TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 27, 2023 7:57:56 GMT 1
This list cannot be all cool stuff I found later sometimes you have to go all in with a band you loved at the time. 24 Johnny Hates Jazz - Turn Back the Clock
I was really not knowing what I was going to do with their debut album today. The UK Sophisti-Pop band just had a sound that was 1988 for me. Would I still like this now? Well come on as soon as the first notes of 'Shattered Dreams' came in, It was goosebumps straight away. One of the best songs of 1988. Much of the album still holds up really well especially the ballads like "Turn Back the Clock". But even if the uptempo tracks which are of their time, have an innocence that gives them some timeless energy today."I Don't Want to Be a Hero" especially. "Heart of Gold was always a bit of an odd song but in 1987-1988 it worked as it had that same vibe as Swing Out Sister, The songwriting is just top notch and Clark has such a great voice. It won't change your world but I loved this album so much I even got a coach driver to play it when we were on a very long trip in France. Would never have played it in the Common room though!! The record reached #1 in the UK and #96 in the US 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 27, 2023 8:03:29 GMT 1
23 In Tua Nua - The Long Acre
In a weird coincidence, we have the band that I just read yesterday discovered Sinead O'Connor.. This was the second album from the Irish band and my introduction to them at the time. This was sadly their last album in the 20th century and it was a big hit in their native country but with a couple of radio hits here most notably "All I Wanted". It is just a really enjoyable Celtic pop/rock album and Leslie Dowdall as I mentioned when reviewing their debut is such a gorgeous vocalist, she really deserved to get more success than she did. I played this album a lot. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 29, 2023 8:46:48 GMT 1
22 The Church - Starfish
Now we finally get to the only Church album I heard before this year and even then just once in full. Their fiifth album contains their most famous song and I thought it woudl be easily their best record but it was certainly not a one horse race, every album I have heard from them in the 80s has been a 4/5, making them maybe the most consistency successful group of 80s over that many albums probably only rivalled by the big two U2 and Simple Minds. But we could do stat stuff at the end of all this. Anyway what to say "Under the Milky Way". A lost classic maybe until it first reappeared on the "Donnie Darko' soundtrack in 2001 and it has never gone away since. But as we can see from this list they were far more than one hit wonders and this whole album is brilliance. Only thing stopping it getting higher is the usual issue of albums I own having more meaning and nostalgia to me. The record reached #41 in the US. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 29, 2023 8:57:03 GMT 1
21 Erasure - The Innocents
Now on their third album Erasure just keeping getting better and better. I will call this their best album and then 'Wild!' or 'Chorus' will trump it again, no I don't think so this time. This has to be their masterpiece. Erasure are maybe the ultimate singles band and the three that start this album of are all total classics. "Ship of Fools", "Chains of Love" and "A Little Respect" which is arguably their finest moment. But the thing I have learned with Erasure the fun doesn't stop there the rest of the album has bangers in waiting that you have never heard before and rarely anything that you need to skip. Erasure reaching #21 in 1988 was not something I was expecting. The record reached #1 in the Uk of course and #49 in the US. Never realised how popular they were in the US, they have two top 30 albums. But two of the singles from this record were their biggest hits in the US both making the top 20. A feat they will not repeat until 'Always' in 1994. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 29, 2023 9:33:09 GMT 1
20 Pet Shop Boys - Introspective
This will probably be the last time we see them in the top 20. This was their third album and a real case of quality over quantity with just six tracks but these tracks are all extended or remixed versions and some quite different from the regular single version. To be fair I do prefer the single versions of all these apart from maybe 'It's Alright' which is just a stormer on this. But just look "Left to My Own Devices", "Domino Dancing", "Always on My Mind; and. "I'm Not Scared". The only track I had never heard before was "I Want a Dog". Only thing that hurts this is , I would probably have been a little disappointed if I bought the album at the time expecting the single or even versions more similar to the singles. The record maybe for that reason peaked #2 and #34 in the US. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 29, 2023 9:46:50 GMT 1
19 Roxette - Look Sharp
This has been a very Haven friendly batch. This was their second album and worldwide breakthrough, I failed to check out their debut, I may do at some point. Roxette were especially this album one of my favourite bands at the time. their string of US and then UK hits are just brilliant. It was instant from the first time I heard and saw the video for 'The look' on Casey Kasem. I always had a thing for Euro Pop so a more rock influenced version was always going to be popular with me. They have always had a bad rap, and I don't know why. I once compared Concrete Blonde - 'Joey' to Roxette and you would think I threatened to murder the person. Yes many of the hits are and very overplayed especially if like me you listened to Atlantic 252 then. Anyway the album is brilliant with barely any filler and really excited as most reviews say 'Joyride' is even better. This album reached #4 in the UK and #23 in the US and has sold over 9 million worldwide. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 29, 2023 9:52:54 GMT 1
18 Bon Jovi - New Jersey
Their fourth album and hot on the heels of their mega album 'Slippery When Wet'. This album is not quite in the same league but it is stacked with stadium rockers and the cowboy rock that we expect. I saw them live on this tour and it was amazing, it had all the wire stuff and everything This album is not going to change your life but check out the list of hits "Lay Your Hands on Me", "Bad Medicine", "Born to Be My Baby", "Living in Sin" and "I'll Be There for You". Even the album tracks I still know really well, like "Blood on Blood" and "99 in the Shade". The record was a chart topper in the UK and US and sold over 7 million in the US alone. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 30, 2023 7:20:50 GMT 1
17 Morrissey - Viva Hate
The debut album from Morrissey and I must admit i have never got round to listening to this or any other pre 00s albums so this will get interesting. So with that it is hard to rave about it or review when so many songs I am hearing for the first time. 'Suedehead' of course was and still is one of his best singles and then 'Everyday Is Like Sunday' which more than any other song sealed the idea that Morrissey is miserable which of course is not true, just sometimes like everybody. Ok I miss Johnny Marr but this album is as good as any Smiths record overall, although it does fall off near the end, maybe trim a couple of tracks. The record of course was a UK number one and reached #48 in the US. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 30, 2023 7:30:02 GMT 1
16 Tracy Chapman - Tracy ChapmanI think some of you predicted this would be here and although I would have rated this really high overtime, I actually heard this album so much at the time as guess what another Virgin Megastore favourite. Really unlike anything else I was listening to and just so different from anything else around. If you had to place her in the 80s world against contemporaries , maybe Joan Armatrading meets Suzanne Vega but really she was pretty unique. As for the music I don't need to say much, you all know just gorgeous folk pop with a message. The record was a chart topper in the US and UK selling an incredible 20 million in the US. That Nelson Mandela concert broke an incredible talent who maybe would never have found that kind of audience. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 30, 2023 7:47:06 GMT 1
15 The Adventures - The Sea of LoveI love this album and I was really shocked it was not in my top 10 but that is the general strength of the remaining albums is too good even though as I warned we don't have any runaway 5/5s this time sadly. 'Broken Land' was of course the bands breakthrough hit after some radio hits from their previous album. One of the best songs ever written about 'The Troubles'. It turned out to be their only top 40 hit which is really unfair as other singles and tracks were brilliant as well especially "Drowning in the Sea of Love" and "Heaven Knows Which Way". I played this record so much, it reached #30 in the UK. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 30, 2023 8:00:20 GMT 1
14 The Big Dish - Creeping Up on Jesus
The second album from the Scottish band and they are moving even further into the sophisto-pop realm. This is the kind of music that I just lapped up in the late 80s. So we have lost some of the indie jangle pop feel we had with songs like 'Christina's World' but now closer to bands like The Blue Nile or The Bible in sound. Highlights 'Faith Healer' which is just gorgeous and 'European Rain' which is like something from 'Raintown' funnily enough and still has that jangle to it. Best non single is 'The Wishing Time'. Big Dish will finally get some success with their next album and their first and only top 40 hit. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 31, 2023 7:22:51 GMT 1
13 Pixies - Surfer Rosa
The debut album proper from the Alt rock pioneers. You might have expected this in the top 10 but it is very close, any of the next three albums deserved a place there for various reasons. This time it is just a case of not buying this one at the time, I did purchase every album since apart from the last one they released, I really should fill that gap sometime but then they next two were both cassette purchases so they are long gone, where do tapes go??? Why did they seem to have less value than vinyl or Cd and you would bin them but nothing else, very strange. Anyway this is a brilliant album especially side Alike many albums it does trail off with the last couple of tracks. 'Gigantic' was the first song I ever heard by The Pixies and it was really just 5 seconds on The Chart Show but it was enough for me to watch them quite closely from that point on. The album never charted but it has sold over a million since release. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 31, 2023 7:34:29 GMT 1
12 The Mission - ChildrenThis might be the reverse and a shock that it is so high and I almost nearly missed it completely. The second album from the goth rockers and it is undeniably their best. Biggest song "Tower of Strength", the best goth single that is not by The Sisters Of Mercy. Really though there is not a bad track on this and it actually finishes the highest place goth rock album of the 80s. Even the "Dream On" cover while a little disconcerting, didnt have that on my version it kinda works. But the addition of "Fabienne" makes up for it.A lthough the highs on 'Floodland' are better than anything here. This was also their most successful album you really have to appreciate how big goth rock was in 1988, this album reached #2. Now I did say this is the highest placed goth rock album but Julianne Regan's band who features on this, are still to come, I class them more as goth folk if that is even a thing, although they do have their heavier moments. This reacord reached #2 in the UK and #128 in the US. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 31, 2023 7:43:54 GMT 1
So who just misses the top 10 well it is a Thorney favourite 11 Pat Benatar - Wide Awake in Dreamland
Her seventh album and she returns to a more rock sound after the more pop and synth based previous two albums. With hair metal and rock back in the charts she goes all out with the single "All Fired Up" her heaviest single maybe since "Hit Me..". It gives her, her second-biggest hit in the UK. I love this album so much, the singles are just brilliant especially "Don't Walk Away" which is probably in my top 5 Benatar songs. This record is also her biggest hit in the UK peaking at #11, her first gold disc here and #28 in the UK. This is now her fifth consecutive 4.5 album. That run will come to a crashing halt in 1991 sadly. 4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Jul 31, 2023 7:49:24 GMT 1
So it is top 10 preview time, I have already given one act away
4 from England 2 from Scotland 2 US 1 Australia 1 Canada
3 debut albums 6 bands who have been in the top 10 before, wow that helps. Leaving one band making my top 10 for the first time
Double points if you can get the Australian act.
|
|
|
Post by Earl Purple on Jul 31, 2023 17:42:15 GMT 1
18 Bon Jovi - New Jersey
Even the album tracks I still know really well, like "Blood on Blood" Yes, a great album track, a great choice for the album track round and I found a video for it. Unfortunately because the video was live rather than the studio version it lost it votes. I was listening on Spotify to the album track version and didn't really listen through to see if the video was inferior. (I did my homework though in the last edition when I noticed that the official video of "Turn" had a major gap in it with talking and decided not to play that version).
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Aug 1, 2023 7:35:40 GMT 1
yeh well that explains why it was fresher in my mind, pretty sure I gave you good point for that. well top 10 time 10 The Silencers - A Blues for Buddha
The second album from the Scottish band and really I can not choose a favourite, in fact they both have the same pluses and negatives. Both have near perfect side As with a stormer track on first on Side B and then they leave the weaker songs to the end although I would say the debut does a slightly better job of holding your attention till the end. But the singles are just brilliant , I think 'Answer Me' could be my favourite Silencers song but it changes all the time. The thing with 'Answer Me' is, if anybody asked what do the Silencers sound like, well it is quite hard to explain, you just say listen to 'Answer Me', it has it all. Ok I have decided the debut is better but as we are only talking about 2 positions difference it is hardly worth saying. Again it failed to chart but that will change with album number three, which I actually forgot that I bought as well.
4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Aug 1, 2023 7:43:58 GMT 1
9 Voice of the Beehive - Let It Bee
The debut album from the Anglo-American band comprising of two sisters from California and ex members of Madness. They were what you would call now Alt-pop and were a brilliant singles band, I bought all of the singles of this album on 7" and even bought 'I Walk The Earth' again on re-issue as I so wanted it to go top 40. So I never bought this record but I did already know half of it and none of the rest disappointed. But look at these songs "Don't Call Me Baby". "I Say Nothing, "Just a City" and "Man in the Moon", all brilliant. If I had to pick a favourite today it would be the indie pop 'I Say Nothing' just love the jangly guitars on it. The record reached #13 after they finally broke through with "Don't Call Me Baby".
4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Aug 1, 2023 7:52:22 GMT 1
8 All About Eve - All About Eve
The debut album from the goth folk/rock band. Like many bands at the time introduced to me thanks to The Chart Show as they had a Indie chart topper with the ethereal "Flowers in Our Hair". I just loved how they mixed goth music, folk music, and indie together and I started buying their singles "Wild Hearted Woman" and "Every Angel" but then "Martha's Harbour" came along and it was who am I kidding I need the album. Which of course was the right thing to do as I now owned past singles "Flowers in Our Hair" and "In the Clouds" and future hit "What Kind of Fool", so in fact 6 singles! As for the album tracks they leaned more to the folky dream pop side which was great as well. The record would go onto reach #7 in the UK.
4.5/5
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,618
|
Post by TheThorne on Aug 1, 2023 7:59:57 GMT 1
7 The Bible - Eureka
Another second album and the one that really should have been their breakthrough hit. "Honey Be Good" was a hit in waiting as brilliant as anything by Prefab Sprout, Deacon Blue, Del Amitri or many other bands who were doing well or breaking through right now. Sometimes I get it is the lyrics but in "Honey Be Good"'s case, it had the lyrics, chorus, production, it was all perfect, oh well. It stood tall on this album but other brilliant songs include 'Crystal Palace', 'Skywriting' and 'Cigarette Girls'. Again I would say the debut is a better record overall but this one had the two singles that should have crossed over. The record did each #71 though.
4.5/5
|
|