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For me...It is all about 1989!
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Okay so I was born in 1992 (also a favouite year of music for me) but for me in 1989 that spawned some of my favourite ever albums from my favourite ever artists, the sounds stemming rom them really were eclective and experimental and fused together...the mixture of the organic, the sonics and the semi-political/reflective societal aspects on these recordings ring so true.
to start with....my favourite album ever...."Madonna - Like a Prayer" the mood, the nature, the force of that album...the fusion of Rock, Dance, Funk, Soul, Psychadelia, Retro Pop, House across 11 songs and the concepts of self reflection...that coming of age force behind each and every song on there (plus the songs that never made the cut...Supernatural i am looking at you!) it told a powerful story of love, loss, family, commitment, not being defined by a force, political world, social/political influence in regards to the AIDs outbreak/media hysteria...its powerful and in many ways the mos defining Pop album of all time...a definitive landmark in so so many ways...from her rebellion against organised religion on the force of nature title song and Oh Father, the echoes back to 1960s lost-innocence on Cherish, her idea of self-expression and standing your ground on Express Yourself, her attack on the media and her divorce from Penn on Till Death Do Us Part, reflection of her maternal loss on Promise To Try, showcasing the importance of her family and family in general Keep It Together and Dear Jessie (written about Pat Leonards daughter) and SPanish Eyes...and analysis of a very deconstructive media against the AIDs epidemic/societal issues....very very powerful! and (as mentioned before) the echoes to musics past through the use of Madonnas own influences as a child/teen....(The BEatles, Sly & The Family Stone, Simon & Garfunkel)...a powerful powerful album....not to mention very powerful promotional campaigns/videos/performances to showcase the beauty of it all.
Then we have, Kate Bush - The Sensual World....okay very much my third favourite album of hers after Hounds Of Love and The Dreaming but it is almost if not equally as perfect....the utilisation of mythology and cultural analysis across the album is splendid and uultimately chaotically beautiful....the use of the Belgian vocal ensenble the Trio Bulgarka provides such a ethereal tough force on their respective songs. The album is a quest in search of lifes raw emotion, beauty and absurdities i think as i listen to it with songs about being a rocket, dancing with a unknown gentleman that turns out to be Hitler....its unmatched like the lady herself. It is a part of her own world bleeding into ours.
Which brings me to, Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814....arguably her finest album (before she had 30 plus songs/interluds crammed into a disc that always seemed to feel padded out more than conceptualised) while there are moments where issues targeted are pretty vague or dance (in more ways tan one) around the issues at hand it offers a very insightful side to the Jackson fold and really brought a lot of unease of American politics into the mix...as well as her New Jack Swing meets Dance Pop meets Rock hybrid which keeps the flow going and ensures an album that whenever it dares to lose pace something interesting always crops up...arguably her finest moment too and one of my top albums of all time definitely....also speaking of which i think vocally she was at her best here too...a very very powerful album overall.
Then we have Fine Young Cannibals - The Raw And The Cooked.....an album that very much epitomises the strength of combining sounds from 1963 mixed with then contemporary New Jack Swing/Art Rock style...a sublime album full of Soul and gusto and passive aggression...10 songs long but utterly perfect.
Grace Jones then offered us her Bulletproof Heart...arguably one of the most underrated albums ever I truly feel.....while yes her material 1980 - 85 is her strongest this album i truly feel is close to that fuelled by such passion and power it does touch a lot on underground music and society issues in itself too...a very strong album with many directions and sounds on one CD but ultimately it works so expertly.
Also, Debbie Harry - Def, DUmb & Blonde....okay i personally feel her solo material is so overlooked...especially going back in recent days for me...i truly think this album is up there with a lot of Blondies stronger work (Koo Koo too!) and i love (again a theme here) the variation in sound and direction across the album from heavier rock sounds to uptempo Dance Pop/Pop vibes too....splendid echoes to her hey day in Blondie and self reflection as well as adapting herself as a solo artist and really bringing out what she is best at doing.....being Blondie :cool:
And finally i have to add Depeche Mode - Violator in there...while of course it wasnt released as an album till Feb of 1990 the material was recorded across 1989 and it really brought the band to their ultimate peak of music fusion...their iconic Alternative Dance feel and vibes are present throughout and damn perfect throughout!
So any thoughts for this year? All welcome i look forward to hear from you all
to start with....my favourite album ever...."Madonna - Like a Prayer" the mood, the nature, the force of that album...the fusion of Rock, Dance, Funk, Soul, Psychadelia, Retro Pop, House across 11 songs and the concepts of self reflection...that coming of age force behind each and every song on there (plus the songs that never made the cut...Supernatural i am looking at you!) it told a powerful story of love, loss, family, commitment, not being defined by a force, political world, social/political influence in regards to the AIDs outbreak/media hysteria...its powerful and in many ways the mos defining Pop album of all time...a definitive landmark in so so many ways...from her rebellion against organised religion on the force of nature title song and Oh Father, the echoes back to 1960s lost-innocence on Cherish, her idea of self-expression and standing your ground on Express Yourself, her attack on the media and her divorce from Penn on Till Death Do Us Part, reflection of her maternal loss on Promise To Try, showcasing the importance of her family and family in general Keep It Together and Dear Jessie (written about Pat Leonards daughter) and SPanish Eyes...and analysis of a very deconstructive media against the AIDs epidemic/societal issues....very very powerful! and (as mentioned before) the echoes to musics past through the use of Madonnas own influences as a child/teen....(The BEatles, Sly & The Family Stone, Simon & Garfunkel)...a powerful powerful album....not to mention very powerful promotional campaigns/videos/performances to showcase the beauty of it all.
Then we have, Kate Bush - The Sensual World....okay very much my third favourite album of hers after Hounds Of Love and The Dreaming but it is almost if not equally as perfect....the utilisation of mythology and cultural analysis across the album is splendid and uultimately chaotically beautiful....the use of the Belgian vocal ensenble the Trio Bulgarka provides such a ethereal tough force on their respective songs. The album is a quest in search of lifes raw emotion, beauty and absurdities i think as i listen to it with songs about being a rocket, dancing with a unknown gentleman that turns out to be Hitler....its unmatched like the lady herself. It is a part of her own world bleeding into ours.
Which brings me to, Janet Jackson - Rhythm Nation 1814....arguably her finest album (before she had 30 plus songs/interluds crammed into a disc that always seemed to feel padded out more than conceptualised) while there are moments where issues targeted are pretty vague or dance (in more ways tan one) around the issues at hand it offers a very insightful side to the Jackson fold and really brought a lot of unease of American politics into the mix...as well as her New Jack Swing meets Dance Pop meets Rock hybrid which keeps the flow going and ensures an album that whenever it dares to lose pace something interesting always crops up...arguably her finest moment too and one of my top albums of all time definitely....also speaking of which i think vocally she was at her best here too...a very very powerful album overall.
Then we have Fine Young Cannibals - The Raw And The Cooked.....an album that very much epitomises the strength of combining sounds from 1963 mixed with then contemporary New Jack Swing/Art Rock style...a sublime album full of Soul and gusto and passive aggression...10 songs long but utterly perfect.
Grace Jones then offered us her Bulletproof Heart...arguably one of the most underrated albums ever I truly feel.....while yes her material 1980 - 85 is her strongest this album i truly feel is close to that fuelled by such passion and power it does touch a lot on underground music and society issues in itself too...a very strong album with many directions and sounds on one CD but ultimately it works so expertly.
Also, Debbie Harry - Def, DUmb & Blonde....okay i personally feel her solo material is so overlooked...especially going back in recent days for me...i truly think this album is up there with a lot of Blondies stronger work (Koo Koo too!) and i love (again a theme here) the variation in sound and direction across the album from heavier rock sounds to uptempo Dance Pop/Pop vibes too....splendid echoes to her hey day in Blondie and self reflection as well as adapting herself as a solo artist and really bringing out what she is best at doing.....being Blondie :cool:
And finally i have to add Depeche Mode - Violator in there...while of course it wasnt released as an album till Feb of 1990 the material was recorded across 1989 and it really brought the band to their ultimate peak of music fusion...their iconic Alternative Dance feel and vibes are present throughout and damn perfect throughout!
So any thoughts for this year? All welcome i look forward to hear from you all
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a very well written account of your fav year.... fair play
personally though it was one of my least fav years ever... :D
It is each to their own And if it makes it better for ya your "1986 in reflection" posts inspired my thoughts on it and surprisingly a lot of my favourites seem to sem from the 80s and 90s (and early 00s) but in particular the late 80s/early 90s and rivht here it all came to a fore.
Many thanks however man
Personally i prefer to avoid S/A/W productions..bar a few....just nothing pulled me towards them....but i will give it a listen how does it compare to her past albums?
What i also ind funny about my favourite albums here is that they each seem to have a kinda genetic pattern of sorts
besides the artists already mentioned it was also a great year for..
Neneh Cherry, soul II soul, dee-lite, de la soul, big daddy kane, public enemy, lisa stansfield, 808 state, rob base and dj ez rock, the bangles, a guy called gerald, jody watley, jungle brothers.
but it wasnt all great it was also the year of milli vanilli, bros and new kids on the block.
But have you all forgotten the mighty JIVEBUNNY!!!!
Some great albums,
Malcolm McLaren - Waltz Darling,
Erasure - Wild!
The B52's - Cosmic Thing
De La Soul - 3 Feet and Rising
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
Liza Minelli - Results
Kylie - Enjoy Yourself
Soul II Soul - Club Classic Vol. 1
My favourite year as of right now is 1968, wow this year is totally full of classics and incredible music!
Someone mentioned Paul's Boutique above, great album. I was always amazed they got away with as many Beatles samples as they did on this track. Sounds of Science.
http://youtu.be/WCkmeP8s8W4
I loved Chime by Orbital as well. It's a sneaky one this, it was released late '89 and then reissued, and became a hit, in 1990
http://youtu.be/r458Sn1vQ1s
I still need to hear that album fully and erm...own it but yeah love that
Ah man yes the bits in bold i love too...also cannot believe i forgot to mention Prince - Batman soundtrack influenced album which i think was his final WOW moment...for me anyway but as a Bat-fan i love it so Again fantastic 1960s allusions through there and pacing...brilliant!
and yeah i know not keen on Boybands nor S/A/W and 1989 was prominant for both those.....so i searched Stateside had Milli and NKOTB takeover in 1989 on the charts and over here was mainly S/A/W with Kylie an DOnovan etc...:mad: nothing against THEM just not an aspect of music i choose to lsiten to nor pulls me in....no offence guys who love their innocent cheesy Pop :P ill still dance to it anyhow just doesnt touch my soul nor inspire....:D
But man yeah i do agree 1989 definitely had such dynamic variation in a way we are (hopefully) getting back into again on the charts.
Cheers very much....ah man YES Neneh Cherry she worked in the early 90s with Massive Attack didnt she after she released Raw Like Sushi in 1989!...i always intended to check out that album...i reckon id love it by the sound of it that mix of Pop, Soul, Freestyle sound...another pattern :cool: Definitely.
Why I am here really...inspires me to listen and/or remember to listen to artists
The Prince Batman soundtrack was the first Prince album I ever got. In comparison to his earlier stuff its pretty weak, but summer '89 was all about Batman.
That Bat symbol was everywhere and on everything that summer.
I remember going in holiday to that London that summer and buying the Batman soundtrack and The Miracle by Queen on cassette and thinking they were the best things ever.
I've bought neither on CD and no longer have a tape player. I think that's telling.
Although I now have the urge to hear Arms of Orion now.
Definitely recommend Raw Like Sushi. - especially Buffalo Stance, Manchild, Heart - ah memories!
That Grace Jones album is shocking though - I bought it thinking it was like her 80-85 albums - it was so twee - like she'd been given someone elses songs by mistake!:D
WOW found the album in full on YT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd97uFnTr4w
A definite theme with albums by the sound of it thus far....Like A Prayer, Rhythm Nation, Bulletproof Heart, Violator and The Raw & The Cooked all kinda have elements of freestyle/soul and alternative vibes which i LOVE....thanks so much for reminding me to search.
1989 keeps getting stronger by the second
also the photography by Jean Baptiste Mondino i love too he has collaborated with Madonna and even sired a son for Ms Jones SLICK!
I do see what you mean it is very different with Bulletproof Heart but i do think its an album not to be compared from Warm Leatherette - Slave To The Rhythm....i really love it...Inside Story is also really cool too
After Madonna, Kate Bush and Grace Jones is my third fave female artist EVER (ahead of Debbie Harry and Bjork) ah man shes slick! And Hurricane i ADORE! I love Corporate Cannibal very much and would say that Hurricane is one of my favourite albums ever....i love the Industrial/Island/Soul elements across the album.....so damn raw and spiritual and frenetic...Williams Blood and Love You To Life are favourites of mine in the album too
You have good taste - I like Kate, Debbie and Bjork too - dont mind a bit of Madge either.
Yeah i know! I mean she was on Wossy with her own show like Madonna did to promote American Life in 2003 (which was beautiful!) and a couple years back Barbara (not big in the UK) Streisand did and it got to number 1 i believe! and for Ms Jones Hurricane didnt make the top 40 i mean DAMN! What a sublime album....and yeah thats the kinda WTF i love! Not this commercial nonsense out at the moment...its real...lets push boundaries stuff...loved that :cool:
Ah thanks so much :cool: and a "dont mind" is a move in the right direction....EPIC thanks so much...always love variation!