Hey folks!

Today I have seven albums that have been named by Bluesky Best Album Bracketeers as particular 1988 favorites that they believe will be overlooked and hope you will consider for the tournament. I haven’t heard these yet, but I am going to listen to them this week. I hope you join me in this. Just one album a day is all I ask!

These aren’t all of the suggestions I’ve received, but I don’t have many left on my list. If you’re reading this and haven’t suggested one (1) obscure 1988 album you think I and others should consider, send me a line either on Bluesky or at [email protected]. Thanks!

Since I haven’t heard these yet, instead of my usual incisive and delightful commentary, we have quotes from YouTube, AllMusic, and elsewhere. Bon appétit!

Game Theory, TWO STEPS FROM THE MIDDLE AGES (Spotify, YouTube [tracks 1-13])

“…There was also a bit more gloss in Mitch Easter's production than in his previous work with the band, and tunes like ‘Wyoming,’ ‘In a Delorean,’ ‘Rolling with the Moody Girls,’ and ‘What the Whole World Wants’ sound like they could have found a comfortable spot on college radio, if not mainstream FM outlets.…But think of it as their answer to the Velvet Underground's Loaded, a superb example of a challenging band playing nice without throwing away the smarts and ideas that made them worthwhile.” — AllMusic

The Jazz Butcher, FISHCOTHEQUE (Spotify, YouTube)

“Firstly, Fishcotheque is a really strong record, played with a lot of heart, with a winning mix of clever and sad songs, classic JB in fact. Secondly, the best songs (for me) are very clearly “Looking for Lot 49”, “Next Move Sideways” and “Chickentown” which capture the upbeat electric energy of this record. Give them and it a listen.” - Brian Doyle

“…this 1988 album fits right in with the top-notch records the band had already cut during the decade. It certainly features Fish's patented mix of cinematic pop melancholy and minimal pub rock… the disc does deliver two of Fish's most realized bits of forlorn whimsy in ‘Susie’ and ‘Keeping the Curtains Closed.’ Guitarist Kizzy O'Callaghan makes some fine contributions as well, while Butcher's guest alumni -- like saxophonist Alex Green, bassist Greenwood Goulding, and drummer Dave Morgan -- provide some loose and tasty backing. And for Spacemen 3 fans, there's Sonic Boom working his feedback alchemy on ‘Susie.’” — AllMusic

The Legendary Pink Dots, THE GOLDEN AGE (Spotify, YouTube)

“Still mesmerizing & fresh, 30 years later. One of my favorites. <3”

“this band led me to the dark side (questioning side) in the late 80's/early 90's by accident, thank you Mr. Kaspel”

“Largas noches fumando y tomando, escuchando este album en casette... inolvidable.”

“Oh hot dog, this album gives so much and asks so little”

“Reminds me of immortal Coil”

Mecano, DESCANSO DOMINICAL (Spotify, YouTube)

“Muy buen disco!!!”

“El mejor grupo pop en español de todos los tiempos”

“los escuchaba con un walkman por la mañana al levantarme sobre todo esta cancion, gracias por el recuerdo,”

“Que haría sin está música, es como una droga. Eterno Mecano!!”

Scrawl, HE'S DRUNK (Spotify, YouTube)

“One of Scrawl's distinct features over bands of their time was their ability to handle familial relationships and friendship issues without sounding dopey; ‘For Your Sister’ is one such example. A cover of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant's ‘Rocky Top’ lends a bit of cowpunk edge, and a rare occasion where Scrawl show their sense of humor (also see their Paula Abdul homage on Bloodsucker) looms on a version of ‘Let it All Hang Out’: ‘Black clothes, white white tan/ That's the way I catch my man, uh huh.’” — AllMusic

Linda Smith, DO YOU KNOW THE WAY…? (Bandcamp)

“…Smith's compositions are awash in dreamy atmosphere and psychedelic swirl, her steel-string strums informed as much by Syd Barrett and the Cocteau Twins as Dylan or Drake. It feels like harnessing a kind of magic, using simple and straightforward tools to make music that suggests something so rich and dense. It's an application of folk aesthetics in the service of blurring lines of genre altogether.” - Jeff Terich, TREBLE ZINE

TISM, GREAT TRUCKIN' SONGS OF THE RENAISSANCE (Spotify, YouTube)

“This album is fucking awesome, easily their best, TISM are brilliant!!!”

“TISM is one of the bands that was the right of passage, to expand the mind, to kill the ego, to dissemble the establishment, am eternally grateful that I got to hear them. One of their live performances still stands out in my mind….”

“As I get older, I am increasingly grateful to have existed during, what is indeed, the apex of Australian culture, a time when the satiric ire of T.I.S.M. roamed free and wild…”

See you next week with another Time to Prep for 1988 newsletter!

Kent