"You got it". ;-)Rejoice! The Wilburys are back and no longer buried in the mix!
For some reason, the song you selected is not there, but you can listen to "Handle With Care", "Tweeter And The Monkey Man" and all the other songs on their debut.
Although not a huge U2 fan I really like Rattle and Hum.A wonderfully engaging write-up, well done.
I'd probably have picked "Talking About A Revolution" and "What I Am" from Tracy Chapman and Edie Brickell respectively, but glad that you have represented those important artists from that year, Funnily enough, although I loved "What I Am", I'd never heard the Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars album before, but I listened to it a few times earlier this year. It's a great album.
Bizarrely, Rattle & Hum is the only U2 album I own, but as intimated in my 1987 write-up, my respect for The Joshua Tree has grown over the years.
As both you and @Mad Eyed Screamer said, it's another great year in music with much thought required for three of my selections, but one is nailed on and coming up next ......
Copperhead Road - Steve Earle
And now the DEA's got a chopper in the air
I wake up screamin' like I'm back over there
I learned a thing or two from Charlie, don't you know?
You better stay away from Copperhead Road
This is an all-time top 5 song for me. Note for note, it's perfect, it's lyrics playing out like a multi-generational heavyweight novel in less than four-and-a-half minutes. The strummed mandolin at the start building the tension and then that release half-way through when the drums and guitar come in. Wow! Surely a candidate for best change of pace in a song ever? I can still remember the first time I heard this song on Roger Scott's show. Sublime.
I get the U2 track not being for everyone, but I loved how they took such a powerful track and stuck it at the end of a live album as the credits played in the movie as such a strong song, that often over the years I would forget it was "hidden" there among all the live material when all I wanted was to hear that song. ;-)
I loved that 2nd album too, so I was glad she was able to follow up the first one with the all-important second, that other artists weren't able to do. I'm glad you got to see her live, that is one show I'd love to see in person.
More proof that R.E.M. knew what they were doing in leaving I.R.S. due to poor overseas distribution on prior releases. I see a lot of folks from the UK jumping onto them starting with Document and especially Green, but I will still maintain that Life's Rich Pageant is my favourite overall '80's album from them.Another fine write-up and playlist includes some stuff I am not very familiar with so should be interesting. I was an early adopter of Living Colour. “Green” was my first R.E.M. album and “Orange Crush” is my favourite track from it.
More proof that R.E.M. knew what they were doing in leaving I.R.S. due to poor overseas distribution on prior releases. I see a lot of folks from the UK jumping onto them starting with Document and especially Green, but I will still maintain that Life's Rich Pageant is still my favourite overall '80's album from them.
I was also at some point hoping to hear some Robert Plant thoughts from you given we've mostly left the band and their legacy alone since the start of the decade. No rush, just figured I'd mention it.
Great write up and playlist BWBMT a lot of my faves have already been picked but here’s a couple more.
Laughing Len released his 8th album but this time it’s was very synthesiser
oriented but a brilliant album all the same.
Leonard Cohen the title track ‘I’m Your Man’
2nd is a debut from an Irish band I like immediately after hearing this single
I saw them at the Apollo later that year and again at the Fleadh Finsbury Park a few years later.
Hothouse Flowers ‘Don’t Go’
I have only seen Robert live twice. Once in January 1973 when Led Zeppelin had just released Houses of the Holy and once in Paris in 2008 at Le Grand Rex where he gigged with Alison Kraus following 'Raising Sand'. Both very memorable concerts. T Bone Burnett produced and played at that 1978 concert which was the first and only time I have seen him live. He and his band were amazing musically. Always loved Robert as a singer and an artist who has shown his musical integrity throughout his career. I always thought that he believed that without his great friend, John Bonham he didnt believe in a Zeppeling revival because how could it be Zeppelin without JB? I do have his 2025 album which maintains the high standard of his work.Well, that’s easy: I am big fan of Plant’s solo work. Got all his albums bar the latest, which I will acquire but accidentally left off my Xmas list, doh. Seen him in concert several times, including a gig in 1988. IIRC, I could have gone backstage at an earlier gig of his at Wembley Arena in 1985. I had a seat near the front and Ross Halfin was taking photos. Pretty sure he invited me to go backstage after gig but I needed to get away straight after gig - pity, that was last time I met Ross.
Whilst I can’t forgive Percy for not doing a Zep reunion tour, I have to respect how he has been true to his music and kept evolving; also that he must have turned down so much money to so such a tour. He has produced a fascinating body of work; obviously some I like more than others but I do like it all. It’s not Zep but there’s plenty of gems in there and “Ship of Fools” is one of them. I do very much like his 80’s work.
I have probably mentioned this more than once on BMR but a few years back, I got last minute tickets to see another great singer, Paul Rodgers, doing a tour playing Free songs at the New Theatre in Oxford. Ended up being moved to seats near the front of the stall because they closed the balcony where I’d bought a ticket. When Rodger’s came back for an encore, Brian Johnson and Robert Plant wandered out with him to the surprise and delight of the audience. Robert couldn’t help himself from throwing in a couple of old school rock god poses and was the most memorable bit of a really good gig. He is my favourite singer.
Brilliant song and just below my top 6 or 7 for 1988, so glad you picked it. I also love "Damn Good" off the Skyscaper album.I’ll kick off my 1988 picks rather predictably with a gem from Diamond Dave - David Lee Roth: Just Like Paradise.
One of DD’s best solo efforts and a very Dave piece of catchy, radio friendly rock that finds rock’s most entertaining front man at the peak of his powers and aided by a superb band including guitar maestro Steve Vai. A song to listen to while sunning oneself on a California surfers’ beach or cruising aong Route 1 with the top down.
I have only seen Robert live twice. Once in January 1973 when Led Zeppelin had just released Houses of the Holy and once in Paris in 2008 at Le Grand Rex where he gigged with Alison Kraus following 'Raising Sand'. Both very memorable concerts. T Bone Burnett produced and played at that 1978 concert which was the first and only time I have seen him live. He and his band were amazing musically. Always loved Robert as a singer and an artist who has shown his musical integrity throughout his career. I always thought that he believed that without his great friend, John Bonham he didnt believe in a Zeppeling revival because how could it be Zeppelin without JB? I do have his 2025 album which maintains the high standard of his work.
Not my favourite year musically and very little that I can honestly say floated my boat. I liked the Tracy Chapman album very much. The Sade album too.
Still far too much 'arena' rock about for my tastes.
I did like this though from their first album and just for fun, this is my favourite rendition. Pretty awesome:
The Pretenders - Sunshine on Leith
I don’t sniff at them. They are talented songwriters. :-)Good job Bennyboy isn't following this thread :-)
The Proclaimers are sniffed at by many but this song is genuinely touching. Not sure Chrissie Hynde could actually deliver it with the sincerity required though ;-)
Edit: Actually 2000 Miles is less direct but equally sincere so maybe I'm being unfair.
Great song. Not sure about the spelling :) but another that would probably be in my top 10 choices for this year.If you put KISS and Van Halen into a blender, you might create Poison, who had a hit with Ain’t Nuthin’ but a Good Time, a sparkling slice of vibrant hair metal and my next playlist choice.