1992

Catherine Wheel
Ferment
(Fontana)

‘92 featured exceptional albums from The Afghan Whigs (Congregation), The Lemonheads (It’s A Shame About Ray), R.E.M.’s masterpeice (Automatic For the People), Neil Young (Harvest Moon) and The Cure’s (Wish).

Also, Pavement’s stunning debut (Slanted & Enchanted), one of the best Skinny Puppy records (the stunning Last Rights), a great return to form for The Jesus and Mary Chain (Honey’s Dead), another outstanding Sonic Youth record (Dirty) and the near-perfect Ferment from Catherine Wheel. Though JMC and Sonic Youth came in close, the sheer melodic bliss of Catherine Wheel just couldn’t be competed against in 1992.

1991

My Bloody Valentine

Loveless
(Creation)

1991 saw the release of some amazing records, including Nirvana’s Nevermind, Pearl Jam’s Ten, another great Dinosaur Jr album, yet another amazing Pixies album, R.E.M.’s Out of Time, Slint’s masterpiece and Primal Scream’s Screamadelica.

But ‘91 was also the year of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, which has the nice distinction of being one of the best albums ever released. It would be a crime to say any other record from that year was better.

1990

The Pixies
Bossanova
(Elektra)

1990 featured Mazzy Star’s excellent debut, my favorite Sonic Youth album, Goo, the best Cocteau Twins record (Heaven or Las Vegas) and the first truly good Skinny Puppy album (Too Dark Park). BUT, no question whatsoever, AT ALL, The Pixies’ Bossanova was the greatest record of the year (I actually like Bossanova even more than Doolittle, if that’s even possible).

as you are i am sure aware, i ttly love making lists. after reading sebastian’s list of albums for each year since he has been alive, i decided to traverse back in time and point out my favorite albums of the past few decades-worth of years.

here is a recap of the 1980s addition (comments and mp3s below):

1989: The Pixies - Doolittle
1988: The Church - Starfish
1987: The Jesus and Mary Chain - Darklands
1986: Killing Joke - Brighter Than a Thousand Suns
1985: The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
1984: Echo & the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain
1983: Sonic Youth - Confusion of Sex
1982: Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
1981: The Sound - From the Lion’s Mouth
1980: Joy Division - Closer

1989

The Pixies
Doolittle
(Elektra)

There wasn’t any decision to be made here. As great as The Stone Roses’ debut is (and I could probably throw in The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Automatic as well), it’s fucking Doolittle, dudes. One of the greatest records ever written.

as you are i am sure aware, i ttly love making lists. after reading sebastian’s list of albums for each year since he has been alive, i decided to traverse back in time and point out my favorite albums of the past few decades-worth of years.

here is the 1980s addition:

1988

The Church
Starfish
(Arista)

I almost feel guilty for not picking The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa (though it’s my least favorite Pixies album) or Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation, which are both so damn incredibly awesome, BUT, Starfish is just so impossibly good from start to finish that I can’t pick anything else…if not for “Under the Milky Way” alone, which is probably the greatest song written during the entire decade.

1987

The Jesus and Mary Chain
Darklands
(Blanco Y Negro)

Some incredible albums in ‘87 — The Smiths’ best (Strangeways, Here We Come), the first truly good, and so so underrated, Sonic Youth album (Sister); and Dinosaur Jr’s coming out party (You’re Livin’ All Over Me). But as good as the above records are, they just can’t compete with my all-time favorite JMC album, which is also among the best albums ever in my amazing opinion.

I could never justify choosing another album, as the Reids attained perfection on this one. It’s so sad, and hopeless, and hopeful, and rainy, and not rainy… and it’s just so damn good.

1986

Killing Joke
Brighter Than A Thousand Suns
(EG)

1986 pretty much sucked shit for music. There were really only a few decent albums released — The Smiths’ The Queen is Dead, Killing Joke’s Brighter Than a Thousand Suns, Hüsker Dü’s Candy Apple Grey and Sonic Youth’s EVOL, none of which are particularly amazing.

Brighter Than a Thousand Suns is probably my favorite Killing Joke record, (though most fans probably disagree with that sentiment, I actually prefer Jaz’s melodic side), even though there aren’t really any standout tracks as there are on other their albums. And I do like EVOL, as it marks a significant turn toward Sonic Youth’s more pop-oriented, structured records, but it’s pretty inconsistent. I can’t say I really listen to either Candy Apple Grey or The Queen is Dead that often (though Mould’s acoustic prowess on “Too Far Down” and “Hardly Getting Over It” is quite apparent, and Morrissey’s songwriting is sharp as ever).

The inconsistency of EVOL ultimately led me to lean more towards Killing Joke.

as you are i am sure aware, i ttly love making lists. after reading sebastian’s list of albums for each year since he has been alive, i decided to traverse back in time and point out my favorite albums of the past few decades-worth of years.

here is the 1980s addition:

1985

The Jesus and Mary Chain
Psychocandy
(Blanco Y Negro)

This was a really, really hard choice. The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Psychocandy, Killing Joke’s Night Time, New Order’s Low-Life, The Replacements’ Tim, The Smiths’ Meat is Murder and The Cure’s Head on the Door were ALL released in ‘85, and every one of them is one of if not the best record(s) by each band.

For me it came down to JMC, The Cure and The Replacements (and probably Killing Joke too). Though I actually prefer the stripped-down sound of JMC’s later work, I still love Psychocandy for all its fuzzed-drenched power. And The Replacements’ Tim is easily my favorite of theirs (and includes the essential bar song “Here Comes a Regular”). The Cure’s Head on the Door, too, is their best in my opinion. Night Time contains Killing Joke’s two best songs (“Darkness Before Dawn” and “Love Like Blood”). And let’s not forget the closing track “Eighties”, from which Kurt Cobain aped the riff for “Come As You Are”.

Shit man, it was hard, but I decided to go with Psychocandy just barely over Tim. The Reid brothers are just too intoxicating. Also, it’s probably one of my top 5 album covers of all time.

1984

Echo & the Bunnymen
Ocean Rain
(Neutral)

Though there were some classics released in 1984 (including Meat Puppets’ II, Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, The Smiths’ self-titled debut, Hüsker Dü’s Zen Arcade, The Replacements’ Let It Be)… nothing even comes close to the awesomeness that is Echo & the Bunnymen’s Ocean Rain (which includes “The Killing Moon” and “Seven Seas”). It’s a masterpiece and as perfect an album as they were capable of making.