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100 Greatest Albums of 1988

Criteria: These 1988 albums were chosen for their initial and lasting popularity and their influence and impact on rock music in general. Also considered is critical acclaim. The list includes rock and roll and related genres that were influential on rock music.
Top 100 Albums by Year
Note: Yearly album lists go by earliest 'release date'.
Not necessarily the year an album peaked in the U.S. charts.
  1. It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back - Public Enemy
  2. Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A
  3. Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth
  4. Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
  5. Nothing's Shocking - Jane's Addiction
  6. Surfer Rosa - Pixies
  7. Strictly Business - EPMD
  8. Spirit Of Eden - Talk Talk
  9. Green - R.E.M.
10. ...And Justice For All - Metallica
11. Giving You The Best That I Got - Anita Baker
12. Straight Out The Jungle - Jungle Brothers
13. Lucinda Williams - Lucinda Williams
14. Operation: Mindcrime - Queensryche
15. Forever Your Girl - Paula Abdul
16. Don't Be Cruel - Bobby Brown
17. I'm Your Man - Leonard Cohen
18. Isn't Anything - My Bloody Valentine
19. Follow The Leader - Eric B. & Rakim
20. Rattle And Hum - U2
21. New Jersey - Bon Jovi
22. Guy - Guy
23. Traveling Wilburys, Volume 1 - Traveling Wilburys
24. Open Up And Say...Ahh! - Poison
25. Look Sharp! - Roxette
26. By All Means Necessary - Boogie Down Productions
27. 16 Lovers Lane - The Go-Betweens
28. Long Live The Kane - Big Daddy Kane
29. Vivid - Living Colour
30. Irish Heartbeat - Van Morrison & The Chieftains
31. The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick - Slick Rick
32. OU812 - Van Halen
33. It Takes Two - Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
34. Heavy Nova - Robert Palmer
35. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son - Iron Maiden
36. Heart Break - New Edition
37. Life Is...Too $hort - Too $hort
38. Tell It To My Heart - Taylor Dayne
39. He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
40. Lita - Lita Ford
41. Stronger Than Pride - Sade
42. Hangin' Tough - New Kids On The Block
43. Long Cold Winter - Cinderella
44. Melissa Etheridge - Melissa Etheridge
45. Now And Zen - Robert Plant
46. Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars - Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
47. Roll With It - Steve Winwood
48. If I Should Fall From Grace With God - The Pogues
49. Lap Of Luxury - Cheap Trick
50. Out Of Order - Rod Stewart
51. Hold Me In Your Arms - Rick Astley
52. Viva Hate - Morrissey
53. Keeper Of The Seven Keys, Pt. 2 - Helloween
54. Cocktail - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Various Artists
55. Lyte As A Rock - MC Lyte
56. The Trinity Session - The Cowboy Junkies
57. Copperhead Road - Steve Earle
58. Critical Beatdown - Ultramagnetic MC's
59. Life's Too Good - The Sugarcubes
60. South Of Heaven - Slayer
61. Power - Ice-T
62. So Far, So Good...So What! - Megadeth
63. A Salt With A Deadly Pepa - Salt-n-Pepa
64. Lovesexy - Prince
65. Another Side - Fingers Inc.
66. Starfish - The Church
67. 2nd Wave - Surface
68. The Innocents - Erasure
69. Blood Fire Death - Bathory
70. Tender Prey - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
71. Don't Let Love Slip Away - Freddie Jackson
72. The World's Greatest Entertainer - Doug E. Fresh
73. See The Light - Jeff Healey Band
74. Bummed - Happy Mondays
75. Brian Wilson - Brian Wilson
76. The Land Of Rape And Honey - Ministry
77. Temple Of Low Men - Crowded House
78. In Full Gear - Stetsasonic
79. Talk Is Cheap - Keith Richards
80. Let's Get It Started - MC Hammer
81. Peepshow - Siouxsie & The Banshees
82. Kylie - Kylie Minogue
83. Up Your Alley - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
84. In Effect Mode - Al B. Sure!
85. Naked - Talking Heads
86. Swass - Sir Mix-A-Lot
87. Danzig - Danzig
88. The Lover In Me - Sheena Easton
89. Winger - Winger
90. Karyn White - Karyn White
91. Fisherman's Blues - The Waterboys
92. The Right Stuff - Vanessa Williams
93. Party Your Body - Stevie B.
94. Lincoln - They Might Be Giants
95. Conscious Party - Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers
96. Introspective - Pet Shop Boys
97. Bug - Dinosaur Jr.
98. Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark - Robert Cray Band
99. Sunshine On Leith - The Proclaimers
100. Short Sharp Shocked - Michelle Shocked
It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back Public Enemy album cover
Straight Outta Compton N.W.A album cover
Daydream Nation Sonic Youth album cover
Tracy Chapman album cover
Nothing's Shocking Jane's Addiction album cover
Surfer Rosa Pixies album cover
Strictly Business EPMD album cover
 DigitalDreamDoor Editor Picks for 1988
  Brett's choice - An unheralded great album from 1988
 •  Recurrence - The Railway Children
  Bruce's choice:
 •  Born To Be Bad - George Thorogood
  Ryan's choice:
 •  City Of Hysteria - Pulnoc
  Brian's choice:
 •  Amnesia - Richard Thompson
  Lew's choice:
 •  Flying Colours - Chris de Burgh




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