Top Albums of 1988
Rank▼ All Time Rank▼ Artist▼ Album▼ Genres▼
1
18
 Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back Conscious Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop, Political Hip Hop
2
64
 Sonic Youth Daydream Nation Alternative Rock, Experimental Rock, Noise Rock
3
97
 N.W.A Straight Outta Compton Gangsta Rap
4
123
 Pixies Surfer Rosa Indie Rock
5
413
 Talk Talk Spirit of Eden Post-Rock
6
422
 Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter
7
466
 Jane's Addiction Nothing's Shocking Alternative Metal, Alternative Rock, Hard Rock
8
572
 My Bloody Valentine Isn't Anything Dream Pop, Noise Pop, Shoegaze
9
594
 Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man Singer/Songwriter, Sophisti-Pop
10
787
 The Go-Betweens 16 Lovers Lane Indie Pop, Jangle Pop
11
795
 The Pogues If I Should Fall from Grace with God Celtic Punk, Celtic Rock
12
890
 R.E.M. Green Jangle Pop
13
902
 Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Tender Prey Gothic Rock, Post-Punk
14
964
 Lucinda Williams Lucinda Williams Alt-Country, Americana, Singer/Songwriter
15
976
 Cowboy Junkies The Trinity Session Alt-Country, Contemporary Folk
16
1055
 Dinosaur Jr. Bug Indie Rock, Noise Rock
17
1090
 The Waterboys Fisherman's Blues Celtic Rock
18
1132
 Happy Mondays Bummed Baggy / Madchester
19
1182
 Eric B. & Rakim Follow the Leader Boom Bap, Hardcore Hip Hop
20
1201
 Boogie Down Productions By All Means Necessary Boom Bap, Conscious Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop, Political Hip Hop
21
1222
 Ultramagnetic MCs Critical Beatdown Boom Bap
22
1248
 Metallica ...And Justice for All Thrash Metal
23
1255
 EPMD Strictly Business Boom Bap, Hardcore Hip Hop
24
1350
 Morrissey Viva Hate Jangle Pop
25
1412
 Mary Margaret O'Hara Miss America Alternative Singer/Songwriter
26
1457
 Living Colour Vivid Funk Metal, Hard Rock
27
1512
 Queensrÿche Operation: Mindcrime Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal
28
1677
 Van Morrison & The Chieftains Irish Heartbeat Celtic Folk Music
29
1685
 Fingers Inc. Another Side Chicago House, Deep House
30
1703
 The Traveling Wilburys Traveling Wilburys, Volume One Pop Rock
31
1787
 The Sugarcubes Life's Too Good Alternative Rock, Post-Punk
32
1790
 U2 Rattle and Hum Pop Rock
33
1862
 Slick Rick The Great Adventures of Slick Rick Hardcore Hip Hop
34
1901
 808 State Newbuild Acid House
35
1905
 Ketama/Toumani Diabaté/Danny Thompson Songhai African Folk Music, Flamenco Nuevo, Songhai Music
36
1980
 Enya Watermark Celtic New Age
37
1999
 Pata Negra Blues de la frontera Flamenco Nuevo
38
2079
 Jungle Brothers Straight out the Jungle Conscious Hip Hop
39
2089
 Pet Shop Boys Introspective Dance-Pop, Synthpop
40
2153
 Ministry The Land of Rape and Honey Industrial, Industrial Metal, Industrial Rock
41
2218
 The House of Love The House of Love (I) Indie Pop, Jangle Pop
42
2232
 Michelle Shocked Short Sharp Shocked Alt-Country, Folk Rock, Singer/Songwriter
43
2345
 American Music Club California Folk Rock, Slowcore
44
2377
 k.d. Lang Shadowland Nashville Sound
45
2415
 Camper Van Beethoven Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart Indie Rock
46
2470
 Slayer South of Heaven Thrash Metal
47
2481
 Lyle Lovett Pontiac Alt-Country
48
2492
 Prince Lovesexy Contemporary R&B, Funk, Pop Rock
49
2523
 Bad Religion Suffer Melodic Hardcore, Skate Punk
50
2542
 Guy Guy New Jack Swing
51
2610
 Keith Richards Talk Is Cheap Blues Rock
52
2751
 Big Daddy Kane Long Live the Kane Boom Bap, Hardcore Hip Hop
53
2752
 Mudhoney Superfuzz Bigmuff EP Garage Punk, Grunge
54
2809
 The Church Starfish Dream Pop, Jangle Pop, Neo-Psychedelia
55
2828
 Front 242 Front by Front EBM
56
2954
 Steve Roach Dreamtime Return Tribal Ambient

Albums "bubbling under" the all-time top 3000:
Mano Negra Patchanka Alternative Rock, Folk Punk, Latin Alternative
Green on Red Here Come the Snakes Paisley Underground
Galaxie 500 Today Indie Pop, Slowcore
Steve Earle Copperhead Road Alt-Country, Country Rock, Singer/Songwriter
John Hiatt Slow Turning Americana, Singer/Songwriter
Cheb Khaled & Safy Boutella Kutché Raļ
Graham Parker The Mona Lisa's Sister Pop Rock
Prefab Sprout From Langley Park to Memphis Pop Rock, Sophisti-Pop
They Might Be Giants Lincoln Alternative Rock, Indie Pop
Randy Newman Land of Dreams Pop Rock, Singer/Songwriter
A.R.Kane 69 Dream Pop, Experimental Rock
Wynton Marsalis Live at Blues Alley Hard Bop
Erasure The Innocents Synthpop
Crowded House Temple of Low Men Pop Rock
Bobby Brown Don't Be Cruel Dance-Pop, New Jack Swing
Danzig Danzig Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Iron Maiden Seventh Son of a Seventh Son Heavy Metal
Biz Markie Goin' Off Boom Bap
Was (Not Was) What Up, Dog? Pop
Ella Fitzgerald Ella in Rome: The Birthday Concert Vocal Jazz
Hothouse Flowers People Folk Rock, Pop Rock
Everything But the Girl Idlewild Sophisti-Pop
Barbara Manning Lately I Keep Scissors Singer/Songwriter
Womack and Womack Conscience Contemporary R&B, Soul
The Fall The Frenz Experiment Alternative Rock, Post-Punk
Napalm Death From Enslavement to Obliteration Grindcore
The Feelies Only Life Jangle Pop, Post-Punk
Dead Can Dance The Serpent's Egg Neoclassical Darkwave
Voivod Dimension Hatröss Progressive Metal, Technical Thrash Metal
Half Japanese Charmed Life Alternative Rock, Experimental Rock
The Wonder Stuff The Eight Legged Groove Machine Indie Pop, Indie Rock
Art Farmer Blame It on My Youth Jazz
Frank Zappa You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2: The Helsinki Concert Comedy Rock, Experimental Rock, Jazz-Rock