1989 ā What an awesome year for rock music! Where do I even begin?
After being a rock music enthusiast for so long, I can with an absolute clear conscious declare 1989 as one of the best years of rock music! It was the end of a strong, rock&roll decade, grunge music was already becoming a formidable force on the scene, so it was basically do or die for many returning or debuting bands. Out of this turbulent, trend-shifting period, however, tons of great releases managed to come out and leave a memorable trace behind them. From one of Eric Claptonās strongest albums, featuring a Grammy winning song, to powerful, multi-platinum debuts, such as Skid Rowās eponymous album, 1989 was overflowing with excitement and monumental rock music! Ā
With time, I also came to the conclusion that many of my personal favorite hard rock albums were released around that time as well. Plenty of those records came out in 1989. For the fun of it, I decided to prepare this little list, consisting of 15 albums that to me had (and still have) the best, most appealing and intriguing musical presence during 1989. Itās a personal selection, based on my liking and preferences but I would love to know more about your favorite 1989 albums! Enjoy my list and feel free to comment and share your thoughts and selections! Cheers!
Eric Clapton – Journeyman
Eric Clapton always comes first when it comes to my personal selections, especially if we talk about his 80sā releases. āJourneymanā was the absolute peak of Eric Claptonās career, featuring a Grammy winning song, āBad Loveā and tons of other beautiful blues tunes, such as āBefore You Accuse Meā and āHard Timesā. What really impressed me was Claptonās obvious confidence on āJourneymanā. He overcame his alcohol abuse and all the other ghosts of the past and released one of the most phenomenal blues/rock albums of all time. The album definitely sounds modern, more pop-influenced, rather than strictly focusing on that heavy blues mood, Clapton adores so much. Some of the other highlights and personal favorite songs from āJourneymanā include āPretendingā, āAnything for Your Loveā, āOld Loveā and āBreaking Pointā. Itās definitely an album worthy of your time and appreciation!
TNT – Intuition
Norwegian rockers TNT completely blew me away with their 1989 release, āIntuitionā. It quickly became a personal favorite and an album I simply cannot live without. I often say that itās extremely underrated ā I mean, just listen to the catchy, outstanding rockers, including the title song, āCaught Between the Tigersā, āForever Shine Onā and of course, one of my FAVORITE songs of all time, the power ballad āTonight Iām Fallingā. āIntuitionā didnāt really make a huge splash on the charts or sold that well, compared to other similar glam rock releases of the era; however it did manage to conquer my heart with just one listen. Tony Harnell is a brilliant vocalist and I will forever be thankful to him and guitarist Ronni Le TekrĆø for crafting such an enjoyable piece of art. Ā
Giant – Last of the Runaways
Giantās āLast of the Runawaysā is one of the most underappreciated rock releases of all time which I think is unforgivable! In addition to the famous power ballad, āIāll See You In My Dreamsā, āLast of the Runawaysā has so much more to offer. The whole debut album is just simply a beautiful, well-balanced selection of arena rock tunes, perfectly demonstrating the artistic skills and qualities of Giant. āInnocent Daysā, āCanāt Get Close Enoughā and āNo Way Outā are just a few of the dangerously obsessive rock gems that could be heard on this album. āLove Welcome Homeā and āIt Takes Twoā are also some of the highlights! Once again, the timing wasnāt right for those talented guys. Letās not forget Dann Huff who brought so much character to āLast of the Runawaysā with his emotional and unforgettable vocal delivery.
Strangeways – Walk in The Fire
The Scottish AOR/Melodic rock band, Strangewaysā third album, titled āWalk in the Fireā was the reason why I got to know them in the first place. I played the first track ā āWhere are they Nowā and I was immediately captivated by the gorgeous melody and the superb killer-vocals of Terry Brock. Their Americanized sound can be characterized as mixture between Journey, Boston and Bad Company, but with a little something extra. In addition to āWhere are they nowā, some other highlights include the charming power ballad āLove Lies Dyingā and the uplifting āEvery Time You Cryā.
āWalk in the Fireā didnāt really achieve commercial success, despite its first class AOR qualities. The album, along with the band shouldāve been so much bigger back in the day. Nevertheless, they are worth discovering. I canāt recommend this album enough.
Danger Danger – Danger Danger
Danger Danger debuted in the summer of 1989 with a self-titled album, strictly following the well-established glam rock formula for success. Fueled with catchy, rhythmic and easy to absorb tunes, the record could easily be described as an āenjoyable Friday night experienceā. To be fair, the record does sound a bit too generic and canāt really stand out with an exceptional musicianship, outstanding vocal delivery or profound lyrics. Nevertheless, this melodic hard rock jewel can almost guarantee you a perfect mood which is the reason why is on this list! āNaughty Naughtyā and āBang Bangā were released as singles and turned into Danger Dangerās best-known classics. (Those guys really enjoyed double titles.) Both tracks are fun and highly entertaining, despite their obvious commercial-driven goals. āSaturday Niteā, āRock Americaā, āFeels Like Loveā and āOne Step from Paradiseā are just a few of the other satisfying rockers who made this album so appealing to me. Danger Danger got all the pieces of the puzzle with this project; however they were 5-10 years later for the party. This album wouldāve got so much attention on AOR radio!
Treat – Organized Crime
Swedish rockers Treat grabbed my attention with their third album, āDreamhunterā (1987), however their 1989 release, titled āOrganized Crimeā turned me into a die-hard fan. I always felt so sad because despite being so talented, they couldnāt become a household name in the 1980s melodic rock scene. Anyhow, back to āOrganized Crimeā ā their fourth release is home to mind-blowing rockers, such as the unbelievably catchy āGet You On The Runā, āParty All Overā, āKeep Your Hands to Yourselfā and the beautiful ballad, āStay Awayā. Attractive melodies, smooth vocals and hard-rocking sound are just some of the reasons why I think that thereās absolutely no way this album canāt win over any melodic/AOR fan.
Bonham – The Disregard of Timekeeping
Another debut and another perfect rock album! āThe Disregard of Timekeepingā, the first actual attempt of Jason Bonham to hit it big commercially, became a reality in 1989. The project caused quite the stir among the rock fan communities but it was only natural ā the son of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer was about to unleash a new force to the competitive hair metal musical market and fans just had to see through it all! āThe Disregard of Timekeepingā spawned exceptional songs, including āGuiltyā- a song that won me over with its mesmerizing intro, unparalleled vocal delivery by Daniel MacMaster and that soul-demolishing violin solo by bassist John Smithson. āWait for Youā, āPlaying to Winā and āRoom for Us Allā are other worthy and highly memorable moments on Bonham‘s 1989 debut.
Skid Row – Skid Row
Now weāre talking!!!
Fronted by one of the most charismatic and talented vocalists of all time, Sebastian Bach, Skid Row‘s self-titled debut became one of the best-selling and most influential albums of the year. “Youth Gone Wild”, “18 and Life”, “I Remember You”, āPiece of Meā ā do I have to say more? There are plenty of reasons why this album got certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA and you can easily discover them if you listen to it from start to finish. āSkid Rowā brought that much-needed sass and danger into the music scene, incorporated among serious melodic riffs. MTV loved them as well, which further more boosted their image as the new hot kids on the block! What else is there to say ā itās an amazing and highly entertaining album and no wonder itās on my favorite 1989 albums list!
Blue Murder – Blue Murder
John Sykes proved that he is a worthy monster guitarist as a member of household names such as Tygers of Pan Tang and Thin Lizzy. Then, he and David Coverdale crafted what is often considered as one of the most enormous hard rock records of all time. Yes, of course Iām talking about that influential 1987 album that spawned timeless hit singles like āHere I go againā, āStill of the Nightā and āIs This Loveā, known by every single soul on this universe. After they went their separate ways, John Sykes formed Blue Murder and in 1989, they released their self-titled, debut album, which is yet again a highly underrated album, despite its out-of-this world qualities and songs that are able to conquer every part of your soul! Iām not exaggerating, believe me ā if the timing and situation was different, this album wouldāve been so huge! Some of the earth-shattering songs on āBlue Murderā include āRiotā, āBlack-Hearted Womanā and the title track. Of course, the sweetest moments come in the face of āValley of the Kingsā which is one of those tunes you can play for days and naturally (at least for me) the mesmerizing ballad āOut of Loveā.
Mr. Big – Mr. Big
In the summer of 1989, Mr. Big became one of the many bands to release a debut album. The eponymous record did manage to leave an impression on the charts and it did sell over 300,000 copies in just a year, so we can conclude that it was somewhat successful. It did, however, deserve way more than that. I still remember the first time I heard the opening track, “Addicted to That Rush” ā it was like a powerful shot of adrenaline and it made me feel so good! The entire album is one energizing piece of music that was made to give you that much needed kick! āWind me Upā, āHad Enoughā and āBlame it On My Youthā are just a few of my favorite tracks that could be heard on āMr. Bigā. Paul Gilbert and Eric Martin are an exceptional team and I have nothing but respect and adoration for this album!
Tesla – The Great Radio Controversy
Tesla!!! Where do I even begin? I love this band and this album so much!!
In 1989, Tesla released their sophomore album, titled āThe Great Radio Controversyā ā an album I first got to know through the groundbreaking ballad, āLove Songā which is so unique and different from all the other power ballads released at that same time. Thatās not all of it though. The entire album is one splendid mixture of blues, hard rock, pop rock and metal. On top of it all, the distinctive vocals of Jeff Keith made sure that I will forever remember and hold this album dear. In addition to that well-known ballad, āThe Great Radio Controversyā is home to one of the most empowering tunes ā āHang Toughā. āLady Luckā, āParadiseā, āLazy Days, Crazy Nightsā, āBe a Manā and basically each and every other song on this album are highly spirited and so easy to fall in love with. āThe Great Radio Controversyā was certified double platinum for a reason!
Great White – …Twice Shy
The unquestionable commercial highlight of Great Whiteās career has to be āā¦Twice Shyā. Iām not saying itās their best album but it most certainly is an amazing release, worthy of acknowledgment. Great Whiteās cover of Ian Hunter‘s “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” and of course “The Angel Song” are the most popular tunes that came out of the album, conquering charts and leaving a timeless trace. Moreover, āHouse of Broken Loveā is yet another highlight, dedicated to the love struggles vocalist Jack Russell and guitarist Mark Kendall were going through at that time. āBabyās On Fireā and āHeart Hunterā are a couple of my other favorites on the record! āā¦Twice Shyā got certified double platinum and is still considered as one of the staples of ā80s glam rock!
XYZ – XYZ
Produced by none-other than Don Dokken himself, XYZās self-titled debut turned into another one of the underrated highlights of 1989. All in all, āXYZā is an album that could have easily blown out any other hard rock album of that era, even the multi-platinum ones. Fantastic stand-out tracks such as āInside Outā, āWhat Keeps Me Loving Youā, āTake What You Canā and āCome On Nā Love Meā deserve nothing but to be enjoyed and played as loud as possible. Frontman Terry Ilous is contributing significantly to the overall satisfying experience that is this debut release. Tons of talent and full of character ā I canāt recommend this release enough!
Kingdom Come – In Your Face
I am a huge Kingdom Come fan so no surprises here. Their sophomore album, titled āIn Your Faceā is a worthy follow-up to their well-deserving debut album and the second of the trilogy of good releases by Kingdom Come, at least in my opinion. āIn Your Faceā impressed me with uplifting songs like āWho Do You Loveā, āThe Windā and laid-back tunes such as āJust Like a Wild Roseā. All in all, āIn Your Faceā is an enjoyable album and despite the obvious influences, drawn by Led Zeppelin, I do enjoy listening to this record from time to time. I agree that itās a bit inconsistent and it does have its flaws but if you like AOR, youāre gonna love this, just like I do!
Whitesnake – Slip of the Tongue
Last but not least, I just had to include Whitesnakeās eight studio album, āSlip of the Tongueā. Many people, including David Coverdale himself think of this album as one of Whitesnakeās weakest releases; however thatās definitely not what I think. As a matter of fact, itās my favorite Whitesnake album and a couple of songs are the reason why. āThe Deeper the Loveā, āJudgement Dayā and āNow You are Goneā have been an inseparable part of my daily playlist for so many years. Letās also not forget about that impressive re-recording of āFool for Your Lovingā. Sound shift or not, Whitesnake did wonders with this glorious hard rock album and I will forever defend its greatness.