One of my favorite party discussions involves everybody getting drunk and naming their top 10 favorite records from a specific time period, be it the 80s, the 90s, or even the past year. 1990-2000 was the decade that most influenced my musical development and taste. So I got drunk and wrote this.
10. Siamese Dream
(1993) Smashing Pumpkins – Billed as “the next Nirvana,” The Smashing Pumpkins were signed to Virgin with great expectations after their indie debut “Gish” became a surprise success. Their major label follow up, Siamese Dream, was nothing short of a sonic revolution. Taking guitar production to the next level, the album is absolutely drenched in massive layer upon layer of riffs and leads. “Soma” is composed of over 40 simultaneous guitar layers at points, and some songs contain up to 100 guitar parts according to album producer Butch Vig. Many of the songs also contain lush string and orchestral arrangements, and to top it all off, you’ve got Corgan’s unmistakable vocal layers piercing through every track. The infamously turbulent Siamese Dream recording sessions went four months and $250,000 over budget, mostly due to front man Billy Corgan’s perfectionist attitude and his obsession with creating a rock masterpiece. In many ways he succeeded, and the songs are definitely able to stand up on their own. But I picked this album for my top ten because the sonic signature is one of the most unique and most powerful in rock history.
9. Bossanova
(1990) The Pixies – Kids who grew up in the 90s listening to “grunge” and “alternative” may not be as familiar with The Pixies, but the bands they listened to sure were. Countless ’90s bands quote the band as a major influence, and it’s rumored that Nirvana almost didn’t release their smash hit anthem “Smells Like Teen Spirit” because they were afraid people would accuse them of ripping The Pixies off. “Bossanova” isn’t The Pixies’ best album, but “Doolittle” was released in 1989, and this junior release is still a monumental record, especially for its contributions in the surf/space rock genre. Frank Black’s almost total control of the record (after a bit of a falling out with Kim Deal) is apparent in back to back sing-a-long rockers like “Velouria”, “Allison”, and “Is She Weird”, that are all just bizarre enough to keep you wanting to listen again and again. As a whole, the album is an undeniable composition that testifies to the odd, yet accessible genius that is Frank Black and The Pixies.
8. Pinkerton
(1996) Weezer – Pinkerton never got the reception it deserved due to protracted legal battle with Pinkerton Securities and subsequent lackluster marketing. The songs are more raw and less structured than Weezer’s critically acclaimed debut (see #4) but hardcore fans love it for it’s revealing, emotional journey into Rivers Cuomo’s introverted and conflicted relationships with women (It is frequently cited as the album that brought the “emo” genre into the mainstream). It was originally started as a concept EP but soon morphed into a full rock album that features Cuomo laying it all out on the line, both musically and lyrically. Pinkerton’s poor initial sales are credited as a factor in the lead singer’s famous breakdown, which led him to withdraw from music except for a somewhat superficial level. It would be fair to say that Weezer might never return to the innocence that made Pinkerton a classic to true fans.
7. Aquemini
(1996) Outkast – Yes, this is the only rap album on my list because 98% of rap sucks. But Aquemini is something different, something revolutionary. This album exemplifies the very best elements of the “Dirty South”: funk guitars, soulful melodies, and lyrics portraying the honest situation of blacks in the South. André and Big Boi’s verses transcend the juvenile bling-bling culture, and instead focus on true personal stories and societal situations. Aquemini’s lyrics are memorable for their raw emotion and honesty rather than clever wordsmithery. But perhaps even more impressive than the rapping is the outstanding backing music and arrangements. With the aid of real funk and soul studio musicians, guest stars like George Clinton, and André 3000′s fast developing music talents, Aquemini was a huge accomplishment in musical composition, not just in hip-hop. The mood throughout is dark and lush, yet energetic, and unmistakably different from the more simplistic beats that characterized the New York and West Coast scenes of the time. The truly live atmosphere adds another dimension to the already dense lyrics from André, Big Boi, and many perfectly placed cameos. The inability of other mainstream rappers to incorporate this sense of true artistry into their music has led André 3000 and Big Boi into other more intellectually and musically challenging endeavors, leaving rap to the bam-bams and knuck-knucks of the world. With classics like Aquemini, it’s safe to say they’ve outgrown the entire genre.
6. Evil Empire
(1996) Rage Against The Machine – If I had to name a single popular band from the 90s that really, truly had their own completely original sound it would be RATM. You might say the music is a derivative of funk, or metal, or rap, but really it just fucking rocks! Before it’s time politically and musically, the debut album came out in 1992 amidst the grunge/alternative revolution, but became successful independent of this movement. Evil Empire is a more solid album than the first, with strong, energetic tracks all the way through. It also features a more mature Zac de la Rocha, still rebellious and opinionated, but with stronger ammunition and expression to back up his beliefs on politics, race, and corporate culture.
5. What Burns Never Returns
(1998) Don Cabellero – I love Chicago’s experimental instrumental group Don Cabellero because most aren’t intelligent enough to understand their music. Credited with spear-heading the “math-rock” genre, Don Cabellero’s music is full of atonal riffs, non-standard progressions, and complicated poly-rhythms. Being able to recognize new patterns every time through (but probably never all of them) is what makes listening to Don Cabellero’s albums so engaging. What Burns Never Returns is actually full of hooks if you listen closely and are musically inclined enough to pick them out. The songs are pure genius, not merely for the technical difficulty of the instrumentation, but because of the complete and total originality of the parts. This is not wank-off prog metal or mindless shredding, it is pure math-rock: emotive, unsettling and beautiful all at the same time. It’s safe to say that we will never see another album like What Burns Never Returns, or another band like Don Cabellero. Ever.
4. Weezer (Blue Album)
(1994) Weezer – Everybody today between the ages of 26 and 34 knows every word to every song on this album. It is quite simply a pop/rock masterpiece. From the opening acoustic guitar on “My Name is Jonas” to the massive fury of imaginary passion that is “Only In Dreams,” we mouth out every melody, every guitar lick, every kitschy backup vocal, and bang out every drum fill on our steering wheels. And who would dare skip a track? Not a single song is weak, or even worth missing. Listening recently, I was surprised by how heavy the guitars and bass are on the Blue Album, almost as if they belong on a sludge metal album. But when mixed with those undeniable melodies and lyrics from Cuomo and the almost infantile drums beats, the album becomes something different, something transcendental. Like a first love, its flaws become endearing, and it gets into your heart and stays there forever.
3. The Colour and the Shape
(1997) Foo Fighters – The Colour and the Shape was preceded by the raw debut record “Foo Fighters” which had been cut entirely by a grieving Dave Grohl soon after Kurt Cobain’s death. This Sophmore release was far more of a collaborative effort, particularly between Grohl, guitarist Pat Smear, and Pixies producer Gil Norton, and the result is a spectacular rock masterpiece. It comes off as a bit of a concept record, but everything we love about the Foo Fighters is here: the sick riffs, the intimate THEN screeching vocals, the powerful chord changes, and the fucking bombastic drums. It features none of the failed kitschy pop or mindless “yelling at nothing” from more recent albums. Something special happened on The Colour and the Shape, and it is by far the band’s best album from any decade. When musicians today talk about being influenced by the Foo Fighters, this is the album they are talking about, and they will continue to talk about it for a long time to come.
2. OK Computer
(1997) Radiohead – When I first saw and heard the music video for “Paranoid Android” I didn’t quite get it. I knew about Radiohead from the massive radio airplay of “Creep” off of “Pablo Honey,” but this was totally different. There was something alien yet compelling about it. It took a while, but when I finally got the record and listened through it I realized something. These guys are fucking nuts. And drug addicts. And utter geniuses. It’s not clichéd to say that they refused to conform to the rules, because they truly did, and succeeded. The creative breakthroughs on OK Computer are truly astounding and awe-inspiring. By subtly blending unique guitar textures, haunting vocals, dozens of non-traditional instruments, and electronic compositions, Radiohead managed to create a completely new experience. And despite breaking all the classic rules of arrangement and structure for pop/rock music, the songs are simply amazing. The majesty, intimacy, and surreal atmospheres on this album should not be measured up against other rock albums, but against history’s most revered classical compositions. It is literally that good.
1. Nevermind
(1991) Nirvana – Kurt Cobain grew to hate his group’s first major label release “Nevermind,” citing its slick over-production and radio friendly sound as a dilution of the music’s message. True, it is the band’s slickest sounding record, but like it or not, Cobain’s influence and legacy are written all over it. From the abstract lyrics, to the powerful screaming, to the wicked anti-solos, to the almost childish simplicity of songwriting, he is there. That, and the infamous “fuck you” attitude that roused a generation of teenagers.
It’s that pure anti-hero attitude that make this album so special. Conflicted by fame and money after its release, Cobain was never again able to reveal this “true punk attitude” without the reclusiveness and loss of freedom that success had brought him. “Nevermind” was his one and only chance to bring unadulterated anarchy to the masses and not be called a “sell-out”. Cobain and his band delivered a masterpiece.
Despite an amazingly huge sound with big drums, and in your face guitars, and spine-tingling vocals, Nevermind is a relatively simple production. As most experienced music critics note, these are pop songs, plain and simple. But something is different and special with these pop songs, and this band, and this singer. It’s something that pop mega-stars like Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson didn’t have, and couldn’t have. It was an ineffable quality that spoke to a generation of forgotten teens: trapped suburbanites, long-haired freaks, kids from broken homes, punks and metal heads, and anyone living with the pain and anguish waiting for someone to understand. To them, Cobain understood, and he spoke for them.
Critics have always mentioned that the songs on “Nevermind” are extremely simplistic musically, and almost non-sensical lyrically. In retrospect, this may be true. In fact, by itself, “Nevermind” may not be the best album of the 90s. It may not even be Nirvana’s best album. But when you consider the movement it inspired, and the musical sea change, and the attitude it embodies, it is without a doubt the most important. That’s why it’s my #1.
