Top 50 of 1988

In 1988 I turned 10 and at the time I think I owned 4 albums and about 10 singles.  So it's kind of nice that a song from one of those albums managed to make it to number 1 this time around and break the Metallica/Iron Maiden stranglehold of the three previous charts.

This chart is the first year to break out on its own, given the previous ones were 1970-82, 1983-85 and 1986-87.  And to be honest there wasn't a massive depth of quality in my collection to choose from.  As in previous charts the golden years of Iron Maiden and Metallica had seen them dominate and with 1988 being the last year that their big hitting albums coincided in the same year, this (coupled with my expanding record collection in future years) will mean this will never happen again in future charts.

The number of bands included here seems much smaller and as an example of quality I had Senseless Things songs hitting the top 20 here that didn't even make their own top 50!  That's not to say that all the songs included here aren't very good, they are.  But compared to other charts, the pop had kind of dried up and turned into Stock/Aitken/Waterman-type stuff (which admittedly I liked at the time but most hasn't stood the test of time well) and all of the metal, rock and indie bands that I own releases by were really just getting started, dipping their toes into the water, their best work yet to come.  So watch this space for 1989 and onwards, the competition is going to get a lot tougher........

1. Aha - Stay On These Roads

2. Iron Maiden - Moonchild

3. Metallica - Blackened

4. Metallica - One

5. Bathory - A Fine Day to Die

6. Iron Maiden - The Evil That Men Do

7. Aha - You Are The One

8. Iron Maiden - The Clairvoyant

9. Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

10. Aha - Touchy!

11. Aha - The Living Daylights

12. Aha - Out of Blue Comes Green

13. Aha - This Alone is Love

14. Iron Maiden - Can I Play With Madness

15. Senseless Things - When You Let Me Down

16. Senseless Things - Passions Out of Town

17. Senseless Things - You Don't Want Me

18. Iron Maiden - Only the Good Die Young

19. Metallica - The Shortest Straw

20. Metallica - Breadfan

21. Senseless Things - I Want to Go Back

22. New Order - Blue Monday 88

23. Pet Shop Boys - Heart

24. Metallica - The Frayed Ends of Sanity

25. Metallica - Dyer's Eve

26. Metallica - To Live is to Die

27. Megadeth - In My Darkest Hour

28. Inspiral Carpets - Keep the Circle Around

29. Slayer - Mandatory Suicide

30. Pet Shop Boys - Left to my Own Devices

31. Stone Roses - Elephant Stone

32. Rollins Band - What Am I Doing Here?

33. Slayer - South of Heaven

34. Senseless Things - I've Lost My Train

35. Senseless Things - Where the Secret Lies

36. Wonder Stuff - A Wish Away

37. Carter USM - A Sheltered Life

38. Happy Mondays - W.F.L.

39. Metallica - The Prince

40. Senseless Things - The Only One

41. Metallica - Harvester of Sorrow

42. Metallica - ...And Justice For All

43. Rollins Band - Wreck-Age

44. Iron Maiden - Infinite Dreams

45. Napalm Death - Unchallenged Hate

46. Napalm Death - Mentally Murdered

47. Soundgarden - Flower

48. Megadeth - Hook in Mouth

49. Rollins Band - If You're Alive

50. Rollins Band - Burned Beyond Recognition