Former ELO frontman, producer and songwriter Jeff Lynne releases his first solo album, Armchair Theatre, after several years of producing for other musicians. The album includes the singles “Every Little Thing” and “Lift Me Up”, and takes its name from a 1950s British television anthology series produced by Doctor Who creator Sydney Newman.
Alan Silvestri’s soundtrack from the movie The Abyss is released on Varese Sarabande Records.
Narada Records releases the instrumental album Heart & Beat by German jazz guitar virtuoso Ralf Illenberger, his second solo album on the label.
Former Bourgeois Tagg frontman Brent Bourgeois releases his first solo album on Charisma Records, getting some minor airplay with singles “Dare To Fall In Love” and “Can’t Feel The Pain” (the latter featuring Fleetwood Mac veteran Christine McVie). The only other former Bourgeois Tagg member in evidence on the album is guitarist Lyle Workman, who continues recording with Bourgeois even when he jumps tracks to Christian music several years later.
Julee Cruise‘s debut album Floating Into The Night is released on Warner Bros. Records, placating fans of the surprise hit TV series Twin Peaks (Cruise sings the show’s theme song). With lyrics by Twin Peaks auteur David Lynch and music by the show’s resident composer, Angelo Badalamenti, the album is strongly reminiscent of the series’ music; a proper Twin Peaks soundtrack album follows almost exactly a year later.
Geffen Records releases Passion, Peter Gabriel’s soundtrack to the movie The Last Temptation Of Christ. Years later, the producers of the Battlestar Galactica remake miniseries “temp track” early edits of their show with tracks from this album, as a stylistic guide for their music composers.
Warner Bros. Records releases John Williams’ soundtrack from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Tom Petty‘s solo album Full Moon Fever is released on MCA Records. (Though many of his Heartbreakers bandmates play on the album, the album is credited to Petty alone). Fellow Traveling Wilbury Jeff Lynne produces the album and co-writes some of the songs.
Former Split Enz frontman Tim Finn‘s self-titled third album is released in the United States by Capitol Records; presaging Finn’s merger with younger brother Neil Finn’s group Crowded House, the album is produced by Crowded House producer Mitchell Froom.
Roy Orbison‘s final album, Mystery Girl, is released just weeks after the musician’s death on Virgin Records. With interest in Orbison riding high with the relatively recent success of the Traveling Wilburys, Mystery Girl sells better than most of his previous work.
The Schnell Fenster album The Sound Of Trees is released in America by Atlantic Records (having already been issued by EMI in Australia and New Zealand). The band is formed around former members of Split Enz, including founding guitarist Phil Judd, percussionist Noel Crombie, ’80s bassist Nigel Griggs, and guitarist Michael den Elzen (the only member of the group not to have played for Split Enz, though he has been a session player on a Tim Finn solo album). The single “Whisper” fails to take off in the States and the band breaks up after running up significant debts trying to promote the album.
GNP Crescendo Records releases the first CD of Star Trek: The Next Generation soundtrack music, containing Dennis McCarthy’s music from the pilot movie, Encounter At Farpoint.
Under much scrutiny due to the success of the group’s debut album, Crowded House releases its second album, Temple Of Low Men. This album includes the singles “Better Be Home Soon” and “Into Temptation”.
The Alan Parsons Project releases a remastered and revised edition of its first album, Tales of Mystery & Imagination, based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. For the first time, narration recorded in 1976 by Orson Welles is heard in the context of the album itself. This is the first time the album has been available on CD.
Art Of Noise releases its third album, In No Sense? Nonsense!. Now consisting only of Anne Dudley and J.J. Jeczalik, the group’s popular direction continues, with a cover of the Dragnet theme song (used heavily to promote a big-screen remake/spoof of the cop show starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks) and an instrumental from the Fat Boys’ movie Disorderlies, “Roller 1”.
Island Records issues Yoyo, the second album by rock group Bourgeois Tagg, fronted jointly by Brent Bourgeois and Larry Tagg. This album is produced by Todd Rundgren, who also recruits most of the band members to play on his next album. The biggest hit turns out to be the ballad “I Don’t Mind At All”, written by Bourgeois and guitarist Lyle Workman; the band breaks up at a later date.
Peter Gabriel releases the solo album So through Geffen Records, including the hit singles “”Big Time”, “Sledgehammer” and “In Your Eyes”.
Australian-based Crowded House – formed by ex-Split Enz members Neil Finn and Paul Hester, with new bassist Nick Seymour – releases its self-titled first album worldwide. Early attempts to push the album internationally fall flat, until the single “Don’t Dream It’s Over” climbs the American radio charts, landing at #2 for a single week thanks to relentless promotion and small-venue touring.
Art Of Noise, now signed to Chrysalis Records, releases its second album, In Visible Silence. Band members Anne Dudley, J.J. Jeczalik and Gary Langan, having split with founding members Paul Morley and Trevor Horn, continue the group’s sample-heavy sound with a more popular direction, including collaborations with Duane Eddy (on a well-known cover of his 1959 TV theme “Peter Gunn”) and, bizarrely but appropriately, Max Headroom (a.k.a. actor Matt Frewer). The popular instrumental “Legs” also comes from this album.
Electric Light Orchestra‘s eleventh album, Balance Of Power, is released, featuring the single “Calling America”. This is the final release by ELO before Jeff Lynne officially disbands the group, as well as the final album containing anything remotely resembling the lineup of ELO’s ’70s heyday. Drummer Bev Bevan later recuits new musicians and other former ELO members to form ELO Part II.
Label X releases two volumes of new recordings of classic Star Trek soundtrack music. Volume 1 features music from the episodes Is There In Truth No Beauty? and The Paradise Syndrome, while Volume 2 premieres music from The Enemy Within, The Conscience Of The King, The Spectre Of The Gun, and I, Mudd. Both releases are timed to coincide with the beginning of Star Trek’s 20th anniversary year.
Warner Bros. Records releases the Todd Rundgren album A Capella, an album whose “instruments” are all samples of Rundgren’s own voice.
GNP Crescendo releases the first-ever CD of Alexander Courage’s music from the original Star Trek television series, presenting selections from the two pilot episodes, The Cage and Where No Man Has Gone Before. This is the first time that music from the original series has been presented, other than countless recordings and remakes of the main title theme.
Sire Records releases the Talking Heads album Little Creatures, featuring the singles “And She Was”, “Road To Nowhere” and “Perfect World”.
A&M Records releases the first solo album by Sting, The Dream of the Blue Turtles. The album features the singles “If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free” and “Fortress Around Your Heart”.
Scotti Bros. Records releases the third album by Weird Al Yankovic, Dares To Be Stupid. The album features the singles “Like A Surgeon” and “I Want A New Duck”.
Atlantic Records releases an album of Andrew Powell‘s soundtrack from the movie Ladyhawke. The album is produced by Alan Parsons, and features a rock-based score performed by the same musicians who record for the Alan Parsons Project.
Geffen Records releases Peter Gabriel’s soundtrack to the movie Birdy. Many of the album’s tracks are instrumentals inspired by songs from Gabriel’s existing solo albums.
Polygram Records releases the album The History Mix, Volume I by former 10cc members Godley & Creme. Accompanied by a video that anticipates the “morphing” digital effects of the 1990s, the album’s single is “Cry”, though most of the album heavily remixes of the duo’s past work with 10cc.
