1988 Festive Fifty

*If the previous year's chart was 'ridiculous', this year's marks the beginning of John's dissatisfaction with the entire exercise (he labelled it 'conservative'). He noted that very few recordings of black music had made the Fifty, and that by and large it was 'young boys strumming guitars' (a phrase he would use many times subsequently).
*Top artistes were the Fall (six entries in total), the Wedding Present (five) and the Pixies (four, all from the same LP). In this sense, JP's comments had some foundation, since little in popularity terms had changed from the year before. As he had predicted then, the newly solo Morrissey was also well represented by four entries, three of them from his solo debut, 'Viva Hate'.
*One record, by the Cocteau Twins, had never been played by JP on the radio before, and was their last entry in the Fifty.
*A playlist mistake on the first night meant that he had to play catch-up over the next two shows.
== Shows ==
*20 December 1988: #50-#42
*21 December 1988: #41-#32
*26 December 1988: #31-#21
*27 December 1988: #20-#11
*28 December 1988: #10-#01
== The Festive Fifty Of 1988 ==
*thumb|330x330px50: Public Enemy, 'Night Of The Living Baseheads (LP-It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back)' (Def Jam)
*49: Wedding Present, 'Don't Laugh (12 inch-B side of Nobody's Twisting Your Arm)' (Reception)
*48: Happy Mondays, 'Wrote For Luck (7 inch)' (Factory)
*47: Darling Buds, 'Shame On You (7 inch)' (Native)
*46: Primitives, 'Crash (7 inch)' (RCA)
*45: Pixies, 'Bone Machine (LP-Surfer Rosa)' (4AD) ('Where Is My Mind?' played in error)
*44: New Order, 'Fine Time (7 inch)' (Factory)
*43: Mega City Four, 'Miles Apart (7 inch)' (Primitive)
*42: Flatmates, 'Shimmer (7 inch)' (Subway Organization)
*41: Loop, 'Collision (12 inch)' (Chapter 22)
*40: Fall, 'Guest Informant (LP-The Frenz Experiment)' (Beggars Banquet)
*39: Pixies, 'River Euphrates (LP-Surfer Rosa)' (4AD)
*38: McCarthy, 'Should The Bible Be Banned (12 inch)' (September)
*37: Shalawambe, 'Samora Machel' (Peel Session)
*36: Fall, 'Jerusalem (LP-I Am Kurious Oranj)' (Beggars Banquet)
*35: Stump, 'Charlton Heston (LP-A Fierce Pancake)' (Ensign)
*34: Pooh Sticks, 'On Tape (LP-Alan McGee)' (Fierce)
*33: James, 'What For (LP-Strip-mine)' (Blanco Y Negro/Sire)
*32: Spit, 'Road Pizza (12 inch)' (Nailed For Sound)
*31: Mudhoney, 'Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More (7 inch)' (Sub Pop)
*30: Pixies, 'Where Is My Mind? (LP-Surfer Rosa)' (4AD)
*29: Sonic Youth, 'Silver Rocket (LP-Daydream Nation)' (Blast First)
*28: Overlord X, '14 Days In May (12 inch)' (Hardcore)
*27: Fall, 'I Am Kurious Oranj (LP-I Am Kurious Oranj)' (Beggars Banquet)
*26: Cocteau Twins, 'Carolyn's Fingers (CD-Blue Bell Knoll)' (4AD)
*25: Billy Bragg, 'Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards (LP-Workers' Playtime)' (Go! Discs)
*24: Fall, 'Big New Prinz (LP-I Am Kurious Oranj)' (Beggars Banquet)
*23: Morrissey, 'Disappointed (7 inch-B side of Everyday Is Like Sunday)' (HMV)
*22: Morrissey, 'Late Night Maudlin Street (LP-Viva Hate)' (HMV)
*21: Robert Lloyd & The New Four Seasons, 'Something Nice (7 inch)' (In-Tape)
*20: Sugarcubes, 'Deus (LP-Life's Too Good)' (One Little Indian)
*19: Sonic Youth, 'Teenage Riot (LP-Daydream Nation)' (Blast First)
*18: House Of Love, 'Love In A Car (LP-The House Of Love)' (Creation)
*17: My Bloody Valentine, 'Feed Me With Your Kiss (LP-Isn't Anything)' (Creation)
*16: Fall, 'Bremen Nacht (LP-The Frenz Experiment)' (Beggars Banquet)
*15: Wedding Present, 'I'm Not Always So Stupid (12 inch-B side of Nobody's Twisting Your Arm)' (Reception)
*14: Fall, 'Cab It Up! (LP-I Am Kurious Oranj)' (Beggars Banquet)
*13: Morrissey, 'Suedehead (LP-Viva Hate)' (HMV)
*12: Morrissey, 'Everyday Is Like Sunday (LP-Viva Hate)' (HMV)
*11: Inspiral Carpets, 'Keep The Circle Around (7 inch)' (Playtime)
*10: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, 'The Mercy Seat (LP-Tender Prey)' (Mute)
*09: House Of Love, 'Christine (LP-The House Of Love)' (Creation)
*08: Wedding Present, 'Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now? (7 inch)' ((Reception)
*07: Pixies, 'Gigantic (LP-Surfer Rosa)' (4AD)
*06: My Bloody Valentine, 'You Made Me Realise (EP-You Made Me Realise)' (Creation)
*05: Dinosaur Jr., 'Freak Scene (7 inch)' (Blast First)
*04: Wedding Present, 'Take Me I'm Yours' (Peel Session)
*03: Jesus & Mary Chain, 'Sidewalking (7 inch)' (Blanco Y Negro)
*02: Wedding Present, 'Nobody's Twisting Your Arm (7 inch)' (Reception)
*01: House Of Love, 'Destroy The Heart (7 inch)' (Creation)
==Availability==
*All shows available on the date pages in their entirety.Category:1988
Category:Festive Fifty
Category:Available online