1990 has always been a special year for me.  Communism was on its last legs, the economy boomed, and the world seemed a rather friendly place.  There were never lines at airports, and I could see a John Hughes movie about any time I so desired.

I also graduated from college in May, 1990, and I spent the next three months living with my great friend, Ron Strayer, in Lawrence, Kansas, sleeping on his couch.

In late August, I packed up my Mac Classic, some of my books, and my outdoor gear, and I moved out West to the Rockies.  Once there, I began editing an academic journal with fellow progarchist Craig Breaden, and we became fast friends.

For two years, I wrote, edited, hiked, listened to music, and played lots of Canasta.  My older brother lived in Boise, and we met at least once a  month for a hike and some excellent fellowship.  Usually, we talked about the natural order of things and our mutual love of science fiction.

1990 also introduced me to more music–and, perhaps more importantly,  more types of music–than any year I can remember.  I had been a rather straight-forward prog rock and New Wave/alternative rock kind of guy for most of my life.  Ron and Craig,however, each introduced me to a rather wondrous variety new groups and genres.

Of the new material released some time during 1990, here are some my favorite songs and albums, in no particular order.

House of Love–“Hannah” and “Shine On.”

Cure–“Never Enough”

World Party, Good-bye Jumbo

Peter Murphy–“Cuts You Up”

Stone Roses, The Stone Roses

Charlatans, Some Friendly

The Sundays, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic

Echo and the Bunnymen, Reverberation [and, yes, I think this is fine Echo album, even without Ian]

French Frith Kaiser Thompson, Invisible Means