The A Lists: 1988 (64)

• Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Def Jam)
• African Connection Vol. 1: Zaire Choc! (Celluloid import)
• Tom T. Hall: The Essential Tom T. Hall: Twentieth Anniversary Collection/The Story Songs (Mercury)
• Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation (Enigma/Blast First)
• Mahlathini & Mahotella Queens: Paris-Soweto (Celluloid import)
• The Heartbeat of Soweto (Shanachie)
• Lucinda Williams: Lucinda Williams (Rough Trade)
• Pere Ubu: The Tenement Year (Enigma)
• Psychedelic Furs: All of This and Nothing (Columbia)
• Ambitious Lovers: Greed (Virgin)
• Ornette Coleman and Prime Time: Virgin Beauty (Portrait)
• The Flying Burrito Brothers: Farther Along: The Best of the Flying Burrito Brothers (A&M)
• Pet Shop Boys: Introspective (EMI-Manhattan)
• Zani Diabate & the Super Djata Band: Zani Diabate & the Super Djata Band (Mango)
• Bhundu Boys: Tsvimbodzemoto: Sticks of Fire (Hannibal)
• Patsy Cline: Live at the Opry (MCA)
• Robert Cray Band: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (Mercury)
• Folkways: A Vision Shared--A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly (Columbia)
• EPMD: Strictly Business (Fresh)
• Feedtime: Shovel (Rough Trade)
• Zimbabwe Frontline (Virgin)
• Michelle Shocked: Short Sharp Shocked (Mercury)
• Najma: Qareeb (Shanachie)
• Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man (Columbia)
• Eric B. & Rakim: Follow the Leader (Uni)
• Traveling Wilburys: Volume One (Wilbury)
• Guy: Guy (MCA)
• Richard Thompson: Amnesia (Capitol)
• Obed Ngobeni: My Wife Bought a Taxi (Shanachie)
• Was (Not Was): What Up, Dog? (Chrysalis)
• Jungle Brothers: Straight Out the Jungle (Idlers)
• James Brown: Motherlode (Polydor)
• Flipper: Sex Bomb Baby! (Subterranean)
• Gilberto Gil: Soy Loco Por Ti America (Braziloid)
• Earth, Wind & Fire: The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire Vol. II (Columbia)
• R.E.M.: Eponymous (I.R.S.)
• Miriam Makeba: Sangoma (Warner Bros.)
• Womack & Womack: Conscience (Island)
• Buzzcocks: Lest We Forget (ROIR)
• Heartbeat Soukous (Earthworks/Virgin)
• Motorhead: No Sleep at All (Enigma/GWR)
• Mory Kante: Akwaba Beach (Polydor)
• Thunder Before Dawn--The Indestructible Beat of Soweto Volume Two (Earthworks/Virgin)
• Prince: The Black Album (unlabeled cassette)
• Hurricane Zouk (Earthworks/Virgin)
• The Go-Betweens: 16 Lovers Lane (Capitol)
• Patti Smith: Dream of Life (Arista)
• The Chills: Brave Words (Homestead)
• Too Much Joy: Son of Sam I Am (Alias)
• Jimi Hendrix Experience: Radio One (Rykodisc)
• Steve Jordan: The Return of El Parche (Rounder)
• Astor Piazzolla: The Rough Dancer and the Cyclical Night (American Clavé)
• Joe Louis Walker: The Gift (Hightone)
• Mahlathini & Mahotella Queens: Thokozile (Virgin)
• Dag Nasty: Field Day (Giant)
• The Fall: I Am Kurious Oranj (Beggars Banquet)
• The Real Roxanne: The Real Roxanne (Select)
• Mr. Magic's Rap Attack Volume 4 (Profile)
• Randy Travis: Old 8x10 (Warner Bros.)
• Voice of the Beehive: Let It Bee (London)
• Bootsy Collins: What's Bootsy Doin'? (Columbia)
• Soul Brothers: Jive Explosion (Virgin)
• Maroon: The Funky Record (Arb Recordings)
• Mofungo: Bugged (SST)

Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s, 1990

The A Lists: 1987

The A Lists: 1989