1988 in music.

U2's The Joshua Tree won 1987. Let's see who wins 1988.

Billboard chart-topping albums of 1988:
Soundtrack - Dirty Dancing (cont. from '87)
George Michael - Faith (cont. from '87)
Tiffany - Tiffany (cont. from '87)
Van Halen - OU812
Def Leppard - Hysteria (cont. from '87)
Guns n Roses - Appetite for Destruction (cont. from '87)
Steve Winwood - Roll With It
Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
Bon Jovi - New Jersey
U2 - Rattle and Hum
Anita Baker - Giving You the Best That I Got

Billboard chart-topping singles of 1988:
George Michael - Faith (cont. from '87)
Whitney Houston - So Emotional (cont. from '87)
George Harrison - Got My Mind Set On You (cont. from '87)
Michael Jackson - The Way You Make Me Feel (cont. from '87)
INXS - Need You Tonight (cont. from '87)
Tiffany - Could've Been (cont. from '87)
Expose - Seasons Change (cont. from '87)
George Michael - Father Figure (cont. from '87)
Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (cont. from '87)
Michael Jackson - Man in the Mirror
Billy Ocean - Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car
Whitney Houston - Where Do Broken Hearts Go (cont. from '87)
Terence Trent D'Arby - Wishin Well (cont. from '87)
Gloria Estefan - Anything for You
George Michael - One More Try (cont. from '87)
Rick Astley - Together Forever
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat (cont. from '87)
Michael Jackson - Dirty Diana
Cheap Trick - The Flame
Richard Marx - Hold Onto the Nights
Steve Winwood - Roll With It
George Michael - Monkey
Guns n Roses - Sweet Child of Mine
Bobby McFerin - Don't Worry, Be Happy
Def Leppard - Love Bites
UB40 - Red Red Wine
Phil Collins - A Groovy Kind of Love
The Beach Boys - Kokomo
The Escape Club - Wild, Wild West
Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine
Will to Power - Baby, I Love Your Way
Chicago - Look Away
Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn

What are your top three albums for 1988? We will keep a running tally and eventually have some sort of bracket. For me it would be:
1. Metallica - And Justice for All
2. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
3. Dinosaur Jr. - Bug

What are some of the forgotten gems from the year? What is overrated? What did you discover at a young age and what did you discover later?

YEARS IN MUSIC • forum.chorus.fm

 

rest of the top 10:
4. public enemy - it takes a nation of millions to hold us back
5. slayer - south of heaven
6. danzig - danzig
7. jane's addiction - nothing's shocking
8. bad religion - suffer
9. pixies - surfer rosa
10. r.e.m. - green

other honorable mentions:
dwight yoakam - buenas noches from a lonely room
galaxy 500 - today
godflesh - godflesh
iron maiden - seventh son of a seventh son
megadeth - so far, so good… so what
mudhoney - superfuzz bigmuff
my bloody valentine - isnt anything
nick cave - tender prey
screaming trees - invisible lantern
traveling wilburys - vol. 1
u2 - rattle and hum
the waterboys - fishermans blues

stuff to check out:
bolt thrower - in battle there is no law
bruce hornsby and the range - scenes from southside
crowded house - temple of low men
eric b and rakim - follow the leader
ice t - power
nwa - straight out of compton
prefab sprout - from langley park to memphis
prince - lovesexy
run dmc - tougher than leather
siouxsie and the banshees - peepshow
soul asylum - hang time
steve earle - copperhead road
steve winwood - roll with it
suicidal tendencies - how will i laugh tomorrow when i can’t even smile today
talk talk - spirit of eden
tracy chapman - tracy chapman

 

i feel like it’s caught on in recent years with some musicians like war on drugs and dawes big upping it but if i have to recommend one album that maybe less people know from this year, it’s fisherman’s blues.

the title track rules

 

1. Metallica - ...And Justice for All
2. Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man
3. Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman

Excruciating Cuts:
Bruce Hornsby and the Range - Scenes from the Southside

Others I love:
Bobby Brown - Don't Be Cruel
Fine Young Cannibals - The Raw and the Cooked

Good ones:
Harry Belafonte - Paradise in Gazankulu
Dwight Yoakam - Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room
Prince - Lovesexy
The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues
The Traveling Wilburys - Vol. 1
The Proclaimers - Sunshine on Leith
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Van Halen - OU812
Billy Ocean - Tear Down These Walls
Four Tops - Indestructible
Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
Steve Winwood - Roll with It
Keith Whitley - Don't Close Your Eyes
Van Morrison and The Chieftans - Irish Heart
U2 - Rattle and Hum
Pixies - Surfer Rosa
James Taylor - Never Die Young
Paul Abdul - Forever Your Girl
k.d. lang - Shadowland
Graham Parker - The Mona Lisa's Sister
Melissa Etheridge - Melissa Etheridge
New Edition - Heart Break
Hall and Oates - Ooh Yeah!
Pat Benatar - Wide Awake in Dreamland
Eric B. and Rakim - Follow the Leader
Bon Jovi - New Jersey
Galaxie 500 - Today
'Til Tuesday - Everything's Different Now
N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
Al B. Sure! - In Effect Mode
The Moody Blues - Sur La Mer
Tiffany - Hold an Old Friend's Hand

Archival releases that would make my list:
The Beatles - Past Masters Vol. 1 and 2
Chuck Berry - The Chess Box

Targets for listening:
Crowded House - Temple of Low Men
Danzig - Danzig
EPMD - Strictly Business
Was (Not Was) - What Up, Dog?
American Music Club - California
Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Sessions
Dinosaur, Jr. - Bug
Everything But the Girl - Idlewild
Fishbone - Truth and Soul
The Go-Betweens - 16 Lover's Lane
Happy Mondays - Bummed
Dagmar Krause - Tank Battles
Living Colour - Vivid
Morrissey - Viva Hate
Mudhoney - Superfuzz Bigmuff
My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything?
The Pogues - If I Should Fall from Grace with God
R.E.M. - Green
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
The Sugarcubes - Life's Too Good
Lucinda Williams - Lucinda Williams
Robert Palmer - Heavy Nova
Robert Plant - Now and Zen
Bobby McFerrin - Simple Pleasures
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince - He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper
Michelle Shocked - Short Sharp Shocked
Keith Richards - Talk Is Cheap
Randy Newman - Land of Dreams
Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
John Hiatt - Slow Turning
Womack and Womack - Conscience
Various Artists - Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films
Camper Van Beethoven - Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart
Patti Smith - Dream of Life
Robert Cray Band - Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
Cinderella - Long Cold Winter
Ultramagnetic MCs - Critical Beatdown
Slick Rick - The Adventures of Slick Rick
Poison - Open Up and Say...Ahh!
Steve Earle - Copperhead Road
Boogie Down Productions - By Any Means Necessary
Eazy-E - Eazy Duz It
The Smithereens - Green Thoughts
Neil Young - This Note's for You
Huey Lewis and The News - Small World
Steve Forbert - Streets of This Town

 

Really strong year.

1. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back
2. Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
3. The Pogues - If I Should Fall From Grace with God

Nation of Millions is a revolutionary album, taking hip hop into new directions with it's hugely diverse sound, and use of samples. Chuck D is a ferocious presence behind the mic, and even Flavor Flav contributes in a positive way here. Pretty much perfect from start to finish.

Tracy Chapman's debut is a beautiful folk album, a debut where she appears fully formed, blending the personal and the political. The songwriting is just outstanding, composed and intelligent.

The Pogues album is brilliantly sloppy and all over the place, with their traditional Irish / Gaelic folk music, crashing with punk energy and tempo, and Shane MacGowan's almost indiscernible lyrics and vocals - I'll have heard something like "Bottle of Smoke" 1001 times without having a clue what he was singing about.

Honourable mentions;

Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation: Kind of ridiculous that this doesn't even crack the top 3, one of the most important albums in American indie history. Superb songwriting that they'd honed in their previous records, and absolutely beautiful mixture of noise and pop music.

The Sugarcubes - Life's Too Good: The Sugarcubes' debut, a fantastic bit of post-punk / indie rock, with Bjork's beautiful vocals. Experimental but hook-filled, and basically the start of an incredibly creative and consistent ~15 years from Bjork

Pixies - Surfer Rosa: Pixies' debut, and like Tracy Chapman they come fully formed and at the peak of their powers, with their quiet to loud indie / alt rock songs that'd be huge influences on Nirvana and loads more.

Bad Religion - Suffer: Bad Religion's big breakthrough, a 25 minute bit of melodic punk perfection, relentless pace and great pop hooks. A huge influence on everything that came after them in the punk scene.

NWA - Straight Outta Compton: Drops off quite a bit after the opening 3 tracks (Straight Outta Compton, Fuck Tha Police & Gangster Gangster), but that's an outrageously powerful way to open your debut album.

Billy Bragg - Worker's Playtime: Saw him on Saturday, so been listening to him a lot recently, this is his slightly bigger band album, blending love songs and political songs, with some of his best work here.

Dinosaur Jr - Bug: Like their previous record, this is a grungy, scuzzy record that deserves to be played loud as possible, and with some great diverse songwriting here too.

Mudhoney - Superfuzz Bigmuff: Mudhoney's debut, and a bit like Dinosaur Jr (though maybe not quite as good), worth listening to at the highest volume, and there are some brilliant songs here, like "Touch Me I'm Sick", which might be Mudhoney at their best.

 

I need to checkout Helloween’s album from this year

 

1. Pixies - Surfer Rosa
2. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
3. Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden

 

Listened to Godflesh’s self titled debut , which I was really impressed with. I like Justin Broadrick’s work with Jesu, but had never listened to his other stuff.

It’s ugly , harsh and cold stuff, full of pulsating energy and guttural howls. The influence that you can hear in the likes of Isis or Neurosis is extremely clear. It’s metal at a slower pace, but still crushingly heavy.

Really enjoyed this, will certainly continue to check out their releases as we move through the years.

 

oh i prefer godflesh to jesu, but yeah, he's a genius

 

also checked out scenes from southside today, folks it's good

 

Will blurb a bunch of stuff I’ve heard but I’m really head over heels for Steve Earle’s Copperhead Road. Honestly even better than Guitar Town, imo

 

Fuck. Yeah. I tend to underrate it a touch only in comparison to the perfect debut. “The Valley Road” is my favorite I think

 

1 Daydream Nation
2 daylight

 

I listened to Fisherman's Blues by The Waterboys, who I'd never heard of before, and I thought this was brilliant. A blend of traiditional British / Irish folk, with huge amounts of American country + Springsteen esque anthemic rock and roll.

I didn't check the tracklisting beforehand, so was a lovely surprise to hear a cover of "Sweet Thing" pop up.

 

yeppp yep yep

 

1. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back
2. Pixies - Surfer Rosa
3. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

 

They’re pretty excellent. I feel like you’d love their song “The Whole of the Moon”, too

Maybe the best song ever written about artistic inspiration?

 

Listened to Long Live the Kane, the debut album from Big Daddy Kane, and pretty enjoyable! He's an excellent MC and lyricist, able to pack his songs with complex rhymes, and from a purely lyrical / flow perspective, seems quite a bit ahead of what other rappers were doing in 1988. It's great to hear the lyrics and bars sort of tripping over themselves, twisting in different directions, full of clever puns or wordplay.

Instrumentally it's pretty solid, nothing that feels unusual, and not as interesting as the likes of Public Enemy or Beastie Boys were doing at around the same time, but he's a great lyricist and rapper, so absolutely worth checking it out for that alone.

 

uh i think i missed a few years

 

get caught up!

 

I guess I'll have to tomorrow! We took that week break and then I didn't see the next thread somehow

 

Checked out Starfish by The Church, an Australian band I'd never heard of, but saw their name on this list of the best of 88, so was intrigued enough to check them out on a whim. I did recognise "Under The Milky Way", but would never have been able to tell you who it was by beforehand.

This is solid, albeit a little unexciting. It's some fairly middle of the road alt-rock, with little bits of dream-pop or Cure-esque sounds, but mostly decent enough alt-rock tracks. Some good hooks, and a few moments that stood out, but probably not one I'll be returning to. It was a totally fine and passable 40 minutes listening to it.

 

i don't think crowded house is my vibe tbh. didn't really hit for me.

 

I listened to pretty much only Crowded House for the last month, i love it but it’s a very goofy vibe.

Temple Of Low Men is probably the weakest of the first 3, but its pretty much what they’re all like

 

Listened to Irish Heartbeat by Van Morrison and traditional Irish folk group The Chieftains. It's a collection of 8 traditional Irish songs and two Van originals. I grew up listening to a lot of traditional Irish folk songs at home with my parents, so I have a soft spot for this sort of thing. There's nothing particularly interesting about the arrangements or performances here, they're played fairly straight and traditional, but Van has a strong voice, and the songs are classics for a reason. An enjoyable listen, but not an essential one.