Mount Temple
The Fly
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- Jul 27, 2013
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Interference,
I have been very nostalgic for the 90's lately. At 39 years old, some of my prime years took place between 1990 - 1999. High School Graduation, University, Trips to Europe, Getting your first apartment (flat) and the enjoyment of relationships with the opposite sex.
The 1990s marked the end not only of a century but also a millennium. The decade leading up to the year 2000 saw a lot of change and excitement, with many important events that shaped not only the 1990s but our lives since then. That change happened in every way you can imagine – politically, technologically, and culturally. With the Cold War over, Nelson Mandela free, and the Internet changing the way we work and live, the events of the 1990s provided the perfect bridge between the outrageous 80s and the dawn of the new century.
It seems to be ringing more true as the years fly by, but the music you enjoy between the ages 10 - 25 really is magical! Those formative years when bands and albums really mattered, they were a part of your identity.
So with this in mind I share my 10 Essentials from this decade.
#1 U2 - ACHTUNG BABY (1991)
[Considering the community I am posting in, I am sure no one is surprised by my first choice]
Waiting outside the Vancouver A&B Sound on a cold night in November for midnight to strike and the U2 frenzy to begin. As the line grew and excited fans met and chatted all things U2, keeping warm by thoughts of exciting new sounds from the boys.
As midnight broke and we filed inside to collect our wares, I was struck by the unique cover of "Achtung Baby". Gone were the earnest black and white covers of the 80's. Replaced by a collage of interesting and conversational pictures of a band on vacation, enjoying themselves and breaking the mold.
After buying the album on multiple formats (CD, Vinyl and Cassette Tape), I raced home for a listen.
How does a band famous for "With or Without You," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for," and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" move on? Listen to the opening track's industrial sounds and follow it through the electronic buzz on "Even Better than the Real Thing," the gentle and poignant "One," the soaring "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses," or the grooves on "The Fly". I heard U2 in a new light.....and I loved it!
In a word: staggering. I don't know if I've ever heard an album which can even come close to capturing the kaleidoscope of sheer emotion that floods from these twelve songs. a brave venture into unknown territory and a brilliant musical transformation for the band. The album is packed with just as much passion as previous albums, but the lyrics are much more emotionally poetic and far less political. Musically, the tracks are a wealth of intoxicating dance beats and lush guitar riffs. "The Fly" opens with guitarist The Edge's trademark reverberations cutting through the opening verse like a speedboat slicing through choppy water; on "Mysterious Ways," Bono's one-man gospel choir belts out the praises of an adored woman.
Easily U2's best, if not the best of the entire 1990's.
#2 DEPECHE MODE - VIOLATOR (1990)
Violator is Depeche Mode's most mainstream, chart-climbing album. Although it contains only nine tracks, half of them are tailor-made for the dance floor. This album was conceived when dance-club DJs were gaining recognition alongside original composers. Heavily influenced by techno-pop, the singles "Policy of Truth," "Enjoy the Silence," and "World in My Eyes" prove that DM did their homework. A particular highlight on this fantastic album is the bluesy guitar line Martin Gore lays down on top of the synth-dominated grooves on "Personal Jesus."
All in all, this had to be DM's tour-de-force, at least as far as their '80's sound. Released in 1990, it closed that chapter in their musical evolution with a bang that left the listeners waiting to hear what would come next. A brilliant album of musical excellence and gothic bliss.
#3 OASIS - (WHAT'S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY? (1995)
It was just one of those odd moments. A beautiful day, and I was walking down the street listening to this album for the first time on my CD player, when I heard them sing: "Another sunny afternoon / walkin' to the sound of my favorite tune..." - and, in that final multiplication of weirdness, that song, Morning Glory, did soon after become one of my favorites as I fell hard for this incredible album.
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? is an expression of raw musical talent. The songs are loud, direct and unapologetic; the lyrics are ambiguous, but sung with real feeling. The tone shifts from the sunny Hey Now! and hard-driving, almost fierce Morning Glory to the more introspective Don't Look Back In Anger and Champagne Supernova, but even in its introspection, (What's the Story) is loud, direct and unapologetic. She's Electric, the only comical song (and pretty darn funny too), somehow doesn't break the mood.
Wonderwall, of course, is - Wonderwall. You could buy the album just for that song alone. When I think about it, though, I sometimes forget Wonderwall is even on here, the same way the rest of Talking Heads' Remain in Light shines seperately from Once in a Lifetime. Wonderwall in (What's the Story) is like the star on top of a Christmas Tree.
It's hard to compare Oasis with any other band from their era - at least, any other good one. Blur was more cerebral and affected, Suede was more sensual, and Morrissey's solo career was in transition. Whether or not Oasis was better than any of those acts is a matter of opinion, but their broad appeal certainly doesn't make them any worse, either. Personally I think they had something many of those other acts lacked, a kind of sincerity. There's something about that old-fashioned brand of rock - songs that just wear well, that bear listening over and over, chorus after ecstatic chorus. A soon to be classic, if it's not already.
#4 RADIOHEAD - OK COMPUTER (1997)
Radiohead's third album got compared to Pink Floyd a lot when it came out, and its slow drama and musical sweep certainly put it in that category. OK Computer, though, is a complicated and difficult record: an album about the way machines dehumanize people that's almost entirely un-electronic.
As I listened to it from start to finish for the first time in 1997. I found the jolting guitar at the start of "Airbag" disconcerting, I now took comfort in it. Suddenly, I was able to see the epic beauty of "Paranoid Android". Subterranean Homesick Alien" became more than just another radio song; I finally heard and understood the simultaneous tranquility and desperation in its lyrics (Yorke makes alien abduction sound like quite the sublime experience). "Exit (Music For A Film)" and "Let Down" proved exquisite in both their pain and their majesty. And, on "Lucky" and "The Tourist" I found songs in which I could literally lose myself. Most importantly, I found a moment in each song that touched my soul (when Thom Yorke sings "it's going to be a glorious day" for the second time on "Lucky"; or when the chanting begins on "Paranoid Android"; or Yorke's sweet scream of "you'll know where you are" near the end of "Let Down").
It would be another four or five listens before I could fully process the thematic content of the lyrics on the album. Once I did, the power of the album truly struck me. On OKC, Radiohead vocalize the anxieties we all share about living in this microwaved age, but are too scared or deadened to verbalize ourselves. Are we sacrificing our humanity at the altar of technological advancement? Radiohead seem to reach a pretty bleak conclusion on OKC, but, in the end, the album moved me so much that I understood. What I've come to love about Radiohead's music is its very inaccessibility. It is NOT easy. It is (to employ an overused critical term) DIFFICULT.
I affectionately call "OK Computer" my learning album. I had to learn to love it, and I would not have had it any other way.
#5 NIRVANA - NEVERMIND (1991)
If Nevermind's sound is familiar now, it's only because thousands of rock records that followed it were trying very hard to cop its style. It tears out of the speakers like a cannonball, from the punk-turbo-charged riff of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" onward, exposing the wounded rage of 15 years of the rock underground into a single roar. Few albums have occupied the cultural consciousness like this one; of its 12 songs, roughly 10 are now standards. The record's historical weight can make it hard to hear now with fresh ears, but the important urgency of Kurt Cobain's screams is still shocking.
If you were born shortly before or after the death of Kurt Cobain, it's hard to imagine how revolutionary this CD was. When "Nevermind" exploded, it drew the line in rock. Bands that were otherwise obscure (Mudhoney, L7, Screaming Trees) were signed to major labels and enjoyed radio-play. Alternative bands that had been around for a few years that were already signed (Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice In Chains) became huge overnight. The early 90s was a really exciting time in rock. Radio had been infested with the likes of bad R&B, Pop and 4th generation hair rock BUT for a while, everything was new and fresh.
The only real drawback for me is that the revolution of "Nevermind" made people close minded about bands they had only just recently loved. Although it is a blessing that some of these bands were shown the door, i.e., Slaughter, a lot of good bands were discarded and trashed rightfully or not. "Nevermind" was certainly the death nail to all old-school rock.
#6 PEARL JAM - TEN (1991)
The album, named after the Jersey number of basketball star, Mookie Blaylock, has been considered as being among the finest and most influential albums written during the 90s, and with reason. Before 91, Michael Jackson was atop the charts, the king of pop. It was not until the rise of Nirvana, and subsequently Pearl Jam, that the 'King' was dethrowned. Armed with epic, sweeping hard rock anthems and the bleedingly powerful vocals from Eddie Veddar, Pearl Jam found itself atop the charts themselves.
Apart from all that, Ten is Pearl Jam's best. The album perfectly combines Eddie Vedder's confessional lyrics with the grunge sound that helped make Seattle the center of the musical universe for the early 90's. Often they are compared with Nirvana, but the band's approaches are very different. Where as Nirvana were influenced by punk, PJ are more influenced by the 70's hard rock sound of Zeppelin, Sabbath and the like. "Once", "Even Flow" & "Alive" have growling Eddie Vedder vocals with driving guitars while songs like "Black", "Oceans" & "Deep" are slower and more pensive. "Jeremy" can still inspire while the pro-choice number "Porch" foreshadows the political stances the band would take in the future. The band is always thought of being so serious, but the album title shows a sense of fun. They are big basketball fans and at one point the band went by the name of Mookie Blaylock who was an NBA point guard for the Nets and Hawks. Due to legal issues, the band changed its name, but Ten is a tribute to Mookie as that was his uniform number. Title aside, Ten is a brilliant rock album and it justifiable made Pearl Jam the superstars they are today.
#7 SMASHING PUMPKINS-SIAMESE DREAM (1993)
The drum rolls, then falls away for a building electric guitar, a drum, and a searingly vibrant wall of sound that rises before your very ears. This is the start of "Siamese Dream," a vintage Smashing Pumpkins album and one of the best, most underrated alternative rock albums ever released.
Opening with a bang is the dizzying "Cherub Rock," a song that serves as a perfect springboard into the heart of this album. It can shift in an instant between pulse-pounding (the deceptively-named "Quiet") and more progressive ("Hummer"). Corgan's range stretches even to the quiet ("Sweet Sweet"), the dramatic ("Disarm" with its bells and violins) or the catchy ("Spaceboy").
Perhaps the most outstanding thing about the Pumpkins is their seamless blend of metal, neo-psychedelica and art-rock. The blasting electric riffs, sprawling melodies, and the whirling, sinuous guitars are all interwoven without so much as a sonic burp. At first glance, it seems like a fairly typical rock/metal album, but upon further listening, the alluringly complicated music begins to filter itself fully into your brain. Corgan's lyrics aren't for the perky among you -- angsty and introspective, while avoiding the trap of self-pity.
It's difficult to find a musical flaw with the Pumpkins in "Siamese Dream." Corgan's high voice flitters between murmuring and wailing. Backing him up are James Iha's layered, whirling guitar riffs and Jimmy Chamberlain's controlled, fast drumming. Acoustic guitar also gets to shine at the start of "Disarm." What sounds like church bells is even used.
Fiercely adventurious, brooding and expressive, "Siamese Dream" is a breathtaking ride into a majestic rock world all its own. Inventive and enticing, this is a modern classic.
#8 NIRVANA - IN UTERO (1993)
"I miss the comfort in being sad," Kurt Cobain grovels harshly on the excellent mid-tempo rocker, "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle," a sparse and raw tune that typifies the overall sound of "In Utero." Cobain and company establish a rougher-edged sound right away on "In Utero," rawer than the previous Nevermind album, though not as raw as the band's debut, Bleach, perhaps somewhere in between. The chorus to "Serve the Servants," the opening song, is as catchy as any previous Nirvana tune, just somewhat more plodding and low key. Inescapable from this great disc is the slower, thicker, even woodsy sound that may not grab a hold of listeners like the previous album so overwhelmingly did.
Future Foo Fighter Dave Grohl contributes the over-the-top Sabbath-like riff to "Scentless Apprentice," as Cobain howls the chorus meant to scare all his fans away. Needless to say, this is not a happy album. The lyrics are cynical, isolated and sad, though there are tiny moments of inspiration. The dark feel to "In Utero" was likely created in response to "Nevermind's" sparkling, rip-roaring introduction into the 1990s that sounds highly fan-friendly in comparison. The slow-paced "Dumb" from "In Utero" perhaps could have been a radio hit, but the lyrics are simply too depressing, probably best left for true Nirvana fans; the same holds true for the Pollyesque "PennyRoyal Tea."
On the faster side of things, "Very Ape" is a catchy and vibrant rocker that reveals Cobain's belief in reincarnation. "Milk It" possesses the incomparable formula that Cobain made famous and classic -- start soft and then knock listeners over later with a huge screaming chorus. No one else could properly replicate or match that formula, though too many bands tried. For my money, "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" is the album's top song; listening to Cobain grovel "What is wrong with me?" over and over seems to fit the tone of "In Utero." "Tourette's" is as quick and punk as it gets, a properly named ditty that comes and goes before you know what hit you.
Kurt Cobain was simply incapable of writing bad songs or screwing around with fluffy music. He left this world a winner, making "In Utero" on his own terms. It's truly a guitar, bass and drums rock album -- no extra frills like backup singers, keyboards, overly used strings or an extra rhythm guitar to mix with Cobain's lead. There are no trappings of the rich and famous rock band overdoing things in the studio. As far as the recording, Steve Albini did a great job getting the raw sound Cobain requested, with no extra juice to the vocals. Additionally, Dave Grohl's drums throughout the record are thumping and fantastic.
No disrespect meant, but Cobain was far from a man at peace with himself and the world. "In Utero" is not for the faint of heart or for people who want Nirvana spoon fed to them. Yet, if you want to hear truly genuine, no-nonsense music that is more riveting each time you sink your teeth into it, give "In Utero" a try.
#9 SMASHING PUMPKINS - MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS (1995)
"Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" avoids the pitfalls of many double albums -- too much filler, too few good songs, not enough of the good stuff. Instead, this is in the spirit of the Beatles' "White Album" or Pink Floyd's "The Wall." Billy Corgan's tight writing and the Smashing Pumpkins's brilliant instrumentation make this sweeping double album a must-have.
The first disc, "Dawn to Dusk," builds up slowly with a mournful piano song, only to bounce into the sweeping "Tonight Tonight." Forming the rest are sizzling rockers ("Jellybelly," "Zero"), sparkling softer songs ("Cupid De Locke"), and quiet alt-rock ("Galapagos") and a few songs that stray into unknown musical turf (the sweeping ten minute "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans"). "Take Me Down" ends the first disc on the same quiet note that it began on.
Second disc "Twilight To Starlight" starts off on a very different foot. Jerky guitar riffs and drumming start off, sounding like a warm up, before exploding into the solid "Where Boys Fear To Tread." Having gotten that over with, Corgan and Co. switch into a somewhat quieter collection: gentle acoustics ("Thirty-Three," "Stumbleine," the sweet "In the Arms of Sleep"), catchy alt-rock (new-wavey "1979," "Thru The Eyes of Ruby"), blistering hard rock ("Tales of a Scorched Earth," "XYU"). The gentle "Farewell and Goodnight" rounds off the double album on a quiet note.
"Mellon Collie" has just about every kind of music you can hope to find -- ballads, prog, metal, alt-rock, and so on.
Billy Corgan's reedy voice weaves seamlessly into the complex music, singing songs about loneliness, pessimism and longing for love. His songwriting is exceptional here ("breathing under water, and living under glass..."); his style is best described as poetry set to music. James Iha also dips into songwriting with "Take Me Down" and cowritten "Farewell and Goodnight." Guitar riffs both furious and gentle, sweeping strings, piano, Chamberlin's percussion and D'arcy's good bass work move up and down the scale, from soft to hard.
#10 RADIOHEAD - THE BENDS (1995)
Since the Bends turned Radiohead into one of the world's preeminent rock bands, the band has moved away from the more traditional song structures featured on The Bends in favor of new ways to express their themes of alienation, isolation, and seething rage.
But the Bends is still one of Radiohead's best works, and for obvious reasons. Epic in scope without being self-indulgent, The Bends takes the distorted guitars of grunge and adds a sense of melodrama and good old rock-n-roll majesty that, at that time, had been missing from popular music for almost two decades. In blending the two together, along with adding their own distinctly British personality, Radiohead makes The Bends a landmark recording that still feels fresh today seven years after its initial release.
The record has that wonderful touch of arrogance that transforms the band from one-hit brooders (as on "Creep") to bonafide rock gods. The guitars on the opening "Planet Telex" thunder in, heralding the band's arrival to the rock stratosphere, and the album just goes and goes from there. Every song works, be it balls out rock songs ("Bones"), or quieter, ghostly pieces ("Street Spirit," "Fake Plastic Trees"). All of it is tied together by lead singer Thom Yorke's voice. Credit Yorke with somehow making a voice that should, by all accounts, be incredibly irritating resonate and echo in the mind of the listener. It's alternately haunting, raging, and powerful; even making the transition from gentle lullabying to Billy Idol-quality snarling in the course of a single song ("Nice Dream"). It's a wonderful performance, and the band underneath matches him note for note.
Radiohead has released records more complex (OK Computer), more challenging (Kid A), and more ambiguous (In Rainbows) than The Bends. But they've never made a better "rock" record. And, in a way, that's a good thing. Free from the burden of having to create their masterpiece (which this is), they've branched out in new directions to see how far they can push the outer limits of both their music and their collective psyche. It is that later work that makes Radiohead one of the world's most important bands, but it is The Bends that saved the group from the "One Hit Wonder" status of "Creep".
Thank you for reading.
I have been very nostalgic for the 90's lately. At 39 years old, some of my prime years took place between 1990 - 1999. High School Graduation, University, Trips to Europe, Getting your first apartment (flat) and the enjoyment of relationships with the opposite sex.
The 1990s marked the end not only of a century but also a millennium. The decade leading up to the year 2000 saw a lot of change and excitement, with many important events that shaped not only the 1990s but our lives since then. That change happened in every way you can imagine – politically, technologically, and culturally. With the Cold War over, Nelson Mandela free, and the Internet changing the way we work and live, the events of the 1990s provided the perfect bridge between the outrageous 80s and the dawn of the new century.
It seems to be ringing more true as the years fly by, but the music you enjoy between the ages 10 - 25 really is magical! Those formative years when bands and albums really mattered, they were a part of your identity.
So with this in mind I share my 10 Essentials from this decade.
#1 U2 - ACHTUNG BABY (1991)
[Considering the community I am posting in, I am sure no one is surprised by my first choice]
Waiting outside the Vancouver A&B Sound on a cold night in November for midnight to strike and the U2 frenzy to begin. As the line grew and excited fans met and chatted all things U2, keeping warm by thoughts of exciting new sounds from the boys.
As midnight broke and we filed inside to collect our wares, I was struck by the unique cover of "Achtung Baby". Gone were the earnest black and white covers of the 80's. Replaced by a collage of interesting and conversational pictures of a band on vacation, enjoying themselves and breaking the mold.
After buying the album on multiple formats (CD, Vinyl and Cassette Tape), I raced home for a listen.
How does a band famous for "With or Without You," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for," and "Sunday Bloody Sunday" move on? Listen to the opening track's industrial sounds and follow it through the electronic buzz on "Even Better than the Real Thing," the gentle and poignant "One," the soaring "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses," or the grooves on "The Fly". I heard U2 in a new light.....and I loved it!
In a word: staggering. I don't know if I've ever heard an album which can even come close to capturing the kaleidoscope of sheer emotion that floods from these twelve songs. a brave venture into unknown territory and a brilliant musical transformation for the band. The album is packed with just as much passion as previous albums, but the lyrics are much more emotionally poetic and far less political. Musically, the tracks are a wealth of intoxicating dance beats and lush guitar riffs. "The Fly" opens with guitarist The Edge's trademark reverberations cutting through the opening verse like a speedboat slicing through choppy water; on "Mysterious Ways," Bono's one-man gospel choir belts out the praises of an adored woman.
Easily U2's best, if not the best of the entire 1990's.
#2 DEPECHE MODE - VIOLATOR (1990)
Violator is Depeche Mode's most mainstream, chart-climbing album. Although it contains only nine tracks, half of them are tailor-made for the dance floor. This album was conceived when dance-club DJs were gaining recognition alongside original composers. Heavily influenced by techno-pop, the singles "Policy of Truth," "Enjoy the Silence," and "World in My Eyes" prove that DM did their homework. A particular highlight on this fantastic album is the bluesy guitar line Martin Gore lays down on top of the synth-dominated grooves on "Personal Jesus."
All in all, this had to be DM's tour-de-force, at least as far as their '80's sound. Released in 1990, it closed that chapter in their musical evolution with a bang that left the listeners waiting to hear what would come next. A brilliant album of musical excellence and gothic bliss.
#3 OASIS - (WHAT'S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY? (1995)
It was just one of those odd moments. A beautiful day, and I was walking down the street listening to this album for the first time on my CD player, when I heard them sing: "Another sunny afternoon / walkin' to the sound of my favorite tune..." - and, in that final multiplication of weirdness, that song, Morning Glory, did soon after become one of my favorites as I fell hard for this incredible album.
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? is an expression of raw musical talent. The songs are loud, direct and unapologetic; the lyrics are ambiguous, but sung with real feeling. The tone shifts from the sunny Hey Now! and hard-driving, almost fierce Morning Glory to the more introspective Don't Look Back In Anger and Champagne Supernova, but even in its introspection, (What's the Story) is loud, direct and unapologetic. She's Electric, the only comical song (and pretty darn funny too), somehow doesn't break the mood.
Wonderwall, of course, is - Wonderwall. You could buy the album just for that song alone. When I think about it, though, I sometimes forget Wonderwall is even on here, the same way the rest of Talking Heads' Remain in Light shines seperately from Once in a Lifetime. Wonderwall in (What's the Story) is like the star on top of a Christmas Tree.
It's hard to compare Oasis with any other band from their era - at least, any other good one. Blur was more cerebral and affected, Suede was more sensual, and Morrissey's solo career was in transition. Whether or not Oasis was better than any of those acts is a matter of opinion, but their broad appeal certainly doesn't make them any worse, either. Personally I think they had something many of those other acts lacked, a kind of sincerity. There's something about that old-fashioned brand of rock - songs that just wear well, that bear listening over and over, chorus after ecstatic chorus. A soon to be classic, if it's not already.
#4 RADIOHEAD - OK COMPUTER (1997)
Radiohead's third album got compared to Pink Floyd a lot when it came out, and its slow drama and musical sweep certainly put it in that category. OK Computer, though, is a complicated and difficult record: an album about the way machines dehumanize people that's almost entirely un-electronic.
As I listened to it from start to finish for the first time in 1997. I found the jolting guitar at the start of "Airbag" disconcerting, I now took comfort in it. Suddenly, I was able to see the epic beauty of "Paranoid Android". Subterranean Homesick Alien" became more than just another radio song; I finally heard and understood the simultaneous tranquility and desperation in its lyrics (Yorke makes alien abduction sound like quite the sublime experience). "Exit (Music For A Film)" and "Let Down" proved exquisite in both their pain and their majesty. And, on "Lucky" and "The Tourist" I found songs in which I could literally lose myself. Most importantly, I found a moment in each song that touched my soul (when Thom Yorke sings "it's going to be a glorious day" for the second time on "Lucky"; or when the chanting begins on "Paranoid Android"; or Yorke's sweet scream of "you'll know where you are" near the end of "Let Down").
It would be another four or five listens before I could fully process the thematic content of the lyrics on the album. Once I did, the power of the album truly struck me. On OKC, Radiohead vocalize the anxieties we all share about living in this microwaved age, but are too scared or deadened to verbalize ourselves. Are we sacrificing our humanity at the altar of technological advancement? Radiohead seem to reach a pretty bleak conclusion on OKC, but, in the end, the album moved me so much that I understood. What I've come to love about Radiohead's music is its very inaccessibility. It is NOT easy. It is (to employ an overused critical term) DIFFICULT.
I affectionately call "OK Computer" my learning album. I had to learn to love it, and I would not have had it any other way.
#5 NIRVANA - NEVERMIND (1991)
If Nevermind's sound is familiar now, it's only because thousands of rock records that followed it were trying very hard to cop its style. It tears out of the speakers like a cannonball, from the punk-turbo-charged riff of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" onward, exposing the wounded rage of 15 years of the rock underground into a single roar. Few albums have occupied the cultural consciousness like this one; of its 12 songs, roughly 10 are now standards. The record's historical weight can make it hard to hear now with fresh ears, but the important urgency of Kurt Cobain's screams is still shocking.
If you were born shortly before or after the death of Kurt Cobain, it's hard to imagine how revolutionary this CD was. When "Nevermind" exploded, it drew the line in rock. Bands that were otherwise obscure (Mudhoney, L7, Screaming Trees) were signed to major labels and enjoyed radio-play. Alternative bands that had been around for a few years that were already signed (Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice In Chains) became huge overnight. The early 90s was a really exciting time in rock. Radio had been infested with the likes of bad R&B, Pop and 4th generation hair rock BUT for a while, everything was new and fresh.
The only real drawback for me is that the revolution of "Nevermind" made people close minded about bands they had only just recently loved. Although it is a blessing that some of these bands were shown the door, i.e., Slaughter, a lot of good bands were discarded and trashed rightfully or not. "Nevermind" was certainly the death nail to all old-school rock.
#6 PEARL JAM - TEN (1991)
The album, named after the Jersey number of basketball star, Mookie Blaylock, has been considered as being among the finest and most influential albums written during the 90s, and with reason. Before 91, Michael Jackson was atop the charts, the king of pop. It was not until the rise of Nirvana, and subsequently Pearl Jam, that the 'King' was dethrowned. Armed with epic, sweeping hard rock anthems and the bleedingly powerful vocals from Eddie Veddar, Pearl Jam found itself atop the charts themselves.
Apart from all that, Ten is Pearl Jam's best. The album perfectly combines Eddie Vedder's confessional lyrics with the grunge sound that helped make Seattle the center of the musical universe for the early 90's. Often they are compared with Nirvana, but the band's approaches are very different. Where as Nirvana were influenced by punk, PJ are more influenced by the 70's hard rock sound of Zeppelin, Sabbath and the like. "Once", "Even Flow" & "Alive" have growling Eddie Vedder vocals with driving guitars while songs like "Black", "Oceans" & "Deep" are slower and more pensive. "Jeremy" can still inspire while the pro-choice number "Porch" foreshadows the political stances the band would take in the future. The band is always thought of being so serious, but the album title shows a sense of fun. They are big basketball fans and at one point the band went by the name of Mookie Blaylock who was an NBA point guard for the Nets and Hawks. Due to legal issues, the band changed its name, but Ten is a tribute to Mookie as that was his uniform number. Title aside, Ten is a brilliant rock album and it justifiable made Pearl Jam the superstars they are today.
#7 SMASHING PUMPKINS-SIAMESE DREAM (1993)
The drum rolls, then falls away for a building electric guitar, a drum, and a searingly vibrant wall of sound that rises before your very ears. This is the start of "Siamese Dream," a vintage Smashing Pumpkins album and one of the best, most underrated alternative rock albums ever released.
Opening with a bang is the dizzying "Cherub Rock," a song that serves as a perfect springboard into the heart of this album. It can shift in an instant between pulse-pounding (the deceptively-named "Quiet") and more progressive ("Hummer"). Corgan's range stretches even to the quiet ("Sweet Sweet"), the dramatic ("Disarm" with its bells and violins) or the catchy ("Spaceboy").
Perhaps the most outstanding thing about the Pumpkins is their seamless blend of metal, neo-psychedelica and art-rock. The blasting electric riffs, sprawling melodies, and the whirling, sinuous guitars are all interwoven without so much as a sonic burp. At first glance, it seems like a fairly typical rock/metal album, but upon further listening, the alluringly complicated music begins to filter itself fully into your brain. Corgan's lyrics aren't for the perky among you -- angsty and introspective, while avoiding the trap of self-pity.
It's difficult to find a musical flaw with the Pumpkins in "Siamese Dream." Corgan's high voice flitters between murmuring and wailing. Backing him up are James Iha's layered, whirling guitar riffs and Jimmy Chamberlain's controlled, fast drumming. Acoustic guitar also gets to shine at the start of "Disarm." What sounds like church bells is even used.
Fiercely adventurious, brooding and expressive, "Siamese Dream" is a breathtaking ride into a majestic rock world all its own. Inventive and enticing, this is a modern classic.
#8 NIRVANA - IN UTERO (1993)
"I miss the comfort in being sad," Kurt Cobain grovels harshly on the excellent mid-tempo rocker, "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle," a sparse and raw tune that typifies the overall sound of "In Utero." Cobain and company establish a rougher-edged sound right away on "In Utero," rawer than the previous Nevermind album, though not as raw as the band's debut, Bleach, perhaps somewhere in between. The chorus to "Serve the Servants," the opening song, is as catchy as any previous Nirvana tune, just somewhat more plodding and low key. Inescapable from this great disc is the slower, thicker, even woodsy sound that may not grab a hold of listeners like the previous album so overwhelmingly did.
Future Foo Fighter Dave Grohl contributes the over-the-top Sabbath-like riff to "Scentless Apprentice," as Cobain howls the chorus meant to scare all his fans away. Needless to say, this is not a happy album. The lyrics are cynical, isolated and sad, though there are tiny moments of inspiration. The dark feel to "In Utero" was likely created in response to "Nevermind's" sparkling, rip-roaring introduction into the 1990s that sounds highly fan-friendly in comparison. The slow-paced "Dumb" from "In Utero" perhaps could have been a radio hit, but the lyrics are simply too depressing, probably best left for true Nirvana fans; the same holds true for the Pollyesque "PennyRoyal Tea."
On the faster side of things, "Very Ape" is a catchy and vibrant rocker that reveals Cobain's belief in reincarnation. "Milk It" possesses the incomparable formula that Cobain made famous and classic -- start soft and then knock listeners over later with a huge screaming chorus. No one else could properly replicate or match that formula, though too many bands tried. For my money, "Radio Friendly Unit Shifter" is the album's top song; listening to Cobain grovel "What is wrong with me?" over and over seems to fit the tone of "In Utero." "Tourette's" is as quick and punk as it gets, a properly named ditty that comes and goes before you know what hit you.
Kurt Cobain was simply incapable of writing bad songs or screwing around with fluffy music. He left this world a winner, making "In Utero" on his own terms. It's truly a guitar, bass and drums rock album -- no extra frills like backup singers, keyboards, overly used strings or an extra rhythm guitar to mix with Cobain's lead. There are no trappings of the rich and famous rock band overdoing things in the studio. As far as the recording, Steve Albini did a great job getting the raw sound Cobain requested, with no extra juice to the vocals. Additionally, Dave Grohl's drums throughout the record are thumping and fantastic.
No disrespect meant, but Cobain was far from a man at peace with himself and the world. "In Utero" is not for the faint of heart or for people who want Nirvana spoon fed to them. Yet, if you want to hear truly genuine, no-nonsense music that is more riveting each time you sink your teeth into it, give "In Utero" a try.
#9 SMASHING PUMPKINS - MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS (1995)
"Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" avoids the pitfalls of many double albums -- too much filler, too few good songs, not enough of the good stuff. Instead, this is in the spirit of the Beatles' "White Album" or Pink Floyd's "The Wall." Billy Corgan's tight writing and the Smashing Pumpkins's brilliant instrumentation make this sweeping double album a must-have.
The first disc, "Dawn to Dusk," builds up slowly with a mournful piano song, only to bounce into the sweeping "Tonight Tonight." Forming the rest are sizzling rockers ("Jellybelly," "Zero"), sparkling softer songs ("Cupid De Locke"), and quiet alt-rock ("Galapagos") and a few songs that stray into unknown musical turf (the sweeping ten minute "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans"). "Take Me Down" ends the first disc on the same quiet note that it began on.
Second disc "Twilight To Starlight" starts off on a very different foot. Jerky guitar riffs and drumming start off, sounding like a warm up, before exploding into the solid "Where Boys Fear To Tread." Having gotten that over with, Corgan and Co. switch into a somewhat quieter collection: gentle acoustics ("Thirty-Three," "Stumbleine," the sweet "In the Arms of Sleep"), catchy alt-rock (new-wavey "1979," "Thru The Eyes of Ruby"), blistering hard rock ("Tales of a Scorched Earth," "XYU"). The gentle "Farewell and Goodnight" rounds off the double album on a quiet note.
"Mellon Collie" has just about every kind of music you can hope to find -- ballads, prog, metal, alt-rock, and so on.
Billy Corgan's reedy voice weaves seamlessly into the complex music, singing songs about loneliness, pessimism and longing for love. His songwriting is exceptional here ("breathing under water, and living under glass..."); his style is best described as poetry set to music. James Iha also dips into songwriting with "Take Me Down" and cowritten "Farewell and Goodnight." Guitar riffs both furious and gentle, sweeping strings, piano, Chamberlin's percussion and D'arcy's good bass work move up and down the scale, from soft to hard.
#10 RADIOHEAD - THE BENDS (1995)
Since the Bends turned Radiohead into one of the world's preeminent rock bands, the band has moved away from the more traditional song structures featured on The Bends in favor of new ways to express their themes of alienation, isolation, and seething rage.
But the Bends is still one of Radiohead's best works, and for obvious reasons. Epic in scope without being self-indulgent, The Bends takes the distorted guitars of grunge and adds a sense of melodrama and good old rock-n-roll majesty that, at that time, had been missing from popular music for almost two decades. In blending the two together, along with adding their own distinctly British personality, Radiohead makes The Bends a landmark recording that still feels fresh today seven years after its initial release.
The record has that wonderful touch of arrogance that transforms the band from one-hit brooders (as on "Creep") to bonafide rock gods. The guitars on the opening "Planet Telex" thunder in, heralding the band's arrival to the rock stratosphere, and the album just goes and goes from there. Every song works, be it balls out rock songs ("Bones"), or quieter, ghostly pieces ("Street Spirit," "Fake Plastic Trees"). All of it is tied together by lead singer Thom Yorke's voice. Credit Yorke with somehow making a voice that should, by all accounts, be incredibly irritating resonate and echo in the mind of the listener. It's alternately haunting, raging, and powerful; even making the transition from gentle lullabying to Billy Idol-quality snarling in the course of a single song ("Nice Dream"). It's a wonderful performance, and the band underneath matches him note for note.
Radiohead has released records more complex (OK Computer), more challenging (Kid A), and more ambiguous (In Rainbows) than The Bends. But they've never made a better "rock" record. And, in a way, that's a good thing. Free from the burden of having to create their masterpiece (which this is), they've branched out in new directions to see how far they can push the outer limits of both their music and their collective psyche. It is that later work that makes Radiohead one of the world's most important bands, but it is The Bends that saved the group from the "One Hit Wonder" status of "Creep".
Thank you for reading.
