Urban75 Album of the Year 1988

[sunnysidedown]

Not 87?

not according to discogs, my vinyl copy is long gone so can't check. (all my vinyl has sadly long-gone).

 

[Casual Observer]

Playing With Fire has 1988 on the record label, but wikipedia mentions it being rleased early 1989, so you may be correct and it came out in 1989 despite having 1988 on the record.

Loop's Fade Out however looks like it was released (on vinyl) on three different labels in 1988 (Chapter 22, Rough Trade & Penguin) and has the CD and cassette coming out later in 1989. So fuck knows..

I too thought it was 1988 but the evidence suggests it was 1989 after all. Used to have the 2 x 12" playing at 45rpm version, signed as well. Meaningless and annoying boast aside, the UK album chart data has it spending one week in the chart in February 1989, going in at number 51 then dropping out of the chart the next week. Unlikely to have done nothing chart-wise in 1988 and the first month of 1989 and then gone straight in at 51 before disappearing.

fade out | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company

Spacemen 3's Playing With Fire didn't get in the national 100 album chart so nothing to add there beyond what's already been said.

 

[sunnysidedown]

I too thought it was 1988 but the evidence suggests it was 1989 after all. Used to have the 2 x 12" playing at 45rpm version, signed as well. Meaningless and annoying boast aside, the UK album chart data has it spending one week in the chart in February 1989, going in at number 51 then dropping out of the chart the next week. Unlikely to have done nothing chart-wise in 1988 and the first month of 1989 and then gone straight in at 51 before disappearing.

fade out | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company

Spacemen 3's Playing With Fire didn't get in the national 100 album chart so nothing to add there beyond what's already been said.

a neither meaningless nor annoying boast that, not to me anyway. I once entered a competition to win Sonic Boom's moccasins.

 

[Spandex]

 

[ska invita]

if you like (latin) jazz piano you shouldnt be disappointed with this Michel Camilo record...sadly he never really matched it after this, though it rightly cemented his name as a star. I dont think Ive ever heard more impressive piano playing...and theres some jaw dropping drumming on this too. one of my all time favourite records this

 

[ska invita]

Fuck me this is good - ahead of its time - in fact sounds rawer than some modern death metal which can be a bit over produced.. Its pretty much the perfect metal album to my ears, cant fault it....so nice played it twice really glad to have discovered

 

[Lurdan]

In 1988 I was 35 and in the still-happy phase of a domestic set-up with co-parenting responsibilities. Not much gig going however there was Bobby Byrd and the JB's Allstars at the Town and Country, so quality if not quantity I guess. And the live recording from it produced one of the great album titles

 

[Lurdan]

I too thought it was 1988 but the evidence suggests it was 1989 after all.

There's the preview version of a book about Spacemen 3 in Google Books which says February 27 1989. Link

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I'd forgotten how good Hairway To Steven was.

Had a proper laughing fit on the way to work today at "John, John was a little crippled midget lesbian boy. But stood ten foot tall WITH A KNIFE"

I bunked off college to come down to Rough Trade in Ladbroke Grove to get that LP and Coil's "Gold Is The Metal With The Broadest Shoulders" the week they came out...

 

[rekil]

I listened to Tracy Chapman's debut the other week (also 88) - I don't think it's going to make my list, but I'd recommend a listen as an example of how angry and political music could be in 1988 and still sell absolute shedloads.

The tune Chapman could only dream of creating - "Nicaragua" from Screeching Weasel's Boogadaboogadaboogada. As far as I know, the composer (Ben Weasel) hasn't developed a more nuanced position since then.

I don't give a fuck about nicaragua
I don't give a shit about the President
I don't care about suburban white kids
Trying to show they've got compassion
Politics are boring
Politics are fucking boring
Philosophizing propoganda spewing
Teenage armchair revolutionaries
What's the problem? What's the matter?
You're sitting there getting fatter
You say that you hate capitalism
And won't you compromise
But when you're out of cigarettes
THE FUNNY THING IS YOUR BUTT'S FULL OF JIZZ
You pompous ass your moral outrage
Gives me a fucking headache
Closed your mind got all the answers
Don't even realize you're an asshole
If you had any brains I guess you'd see
You're a narrow minded judgemental left wing nazi
I don't give a fuck about Nicarauga [x4]

 

[killer b]

I'm fairly sure the Screaming Weasels were never available from the Britannia Music Club though.

 

[Idris2002]

The tune Chapman could only dream of creating - "Nicaragua" from Screeching Weasel's Boogadaboogadaboogada. As far as I know, the composer (Ben Weasel) hasn't developed a more nuanced position since then.

I don't give a fuck about nicaragua
I don't give a shit about the President
I don't care about suburban white kids
Trying to show they've got compassion
Politics are boring
Politics are fucking boring
Philosophizing propoganda spewing
Teenage armchair revolutionaries
What's the problem? What's the matter?
You're sitting there getting fatter
You say that you hate capitalism
And won't you compromise
But when you're out of cigarettes
THE FUNNY THING IS YOUR BUTT'S FULL OF JIZZ
You pompous ass your moral outrage
Gives me a fucking headache
Closed your mind got all the answers
Don't even realize you're an asshole
If you had any brains I guess you'd see
You're a narrow minded judgemental left wing nazi
I don't give a fuck about Nicarauga [x4]

Such exquisite imagery.

 

[Idris2002]

One of those albums that I played a lot , forgot about and then when I play it again think how good it is.

First half of Fisherman's Blues by The Waterboys is fucking amazing.

Roger that, I was listening to some of it this morning. I'd even say that the version of "Sweet Thing" on it is better than Van Morrison's original on Astral Weeks.

 

[Knotted]

not according to discogs, my vinyl copy is long gone so can't check. (all my vinyl has sadly long-gone).

Yeah you're right. I thought that was Loh Land. Good call btw.

 

[Knotted]

This is really a year for metal and hip hop and nascent house/techno. Non of which I really know much about. I mean I like Slayer and Public Enemy but then so does everyone else who's into these scenes and I'm not going to be able to do these justice. I'm going to include Nation of Millions in my list because even I know its truly great and maybe From Enslavement to Obliteration as well. There's too much going on in Eastern Europe and I want to go have a look at various Japanese things too.

 

[Maggot]

The tune Chapman could only dream of creating - "Nicaragua" from Screeching Weasel's Boogadaboogadaboogada. As far as I know, the composer (Ben Weasel) hasn't developed a more nuanced position since then.

I don't give a fuck about nicaragua
I don't give a shit about the President
I don't care about suburban white kids
Trying to show they've got compassion
Politics are boring
Politics are fucking boring
Philosophizing propoganda spewing
Teenage armchair revolutionaries
What's the problem? What's the matter?
You're sitting there getting fatter
You say that you hate capitalism
And won't you compromise
But when you're out of cigarettes
THE FUNNY THING IS YOUR BUTT'S FULL OF JIZZ
You pompous ass your moral outrage
Gives me a fucking headache
Closed your mind got all the answers
Don't even realize you're an asshole
If you had any brains I guess you'd see
You're a narrow minded judgemental left wing nazi
I don't give a fuck about Nicarauga [x4]

Ruddy Yurts did an instrumental version which lost a lot of the anger TBH.

 

[sunnysidedown]

Big year for Acid House/Techno compilations on Trax Records

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Big year for Acid House/Techno compilations on Trax Records

Yeah I had and still have this bad boy:
Various - Techno! The New Dance Sound Of Detroit

Not sure if they count* but Psychic TV's Jack The Tab will.

*(Acid House / Tech-NO)

 

[Indeliblelink]

Farley ''Jackmaster'' Funk - No Vocals Necessary is the one for me.

 

[marty21]

I'm fairly sure the Screaming Weasels were never available from the Britannia Music Club though.

I think I subscribed to Britannia for a while , or a similar monthly CD thing

 

[maomao]

I think I subscribed to Britannia for a while , or a similar monthly CD thing

That was the one where you got five albums for a quid each and then had to buy a shit overpriced album every month for a year. I did that too. I think I told them to stick it and there wasn't a lot they could do.

 

[TimDracula]

• Giuseppe Torelli – 12 Concertino per camera for Violin and Cello. It’s marvellous. I saw the first performance and… Wait, you said 1988.


Ah.

 

[belboid]

• Giuseppe Torelli – 12 Concertino per camera for Violin and Cello. It’s marvellous. I saw the first performance and… Wait, you said 1988.


Ah.

I'll add 'No Sheet Music' to the list of excluded items for the next list!

 

[andysays]

Not really feeling 1988 the way I was 1978, though there were certainly some decent albums out.

Off the top of my head, my number one will likely be Daydream Nation, although today it seems nowhere near as vital as the 78 top ten still do now.

 

[sunnysidedown]

Forgot about this, although it may be a victim of the process mentioned previously by belboid. Discogs says '88, someone in the comments there says '89. Can anyone confirm?

 

[Spandex]

Forgot about this, although it may be a victim of the process mentioned previously by belboid. Discogs says '88, someone in the comments there says '89. Can anyone confirm?

From wiki:

Lick is the third album by The Lemonheadsand the last to feature founding member Ben Deily. It was released in 1989 and was the group's last album before signing to major label Atlantic. A typo on the album itself erroneously states its release date as 1988.

 

[sunnysidedown]

cheers Spandex, looks like the same issue as 'Playing with Fire'.

 

[rekil]

I'm surprised none of the best of lists feature Mary Margaret O'Hara. A fair number of their common choices have dated badly or maybe suffer from over familiarity.

Spoiler

 

[rekil]

I doubt whether nearly all-female Yugoslavian indie rock will feature very strongly but here's a sample for anyone struggling to deblokeify their list. Boye.

Spoiler

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Weird year for reggae LPs. Bunch of Jammys, "Red Rose for Gregory" and not a whole lot else...

Also not sure if anyone has mentioned the first Sugarcubes LP?