In 2015 I first did a retro Hottest 100 thread, covering the years 1975-92, where I tried to predict what the actual Hottest 100 of each of Double/Triple J's first 18 years of existence might look like, with a few personal favourites getting moved a bit higher. I revised these lists in 2017.
Then from 1993 I kept going, but as there were actual versions of these lists in existence, I did these lists purely from personal preference, while including the actual Hottest 100 to make up lists of 150-200 songs for each year. I slowly went through the '90s/'00s/'10s and up to 2020 this way.
At the start of 2020, in tandem with OBOne's personal '90s lists, I decided to actually take some more time and revise my lists from 1999 back to 1993, do some more research in doing them and extend these lists to 200 songs.
That brings me to where we are at now - revising the 1975-92 lists purely from my own personal POV, in line with 1993-2020. I'll leave the predictive lists from 1975-92 in their original thread (though will tweak them slightly to be more from my head and not my heart), and leave the personal choice to this thread.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to stay in step with OBOne and start posting my 1992 list (hopefully finishing on Monday), then slowly work backwards to 1975. I'm not going to do 200 songs each year any more, but will post at least 100 for each year back to the late '70s at least.
The grungiest of grungy years, and the year I turned 18
There was some debate over whether Pearl Jam's Ten hit in in 1991 or 1992, but I'm putting the songs from it in 1992 as that's the year they were everywhere. Besides, my 1992 shortlist was thinned out considerably when I made the call to include the 1992 releases that made the 1993 Hottest 100 in the 1993 list.
Still some fantastic music/albums released that year tho.
Here are 125-101 to kick things off:
My H100 posn
Song
125
THEM BONES Alice In Chains
124
SO WHAT'CHA WANT The Beastie Boys
123
BLACK TICKET DAY Ed Kuepper
122
THE LIFE OF RILEY Lightning Seeds
121
WE THE PEOPLE Hunters & Collectors
120
YOU JUST GOTTA KNOW MY MIND The Hummingbirds
119
TEEN ANGST Cracker
118
NOTHIN' BUT A G THING Dr Dre
117
WE HATE IT WHEN OUR FRIENDS BECOME SUCCESSFUL Morrissey
At #20 (the same position as 1994) are indie stalwarts James with their very catchy (well all of their songs are very catchy) 'Born Of Frustration'
19
MIDLIFE CRISIS Faith No More
Faith No More returned with their stomping first single off of Angel Dust, Midlife Crisis. It was following the Epic (pun intended) The Real Thing, so it needed to be good, and was.
Closely following Nick Cave at #16 is PJ Harvey with Sheela-Na-Gig, her first ever charting single, and one of her most wonderfully vicious
15
YOUR EYES Underground Lovers
If you've seen my 1993 list, you may recall how I consider the 4 minute remix of this song that came in at #2 that year, and this still excellent 8 minute guitar driven version off of the Leaves Me Blind album as different songs. So, here it is at #15.
Automatic For The People is regarding by many as REM's finest album and it's certainly up there. A couple of songs from it appeared in 1993, but lead single Drive remains my favourite track from it, especially with Peter Buck's 'driving' guitar.
13
SHE'S A SUPERSTAR The Verve
At #13 are t'Verve with another brilliant psychedelic, shoegaze epic from A Storm In Heaven (with the single predating the album).
From Wigan we move to Oldham and their finest Madchester band, the Inspiral Carpets with their protest anthem Two Worlds Collide. So cool that Noel Gallagher was their roadie for a few years Great Clint Boon keyboard - tick. Great film clip - tick. Impassioned Tom Hingley vocals - tick.
11
TRUE TEARS OF JOY Hunters and Collectors
At 11 is the Hunnas best song since Ghost Nation (and one that lives too much in the shadow of freakin' Holy Grail that came immediately afterwards), the beautiful, passionate True Tears of Joy. One of Mark Seymour's finest vocals and great instumentation from the rest of the band.
I'm going to be out for most of tomorrow, so won't be doing a lot of posting, but I might get a couple of songs out if I'm lucky. I'll only be posting one at a time for the Top 10. I should be able to finish this list on Monday. Last edited:
"Oh these little earthquakes Here we go again These little earthquakes Doesn't take much to rip us into pieces Doesn't take much to rip us into pieces"
In something of an antidote to all the grungy guitars, Tori Amos released her piano-tinged, soul-baring first solo album, Little Earthquakes in early 1992. The sprawling album-closing (yes another closing track) title track comes in at #10.
9
JEREMY Pearl Jam
"At home drawing pictures of mountain tops With him on top, lemon yellow sun Arms raised in a "V" And the dead lay in pools of maroon below"
At the turn of 1991-92, Ten by Pearl Jam was released. There's been some debate which year to put it in to, but I've gone with 1992 as that's when the singles from this album were released and the year that Pearl Jam really entered my consciousness
At #9 is the disturbing Jeremy (see lyrics. Eddie Vedder does disturbing very well indeed), with it's fantastic dual-guitar intro.
"Wish there was something real wish there was something true Wish there was something real in this world full of you"
Never mind The Downward Spiral, at eight is Trent and NIN at their most angry and angsty with Wish, from the Broken EP, complete with it's famous "Beyond Thuderdome" film clip
7
WILD HORSES The Sundays
"I watched you suffer a dull, aching pain And now you've decided to show me the same No sweeping exits or offstage lines Could make me feel bitter or treat you unkind"
The Sundays come in at 7 with their beautiful cover of the Rolling Stones classic (as heard on Buffy The Vampire Slayer).
Nothing complicated about it, just a beautifully sung cover, with great, laid back instrumentation
If 100% pure, crystal clear water fresh from a spring could sing, it would sound like Harriet Wheeler Last edited:
"I'm back again in love, I'm back again a dove Where'd you get your light, your smilin' sugar life Another lovers day, another cracked up night Every night I say, the light is coming"
Indie veterans (and some say grunge pioneers) Sonic Youth came into their own in grungy 1992 and come in at 6 with their six-minute third single from their Dirty album, Sugar Kane.
5
JESUS BUILT MY HOTROD Ministry
"Soon I discovered that this rock thing was true Jerry Lee Lewis was the devil Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a prophet All of a sudden, I found myself in love with the world So there was only one thing that I could do Was ding a ding dang my dang a long ling long"
Back to the industrial metal again. At #5 is Ministry with 'Jesus Built My Hotrod' aka 'the Speeding Fine Song' , the first single from their Psalm 69 album and their best known 'industrial era' song. Looking more closely, it could have made the 1991 list, but 1992 was the year I got my driving licence, so here it is Last edited:
"And now my bitter hands chafe beneath the clouds Of what was everything Oh, the pictures have all been washed in black Tattooed everything"
At #4 is the fourth song from Ten on this list, Black. Eddie Vedder's ode to letting go. So raw for Eddie in particular that the band refused to release it as a single.
3
SAFARI The Breeders
"He didn't cry on a safari In over his knees He couldn't leave a finer life Always hugging the ground And crying out for me"
In third place is my favourite all-time Breeders song, Safari, from the EP of the same name, with one of their last releases with Tanya Donelly and Britt Walford in the band. This one just builds up nicely to the big guitar outro.
I hear a voice, "You must learn to stand up for yourself 'Cause I can't always be around."
Runner-up is Winter from Tori Amos. Subtitute me for Tori and my late mother for Tori's Dad and it sums up our relationship pretty well Just beautiful. The orchestration is stunning in and of itself.
1
LEAVE THEM ALL BEHIND Ride
"Wheels turning around into alien grounds Pass through different times, leave them all behind"
Edit: Sorry...didn't have time to put my blurb in this morning, but it did give the post a bit of gravitas...I had forgotten about this stunning song, and when I did hear it again courtesy of OBOne, the fact that it came out in 1992 (thought it was a couple of years earlier)!
The YouTube playlist was an enjoyable list, thanks! Although the playlist that played included Euphoria's One In A Million and that doesn't feature in your chart! A few differences between the two but still a good listen!
Finally, at long last, I have put my 1991 list together.
At this stage, I'll commence posting #150-#101 tomorrow, #100-#51 on Wednesday, #50-#21 on Thursday, #20-#11 on Friday, #10-#1 on Saturday. Last edited:
Finding that the further back I go, the more these lists are a weird blend between the songs that I was into then (to give it that authentic flavour), and the songs I am into now.
Here is #100-#51 (Decided to spread it out more, but do the Top 10 all on Saturday)
Number
Song
100
CHARLY The Prodigy
99
MISTADOBALINA Del The Funkee Homosapien
98
LABOUR OF LOVE Frente
97
DON'T FIGHT IT, FEEL IT Primal Scream
96
MONOCHROME Lush
95
BENEATH Ride
94
FADE Glide
93
GREY CELL GREEN Ned's Atomic Dustbin
92
92 DEGREES F Pop Will Eat Itself
91
1000 MILES AWAY Hoodoo Gurus
90
LIFEBOAT Tall Tales and True
89
ALEC EIFFEL Pixies
88
JENNIFER Falling Joys
87
PEARL Chapterhouse
86
OPERAA HOUSE Malcolm McLaren
85
SLIP INSIDE THIS HOUSE Primal Scream
84
DON'T GO NOW Ratcat
83
LYIN' The Meanies
82
DULL The Hard-Ons
81
THE UNFORGIVEN Metallica
80
LOVESICK Gang Starr
79
PEOPLE ARE STILL HAVING SEX La Tour
78
CAR WASH HAIR Mercury Rev
77
LET IT SLIDE Mudhoney
76
JACK Moose
75
DEAD ROO Cosmic Psychos
74
SENNEN Ride
73
BUTTER A Tribe Called Quest
72
WE ARE NOW Def FX
71
THE GIRL WITH THE LONELIEST EYES The House Of Love
Everybody in da club! This groove was around during my early clubbing days and takes me back there. Stil sounds great.
RIP to Denise Johnson, who provided the powerful backing vocals to this and several other PS songs.
19
FOUR SEASONS IN ONE DAY Crowded House
Just another sublime Neil Finn/Crowdies creation. They seemed to have a beautiful song like this on each of their albums.
(Apologies for the delay - busy day)
18
SOUL EATER Clouds
Music is littered with songs having a dig at the predatory nature of the music business, and here is The Clouds' entry - Soul Eater. It still rocked when they played it in a concert in 2018.
17
THERE'S NO OTHER WAY Blur
It wasn't their first single, but There's No Other Way was my introduction to Blur, complete with bowlcutted Damon Albarn. It sounded so cool (still does), though to me, they wouldn't sound quite so cool again until 1995.
16
SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT Nirvana
It feels weird not having this song at #1 for a 1991 countdown, but here we are. Confession: I didn't like this song at the time, and without the aid of insleeve lyrics sheets or internet-based lyics websites, didn't have a clue what Kurt was banging on about. But over years I've come around to everyone else and realised what a game changer this song was and still is.
15
FROM HERE KNOWS WHEN My Bloody Valentine
At #15 is the big hit from Loveless, From Here Knows When. They went all Cocteau Twins on this one. It's a bit of a Marmite song but I'm a fan of it, very hypnotic.
14
RUMOURS OF WAR Billy Bragg
The Bard Of Barking released his Don't Try This At Home Album in 1991 and made an impression on this little first-year uni student. At 14 is the solemn, short but beautiful string-based warning of impending doom which still resonates today, Rumours Of War
13
HUMAN NATURE Gary Clail and On-U Sound System
Another club classic. I thought it sounded so much like the future in 1991! With a special appearance of Lana Pellay on backing vocals. Still bangs today I have to say.
12
HIERONYMOUS The Clouds
Their biggest hit, huge on JJJ, and still sounds good and fresh today. It's still a favourite to several other Aussie musicians from the time. A nice nod to Hieronymous Bosch's artwork.
11
NOTHING NATURAL Lush
The one that started my love affair with Lush, and you can certainly tell Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins produced it. Love it, especially the harmonic vocals from miki and Emma, even despite the corny film clip which they themselves hated, evidently even while filming it. Last edited:
"Put on that dress I'm going out dancing Starting off red Clean and sparkling he'll see me"
The first single from PJ Harvey, and she started as she meant to go on. I could tell she was different from the beginning. Awesome guitar and I don't recall too many solo female artists before this that were are ballsy as this. Last edited:
"When do you know You know you learn D'you die in sin Born again With will to wind & wander Climb through needle neck to consent"
Coming in at 9 is Talk Talk with the serene opening track, Taphead, from their final album, Laughing Stock. Time (and his passing in 2019) has shown what a genius Mark Hollis was.
"Say your prayers, little one Don't forget, my son To include everyone Tuck you in, warm within Keep you free from sin 'Til the sandman, he comes"
You can take the boy out of the southern suburbs of Adelaide etc...and yes I did see them live two years later.
Still one of the great opening riffs, and the rest of the song rocks too - despite some of the lyrics. It was slowly downhill from here, though some say The Black Album was already on a downhill slope.
"I can't tell if I'm a kingpin or a pauper Greedy little people in a sea of distress Keep your more to receive your less Unimpressed by material excess Love is free love me say hell yes"
I'm not a huge Red Hot Chilli Peppers fan, but this is their finest moment. They reached peak funky here.
"So here I am, alone with you The Sunnyboys? - God bless them And God bless you"
My favourite single from Died Pretty's acclaimed Doughboy Hollow album. The nod to The Sunnyboys is worth the price of admission alone, but the rest of the song bops along nicely with a great vocal (as always) by Ron Peno. Last edited:
"Midnight rockers City slickers Gunmen and maniacs All will feature on the freakshow"
The opening track on Blue Lines, and what an intro to that album, and trip hop in general. Featuring a sublime vocal from Shara Nelson, backed by some smooth samples from Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock and Billy Cobham.
"Arms held out In your Jesus Christ pose Thorns and shroud Like it's the coming of the lord"
At #4 is Track 4 from Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, Jesus Christ Pose. What an introduction to them...and Chris Cornell's vocal range. And the playing easily matches the vocals. Like OB said, a brutal song, but one that left an impression.
"I closed my eyes and when I looked Your name was in the memorial book And what had become of all the things we planned I accepted the commiserations Of all your friends and your relations But there's some things I still don't understand"
Number three is Billy Bragg's sad, but beautiful, Tank Park Salute, which he wrote in honour of his late faher who passed away in the mid-70s. I can tell you it works for mothers just as well as fathers, and was one of my go-to songs when my own mother passed away a few months ago
"Losing sight of that familiar touch you know, Sinking into unknown beauty for a day, Living everything as it comes and goes, The only times you know have passed away."
I read somewhere that the beauty of shoegaze music is that you can shut the other senses out and concentrate on making good music. This is very much in evidence in Ride's Unfamiliar, where it matches OBOne's position. Just a great showcase of distorted guitars, and harmonic, ethereal vocals.
"Really hurt me, baby, really cut me, baby How can you have a day without a night? You're the book that I have opened And now I've got to know much more"
Topping one of my yearly lists for the third time are Massive Attack with Unfinished Sympathy. Although they were simply known as 'Massive' at the time of the song's release. This is the one that brought trip hop to the world and still sounds amazing, still makes Hottest 100 of All Time Lists, has another great Shara Nelson vocal, and some nice string sections (which I seem to be a sucker for these days).
Finally - my 1990 'indie' Hottest 150 list is (just about) ready to go, save for some minor tweaking - watch the space below.
I'm planning to post #150-101 on Thursday 28/10. #100-51 on Friday morning 29/10 #50-21 on Friday evening 29/10 #20-11 on Saturday 30/10 #10-1 on Sunday 31/10
1990: Madchester was in full swing, as was shoegaze. Some notable acts of the old 80s indie guard were still releasing good music, and grunge was making some small steps.
Me, I was in my last year of high school and it was the first full year of JJJ availability where I lived. Very, very eye opening.
Here are #150-101:
My H100 posn
Song
150
MONEYTALKS AC/DC
149
CHRISTO The Plunderers
148
BEEN CAUGHT STEALING Jane's Addiction
147
TOUCHED BY THE HAND OF CICCIOLINA Pop Will Eat Itself
146
WORLD IN MOTION New Order
145
BEING BORING Pet Shop Boys
144
WHERE DID SHE COME FROM? The Hard-Ons
143
ALL TOGETHER NOW The Farm
142
OMEN Orbital
141
STEP ON Happy Mondays
140
FEELIN' The La's
139
THE HISTORY OF WESTERN CIVILISATION TISM
138
THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES Sinead O'Connor
137
FORGOTTEN YEARS Midnight Oil
136
HIPPYCHICK Soho
135
ON AND ON Club Hoy
134
PEACE BY PIECE Sound Unlimited Posse
133
WORD GETS AROUND The Hummingbirds
132
NOVEMBER SPAWNED A MONSTER Morrissey
131
KING OF THE MOUNTAIN Midnight Oil
130
TOM'S DINER Susanne Vega and DNA
129
VOGUE Madonna
128
I AM ONE Smashing Pumpkins
127
DIG FOR FIRE The Pixies
126
DON'T GO IN THE WATER Ratcat
125
WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW Ed Kuepper
124
A DREAM'S A DREAM Soul II Soul
123
METROPOLIS The Church
122
I'M FREE Soup Dragons
121
RIDE IT ON Mazzy Star
120
SHE COMES IN THE FALL Inspiral Carpets
119
LOVE SCHOOL Divinyls
118
THIEVES IN THE TEMPLE Prince
117
LOVE ITSELF Curious (Yellow)
116
RIBBONS Sisters Of Mercy
115
I SOAR The Chills
114
TIME TO GET READY The Bats
113
UNBELIEVABLE EMF
112
I TOUCH MYSELF Divinyls
111
ONE LOVE The Stone Roses
110
LOVE REARS ITS UGLY HEAD Living Colour
109
PART PAST PART FICTION The Chills
108
IT'S ALRIGHT NOW The Beloved
107
COME TOGETHER Primal Scream
106
SACKVILLE Inspiral Carpets
105
NEVER TOO POPULAR Crash Politics
104
ALL OVER THE WORLD The Pixies
103
FORTUNE PRESENTS GIFTS NOT ACCORDING TO THE BOOK Dead Can Dance
The big hit from Bloodletting. I must admit that I wasn't much of a fan of this one at the time, but it sounds a lot better with age, due in no small way to Johnette Napolitano's sweet vocal.
19
TUNIC (A SONG FOR KAREN) Sonic Youth
A tribute to Karen Carpenter from Kim Gordon, this song packs a punch in more ways than one. Another song covering someone's tragic situation.
#18 comes from the maddest of the Madchester bands, the Happy Mondays, with Kinky Afro from their Pills, Thrills and Bellyaches album. As OBOne mentioned, it was quite the groove over the summer of 1990-91, and still is a groove.
17
THE WEEPING SONG Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
1990 saw Nick Cave clean, living in Rio De Janeiro and releasing (along with the bad Seeds of course) the divine The Good Son album, which was much lighter than their previous two. The bouncy second single, The Weeping Song, comes in #17, along with its corny film clip featuring Nick and Blixa singing long in a very unconvincing boat. Despite that, it was one of the first of Nick's songs I remember hearing and has always been amongst my favourites.
I didn't quite like the Sisters Of Mercy's Vision Thing album as much as their previous two, but there are still some good songs on there. The standout is 'More' and it comes in at #16. Mix Andrew Eldritch with Jim Steinman's production and you were only going to get an intense epic.
15
THE PROMISED WOMB Dead Can Dance
Dead Can Dance's Aion album embraced centuries old lyrics and instrumentation, and when you combine this with Lisa Gerrard's vocal ability, you get some stunning music. The Promised Womb is far and away the best example of this.
Kim Gordon is totally what it says on the label. Even though it was their first album for a major label, Goo is my favourite Sonic Youth album and Kool Thing is my favourite track from it. Even Chuck D gets in on the act without the song missing a beat. Worrd up.
13
GROOVE IS IN THE HEART Deee-Lite
AKA the big hit of my Year 12 formal. Packed the floors then and if I went to any floors these days, I'm sure this one would still pack them. De-groovy.
Number 12 doesn't quite get to Madchester, but the West Midlands. It's 'Then' from The Charlatans' debut album, and the driving bassline with Tim Burgess' soaring vocal has ensured that it remains my favourite Charlatans track to this day.
11
LOOKING GLASS The La's
We now move slightly north to Liverpool for #11, and the epic 8 minute album closer for the La's acclaimed self-titled album, Looking Glass. Such a shame that this was the last song they put to record. But what a way to go out.
"It's been so lonely without you here Like a bird without a song Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling Tell me baby, where did I go wrong?"
I didn't see this coming from Sinead O'Connor in 1990. I only knew her from Mandinka. But it was stunning and full of heart then, and still sounds that way today. Last edited:
"My name's Ivan. My occupation? Well I've been working 20 years at the gaskrankinstation downtown. I love the cars, y'know Without me they wouldn't go very far"
We're off to New Zealand and Flying Nun Records for #9. Another song that evaded me at the time (I was more familiar with their Cruise Control/Mr Moon/Juice/Choppers era), but was brought to my attention relatively recently.
Not only is it a brilliant piece of social commentary on the state New Zealand at the time, but it works its way up to a anarchic, killer climax.
"And save your face of changing colour And your smile of fading colour 'Cause you'll never know another Who will give you ever after"
For #8 we stay in New Zealand, and with Flying Nun Records. A little bit of an atypical song from them, but one I've come to appreciate over time. Just a beautiful, straightforward love cons. Rightly named as one of the best New Zealand songs of all time.
"Sat on the steps and we watched the view The house was full but there was only you Time was right because you told it to"
Off to Canberra for #6, with easily the Falling Joys' best song, Lock It. It's the singalong chorus, Suzie Higgie's vocals and the bass guitar that does it for me.
"Teach them how to live they said Humiliated them instead Taught them that and taught them this And others taught them prejudice"
We move now to Melbourne, via Balranald, NSW. Uncle Archie comes in at #7 with his signature song, 'Took The Children Away'. The lyrics are uncomfortable reading, but the song has not lost any impact 31 years later. Still hits me in the 'ol feels.
"Sat on the steps and we watched the view The house was full but there was only you Time was right because you told it to"
Off to Canberra for #6, with easily the Falling Joys' best song, Lock It. It's the singalong chorus, Suzie Higgie's vocals and the bass guitar that does it for me.
TOMORROW WENDY Andy Prieboy and Johnette Napolitano
"I told the priest, don't count on any second coming God got his ass kicked the first time he came down here slumming He had the balls to come, the gall to die and then forgive us No, I don't wonder why, I wonder what he thought it would get us"
Back to the depressing songs (about the titular character dying of AIDS). But a very beautiful one. The Concrete Blonde version of this song is better known, but seeing as Andy Prieboy wrote the song and I like a good duet, and it still contains Johnette's vocals, this is the version that I'm including. I seem to recall both versions getting heavy airplay on JJJ.
"True leaders gone, Of land and people. We choose no kin but adopted strangers. The family weakens by the length we travel...'
I'll admit to not being the biggest Jane's Addiction fan, and that this masterpiece eluded me at the time. It also keeps my run of 8+ minute songs in the Top 10 going. Take a bow Dave Navarro - two epic guitar solos, and you too Perry Farrell. The definite highlight of Ritual de lo Habitual.
"First you look so strong then you fade away The sun will blind my eyes, I love you anyway Thirsty for your smile, I watch you for a while You are a vapour trail in a deep blue sky"
A love song this time. I'm relatively new to the Ride 'ride', but this is their most famous song, and it's easy to see why. In several other years this could have topped the list. The ultimate shoegaze song.
"We talk about it all night long We define our moral ground But when I crawl into your arms Everything, it comes tumbling down"
Runner up is Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds with The Ship Song. It's a close thing between this, The Mercy Seat and Into My Arms as to my favourite song of his long career. It's just beautiful, right up the piano and chime outro. I sometimes wish that he could have come up with a more imaginative name for it though.
"They told me that you were a really bad news. They said you were no good for me. They told me you were a bad bad person. But you seem alright to me"
Topping the chart is That Ain't Bad by Ratcat. I rocked out to this song as a teenager and still do now - it bodes well for these type of countdowns when I have a consitently good reaction to a song. I didn't realise at the time but it did signpost grunge a fair bit. A classic. Shame that they never really approached this level again.
I’ll be working on my 2021 list primarily in the next few months, but as that is ahead of schedule, I should be able to work on 1989 sooner rather than later.
It's taken six months but I finally have my 1989 list ready. Hopefully there's been a big enough gap since OBOne's
I'll post #150-101 on Thursday, then all going well I will post and broadcast (via JQBX most likely) #100-51 from 6pm on Friday 13/5, and #50-1 from 6pm ish on Sunday 15/5. I'll send a link closer to the countdown.
Madchester was in swing, as was Italo/Acid House, and Hair Metal...and boy bands were just beginning too Sydney was still the indie music capital of Australia, while some up and coming bands from Seattle released their first albums.
I'll release my full list over the next few days (incorporating a trip to Jindabyne).
Firstly though, here are #150-101:
My H100 posn
Song
150
NUMERO UNO Starlight
149
WAKING THE DEAD Suicidal Tendencies
148
AXEGRINDER Hoodoo Gurus
147
PET SEMATARY The Ramones
146
GET A LIFE Soul II Soul
145
YOU HAPPY PUPPET 10,000 Maniacs
144
GET UP! Technotronic feat. Ya Kid K
143
SICK OF BEING SICK The Hard-Ons
142
REGINA The Sugarcubes
141
BUSLOAD OF FAITH Lou Reed
140
FUNKY COLD MEDINA Tone Loc
139
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Concrete Blonde
138
VERONICA Elvis Costello
137
COLOURS Ice-T
136
ADDICTED TO LOVE Ciccone Youth
135
HEY LADIES Beastie Boys
134
THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LEATHER LAGOON The Cramps
At 20 are The Pixies with their third track from Doolittle, Gouge Away. It ticks all of the Pixies boxes.
19
HEAD ON Jesus and Mary Chain
I'm not the biggest Jesus and Mary Chain fan, but Head On, especially it's climax, worked for me.
18
THE REAL THING Faith No More
The eight minute (dare I say Epic?) title track from FNM's breakthrough album comes in at 18. This album was played a lot in my brother and I's new room.
17
DEBASER The Pixies
And here is the fourth Doolittle track. I remember singing this to a groovie girlie I used to know . Another classic.
16
I WANNA BE ADORED The Stone Roses
Also known as 'one of the greatest album openers of all time'. The two minute-plus intro is worth the price of admission alone. The lyrics don't seem to matter.
15
THE SAME DEEP WATER AS YOU The Cure
Another epic from Disintegration, all of 9 minutes. Some may say it's the climax - the most disintegrated of the songs on the album. Perhaps The Cure's last big despair song, but what a way to do it.
14
CAN'T BE SURE The Sundays
My intro to Harriet Wheeler's beautiful voice, and the standout from Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (whch didn't come out until the following year). The lyrics are still very much relevant today.
13
SOMETHING I CAN NEVER HAVE Nine Inch Nails
The standout from Pretty Hate Machine. The insistent piano beat adds a whole level of despondency to the song. Love the bird noises at the end too.
12
WISE UP! SUCKER! Pop Will Eat Itself
The Poppies just rock out here. Still find myself rocking out with them whenever I hear it. It doesn't let up at all. My favourite ever song of theirs.
11
A GIRL LIKE YOU The Smithereens
Appropriately off their album named '11' are The Smithereens with ‘A Girl Like You’. Remember hearing this a lot even on commerical radio in the Summer of 1989-90, and takes be back there. I can rock out to this song too. It's my favourite of theirs and should have been a bigger hit. RIP to lead singer Pat DiNizio, who passed away in 2017. Last edited:
"'Cause it's you that I love And it's true that I love It's love not given lightly But I knew this was love And it's you that I love And it's more than what it might be"
Number ten comes from across the ditch, with Chris Knox's lovely Not Given Lightly. You have to be pretty hard-hearted not to like it. The almost a-cappella delivery makes a change from the jangly guitars prevalent in this list. Last edited:
"Good news for beautiful people Watching the world go by Make love in the middle of a warzone Hey, ya never gonna die"
This might actually be my favourite Hunnas song. Maybe it's the rebel aginst the man in me. It takes me back, and so does the 57.9c/L petrol price in the film clip. Last edited:
"Have you seen her, have you heard The way she plays? There are no words To describe the way I feel How could it ever come to pass? She'll be the first, she'll be the last"
The fourth song from the Stone Roses album in my list is Track 2, She Bangs The Drums. It wasn't my favourite back in the day but has grown on me over the years. Love Mani's bas on this one. And it's so easy to sing along to, I never realised.
"The world was on fire and no one could save me but you Strange what desire will make foolish people do I never dreamed that I'd love somebody like you And I never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you"
Number 5 is a song that I didn't realise came out in 1989 until very recently. Even in 2017 when I last update my charts I thought it was from 1990. I was one of those who didn't hear it until early 1991 when it made the charts, like many people I suspect. Whenever it's from, it's one of the sexiest songs ever.
"Suddenly A movement in the corner of the room And there is nothing I can do When I realize with fright That the Spiderman is having me for dinner tonight"
The fifth song from Disintegration is the perennial favourite, Lullaby (Track 6), complete with it's creepy but beautiful film clip. Just creeps along like a spider. Fortunately I'm not arachnophobic. Last edited:
"The creature in the sky Got sucked in a hole, now there's a hole in the sky And the ground's not cold And if the ground's not cold, everything is gonna burn We'll all take turns I'll get mine too"
If man is 5, and the devil is 6, and gawwwd is 7, then Monkey Gone To Heaven is 3. The fifth track from Doolittle in my list, it's always been my favourite. Maybe it's the dramatic pauses, or Frank Black's vocals, don't really know Last edited:
"It's cryin', bleedin', lyin' on the floor So you lay down on it and you do it some more You've got to share it, so you dare it Then you bare it and you tear it"
And now the fourth song from The Real Thing in my list...Epic Another song I've always associated with 1990, but the album was released in June 1989, so here we are. Sounded like nothing else I'd heard at the time, and I can still rock out to it now, whatever 'it' is Last edited:
"Your tongue is far too long I don't like the way it sucks and Slurs upon my every word"
Topping the list is the fifth and final song from The Stone Roses debut album, I Am The Resurrection. Well, it was the final song on the CD I owned anyway. And it is one of the great album closing tracks, just as I Wanna Be Adored is one of the great opening tracks. It is also one of the great f-you tracks. Then of course you have the epic guitar duel which closes the song. Pretty much perfect. Last edited:
And so we get to the Bicentennial year, 1988. Hair metal and Stock, Aitken and Waterman ruled the Top 40 charts but Madchester, House music, rap and grunge were just beginning to take off.
The Bard of Barking strikes again! Just a great singalong
19
SIDEWALKIN' The Jesus and Mary Chain
So funky. Actually prefer this to some Lips Like Sugar and Just Like Honey
18
SWEET JANE The Cowboy Junkies
The definitive version IMO. So sublime, and what a vocal.
17
INHERITANCE Talk Talk
Another track from one of the most underrated and ahead of its time albums of the 80s, Spirit Of Eden. So calm and serene, in contrast to what was goign on in Mark Hollis' life at the time.
16
YOU WON'T FIND IT AGAIN The Go-Betweens
The last ever Go-Betweens track, recorded in the same sessions as 16 Lovers Lane, so I've put it here.
15
INTO TEMPTATION Crowded House
Just beautiful, even if it's about cheating! One of Neil's, and the band's, finest songs
14
UNDERNEATH THE RADAR Underworld
Still a classic track. Hard to believe this is the same act that would release 'Born Slippy' eight years later and would become dance legends. If you could report to the dancefloor, that'd be great.
13
BONE MACHINE The Pixies
Another one from Surfer Rosa. I love the demented singalong tracks that the Pixies do, and this is another one.
12
GOODBYE HORSES Q Lazzarus
Don't like this one? Then it's the hose for you! Number 12 comes from the enigmatic Q Lazzarus rom New York, and featured in several movies after its release, including Silence Of The Lambs. It just has that slow, anthemic quality with its driving little beat.
11
COLLISION Loop
Cranking it up to ...11...is England's Loop with their trippy Collision. For best effect, listen to it with your headphones. Last edited:
THE LAST BEAT OF MY HEART Siouxsie And The Banshees
"How in the world Can I wish for this? Never to be torn apart 'Til the last beat 'Til the last fleeting beat Of my heart" Number ten is Siouxsie and The Banshees with their divine Last Beat Of My Heart. It's a song I'd forgotten about 5 years ago, but I heard it again, and it's kept growing...and growing...on me
"There she goes There she goes again Racing through my brain And I just can't contain This feeling that remains" #9 is the beautiful trip to the 1960s from Liverpool's The La's, There She Goes. A shame that Lee Mavers and the band didn't keep going past 1991. Actually, it's been pointed out that there's been so few Scouse indie bands since then. Last edited:
"All these words are not a rescue in my eyes Never sure about the love deep in your smile Never sure if I'm right or if I'm wrong Never sure about the things which were going on"
Camouflage are Germany's answer to Depeche Mode, only a lot more romantic if this synth masterpiece is anything to go by. I only discovered this song by tuning in to a Berlin 80s digital radio station, and was mesmerised by it. Last edited:
"And it's something quite peculiar Something shimmering and white Leads you here despite your destination Under the Milky Way tonight"
The Church's signature tune. I did hear this one in 1988 and loved it then, and still love it now. Just effortlessly cool. I don't think I need to tell you how it goes, do I? Last edited:
"Hear it in my spirit I've seen heroin for myself On the street so young, laying wasted Enough, ain't it enough, crippled world I just can't bring myself to see it starting"
I'm not crying, you're crying Mark Hollis' beautiful song about his brother's heroin addiction, which would sadly claim his life just after Spirit Of Eden was released.
Avoid the single version that went with the film clip for this song, in which Mark Hollis' is visibly unhappy. The album version is the way to go. Last edited:
Seriously? You want me to print lyrics for a Cocteau Twins song?
My all-time favourite Cocteau Twins song, in which not only Liz Frazer gives one of her best vocal performances, but Robin Guthrie his best guitar solo (the swirling shoegaze outro at the 2 min 21 mark). The only criticism I have of this song is that that outro isn't long enough. Last edited:
"No money man could win my love It's sweetness that I'm thinking of We always hang in a Buffalo Stance We do the dive every time we dance"
#1 in my original list, but it's still awesome. My introduction to Neneh (didn't realise she'd sung on The The's Infected album along with other projects prior to this). The ultimate sass-anthem, and so funky with it.
"I hear stories from the chamber How Christ was born into a manger And like some ragged stranger Died upon the cross And might I say, it seems so fitting in its way He was a carpenter by trade"
The song that got me into Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. And if Johnny Cash saw fit to cover it, it must be good.
This time though, I consider the single version that went with the film clip the definitive one as the album version perhaps goes 2 minutes too long. The film clip is how I first heard it and was transfixed by the dramatic buildup to the climax. Last edited:
"Lovely legs there are What a big black mass, what a hunk of love He'll walk her every day into a shady place Like the dark, but I'd want him"
Runner-up is the gigantic Gigantic by the Pixies (ironically only coming in at 3min 56). I've always loved the way it explodes in each chorus. Fun fact: The song actually is about an interracial relationship.
<beyond lyrics> For my 1999 list I was mesmerised enough by a song that featured Bulgarian folk singing to take it to No.1 in my list, and for my 1988 list it's happened again.
It's my favourite Dead Can Dance song by far, and is just a foreboding eargasm from start to finish, especially after Lisa Gerrard pulls off that angelic key change at the 3 min 56 sec mark. It's also a song I want played at my funeral. Last edited:
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Great Clint Boon keyboard - tick. Great film clip - tick. Impassioned Tom Hingley vocals - tick. 
Just beautiful. The orchestration is stunning in and of itself. 
Sydney was still the indie music capital of Australia, while some up and coming bands from Seattle released their first albums.
. Another classic.