The A Lists: 1989 (70)

• The Mekons: The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll (A&M)
• Neil Young: Freedom (Reprise)
• Laurie Anderson: Strange Angels (Warner Bros.)
• Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique (Capitol)
• Remmy Ongala and Orchestre Super Matimila: Songs for the Poor Man (Real World)
• Jungle Brothers: Done by the Forces of Nature (Warner Bros.)
• Mekons: Original Sin (Twin/Tone)
• Pere Ubu: Cloudland (Fontana)
• The Neville Brothers: Yellow Moon (A&M)
• Wire: On Returning (1977-1979) (Restless Retro)
• De La Soul: 3 Feet High and Rising (Tommy Boy)
• The Kampala Sound (Original Music)
• George Clinton: The Cinderella Theory (Paisley Park/Warner Bros.)
• Marshall Crenshaw: Good Evening (Warner Bros.)
• Los Van Van: Songo (Mango)
• Cheb Khaled/Safy Boutella: Kutché (Capitol/Intuition)
• Boulevard of Broken Dreams: It's the Talk of the Town and Other Sad Songs (Hannibal)
• Terence Trent D'Arby: Neither Fish Nor Flesh (Columbia)
• Pylon: Hits (DB)
• The Roches: Speak (MCA)
• Neneh Cherry: Raw Like Sushi (Virgin)
• Rosanne Cash: Hits 1979-1989 (Columbia)
• Negativland: Helter Stupid (SST)
• Lounge Lizards: Voice of Chunk (1-800-44CHUNK)
• Alexander O'Neal: All Mixed Up (Tabu)
• E.U.: Livin' Large (Virgin)
• 3rd Bass: The Cactus Album (Def Jam)
• Van Morrison: Avalon Sunset (Mercury)
• Chaba Fadela: You Are Mine (Mango)
• Janet Jackson: Rhythm Nation 1814 (A&M)
• Yo! MTV Raps (Jive)
• Fine Young Cannibals: The Raw and the Cooked (I.R.S.)
• Diblo: Super Soukous (Shanachie)
• Al Green: Love Ritual: Rare and Previously Unreleased 1968-1976 (MCA)
• Nick Lowe: Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe (Columbia)
• Black Havana (Capitol)
• Konbit!: Burning Rhythms of Haiti (A&M)
• L.L. Cool J: Walking with a Panther (Def Jam)
• Baaba Maal and Mansour Seck: Djam Leelii (Mango)
• Nuestras Mejores Cumbias (Globo)
• Roxanne Shanté: Bad Sister (Cold Chillin')
• Royal Crescent Mob: Spin the World (Sire)
• Culture: Cumbolo (Shanachie)
• Technotronic: Pump Up the Jam: The Album (SBK)
• Yo La Tengo: President Yo La Tengo (Coyote)
• The African Typic Collection (Virgin)
• Luther Vandross: The Best of Luther Vandross . . . The Best of Love (Epic)
• Jimmie Dale Gilmore: Jimmie Dale Gilmore (Hightone)
• Thomas Mapfumo: Corruption (Mango)
• Thelonious Monster: Stormy Weather (Relativity)
• Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble: In Step (Epic)
• Dwight Yoakam: Just Lookin' for a Hit (Reprise)
• Alpha Blondy: Revolution (Shanachie)
• Daniel Owino Misiani and Shirati Band: Benga Blast! (Virgin)
• Keith Whitley: I Wonder Do You Think of Me (RCA)
• Queen Latifah: All Hail the Queen (Tommy Boy)
• The Jayhawks: Blue Earth (Twin/Tone)
• Pointer Sisters: Greatest Hits (RCA)
• Ice-T: The Iceberg: Freedom of Speech . . . Just Watch What You Say (Sire)
• Jerry Lee Lewis: Rockin' My Life Away (Tomato)
• Meat Puppets: Monsters (SST)
• Lou Reed: New York (Sire)
• Zetrospective: Dancing in the Face of Adversity (ZE)
• Mofungo: Work (SST)
• Ernest Tubb: Live, 1965 (Rhino)
• Dancehall Stylee: The Best of Reggae Dancehall Music Vol. 1 (Profile)
• Clint Black: Killin' Time (RCA)
• Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper: Root Hog or Die (Enigma)

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

The A Lists: 1988

Glossary