100 Greatest Albums of 1989

[robertff]

On Reap Corner I mentioned albums of the year 1989 and thought I'd just check out a list.

Obviously it's only a list and albums you might have a particular fondness for may not be there but what do you think, which ones have you got and which ones do you think are missing?


Criteria: These albums were chosen for their initial and lasting popularity and their influence and impact on rock music in general. Also considered is critical acclaim. The list includes rock and roll and related genres that were influential on rock music.


1. 3 Feet High And Rising - De La Soul
2. Doolittle - The Pixies
3. Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys
4. Like A Prayer - Madonna
5. Rhythm Nation 1814 - Janet Jackson
6. Disintegration - The Cure
7. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
8. Nick Of Time - Bonnie Raitt
9. The End Of The Innocence - Don Henley
10. Technique - New Order
11. Freedom - Neil Young
12. Pretty Hate Machine - Nine Inch Nails
13. Full Moon Fever - Tom Petty
14. Pump - Aerosmith
15. Club Classics Vol. One (Keep On Movin') - Soul II Soul
16. New York - Lou Reed
17. Dr. Feelgood - Mütley Crüe
18. The Real Thing - Faith No More
19. The Raw & The Cooked - Fine Young Cannibals
20. Pump Up The Jam: The Album - Technotronic
21. Tender Lover - Babyface
22. Affection - Lisa Stansfield
23. Cuts Both Ways - Gloria Estefan
24. Soul Provider - Michael Bolton
25. Oh Mercy - Bob Dylan
26. Cosmic Thing - The B-52s
27. Loc-ed After Dark - Tone Loc
28. Repeat Offender - Richard Marx
29. Mystery Girl - Roy Orbison
30. Hooked/To The Extreme - Vanilla Ice
31. Skid Row - Skid Row
32. Altars Of Madness - Morbid Angel
33. Heart Shaped World - Chris Isaak
34. ...But Seriously - Phil Collins
35. Bleach - Nirvana
36. Avalon Sunset - Van Morrison
37. Heart Of Stone - Cher
38. Storm Front - Billy Joel
39. All Hail The Queen - Queen Latifah
40. The Great Radio Controversy - Tesla
41. Steel Wheels - The Rolling Stones
42. Walking With A Panther - LL Cool J
43. The Sensual World - Kate Bush
44. Done By The Forces Of Nature - The Jungle Brothers
45. Big Daddy - John Cougar Mellencamp
46. Beneath The Remains - Sepultura
47. Unfinished Business - EPMD
48. Indigo Girls - Indigo Girls
49. Journeyman - Eric Clapton
50. Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like A Wind - Linda Ronstadt featuring Aaron Neville
51. Raw Like Sushi - Neneh Cherry
52. Can't Fight Fate - Taylor Dayne
53. As Nasty As They Wanna Be - 2 Live Crew
54. Flowers In The Dirt - Paul McCartney
55. Girl You Know It's True - Milli Vanilli
56. Batman - Prince
57. Electric Youth - Debbie Gibson
58. Spike - Elvis Costello
59. Louder Than Love - Soundgarden
60. Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich - Warrant
61. Hats - The Blue Nile
62. Mother's Milk - Red Hot Chili Peppers
63. After 7 - After 7
64. No One Can Do It Better - The DOC
65. A New Flame - Simply Red
66. Big Tyme - Heavy D & The Boyz
67. The Seeds Of Love - Tears For Fears
68. Paradise/Big Fun - Inner City
69. ...Twice Shy - Great White
70. The Biz Never Sleeps - Biz Markie
71. Ghetto Music: The Blueprint Of Hip-Hop - Boogie Down Productions
72. Yellow Moon – The Neville Brothers
73. Larger Than Life - Jody Watley
74. Everything - The Bangles
75. The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say! - Ice-T
76. Sonic Temple - The Cult
77. Don't Tell A Soul - The Replacements
78. On Fire - Galaxie 500
79. Love And Rockets - Love And Rockets
80. Blind Man's Zoo - 10,000 Maniacs
81. The Healer - John Lee Hooker
82. The Cactus Album - 3rd Bass
83. Back On The Block - Quincy Jones
84. Streetcleaner - Godflesh
85. Labour Of Love II - UB40
86. It's A Big Daddy Thing - Big Daddy Kane
87. In Step - Stevie Ray Vaughan
88. Stone Cold Rhymin' - Young MC
89. Sleeping With The Past - Elton John
90. Mental Floss For The Globe - Urban Dance Squad
91. Alannah Myles - Alannah Myles
92. Slip Of The Tongue - Whitesnake
93. Oranges And Lemons - XTC
94. Let Love Rule - Lenny Kravitz
95. 11 - The Smithereens
96. Hot In The Shade - KISS
97. Trash - Alice Cooper
98. Eyes On This - MC Lyte
99. Enuff Z'Nuff - Enuff Z'Nuff
100. Brave And Crazy - Melissa Etheridge


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[Darkness_Fish]

I still don't understand how you can keep putting that Criteria mention in there. That makes no sense, especially with Bonnie Raitt in the top 10. I don't know if it's your criteria or someone else's, but it's wrong.

[Darkness_Fish]

My hastily cobbled together top 10:

1. Clock DVA - Buried Dreams
2. Alice Donut - Bucketfulls of Sickness and Horror in an Otherwise Meaningless Life
3. Sabbat - Dreamweaver
4. Swans - The Burning World
5. Bad Religion - No Control
6. Bolt Thrower - Realm of Chaos
7. Einstuerzende Neubauten - Haus der Lüge
8. Nitzer Ebb - Belief
9. Ministry - The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste
10. Leatherface - Cherry Knowle

From the original list I own:

Pretty Hate Machine - Nine Inch Nails
Unfinished Business - EPMD
Love And Rockets - Love And Rockets
Streetcleaner - Godflesh

[robertff]

I still don't understand how you can keep putting that Criteria mention in there. That makes no sense, especially with Bonnie Raitt in the top 10. I don't know if it's your criteria or someone else's, but it's wrong.

Just what is the top of the list when I copy and paste it, gives some kind of raison d’être, I suppose.



.

[robertff]

.

[C]

2. Doolittle - The Pixies
7. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
10. Technique - New Order
11. Freedom - Neil Young
16. New York - Lou Reed
25. Oh Mercy - Bob Dylan
35. Bleach - Nirvana
78. On Fire - Galaxie 500
80. Blind Man's Zoo - 10,000 Maniacs

.

Faith is restored...!



I have 36. Avalon Sunset - Van Morrison but I don't like it very much - particularly the nonsense with Cliff Richard

A reasonable year for me

However, it's criminal that these are missing [my faves in red]

Workbook - Bob Mould
Automatic - The Jesus and Mary Chain
Voyage - Christy Moore
Bizarro - The Wedding Present
Hunkpapa - Throwing Muses
Give Me A Saddle, I'll Trade You A Car - The Albion Band
It’s Beginning To And Back Again - Wire
Crossroads - Tracy Chapman
Playing with Fire - Spacemen 3




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[robertff]

Think I’ve got 34 but I’d have to check. Not a bad year as many of the artists produced some of their best work e.g.

The Cure
Lou Reed
Tom Petty
Stone Roses
Neil Young
Aerosmith
New Order
B 52s
Roy Orbison
Chris Isaac
Van Morrison
Rolling Stones
Paul McCartney
10000 Maniacs
The Cult
John Lee Hooker
The Smithereens
Pixies

to name but a few.


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[pcqgod]

Looking at that list, it looks like 1989 was the year I lost interest in a lot of artists I previously liked and purchased albums by. At one time or another I owned maybe 15 of those and now I own 7, unless I sold my copy of that De La Soul album, which I might have.

1. 3 Feet High And Rising - De La Soul

2. Doolittle - The Pixies

3. Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys

16. New York - Lou Reed

35. Bleach - Nirvana

46. Beneath The Remains - Sepultura

53. As Nasty As They Wanna Be - 2 Live Crew

My actual favorite albums of 1989:

Young Fresh Fellows – This one’s for the ladies
Mano Negra – Puta’s Fever
Hard-Ons – Love is a battlefield of wounded hearts
Guided by Voices – Self Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia
House of Freaks -- Tantilla
Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique
NoMeansNo-- Wrong
Helios Creed – The last laugh
Voivod – Nothingface
Lemonheads -- Lick
Melvins – Ozma
Exene Cervenka – Old wives’ tales
Mekons – Rock ‘n ‘roll
Darling Buds – Pop said
Lush – Gala
All – Allroy’s Revenge
Throwing Muses – Hunkpapa
Poi Dog Pondering – s/t
Primitives – Pure
Lou Reed – New York
Ciccone Youth – The whitey album
Scott McCaughey/ Minus Five – My chartreuse opinion
Screaming Trees – Buzz factory
Camper Van Beethoven – Key Lime Pie
Fela Kuti – Beasts of No Nation
Tish Hinojosa – Homeland
Shelleyan Orphan – Century Flower
Tater Totz – Mono Stereo
Pussy Galore – Dial M for Motherfucker
Leaving Trains – Transportational D. Vices
Hoodoo Gurus – Magnum cum louder
Sepultura – Beneath the Remains
Sodom – Agent Orange
Helios Creed – Superior Catholic Finger
Nirvana -- Bleach
Pixies – Doolittle
Flaming Lips – Telepathic Surgery
Running Wild – Death or Glory
Exodus – Fabulous Disaster
Bauhaus – Swing the heartache: The BBC Sessions (archival)

[Darkness_Fish]

I still don't understand how you can keep putting that Criteria mention in there. That makes no sense, especially with Bonnie Raitt in the top 10. I don't know if it's your criteria or someone else's, but it's wrong.

Just what is the top of the list when I copy and paste it, gives some kind of raison d’être, I suppose.



.

I have to say, I'm fairly relieved it's not your criteria. Whoever wrote that deserves to be strung up with piano wire.

[robertff]

I still don't understand how you can keep putting that Criteria mention in there. That makes no sense, especially with Bonnie Raitt in the top 10. I don't know if it's your criteria or someone else's, but it's wrong.

Just what is the top of the list when I copy and paste it, gives some kind of raison d’être, I suppose.



.

I have to say, I'm fairly relieved it's not your criteria. Whoever wrote that deserves to be strung up with piano wire.

A little harsh I would say.


Don’t really see what your gripe is with it though, unless the records listed are not really your thing, which looking at your list appears to be so.



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[Darkness_Fish]

Just use the string for the lower notes then.

[C]

Throwing Muses – Hunkpapa

Good lad but no Mould’s Workbook..?




.

[mudshark]

I only have two of those albums (Yellow Moon - Neville Brothers, Lou Reed - New York, but both bought much later).
I was knee-deep in diapers in 1989 (2 kids were born between May 88 and August 89, and I labored in PNG for 3 months early 1989) and there weren't any good CD stores in Singapore those days. But glancing through the list, I doubt there's much that I would have bought if I'd been able to do so. Maybe I would have purchased NY's Freedom, if I didn't have to endure a 20+ minutes rendition of Keep on Rockin' in the Free World on laser disc in a bar somewhere. What a horrid song. As a result of that experience, I've never had the urge to listen to the entire album. Of course, the fucker played it during his Amsterdam concert in 2019.

[robertff]

I only have two of those albums (Yellow Moon - Neville Brothers, Lou Reed - New York, but both bought much later).
I was knee-deep in diapers in 1989 (2 kids were born between May 88 and August 89, and I labored in PNG for 3 months early 1989) and there weren't any good CD stores in Singapore those days. But glancing through the list, I doubt there's much that I would have bought if I'd been able to do so. Maybe I would have purchased NY's Freedom, if I didn't have to endure a 20+ minutes rendition of Keep on Rockin' in the Free World on laser disc in a bar somewhere. What a horrid song. As a result of that experience, I've never had the urge to listen to the entire album. Of course, the fucker played it during his Amsterdam concert in 2019.

It’s a really good album Erik, one of his noisy ones. What’s wrong with Rockin’ in the Free World, I think it’s a great song?


.


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[ChrisB]

It was the album where Neil got his mojo back. Nice mix of electric and acoustic.

[mudshark]

Maybe it was that ultra-long live version that did it. He plays his guitar as if he was chucking wood. I'm not a big fan of noisy Neil.
But hey, maybe I should give it a go. Would be a new NY album for me, which may be a good thing. Can't be worse than Toast.

[J]

I think I've got 22 of the 100 in the list.

A few other good ones released in this year :
Bob Mould - Workbook
Diesel Park West - Shakespeare Alabama
Grant Hart - Intolerance
Jesus And Mary Chain - Automatic
Kitchens Of Distinction - Love Is Hell
Marillion - Season's End
And a couple of mini-albums:
Lush - Scar
Neil Young - Eldorado

[pcqgod]

Throwing Muses – Hunkpapa

Good lad but no Mould’s Workbook..?




.

I never got into Bob solo.

[C]

Can't be worse than Toast.

Now I know you are not serious!

Toast is the lad’s best studio album in 25 years



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[Darkness_Fish]

A little harsh I would say.


Don’t really see what your gripe is with it though, unless the records listed are not really your thing, which looking at your list appears to be so.

It's not that the records listed are not my thing, it's that the criteria is bullshit. It's someone attempting to list their own opinions as some kind of objective list. Bonnie Raitt's "Nick of Time" is not in the top 10 because of its "lasting popularity and influence and impact on rock music in general". That would be a ludicrous claim. It's indefensible. Are you telling me that the compiler looked at all available facts and thought "Hmm, yes, objectively, John Couger Mellancamp's Big Daddy is just that bit more critically acclaimed and more influential than Sepultura's Beneath the Remains"?

It's complete nonsense.