As for albums, I barely have any albums from '89, let alone favorites. It just reinforces my opinion this was a really weak year in music. Madonna - Like A Prayer Madge delivered after MJ and Prince kinda let us all down. Has several of the strongest songs of her career, and arguably her greatest video for "Express Yourself". Kate Bush - The Sensual World The moodier follow-up to Hounds Of Love. An estrogen overdose. I played this incessantly for months after release, but it's telling I didn't cite any singles from it as year-end favorites. Certainly has its moments ("This Woman's Work" - a single in late '89 which I probably should have cited as one of my favorites of the year), but is also where I think she began to go off the rails a bit ("Deeper Understanding" - tho the melody and production are glorious - "Heads We're Dancing"). Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814 Control's more-serious successor. Packed with hits and with more stylistic range than its predecessor, but in my old age I do miss the prior album's goofy fun, which never fails to put a smile on my face. Eurythmics - We Too Are One Easily the weakest album of their run to date, it's still home to several great tracks and did find them adapting to the sound of the late '80s. More Amerythmics than Eurythmics, the shift to more mainstream trappings did nothing to arrest their commercial decline in America. 10,000 Maniacs - Blind Man's Zoo Follow up to the wonderful In My Tribe, this is a cooler and more-calculating affair. Another one I played incessantly at the time but seldom revisit today. Roy Orbison - Mystery Girl Roy left us with a pretty solid if ELO-ified LP. Chris Isaak - Heart Shaped World And he left behind just as an obvious successor was taking off. Lisa Stansfield - Affection This is a surprisingly-solid effort beyond the big hit and one of the first examples of a white act fronting new jack swing and doing it so effectively. I think her '91 album Real Love is a minor '90s masterpiece, but Affection is no slouch either. Honestly, a really substandard "best of" lineup. The Madonna record is probably the finest of the bunch. 1989 is certainly no 1982, '83, '84, '85 or '86.
Totally forgot about Cosmic Thing in 1989. Definitely one of my Top ten albums (even though I didn't get it or hear until 1990.) Also Doolittle (Pixies) and Pod (Breeders.) Both brilliant.
The Joel and Collins parting 80s shots are pretty good, though indulgent (Joel) and self-important (Collins) The Bolton in awful. Full Moon Fever is a wonderful record, probably my favorite of '89. This song, featuring The Bangles, was recorded for the album, though apparently without Lynne. It was replaced with Zombie Zoo on Lynne's insistence, something Petty said he regretted. But it is great, and would probably have been a hit.
I'm not a huge fan of the proto-grunge scene, but Doolittle is home to one of my favorites of the '80s, "Wave Of Mutilation", which a college friend turned me onto I think in 1990, before grunge really broke. But I don't love the album version but the UK surf version, and I'm kinda surprised nobody has had a hit cover of this thing: This sounded like the future to me the first time I heard it, and turns out I was right!
Time for me once again to elevate one song that never made the top to number one. This year the pickings got pretty slim, and a lot of the songs I really liked didn't make the charts or were on the low end of them (and a few even made number one without my help!). But here are a few I quite liked (I'm sure I'm missing some): Mayor of Simpleton, Stand (R.E.M.), Love in an Elevator, Free Fallin'/Runnin Down a Dream, What I Am, You Got It, Poison (Alice Cooper). My runner-up this year was Sweet Jane by the Cowboy Junkies. I came close to picking this not only because they do a great version of this timeless classic, but because it would have been incredible to get a Velvet Underground song up there. In the end, I passed them by because the song was more of a hit when it was re-released in 1994; perhaps I might go with it then! My actual choice just barely tucked in under the line in the final weeks of the year: Roam by the B-52s. I could have also picked Love Shack, which is definitely a more popular song, and as close to an honorary number one as it gets. Consider them choice 1A and 1B, although I personally like Roam a lot more. Shack got to three in November, 1989, while Roam, which was released in December, reached the same level in March of 1990. The B-52s having back-to-back top three hits -- who would have ever imagined back in 1979 that that could happen? The group formed in 1976 in Athens, Georgia, also the hometown of R.E.M. The original lineup included singer Fred Schneider, singer Kate Pierson (who also played keyboards), singer Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson (guitar) and Keith Strickland (drums). They were definitely out on Planet Claire in terms of their highly original look and sound, but as a teen, I and many of my friends loved them for it. Their first single, the immortal Rock Lobster, sold about 2000 copies. In 1979, they released their first album, The B-52s, which contained a new version of Rock Lobster that made it to 56 on the charts. The album was a surprise hit; no less a figure than John Lennon loved them, citing Rock Lobster as an inspiration when he was making Double Fantasy. Their second album, Wild Planet, was a bigger success, spawning another modest hit single, Private Idaho, which reached 74. The album itself did much better, getting to 18 on the album charts. The band continued to thrive during the early eighties, but were dealt a blow when Ricky Wilson died of AIDS in 1985. Shaken, the band took a two year hiatus. Eventually, they came back together, and the result was Cosmic Thing, the album that spawned the two big hits Roam and Love Shack. America had finally caught up with the group, giving them their big breakthrough and first top ten hits. Roam shows the band reaching their peak in my opinion. It's catchy as hell for starters. The ladies kill with their incredible keening harmonies; no wonder they received a Grammy nomination for best vocal performance by a duo or group. Most of all, the song is ablaze with energy, with the video highlighting the color and fun that exploded out of them when they perform (as always, Pierson is a highlight). The only thing Roam is missing is a bigger role for Fred Schneider, who still has fun pulling faces in the video. But he is front and center in Love Shack, interjecting weird counterpoint as is his specialty. The song is basically a rave in musical form, as the band shimmies, shakes, bangs on the door, drives a car as big as a whale, camps it up even more than usual, and most of all has an absolute ball. It's an irresistable call to dance one's pants off, or bellow the lyrics at karaoke. Bang bang -- on the door baby!! These two songs continue to excite folks to this day; don't you think these musical pioneers deserve to have had at least one (or two) #1 records? I'm sure Milli V won't miss it if we filch some of theirs!
It's somewhat surprising that "Free Falling" and "Love Shack" did not hit number one as they just played so incessantly for so long on so many different radio stations and the albums both just seemed ominipresent in 89-90. Both utterly brilliant singles, too.
Great song! Had never heard this until now and it is much better than Zombie Zoo (which is an ok song but this one is better). I agree about "Full Moon Fever". It's my favorite of 89 and my favorite by TP. In fact when I think of his greatest hits it's "Full Moon Fever" for me. Not a bad track. Would be nice to get an expanded version with this song on it.
Well, I have the cassette right in my hand. It's from Red Dog Express and Creative Sounds, with the former label having a very dubious reputation. But, on this particular one I have called "The Game Of Love" has original recordings on them.
Roam is way better than Love Shack for me. Much love to Fred but for me the B-52s are always at their best when its Kate and Cindy in the forefront. They harmonize together so well
1980s Wrap-Up Part 1 - The Ascent (1980-1982) The most important songs for me from each year. These aren't all of my 4-star and higher songs from each year, but each is rated 4-stars or higher out of five and each is in my listening rotation. Some are flat-out great songs, some are there because they evoke something important from my past, but most meet both criteria. What an incredible 10 years of music (and for me). Well, an incredible 5 years of music followed by a passable 5. I think my tagging is fairly accurate, but apologies for any misplaced into the wrong year. 1980 You May Be Right - Billy Joel Calley Oh - Billy Squier Who's Your Boyfriend - Billy Squier Call Me - Blondie Video Killed The Radio Star - Buggles Misunderstanding - Genesis The Break Up Song (They Don't Write 'Em) - Greg Kihn Band Woman - John Lennon Let My Love Open The Door - Pete Townshend Under Pressure - Queen Pulling Mussels (From the Shell) - Squeeze What I Like About You - The Romantics Turning Japanese - The Vapors Everybody Wants Some!! - Van Halen 1981 Lonely Is the Night - Billy Squier Private Eyes - Daryl Hall & John Oates Girls on Film - Duran Duran I Can't Stand It - Eric Clapton No Reply At All - Genesis All Those Years Ago - George Harrison Who Can It Be Now? - Men at Work Live Wire - Mötley Crüe In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins Harden My Heart - Quarterflash Just Once (feat. James Ingram) - Quincy Jones Young Turks - Rod Stewart For Your Eyes Only - Sheena Easton Tempted - Squeeze Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go-Go's Centerfold - The J. Geils Band Unchained - Van Halen 1982 Pressure - Billy Joel Everybody Wants You - Billy Squier Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran Rio - Duran Duran Paperlate - Genesis Somebody's Baby - Jackson Browne On the Wings of Love - Jeffrey Osborne Breaking Us In Two - Joe Jackson Our House - Madness Cynical Girl - Marshall Crenshaw Break My Stride - Matthew Wilder The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats Words - Missing Persons Black Coffee in Bed - Squeeze Eye in the Sky - The Alan Parsons Project Since You're Gone - The Cars Shake It Up - The Cars Rock the Casbah - The Clash Vacation - The Go-Go's 867-5309 (Jenny) - Tommy Tutone Mickey - Toni Basil
1980s Wrap-Up Part 2 - The Apex (1983-1984) The tough thing about this list was deciding what to leave off. Musical riches. 1983 Eyes Without a Face - Billy Idol An Innocent Man - Billy Joel Uptown Girl - Billy Joel She Bop - Cyndi Lauper Modern Love - David Bowie Come On Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners Is There Something I Should Know - Duran Duran That's All - Genesis If This Is It - Huey Lewis & The News Heart and Soul - Huey Lewis & The News On The Dark Side - John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band Holiday Road - Lindsey Buckingham Too Young to Fall in Love - Mötley Crüe Promises Promises - Naked Eyes Sister Christian - Night Ranger Love Is A Battlefield - Pat Benatar Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson Little Red Corvette - Prince Goodbye To You - Scandal Come Dancing - The Kinks King of Pain - The Police Every Breath You Take - The Police She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby Panama - Van Halen Legs - ZZ Top 1984 Summer of '69 - Bryan Adams Stay The Night - Chicago I Can Dream About You - Dan Hartman Out Of Touch - Daryl Hall & John Oates Blue Jean - David Bowie Knocking At Your Back Door - Deep Purple Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams People Are People - Depeche Mode The Reflex - Duran Duran Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood Centerfield - John Fogerty Missing You - John Waite Valotte - Julian Lennon Footloose - Kenny Loggins We Belong - Pat Benatar No More Lonely Nights - Paul McCartney Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) - Phil Collins Easy Lover - Phil Collins & Philip Bailey I Would Die 4 U - Prince & The Revolution Take Me With U - Prince & The Revolution Round and Round - Ratt Ghostbusters - Ray Parker Jr. Infatuation - Rod Stewart The Warrior - Scandal Strut - Sheena Easton The Glamorous Life - Sheila E. Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry Don't Answer Me - The Alan Parsons Project You Might Think - The Cars Magic - The Cars Turn to You - The Go-Go's Head Over Heels - The Go-Go's State of Shock (feat. Mick Jagger) - The Jacksons Living on a Thin Line - The Kinks My City Was Gone - The Pretenders Doctor! Doctor! - Thompson Twins Hold Me Now - Thompson Twins They Don't Know - Tracey Ullman Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung Slide It In - Whitesnake
1980s Wrap-Up Part 3 - Like Falling Asleep or a Stock Market Crash: Slowly, Then All at Once (1985-1989) 1985 was still pretty good, but then it felt to me like we went right off a cliff. My life got exponentially better, but the soundtrack got much, much worse and by the end I was listening mostly to Classic Rock and Oldies because I couldn't listen to Top 40 radio for an hour without hearing a majority of songs that were terrible. 1985 Voices Carry - 'til Tuesday California Girls - David Lee Roth Money For Nothing - Dire Straits A View to a Kill - Duran Duran She's Waiting - Eric Clapton No One Is To Blame - Howard Jones The Confessor - Joe Walsh St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion) - John Parr Walking On Sunshine - Katrina & The Waves Taken In - Mike + the Mechanics One Night In Bankok - Murray Head Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer Don't You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears for Fears Head Over Heels - Tears for Fears Shout - Tears For Fears Manic Monday - The Bangles Walk Like an Egyptian - The Bangles Radioactive - The Firm South Ferry Road - The Hooters Some Like It Hot - The Power Station 1986 Mad About You - Belinda Carlisle Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House I've Been In Love Before - Cutting Crew In Too Deep - Genesis Invisible Touch - Genesis Press - Paul McCartney You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon Back in the High Life Again - Steve Winwood Life In A Northern Town - The Dream Academy Your Wildest Dreams - The Moody Blues Don't Get Me Wrong - The Pretenders 1987 Heaven Is A Place On Earth - Belinda Carlisle At This Moment - Billy Vera & The Beaters Devil's Radio - George Harrison Faith - George Michael Don't Shed A Tear - Paul Carrack On The Turning Away - Pink Floyd 1988 I Hate Myself For Loving You - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul Simply Irresistible - Robert Palmer Eternal Flame - The Bangles Handle With Care - Traveling Wilburys 1989 I Go to Extremes - Billy Joel The Heart of the Matter - Don Henley Veronica - Elvis Costello [FUTURE #1 Whoops] - Janet Jackson No Myth - Michael Penn My Brave Face - Paul McCartney You Got It - Roy Orbison Sowing The Seeds Of Love - Tears for Fears Angel Eyes - The Jeff Healey Band A Girl Like You - The Smithereens
They also both had great music videos that continued to get a ton of play into the mid-late 90s. That is how they were so on my radar!
I don't really care for Michael Bolton and his suburban housewife/soccer mom music. He has pipes at least though and his voice is nowhere near as grating as Richard Marx's. I'm happy for his success, wasn't he like 50 or something?