In going through this year, it seems to be one of those top-heavy years, but still the late 80's had a lot of good pop music I can't deny I enjoyed/enjoy still to a point.
Gangsta Rap, New Jack Swing and even some of the later New Romantic/New Wave bands, and of course pop-hair metal I suppose.
It also seems to have been a pretty big year for 1 Kevin Matthew Gilbert in that his band Giraffe released their amazing 2nd record The View From Here, and he also was with Eddie Money's band around that time and plays on Nothing to Lose.
Fates Warning brought in new singer Ray Alder and released maybe their most progressive album yet, and 1 of the many records I love from an all-time favorite band of mine. And the King's X debut album Out of the Silent Planet came out finally, after many years of refining their sound. And it's an amazing debut album, and the 1st of 4 straight classics they would make with producer Sam Taylor.
Queensryche's highly influential classic progressive metal album Operation: Mindcrime and Crimson Glory's peak to me with Transcendence also were released in '88.
Jane's Addiction, Marillion, Van Halen and some others add to best stuff from 1988. I guess among the years in the 80's, it certainly isn't the best, but definitely not the worst either.
Also oddly to notice how on my birthday, June 20th, both Bobby Brown and New Edition released new albums. Intentional? I kind of suspect it was. And both probably the best of their careers.
1. Fates Warning - No Exit
2. King's X - Out of the Silent Planet
3. Giraffe - The View from Here
4. Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
5. Crimson Glory - Transcendence
6. Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
7. Marillion - B'Sides Themselves
8. NWA - Straight Outtta Compton
9. Pink Floyd - Delicate Sound of Thunder
10. Van Halen - OU812
11. Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II
12. Metallica - ...And Justice for All
13. Marillion - The Thieving Magpie
14. Santana - Viva Santana!
15. Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
16. Roxette - Look Sharp!
17. Bobby Brown - Don't Be Cruel
18. R.E.M. - Green
19. U2 - Rattle and Hum
20. Eddie Money - Nothing to Lose
21. New Edition - Heart Break
22. Weird Al Yankovic - Even Worse
23. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
24. Karyn White - Karyn White
25. Bon Jovi - New Jersey
Marillion - B'Sides Themselves
rel January 4, 1988
David Lee Roth - Skyscraper
rel January 26, 1988
Lita Ford - Lita
rel February 2, 1988
The Church - Starfish
rel February 16, 1988
Robert Plant - Now and Zen
rel February 29, 1988
Toto - The Seventh One
rel March 1, 1988
Smithereens - Green Thoughts
rel March 16, 1988
Cardiacs - A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
rel March 21, 1988
3 - ...To the Power of Three
rel March 25, 1988
King's X - Out of the Silent Planet
rel March 29, 1988
Fates Warning - No Exit
rel March 1988
Rick Springfield - Rock of Life
rel March 1988
Sade - Stronger Than Pride
rel April 5, 1988
Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
rel April 11, 1988
Weird Al Yankovic - Even Worse
rel April 12, 1988
k.d. Lang - Shadowland
rel April 19, 1988
a-ha - Stay on These Roads
rel May 3, 1988
Bruce Hornsby and the Range - Scenes from the Southside
rel May 3, 1988
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
rel May 3, 1988
Prince - Lovesexy
rel May 10, 1988
Van Halen - OU812
rel May 24, 1988
Pantera - Power Metal
rel May 1988
Sam Brown - Stop!
rel June 8, 1988
Bobby Brown - Don't Be Cruel
rel June 20, 1988
New Edition - Heart Break
rel June 20, 1988
Information Society - Information Society
rel June 21, 1988
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
rel June 28, 1988
Bobby McFerrin - Simple Pleasures
rel August 5, 1988
NWA - Straight Outtta Compton
rel August 8, 1988
Death - Leprosy
rel August 12, 1988
Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
rel August 23, 1988
Metallica - ...And Justice for All
rel August 25, 1988
Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II
rel August 29, 1988
Jason Becker - Perpetual Burn
rel August 1988
Santana - Viva Santana!
rel August 1988
Karyn White - Karyn White
rel September 6, 1988
Fishbone - Truth and Soul
rel September 13, 1988
Napalm Death - From Enslavement to Obliteration
rel September 16, 1988
Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
rel September 16, 1988
Bon Jovi - New Jersey
rel September 19, 1988
Eddie Money - Nothing to Lose
rel October 4, 1988
U2 - Rattle and Hum
rel October 10, 1988
Bangles - Everything
rel October 18, 1988
Roxette - Look Sharp!
rel October 21, 1988
Mike + The Mechanics - Living Years
rel October 28, 1988
Michel Camilo - Michel Camilo
rel November 1, 1988
R.E.M. - Green
rel November 7, 1988
Crimson Glory - Transcendence
rel November 14, 1988
Pink Floyd - Delicate Sound of Thunder
rel November 22, 1988
Guns N Roses - G N' R Lies
rel November 29, 1988
Marillion - The Thieving Magpie
rel November 29, 1988
Béla Fleck - Drive
rel 1988
Giraffe - The View from Here
rel 1988
Kingdom Come - Kingdom Come
rel 1988
Annette Peacock - Abstract-Contact
rel 1988
Steve Tibbetts - Big Map Idea
rel 1988
Trip Shakespeare - Are You Shakespearienced?
rel 1988