Acclaimed Music Top 40 Songs from 1988 poll

Are you shitting me? This is impossible!

41 Slick Rick - Children's Story, 42 Pet Shop Boys - Left to My Own Devices, 43 Living Colour - Cult of Personality, 44 The House of Love - Christine, 45 Ministry - Stigmata, 46 Michelle Shocked - Anchorage, 47 U2 - Desire, 48 Bobby Brown - My Prerogative, 49 Prefab Sprout - The King of Rock 'n' Roll and 50 N.W.A - Gangsta Gangsta.

i love that fact that the Happy Mondays made this list, don't think i can vote for it here however.

WTF @ "Express Yourself" over "Gangsta Gangsta"

181 Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
3 298 Dinosaur Jr. - Freak Scene
4 328 Fugazi - Waiting Room
5 339 N.W.A - F*** Tha Police
7 439 Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - It Takes Two
8 468 Pixies - Gigantic
14 704 N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton
15 739 Public Enemy - Don't Believe the Hype
17 784 Mudhoney - Touch Me, I'm Sick
18 785 Morrissey - Suedehead
20 1175 Eric B. & Rakim - Follow the Leader
26 1287 The Church - Under the Milky Way
30 1460 Happy Mondays - WFL (Wrote for Luck)
33 1544 The Primitives - Crash
34 1552 Metallica - One
36 1853 The Jesus and Mary Chain - Sidewalking

"It Takes Two" in a walk.

Also, always thought "Hey Joni" was the standout Daydream Nation song.

Touch Me, I'm Sick

There She Goes vs It Takes Two vs Express Yourself

Touch Me I'm Sick

'Gigantic" though I can't deny thinking hard about "Ana Ng"

Either "big fun" or "one"

I was afraid to look at this because it would trigger bad memories.
Not so, phew
But wow, this is the year I came of age, so to speak. I started listening to adult music.

Have no idea what to pick because basically all of these songs served their own purpose for me, with a few exceptions.

YIKES. Might go for Metallica because I heard it every day in the cafeteria. Literally every single day.

ABSOLUTE HORROR

[ Sound on Sound article on "One": http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may11/articles/classic-tracks-0511.htm

“The whole thing with that specific song — as well as several of the other songs — was their desire for a technical perfection that would have been easy in these days of computer editing but which, back then, we had to achieve manually. Lars’s playing had to be extremely tight, and we did 20‑ to 30‑second segments with me punching in and out over 18 drum tracks. When we got a good bit, we’d sit and listen to it a couple of times to make sure it was cool, and if, say, one hi‑hat hit was a little late, I’d chop out a tiny bit of tape with a razor to make it exactly right. That was a long and tiring process, and whereas it would now take about half a day to complete one of those drum tracks, back then it took us a minimum of three to four days. For each song I had a big envelope full of bits of two‑inch tape that I had chopped out, and I remember joking to Lars that they should hold a competition for the fans, enabling them to win lost bits from his drum tracks... He didn’t find that at all amusing. However, for that time, what we ended up with was almost computer‑accurate, even though it was just him playing.

1 181 Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
3 298 Dinosaur Jr. - Freak Scene
7 439 Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - It Takes Two
8 468 Pixies - Gigantic
9 525 My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realize
12 643 Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance
14 704 N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton
16 747 A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray
20 1175 Eric B. & Rakim - Follow the Leader
23 1208 Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
27 1295 Inner City - Big Fun

i managed to get it down to ten and wept every time i had to cut something. i've always been kind of the semi-serious opinion that 1988 was maybe the best year for music in my lifetime and this list doesn't really do a lot to dissuade me.

wait, that's eleven. this is impossible.

I remember joking to Lars that they should hold a competition for the fans, enabling them to win lost bits from his drum tracks... He didn’t find that at all amusing

I love this so much.

Once "One" was playing and I was wearing these super staticky long johns underneath a black and white gingham jumper dress with a tshirt. I was walking into the hallway where I usually ate by myself when my friends were absent (like they were that day). These seniors (they were either seniors or just v mature) called across the cafeteria to make fun of me because of my out of control static cling (i was a freshman, it was my 2nd year of school with boys *in my whole life*) and i just remember one thing -- looking at the jukebox and hearing (there was a jukebox in our cafeteria my freshman year)

ABSOLUTE HORROR
I CANNOT LIVE
I CANNOT DIE

I guess that's clearly the song I have to vote for? I can't tell if was true or a dream.

Still adore the La's, even over Nick, Primitives and TMBG.

Voodoo voodoo voodoo ray

Buffalo Stance all the way.

Bufallo Stance in a walk. The late 80s is still an era I can't generally get my head around.

Late 80s -> early 90s is probably my favourite era of music ever and this list is ridiculously difficult to whittle down. Went with my initial gut feeling and voted for Buffalo Stance but now I feel bad about overlooking Follow The Leader.

Follow The Leader probably my number two as well, but voted for Big Fun.

1. "Teen Age Riot," 2. "Crash," 3. "It Takes Two," 4. "Buffalo Stance," 5. "Passionate Kisses," 6. "Big Fun." A number of other good ones.

It was a good lay
good lay

torn between the NWAs but went with "Straight Outta Compton" and fuck every last motherfucking one of you who doesn't vote for NWA

7 439 Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - It Takes Two
22 1202 Tone-Loc - Wild Thing
25 1266 Stetsasonic - Talkin' All That Jazz
27 1295 Inner City - Big Fun
31 1501 Joe Smooth - Promised Land

But it's absolutely got to be "When the angels from above/Fall down and spread their wings like doves."

'Buffalo Stance', over 'Straight Outta Compton', 'Suedehead' and 'Promised Land'.

Would take 'Bring the Noise' over either of the PE picks here.

while i'm on i'm just gonna do my annual reminder that Daydream Nation is fucking shit

NV not believing the hype

Good god I hate 'There She Goes'.

it is like a 3 minute manifesto for killing people who like it

it may be the only record in history to make smack sound boring

terrifyingly it's the best thing anybody involved in it ever did

it may be the only record in history to make smack sound boring

That is surely the wrongest thing ever said on ILM.

I love Daydream Nation but 'Teen Age Riot' isn't even in the Top 5 songs on it.

okay i'm sure there's a bunch of boring smack records but name one boringer than "There She Goes"

god can you imagine being somebody who's known "There She Goes" for 25 years and still thinks it's thrilling?

not liking "There She Goes" though makes being British sound hard

This barely-concealed ploy to summon Geir up from wherever he's hiding is not going to plan.

he made a teasing come-back a couple of months ago iirc but it was really brief like a shooting star in full flaming glory

I don't care at all about Fugazi but "Waiting Room" is a jam

voted PE obv

no "Piano in the Dark" :(

there's a lot of good records on this list tbf but most of them don't feature Eazy Motherfucking E

I voted for PE in '87, so I'll stick with one of deez:

Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - It Takes Two
Morrissey - Everyday Is Like Sunday
Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance
Morrissey - Suedehead
S'Express - Theme from S-Express
Eric B. & Rakim - Follow the Leader
Tone-Loc - Wild Thing
Leonard Cohen - First We Take Manhattan
Lucinda Williams - Passionate Kisses

Teen Age Riot, easy

I like Sonic Youth well enough but honestly can't fathom considering Teen Age Riot the best record here.

1988: the year these lists turned indie.

god can you imagine being somebody who's known "There She Goes" for 25 years and still thinks it's thrilling?

Yup. There's lots of stuff whose charm has faded over the years and others that remains exciting, stuff that still makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. And that song is not quite at that level but I still really love it.

Touch Me I'm Sick > Teenage Riot btw.

there's only about 5 records on the list that aren't > "Teenage Riot" but leave it noodle, it's indietown, walk away son, cloth-eared tediumists, shnaffle raffle shnaffle rick rastardly

A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray
Eric B. & Rakim - Follow the Leader
Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance
Joe Smooth - Promised Land
Inner City - Big Fun
Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - It Takes Two
Happy Mondays - WFL (Wrote for Luck)
S'Express - Theme from S-Express
Stetsasonic - Talkin' All That Jazz
Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos

top 10, in order. unreservedly love all these.

shit I missed First We Take Manhattan

so i'm voted for "Something that's shimmering and white."

but a bunch of good songs were also in the running like: "Gigantic,"There She Goes," "You Made Me Realize," "Fast Car," "Voodoo Ray," "WLF," "Sidewalking," "Crash" and second was "Wild Thing."

'Orange Crush'. Piss easy, that one.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

20 1175 Eric B. & Rakim - Follow the Leader
12 643 Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance
7 439 Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock - It Takes Two
14 704 N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton
23 1208 Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
28 1353 Prince - Alphabet St.
37 1905 EPMD - You Gots to Chill
5 339 N.W.A - F*** Tha Police
13 675 Tracy Chapman - Fast Car
21 1191 N.W.A - Express Yourself

You Made Me Realise, but probably would have voted for the Young Gods' L'Amourir instead if that was an option.

This is fucking impossible but I don't see "Ana Ng" getting many votes and I do love that, so why the hell not

Surprised "Doctorin' The Tardis" wasn't on the list, but voted "Voodoo Ray". 1988 is an important year for me personally.

Surprised myself by voting for "Fast Car".

me too actually, the pixies and NWA songs sort of split their own votes and suddenly there's tracy chapman looking better than ever

won't be many opportunities here to vote for The Church, so that!

N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton
Public Enemy - Don't Believe the Hype
A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray
Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
EPMD - You Gots to Chill
Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
Pixies - Where Is My Mind?
Pixies - Gigantic
Happy Mondays - WFL

All great, but 'Straight Outta Compton' won the coin flip over 'WFL'

Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
Dinosaur Jr. - Freak Scene
Fugazi - Waiting Room
Morrissey - Everyday Is Like Sunday
Public Enemy - Don't Believe the Hype
Mudhoney - Touch Me, I'm Sick
Morrissey - Suedehead
Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
Leonard Cohen - First We Take Manhattan

I could very easily have voted for any of these, but I went with Mudhoney.

interesting timeslice. US indie and UK haircut rock slightly past their sell-by dates, rap and top 40 club music shooting balls of fire at the horizon. 'Buffalo Stance' v Prince for me.

('Alphabet St', 'Eye no' and 'Dance On' were almost enough to make LoveSexy a fantastic album but the rest was such garbage...)

Voted You Gots To Chill, but it could have just as easily been:

Where is my mind
It Takes two
One
Suedehead
Or any of the NWA jams

Very difficult to choose between these:

9 525 My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realize
16 747 A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray
18 785 Morrissey - Suedehead
19 1156 S'Express - Theme from S-Express
38 2023 Bomb the Bass - Beat Dis

Voodoo Ray vs Promised Land vs Buffalo Stance vs Crash vs about 5 other things, but I gotta pick one, so I'm going with Promised Land

Had Fuck Tha Police in my head all morning, but voted for the heavenly Buffalo Stance. So many bulletproof tracks here, this year is insane.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

tbh you could probably make a pretty good poll out of the ones that got no votes

Is there a Tracy Chapman revival going on that I missed? Five points seems kind of high, especially looking at some of the tracks that did worse.

Tracy Chapman was critically acclaimed from basically all music critics that reviewed it.

Okay, but I still think that's doing unexpectedly for this song on a poll here.

maybe you didn't hear me

BASICALLY ALL

I was around when it came out and am BASICALLY ALL aware of its critical reception, but I've never seen that reflected in ILM opinions. Maybe I've just missed it.

should've c+ped the "Basically all ilxors are known fans of Tracy Chapman" part

It got some love here: TS: "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman or "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow" by Nice & Smooth

(Admittedly, there was another thread where a couple people said it was a ripoff of "Jack and Diane".)

I think it's a pretty perfect tune and really like Chapman's delivery on it. Somehow none of the other contenders really matched it in the end. Sonic Youth and Public Enemy were not represented by their best songs imo. "Gangsta Gangsta" is the only NWA song I might have voted for. In fact, "Follow the Leader" is probably my favourite rap song on this list. I really like "One" but something about the way it concludes is not completely satisfying. I guess I didn't listen to "Jane Says" when I was deciding; maybe it would have been close. "Ana Ng" is good but just didn't hit me as much, ultimately.

honestly there's never been a point in my life where i wasn't happy to hear "fast car" in a waiting room

because you thought "I got a plan to get us outta here"??

I saw Tracy Chapman in the Cleveland airport in 1988. She was nice.

voted for one over buffalo stance and ana ng, all of which make me think of teeth to some extent.

srsly surprised "Follow the Leader" didn't get more votes

Ended up voting It Takes Two