Music: Best Albums of the Year Series: 1989

[Saturated Fats]

1965: The Beatles - Rubber Soul
1967: The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
1969: The Beatles - Abbey Road
1970: Black Sabbath - Paranoid
1973: Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
1975: Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
1977: Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
1980: AC/DC - Back in Black
1982: Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
1985: Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair
1988: Metallica - ...And Justice for All
1991: Nirvana - Nevermind
1994: Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York
1996: (TIE) Soundgarden - Down on the Upside // Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
1998: (TIE) Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill // System of a Down - System of a Down
2000: Radiohead - Kid A
2004: (TIE) Madvillain - Madvillainy // The Killers - Hot Fuss // Green Day - American Idiot
2007: Radiohead - In Rainbows
2010: The National - High Violet

2002: Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (9 votes)

2nd Place: Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights (7 votes)
3rd Place (TIE): The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (6 votes)
3rd Place (TIE): Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
5th Place: 3 albums tied with 5 votes

A worthy album takes 2002, and an album that it appears still has a lot of love. Picked it up on vinyl this weekend to give it another listen - and it definitely holds up. Overall, just a really good year for music.

I'm not sure that 1989 is nearly as deep. The top end, though, is absolutely amazing, and with two absolute landmark works of alternative rock, I would be surprised if something else takes it home. A great and extremely deep and diverse year for heavy metal, though. Could do a top-10 on metal albums alone.

Should also note that, for scope, I've decided to make the modern cut-off at 2015 (with the polling starting at 1965). That gives us a full, even, nicely-rounded 50 years of best albums. I think 5 years separation to the 2015 mix is enough space to make reasonable assessment. At the end of the 50 polls (not for some time), I'll also likely do a cumulative vote for best album of each 5 year increment (ie. 1965-69), and then take the winners of each of those, and do a grand finale vote-off. Think we seem to be having a lot of fun with these, and I've been getting a metric shit-ton of fantastic recommendations. So thank you for participating and making these fun, folks.

9/9: 1979
9/11: 1971
9/13: 2014

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[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Really underwhelming year for me... couldn't dig up more than 5 albums that really deserved sustained praise. Everything else seemed too flawed.

1. René Lussier – Le trésor de la langue
2. Cardiacs – On Land And In The Sea
3. Christian Marclay – More Encores
4. Barkmarket – Easy Listening
5. Genocide Organ – Leichenlinie

Good but not great stuff I tried to fit in a top-10:
P***y Galore – Dial M for Motherf***er
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Mother's Milk
Giant Sand – Long Stem Rant
Bitch Magnet – Umber
Cows – Daddy Has a Tail
Union Carbide Productions – Financially Dissatisfied, Philosophically Trying
NoMeansNo – Wrong
Faith No More – The Real Thing
Pixies – Doolittle
Electric Blue Peggy Sue and the Revolutionions From Mars – Music for McDonald's
Bad Brains – Quickness
Butthole Surfers – Widowermaker!
Bongwater – Too Much Sleep
Gavin Friday & The Man Seezer – Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves
The Momes – Spiralling
Tom Petty – Full Moon Fever

HMs that are probably better than the list above:
Voivod – Nothingface
The Lounge Lizards – Voice of Chunk
Sepultura – Beneath the Remains
Roy Orbison – Mystery Girl
Death In June & Les Joyaux de la princesse – Östenbräun / Les Joyaux de la princesse – Aux petits enfants de France / Death In June – The Wall of Sacrifice
Wire – The Peel Sessions Album
XTC – Oranges & Lemons
Fushitsusha – 1st (Live)
Seigen Ono – Comme des Garçons, Vol. 2
Einstuerzende Neubauten – Haus der Luege
Branca – Symphony No. 6 (Devil Choirs at the Gates of Heaven)

Curiosities that might just be better than the two lists above:
Peter Gabriel – Passion
Crispin Glover – The Big Problem ≠ the Solution. The Solution = Let It Be.
Can – Rite Time
Ween – Prime 5
Allen Ginsberg – The Lion for Real
John Oswald – Plunderphonic (somewhat close in conception to Marclay's More Encores, just not as pleasant to the ear)

John Zorn's Cynical Hysterie Hour would have been in the top-5 had I been able to find the Japanese 1989 release, but as far as I know, it's only a legend.

 

[Chili]

Two great albums...

End of the Innocence

& Added

John Lee Hooker-The Healer

 

[Langdon Alger]

Full moon fever all the way.

 

[YoSoyLalo]

Pretty hate machine hype lets gooooo

one of my favorites years so far for sure. New order’s last good album, Stone Roses only good album, Doolittle, Nirvana’s debut, lots great stuff.

 

[Mescaleroman]

House of Freaks - Tantilla
the The - Mind Bomb
Ian McCullough - Candleland
the Stone Roses - s/t
Guadalcanal Diary - Flip Flop
Pixies - Doolittle
the Beautiful South - Welcome to the Beautiful South
Fine Young Cannibals - The Raw and the Cooked
the Wonder Stuff - HUP

 

[Ceremony]

Technique by New Order is the only acceptable answer.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Technique by New Order is the only acceptable answer.

 

[Roo Returns]

No mention of Love and Rockets s/t here? That's a wonderful album. Underrated.

Mother's Milk to me is the most fun and energetic RHCP album. The 1989-1992 era RHCP was the most explosive band in the world at that time.

XTC showed you can get older and make a classic pop/rock album this year.

How about a little love for the pure weirdness of the Batman soundtrack by Prince?

 

[Ouroboros]

Giacinto Scelsi - Quattro Pezzi Per Orchestra; Anahit; Uaxuctum [Wyttenbach] [Microtonal]
Iannis Xenakis - Kraanerg [Woodward/Alpha Centauri Ensemble] [Electroacoustic/Modern Classical]
Morton Feldman - Triadic Memories [Takahashi] [Modern Classical]
Anton Bruckner - Symphonie No. 9 [Giulini/Wiener Philharmoniker] [Romanticism]
Gustav Mahler - Symphonie No. 1 [Bernstein/Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam] [Romanticism]

Morbid Angel - Altars Of Madness [Death Metal]
Godflesh - Streetcleaner [Sludge/Industrial Metal]
Autopsy - Severed Survival [Death Metal]
Repulsion - Horrified [Death Metal/Grind]

Brume - Accident De Chasse [Industrial/Musique Concrete]
Skullflower - Form Destroyer [Noise Rock/Drone]
Vasilisk - Acqua [Ambient]
Per Svensson - El/Element 1 [Electroacoustic]

 

[WetcoastOrca]

End of the Innocence Don Henley
Full Moon Fever Tom Petty
Sensual World Kate Bush
Freedom Neil Young
The Seeds of Love Tears for Fears

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

Phil Collins - But Seriously

 

[Teemu]

Pixies - Doolittle
Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever
Nirvana - Bleach
Neville Brothers - Yellow Moon

 

[plank]

Bit of a weak year but still found something to like.

1. Full Moon Fever - Tom Petty
2. 11 - The Smithereens
3. In Step - Stevie Ray Vaughn
4. New York - Lou Reed
5. Key Lime Pie - Camper Van Beethoven
6. Cosmic Thing - The B-52's
7. Heart Shaped World - Chris Isaak
8. Steel Wheel - The Rolling Stones
9. Disintegration - The Cure
10. The Iron Man - Pete Townshend
11. Workbook - Bob Mould

 

[Stylizer1]

Maestro Fresh Wes Symphony in Effect

 

[Cas]

1989 was indeed a monstrous year for metal:

Annihilator - Alice in Hell
Atheist - Piece of Time
Autopsy - Severed Survival
Black Sabbath - Headless Cross
Blind Guardian - Follow the Blind
Bolt Thrower - Realm of Chaos
Candlemass - Tales of Creation
King Diamond - Conspiracy
Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness
Obituary - Slowly We Rot
Pestilence - Consuming Impulse
Repulsion - Horrified
Running Wild - Death or Glory
Sabbat - Dreamweaver
Sadus - Illusions
Sepultura - Beneath the Remains
Sodom - Agent Orange

My three favorite death metal albums were all released this year, and of them, the best is Autopsy - Severed Survival. Monstrously heavy and filthy album.

 

[kihei]

Jane Siberry: Bound by the Beauty
The Stone Roses: The Stone Roses
The Cure: Disintegration
Fine Young Cannibals: The Raw and the Cooked
The Cult: Sonic Temple
New Order: Technique
The The: Mind Bomb
The Durutti Column: Vini Rielly
Tom Petty: Full Moon Fever
Lou Reed: New York

 

[Eisen]

Toy Dolls - Wakey wakey
New Model Army - Thunder and Consolation

 

[Hockey Outsider]

I agree, this is an underwhelming year.

Despite the 1980's being a great decade for heavy metal, my pick is De La Soul's "3 Feet High and Rising". I'd describe it as hip-hop's first hippie album. It features some of the best melodies I've ever heard on a rap album and features extensive usage of sampling (everything from Barry White to the Monkees to Johnny Cash to Parliament).

The album was released less than a year after NWA's "Straight Outta Compton", and gangsta-rap became more prominent. This album is the opposite, as most of the lyrics are about being positive, with flower imagery throughout. One of the songs features conversations with with a flower-wearing crocodile. The album was the product of three geeky teenagers, having fun and not taking themselves seriously, at a time when nearly everyone else in hip-hop was trying to prove how bad and tough they were.

There are a number of short skits throughout the album. One of them features a French language instructional program, and sets it to a beat. Another is a compilation of hip-hop samples featuring the word "Rock". Yet another is a nonsensical game show. And another one is urging a smelly person to use soap. Unlike skits on most rap albums, these are actually funny. It's a strange, quirky album but it's a classic.

 

[reckoning]

Lou Reed's New York for me.

 

[Oxbow Lakes]

Leevi and the Leavings - Musiikkiluokka
Beastie Boys - Paul’s Boutique
Coroner - No More Color
The Cure - Disintegration
The Gories - House Rockin’
Dead Moon - Unknown Passage
Pixies - Doolittle
NoMeansNo - Wrong

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Not surprised to see Pixies winning, this is a North American forum, but it's The Stone Roses for me. Holds up really well for the time, prefer it to Disintegration tbh even if it's the more simlpleton of the two albums.

 

[frisco]

Other Sonic Temple, End Of The Innocence:
B-52's-Cosmic Thing
Bee Gees-One
Queen-The Miracle
Jackson Browne-World In Motion
Belinda Carlisle-Runaway Horses
Lou Gramm-Long Hard Look

My Best-Carey

 

[Aladyyn]

In a photo finish, Sabbat - Dreamweaver just ahead of Coroner - No More Color, Helstar - Nosferatu, and Sodom - Agent Orange

Voting for The Sensual World and Altars of Madness out of the poll options.

 

[Saturated Fats]

My favourite album of the year is nothing sexy or surprising - it's Doolittle. It's just such a spectacular album, from front-to-back, and is so much of what alternative sound has evolved to become in the three decades (!) since. The entire album is driven by Black's genius songwriting formula, Deal's effervescent bass grooves and alien voice, and David Lovering's jazz-heavy, whip-tight drum beats. Shout out to Joey Santiago, too. The only song on the album that I don't consider top-tier is 'Crackity Jones'. The rest holds up as perfection. This performance of 'Tame' is one of my favourite videos on Youtube. To be in that crowd!



My top 10

Pixies - Doolittle
De La Soul - Three Feet High and Rising <---- shout out to one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever written

NoMeansNo - Wrong
Julee Cruise - Floating Into the Night
Galaxie 500 - On Fire
The Blue Nile - Hats
Lou Reed - New York

Nirvana - Bleach
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
New Model Army - Thunder and Consolation