On this past Friday’s edition of XPN2’s Golden Years, host Eric Schuman presented an hour of music from 1988. It was a year where ‘college rock’ was becoming ‘alternative rock’ and a select few new wave bands continued to fight the good fight. Many of these bands are still around today, touring behind both classic and new material.

Dinosaur Jr – Freak Scene – Bug
(Until just a few years ago, Bug was the final album to feature Dinosaur Jr’s original trio. J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Emmett “Murph” Murphy recently toured the country playing Bug in its entirety.)

Front 242 – Headhunter – Front By Front
(The influential Belgian industrial group hit its creative peak in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Though they are still around today, they haven’t released any new material since 2003.)

Happy Mondays – Mad Cyril – Bummed
(The Happy Monday’s second album showed a bit more club/dance direction than their first, though it would be another year until their single, “Hallelujah,” got them international recognition.)

The Feelies – Higher Ground – Only Life
(New Jersey indie favorites The Feelies’ third album came just two years after their second. Compare that to the six years between their debut and sophomore albums and the twenty years between Time For A Witness and this year’s Here Before.)

The Go-Betweens – Streets Of Your Town – 16 Lovers Lane
(The songwriting partnership of Robert Forster and the late Grant McLennan was one of the finest of its era, and 16 Lovers Lane is arguably The Go-Betweens’ best album of the ‘80s.)

Dead Milkmen – Stuart – Beelzebubba
(Philadelphia’s favorite satirical punks, the Dead Milkmen hit it big with this album that also contained “Punk Rock Girl.” The Milkmen approach the 30^th anniversary of their formation.)

Sigue Sigue Sputnik – Boom Boom Satellite – Dress For Excess
(A toned-down effort compared to SSS’s manic, sample-heavy debut. Still, Dress For Excess is a very fitting title for this over-the-top record.)

R.E.M. – Pop Song 89 – Green
(R.E.M.’s recent breakup has brought their entire catalogue renewed attention. The band’s first album for Warner Bros. was a smash hit, containing “Orange Crush,” “Stand” and this leadoff song.)

Mudhoney – Touch Me I’m Sick – Superfuzz Bigmuff
(Performing a collision of the new grunge style and classic garage rock, Mudhoney gave the up-and-coming generation its first anthem.)

Midnight Oil – Beds Are Burning – Diesel & Dust
(Who says that strong political messages have to be reserved for folk music? The long-running Australian group has been largely inactive since singer Pete Garrett decided to focus on his political career, though they do reunite for shows here and there.)

Big Audio Dynamite – Other 99 – Tighen Up Vol. 88
(After leaving The Clash, guitarist Mick Jones started this popular but polarizing dance-rock group. B.A.D. went on tour earlier this year for the first time since the late ‘90s.)

My Bloody Valentine – You Made Me Realise – You Made Me Realise EP
(Anyone who’s witnessed MBV in concert knows this track quite intimately. Notorious for its middle section, in which the Irish noise-rock pioneers hold a single deafening chord for up to half an hour, “You Made Me Realise” is one of the band’s best-known songs.)

Was (Not Was) – Spy In The House Of Love – What Up, Dog?
(The third album from the avant-garde funk group spawned a couple of hits, including this song. Contributions from Elvis Costello, Marshall Crenshaw and Frank Sinatra Jr. rounded out this characteristically eclectic release.)

Sonic Youth – Into The Groove(y) – The Whitey Album
(Actually credited to ‘Ciccone Youth,’ this take on Madonna’s 1985 single comes from a collaboration between the four members of Sonic Youth and Minutemen bassist Mike Watt. Their one album, The Whitey Album, is a sample- and beat-driven send-up of ‘80s pop music.)

Tune in to XPN2 every Friday at Noon for more Golden Years!