Nothing is as quite as good as music for transporting you back to past times of love, loss, and the gaining of life's experiences. I know that most of my childhood can be most effectively measured musically!
I was suitably shocked to learn that 'Simply Irresistible' by Robert Palmer featured prominently in the New Zealand charts waaaaayyyyy back in 1988! I still remember vividly that steady rock beat, the simple, punchy, and catchy tune, the stabby brass section, and those almost-very-nearly-identical dancing/band girls - an astonishing coming-together of style and substance built to last (complete with that awesomely syncopated drum fill that inspired the young drummer in myself!) - it's in your head right now isn't it!?
And that got me to thinking, "I wonder how many other standout classic tunes that, just like me, are maybe getting on a bit?" and "I wonder what other songs were around at the same time as 'Simply Irresistible'"? Turns out that 1988 was a bumper year for iconic music!
So I made a list to share with you all - I'm referring to it among my colleagues as "A Musical Nostalgia Trip" to avoid having to feel too old myself! This is by no means an exhaustive list of the quality of music back in 1988, merely a list of tunes to hopefully trigger some nostalgic thoughts and memories, and maybe even prompt you into some nostalgic musical discoveries of your own!
There's some big hitting songs in here so if you remember them from 1988, maybe go easy and have regular cups o'tea...
Enjoy:
All of these songs listed here could be considered classics and, in some cases, so can the albums that featured them. And as always with music there are so many ways to experience the world of sound, so in this list I offer you CDs, artists' biographies, live shows on DVD, music press articles, and printed music so you can play them yourself! Get borrowing and set off singing along your own musical nostalgia trip!
George Michael: The Lone Star State. By Adrian Deevoy, Q, Jun 1988. Part of Rock's Backpages, The ultimate library of rock music writing and journalism. Thousands of articles, interviews and reviews from the world's best music writers and critics, from the late 1950s to the present day. Read the best writing on rock music here. /
Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is A Place On Earth. Official video. Released in 1987, taken from Belinda's album 'Heaven On Earth'.
Guns N' Roses: Dancing with Mr Brownstone. By Paul Elliott, Sounds, 4 Nov 1989. Part of Rock's Backpages, The ultimate library of rock music writing and journalism. Thousands of articles, interviews and reviews from the world's best music writers and critics, from the late 1950s to the present day. Read the best writing on rock music here.
Bobby McFerrin. By Tim Page, Newsday, 30 Jul 1995. Part of Rock's Backpages, The ultimate library of rock music writing and journalism. Thousands of articles, interviews and reviews from the world's best music writers and critics, from the late 1950s to the present day. Read the best writing on rock music here. /
Def Leppard: Loadsamoney!!. By Mat Snow, Q, May 1988. Part of Rock's Backpages.
She’s Gotta Ticket: Tracy Chapman. By Lucy O'Brien, City Limits, 5 May 1988. Part of Rock's Backpages.
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