Wednesday, November 14, 2007

- Liverpool’s (almost) last stand: 1987 Festive 50 Part 3

Some of you have lost the will to live waiting for me to post this and I apologise. I’ve noticed some comments about my describing this year as the beginning of the end for the Liverpool dynasty, and your comments have been duly noted.

In some ways, my assertion could be regarded as total bollocks. After all, Liverpool won the ’87-88 league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season. Their key players were two new signings - winger John Barnes and striker John Aldridge - who helped defy any doubts that people might have had as to whether Liverpool could challenge for honours after Ian Rush's departure, also quashing my prediction that Liverpool would be relegated without their goal scoring legend.

However, my post on Arsenal’s league cup hinted at the rise of the George Graham side, who went some way to usurping Liverpool in the following years. Also, second in the league were Manchester United, rejuvenated under Alex Ferguson - who had bought some impressive new players including Brian McClair and Steve Bruce. OK, it took them a while but they eventually knocked Liverpool off their perch.

The ’87-88 vintage was quite spectacular to watch, John Barnes at the peak of his career almost unplayable. Although I only got to see it on TV on midweek sportsnight, I still regard the 5-0 victory over a very good Nottingham Forest side as being one of the best games I’ve ever seen.



Liverpool went on to win the league again in ’89-90, but it was becoming more and more obvious that the players they were signing were crap and then Graeme Souness…

Anyhow, on to the show, originally broadcast on 23rd December 1987:

21. Smiths - Paint a Vulgar Picture
22. Motorcycle Boy - Big Rock Candy Mountain
23. Smiths - Sweet and Tender Hooligan
24. Smiths - Half a Person
25. Smiths - Death of a Disco Dancer
26. The Fall - Athlete Cured
27. Eric B & Rakim - Paid In Full (sampling was still legalish)
28. Railway Children - Brighter
29. Smiths - I Won't Share You
30. Bhundu Boys - My Foolish Heart


Download the file

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great goals! Thanks for not mentioning the Wimbledon FA Cup final loss the same season.

Steve W

Anonymous said...

>Their key players were two new
>signings - winger John Barnes and
>striker John Aldridge

Two words, mate. Peter and Beardsley.

Big K

Anonymous said...

Great blog & downloads but... isn't that the 1986 FF 30 to 21 and not the 1987 one?

Stitch

So It Goes said...

No, Stitch, this was the 1986 21-30:
21. Cocteau Twins - Love's Easy tears
22. Primitives - Really Stupid
23. Pastels - Truck Train Tractor
24. Billy Bragg - Levi Stubbs' Tears
25. Soup Dragons - Whole Wide World
26. The Fall - Realm of Dusk
27. Age of Chance - Bible Of The Beats
28. Wedding Present - You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends
29. That Petrol Emotion - It's a Good Thing
30. Very things - This is Motortown
Got to hand it to you, though, you made me check!
Thanks for this Adam: have I ever mentioned how wonderful you are (and if you ever post those 1977 Festive Fifty shows you will be elevated to godlike status)?

Anonymous said...

sorry, i should have explained better - i realised the tracks on the blog are from 1987 but what i should have said was that the upload is the 1986 30 to 21.

Stitch

So It Goes said...

Oh I see...over to you, Adam!!

entrailicus said...

Let me check it out, it wouldn't necessarily be the first time I've made a cock up.

Anonymous said...

Yep, this is 24.12.86

Blog Author said...

So then, are you going to come back to posting the rest of this FF?

Who was John Peel?


The philosophy of this blog is a celebration of music in the spirit of the late John Peel. For those of you who want to learn more, click here.

Fades in Slowly RSS

Fades in Slowly