In March of 1988 Pixies released their debut album. Engineered by Steve Albini, the album is a watershed moment for all alternative music that would be coming in the not too distant future. It also absolutely rules. Lets talk Pixies, Surfer Rosa!

In November of 1988 My Bloody Valentine released their debut studio album. Shoegazing has arrived. Lets talk My Bloody Valentine, Isn’t Anything!

In April of 1988 Tracy Chapman released her debut album. Recorded over eight weeks time in Hollywood CA, is a call to arms to a myriad of social and political issues. Preforming live at Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday tribute rocketed it’s success and made Tracy a household name. Lets talk Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman!

In November of 1988 Cowboy Junkies released their 2nd studio album. Recorded live in it’s entirety over one day at Toronto’s Church of the Holy Trinity, using a Betamax video cassette deck and a single microphone. Let’s talk Cowboy Junkies, The Trinity Session!

In August of 1988 The Go-Betweens released their 6th studio album. Though many in the band hated the pre-production process (and each other), the final results are impeccable; ten delightful pop classics by one of Australia’s finest musical acts. Lets talk The Go-Betweens. 16 Lovers Lane!

In November of 1988 Happy Mondays released their second studio album. This is the sound of ecstasy colliding with a very depressed Martin Hannett. Lets talk Happy Mondays, Bummed!

In November of 1988 R.E.M released their 6th studio album. Leaving their former label I.R.S in the taillights, the band made their move to the majors and signed to Warner Brothers. Lets talk R.E.M, Green!

In October of 1988 Mudhoney released their first major EP. The Seattle sound has officially arrived. Let’s talk Mudhoney, Superfuzz Bigmuff!

In May of 1988 Living Colour released their debut studio album. It peaked at number six on the Billboard top 200 and would go on to be certified 2x Platinum. Lets talk Living Colour, Vivid!

In February of 1988 Everything but the Girl released their 4th studio album. Tracey Thorn: “I am writing songs, though; lyrics that are more like short stories than pop lyrics. Perhaps they ought to be short stories. They don’t really have choruses. Maybe I’m just not very good at choruses. Ben is experimenting with synths…

In September of 1988 Fishbone released their 2nd studio album. A record that opens with Curtis Mayfield cover is a BOLD choice that can only go one of two ways; These punk/ska/funk/soul/hard rock/heavy metal maniacs managed to do it right. Let talk Fishbone, Truth and Soul!

ing loose the shackles of bombastic rock music, the band decided to merge traditional Irish, Scottish, & Country music with rock n roll this time out. Three years of recording and the results speak for themselves. Thirteen tracks coming in at just under an hour of pure bliss. Lets talk the Waterboys, Fisherman’s Blues!

In February of 1988 Leonard Cohen released his 8th studio album. Gone are the days of our troubadour poet and his classical acoustic guitar, replaced by the world weary man who’s seen too much, expects the worst, but laughs despite it all… with some really choice keyboards. Lets talk Leonard Cohen, I’m Your Man!

In January of 1988 The Pogues released their 3rd studio album. The album was released hot on the heels of their chart topping Christmas single, Fairytale of New York, and received much deserved critical acclaim. Lets talk The Pogues, If I Should Fall From Grace With God!

In July of 1987 Terence Trent D’Arby released his debut studio album. Darly Easlea: “a soundtrack to the turning point when the 80s turned from austerity to prosperity. It’s as central to that decade as the much-seen image of the city trader waving his wad of banknotes to the camera. It remains one big, infectiously…

In March of 1987 U2 released their 5th studio album. It is one of the best selling albums of all time, and is included in many a critic’s best albums of al time. Lets talk U2, The Joshua Tree!

In September of 1987 Pet Shop Boys released their Sophomore studio album. A loose critique on Thatcherism, the album was written in response to that harpy’s perceived re-election. It has appeared on a number of “must listen” lists and deservedly so. Let’s talk Pet Shop Boys, Actually!

In August of 1987 Michael Jackson released his 7th studio album. Coming a full five years after his worldwide #1 best selling album of all time, Thriller, expectations were astronomical from his follow-up. The results? Another best selling album of all time, 9 single out of the 11 tracks, and what a number of critics…

In November of 1987 The Triffids released their 4th studio album. The album title is taken from the term describing sailors getting brain sick after being at sea too long (a feeling the band identified with during the long back and forth flights to England to record the album). It was the most produced album…

In June of 1987 Sonic Youth released their 4th studio album. The band continues their transition from No Wave to more traditional song structures but not ones to shy away from the avant-garde, the album is a loose concept record, the title itself is a reference to author Philip K. Dick’s fraternal twin who died…

MP3 Audio [36 MB]DownloadShow URL In July of 1987 Napalm Death released their debut studio album. Pioneering the Grindcore sub-genre of Extreme Heavy Metal, these Meriden teens went faster and harder than any other band had to the point, so much so that they were entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for the…

In March of 1987 Laibach released their 3rd studio album. Championing the new to us genre of Martial Industrial, the band dressed themselves onstage in their conscripted military uniforms, played disturbing 35 millimeter films, and subverted the musical stylings of such pop icons as The Beatles and Queen. Lets talk Laibach, Opus Dei!

In 1987 Ladysmith Black Mambazo released their 25th album. Following their work on Paul Simon’s Graceland, the group found themselves riding a much deserved wave of hype. This time with Simon producing, the band got their first international hit and won themselves a Grammy in the process. Lets talk Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Shaka Zulu!

In August of 1987, The Jesus and Mary Chain released their second studio album. It was the first one to feature drum machines, on account of their original drummer leaving the band to front Primal Scream. The album would peak at number five on the British charts, making it their best sales preforming record to…