25 1991 to 1988 Album Releases

These come from my longer lists at Awesomeprog. Here is a topic with my yearly lists, but it needs updating as I have made subsequent changes to my lists (added more, rearranged a bit even if the number can feel so very arbitrary depending on the whim of the moment). https://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=134499

This time I went with seven, six, five and seven for the years for 25 options. Again, please mention others and if nothing is liked from the list. I do think using other is generally a bit of a wasted poll option as we only have 25 and people can mention others as much as they like. Reading through the posts, as I often say, means more to me commonly, or is just more enjoyable, than looking at the poll results. Happy for others to promote and discuss the music of the time that they care about.

This is a multiple vote poll, please vote for up to five that you like of the total, or more if you really want to and mention those in a post. And again, feel free to mention any others. Please indicate if only mentioning others if none of the choices are known or liked. That helps me to better grok where you are coming from when mentioning other choices (gives me some more context).

1991

1. Swans - White Light From the Mouth of Infinity
2. Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
3. Cardiacs - Songs for Ships and Irons (compilation)
4. Tuxedomoon - The Ghost Sonata
5. Controlled Bleeding - Golgotha
6. Mercury Rev - Yerself Is Steam
7. Slint - Spiderland

1990

1. Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas (not in PA)
2. Depeche Mode - Violator (not in PA)
3. U Totem - U Totem
4. Dead Can Dance - Aion
5. Naked City (John Zorn) - Naked City
6. Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee (not in PA)

1989

1. Cardiacs - On Land and in The Sea
2. Thinking Plague - In This Life
3. After Dinner - Paradise of Replica
4. The Cure - Disintegration (not in PA)
5. Kate Bush - The Sensual World

1988

1. Cardiacs - A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window
2. Dead Can Dance - The Serpent's Egg
3. Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
4. Siouxsie and The Banshees - Peepshow (not in PA)
5. Geinoh Yamashirogumi - Symphonic Suite AKIRA
6. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Tender Prey (not in PA)
7. Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll (not in PA)

Love to hear about what people like from the list, if any, and what people's personal favourites are from the years. What matters most is that we care about the music we share. Thanks.

Edited by Logan - March 04 2025 at 23:25

Logan,

I know in general our tastes don't often align and the same can be said here with the exception of Toy Matinee. I really enjoyed that album. Some very notable session musicians comprised this band and Kevin Gilbert was a first rate talent. Unfortunately he never achieved the success he deserved and his death was tragic. In turn, that makes me think of Sheryl Crow, which only pisses me off.... Not a fan of hers. We will leave it there.

^ Thanks Paul, and others, like your list/s

Big Sky wrote: Logan, I know in general our tastes don't often align and the same can be said here with the exception of Toy Matinee. I really enjoyed that album. Some very notable session musicians comprised this band and Kevin Gilbert was a first rate talent. Unfortunately he never achieved the success he deserved and his death was tragic. In turn, that makes me think of Sheryl Crow, which only pisses me off.... Not a fan of hers. We will leave it there.

I don't like Sheryl Crow either, Jeff. Our distastes are aligning there, not for me because of any relationship with Kevin Gilbert, just generally. It is very sad about Kevin Gilbert, and while I have not listened to it in considerable years (almost 20) I have enjoyed The Shaming of the True. We had a member called the Progtologist who was a huge fan of it as I recall (something for the old-school PA members to reminisce about).

Thinking Plague! The floor is warm with nose hairs.

Dead Can Dance - The Serpent's Egg

* = Voted for. Would gladly have voted for the additional albums I kept, if I could.

1991

1. Swans - White Light From the Mouth of Infinity *
2. Talk Talk - Laughing Stock *

1990

1. Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas (not in PA) *
2. Depeche Mode - Violator (not in PA)

1989

1. The Cure - Disintegration (not in PA) *
2. After Dinner - Paradise of Replica

1988

1. Dead Can Dance - The Serpent's Egg *
2. Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
3. Siouxsie and The Banshees - Peepshow (not in PA)
4. Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll (not in PA)

Too many favourites here. Cardiacs and Talk Talk will have to make do with one vote each although all five of theirs are super voteworthy.

Edited by Lewian - 21 hours 55 minutes ago at 10:10

1991 Laughing Stock
1990 Violator
1989 Disintegration
1988 Symphonic Suite AKIRA

Mellotron Storm wrote: Laughing Stock Violator In This Life The Serpent's Egg A tough 4 years for our music. Some of my favourites. 91 Echolyn- s/t      Sonny Sharrock- Ask The Ages      Dunaj- Rosol 90 This might be my least favourite year in music. 89 Fates Warning- Perfect Symmetry      Marillion- Season's End 88 Iron Maiden- Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son      Dark- Tamna Voda (David Torn on guitar and loops and L. Shankar on double violin)

Yes it was. 1990 was particularly bad, although Bela Fleck and the Flecktones released their debut album which, was a strong release. Steve Morse had two good albums during this period. High Tension Wires (89) and Southern Steel (91). ABWH self titled album was released in 89 that was pretty good. Already mentioned Toy Matinee in an above post.

I have always liked Classical music and I would say I listened to more Classical music during this period than any other time thus far in my life.

Mellotron Storm wrote: A tough 4 years for our music. Some of my favourites.

While I partly agree, I've always liked "non-progressive" Thrash/Death Metal and Alternative Rock/Pop (+ classic Hip-Hop), so I won't have a problem coming up with twenty or so favorites - even for 1990.

If you don't know Rabih Abou-Khalil, placed in Prog Folk at PA where his Arabic Jazz do not fit in at all imo. He's got much more in common with Andre Fertier's Clivage, Codona and Vasant Rai in Indo Raga. Anyway, he released his strongest albums in this period.

Bukra,1989, Roots & Sprouts, 1990 and Al-Jadida (الجديدة) from 1991 in particular are just as great as his only ever mentioned album: Blue Camel from the year after (1992).