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Ironically, this week's theme for Old School Friday was supposed to be movie soundtracks, and I am the only one blogging about something else. 1988 is a year that I remember more for it's art than it's music. Modern artists born out of the graffiti age were coming into notoriety, Basquiat and Keith Haring most notably. I remember feeling a lot of love for the up and coming New York artists.
As far as the music...well, let's just say there was a lot less love. When I looked over the top 100 songs of 1988, I saw a list of songs that either I didn't remember, couldn't care less about, or absolutely hated. Who the f**k was Will To Power? They were in the top 10.
There were songs on there that I really used to loathe, and still do. I did, and will now, change the station when I hear them, especially "Gett Outta My Dreams" by Billy Ocean, "Pink Cadillac" by Aretha Franklin, and "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. The last one I swear they played every 8 minutes in rotation. I also think I was the only Black person in America that didn't think Anita Baker was the second coming.
Songs ranged from the blandly corny; "Fast Cars" by Tracey Chapman, to the blandly poppie "Girlfriend" by Pebbles. Even the reggae was watered down--"Red Red Wine" by UB40. No wonder "Welcome To The Jungle" was so hugely popular; it was the only song that could keep you awake that year. Thank God for the wave of new styled music that came soon afterward.
I did like Keith Sweat's "I Want Her", but who didn't? I also liked this one, which was used once by my old school music fam, but it is a classic, and I still would listen to it all day:
By the way, for those of you that might be interested, I will be on WFMU with Billy Jam and Michael Gonzales about the year 1988 between 3-6pm EST today. You have to check their website to see if it will be streamed. Here is a list of the others that are scheduled to drop in; hope to have you come by and take a listen:
1. Lisa Cortes, former Def Jam ex./current film producer for Lee Daniels Entertainment
2. Todd Craig, writer and teacher/has written a literary hip-hop novel called "tor'ca" (swank books)http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=158723809&MyToken=d34472d0-be10-433b-ae3d-9f337b7c6274
3. Steve Flemming, music blogger :http://auralexamination.wordpress.com/
4. Marcus Reeves, author of Somebody Scream (he might be in the studio with us)http://www.amazon.com/Somebody-Scream-Musics-Prominence-Aftershock/dp/0571211402/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books
&qid=1210090372&sr=1-1
5. Donnell Alexander, author & editor/"Rollin' With Dre"http://www.donnellalexander.com/books
6. Serena Kim/ former Vibe editor, writer
7. Miles Marshall Lewis, writer and editor
8. Bill Adler, hip-hop renaissance man
9. Amy Linden, writer (tentative)
13 comments:
Okay IW I'll be singing this all night while I'm at work between all the calls of child abuse and neglect. At least I'll have something to destract me.
Happy OSF; I hope your show/interview goes well.
I always enjoy reading your blog posts on movies and the entertainment world. Your authentic voice is so evident on these posts.
I enjoyed your OSF selection. I haven't seen that artist since he appeared in New Jack City. Did he lose his voice?
peace, Villager
OH MY! I think I may just leave my screen on your site all nite...
OOOH, Al B. Shu-ure!
Interesting perspective on 1988. For me, it was a transition year as I was floundering post-college. In August, I moved from DC to LA because I started law school. It was the beginning of the end of my first real relationship.
Even though Jesse ran again, his campaign lacked the fire of the '84run. Dukkakis was so stale, and Bush was Reagan's (or really his) third term.
Likewise, the movies and music, for the most part, sucked. Thankfully, I found refuge in Black Rock and during my trips to the Bay Area to pay homage to my fading relationship, the Uhuru Maggot's (Rickey Vincent) Funk program on Sundays on KALX. I discovered new music by revisiting the 70s while loving the hard rock sounds of Living Colour, Fishbone, and the Spyz.
I later got hooked up with Eso Won Books, and then the world started making sense again. Working my way back forward through them and music got me straight. It completed the education that began at Howard. Fortified my strength and allowed to me complete my transition to adulthood.
Wow, that was cathartic. Didn't realize how important 1988 was to me. Thanks for bringing it up.
Hey now, I liked "Fast Car" and "Girlfriend"! LOL ... all jokes aside, great entries. That was such a fun year. I actually had an "In Effect Mode" poster my sister got me from an Al B Sure! show, ha!
Sony Innovator Series - Quincy Jones - Night & Day - Al B. Sure. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Villager - Christopher Williams NOT Al B. Sure was in New Jack City. I know it was the decade for the light skin-ded-ed brothas and sistas, but damn! LOL
OMGZ I wish I had been in on this!
In 1988 I was only 9 years old and still quite 'white acting', so I remember Will to Power's remake of Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird and still jam to it on my "Adult Contemporary" music days, which were fostered by this period of time. This means lots of George Michael, Phil Collins, Def Leppard and such.
I think 1988 was full of classic hip-hop! Supersonic by JJ Fad, Rollin with Kid N Play, Parents Just Don't Understand by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, and Eric B & Rakim's Paid In full all dropped that year. Yeah I was in fourth grade and listening to hair metal, but still...
What a cleansing comment to write.
Your blog is one of the few that I continue to adore.
@hagar's daughter: thanks for your well wishes--that song is catchy, and definitely miles away from your situation...blessings to you for being involved in that
hi villager: it is always a pleasure to have you around...and like danielle said, that was Christopher Williams, tho they do have the same hair.
@ms. m: you funny :-)
@deangelo: I was wondering when you'd make it by my way :-)
KALX? Eso Wan? Fishbone? You are a man after my own heart! Thanks for sharing that with me--interesting read.
@s. flemming: not the poster! lol!
Today that might be considered a bit "zesty", but back then people had posters of Hammer and other embarrassments, so that was the deal then...
@danielle: thank God my chocolate brothers took over; no disrepect to my "good haired" brothers... :-)
@thembi: that is a big compliment coming from you, but remind me never to listen to your I-Pod, haha.
Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, JJ Fad, Kid N' Play--all underscore my point about complacency and crossover--all hail Eric B. and Rakim!
1988, that was the beginning of my high school semi-tortured life. But BET was the bomb back then
Heyyyy I was looking forward to your movie choices! However, since you took me back to the time I was infatuated with light skinnded men, I'll forgive you this time.
I had posters all over my wall from Fresh and Right On of Al B Surrrreee. *singing Ooooh This love is so girllll* I just KNEW he was sanging to me.
LMAO@ Villager getting him twisted with CWilliams. It's an honest mistake. Where are they both now?
This was definitely the jam back in the day! But I must say seeing the video now, brother looks gay to me! But the song is still hot!
@wonderman: the point is tho, look how wonderful you are now :-) Eff high school, it wasn't roses and cherries for me either...
Who knew then that BET would get on Black folks' bad side so hard? Never woulda thunk it...
vivrant: never got into the light-skinded thing much, but I know Christpher is MIA.
Saw Al B. in pictures with his sons on the gossip blogs, all sexy posed up with them like "Zoolander". LMAO!
@Regina: Brotha was looking a tad zesty, yes? haha!
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