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1989 Music
We featured albums from the year 1989 during March and April 2014. During this 25th anniversary celebration of this music, we have originally reviewed these albums:

*1989 Album of the Year

Below are further descriptions of each album, in the order that we reviewed them.

March 9, 2014
Junta by PhishNot willing to wait around for a big time record contract, Phish decided to record and produce their music themselves. Their first official release was the rich and exciting Junta (originally released only on cassette), which shows the immense talent of this jam-band quartet in their infancy.

Review of Junta

March 13, 2014
Journeyman by Eric ClaptonWhile the 1980s was a trying and tumultuous decade for guitar legend Eric Clapton they ended on high note with the success of Journeyman, his biggest selling album to date. This diverse and mature release may also be Clapton’s finest vocally and has the added bonus of featuring cameos by several contemporary rock and pop stars.

Review of Journeyman

March 17, 2014
Presto by RushAt the end of the 1980s, Rush made a concerted effort to return to a more traditionally sounding album. Like they did at the start of the decade, they remained close to home to write and record the album, Presto, and the result is a true comeback album, which somehow seems to lack the gravitas and accolades that it truly deserves.

Review of Presto

March 22, 2014
The End of the Innocence by Don HenleyTaking five years to compose and refine material, Don Henley relished in his mid-80s success, before producing The End of the Innocence at the end of the decade. Henley also gathered an impressive lineup of compositional, performance, and production talent for this effort.

Review of The End of the Innocence

March 26, 2014
Pump by AerosmithPump was a tremendous commercial success for Aerosmith as they moved more towards pop music at the end of the 1980s. It is the only Aerosmith album to score three Top 10 singles on the Billboard pop chart, and became the fourth bestselling album overall for the year 1990.

Review of Pump

March 31, 2014
Great Radio Controversy by TeslaTesla bridged the gap between 1980s hard rock and 1990s folk/alternative with Great Radio Controversy, their most popular and highly acclaimed album. There is material on this album with soul and musicianship which few new releases touched at that point in time.

Review of Great Radio Controversy

April 4, 2014
Disintegration by The CureTen years and eight albums into their recording career, The Cure hit their pinnacle with the melancholy but rich album Disintegration. The album was the result of lead singer and lyricist Robert Smith‘s growing depression as he realized that he was within a year of his thirtieth birthday.

Review of Disintegration

April 8, 2014
Storm Front by Billy JoelBilly Joel was in a period of financial and professional turmoil when he released Storm Front at the end of the 1980s. While the album was the latest in a long string of commercial blockbusters, its overtly pop approach mark it as a pivotal moment of the latter years of Joel’s pop career.

Review of Storm Front

 
April 12, 2014
Stone Roses 1989 albumWith an expert blend of sixties pop sensibilities, eighties dance rhythms, and the emerging Britpop sound of the nineties, The Stone Roses showed incredible promise on their 1989 self-title debut. However, conflicts internal and external, would ultimately doom the group to a very brief but potent lifespan.

Review of The Stone Roses

 
April 17, 2014
Master of Disguise by Lizzy BordenAs far as a hair band’s potential for greatness goes, Lizzy Borden‘s ambitious, formidable and fulfilling Master of Disguise is about as good as it got. The melodic brilliance of the sound involves accessible guitar riffs, string orchestration, and a tactful skill for setting the mood for some tracks, all while the musical compositions and performances excel.

Review of Master of Disguise

 
April 21, 2014
Let Love Rule by Lenny KravitzWith a deep blend of influence from diverse genres ranging from classical to blues to rock n’ roll, Lenny Kravitz made a unique and entertaining 1989 debut with Let Love Rule. Besides composing all the material, Kravitz also produced the album and recorded many of the vintage instruments himself.

Review of Let Love Rule

 
April 25, 2014
The Real Thing by Faith No MoreAfter muddling through a couple of early releases, Faith No More decided to change things up on The Real Thing. They brought in dynamic vocalist Mike Patton and began to experiment and advance their base heavy metal sound by fusing progressive rock, hip hop, funk, jazz, and soul.

Review of The Real Thing

 
April 29, 2014
Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty, 1989 Album of the Year
Full Moon Fever is the album where Tom Petty really hit his stride and found his greatest success. Combining the resources and influences of his two most recent groups, with a simple a deep regard for the roots of rock n’ roll, Petty and producer Jeff Lynne forged this high quality album.

Review of Full Moon Fever

 
January 24, 2019
Skid RowComing in near the very end of the “hair metal” phenomenon, Skid Row‘s 1989 debut found much commercial success as with their aggressive yet catchy hooks. With much musical talent in the band and the and the over-the-top delivery of vocalist Sebastian Bach, the group delivered a consistent and melodic album.

Review of Skid Row

 
June 6, 2019
in Step by Stevie Ray VaughnIn Step is the album where Stevie Ray Vaughan found his own songwriting voice and his backing group Double Trouble blended blues, soul, and rock in unique ways. The result is a critically-acclaimed career masterpiece which soars through bittersweet music.

Review of In Step

 
Final 1989 Poll Results
Q: What is the best album of 1989?

1 Junta by Phish 20%
2 Presto by Rush 18%
3 Pump by Aerosmith 17%
4 Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty 14%
5 Let Love Rule by Lenny Kravitz 11%
6 Great Radio Controversy by Tesla 10%
7 Journeyman by Eric Clapton 8%

Conducted on our site, March-April, 2014

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