....and we're back! Truth be told, I was very surprised at how formative the music of 1988 was to me, not in 1988 perse, but a couple years later when I was a little older and wiser. At least 4 of these selections are widely considered the artists' very best offering and in a couple of other cases a commercial breakthrough for an artist appears here. All in all, a much more landmark year than I would've believed, especially considering the rather lackluster years that immediately surround it. Omissions:
Eleventh Dream Day * Prairie School Freakout (Thrill Jockey/Amoeba)
My Bloody Valentine * Isn't Anything (Creation)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds * Tender Prey (Mute)
Dinosaur Jr. * Bug (SST)
EPMD * Strictly Business (Sleeping Bag/Fresh)
The Jungle Brothers * Straight Out The Jungle (Warlock)
Boogie Down Productions * By All Means Necessary (Jive)
Ultramagnetic MCs * Critical Beatdown (Next Plateau)
Camper Van Beethoven * Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart (RT)
Slayer * South Of Heaven (American)
Ambitious Lovers * Greed (Virgin)
Souled American * Fe (Rough Trade)
The Pogues * If I Should Fall From The Grace Of God (WEA)
Napalm Death * From Enslavement To Obliteration (Combat)
Kreator * Terrible Certainty (Noise)
Mano Negra * Patchanka (Virgin)
A.R. Kane * 69 (Rough Trade)
Mary Margaret O'Hara * Miss America (Virgin)
Soul Asylum * Hang Time (A&M)
For Against * December (Chameleon)
Yo La Tengo * President Yo La Tengo (Coyote)
Galaxie 500 * Today (Ryko)
Chaba Fadela * You Are Mine (Mango)
Tom Waits * Big Time (Island)
Fishbone * Truth And Soul (Columbia)
The Feelies * Only Life (A&M)
Cowboy Junkies * The Trinity Session (RCA)
Ministry * The Land Of Rape And Honey (Sire)
Run Westy Run * Hardly Not Even (SST)
Soundgarden * Ultramega OK (SST)
Bathory * Blood Fire Death (Maze/Kraze)
The Go-Betweens * 16 Lovers Lane (Capitol/Beggars Banquet)
The Ex * Aural Guerrilla (Ex)
Destruction * Release From Agony (Profile/Steamhammer)
Lubricated Goat * Paddock of Love (Amphetemine Reptile)
Butthole Surfers * Hairway To Steven (Touch & Go)
The Sugarcubes * Life Won't Wait (Elektra)
NoMeansNo * Small Parts Isolated & Destroyed (Alternative Tentacles)
Pussy Galore * Right Now! (Matador)
The Waterboys * The Fisherman's Tale (Ensign)
Los Lobos * La Pistola y El Corazon (WB)
Nice Strong Arm * Mind Furnace (Homestead)
Victims Family * Things I Hate To Admit (Mordam)
Eric B. & Rakim * Follow the Leader (Uni)
Stetsasonic * In Full Gear (Tommy Boy)
Voivod * Dimension Hatross (FAD)
Game Theory * Two Steps From The Middle Ages (Enigma)
The Jazz Butcher * Fiscotheque (Creation)
Gary Clail's On-U Sound System * Tackhead Sound System (Nettwerk)
Social Distortion * Prison Bound (Time Bomb)
Gear Daddies * Let's Go Scare Al (Gark)
Hunters & Collectors * Fate (IRS)
Beat Happening * Jamboree (K/Sub Pop)
King Diamond * Them (Roadrunner)
Testament * The New Order (Megaforce)
Bongwater * Double Bummer (Shimmy Disc)
Queensryche * Operation: Mindcrime (EMI)
Big Daddy Kane * Long Live the Kane (Cold Chillin')
Foetus Interruptus * Thaw (Some Bizarre)
Front 242 * Front By Front (Wax Trax!)
The Godfathers * Birth, School, Work, Death (Epic)
Youth Of Today * We're Not In This Alone (Revelation)
Rollins Band * Life Time (Texas Hotel)
Rollins Band * Do It (Texas Hotel)
Slick Rick * The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (Def Jam)
Adult Net * Honey Tangle (Fontana)
Yello * Flag (Universal)
Halo of Flies * Singles Going Nowhere (Twin/Tone)
Throwing Muses * House Tornado (4AD/Sire)
Bad Religion * Suffer (Epitaph)
Michelle Shocked * Short Sharp Shocked (Mercury)
SNFU * Better Than A Stick In the Eye (Cargo)
Godflesh (Earache)
Prince * Lovesexy (WB)
Peter Murphy * Love Hysteria (Beggars Banquet)
Leonard Cohen * I'm Your Man (Columbia)
Felt * The Pictorial Jackson Review (Creation)
Too Short * Born to Mack (Jive)
The Mighty Lemon Drops * World Without End (Sire)
Laughing Hyaenas * Come Down To The Merry Go Round (Touch & Go)
World Domination Enterprises * Let's Play Domination (Caroline/Product Inc.)
Wire * A Bell Is A Cup Until It is Stuck (Enigma)
The Church * Starfish (Arista)
MC Lyte * Lyte as a Rock (First Priority)
Death * Leprosy (Combat)
Carcass * Reek Of Putrefaction (Earache)
Doug E. Fresh * The World's Greatest Entertainer (Reality)
Salt-N-Pepa * A Salt with a Deadly Pepa (London)
Prince * The Black Album (WB)
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Quote:
By refining the song-oriented breakthroughs of Sister and developing their fascination with noise and alternate tunings, Sonic Youth created a masterpiece of post-punk art rock with the double-album Daydream Nation. Though the self-conscious sprawl of the album might appear self-indulgent on the surface, Daydream Nation is powered by a sustained vision, one that encapsulates all of the group's quirks and strengths. Alternating between tense, hypnotic instrumental passages and furious noise explosions, the music demonstrates a range of emotions and textures, and in many ways, it's hard not to listen to the record as one long piece of shifting dynamics. But the songs themselves are remarkable, from the anti-anthem of "Teen Age Riot" and the punky "Silver Rocket" to the hazy drug dreams of "Providence" and the rolling waves of "Eric's Trip." Daydream Nation demonstrates the extent to which noise and self-conscious avant art can be incorporated into rock, and the results are nothing short of stunning.
Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back Quote:
Yo! Bum Rush the Show was an invigorating record, but it looks like child's play compared to its monumental sequel, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, a record that rewrote the rules of what hip-hop could do. That's not to say the album is without precedent, since what's particularly ingenious about the album is how it reconfigures things that came before into a startling, fresh, modern sound. Public Enemy used the template Run-D.M.C. created of a rap crew as a rock band, then brought in elements of free jazz, hard funk, even musique concrète, via their producing team, the Bomb Squad, creating a dense, ferocious sound unlike anything that came before. This coincided with a breakthrough in Chuck D's writing, both in his themes and lyrics. It's not that Chuck D was smarter or more ambitious than his contemporaries — certainly, KRS-One tackled many similar sociopolitical tracts, while Rakim had a greater flow — but he marshaled considerable revolutionary force, clear vision, and a boundless vocabulary to create galvanizing, logical arguments that were undeniable in their strength. They only gained strength from Flavor Flav's frenzied jokes, which provided a needed contrast. What's amazing is how the words and music become intertwined, gaining strength from each other. Though this music is certainly a representation of its time, it hasn't dated at all. It set a standard that few could touch then, and even fewer have attempted to meet since.
The Pixies - Surfer RosaQuote:
One of the most compulsively listenable college rock albums of the '80s, the Pixies' 1988 full-length debut Surfer Rosa fulfilled the promise of Come on Pilgrim and, thanks to Steve Albini's production, added a muscular edge that made their harshest moments seem even more menacing and perverse. On songs like "Something Against You," Black Francis' cryptic shrieks and non sequiturs are backed by David Lovering and Kim Deal's punchy rhythms, which are so visceral that they'd overwhelm any guitarist except Joey Santiago, who takes the spotlight on the epic "Vamos." Albini's high-contrast dynamics suit Surfer Rosa well, especially on the explosive opener "Bone Machine" and the kinky, T-Rex-inspired "Cactus." But, like the black-and-white photo of a flamenco dancer on its cover, Surfer Rosa is the Pixies' most polarized work. For each blazing piece of punk, there are softer, poppier moments such as "Where Is My Mind?," Francis' strangely poignant song inspired by scuba diving in the Caribbean, and the Kim Deal-penned "Gigantic," which almost outshines the rest of the album. But even Surfer Rosa's less iconic songs reflect how important the album was in the group's development. The "song about a superhero named Tony" ("Tony's Theme") was the most lighthearted song the Pixies had recorded, pointing the way to their more overtly playful, whimsical work on Doolittle. Francis' warped sense of humor is evident in lyrics like "Bone Machine"'s "He bought me a soda and tried to molest me in the parking lot/Yep yep yep!" In a year that included landmark albums from contemporaries like Throwing Muses, Sonic Youth, and My Bloody Valentine, the Pixies managed to turn in one of 1988's most striking, distinctive records. Surfer Rosa may not be the group's most accessible work, but it is one of their most compelling.
N.W.A. - Straight Outta ComptonQuote:
Unapologetically frightening, N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton is one of the most seminal albums in the history of rap and greatly influenced countless gangsta rappers. N.W.A didn't invent gangsta rap — Ice-T and Schoolly D had already embraced first-person narratives focusing on the harsh realities of ghetto life — but the L.A. group made it even more violent. Portraying gang members and other felons, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren and Eazy-E took listeners on an arresting journey through L.A.'s tough Compton ghetto. Critics of this highly controversial album contended that N.W.A was glamorizing Black-on-Black crime — the rappers countered that they weren't encouraging violence, but rather were presenting an audio documentary of life as they knew it growing up in Compton. Subsequently, gangsta rap would be plagued by numerous soundalike MCs who lacked even a fraction of N.W.A or Ice-T's originality. But in the innovative hands of N.W.A., it was bold, inspired and arresting. [Straight Outta Compton was released in an edited version with all of the profanity removed, and instead changed around so that the album became a parody of edited albums by using hilariously silly replacements for swears and graphic descriptions.]
R.E.M. - GreenQuote:
As far as major-label debuts by underground bands go, Green is fairly uncompromising. While it displays a more powerful guitar sound on "Get Up," "Turn You Inside Out," and "Orange Crush," it also takes more detours than Document, whether it's the bizarrely affecting contemporary folk of "The Wrong Child" and "You Are the Everything," the bubblegum of "Stand" and "Pop Song 89," or the introspection of the lovely "Hairshirt" and "World Leader Pretend." But instead of presenting a portrait of a band with a rich, eclectic vision, Green is incoherent. While its best moments are flat-out great, the band has bitten off more than it can chew; many of the songs sound like failed experiments, and its arena-ready production now sounds slightly dated. Nevertheless, half of the record is brilliant, and it certainly indicates that R.E.M. are continuing to diversify their sound.
Living Colour - VividQuote:
In 1988, few heavy metal bands were comprised of all black members, and fewer had the talent or know-how to inject different musical forms into their hard rock sound (funk, punk, alternative, jazz, soul, rap) — but N.Y.C.'s Living Colour proved to be an exception. Unlike nearly all of the era's metal bands, the group's music has held up over time, thanks to its originality and execution. Living Colour leader/guitarist Vernon Reid spent years honing his six-string chops, and was one of the most respected guitarists in New York's underground scene. He couldn't have done a better job selecting members for his new rock band — singer Corey Glover, bassist Muzz Skillings, and drummer Will Calhoun — as their now-classic debut, Vivid, proves. Though the album was released in mid-1988, it picked up steam slowly, exploding at the year's end with the hit single/MTV anthem "Cult of Personality," which merged an instantly recognizable Reid guitar riff and lyrics that explored the dark side of world leaders past and present (and remains LC's best-known song). The album was also incredibly consistent, as proven by the rocker "Middle Man" (which contains lyrics from a note penned by Glover, in which he pondered suicide), the funky, anti-racist "Funny Vibe," the touching "Open Letter (To a Landlord)," plus the Caribbean rock of "Glamour Boys." Add to it an inspired reading of Talking Heads' "Memories Can't Wait," the Zeppelin-esque "Desperate People," and two complex love songs ("I Want to Know" and "Broken Hearts"), and you have one of the finest hard rock albums of the '80s — and for that matter, all time.
Jane's Addiction - Nothing's ShockingQuote:
Although Jane's Addiction's 1987 self-titled debut was an intriguing release (few alternative bands at the time had the courage to mix modern rock, prog rock, and heavy metal together), it paled in comparison to their now classic major-label release one year later, Nothing's Shocking. Produced by Dave Jerden and Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell, the album was more focused and packed more of a sonic wallop than its predecessor; the fiery performances often create an amazing sense that it could all fall apart at any second, creating a fantastic musical tension. Such tracks as "Up the Beach," "Ocean Size," and one of alt-rock's greatest anthems, "Mountain Song," contain the spaciousness created by the band's two biggest influences, Led Zeppelin and the Cure. Elsewhere, "Ted, Just Admit It..." (about serial killer Ted Bundy) and the haunting yet gorgeous "Summertime Rolls" stretched to epic proportions, making great use of changing moods and dynamics (something most alt-rock bands of the time were oblivious to). An incredibly consistent and challenging album, other highlights included the rockers "Had a Dad" and "Pigs in Zen," the horn-driven "Idiots Rule," the jazz instrumental "Thank You Boys," and the up-tempo "Standing in the Shower...Thinking." Like most great bands, it was not a single member whose contribution was greater: Perry Farrell's unique voice and lyrics, Dave Navarro's guitar riffs and wailing leads, Eric Avery's sturdy basslines, and one of rock's greatest and most powerful drummers, Stephen Perkins. Nothing's Shocking is a must-have for lovers of cutting-edge, influential, and timeless hard rock.
Metallica - ...And Justice For AllQuote:
The most immediately noticeable aspect of ...And Justice for All isn't Metallica's still-growing compositional sophistication or the apocalyptic lyrical portrait of a society in decay. It's the weird, bone-dry production. The guitars buzz thinly, the drums click more than pound, and Jason Newsted's bass is nearly inaudible. It's a shame that the cold, flat sound obscures some of the sonic details, because ...And Justice for All is Metallica's most complex, ambitious work; every song is an expanded suite, with only two of the nine tracks clocking in at under six minutes. It takes a while to sink in, but given time, ...And Justice for All reveals some of Metallica's best material. It also reveals the band's determination to pull out all the compositional stops, throwing in extra sections, odd-numbered time signatures, and dense webs of guitar arpeggios and harmonized leads. At times, it seems like they're doing it simply because they can; parts of the album lack direction and probably should have been trimmed for momentum's sake. Pacing-wise, the album again loosely follows the blueprint of Ride the Lightning, though not as closely as Master of Puppets. This time around, the fourth song — once again a ballad with a thrashy chorus and outro — gave the band one of the unlikeliest Top 40 singles in history; "One" was an instant metal classic, based on Dalton Trumbo's antiwar novel Johnny Got His Gun and climaxing with a pulverizing machine-gun imitation. As a whole, opinions on ...And Justice for All remain somewhat divided: some think it's a slightly flawed masterpiece and the pinnacle of Metallica's progressive years; others see it as bloated and overambitious. Either interpretation can be readily supported, but the band had clearly taken this direction as far as it could. The difficulty of reproducing these songs in concert eventually convinced Metallica that it was time for an overhaul.
Talk Talk - Spirit of EdenQuote:
Compare Spirit of Eden with any other previous release in the Talk Talk catalog, and it's almost impossible to believe it's the work of the same band — exchanging electronics for live, organic sounds and rejecting structure in favor of mood and atmosphere, the album is an unprecedented breakthrough, a musical and emotional catharsis of immense power. Mark Hollis' songs exist far outside of the pop idiom, drawing instead on ambient textures, jazz-like arrangements, and avant-garde accents; for all of their intricacy and delicate beauty, compositions like "Inheritance" and "I Believe in You" also possess an elemental strength — Hollis' oblique lyrics speak to themes of loss and redemption with understated grace, and his hauntingly poignant vocals evoke wrenching spiritual turmoil tempered with unflagging hope. A singular musical experience.
