The Dirty Dozen - My Top Twelve Albums Of 1988

Two years to go in noting my top twelve albums from each year. As noted last time, I had to start whittling down my list. With only seventeen spaces on the wall for record frames, only the best of the best would do.

So far, the contenders comprised of:

Prince - 1999 (1982)
Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)
Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual (1983)
Ghostbuster (1984)
The Cars - Heartbeat City (1984)
Jacksons - Victory (1984)
"Weird Al" Yankovic - In 3-D (1984)
Prince And The Revolution - Purple Rain (1984)
Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party (1985)
USA For Africa - We Are The World (1985)
Prince And The Revolution - Around The World In A Day (1985)
Falco - Falco 3 (1985)
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Dare To Be Stupid (1985)
Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet (1986)
Europe - The Final Countdown (1986)
Top Gun (1986)
Michael Jackson - Bad (1988)
Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction (1987)
Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation (1987)
Def Leppard - Hysteria (1987)
Prince - Sign 'O' The Times (1987)

Much like I have every time so far, there were honorable mentions...Well, one this time around. That would be the soundtrack to Bright Light, Big City. It features some great tracks from Prince, Bryan Ferry, New Orders, and M|A|R|R|S. Unfortunately, that only accounts for four of the ten tracks, leaving this one being far from perfect.

Kicking off the top twelve is the super group The Traveling Wilburys. Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, George Harrison, and Bob Dylan? I mean, come on. That has to make for an amazing album, right? Well...Not exactly, which is why it's all the way in the twelfth position. Truthfully, I only like one song off of it.

Ozzy Osborne was big for me in the 90's, and there was nothing more that I liked than to crank up the volume, and let Miracle Man blare through the speakers. No Rest For The Wicked isn't my go to album from Ozzy, but it still has some of my favorite tracks.

...And Justice For All was an album my brother used to play frequently, but not one I really grew an appreciation for until owning my own copy. These days, however, Metallica is too far over played for me to really enjoy. Still, this was a big part of my life for many years, and I would be remiss to ignore that fact.

My brother also introduced me to DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince while he played through He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper, and their prior released, Rock The House frequently. Admittedly, the comical side of Will Smith is what amused us kids, while introducing us to the world of rap.

I wouldn't learn about Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé's Barcelona until after the singer's death in 1991, but since then it's become a favorite for me. Well, a few select tracks from it anyway. Though I do enjoy listening to it, I think it mainly gets accolades from me for being an album by Mercury.

Much like their 1985 debut, which I had under the wrong year (1986), Fine Young Cannibals' The Raw & The Cooked actually came out in 1989, but I mistakenly put it in 1988. Also, like their 85 release, at this point, I can't be bothered to fix that error. I suppose if this one weren't here, then Bright Lights, Big City would have made the top twelve because there'd be no honorable mentions.

"Weird Al" was kind of taking a downward dive at this point in his career. Sure, Fat was funny, as were a few other of the tracks on Even Worse. However, for the most part, it just didn't pack the punch that prior albums did. Still, I do enjoy it every now and then. Like I said when writing about Dare To Be Stupid, something to consider would be to put all of Al's 80's albums on the wall...Oh, if only space allowed for me to go overboard.

As much as I like to scoff at Paul Abdul these days, the fact of the matter is that she ruled 1988. You couldn't turn on the radio without hearing one of her songs, or MTV without seeing one of her videos. Plus, she was just fun to watch for a young boy going through the early stages of manhood.

Taylor Dayne, much like Paula Abdul, came out of nowhere in 1988, and proceeded to dominate radios and MTV. Tell It To My Heart, Prove Your Love, and Don't Rush Me are among my favorites from her Tell It To My Heart debut album.

Say what you will about Bobby Brown's personal life, but his solo outing of the album Don't Be Cruel is a solid set of tunes. If it weren't for that boring cover, I might even consider it for the wall.

Who didn't listen to Bon Jovi's New Jersey in 1988? Was it better than Slippery When Wet? Debatable, but for me, nah. Still, what it certainly comprised of was a solid follow-up, and a slew of hits which have become synonymous with the era.

One of these days I'll get around to checking out the rare and seemingly forgotten debut from Roxette. For now, their sophomore, and subsequent breakthrough album, Look Sharp, will always be my go to from the duo. It's practically perfect from start to finish.

That last sentence actually sums up 1988 perfectly for me. Good albums, but none that are perfect from start to finish. I would, however, consider adding Roxette and Bon Jovi to the wall. Not only for the great songs, but the unique visuals on the covers.

Next week will wrap up my top twelve from each year, and from there it's go time. Decisions need to be made, albums purchased, and frames hung up.

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