Posted on 10/22/2006 10:42:07 AM PDT by Pyro7480
I was born in 1980, which is considered either to be the tail-end of Generation X, part of Generation Y, or part of the so-called "MTV Generation," or the XY Cusp. I was only a pre-teen when grunge appeared, and a teenager and/or college student when the current wasteland of music started.
There are ten albums, which after 8-14 years, are still great, at least to me. Some of them I actually found out about years after they came out, but I consider them to be "classics" of the decade.
Here are the ten albums, organized in alphabetical order by artist (not by ranking).
1.) Jeff Buckley - Grace
It was around the year 1995, when I was listening to the now-defunct rock station, WDRE, out of Philadelphia, that I heard a track called "Last Goodbye," which is track 3 off "Grace." Though I only heard a handful of times, it made a huge impression on me. Jeff Buckley had such a memorable/haunting voice. I heard the track again years later when I was in college, and I ended up buying the album. It was the only full album he release before his premature death in 1995. My favorite tracks are the title track, "Last Goodbye," "Corpus Christi Carol," and "Dream Brother."
2.) Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape
Released in 1997, this album is the second release for the Foo Fighters, who was founded by Dave Grohl, the former drummer of Nirvana (which means this isn't a "completely" Nirvana-free list, but I don't think this counts). While it has three or four well-known tracks, the rest of the album's track don't disappoint either. The highlight of the lesser-known tracks is "February Stars." Of course, most who followed rock at the time can't forget the track "Everlong," which is one of my all-time favorites from the 1990s.
3.) Gin Blossoms - New Miserable Experience
I was probably 13 years old when I first heard this entire album. I loved it then, and I love it now. I had it on tape at first, but when I lost my copy in 1997, during a trip to Europe, I bought the CD used. From start to finish, even with two weaker tracks ("Cajun Song," which I happen to like, and "Cheatin'"), is a work of art. Everyone remembers "Hey Jealousy," but I like "Found Out About You" much better. Of the lesser-known tracks, "29" (track 10 on the album) is my favorite.
4.) Dave Matthews Band - Under the Table and Dreaming
I remember when the track "What Would You Say" came out on the radio. It was definitely "different" from most stuff played on "alternative" radio. My sister and I got into their music soon after. Though a lot of modern music listeners aren't fond of DMB, for one reason or another, I truly like this album. It is well-crafted, and while all of the tracks have the same "sound," they all have unique qualities. My favorite tracks are "Warehouse" and "Satellite."
5.) Portishead - Roseland NYC Live
This album probably stands out from the rest, since it can't be categorized as "alternative" at all. It is also the only live album out of the ten I've chosen. During my last two years of high school, and in college, I got into the whole "electronica" music thing. While most of the music of that category from the 1990s were of the "danceable" type, Portishead cannot be labeled as such. The mix of a live orchestra, a DJ scratching on a turntable, electric organ, and other instruments is truly unique. I really don't have a favorite track on this album, except maybe the very first track, "Humming," since it's good from start to finish.
6.) Radiohead - The Bends
Other than hearing the tracks that received radio play, such as "High and Dry" and "Fake Plastic Trees," I didn't hear this entire album until a few years after it was release, probably around 1998. While the afforementioned tracks are great, the rest of album cannot be considered mediocre, in my opinion. "My Iron Lung" is my favorite of the lesser-known tracks. A friend of mine has said that a riff in that track is similar to Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady," and I know what he means.
7.) Radiohead - Ok Computer
This is Radiohead's "masterpiece." I bought the album shortly after it came out in 1997, and actually wrote a review of it in my high school's student newspaper. While "Karma Police" is the most well-known of the tracks on this album, and I really like it, I consider "Airbag" and "Lucky" are my favorites on this album. Radiohead really changed their sound after this album, so "Ok Computer," when put in context of "The Bends" and the subsequent album, "Kid A," really is a transitional album.
8.)Stone Temple Pilots - Core
This album was actually one of the first CDs I ever got, after I got a CD boombox for Christmas, early in the 1990s. The Wikipedia article on the album (link above) states that some critics saw this album as a rip-off of the other grunge bands of the time, but I agree with the others who say that the album is "a true symbol of the movement, and it is generally thought of as a staple of the genre." Everyone remembers "Plush," of course, but that doesn't take away from the rest of the album.
9.) Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary
Real "emo" isn't the stuff that is often labeled as such by many music reviewers. Real "emo" is the music on "Diary," Sunny Day Real Estate's debut album from 1994. While they came out of the same Seattle scene as the more popular "alternative" bands (this album was released by "Sub Pop" Records, the same label Nirvana started out on), their sound can't really be considered to be grunge. I actually didn't hear this album until about a decade after it came out. But in retrospective, this album should be considered to be a "classic" of the 1990s. Most of the tracks follow a "standard" model of having a slow and/or soft section, alternated with a louder/faster section, which became common in the subsequent "emo," "screamo," and related bands.
Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)
Though I like all ten of the albums in this list, this album (or maybe Gin Blossom's "New Miserable Experience") is probably my favorite out of the bunch. I like all of the tracks. I don't think any of them are weak. I've seen Weezer the most times of any band in concert (out of the bands on the list, I never got to see Jeff Buckley and his band, Portishead, or Sunny Day Real Estate in concert; 7 out of 10 isn't bad at all). I can't say much more about it. If I had to pick a favorite track, it would be "My Name is Jonas."
Ping!
1. Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil (1983)
2. Dokken - Back for the Attack (1987)
3. Metallica - Master of Puppets (1986)
4. Skid Row - Slave to the Grind (1991)
5. Ratt - Out of the Cellar (1984)
6. Ratt - Invasion of your Privacy (1985)
7. Quiet Riot - Metal Health (1983)
8. Pantera - Cowboys from Hell (1990)
9. Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force - Rising Force (1984)
10. Van Halen - Van Halen (1978)
1990s! Only two of your albums meet the criteria. ;-)
DMB-"Before These Crowded Streets" 1998
I like "Rapunzel" and "Crush" off that album.
SOHO Hippychick
LaTour People Are Still Having Sex
Billy Ray Cyrus Achy Breaky Heart
Sir Mix-a-Lot Baby Got Back
Whale Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe
Los Del Rio Macarena
Primitive Radio Gods Standing Outside A Boken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand
It was a special time in musical history.
I would have to say Soundgarden's Superunknown
I never heard the rest of that album (I heard it sucked), but that song and its video are 90s classics. You can watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LKVZ4NTfUc
Oooh! That is definitely an honorable mention!
Do you like Audioslave?
All music videos are a footnote to Captain Beefheart's "Lick My Decals Off Baby."
Bump.
I have their first album. I thought it was pretty good. I really admire Tom Morello's playing. As much of a commie he is, he really is great. I purposely left out Rage Against The Machine's debut album off my list, since I knew I would REALLY receive flack for that pick. I definitely listen to that album more often than Stone Temple Pilot's "Core."
Definite honorable mention material.
I never listened to that album in its entirety, but I think one track that is forgotten these days is "Let Me Ride."
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