The Best Record of 1989: Day 14
#56 The Vaselines, Dum-Dum vs. #73 Peter Gabriel, Passion of the Christ soundtrack
Good morning!
Today we’re taking a look at records from The Vaselines and Peter Gabriel.
Note: As many of you know, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 1989 challenge and noted that I'd be occasionally writing some of these up.
I've started doing some quick hits of each matchup and posting them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There'll probably definitely be some typos.
Check 'em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks are always appreciated.
KA—
Coming off the massive success of So, it would have been easy for Gabriel to go back into the studio and put out another pop record. I think it's safe to say that the public would've eaten it up, and there would've been a couple of chart-toppers (at least). The money would've flowed in. Maybe there would've been a tour. No one would've blamed him.
And the people banking on that happening--or hoping it would--would've had to ignore Ganriel's recording past. That's simply not how he works.
Instead, he bet the other way and went to work on a film. More specifically, the soundtrack to Martin Scorcese's The Passion of the Christ.
I want to reiterate one point early and make a second one for context. First, I'm not a fan of soundtracks. We covered this earlier in the week with Batman, but it bears repeating. If this had been my contest, there would've been a "no soundtracks, no live records, and no greatest hits" rule on the chalkboard, but it isn't, and so we get what we get.
The second is that I've never seen the movie. I only recall the outrage associated with its release. Scorcese rebounded, but did Jim Jim Caviezel? I should probably look that up, but it's not relevant here. My point is that I'm listening to his record in isolation, not considering how it may or may not work within the context of the film.
So! With that out of the way, I can say the record flows well. That's sometimes cheap filler for a review, but it's genuinely worth noting here. Any story involving religion should by default be large in scale. The music here fits the bill. It's majestic. It's magisterial.
This was also the era when Gabriel was big into world music. For many of us, the introduction to world music and artists like Youssou N'Dour was via their appearances on Gabriel's records. He always did well to blend these artists' styles with his own, but he takes it to the next level here. Perhaps that thought is colored by the idea that the story of the Gospel is a Middle Eastern or Arabian one, but it just fits.
The story (and, I assume, the film) is a ride through a lot of emotion. The soundtrack pairs well with each. Mostly, though, it's relaxing. It's evocative. Listening to it feels nice; enough so that a couple of times I wondered if I was enjoying something that marks a "bad" part of the movie. I'll have to watch it to find out.
The story of the Gospel is one known worldwide. There was no way this soundtrack could be authentic and NOT represent a plurality of nations. The only knock here (besides being a soundtrack!) is that there are not enough of Gabriel's vocals here. But that might just be me expecting a "regular" album (read: pop) and ignoring his track record as an artist.
If Passion is an exercise in lush soundscapes and languid sound, Dum-Dum is one whose sugary sweet hooks and quick pace get you moving. Gabriel might have been the on-ramp for world singers, but he was a Washingtonian who introduced a lot of success to the Scottish indie rock band Kurt Cobain. For younger readers, you have to understand that this was an era when people hung on every word he said. When he described the band as one of his favorites ever (paraphrasing), people took it to heart.
When Nirvana covered a couple of their songs, that sealed the deal; we were all Vaseline fans now.
Okay, that's a bit of hyperbole, but it's also kinda true. That's just how it worked back then. They had his stamp of approval, so it was cool to like them. And had Dum-Dum sucked, that would've been an awkward spot for everyone. Thankfully, it doesn't. The record burns bright but burns fast, coming in at just under 30 minutes. But within that half hour is some deliciously hooky pop. If nothing else, The Vaselines were very good at making even the quickest blitzes of pop feel deep. “Sex Sux” is a bright bit of pop (title notwithstanding). The guitars are front and center on “Teenage Superstars.” If this reminds you of a few of your favorite bands, trust your gut. A lot of people heard this, picked up their guitar, and got to work.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a weird orthodoxy emerged surrounding fame. “Sellout” was a four-letter word, and accessibility was equated with acquiescence. I'm not sure how easy it was to find this record back in the day, but in 2025, it takes some work. I couldn't find it streaming anywhere. I had to re-listen to it on YouTube.
In an era where you can have everything all at once, this felt almost refreshing. The best things take a little work.
Bottom Line: Passion was a revelation (no pun intended), and Dum-Dum was a visit back to a formative era in my life. I won’t claim to have any idea of the voting demographic in this challenge, but I have to think a lot of people bet the same way I did, and went with Gabriel on name recognition alone. Dum-Dum is more my style, but so is having a fighting chance in any game I play. For that reason, my bracket pick is Passion of The Christ.
My vote: The Vaselines check a lot of boxes for me, and I’m a fan of the sort of sound they made. The vestigial influence of Cobain is also still there all these years later. My vote will be for Dum-Dum. Apparently I’m a fan of dissonance as well.
Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!
Check out the full bracket here.
Info on the tourney, voting, and more is here.
As always, thanks for being here.
KA—
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I think you are confusing the Martin Scorcese film, The Last Temptation of Christ, which is based on a book, with the Mel Gibson movie. The Passion of the Christ tries to be a literal telling of Jesus's death from the bible, that's the one with Jim Caveziel. Scorcese's movie stars Willem Dafoe and it's more about the psychological drama of being Jesus. Very different movies.