Another year of this #x-daysofmusic challenge set up by @backinblackdevil.
Concerts attended in 1988:
Bonnie Tyler - Hide Your Heart
I have this album, courtesy of one of the women in the office. The gig was at Hammersmith Odeon and was surprsingly good. They played the big rock hits and still fit a couple of the old numbers in. This was the year Bonnie played Reading Festival. The rain of bottles is still spoken of in hushed tones by those who witnessed it.
Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
Lindsey Buckingham had quit after recording the album, so the Mac brought in two male guitarists to replace him. Which tells you a lot. That was a disappointment, but it's still the only time I've seen Christine McVie perform. Wembley Arena - we had okay seats on the floor, in the front block I think. The lighting rig was a giant butterfly and quite lovely.
Bruce Hornsby - Look Out Any Window
I dragged a friend along, which was good of him as he'd also gone to see Bonnie Tyler with me. The crowd at the Odeon was subdued. There was a sing-along bit where me and my friend seemed to be the only ones who sang. The band soldiered on, but Bruce had spotted us. In one song he was wearing a piano accordion and came out into the audience. Straight to me and Andy, and indicated the keys he was playing on the accordion. So we got to play it! Golden memory.
I found a BBC bootleg which may be the gig I was at (I disagree on the date). Certainly doesn't sound like the audience I remember.
Frank Zappa - The Yellow Snow Suite
Andy had a colleague who was a Zappa fan. Visitiing him at work they had a copy of YCDTOSA 1 and put it on. The first track was a discussion over breakfast in 1970: "Did anyone see me puke on stage?!?" I was hooked. This is one of the classic Zappa tracks - so much so that it was a hit single. It has everything - complex music, stupid lyrics, toilet humour and conceptual continuity (in-jokes and audience participation).
I was still working at Super Channel and thus being exposed to stuff I wouldn't have sought out...
Hothouse Flowers - Don't Go
A summer single from Eire that was everywhere in 1988. Even on the Eurovision Song Contest, where it was used as a filler during the voting and brought the band to a massive audience. Saw them at Glastonbury a couple of years later, and also last year in Shepherd's Bush. Always good for cheering you up.
Sisters Of Mercy - This Corrosion
Another right-song-right-time. Sisters Of Mercy are effectively Andrew Eldritch and a drum machine (Doktor Avalanche), with various hangers on. This is a Jim Steinman production (you're not surprised, are you?). Apparently it's an attack on Wayne Hussey, who'd just gone off to start The Mission. The album is atmospheric beyond belief and wonderfully daft. A band I've still not seen in concert.
Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians - What I Am
This hasn't aged well. Brickell fell in the same slightly hippy space that The Dead and Bruce Hornsby occupied. She worked with Garcia and others but never matched this little slice of poppy nihilism.
The The - Infected
Left wing politics you can dance to and an early call to arms against AIDS. Matt Jonnson's one-man band featured some top players on stage (although I've still not seen a gig) and his songwriting is excellent. At his best, he's the voice of your subconcious wielding a truncheon.
Voice of The Beehive - Don't Call Me Baby
Bubllegum pop from California. The backing band are british and originally had a couple of Madness members. Tracey Bryn & Melissa Brooke Belland wrote the songs and had a run of three great albums over ten years, although the first is the only one people are familiar with.
Jane's Addiction - Mountain Song
When I went to MTV, we had a filler list in case we were running under at the top of the hour. It was a very short list of dross, but this was on it. We'd do our best during office hours to make time to play this video as much as possible, because our boss hated it.
Great album and ahead of its time: the song no longer sounds as shocking as it did back then.
Melissa Etheridge - Bring Me Some Water
At MTV we had a fantastic video of Etheridge performing this in the UK studio. It was raw sexuality and I immediately bought the CD. The album is an 80s production but the songs are still great and she still plays them live.
My days of music: 1967 - 1968 - 1969 - 1970 - 1971 - 1972 - 1973 -
1974 - 1975 - 1976 - 1977 - 1978 - 1979 - 1980 - 1981 - 1982 - 1983 -
1984 - 1985 - 1986 - 1987