The 25 best classic rock albums of 1989, according to Radio X magazine

1989 – at the centre of Radio X's new ranking – is not just the final year of a decade: for rock, it represents both the conclusion of a season of profound transformation and, at the same time, the anteroom of a new revolution. Throughout the 1980s the genre changed skin more than once, absorbing the fallout of punk and new wave, opening up to electronics and new studio technology, turning hard rock into a chart-topping, stadium-filling phenomenon, and watching an alternative scene grow that would, before long, take over the centre of the musical landscape. By the end of the decade, seemingly distant worlds coexist. The big stars of the 1960s and 70s keep releasing important records, while bands who emerged in the 80s reach full maturity, and a new generation starts to challenge the sounds, aesthetics and rituals of mainstream rock.
1989 is a snapshot of classic rock in this exact state. Lou Reed returns in great form with "New York", Bob Dylan rediscovers his inspiration with "Oh Mercy", and Neil Young closes out the decade with "Freedom" and a song destined to become an anthem, "Rockin' In The Free World". The Rolling Stones patch up their internal tensions with "Steel Wheels", while Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Queen and Tom Petty reassert the weight of a generation with no intention whatsoever of leaving the stage. But the rock of 1989 is also that of hard rock and metal, by now fully absorbed into popular culture: from the Aerosmith of "Pump" to the Mötley Crüe of "Dr. Feelgood", by way of Whitesnake, Skid Row and Alice Cooper. Meanwhile, bands like Faith No More and Red Hot Chili Peppers start blending genres and languages, anticipating the stylistic freedom that would become one of the defining traits of the following decade. In between, there's room for experiences hard to trace back to a single current: the sophisticated pop-rock of Tears For Fears and Kate Bush, the eccentric new wave of the B-52's, the hard rock of the Cult, and even the experiment of Tin Machine, with David Bowie determined to temporarily set aside his role as a solo superstar to become part of a band again.

So here are the 25 best classic rock albums of 1989, according to Radio X magazine (full feature here).

1. Lou Reed – New York
2. Skid Row – Skid Row
3. The Cult – Sonic Temple
4. Tom Petty – Full Moon Fever
5. Tin Machine – Tin Machine
6. Queen – The Miracle
7. Paul McCartney – Flowers In The Dirt
8. Faith No More – The Real Thing
9. Don Henley – The End Of The Innocence
10. The B-52's – Cosmic Thing
11. Gun – Taking On The World
12. Alice Cooper – Trash
13. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Mother's Milk
14. The Rolling Stones – Steel Wheels
15. Mötley Crüe – Dr. Feelgood
16. Bob Dylan – Oh Mercy
17. Aerosmith – Pump
18. Tears For Fears – The Seeds Of Love
19. Neil Young – Freedom
20. Kate Bush – The Sensual World
21. Kiss – Hot In The Shade
22. Joe Satriani – Flying In A Blue Dream
23. Eric Clapton – Journeyman
24. Whitesnake – Slip Of The Tongue
25. Rush – Presto

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