My Quasi Pompous Ode to 1989 (part 1 of 4)

My 20 year H.S. reunion approaches this week, so in honor of my beloved classmates of '89, I give you this 4 part blurb...

My personal 20 essential tunes from 1989. Notice the "personal" inclusion, and nowhere will you hear me say "best." So BACK OFF! First and foremost, I am not a music critic. I simply like what I like. Admittedly, my musical taste isn't for everyone. But I hope you will enjoy my little blast to the past.

First off, some rules. OK, one rule. Only one song per group. There were some tough choices in this regard, but for the interest of diversity, we'll only choose one song per group. Disclaimer: I may have missed something, and years may overlap. This was a best effort, and done with minimal research. It is a humble opinion, and hence, can not be flawed :)

#20 - Bad English: "When I See You Smile"

Just kidding. Perhaps now you get the pompous reference :)

#20 (for reals) - Fine Young Cannibals: "Ever Fallen In Love"
OK...a cover song. But we love the Buzzcocks, so props to this Birmingham trio for good taste. There were bigger "hits" off The Raw and the Cooked, such as "Good Thing" and "She Drives Me Crazy," but we choose this one to start our Essential 20. The video from the FYC is kinda lame, so in lieu of, I give you the original...



#19 - The Smithereens: "A Girl Like You"

We're also a fan of "Blues Before and After", but choose this, the opening track off of 11. Love the opening riff...



#18 - The Vaselines: "Dying For It"

Originally released as an EP the year prior (which also contains the tune "Molly's Lips", which Nirvana later covered), this here tune appears on the Vaselines only full length, Dum-Dum. EC highly recommends a purchase of Enter the Vaselines, a 2009 deluxe re-issue from Sub Pop which contains Dum-Dum, their two EP's (Dying For It and Son of a Gun), as well as demos and live tracks.



#17 - The Replacements: "Talent Show"

I CAN'T BELIEVE...I'VE ONLY JUST DISCOVERED...THE REPLACEMENTS!!!!

From Don't Tell a Soul, definitely not our favorite from the Replacements catalogue, which also contained the hit "I'll Be You."



#16 - Galaxie 500: "When Will You Come Home"

Seeing Galaxie 500 gave way to Dean Wareham's next band Luna, another fav of ours, as well as the Damon and Naomi duo, I guess this here defines "essential" for me. Love this record, and it was a tough call to narrow to one track. Pitchfork calls it the 16th best album from the 80's. Also off of On Fire: "Strange", "Blue Thunder", and "Snowstorm." The CD version also contains a New Order cover, "Ceremony." I believe Damon is playing drums underneath a basketball hoop. Cool...