Critics Roundup 1988

Africa has now moved to the musical position occupied by Jamaica a few years back and great records by folk such as youssou’n Dour and Mahlathini helped to leaven the absence of reggae music.

Otherwise, the mighty REM brought the glinting ‘Green’ out of the shadows, Sandie Shaw joined those crooners of old (Richard Thompson, Randy Newman, etc) who continue to produce fab records, Prince made his finest record ever. Anita Baker sang as well as she possibly could, and Lyle Lovett brought a wit as sharp as a blade to the over-wrought country music scenario.

Away from the beat and in the darkened halls, I reckon Win Wender’s ‘Wings of Desire’ was the greatest artistic feat of the year and the finest move since Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Ran’ of 1985. Grateful thanks also to ‘Babett’s Feast’, ‘Distant Voices’, ‘Still Lives’ (by Terence Davies) and the wizadry of ‘Tampopo’, which ought to arrive in Dublin the new year. Romance came in the shape of Godard’s ‘Breathless’, a film that should be subtitled Timeless, another ancient peach which is scheduled to come here soon.

I did not attend an Acid House party in 1988.