces vibe, an intro borrowed from "Street Fighting Man," and all the subtlety of a Gene Simmons lyric.

Fulano is the self-titled debut album by the Chilean progressive fusion band Fulano, originally released in 1987 and later reissued in 1994. The record is widely regarded as a landmark in Latin American experimental music due to its bold combination of jazz fusion, progressive rock structures, and avant-garde performance elements. The album showcases a highly technical and unconventional approach to composition, featuring abrupt rhythmic changes, complex instrumental interplay, and a strong theatrical presence that distinguishes the band from more traditional fusion acts. Each track explores different sonic territories, ranging from aggressive jazz-rock passages to more abstract and experimental sections influenced by Latin American musical traditions and contemporary avant-garde movements. The musicians demonstrate exceptional technical skill, particularly in the interaction between rhythm section and wind/keyboard textures, creating a dense and dynamic soundscape. Lyrically and musically, the album often embraces irony, surrealism, and social commentary, making it both intellectually engaging and musically challenging. Fulano remains an essential release for listeners interested in progressive experimentation and boundary-pushing fusion music.

Brenda K. Starr's self-titled 1987 album represents a defining moment in late-1980s pop and urban contemporary music, combining polished production with strong melodic songwriting and emotionally driven vocal performances. The record showcases Starr's expressive voice across a collection of dance-oriented tracks, romantic ballads, and synth-based pop arrangements that reflected the musical trends of the era. The album gained considerable recognition due to the inclusion of "I Still Believe," a heartfelt power ballad that became one of her signature songs and remains closely associated with her career. Throughout the album, listeners are presented with a balance between energetic club-ready material and softer, intimate moments that highlight her vocal versatility. Rich keyboard textures, layered harmonies, and contemporary production techniques create an unmistakably 1980s atmosphere. The bonus mixes included on later reissues add extended dance interpretations, giving listeners additional insight into the club culture influence surrounding the original release.

k.d. lang's first major-label album (and debut American release) was a bit of a switch from the polished retro-country of her best-known work; with Dave Edmunds in the producer's chair, Angel with a Lariat often sounds more like rockabilly or roots rock than classic C&W, with a big, snappy drum sound, plenty of guitars mixed upfront, and lots of slapback of lang's vocals (a production decision lang mentioned with little enthusiasm several years after the album came out). "Turn Me Around" and "High Time for a Detour" rock significantly harder than most of lang's body of work, and "Watch Your Step Polka," "Diet of Strange Places," and "Tune Into My Wave" find lang and her band (who are in fine form throughout) indulging her sly sense of humor, which tended to get lost in the shuffle on later albums such as Ingénue.

America - Do You Remember The Love? is a powerful and genre-defying release by guitarist and vocalist James Blood Ulmer, issued in 1987 on Blue Note Records. The album blends elements of free jazz, funk, blues, and experimental rock into a raw and emotionally charged sound driven by Ulmer’s distinctive harmolodic guitar approach. Influenced by the musical concepts of Ornette Coleman, Ulmer creates dense rhythmic textures and unconventional melodic structures while maintaining a deep connection to groove-oriented funk and soul traditions. The performances throughout the album balance improvisational freedom with politically and socially reflective themes, giving the music both artistic intensity and emotional depth. Ulmer’s expressive guitar tone, rough-edged vocals, and fluid rhythmic interplay produce a unique crossover style that stands apart from traditional jazz recordings of the era. America - Do You Remember The Love? remains an important example of adventurous 1980s jazz fusion and showcases Ulmer’s innovative contribution to modern electric jazz guitar.

TD's 1987 studio album for Jive Electro, "Tyger", was surprising, as once again it featured vocals, this time sung by guest artist Jocelyn Bernadette Smith from New York who joined composers Edgar Froese, Chris Franke and Paul Haslinger in Vienna and Berlin in February 1987 to transform a series of poems by the English mystic and painter William Blake (1757-1827) into songs.
In 1992 a different version was released in the USA with totally new cover artwork and a different track listing. While the title track "Tyger" was completely remixed, "Smile" was slightly faster (and hence shorter) than on the original release, and "Alchemy Of The Heart" was slightly abridged. Furthermore, the CD included the previously unreleased bonus track "Vigour".

‘An excellent record, beautifully played, splendidly recorded, in every way highly rewarding’ (Gramophone)

Zero was founded by Steve Kimock and Greg Anton in 1980 in Marin County. Their music being a mixture of jazz, rock and blues - free flowing. Soon they were joined by other Bay Area musicians from the psychedelic caravan, sharing the same spirit: John Cipollina, John Kahn, Banana, Martin Fierro, Bobby Vega, John Farey and Steve Wolf.
It’s not the vocals that define Zero’s music - it’s never ending instrumentals - a mental journey if you will. Never chaos though - a well organised trip of musicans who know how to blend their own ways of playing into one way. All being equal and sharing a high quality approach when it comes to recording and playing live - a common goal. The Zero Point!
Due to this high quality their first two albums, “Here Goes Nothin'” and “Nothin’ Goes Here” were even re-released by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab…

After years of playing a dispiriting game of musical chairs with various lead singers during the early '80s, Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi finally stumbled upon a dependable frontman when he admitted relative unknown Tony Martin into the fold, thereby initiating the original heavy metal band's long awaited return to respectability - if not chart-topping success. Martin joined the oft-interrupted sessions for what would become 1987's The Eternal Idol album already in progress, stepping in for an unreliable Ray Gillen when the latter moved on to Jake E. Lee's Badlands, and helping Iommi rescue an astonishingly solid long-player from the jaws of complete and utter chaos. As it turned out, Martin's powerful, muscular voice - though bearing more than a passing resemblance to former singer Ronnie James Dio - was ultimately the perfect foil for full-bodied heavy metal anthems like "Hard Life to Love," "Glory Ride," and "Born to Lose"…

Be My Lady is a vibrant collection of classic Eurobeat and Italo Disco recordings associated with the late 1980s dance scene, later reissued in 2000. Featuring energetic synthesizers, driving drum machines, catchy choruses, and polished club production, the album captures the colorful sound that made continental dance music so influential worldwide. Vanessa delivers upbeat performances across a selection of romantic anthems and high-tempo floor fillers, balancing melodic hooks with the unmistakable pulse of vintage electronic pop. Tracks such as the title song, Crazy For You, and Eternity showcase the genre’s signature blend of emotion and movement, while alternate and instrumental versions add collector appeal. The album stands as an enjoyable document of the golden age of Eurobeat, when stylish melodies and fast-paced rhythms dominated dance floors, arcades, and car culture scenes across Europe and Japan.