1991: A Great Year in Rock Music

[MrPryck2U]

I know we're embarking on a new year, but I figured I'd go back in time to 1991 and remember the great year of music that it brought.
Now, in 1991, I graduated High School. I really started to get into music a few years earlier, but now I was buying CD's on a regular basis. Whenever I'd buy a new CD, I'd go home, listen to it and read the lyrics along with each song. That was my routine. At the start of 1991, my favorite band was Van Halen. I didn't care if it was Sammy or Dave. I loved Eddie Van Halen. But, with so many bands releasing new albums, I started to branch out and listen to other artists. Let's just say, by the end of 1991, Van Halen would no longer be my favorite band.
Now wait a minute, I'll just list some of the albums and you could give feedback if you like. Thanks for indulging me.
Out of Time- REM
Alice in Chains- Facelift
Bad Motorfinger- Soundgarden
Metallica- Metallica
Use Your Illusion I and II- Guns N Roses
Mental Jewelry- Live
No More Tears- Ozzy Osbourne
F.U.C.K.- Van Halen
BloodSugarSexMagic- Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Nevermind- Nirvana
Ten- Pearl Jam
Achtung Baby- U2
By the end of 1991, U2 were easily my favorite band followed closely by Guns N Roses. I still liked Van Halen. Even saw them on their F.U.C.K. tour, but that album would be their last solid one. BTW, Alice In Chains opened for them. Towards the end of 1991, I also saw GNR when Soundgarden opened for them. It was a great time to be 18/19 years old. All of this great new music coming out. I'm also a big Pearl Jam fan, but Alive wasn't popluar until the beginning of 1992. Same thing with Nirvana and Smells Like Teen Spirit. But, I'll never forget the first time I heard Achtung Baby. My friends and I were hanging out playing Sonic the Hedgehog for Sega Genesis. My friend rolled a couple of fatties and we played Sonic while listening to Achtung Baby. From that night on, U2 was my band.

 

[Zoots]

1991 was when I got into U2 and a shit load of other bands as well, including Guns n Roses, REM, Pearl Jam and Metallica. Life was exciting at 13.

 

[U2Man]

yep those were the biggies around that time.

 

[namkcuR]

1991 was the 1969 of a generation.

Don't forget Michael Jackson's 'Dangerous' record.

 

[Zoots]

Michael Jackson's 'Dangerous'

 

[U2Man]

i agree that record was one of his best.

it also reminds me of a school friend's funeral though, he died of leukimia and songs from dangerous was played at his funeral.

 

[Merc]

Out of Time- REM

I got that in 1991 - on tape... Now I feel old!



What was not so great about 1991 was Freddies dead...

 

[MrPryck2U]

I agree, Dangerous was the King Of Slop's last good record. Who could forget when his Black or White video debuted after an episode of The Simpson's. The one where Mike grabs himself for 5 minutes. Seriously, though Dangerous was a solid album.

 

[Nate Dogg]

Innuendo

 

[MrPryck2U]

Innuendo: Great song and great album!

 

[namkcuR]

I agree, Dangerous was the King Of Slop's last good record. Who could forget when his Black or White video debuted after an episode of The Simpson's. The one where Mike grabs himself for 5 minutes. Seriously, though Dangerous was a solid album.

Whether or not it was his last good record depends on whether or not you consider HIStory/Disc 2 a record or not. It's got some great stuff...'Scream', 'They Don't Care About Us', 'Stranger In Moscow', 'Earth Song', 'You Are Not Alone', etc.

 

[Zoots]

It's got some great stuff...'Scream', 'They Don't Care About Us', 'Stranger In Moscow', 'Earth Song', 'You Are Not Alone', etc.

 

[1stepcloser]

'Stranger In Moscow'

One of MJ's hidden gems. Excellent song.

 

[MrPryck2U]

Dangerous was his last good complete album. He might've had some new stuff on History, but not a whole album of stuff. The last time I gave a shit about Jacko was 1992.

 

[namkcuR]

Not a whole album? The first disc of History was a greatest hits record. The entire second disc was new materal, except for the 'Come Together' cover. 14 new songs.

 

[MrPryck2U]

My bad. My apathy was such that I wasn't completely informed. This stinks. I hate Micheal Jackson.

 

[dudeman]

fuck jacko.

1991 saw a few other notable releases:

smashing pumpkins - gish (HOLYFUCKINGSHIT)
the wonder stuff - never loved elvis
blur - leisure
primal scream - screamadelica
teenage fanclub - bandwagonesque
ned's atomic dustbin - god fodder
swervedriver - raise

a motherfucker of a year for british music and rock music in general - the seeds of brit pop, the swell of shoegazing climaxing as ride's 'nowhere' and my bloody valentine's 'loveless' peaked after their release a year earlier. didn't dinosaur jr release 'green mind' in 1991 also?
all serving as the backdrop to the calm before the storm that was grunge and the shitstorm that turned out to be the 'alternative music' wave here in the good old usa. don't get me wrong, all that shit is/was the soundtrack to some of my best years, but an awful lot of it doesn't hold up so well. nevertheless, that's a story for another thread...
i was a sophomore/junior in high school, older brother had just left for college, sending tons of new music down the 'pike. what a time for discovering new bands, and for debut records - of the records i just listed, only the wonder stuff's and primal scream's entries weren't debuts (dinosaur jr, too).

 

[MrPryck2U]

Smashing Pumpkin's Gish: Good Stuff!

 

[jacobus]

1991 - i still rate this year as the best in rock history:
U2, Nirvana, Metallica, Guns n' Roses, Primal Scream, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden...

 

[U2 Bliss]

Originally posted by dudeman
the wonder stuff - never loved elvis
primal scream - screamadelica
teenage fanclub - bandwagonesque
ned's atomic dustbin - god fodder

OMG you have just brought back a flood of memories for me.....esp TFC Bandwagonesque

 

[mandy1973]

1991 was a great year - I was in my last year of high school that year too
I had a decent part time job and spent WAY too much money on cd's and music mags around that time!! Actually, most of the money would have been spent on tapes - I just remembered that i bought my first cd player right at the end of 1991
I remember being the first of my group to hear Smells Like Teen Spirit on JJJ radio here, and telling everyone about it. Nevermind just blew me away!!

Oh to be 18 again!!!

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

I think I had just gotten my first boom box with a cd player, and I was in my last year of middle school. I was 13.

I remember my best friend at the time bringing over Nirvana on cassette, popping it in and being blown away.

Awesome year for music, indeed.

 

[MrPryck2U]

Yes, it seemed like all of the heavyweights of music put out an album. I remember waiting a long time for GNR's new album(s) to come out. It had been three years since their EP Lies came out and we were all excited for the new material. Finally, the movie Terminator 2 came out in the Summer of '91 which featured You Could Be Mine and we were really pumped. Who'd a thunk that Axl Rose would top himself in later years by making fans wait over a decade for a new GNR album that still hasn't arrived? I guess 1991 marks the last year Axl Rose wasn't a complete asshole.

 

[LemonMelon]

The year of my birth.

Ace year for music as well.

We kicked ass in Desert Storm.

 

[MrPryck2U]

Finally, someone who was BORN in 1991! I've tried to forget about Desert Storm, though.

 

[LemonMelon]

Finally, someone who was BORN in 1991! I've tried to forget about Desert Storm, though.

It was kind of like beating up a three year old.

 

[MrPryck2U]

Kind of. It was a sad chapter in recent US history. We kicked their asses quickly, but still accomplished nothing. Thank goodness for the great year in music, though.

 

[pgv]

It's a shame I was only 1 in 1991, as there were so many bands out around then in their prime that I wish I could have seen.
Blur, Nirvana. Argh!

 

[MrPryck2U]

Anyone else out there born in the 90's? Let's corral all of the minors. LOL!
One of my favorite videos from 1991 was Wicked Game by Chris Isaak. This video makes me laugh my ass off, but it's also really cool.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Anyone else out there born in the 90's? Let's corral all of the minors. LOL!
One of my favorite videos from 1991 was Wicked Game by Chris Isaak. This video makes me laugh my ass off, but it's also really cool.

I had the cassette single.

I still have shoeboxes filled with my old cassette singles. Bobby Brown Ghostbusters theme, anyone?

I also have Shakespear's Sister, Stay, which was another great song of 1991 (or was it 1992 ).