1989: a vintage year for classic albums
What was in the water 30 years ago?
Today, in 2019, a surprising number of artists and bands are celebrating the 30th anniversary of some of their greatest albums. Sure, 1988 and 1990 have their fair share of significant releases, but 1989 was a stonker of a year.
Read on to discover our favourite ‘Big Albums’ from 1989.
The decedent 80s drew to a close with landmark releases across all genres. The ‘second summer of love’ had pushed dance music and rave culture into the mainstream, whilst indie guitar upstarts suddenly found themselves playlisted on daytime Radio One. As these contrasting acts rubbed shoulders on TOTP and across NOW compilations, influences began to cross-pollinate, lighting the touch paper for Madchester and beyond.
In the studio, samplers and digital recording kit had become more affordable. Artists could realise ideas without the mortgage-scale budgets of the Fairlight pioneers earlier in the decade (Bush, Gabriel, Horn, Clarke et al).
At home, the CD format was firmly established but still in its infancy compared to its dominance in the late-90s. Cassette tapes sold more than vinyl in 1989, mainly driven by the US market. 1989 was also the year Comet Group bought up all 31 branches of the Laskys hi-fi chain – remember Laskys? You could still buy hi-fi separates in stores like Boots, but the masses mainly wanted neater ‘stack’ or ‘midi’ systems from brands like Aiwa, Kenwood, Technics and Sony.
So, what were we playing on these systems?
If we squint our rose-tinted vision just beyond hits by Jive Bunny, Kylie & Jason and, ugh, Band Aid II, 1989 offers a plethora of genre-defining debut LPs alongside creative peaks from established artists.
Before I ruffle anyone’s feathers, I admit this is a totally subjective piece. I have not been studying sales figures or cross-referencing reviews in Q Magazine, but many ‘89 albums pop up in the ‘Top 10’ lists of Pitchfork, NME or Rolling Stone etc, and they’re frequently referenced as key influences by artists and producers today.
Here’s a selection of my favourites. It’s by no means exhaustive.
Which albums were you cueing up on your Technics linear-tracking deck in 1989, and what type of TDK tape were you recording them onto?
Let us know in the comments.
1. The Cure – Disintegration
Last week the band completed a five-night run of gigs at Sydney Opera House, celebrating 30 years since the release of their landmark Disintegration album. No doubt many of its tracks will also feature when they headline Glastonbury this summer.
I was a big Cure fan as a teenager. I nipped out of school at lunchtime to buy Disintegration on the day it was released. It was a hot, sunny day and I drew the curtains to listen in the dark.
2. The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
Before Spike Island or even Fool’s Gold, 1989 introduced us to this genre-defining eponymous Mancunian debut. Nothing quite chimes and grooves like the Roses’ early output and its unrivalled sing-along nostalgia.
3. De La Soul – Three Feet High & Rising
Rhymes, skits and daisies. This funky and humorous collage of samples from the NY trio has been referred to as “genius”, “a hip-hop masterpiece”. It was reissued by Vinyl Me, Please as a double LP in their Essential series earlier this year.
4. Kate Bush – The Sensual World
How do you follow a career-defining work like Hounds of Love? It seems you turn inwards, re-write the closing passages of Ulysses and employ a Bulgarian male choir. You also deliver one of the most heart-breaking performances committed to tape in This Woman’s Work.
The Sensual World may not reach the heights of its predecessor (it was one of the albums Kate reworked significantly for the Director’s Cut project), but it remains a convincing release from such an enigmatic creative talent. It earned her Brit Award nominations for both Best Album and Best Producer.
5. New Order – Technique
Ibiza, Factory, The Hacienda, ecstasy, even sheep sound effects. The stories behind this album have sold thousands of books for each member of the band. It was their first LP to reach No 1 in the UK and still sounds magnificent today.
6. Tears For Fears – The Seeds Of Love
The band’s third studio album took almost two years and £1million to make. Considering the hugely successful Songs From The Big Chair cost nearer £70,000, this could have led to the end of their record contract and career! Luckily, they had the chutzpah to see it through. Seeds reached No 1 in the UK and achieved platinum status in numerous territories across the globe.
Sadly, the album took its toll on Orzabal and Smith’s relationship. It was the last one they could work on together for over a decade.
Immaculately produced, the album features many established session players (including Phil Collins on drums, who himself released But Seriously… in 1989), but is most noted for introducing the world to the voice of Oleta Adams.
7. Neneh Cherry – Raw Like Sushi
If you came to Raw Like Sushiexpecting nine more tracks like the huge hit Buffalo Stance, you would have been disappointed. The album stood out for its range of styles and depth of influence. When you reflect on Cherry’s debut as an album envision by a ‘musician/artist’, rather than fronted by the ‘rapper/singer’ Buffalo Stancesuggests, it’s no surprise that she is still recording and performing today.
8. Pixies – Doolittle
Back in the late 80s, nothing else sounded quite like The Pixies. With their second full-length, the band perfected their loud-quiet-loud pop blast, offering up a key blueprint for Nirvana’s looming commercial breakthrough Nevermind.
9. Tom Petty – Full Moon Forever
Louder Sound describes Petty’s ’89 release as“a remarkably consistent collection of wonderfully constructed rootsy rock songs. Petty teams up with ELO guru and fellow Travelling Wilbury Jeff Lynne, who does an immaculate production job as well as co-writing the album’s standout tracks, Free Fallin’ and I Won’t Back Down.”
10. Soul II Soul – Club Classics Vol 1
In the summer of 1989, the single Back To Life and its accompanying MTV-friendly video took Soul II Soul’s London slant on R&B/Soul around the world. The album goes deeper (Back To Life features only as an acapella) but brings underground club vibes to the mainstream, going triple-platinum in the UK and Top 20 in the US (No 1 in the R&B chart).
“A happy face, a thumping bass for a loving race.”
11. Paul’s Boutique
Sorry! I couldn’t keep this list to just ten albums!
The Beasties’ now-beloved second album was considered a flop at the time, but, in the ensuing years, has been embraced as a landmark of sample-based hip-hop.
The Best Of The Rest
It doesn’t stop there. The list of landmark 1989 albums rolls and rolls.
What have we missed in the list below?
10,000 Maniacs, Blind Man’s Zoo
Elvis Costello, Spike
NWA, Straight Outta Compton
Tracy Chapman, Crossroads
Eurythmics, We Too Are One
Simply Red, A New Flame
Ian McCulloch, Candleland
Lenny Kravitz, Let Love Rule
The Beautiful South, Welcome to the Beautiful South
The Jesus and Mary Chain, Automatic
Nirvana, Bleach
The B-52s, Cosmic Thing
Queen, The Miracle
Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Mother’s Milk
Lou Reed, New York
The Cult, Sonic Temple
The The, Mind Bomb
The Wedding Present, Bizarro
Pop Will Eat Itself, This Is the Day…This Is the Hour…This Is This!
Throwing Muses, Hunkpapa
The Wonder Stuff, Hup
Julee Cruise, Floating into the Night
Simple Minds, Street Fighting Years
The Primitives, Pure
Jesus Jones, Liquidizer
Tin Machine, Tin Machine
Kirsty MacColl, Kite
808 State, 90
Kitchens of Distinction, Love is Hell
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