Best Albums of 1989

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Explore the best albums of 1989, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts.
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1989 year summaryThe best artists of 1989 were Pixies, The Cure, The Stone Roses, Beastie Boys, De La Soul, Galaxie 500, Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails, Tom Petty and Lou Reed.

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Doolittle

Pixies

"Their are albums and artists who I struggle with - My Bloody Valentine, Bob Dylan, and this band the Pixies. I have played this album over and over and over trying to understand its greatness just like MBV’s Loveless and I just don’t get it. I’ve tried my best and concede that it’s not for me, I ..." [+] Reply

- Simon_bramhall | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +11 votes (12 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

2,565 charts

Rank Score:

30,097

Rank in 1989:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"A dark, foreboding masterpiece that is consistently fantastic for the entire run time. The Cure know how to make a brilliant atmosphere and this record is the pinnacle of that for the group. It is pessimistic, moody and extremely over powering. The music almost forces you to become introspective ...""A dark, foreboding masterpiece that is consistently fantastic for the entire run time. The Cure know how to make a brilliant atmosphere and this record is the pinnacle of that for the group. It is pessimistic, moody and extremely over powering. The music almost forces you to become introspective with every listen making me ponder everything I have ever known even though I have listened to it countless times. There is truly nothing better in my opinion than sitting alone in a pitch black room with the sound of this record playing in the background and just getting completely lost in the gloom and despair. The album opens with Plainsong which perfectly introduces us to The Cure's sound with a grand and beautiful instrumental display that will hook you straight away. Then on the other end of the album, Untitled closes the release on a much darker note with about a 3 minute instrumental conclusion that gives you enough time to truly take in what you experienced. Everything in the middle of the bookends are just as phenomenal as well with the obvious huge hits being absolute masterpieces. The ones that are a little less well known are just as good as the big songs as well with the run of tracks 8-10 being a personal highlight. I really could pick out any song on this album and it would be amazing as the music is just that consistent on here with not a single song letting it down. This is primarily due to the outstanding instrumental work across the whole group as well as the lyrical and vocal contributions from Robert Smith. The lyrics on here might not be his darkest, as that belongs to Pornography, but they surely are melancholic and every track deserves attention for its words. He truly is a genius with his writing and if you have never looked into his lyrics then you really should as he is in my opinion the greatest song writer of all time. Finally, we have his delivery which suits the style and atmosphere perfectly creating a cohesive and consistent masterpiece that is a monument to how good records can be. Overall, not only is this album packed full of quality from the start right up to the very end but it is also one of the most important releases I have ever come across as it has changed my life completely which is a testament to just how outstanding it is. " [+] Reply

- Untitled | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

1,860 charts

Rank Score:

25,587

Rank in 1989:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

86 (2,090 votes)

Comments:

153

The Stone Roses

"This album stirs up so many emotions in me and always transports me back to the wonderful summer of 1989 and the joys of being 18 again. I have listened to thousands of times over the last 22 years and have never tired of it. It is a defining masterpiece..." Reply

- | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

2,048 charts

Rank Score:

22,013

Rank in 1989:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"Beastie Boys are one of my favorite band (All genre confused). Despite being a commercial failure at the time, "Paul's Boutique" is the best album of the Beasties. Absolute masterpiece, production model, deluge of samples, the album is an indisputable reference to rock culture composed of archive..." [+] Reply

- Kurtco | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (4 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

883 charts

Rank Score:

6,314

Rank in 1989:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

251

Average Rating:

82 (1,055 votes)

Comments:

3 Feet High And Rising

De La Soul

"It might be difficult to comprehend the significance of this album today but this was about as revolutionary as the invention of the electric guitar." Reply

ButterThumbz | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

573 charts

Rank Score:

3,985

Rank in 1989:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

415

Average Rating:

78 (616 votes)

Comments:

On Fire

Galaxie 500

"The year is 1989 . What was I doing in 1989 ? I was taking copious drugs whilst listening to the likes of Pixies , Material & The Jesus and Mary Chain . I was NOT listening to Galaxy 500 On Fire . Fast forward 28 years & I'm reading another best of list & note this Album has a 97% all time review..." [+] Reply

Brad1770 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

508 charts

Rank Score:

3,816

Rank in 1989:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

439

Average Rating:

82 (601 votes)

Comments:

Bleach

Nirvana

"It’s not complicated! Sometimes slower is better. Finishing the work that Black Flag’s My War and Flipper’s Album started, Bleach and company turned both metal and hardcore underground on its head by making SLOW the new fast. Combining the detuned riffage of Sabbath with 80s we-don’t give-two-fuc..." [+] Reply

- | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (6 helpful | 1 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

650 charts

Rank Score:

3,481

Rank in 1989:

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Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"Really good debut album. Favorites: Head Like A Hole, Terrible Lie, Down In It, Something I Can Never Have, Sin." Reply

- xhitmanx | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

506 charts

Rank Score:

3,432

Rank in 1989:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

"This one was on continuous spin when it first came out - everybody had. Two decades later, I find it hasn't lost any of its charm. Great music from the start; I think it's Petty's finest effort." Reply

- | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

504 charts

Rank Score:

3,327

Rank in 1989:

Rank in 1980s:

Overall Rank:

521

Average Rating:

79 (599 votes)

Comments:

10.

New York

Lou Reed

"Yeah full of social commentary and often great lyrics - at his best when he's delivering a story and introducing interesting mis-fit characters. Stand out songs for me are the first three songs plus Last Great American Whale. However there are a couple of songs I don't like - There Is No Time and..." [+] Reply

- PeterSmith | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1989

Appears in:

395 charts

Rank Score:

2,454

Rank in 1989:

Rank in 1980s:

107

Overall Rank:

703

Average Rating:

77 (450 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 1,000. Page 1 of 100

Best Albums of 1989 composition

Artist	Albums	%

Various Artists	14	1%
Gary Numan	3	0%
Гражданская Оборона [Grazhdanskaya Oborona]	3	0%
Янка [Yanka]	3	0%
The Rolling Stones	2	0%
Neil Young	2	0%
Trevor Pinnock / The English Concert	2	0%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	446	45%
	234	23%
	38	4%
	36	4%
	26	3%
	23	2%
	23	2%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	919	92%
Yes	82	8%

Live?	Albums	%
No	974	97%
Yes	27	3%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	986	99%
Yes	15	1%

Best Albums of 1989 chart changes

Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month
Up 6 from 97th to 91st Deep by Peter Murphy
Up 3 from 99th to 96th 101 by Depeche Mode
Up 1 from 74th to 73rd Foreign Affair by Tina Turner

Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month
Down 2 from 95th to 97th Strange Angels by Laurie Anderson
Down 2 from 96th to 98th On Land And In The Sea by Cardiacs
Down 1 from 25th to 26th Mother's Milk by Red Hot Chili Peppers

« View best albums of 1988View best albums of 1990 »

Best Albums of the 1970s

1. The Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd

2. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

3. The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars by David Bowie

4. Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV) by Led Zeppelin

5. Rumours by Fleetwood Mac

6. London Calling by The Clash

7. The Wall by Pink Floyd

8. Animals by Pink Floyd

9. Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division

10. Who's Next by The Who