Rock of Life: 1989
So many great albums to choose from
In the Rock of Life series I am recounting my music listening history throughout the years. Each year, starting with 1982, I will describe what I was listening to at the time and then pick my “Album of the Year”. Some (arbitrary) rules: the album will have been released in that year, although some could be from late in the prior year. It must be an album I actually listened to back then, not an album I discovered later. It can’t be a “greatest hits” album.
No, I’m not writing about 1989 (Taylor’s Version). I’m writing about the many great albums that I enjoyed back in 1989. Unlike 1988, there were just so many that picking an album of year was tricky, so I’ll just rip through them in no particular order.
We have the debut album by Skid Row with its big hits 18 and Life, Youth Gone Wild and I Remember You. I absolutely loved this album and I still enjoy it today.
Whitesnake’s 1987 album was amazing and the follow-up to it, Slip of the Tongue came out later in the year. I remember being disappointed with it back then, but a re-listen recently shows that it is not bad.
But perhaps a better follow-up to Whitesnake 1987 was Blue Murder. A new band formed by John Sykes, the guitarist on Whitesnake 1987 and Slide It In, the debut album (produced by Bob Rock) has some great songs on it including Blue Murder, Jelly Roll, and Out of Love.
Tesla, a band I first saw open for Def Leppard in 1987, released their second album, The Great Radio Controversy. It had the hits Love Song, Heaven’s Trail and The Way It Is. I love this entire album and it might just be my favorite Tesla album.
Another debut album was Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich by Warrant. Warrant looked like a typical 80s hair metal band, but I thought their songs were always a bit better than you’d expect and a re-listen of this album confirms it.
Giant released The Last of the Runaways which I remember listening to a lot. I hadn’t listened to it in a long time, but listening to it again this month made me realize that I still like it.
Sonic Temple by The Cult was a huge album for me back then. I love Edie, Fire Woman and Sweet Soul Sister. The Cult are a bit too alt rock for me, but this album was also produced by Bob Rock and has a big sound.
Speaking of Bob Rock, his third album of 1989 was Dr. Feelgood by Motley Crue and it also has a monster sound. It is easily the best Motley Crue album. Kickstart My Heart is a kick-ass song.
In the fall, Pump by Aerosmith was released and it is also my favorite Aerosmith album.
Another long-time rocker with a new album was Tom Petty with Full Moon Fever. This was a solo album without The Heartbreakers and it is full of classic songs. I was never a big Tom Petty fan, but for some reason I really liked that album.
Extreme had their debut album, which showed off what a talented band they are. Many years later, Play With Me, because a must-play track on one of the Guitar Hero sequels. I actually saw Extreme in concert back on August and they were just as good as ever.
I didn’t listen to it until later, but Trash by Alice Cooper was great. Some might say is too 80s-sounding, but that’s why I like it. Poison is a great song.
Another debut album and one that I didn’t listen to until many years later was Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails. This is some fine industrial metal that was years ahead of its time.
Great White released their follow up to the wonderful Once Bitten and called it Twice Shy. This album had a great song with their amazing cover of Ian Hunter’s Once Bitten Twice Shy, but I didn’t really like much else on it.
But the biggest album for me was The Miracle by Queen. I had only really become a big Queen fan the year before. Based on my love of Def Leppard a friend suggested I listen to Queen. I had only heard a few songs by them such as Radio Ga Ga and Another One Bites the Dust, but I got their Greatest Hits CD and was hooked.
I remember going to pawn shops in Lewiston and buying Queen cassettes on the cheap to eventually get their entire collection. Listening to any Queen album for the first time is an absolute revelation.
The Miracle was the first Queen album released since I became a fan and the first single, I Want It All, did not disappoint. In fact the entire album is just amazing and it is easily one of my favorite Queen albums, which might surprise some. It has rockers, epics, synths and everything you expect from Queen. It even has a dud (My Baby Does Me), which was not uncommon on a Queen album.
I remember at the time we all felt it might be the final Queen album, especially with that last song being called Was It All Worth It.
According to Apple Music and Last.fm, The Miracle is my most-listened to album released in 1989.
So my pick for 1989 Album of the Year is The Miracle by Queen.
I don't know some of those albums, but I'd agree with your pick for #1. Glad to see people still appreciating the world of album rock.