Tonights The Night (1987) Bobby Roth, Belinda Bauer, Jack Blessing, Max Gail

Surfing with the Alien belongs to its era like Are You Experienced? belongs to its own – perhaps it doesn't transcend its time the way the Jimi Hendrix Experience's 1967 debut does, but Joe Satriani's 1987 breakthrough can be seen as the gold standard for guitar playing of the mid- to late '80s, an album that captures everything that was good about the glory days of shred…

In 1987, John Hiatt, clean and sober and looking for an American record deal, was asked by an A&R man at a British label to name his dream band. After a little thought, Hiatt replied that if he had his druthers, he'd cut a record with Ry Cooder on guitar, Nick Lowe on bass, and Jim Keltner on drums…

Live…In the Raw is the first live album by W.A.S.P. (fourth album overall), released in 1987. This album can be seen as something of a breakwater between the 'old' W.A.S.P. of the first three albums and the more mature sound of the releases that would follow. It is also the album to feature "Harder Faster", which is about the PMRC declaring them "sexual perverts". "The Manimal" and "Harder Faster" were written specifically for this album and the studio song "Scream Until You Like It" was recorded for the movie Ghoulies II. The acoustic version of "Sleeping (In the Fire)" is also a studio recording. This would be the final release to feature drummer Steve Riley, who would leave the band shortly after the conclusion of the tour to join L.A. Guns.

Return is a Norwegian rock band that peaked in popularity during the late '80s with a hair metal style that went out of fashion in the early '90s. With several Top Ten smash hits to its name, most of them power ballads, the band reunited after the turn of the century and proved popular as a concert draw. Founded in 1980 in Stange, Norway, the band is comprised of Knut Erik Østgård (vocals, guitar), Steinar Hagen (guitar, vocals), Tore Larsen (bass, vocals), and Øyvind Håkonsen (drums). Return scored their initial breakout hit in 1985 with "Sheila," and a couple years later they made their full-length album debut with To the Top (1987), a Top 20 hit on the Norwegian albums chart that includes the early hit "Sing Me a Song" in addition to "Sheila."

The second solo album from the former Nazareth frontman is a good follow up to his first. Filled with great songs and sung with power and passion, this album is a must have for any McCafferty fan. This gritty vocalist gained early experience as a member of the Shadettes, a mid-60s beat group based in Dunfermline, Scotland. By 1968, the act had evolved into Nazareth, which grew from provincial origins into a leading international attraction. McCafferty’s throaty rasp was an integral part of the unit’s best-known hits, notably ‘Broken Down Angel’ and ‘This Flight Tonight’ (both 1973), but he undertook a concurrent solo project in 1975. Dan McCafferty comprised several of the artist’s favourite songs, including ‘Out Of Time’, which broached the UK Top 50 as a single. The singer then resumed his commitment to the parent group, but re-embarked on an independent career in 1987 with Into The Ring.