Best Albums of 1988

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1.

Daydream Nation 

 Sonic Youth

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"Sonic Youth changed the way I saw rock music. I used to perceive it as a steady rhythm, with verses and a chorus. I used to play music in a very structured way during jam sessions that I had with friends, and to be honest that bored me, but I never thought to do anything differently because it wa...""Sonic Youth changed the way I saw rock music. I used to perceive it as a steady rhythm, with verses and a chorus. I used to play music in a very structured way during jam sessions that I had with friends, and to be honest that bored me, but I never thought to do anything differently because it was all I knew. Then, I listened to Daydream Nation and that changed everything. The way that Sonic Youth incorporate their prolonged jam sessions into their music and still made powerful, emotional music inspired me so much. Immediately, I invited my buddy over for a jam session. He played guitar, my dad played bass, and I drummed. We went on play the greatest jam session I ever have been a part of. It crescendoed loudly and made my heart racing and it brought the biggest smile to my face. I can thank Sonic Youth for inspiring me to change how I viewed rock music and the way that I play it and enjoy it. I have a newfound love for jam sessions again. I never get bored anymore because Daydream Nation has taught me to break outside the walls of traditional rock music and experiment and above all, make some loud noises."  [+]  Reply

- slurpdurp | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +19 votes (19 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

1,590 charts

Rank Score:

15,325

Rank in 1988:

1

Rank in 1980s:

10

Overall Rank:

75

Average Rating:

 84 (1,881 votes)

Comments:

147

2.

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Surfer Rosa 

 Pixies

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"This album really underwhelmed, especially when compared to Doolittle. The album runs 13 tracks, but most of those seem like song fragments more than songs (only 3 tracks really clock in at over 3 minutes). The fragments aren't really memorable or interesting andleave no impact, ending before the...""This album really underwhelmed, especially when compared to Doolittle. The album runs 13 tracks, but most of those seem like song fragments more than songs (only 3 tracks really clock in at over 3 minutes). The fragments aren't really memorable or interesting andleave no impact, ending before they've had any chance to be noticed or differentiated. This album feels pretty overhyped to me."  [+]  Reply

- souplipton | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +9 votes (10 helpful | 1 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

1,318 charts

Rank Score:

12,025

Rank in 1988:

2

Rank in 1980s:

13

Overall Rank:

102

Average Rating:

 84 (1,883 votes)

Comments:

113

3.

Spirit Of Eden 

 Talk Talk

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"When most guitar based music was embracing dance music or marketing their angst as Grunge anthems, Talk Talk release this little album of deconstructed intimacy. Spirit Of Eden may have seemed foreign but it made perfect sense to the Talk Talk evolution, that had been slowly progressing over thre..."" When most guitar based music was embracing dance music or marketing their angst as Grunge anthems, Talk Talk release this little album of deconstructed intimacy. Spirit Of Eden may have seemed foreign but it made perfect sense to the Talk Talk evolution, that had been slowly progressing over three previous albums. Album number 4 arrived like a frozen winter, the fourth and final season to complete the growth cycle. Upon its arrival it now become obvious that we'd actually arrived back at the beginning. Eden was invisible to the outside world, so far removed that it seemed completely out of place. The result was a revelation. In retrospect this was a vision of the current world, re-imagined as a protected place .A place where even the quietest voice is heard. Without distraction we discover Eden, a place where our inner child lives and In choosing to become a witness we accepted an invitation to walk inside anothers spiritual journey, where truth can finally speak freely. Our commitment is one of complete meditation. A clear mind is needed to hear. The Voice of vulnerability sings candidly into the open. Beautiful formations escape from the wandering cries and whispers. Somehow this album still sounds accidental and unrehearsed. It is a moment of time passing, that never becomes captured. Strength is born from sadness and loss, expressed with all the innocence of childhood. Honest confessions are not without doubt, but, never once is self pity indulged. Spirit Of Eden requires your care. It isn't somewhere to escape. It is the declaration of an inner voice. It returns us to the essence our ourselves. "  [+]  Reply

- maitredj | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +13 votes (14 helpful | 1 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

926 charts

Rank Score:

10,107

Rank in 1988:

3

Rank in 1980s:

17

Overall Rank:

128

Average Rating:

 84 (1,012 votes)

Comments:

69

4.

It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back 

 Public Enemy

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"It is easily one of te best albums ever. The second half is brilliantly constructed, with six classics and one interlude (Security of the First world)"  Reply

- David Logue | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

871 charts

Rank Score:

6,802

Rank in 1988:

4

Rank in 1980s:

29

Overall Rank:

234

Average Rating:

 80 (1,015 votes)

Comments:

60

5.

...And Justice For All 

 Metallica

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"My favorite Metallica album, love the structure of the songs and they don't seem to long to me. I would agree with others about the production. The bass is virtually absent here and who knows why. The lyrics are very interesting as there are songs about political corruption, discrimination, alien...""My favorite Metallica album, love the structure of the songs and they don't seem to long to me. I would agree with others about the production. The bass is virtually absent here and who knows why. The lyrics are very interesting as there are songs about political corruption, discrimination, alienation, the environment, and so on. Such subjects can be applied in real life which also adds on to why this is my favorite Metallica album. To Live Is to Die is a great instrumental tribute to the late Cliff Burton"  [+]  Reply

- F1Aaron | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

646 charts

Rank Score:

5,108

Rank in 1988:

5

Rank in 1980s:

44

Overall Rank:

329

Average Rating:

 80 (1,179 votes)

Comments:

52

6.

Tracy Chapman 

 Tracy Chapman

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"This album still sounds great today, it currently sits at BEA 501 Overall and 100% deserves to sit inside the top 500 I recall seeing Tracy Chapman live at the zenith of this albums mass popularity. It was at a large many thousand venue & we sat waiting for TC to appear & when she did it was just...""This album still sounds great today, it currently sits at BEA 501 Overall and 100% deserves to sit inside the top 500 I recall seeing Tracy Chapman live at the zenith of this albums mass popularity. It was at a large many thousand venue & we sat waiting for TC to appear & when she did it was just her, with one microphone, one acoustic guitar and a single chair for the entire gig ( in fact she sat down for the entire performance) . The ultimate intimate gig for a stadium. Needless to say the crowd sat spell bound and you could have heard a pin drop. Oh and Tracy barely spoke 2 words the whole night her shyness was palpable, she just sat on that chair & let her music do the talking. Whenever I hear this album it always takes me back to that night and one of the most unique concerts I ever had the privilege of attending. And yes this is a fantastic album."  [+]  Reply

- Brad1770 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

579 charts

Rank Score:

4,030

Rank in 1988:

6

Rank in 1980s:

58

Overall Rank:

415

Average Rating:

 77 (644 votes)

Comments:

36

7.

Isn't Anything 

 My Bloody Valentine

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"I have always loved those "I was there " album stories , for example "I was there when Sgt Peppers came out " or " I was there when Joshua Tree was released " .... well I have my very own "I was there " moment , I was there when 'Isn't Anything' was released in 1988 and I'll never forget it . I p...""I have always loved those "I was there " album stories , for example "I was there when Sgt Peppers came out " or " I was there when Joshua Tree was released " .... well I have my very own "I was there " moment , I was there when 'Isn't Anything' was released in 1988 and I'll never forget it . I pretty much picked this album up the week it was released , I don't recall why I decided to pick it up on vinyl LP but I just did (it must have been the musical gods speaking to me ) and TBH it was life changing . So I bring it home and drop the needle and I couldn't believe what I was hearing , it was like nothing that had come before and it literally blew my mind , I'll never forget that moment like the moment I first heard 'Surfer Rosa' The reviews were Mind-Boggling such as this example from Melody Maker describing the album as - " a raving nymphomania and out of body experience that establishes them as absent minded rulers of this daydream nation" Every song here is great , every moment means something . The song that really unlocked this album for me was "No More Sorry" a sorrowful longing piece that gets me every time And you have to remember this was a land mark album / sound in that nothing had been done like it prior , shoe-gaze is now an established musical gene , this album is Ground Zero Masterpiece 85/100 "  [+]  Reply

- Brad1770 | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

528 charts

Rank Score:

3,610

Rank in 1988:

7

Rank in 1980s:

71

Overall Rank:

471

Average Rating:

 80 (702 votes)

Comments:

41

8.

Green 

 R.E.M.

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"Green is a funny little album. It marks the end of the IRS years, and the beginning of the more mainstream Warner Bros. period. It seems a lot of people have fond memories of Green as an album, and it is that sort of friendly album. Perhaps coupled by it's green tour, it has a real sort of commun...""Green is a funny little album. It marks the end of the IRS years, and the beginning of the more mainstream Warner Bros. period. It seems a lot of people have fond memories of Green as an album, and it is that sort of friendly album. Perhaps coupled by it's green tour, it has a real sort of community feel to it. It's the sort of album that you'd have on cassete and listen to in the car, it has such variety that everyone would find something to like. But it just lacks something. R.E.M.'s attempts at pop songs sound daft rather than up-beat, with the exception of pop-song 89. "Stand", for instance, I've always felt sounded too fake-cheery for such a seemingly ernest band. Some songs really stand out though, however, namely World Leader Pretend - a unique song with a Pink Floyd's The Wall-esque to it. It has a good handful of mandolin tunes as well, reminding me of Led Zepplin IV. The one thing that has always gotten my goat, however, is that the album never seems to end. "I Remember California" is an almost uncomforatbly dark song, juxtaposing with it's name, that simply fades out. It's then followed up by an untitled hidden track which, whilst has that end-song-feel to it (a happy ending), it fades out too. Some albums can pull off the fade-out album ending, such as Achtung-Baby, but it just doesn't work here. Shame too, would have be much higher in the list otherwise, but I still love it. "  [+]  Reply

- | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

527 charts

Rank Score:

3,539

Rank in 1988:

8

Rank in 1980s:

72

Overall Rank:

478

Average Rating:

 78 (754 votes)

Comments:

56

9.

Straight Outta Compton 

 N.W.A

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"Blueprint for rap and hip-hop of the 90s, sadly it havent aged well and the lyrics feel less impactful now than in the 80s. But the good songs, are REALLY good."  Reply

- Jbalbinolr | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

608 charts

Rank Score:

3,305

Rank in 1988:

9

Rank in 1980s:

79

Overall Rank:

529

Average Rating:

 78 (744 votes)

Comments:

40

10.

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son 

 Iron Maiden

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"Somehow these metal masters found a way to fuse the synths with the heavy guitar/bass/drum combo and make a unique product that retains it's heavy metallic flavor. This is some of Maiden's most consistent songwriting, Harris' bass lines are as astonishing as ever, Dickinson's vocals continue to s...""Somehow these metal masters found a way to fuse the synths with the heavy guitar/bass/drum combo and make a unique product that retains it's heavy metallic flavor. This is some of Maiden's most consistent songwriting, Harris' bass lines are as astonishing as ever, Dickinson's vocals continue to soar, the guitars rock and Nicko McBrain's underrated drumming is also top notch. No weaknesses here, a great album through and through. "  [+]  Reply

- Fischman | Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful) A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.

Year of Release:

1988

Appears in:

370 charts

Rank Score:

2,475

Rank in 1988:

10

Rank in 1980s:

106

Overall Rank:

697

Average Rating:

 80 (564 votes)

Comments:

25

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of 1988 composition

Top 1,000 Top 500 Top 250 Top 100

Artist	Albums	%
Various Artists	22	2%
Frank Zappa	4	0%
The Beatles	4	0%
Philip Glass	3	0%
The Bevis Frond	3	0%
The Original Broadway Cast	2	0%
Diamanda Galás	2	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	431	43%
	233	23%
	48	5%
	45	5%
	30	3%
	27	3%
	26	3%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	901	90%
Yes	99	10%

Live?	Albums	%
No	969	97%
Yes	31	3%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	984	98%
Yes	16	2%