Saturday, December 31, 1988

Dave’s Faves: My Album Collection in 1988

Dave’s Faves:

My Album Collection in 1988

By year’s end, this was what my collection looked like. Albums acquired in 1988 are marked with an asterisk.

  1. Aha Hunting High and Low (1985)
  2. Aha Scoundrel Days (1986)
  3. Aha Stay on These Roads (1988) *
  4. Air Supply Lost in Love (1980)
  5. Air Supply The One That You Love (1981)
  6. Alabama Greatest Hits (compilation: 1980-86, released 1986)
  7. Alabama The Touch (1986)
  8. Alabama Live (live, 1988) *
  9. Asia Asia (1982)
  10. Asia Alpha (1983)
  11. Asia Astra (1985)

  12. Bangles All Over the Place (1984)
  13. Bangles Different Light (1986)
  14. Bangles Everything (1988)
  15. The Beatles Yesterday…and Today (1966)
  16. The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
  17. The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
  18. The Beatles Hey Jude (1968)
  19. The Beatles 1962-1966 (compilation: 1962-66, released 1973)
  20. The Beatles 1967-1970 (compilation: 1967-70, released 1973)
  21. The Beatles 20 Greatest Hits (compilation: 1962-70, released 1982)
  22. Pat Benatar Crimes of Passion (1980)
  23. Pat Benatar Get Nervous (1982)
  24. Pat Benatar Live from Earth (live, 1983)
  25. Pat Benatar Tropico (1984)
  26. Pat Benatar Seven the Hard Way (1985)
  27. Berlin Pleasure Victim (1983)
  28. Berlin Love Life (1984)
  29. Berlin Count Three and Pray (1986)
  30. Blondie Parallel Lines (1978)
  31. Blondie Eat to the Beat (1979)
  32. Boomtown Rats In the Long Grass (1984)
  33. Boston Third Stage (1986)
  34. David Bowie ChangesOneBowie (compilation: 1969-76, released 1976)
  35. David Bowie Never Let Me Down (1987)

  36. Paul Carrack One Good Reason (1987) *
  37. Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman (1988) *
  38. Chicago Chicago 16 (1982)
  39. Chicago Chicago 17 (1984)
  40. Toni Childs Union (1988) *
  41. Phil Collins No Jacket Required (1985)
  42. Robert Cray Strong Persuader (1986)
  43. Robert Cray Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (1988) *
  44. Crowded House Crowded House (1986)
  45. Crowded House Temple of Low Men (1988) *

  46. Terence Trent D’Arby Introducing the Hardline… (1987) *
  47. David + David Boomtown (1986)
  48. Def Leppard Pyromania (1983)
  49. Def Leppard Hysteria (1987)
  50. John Denver Greatest Hits (compilation: 1969-72, released 1973)
  51. Dennis DeYoung Desert Moon (1984)
  52. Dennis DeYoung Back to the World (1986)
  53. Dire Straits Brothers in Arms (1985)
  54. Neil Diamond The Jazz Singer (soundtrack, 1980)

  55. Eagles Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (compilation: 1971-75, released 1976)
  56. Eagles Greatest Hits Volume 2 (released 1982)
  57. Melissa Etheridge Melissa Etheridge (1988) *
  58. Eurythmics In the Garden (1981)
  59. Eurythmics Sweet Dreams Are Made of This (1983)
  60. Eurythmics Touch (1983)
  61. Eurythmics 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) (1984)
  62. Eurythmics Be Yourself Tonight (1985)
  63. Eurythmics Savage (1987) *
  64. Everything But the Girl Idlewild (1988) *

  65. Dan Fogelberg Greatest Hits (compilation: 1972-82, released 1982)
  66. Foreigner 4 (1981)
  67. Foreigner Records (compilation: 1976-82, released 1982)
  68. Foreigner Agent Provocateur (1984)
  69. Foreigner Inside Information (1987) *

  70. Peter Gabriel Plays Live (live, 1983)
  71. Peter Gabriel So (1986)
  72. J. Geils Band Freeze Frame (1981)
  73. Bob Geldof Deep in the Heart of Nowhere (1986)
  74. Genesis Genesis (1983)
  75. Genesis Invisible Touch (1986)
  76. Grateful Dead In the Dark (1987)

  77. Daryl Hall & John Oates H2O (1982)
  78. Daryl Hall & John Oates Rock ‘N’ Soul Part I (compilation: (1973-83, released 1983)
  79. Don Henley Building the Perfect Beast (1984)
  80. Hooters Nervous Night (1985)
  81. Hooters One Way Home (1987)

  82. INXS Kick (1987) *

  83. Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979)
  84. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
  85. Michael Jackson Bad (1987)
  86. Billy Joel Turnstiles (1976)
  87. Billy Joel The Stranger (1977)
  88. Billy Joel The Nylon Curtain (1982)
  89. Billy Joel An Innocent Man (1983)
  90. Billy Joel Greatest Hits Volume I & II (compilation: 1973-85, released 1985)
  91. Billy Joel The Bridge (1986)
  92. Journey Captured (live, 1981)
  93. Journey Escape (1981)
  94. Journey Frontiers (1983)
  95. Journey Raised on Radio (1986)

  96. Kingdom Come Kingdom Come (1988) *

  97. Cyndi Lauper She’s So Unusual (1983)
  98. Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
  99. Huey Lewis & the News Sports (1983)
  100. Little River Band Greatest Hits (compilation: 1975-82, released 1982) *
  101. Little River Band Monsoon (1988) *

  102. Barry Manilow Greatest Hits (compilation, released 1978)
  103. Marillion Script for a Jester’s Tear (1983)
  104. Marillion Fugazi (1984)
  105. Marillion Real to Reel (live, 1984)
  106. Marillion Misplaced Childhood (1985)
  107. Marillion Brief Encounter (EP, 1986)
  108. Marillion Clutching at Straws (1987)
  109. Marillion B’Sides Themselves (archives: 1982-88, released 1988) *
  110. John Cougar (Mellencamp) American Fool (1982)
  111. John Cougar Mellencamp Uh-Huh (1983)
  112. John Cougar Mellencamp Scarecrow (1985)
  113. John Cougar Mellencamp The Lonesome Jubilee (1987)
  114. Men at Work Business As Usual (1981)
  115. Men at Work Cargo (1983)
  116. Men at Work Two Hearts (1985)
  117. Mike + the Mechanics Mike + The Mechanics (1985) *
  118. Mike + the Mechanics Living Years (1988) *

  119. The Moody Blues This Is the Moody Blues (compilation: 1967-72, released 1974)
  120. The Moody Blues Voices in the Sky (compilation: 1967-82, released 1984)
  121. The Moody Blues The Other Side of Life (1986)

  122. Olivia Newton-John Greatest Hits (compilation: 1971-76, released 1977)
  123. Olivia Newton-John Totally Hot (1978)
  124. Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra Xanadu (soundtrack, 1980)
  125. Olivia Newton-John Physical (1981)
  126. Olivia Newton-John Olivia’s Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (compilation: 1978-82, released 1982)
  127. Olivia Newton-John Soul Kiss (1985)
  128. Olivia Newton-John The Rumour (1988) *
  129. Stevie Nicks The Wild Heart (1983)

    SinĂ©ad O’Connor The Lion and the Cobra (1987) *

  130. Alan Parsons Project I Robot (1977)
  131. Alan Parsons Project Eve (1979)
  132. Alan Parsons Project The Turn of a Friendly Card (1980)
  133. Alan Parsons Project Eye in the Sky (1982)
  134. Alan Parsons Project The Best of (compilation: 1977-83, released 1983)
  135. Alan Parsons Project Ammonia Avenue (1984)
  136. Alan Parsons Project Vulture Culture (1985)
  137. Alan Parsons Project Stereotomy (1986)
  138. Alan Parsons Project Gaudi (1987)
  139. Alan Parsons Project Best of, Vol. 2 (compilation: 1977-87, released 1988) *
  140. Steve Perry Street Talk (1984)
  141. Pink Floyd The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
  142. Pink Floyd The Wall (1979)
  143. Pink Floyd The Final Cut (1983)
  144. Pink Floyd A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)
  145. Robert Plant Now and Zen (1988) *
  146. The Police Outlandos D’Amour (1978)
  147. The Police Reggatta De Blanc (1979)
  148. The Police Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)
  149. The Police Ghost in the Machine (1981)
  150. The Police Synchronicity (1983)
  151. The Police Every Breath You Take – The Singles (compilation: 1978-1986; released 1986)
  152. Prince 1999 (1982)
  153. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (1984)
  154. Prince & the Revolution Around the World in a Day (1985)
  155. Prince Sign ‘O’ the Times (1987)

  156. Queen Greatest Hits (compilation: 1973-81, released 1981)

  157. Gerry Rafferty City to City (1978) *
  158. Gerry Rafferty North and South (1988) *
  159. The Rainmakers The Rainmakers (1986)
  160. The Rainmakers Tornado (1987)
  161. R.E.M. Life’s Rich Pageant (1986) *
  162. R.E.M. Document (1987)
  163. REO Speedwagon Hi Infidelity (1980)
  164. REO Speedwagon Wheels Are Turnin’ (1984)
  165. REO Speedwagon The Hits (compilation: 1976-88, released 1988) *
  166. Lionel Richie Can’t Slow Down (1983)
  167. Lionel Richie Dancing on the Ceiling (1986)
  168. Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits (compilation: 1977-80, released 1980)
  169. The Rolling Stones Hot Rocks 1964-71 (compilation: 1964-71, released 1971) *
  170. Rush All the World’s a Stage (live, 1976)
  171. Rush Moving Pictures (1981)
  172. Rush Exit…Stage Left (live, 1981)
  173. Rush Hold Your Fire (1987) *

  174. Charlie Sexton Pictures for Pleasure (1985)
  175. Paul Simon Graceland (1986)
  176. The Smiths Louder Than Bombs (archives: 1983-87, released 1987)
  177. The Smiths Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)
  178. Bruce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
  179. Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
  180. Bruce Springsteen Live 1975/1985 (live box set, 1986)
  181. Bruce Springsteen Tunnel of Love (1987)
  182. Squeeze Cool for Cats (1979) *
  183. Squeeze Argybargy (1980)
  184. Squeeze Sweets from a Stranger (1982)
  185. Squeeze 45s and Under (compilation: 1977-82, released 1982)
  186. Squeeze Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti (1985)
  187. Squeeze Babylon and On (1987)
  188. Sting The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985)
  189. Sting Bring on the Night (live, 1986)
  190. Sting Nothing Like the Sun (1987)
  191. Styx Styx I (1972)
  192. Styx Styx II (1973)
  193. Styx The Serpent Is Rising (1973)
  194. Styx Man of Miracles (1974)
  195. Styx Best of Styx (compilation: 1972-74)
  196. Styx Equinox (1975)
  197. Styx Crystal Ball (1976)
  198. Styx The Grand Illusion (1977)
  199. Styx Pieces of Eight (1978)
  200. Styx Cornerstone (1979)
  201. Styx Paradise Theater (1981)
  202. Styx Kilroy Was Here (1983)
  203. Styx Caught in the Act (live, 1984)
  204. Supertramp Famous Last Words (1982)
  205. Supertramp Brother Where You Bound (1985)

  206. Tears for Fears The Hurting (1983)
  207. Tears for Fears Songs from the Big Chair (1985)
  208. Toto Toto IV (1982)

  209. U2 War (1983)
  210. U2 Under a Blood Red Sky (live, 1983)
  211. U2 The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
  212. U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
  213. U2 Rattle and Hum (studio/live soundtrack, 1988) *

  214. Van Halen 5150 (1986)
  215. Van Halen OU812 (1988) *
  216. Suzanne Vega Solitude Standing (1987)
  217. Violent Femmes Violent Femmes (1983)
  218. Violent Femmes Hallowed Ground (1984)
  219. Violent Femmes Blind Leading the Naked (1986)

  220. Roger Waters Radio K.A.O.S. (1987)
  221. Whitesnake Whitesnake (1987)
  222. The Who Who’s Next (1971)
  223. The Who Greatest Hits (compilation: 1965-78, released 1983)
  224. John Williams (composer) Star Wars IV: A New Hope (soundtrack, 1977)

  225. XTC Skylarking (1986)

  226. Yes The Yes Album (1971)
  227. Yes Fragile (1971)
  228. Yes Classic Yes (compilation: 1971-77, released 1981)
  229. Yes 90125 (1983)
  230. Yes Big Generator (1987)

  231. ZZ Top Afterburner (1985)

    Various Artists:

  232. Brimstone and Treacle (soundtrack, 1982)
  233. Flashdance (soundtrack, 1983)
  234. Footloose (soundtrack, 1984)
  235. K-Tel: High Energy (1979)
  236. K-Tel: Starflight (1979)
  237. K-Tel: Wings of Sound (1979)
  238. Legend (soundtrack, 1986)
  239. Party! Party! (soundtrack, 1982) *
  240. Pretty in Pink (soundtrack, 1986)
  241. Rock for Amnesty (1986)
  242. The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball (soundtrack, 1982) *
  243. She’s Having a Baby (soundtrack, 1988) *
  244. Some Kind of Wonderful (soundtrack, 1987)
  245. The Songs of Lennon and McCartney (1986) *
  246. St. Elmo’s Fire (soundtrack, 1985)
  247. Two of a Kind (soundtrack, 1983)
  248. A Very Special Christmas (1987) *
  249. Vision Quest (soundtrack, 1985)
  250. We Are the World (1985)
  251. When the Wind Blows (soundtrack, 1986) *


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First posted 8/31/2021.

Saturday, December 24, 1988

Guns N’ Roses “Patience” charted

Patience

Guns N’ Roses

Writer(s): Guns N' Roses (see lyrics here)


Released: April 4, 1989


First Charted: December 24, 1988


Peak: 4 US, 4 CB, 6 RR, 7 AR, 10 UK, 10 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.)


Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.2 UK


Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 319.5 video, 185.72 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

After the success of their 1987 Appetite for Destruction album, Guns N’ Roses released G N’ R Lies as a sort of stopgap. The collection packaged the group’s 1986 Live Like a Suicide EP with four new songs. They included an acoustic reworking of “You’re Crazy,” which had appeared on Appetite, the eyebrow-raising “Used to Love Her” about killing one’s girlfriend, and the highly controversial “One in a Million” which insulted homosexuals and immigrants.

The song’s big hit, however, was the ballad “Patience” about “waiting it out in a relationship.” SF The song has often been assumed to be about Axl Rose and his troubled relationship with Erin Everly, but the band has said Izzy Stradlin wrote the song about his ex-girlfriend Angela Nicoletti McCoy. WK

The song was originally recorded with all acoustic instruments and no drumming, although they use electric guitar and drums when performing the song in concert. The song also features Axl Rose whistling – something he also does on the GNR hits “Paradise City” and “Civil War.” The song is a favorite for karaoke, but Kimberly Starling of The Karaoke Informer says it is one of the top 5 songs that tends to bomb. SF

A version of the song by Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave) was released posthumously in 2020. He recorded the song after helping his daughter, Toni, learn it. He took it to #1 on the Billboard mainstream rock chart.


Resources:


Related Links:


First posted 8/6/2022.

Thursday, November 24, 1988

50 years ago: Roy Acuff charted with “Wabash Cannonball”

Wabash Cannonball

Roy Acuff & the Smoky Mountain Boys

Writer(s): J.A. Roff, adapted by A.P. Carter (see lyrics here)


First Charted: November 24, 1938


Peak: 12 US (Click for codes to singles charts.)


Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, -- UK, 10.0 world (includes US + UK)


Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 3.31 video, 1.97 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

This is “a genuine knight-of-the-road ballad with a touch of the Paul Bunyan flavor,” RA “perhaps the greatest of all train songs.” SS The song originated in the 1880s, In 1882, J.A. Roff wrote words and music for “The Great Rock Island Route!,” a song about a mythical train which traveled coast to coast. It became an anthem for hoboes. In Southern America in the late 19th century, the railroad offered a different form of work for those wishing to escape the farms and served up a touch of romanticism for those who wanted to live a less conventional life, riding the rails and going wherever the trains would take them.

William Kindt adapted Roff’s piece in 1905 under the title “Wabash Cannonball.” There were several Wabash Railroad passenger trains dating back to the 1880s while the term “cannonball” was used to reference a fast train. When the song entered the public domain in 1928, it was reworked and claimed by A.P. Carter whose group, the Carter Family, recorded the song the next year, but didn’t release it until 1932. In the meantime an unissued version was recorded by Clark & Edans in 1928 and Tennessee singer and guitarist recorded and released the song in 1929.

Roy Acuff, who was billed as “the King of Country Music,” SS recorded the song in 1936 with Dynamite Hatcher on vocals, but didn’t release it until 1938. NRR He didn’t record it with his vocal until 1947, although he performed it regularly on the Grand Ole Opry, SS where he first appeared in 1938 and was its top star by 1942. NRR His “voice was pure country and he was one of the first to carry the title ‘hillbilly’ proudly.” AC He embraced the plain and simple values of poor, rural Americans and gained an audience via his recordings, tours, and movie appearances. NRR In 1962, he was the first living artist elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame. NRR


Resources:

  • DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Roy Acuff
  • AC Ace Collins (1996). The Stories Behind Country Music’s All-Time Greatest 100 Songs. New York, NY; The Berkley
  • NRR National Recording Registry Publishing Group.
  • RA Theodore Raph (1964). The Songs We Sang: A Treasury of American Popular Music. A.S. Barnes and Co., Inc.: New York. Page 367.
  • SS Steve Sullivan (2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings (Volumes I & II). Scarecrow Press: Lanham, Maryland. Pages 67-8.


First posted 11/24/2014; last updated 8/26/2022.

Tuesday, November 15, 1988

Journey’s Greatest Hits released

First posted 7/24/2008; updated 9/17/2020. This page has been expanded, reworked, and moved here.

Saturday, November 5, 1988

Fleetwood Mac released Greatest Hits

First posted 4/6/2008; last updated 9/17/2020.

Greatest Hits

Fleetwood Mac


Released: November 5, 1988


Recorded: 1975-1988


Peak: 14 US, 3 UK, -- CN, 3 AU


Sales (in millions): 8.0 US, 0.9 UK, 16.5 world (includes US and UK)


Genre: classic rock


Tracks: (1) Rhiannon (2) Don’t Stop (3) Go Your Own Way (4) Hold Me (5) Everywhere (6) Gypsy (7) You Make Loving Fun (8) As Long As You Follow (9) Dreams (10) Say You Love Me (11) Tusk (12) Little Lies (13) Sara (14) Big Love (15) Over My Head (16) No Questions Asked


Total Running Time: 64:19


Rating:

4.370 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings)


Awards:

A Brief History:

Fleetwood Mac started in 1967 as a British blues band. Over eight years, members came and went with Mick Fleetwood and John McVie being the only constants. By 1975, they’d settled on the lineup that over a dozen years, would bring them to their greatest commercial heights. The American folk-duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band in 1974, giving the band a poppier, classic rock feel.

  • Lindsey Buckingham (vocals, guitar, et al)
  • Stevie Nicks (vocals, tambourine)
  • Christine McVie (vocals, keyboards)
  • John McVie (bass)
  • Mick Fleetwood (drums, percussion)
These years include five studio albums each with their own DMDB page. All have brief snapshots on this page.

The Studio Albums:

Under each album snapshot, songs featured on the Greatest Hits are noted. Song titles are followed by the names of writers in parentheses, the song’s length in brackets, and then the date the song charted and its peaks on various charts. Click for codes to singles charts.


Fleetwood Mac (1975):

After ten studio albums, Fleetwood Mac leapt into the arena of commercial stardom with a self-titled release. On the strength of three top-20 hits in the U.S., the album which introduced Lindsey Buckingham to Stevie Nicks, hit #1 and became a multi-platinum seller. The band had previously never reached higher than #34 on the Billboard album chart.

  • Over My Head (C. McVie) [4:11] (11/8/75, 20 US, 32 AC, 9 CN, airplay: 2 million)
  • Rhiannon (Nicks) [4:11] (3/6/76, 11 US, 33 AC, 46 UK, 4 CN, 13 AU, airplay: 3 million)
  • Say You Love Me (C. McVie) [4:11] (7/4/76, 11 US, 12 AC, 40 UK, 29 CN, 38 AU, airplay: 2 million)


Rumours (1977):

Expectations were high and so were the band members. They were also fighting so much as a band that the success they’d just found looked certain to derail. Instead, the broken relationships behind the scenes fueled their songs and the album became one of the most successful in history. Sporting four top-ten U.S. hits, it sold 40 million copies worldwide and spent 31 weeks atop the Billboard album chart in the U.S.

  • Go Your Own Way (Buckingham) [3:43] (12/76, 10 US, 45 AC, 38 UK, 11 CN, 20 AU, airplay: 1 million)
  • Dreams (Nicks) [4:14] (3/24/77, 1 US, 11 AC, 24 UK, 1 CN, 19 AU, sales: ½ million, airplay: 5 million)
  • Don’t Stop (C. McVie) [3:13] (4/30/77, 3 US, 22 AC, 32 UK, 1 CN, 30 AU, airplay: 3.0 m)
  • You Make Loving Fun (C. McVie) [3:31] (9/77, 9 US, 28 AC, 45 UK, 7 CN, 65 AU, airplay: 2 million))


Tusk (1979):

Fleetwood Mac got ambitious the next time out, releasing a double album. It didn’t match the success of the previous outing – which would have been damn-near impossible – but it still gave the band two more top-ten hits in the U.S.

  • Tusk (Buckingham) [3:37] (10/6/79, 8 US, 6 UK, 5 CN, 3 AU)
  • Sara (Nicks) [6:22] (12/15/79, 7 US, 13 AC, 37 UK, 12 CN, 11 AU, airplay: 2 million)


Mirage (1982):

Since their last album, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham had each found solo success. Nicks had gone all the way to #1 on the U.S. album chart with Bella Donna, which had two top-ten hits, and Buckingam hit the top 10 with his song “Trouble.” Audiences were eager to hear the band as a whole again. Ironically, though, it was Christine McVie who had the highest-charting single from the album with “Hold Me.”

  • Hold Me (C. McVie/Robbie Patton) [3:44] (6/19/82, 4 US, 3 AR, 7 AC, 94 UK, 9 CN, 12 AU, airplay: 2 million)
  • Gypsy (Nicks) [4:24] (7/24/82, 12 US, 4 AR, 9 AC, 46 UK, 16 CN, 17 AU, airplay: 2 million)


Tango in the Night (1987):

After some more solo forays, which now included a solo album and top-10 hit from Christine McVie, the band came together again for what would be the last studio album with the classic lineup that brought the group its biggest taste of fame. Seven songs from Tango in the Night hit various charts with four of those reaching the top-20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

  • Big Love (Buckingham) [3:37] (3/28/87, 5 US, 2 AR, 23 AC, 9 UK, 17 CN, 16 AU)
  • Seven Wonders (Stewart/ Nicks) [3:38] (4/25/87, 19 US, 2 AR, 13 AC, 56 UK, 47 CN, 23 AU)
  • Little Lies (McVie/ Quintela) [3:40] (8/2/87, 4 US, 14 AR, 1 AC, 5 UK, 3 CN, 16 AU, airplay: 2 million)
  • Everywhere (C. McVie) [3:48] (11/28/87, 14 US, 22 AR, 1 AC, 4 UK, 45 AU, airplay: 1 million)


Greatest Hits (1988):

Greatest Hits is a fine overview of Fleetwood Mac’s hit-making years, containing the bulk of the group’s Top 40 hits of the late ‘70s and ‘80s,” AMG which included such fare as top-10 hits Go Your Own Way, Tusk, Sara, Hold Me, Big Love, and Little Lies and their only #1 hit, Dreams. Minor hits like ‘Think About Me’ [and] ‘Love in Store’… are missing, making room for the new songs As Long as You Follow…and No Questions Asked, but overall, Greatest Hits is an excellent choice for casual listeners.” AMG

  • As Long As You Follow (11/26/88, 43 US, 15 AR, 1 AC, 66 UK, 35 AU)
  • No Questions Asked (12/4/88, 37 AR)


Notes: “Seven Wonders” was added to the 2006 reissue.

Resources and Related Links:

Monday, October 31, 1988

The La’s released “There She Goes” - for the first time

There She Goes

The La’s

Writer(s): Lee Mavers (see lyrics here)


Released: October 31, 1988


First Charted: January 14, 1989


Peak: 49 US, 47 CB, 2 MR, 13 UK, 7 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.)


Sales (in millions): 0.6 UK


Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 9.1 video, 139.62 streaming

Awards:

Click on award for more details.

About the Song:

Rolling Stone called “There She Goes” “a founding piece of Britpop’s foundation.” RS “Credit Lee Mavers’ insistent falsetto bringing the song’s sad-sack protagonist to life as the never-ending guitar hook intensifies his desperation.” RS Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie called it “the perfectly written pop song: an instantaneously recognizable melody and lyric set to simple, economic musical structure.” WK

Mike Badger formed The La’s in 1983 and singer/songwriter/guitarist Mavers joined the next year. Badger departed in 1986 and bassist John Power came on board. Mavers and Power ended up the nucleus of the group with a revolving door of other guitarists and drummers. The band lasted until 1992, but only released one album. Mavers said of the Steve Lillywhite-produced album, “We [hate] it…It never captured anything that we were about. To cut a long story short, too many cooks spoil the broth.” RS

The album featured four singles, of which only “There She Goes” dented the UK top-40. Even that song was a minor hit initially. It was first released in 1988 and reached #59 on the UK charts. It was remixed in 1990 for their debut album and that version – released as a single in October of 1990 – finally charted in the UK and United States.

The lines “There she goes again / Racing through my brain / Pulsing through my vein / No one else can heal my pain” have led to the song being viewed as an ode to heroin. Mavers denies the song is about heroin, although admits to trying it. However, he says he didn’t try it until 1990 – after he wrote the song. WK


Resources:


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First posted 10/13/2021; last updated 9/29/2022.