The Painted Word - Lovelife (1989 RCA). Heard this one from the radio, likely on BM 105 but a friend of mine, whom I will call Ethereal John had a copy. The tape was released in the PH and I was able to borrow it from him. We didn’t have any kind of information about the band but we both loved it.

The Lilac Time - Paradise Circus (1989 Fontana). “She Loves Me” from Some Kind Of Wonderful was quite unforgettable. Disregarding his Duranie roots (heh heh), I warmed up to him due to Because We Love You. But I fell head over heels hard when I heard Paradise Circus.

The Beautiful South - Welcome To The Beautiful South (1989 Go! Discs). I was overjoyed when ex-Housemartins Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway came together to present this record to the world. Welcome To The Beautiful South was indeed beautiful from start to finish.

My Bloody Valentine - Ecstasy And Wine (1989 Lazy). So a little after hearing Isn’t Anything, I was also marveling at this collection of My Bloody Valentine’s pre-Creation/ Lazy recordings.

The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (1989 Silvertone). At the tail-end of the decade when I was transitioning from high school to college, the music I listened to was also shifting, along with the music landscape, natch. I didn’t know much about Madchester until I bought The Stone Roses’ debut.

Joy Division - Still (1981 Factory). Still was issued a year and a half after Ian Curtis’ death. This record still feels like one of the saddest endings to a band ever. #vinylcollection

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Barbed Wire Kisses (1988 Blanco Y Negro). Some compilations will include rare tracks, which are usually a treat. Like Barbed Wire Kisses for example. This collects The Jesus And Mary Chain’s singles, b-sides and a few rarities…

Depeche Mode - The Singles 81-85 (1985 Mute). I liked Depeche Mode until Music For The Masses. I don’t know but I was on the fence already with Black Celebration. I preferred it when they sounded young and boyish so I guess this collection suited me more than their Singles 86-98 release.

Siouxsie And The Banshees - Once Upon A Time (1981 PVC). The early years of Siouxsie And The Banshees were very influential to post punk and goth. Once Upon A Time encapsulated those first four years and included the first nine singles plus one album-only track, “Mirage”.

Lloyd Cole And The Commotions - 1984-1989 (1989 Polydor). After The Commotions broke up, they released this “best of” record so this is quite like closure for the band. Lloyd Cole and company only had three albums but they were all terrific.

The Cure - Standing On A Beach (1986 Elektra). This can quickly satisfy my Cure fix. Killer tracks, all of them, singles and non-singles and with varying moods too. Best-of albums kind of give me a quick snapshot of the different stages of a band’s career progression. #vinylcollection

I know some people who scoff at “best of”’s but I like them! Here’s a few I have in my collection. New Order - Substance (1987 Qwest). I play this a lot more than any of the proper albums. It has everything I love about New Order and it’s the absolute perfect way to introduce someone to the band.

Shelleyan Orphan - Century Flower (1989 Rough Trade). The closer to Cross-Wired was the slow-number “A Few Small Hours” by Shelleyan Orphan. I may have a copy of Century Flower already by this time and it’s one of my best-loved records ever.

A.R. Kane - 69 (1988 Rough Trade). The A.R. Kane track from Richard Tan’s Cross-Wired, “Crazy Blue” was from this album. And around this time was in all likelihood the first time dream pop was uttered, by Alex Ayuli. And it’s the perfect description.

Microdisney - The Clock Comes Down The Stairs (1985 Rough Trade). “Birthday Girl” had a little bit of radio airplay locally, and was released as part of Richard’s Cross-Wired tape. The song was from this record, their second, but last on Rough Trade before going to Virgin.

Miracle Legion - Surprise Surprise Surprise (1987 Rough Trade). There were two American acts in Cross-Wired. One was Lucinda Williams and the other was Miracle Legion from Connecticut. Perhaps they were also similar to The Stars Of Heaven.

The Stars Of Heaven - Speak Slowly (1988 Rough Trade). There were a couple of Irish bands in Cross-Wired and here’s the first one, The Stars Of Heaven from Dublin. “Lights Of Tetouan” was the track in the tape and it’s a beautiful track.

The Band Of Holy Joy - Manic, Magic, Majestic (1989 Rough Trade). My second fave band from Cross-Wired was The Band Of Holy Joy. I read about them in The Score and I was immediately intrigued. I think Cross-Wired was where I first heard them: “Tactless” was from this album.

The Woodentops - Wooden Foot Cops On The Highway (1988 Rough Trade). I’d like to post about this tape compilation called Cross-Wired: The Independent Tape Story. One of the tracks was “You Make Me Feel” and it was from this album, released in the PH by a small label called Backbeat.

Pixies - Doolittle (1989 4AD). This here is my favorite Pixies album. Similar to Darklands, the band pulled the reins a little after Surfer Rosa with some brilliant pop songcraftism like a couple of my immediate favorites, “Wave Of Mutilation”, “Monkey Gone To Heaven”, “Here Comes Your Man”.

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Darklands (1987 Blanco Y Negro). Darklands was definitely dwarfed by the monster that was Psychocandy, but it stood high on its own. I’d say when I got this album, I started trying to play the guitar. It was easy chord progressions.

A Certain Ratio - Good Together (1989 A&M). After hearing and loving “And Then She Smiles” from Young, Popular And Sexy, I had to grab a locally released cassette version of Good Together. I would eventually learn it wasn’t well-liked by hardcore ACR fans. #vinylcollection

Frazier Chorus - Sue (1989 Virgin). “Dream Kitchen” and “Typical” received radio airplay back then. This was also locally released and I bought the cassette. I really was a fan that I bought Ray when it was released in the PH. And when I came to the US, I made sure to get Wide Awake on cd.

The Church - Starfish (1988 Arista). Prior to Sonnet LVIII, me and the pre-Sonnet boys were jamming to songs like The Cure’s “Love Song”, New Order’s “Leave Me Alone” and The Church’s “Reptile” from this album. We never were that good though. But this album was essential to my urge to form a band.

Lloyd Cole And The Commotions - Mainstream (1987 Polydor). It’s tough to pick this over Easy Pieces because I love that record too. “Rich”, “Cut Me Down”, “Lost Weekend”, “Brand New Friend”... So many good tunes. Though it lost some rough edges, Mainstream on the other hand was more well-balanced.

New Order - Low-Life (1985 Factory). This is my second favorite New Order record, after PC&L. Lots of high school memories associated with this one. I remember being amused by the frog sounds in the bridge section of “The Perfect Kiss”. #vinylcollection

The Cure - Disintegration (1989 Elektra). How can a band follow-up an ambitious 70+ minute, 17-song double LP that included perhaps one of the best singles of the decade, “Just Like Heaven”? Well, with a masterpiece of course, entitled Disintegration. #vinylcollection

Everything But The Girl - Idlewild (1988 Sire). This is an underrated favorite. The light jazz/ light pop vibe of the record has a calming effect on me. When the record starts off with that drum beat from “Love Is Here Where I Live”, whatever emotional strain I am in, it kind of all goes away.

Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll (1988 4AD). After Victorialand, this was the second Cocteau Twins album I heard, a US-issued cassette I had my mom sent me. I don’t even know how to describe how I felt upon listening to it the first time. #vinylcollection

Prefab Sprout - From Langley Park To Memphis (1988 Epic). I’ve gone back and forth with this album and Two Wheels Good (or Steve McQueen, depending on what side of the Atlantic you’re on). But with the passage of time, From Langley Park To Memphis grew more and more on me. #vinylcollection

The Railway Children - Recurrence (1988 Virgin). This is a lot more polished than Reunion Wilderness but I certainly love it because of it, not in spite of it. The spick and span production here works for me. The guitars came out brilliantly. The whole album was quite inspiring to me.

The Go-Betweens - 16 Lovers Lane (1988 Beggars Banquet). This is one of my favorite albums ever. I’m so attached to this record emotionally that it gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. I don’t even know how to explain it. #vinylcollection

I think it’s time to revisit other records of the bands I’ve already posted. I tried to stick to one album per band since I started this but there are quite a lot of albums that’s hard to ignore. The Blue Nile - Hats (1988 Linn). This is my favorite Blue Nile record. #vinylcollection

My Bloody Valentine - Isn’t Anything (1988 Creation). I first heard “No Place To Go” on a bootleg collection called Headset One. I thought they were JAMC ripoffs. Then I heard this. Although I was learning the piano, I was getting interested in guitar sounds. #vinylcollection

Wire - A Bell Is A Cup… Until It Is Struck (1988 Enigma). This was my first Wire album, on cassette even, which I still have. So the Wire I first knew about was more abstract pop than art punk. It’s an album that was part of the band’s shift in musical direction and composition.

Nick Heyward - I Love You Avenue (1988 Reprise). Upon leaving Haircut One Hundred, Nick Heyward embarked on a solo career starting with the fab North Of A Miracle. But I’m picking I Love You Avenue today because “You’re My World” is like one of my favorite tunes ever.

In Tua Nua - The Long Acre (1988 Virgin). A couple of In Tua Nua songs from local compilations introduced me to this septet: “All I Wanted” and “Meeting Of The Waters”, both from this album. They got a very Celtic rock kind of vibe, with flutes, pipes and violins.

The Wild Swans - Bringing Home The Ashes (1988 Sire). It’s another one of those albums that was very influential to me. Had the local tape, played it almost everyday. Besides, members Paul Simpson and Jem Kelly had history with me: Care, and The Lotus Eaters respectively. #vinylcollection

The Bible - Eureka (1988 Chrysalis). If ever there were songs I wish I wrote, one of them would be “Honey Be Good” from this album. The acoustic version is even better in fact. #vinylcollection

The Sun And The Moon - Le Soleil, La Lune (1988 Geffen). This was an album I played to death. After The Chameleons disbanded, Mark Burgess and John Lever plus a couple of Andy’s formed The Sun And The Moon. Maybe an unpopular opinion but I really prefer this record from anything by The Chameleons.

The Primitives - Lovely (1988 RCA Victor). The Primitives came crashing through early ‘88 with an absolute banger of a hit, “Crash”. Like its lyrics, the song emanated that same energy, even the recklessness and then it’s over after two and a half minutes. #vinylcollection

Haircut One Hundred - Pelican West (1982 Arista). I almost forgot about this band. Their single “Love Plus One” will likely be played on the radio for all of eternity as long as there will be an I Love The 80’s radio show. #vinylcollection

Virginia Astley - Hope In A Darkened Heart (1986 Geffen). Hope In A Darkened Heart was important in the formation of my other band, Dorian Of Juniper Bells. Dorian was from one of the tracks here, entitled “So Like Dorian”. This was one of the albums that me and Jojo bonded over. #vinylcollection

The Blow Monkeys - Animal Magic (1986 RCA Victor). “Digging Your Scene” was an exceptional single. And this album I think was the band’s definitive record. I may have forgotten about them for more than a decade and was reminded of how good “Digging Your Scene” was when Ivy’s Guestroom came out.

Deacon Blue - Raintown (1987 CBS). I remember a live review of Deacon Blue in The Score and it mentioned they were bottled offstage at one of those Reading Festivals. I read it was perhaps the worst crowd ever. Reading about it made me uninterested in big music festivals.

The Feelies - The Good Earth (1986 Coyote). I had a bootleg of Luxury Condos Coming To Your Neighborhood Soon. One of the better songs in that collection was called “A Plan Revised” by The Trypes. The band included members from The Feelies. I was captivated by them to say the least.

Thrashing Doves - Bedrock Vice (1987 A&M). I read a review of this album in The Score I think. Then I heard “Beautiful Imbalance” from a compilation. What a song! I got completely hooked along with “Matchstick Flotilla”, “Tinderbox Man” and “Biba’s Basement”. #vinylcollection

The Jasmine Minks - The Jasmine Minks (1986 Creation). Last Creation release this week and it’s by one of the first bands to sign with the label. The Jasmine Minks came out with one of the best songs to come out of the label. “Cold Heart” is one of my favorite Creation songs ever. #vinylcollection

The Loft - 1982-1985 Once Round The Fair (1989 Creation). I think it’s only natural to check out The Loft after hearing The Weather Prophets and learning it’s Peter Astor’s and Dave Morgan’s former project. Discovering music from the past is always a joy.

The Weather Prophets - Almost Prayed (1986 Creation). So perhaps having that cassette entitled The Best of New Music was one of the reasons I got pointed to this direction. That “Why Does The Rain” track was definitely unforgettable and The Weather Prophets’ debut “Almost Prayed” was even better.