Last time round, 2006 scored 7.28 to land at 29th in the HGWTY table. We’re turning the dial back a further 18 years now to consider the music of 1988.
A reminder of the premise of the thread
After a number of days of posting and reminiscing, we’ll be rating the music of the year out of ten, based on the albums, singles, gigs, whatever that stand out for you that year, and voting for our favourite nominated albums and songs.
Everyone can nominate one album and one song from the year which will then be collated into side-polls two days before the thread closes - please make it clear when you post a nomination for the poll (as opposed to just posting clips or lists of songs and albums you like, which are very welcome).
Leaderboard
| Rank | Year | Rating | Top Album | Top Song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Year | Rating | Top Album | Top Song |
| — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | 1991 | 8.98 | Slint - Spiderland | Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy |
| 2 | 1997 | 8.6 | Radiohead - OK Computer | The Beta Band - Dry The Rain |
| 3 | 1967 | 8.48 | Love - Forever Changes | Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Some Velvet Morning |
| 4 | 1995 | 8.45 | Radiohead - The Bends | The Smashing Pumpkins - 1975 |
| 5 | 1977 | 8.41 | Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express | Donna Summer - I Feel Love |
| 6 | 1992 | 8.29 | Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted | Pulp - Babies |
| 6 | 2013 | 8.29 | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Jubilee Street |
| 8 | 2019 | 8.14 | Self Esteem - Compliments Please | Big Thief - Not |
| 9 | 1975 | 8.13 | Neil Young - Tonight’s the Night / Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks | Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Cortez the Killer |
| 9 | 2007 | 8.13 | LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver / Radiohead - In Rainbows | LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends / M.I.A. - Paper Planes |
| 11 | 2004 | 8.1 | Madvillain - Madvillainy / Arcade Fire - Funeral | The Walkmen - The Rat |
| 11 | 2001 | 8.1 | The Strokes - Is This It | Roots Manuva - Witness (1 Hope) / Mogwai - My Father My King |
| 13 | 1981 | 8.06 | The Cure - Faith | New Order - Ceremony |
| 13 | 2002 | 8.06 | Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights | LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge |
| 15 | 1979 | 7.96 | Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures | Joy Division - Transmission |
| 16 | 1982 | 7.76 | The Cure - Pornography / Kate Bush - The Dreaming | Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding / The Associates - Party Fears Two |
| 17 | 2014 | 7.69 | FKA Twigs - LP1 | FKA Twigs - Two Weeks |
| 18 | 2010 | 7.66 | Kanye West - MBDTF / Joanna Newsom - Have One One Me / Beach House - Teen Dream | Robyn - Dancing On My Own |
| 19 | 1970 | 7.61 | Neil Young - After the Goldrush | Curtis Mayfield - Move on Up |
| 20 | 1972 | 7.53 | Can - Ebe Gamyasi | Stevie Wonder - Superstition |
| 21 | 1990 | 7.47 | Sonic Youth - Goo | The Cure - Pictures of You |
| 21 | 1976 | 7.47 | David Bowie - Station to Station | Bob Dylan - Hurricane |
| 23 | 1986 | 7.42 | Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring | New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle |
| 24 | 2005 | 7.39 | Sufjan Stevens - Illinois | Amerie - 1 Thing |
| 25 | 1965 | 7.38 | The Beatles - Rubber Soul | Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) |
| 26 | 2017 | 7.36 | Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent | Kendrick Lamar - Humble |
| 27 | 1987 | 7.32 | Sonic Youth - Sister | The Cure - Just Like Heaven |
| 28 | 1999 | 7.3 | Mogwai - Come On Die Young | Björk - All Is Full Of Love |
| 29 | 2006 | 7.28 | J Dilla - Donuts | TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me |
| 30 | 2009 | 7.1 | Fever Ray - Fever Ray | Animal Collective - My Girls |
| 31 | 1974 | 6.95 | Neil Young - On The Beach | Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - The Bottle |
| 32 | 1963 | 6.57 | Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan | The Ronettes - Be My Baby |
| 33 | 1985 | 6.53 | Tom Waits - Rain Dogs | Prince and the Revolution - Raspberry Beret |
| 34 | 1962 | 6 | Howlin’ Wolf - Howlin’ Wolf | Dick Dale - Misirlou |
| 35 | 1961 | 5.16 | John Coltrane - My Favourite Things | Roy Orbison - Crying |
1988 was the year of the Pan Am 103 bombing over Lockerbie, the Piper Alpha disaster, Benazir Bhutto became the first female leader of a Muslim country when elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, Stepehen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time was released, Edwina Currie announced that the most UK egg production as riddled with Samlonella leading to the culling of millions of hens, and the first Red Nose Day for Comic Relief was held.
We said goodbye to Roy Orbison, Nico, Enzo Ferrari, Chet Baker, Kenneth Williams and Raymond Carver, and hello to Rihanna, Adele, Emma Stone, Conor McGregor, Sergio Aguero, Robert Lewandowski, Lizzo and Tyson Fury.
But how good was the music?
You have roughly one week to nominate one album and one song which will then go into a poll along with a number rating poll for year overall out of 10, which will close a few days later.
Some lists for inspiration:
Best Albums of 1988 : Best Ever Albums
https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/1988/
100 Greatest Albums of 1988
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/ratings/6-highest-rated/1988/1
https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-albums/the-best-albums-of-1988
1988 Best Albums And Tracks Of The Year - NME
100 Greatest Songs From 1988
Nominations will be tallied here as the week goes on:
Album Nominations
Song Nominations
Introspective was my second favourite of the year.
