avatar
The Best Album of 1989 @bestalbumbrackets.bsky.social

The Best Album of 1989 Round 1 Match #61 #11 Fugazi, 13 SONGS vs. #118 Paul McCartney, FLOWERS IN THE DIRT forms.gle/WMZjf9Ta5cxt...

aug 18, 2025, 2:00 pm • 16 2

Replies

avatar
The One True Poster @onetrueposter.bsky.social

The magic of Paul McCartney even makes Elvis Costello a fun listen. The man can do anything!

aug 18, 2025, 2:19 pm • 4 1 • view
avatar
Justin W. Cornell @justinwcornell.bsky.social

Fugazi is a band that peaked with the first track on their first EP. “Waiting Room” is great; the rest of 13 SONGS is good. FLOWERS IN THE DIRT was a chore to listen to. Only a few moments where I could hear his melodic genius. And “Motor of Love” was shockingly bad— is it the worst song of 1989?

aug 18, 2025, 2:30 pm • 6 1 • view
avatar
fugazetteer @fugazetteer.bsky.social

fugazi never peaked.

aug 19, 2025, 11:27 am • 4 1 • view
avatar
Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face @marvinogravel.bsky.social

Not true. The whole of both Repeater and A steady diet of nothing are/is majestic.

aug 18, 2025, 3:16 pm • 5 1 • view
avatar
Tam Yeung @wabznazm.bsky.social

Basic take. All their albums are great. Those who say what you said usually haven't heard them.

aug 18, 2025, 4:27 pm • 0 0 • view
avatar
Dan Bright Amaya @spacedan.bsky.social

idk maybe the frog chorus guy isn't such a genius after all

aug 18, 2025, 3:42 pm • 5 1 • view
avatar
Dan Bright Amaya @spacedan.bsky.social

otoh 13 songs is awesome, going to kick over some bins on the way home

aug 18, 2025, 3:55 pm • 5 1 • view
avatar
Shamp @megabrow12.bsky.social

What’s fun now the tournament years are over a decade apart, is immediately spotting what the 2000+ guys were listening to as teenagers. At The Drive In were definitely listening to Fugazi.

aug 18, 2025, 5:28 pm • 7 1 • view
avatar
Justin W. Cornell @justinwcornell.bsky.social

And I don’t think any of the artists from the 2000 tournament were listening to FLOWERS IN THE DIRT

aug 18, 2025, 8:14 pm • 3 1 • view
avatar
Shamp @megabrow12.bsky.social

I reckon Stuart Murdoch might have.

aug 18, 2025, 9:14 pm • 3 1 • view
avatar
Shamp @megabrow12.bsky.social

If this was old twitter I’d just ask him. He once told me how many mugs per person he had in his house*, so he’d probably answer ex-beatle related questions. *it was a thing. All that vital research now lost.

aug 18, 2025, 9:43 pm • 4 1 • view
avatar
Rena MJ 🕸️🕯️ @renamj.bsky.social

Funny enough, a lot of these 1989 artists/bands are on the master list for the upcoming 2001 tournament…

aug 18, 2025, 9:34 pm • 5 1 • view
avatar
Brian Darr @hellonfriscobay.bsky.social

After hearing “My Brave Face” & “Figure of Eight” on the radio enough times to last a lifetime 36 years ago (& never since then) I was dreading Flowers in the Dirt, but it’s way more interesting than most of the bracket’s other legacy rock. In places points to his best post-Fab project: The Firemen.

aug 18, 2025, 2:40 pm • 3 1 • view
avatar
Shamp @megabrow12.bsky.social

My favourite track was the silly/fun bonus track Apple Music tagged on the end. I’d vote for a whole album of that.

aug 18, 2025, 6:32 pm • 2 1 • view
avatar
Brian Darr @hellonfriscobay.bsky.social

Hard to argue it’s better than Fugazi, of course, but those guys don’t need my vote so I’m throwing mine away on Macca today.

aug 18, 2025, 2:43 pm • 1 1 • view
avatar
sctttnnnt.bsky.social @sctttnnnt.bsky.social

Honestly Macca doesn’t need your vote either

aug 18, 2025, 3:21 pm • 4 1 • view
avatar
Brian Darr @hellonfriscobay.bsky.social

True, but though I’m not rooting for him to advance to round 2 I’d like to see him get a better vote-share than Billy, Don, Cher, and Mick/Keith/etc.

aug 18, 2025, 3:27 pm • 2 1 • view
avatar
Nick J @bridgemusicbunker.bsky.social

Seeing how far I can get with this Paul album before I eject.

aug 18, 2025, 2:04 pm • 6 1 • view
avatar
Nick J @bridgemusicbunker.bsky.social

On song three...twitching...

aug 18, 2025, 2:05 pm • 8 1 • view
avatar
Putnam @putnam39.bsky.social

HA! the first song I was like ok this is a decent XTC song, track two was bland as the day long but that one? Paul flexing that pop genius label to the grotesque max

aug 18, 2025, 2:10 pm • 4 1 • view
avatar
Nick J @bridgemusicbunker.bsky.social

Its not terrible, hes doing his thing, but I feel ready to make an informed decision

aug 18, 2025, 2:12 pm • 2 1 • view
avatar
DigsUpDeadFolksStuff @trowelblister.bsky.social

As far as post-Beatles solo stuff goes, I like the other 3 chaps’ work better. I’ve actually seen Fugazi, it was 6 bucks & awesome.

aug 19, 2025, 4:04 am • 2 1 • view
avatar
Matty “Mark E.” Smith @tyrannosaurussmith.bsky.social

Fugazi is my Beatles.

aug 18, 2025, 2:25 pm • 10 2 • view
avatar
jamsheed @jamsheed.bsky.social

hard pass.

aug 18, 2025, 2:47 pm • 1 1 • view
avatar
Matt P. @guatshakes.bsky.social

Flowers in the Dirt, which I really like parts of, was a reentry point to McCartney point for me. Together, 13 Songs and Repeator--I love both--were also an exit point for me, and I didn't by another Fugazi album until the Argument in 2001.

aug 18, 2025, 2:38 pm • 1 1 • view
avatar
Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face @marvinogravel.bsky.social

But A Steady Diet of Nothing is probably Fugazi's best album.

aug 18, 2025, 3:18 pm • 5 1 • view
avatar
Matt P. @guatshakes.bsky.social

A lot of people seem to think this. I re-listened to it recently and it and, to my ear, it's still flat, clean, dry formalism from beginning to end. It's post-hardcore that's not post enough and not hardcore enough.

aug 18, 2025, 3:54 pm • 1 1 • view
avatar
The One True Poster @onetrueposter.bsky.social

When we did that album my take was that parts of Steady Diet of Nothing sound like Rush (which I intended as a compliment)

aug 18, 2025, 4:21 pm • 3 1 • view
avatar
Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face @marvinogravel.bsky.social

Ah, well that's the thing about music. Everyone's taste is unique. To my ears it's approaching perfection.

aug 18, 2025, 4:03 pm • 2 1 • view
avatar
Kevin Alexander @kevinalexander.bsky.social

Same, but Repeater

aug 18, 2025, 4:22 pm • 1 1 • view
avatar
Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face @marvinogravel.bsky.social

Repeater is glorious. Somewhere in the multiverse Repeater is their Thriller.

aug 18, 2025, 4:25 pm • 2 1 • view
avatar
Tam Yeung @wabznazm.bsky.social

I think it's the worst one! Flat, one-note production almost hobbles it. Still, there are no bad Fugazi albums.

aug 18, 2025, 4:28 pm • 0 0 • view
avatar
Marvin O'Gravel Balloon Face @marvinogravel.bsky.social

Interesting. I just put it on again to make sure. And, I flipping love it. It's gorgeous and flawless.

One of the greatest albums ever recorded.
aug 18, 2025, 5:09 pm • 3 1 • view
avatar
Brian Glaser @bsglaser.bsky.social

13 SONGS is Fugazi recording songs the way they played them live; from REPEATER onward, they thought more about making each record a distinct experience from the (extraordinary) live show.

aug 18, 2025, 3:19 pm • 9 1 • view
avatar
Ken Raining @kenraining.bsky.social

Okay now THIS is the funniest matchup

aug 18, 2025, 2:21 pm • 4 1 • view
avatar
James @sapperstree.bsky.social

I LOLed when I saw it. How is the results even THIS close?

aug 18, 2025, 3:23 pm • 4 1 • view
avatar
Ken Raining @kenraining.bsky.social

Presumably Beatles fans just reflexively voting?

aug 18, 2025, 3:31 pm • 4 1 • view
avatar
The Best Album of 1989 @bestalbumbrackets.bsky.social

#11 Fugazi, 13 SONGS Spotify: open.spotify.com/album/1FcRwT... YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Ry...

A red background. At the top in black reads
aug 18, 2025, 2:01 pm • 3 0 • view
avatar
The Best Album of 1989 @bestalbumbrackets.bsky.social

#118 Paul McCartney, FLOWERS IN THE DIRT Spotify: open.spotify.com/album/7sS1d6... YouTube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

I believe this is a painting with some bricolage added. It looks like a canvas streaked with various shades of orange, some light, some dark, a little bit of black in there as well. It looks like dried yellow flowers and stems have been added to the canvas.
aug 18, 2025, 2:01 pm • 0 0 • view
avatar
Michael Sicinski @msicism.bsky.social

Fun fact: “Figure of Eight” is track seven.

aug 18, 2025, 2:07 pm • 4 1 • view
avatar
The Best Album of 1989 @bestalbumbrackets.bsky.social

13 SONGS defeats FLOWERS IN THE DIRT, 149-30-4.

aug 19, 2025, 2:00 pm • 5 2 • view
avatar
Baltimore Jacks @baltimorejacks.bsky.social

The best Fugazi album: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntNr...

aug 18, 2025, 5:15 pm • 9 1 • view
avatar
lanna "depeche mid" banana @lanna.bsky.social

*cranks it*

aug 18, 2025, 6:29 pm • 2 0 • view
avatar
Joe @boxy.bsky.social

With rare exceptions, most of the Beatles' post-breakup output has a rich-guy-vanity-project energy that just rubs me the wrong way. 'Flowers in the Dirt' is really, really not an exception. Here's 'Margin Walker':

aug 18, 2025, 2:13 pm • 12 1 • view
avatar
Rena MJ 🕸️🕯️ @renamj.bsky.social

Fugazi is a band I sort of admire more than I actually like ("Waiting Room" is great though) but still voted for them over that snoozer of a McCartney album.

aug 18, 2025, 8:08 pm • 7 1 • view
avatar
Rena MJ 🕸️🕯️ @renamj.bsky.social

Also it's irrelevant if it's a "real album" or not - they're still one of the most influential punk bands from that era and deserve a spot.

aug 18, 2025, 8:15 pm • 3 1 • view
avatar
extraordinary mountain goblin @vtforestbull.bsky.social

the beatles at shea stadium was the original five-dollar all-ages show ✨

aug 19, 2025, 11:51 am • 8 1 • view
avatar
Putnam @putnam39.bsky.social

Except that’s equivalent to $50 now so that tracks still

aug 19, 2025, 1:07 pm • 3 1 • view
avatar
damn i wish i was your lawyer @bermanmatt.bsky.social

The only bad thing about Fugazi's 13 Songs is that every band passing through DC now feels the need to cover Waiting Room, and it gets a little tiring. But it's a damn good song, so... fine. When you've composed one of DC's 2 unofficial anthems (w/ Bustin' Loose), you deserve a first round win.

aug 18, 2025, 5:57 pm • 4 1 • view