ohtani's jacket

Unless you're into Freddie Jackson or Luther Vandross, things were looking pretty slim on the r'n'b front except for a young Keith Sweat and this banging Womack and Womack tune: But there was a savior on the horizon! New Jack Swing! I can't be the only one who loves Bobby Brown.

Hip hop was really taking off in '88. So many great songs: I do love me some golden age hip hop.

1988 I thought there were two big omissions from this year. The first is the lack of anything from Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation. I know there is a Sonic Youth song later in the book, but Daydream Nation is generally the most critically acclaimed album of '88. I would have have thrown in something like Teenage Riot. Secondly, since they covered so many bases with 'world music', I would have expected something from the Russian band, Kino. Speaking of omissions, while I'm not a huge fan of the Cocteau Twins, I'm surprised they weren't included in the book considering that pretty much every other significant 80s act was. You can feel the rise of indie pop/rock in the songs I've chosen from this year: I didn't realize how much I like The Wedding Present, The Flatmates and The House of Love until I put this post together. There hasn't been any Misfits on the list, which sucks, but they could have at least included some Danzig. Spacemen 3 would have been a good choice too: Some other gems: And, finally, this hate-filled monster:

The other three songs are: 697. Straight Outta Compton- N.W.A. 698. Opel- Syd Barrett 699. Everyday Is Like Sunday- Morrisey

Liam, you forgot to post 697-700 here.

For metal, of course thrash was still going strong, but my picks are from outside that genre:

1987 was a huge year for hip hop:

1987 I don't have a lot to add to 1987. It's not a year that interests me much outside of metal and hip hop. I thought they should have included something from Prince's Sign 'O' the Times album and a Replacements song (take your pick): Here are a few interesting songs:

I like thrash. 1986 was perhaps the peak of thrash metal. I'm a sucker for this Maiden song too:

Now let's get into some classic hip hop. The only real downer about 1986 is the sad state of funk, soul, etc. It's pretty much Prince, Prince, and Prince. Here are a few bones:

1986 I think 1986 was the year where I first became aware of pop music. I didn't have any cassettes yet, but I remember Slippery When Wet being a big deal on the playground. These days, my connection to 1986 is from a very different album -- The Queen is Dead -- which is still one of the all-time great albums in my books. It was a great year for thrash metal, and hip hop was beginning to flourish, but what I didn't realize was how much great music there was in general. Especially, Australian power pop. 1986 was a great year for Aussie music. As far as stuff missing from the book, I would have been inclined to have included something from Talk Talk because of how unique they were. I also want to bring some attention to this wonderful song from my home country: Other stuff I like: More stuff I like: More still: Last round:

The Gispy Kings released a Greatest Hits album in 1994 so you may be thinking of that. We used to blast the shit out of them at a Mexican restaurant I worked at. Great band. That's a great Church song too, and I really need to check out more Franco. Apparently, he was huge in Africa.

It kind of annoys me that Dear God is the only XTC song on the list. I know a lot of people consider Skylarking to be their best album, but Dear God wasn't on the original album. It was the B-side for the single Grass. It's a nice story of how a B-side saved a band, but what does it matter if people aren't familiar with their earlier work? I think they should included Making Plans for Nigel, or Living Through Another Cuba if they wanted an alternative pick. And where was Gang of Four? That bugs me too. They're right here, book:

I like Hawk just because of Johnny's reaction when he re-enters the dojo. He ended up getting taken down a peg or two as Season 2 went along, so I don't really have a problem with his storyline. To be honest, the Miyagi stuff bugs me the most. It actually kind of annoys me every time Daniel says "Miyagi-do karate." I guess I gravitate more towards the "Cobra Kai is a badass name for a karate dojo" school of thought.

My guess is that Robbie is the son Daniel wishes he had, but instead Robbie is Johnny's kid and he has a shithead. Either that, or it's a critique of the lifestyle Daniel built for himself. Either way, the character sucks.

Here's a gem I found from '85:

I didn't like Season 2 quite as much as Season 1. There were a lot of great moments, but too much action and too many fights. I understand why they had to up the ante, but for me, the character moments are what drive my interest. Johnny still rules.

Cohen's version is much better: If they wanted to include a Lauper ballad, Time After Time is better. What they should have really chosen is a song everybody needs to hear before they die: Which is a cover of one of my favorite songs:

Rondo would be the second person after Lovellette.

Also, I know I complained about there being too much Stevie Wonder on the list, but this tune is just as good as Tina Turner's 80s reinvention:

1985 Cont. As far as hip hop goes, I really love LL Cool J's Radio album. I also like this Schoolly D track: Mantronix: And probably the most famous track from '85: There's not a lot to love about funk, soul, and r&b from '85 outside of Prince. I do appreciate the job Cameo did of surviving into the 80s, however, and I adore some of the Prince knockoff acts: I love this Bobby Bland tune from '85 too: And let's not forget:

1985 1985 was a great year to be a metalhead. Unfortunately, I was busy playing with Transformers, but it's crazy how much good shit there was. '85 might be the first year, for me, where metal becomes to the most interesting genre in music. I figure most people with an interest in metal know about Slayer, Overkill, Kreator, Megadeth, Exodus, Celtic Frost, Destruction, and all the other great bands that were putting out music at the time. Here's some more random or obscure stuff I've come across: I don't really have a lot to add to the picks the book made. Most of the stuff I like from '85 falls in either the Gothic Rock category or Polish Coldwave. I probably would have included my favorite Siouxsie song; And something by the Jesus and Mary Chain: As well as this Art of Noise song: Here's a bunch of other random stuff:

This wasn't a one off, either. Apparently, he had a similar match against Colin Joynson around the same time. Daddy seems like a better worker in general during the 70s. I think it was the feud with Quinn that propelled him in the opposite direction. John Elijah was a solid hand. He was pretty active up until the end of the TV and was always reliable.

Was this your friend?

Thanks for the info.