I'll get it started:

1990

“Put the Message in the Box”- World Party
Karl and the guys were pretty much at the top of their form on this one and throughout Goodbye Jumbo. A great lyric, great hooks and superb execution. “Message” music shouldn’t preach, but get under your skin- and that’s what this one does.

“Three Days”- Jane’s Addiction
Ritual de lo Habitual has a decided two-halves feel to it and the epic “Three Days” kicks off the second half in a titanic way. Awesome then, awesome now…awesome awesome awesome. Can’t say it enough- simply one of the greatest hard rock tracks ever recorded.

“Golden Blunders”- Posies
Post-punk Simon and Garfunkel/The Hollies style pop from the Seattle scene. This one is so catchy that it might take a couple of listenings before you realize that it’s about an unwanted pregnancy and its ramifications. The lyrics pull no punches: “Four weeks seemed like a long time then/But nine months is longer now/And even if you never speak again/You’ve already made the wedding vow”

“High Wire”- Ernie Isley
Title track from a simply stunning solo disc by the Isley Brothers guitarist. Imagine Earth Wind and Fire at the top of their game combined with Jimi Hendrix at the top of his. Sounds like it’s a bit hyperbolic, but I kid you not. This one is superbly constructed funk with searing guitar solos. Isley was featured in a lot of the guitar trade mags at the time and the album was big amongst that crowd.

“Graveshift Yard”- Uncle Tupelo
Americana and punk had been combined before Tupelo’s No Depression, But UT did it so differently that it seemed like something new. While most cowpunk was happy to be about swilling beer and letting ‘er rip, these guys brought an uncompromising urgency and passion a la Husker Du to the concept. “Graveshift Yard” was their statement of purpose.

“Killing Jar”- French Frith Kaiser Thompson
Avant Garde legends plus Captain Beefheart’s drummer plus folk-rock innovator Richard Thompson released two highly entertaining and sometimes experimental discs. “Killing Jar” is from the second. It’s a stark, chilling and moody Thompson composition about an abused child who enjoys killing small animals who grows up to be an adult who does much more serious things. It’s told first-person and ends with the bleak, almost robotic, refrain “I’m no good…” Not for dinner with the folks but it’s an exceptional track nonetheless.

“Is She Weird?”- Pixies
Black Francis wants to know, and he wants the answer to be ‘yes’ in one of the great Pixies tracks.


“It’s Love”- King’s X
This one’s got a whole wall of sound thing that didn’t really come across on TV or the radio, but is one of the great in-your-car tunes if you have the disc.

“Particle Man”- They Might Be Giants
“A brand new record for 1990/ They Might Be Giants’ brand new album Flood!” is how the disc begins- just so you never forget when it was released. Concert staple “Particle Man” is a great surreal little ditty somewhere between a children’s song and a polka because, hey, that’s what these guys do best.

“Jam”- Toad the Wet Sprocket
From Pale and one of their best tunes. Toad is more about texture than catchy anyway, but this is actually one of their catchy ones.

“Glass House”- Chris Gaffney and the Cold Hard Facts
One of my fave Country songs of all time- a very bitter one about the end of a long term relationship. Gaffney takes a classic theme and gives it realistic and psychological overtones. The line “And before you say goodbye/From your glass house you can throw the first stone” is uttered not as a threat but with a sense of resignation to the inevitable. Why didn’t George Jones record this one?!!

“Keep on Lovin’ Me Baby”- The Paladins
On Let’s Buzz, their Alligator debut, the Paladins prove just how raucous and truly inspired music can get with the guitar/standup bass/drums setup. These guys were absolutely on fire for this one, roadhouse blues never has or ever will sound this good again. “Keep on Lovin’ Me Baby” is one of many highlights.

“Outbound Plane”- Tom Russell Band
Written with Nanci Griffith, who recorded it first, and released a year before Suzy Bogguss, who had the hit, this is the best version of the song thanks mainly to Russell’s world-weary vocals and Fats Kaplan’s pedal steel.

“Do Something Different”- Brave Combo
God, how I love these guys and this is their anthem- and one you can dance to! Bone up on those Arthur Murray lessons, cha cha cha…

“Rain Just Falls”- David Halley
Halley is best known for penning the neo honky-tonk classic “Hard Livin’” in the 70’s, as well as being a hired gun guitarist for the Lubbock flatlanders (Joe Ely/Jimmie Dale Gilmore/Butch Hancock). Stray Dog Talk was his excellent debut album in 1990 and its songs have been mined by other artists since its release, but Halley’s performances here are as good as the material. “Rain Just Falls”, a poetic ballad, is one of those songs that sound like they’ve been around forever and approaches Gilmore’s “country zen” approach to lyrics.

“Railroad Bill”- Andy Breckman
The same Andy Breckman who created the TV series Monk released a couple of comedy novelty song albums, and by and large they’re hilarious. “Railroad Bill” is a deconstruction of a classic folk song- it starts with Breckman recounting the legend of the title character and ends with an argument, via verse, between the author and Bill. Seems like RB thinks he’s too important to rescue a cat from a tree and won’t do it- but Breckman holds the trump card with “you’ll do what I say or you won’t get out of my folksong alive”. He doesn’t…

"Railroad Bill" is much older than 1990. I can remember a cousin of mine playing the song for me all the way back in 1981 or 82.

It is a traditional song, but I was referring to the riffing that Breckman did on it, which created in essence a new song. My disc is from 1990 though it is possible that he recorded it earlier.

Here's mine (for some reason, there's not much from '90 that really gets me going, so this look):

“Birdhouse Of Your Soul” They Might Be Giants
...A darn it. Now I've got it stuck in my head AGAIN.

“Girl, You’re On My Mind” The Cynics
Another good old fashion slice of garage rock.

“Man In The Box” Alice In Chains
The fact that this song made my list still startles me, since it embodies pretty much eveything I dislike about the music that emerged from early '90s Seattle. Well, thats what I thought, but when I thought about it, I realized that the song actually embodies everything that the lesser lights of the era ripped off.

“She Talks To Angels” The Black Crowes
One for the "it's so overplayed that I can't listen to it any more" file. Fortunately, the local Classic Rock stations have eased off it lately, so I can enjoy it for the great song it is.

“Istanbul (not Constantinople)” They Might Be Giants
Did YOU know New York was once New Amsterdam? I did, but it's nice to be reminded anyway.

“Jealous Again” The Black Crowes
Probobly my favorite Black Crowes song.

“Twice As Hard” The Black Crowes
Another one that suprised me. This is pretty stereotypical Black Crowes stuff, but I still like it.

“Wicked Game” Chris Isaak
All I'll say is that I'm not gonna make any comments about the video, OK? None.

Oh, and I appreciate the Posies reference up there. I haven't heard as much of them as I'd like, but what I have is great.

Oops, Just realized that I slighted a GREAT song waaaaaaay back in my '89 list:

"You Got It" Roy Orbison
His last hit (I forget, was Mystery Girl released before he died?) and one of his greatest

The version of Railroad Bill I heard back in '81 when I was about thirteen had the protagonist arguing with the songwriter about rescuing a cat, a feat Bill felt was beneath his stature. Bill and the songwriter fought, and then the songwriter had a lightning bolt kill him. If this is the version of the song you're referring to, it was indeed in existence in 1981, because that's when I first heard it. My cousin made a taped copy of it, which I had for several years thereafter.

Todd- that's the one! I'll have to investigate because the CD lists a credit to Breckman as writer. OTOH it's a live recording with a vague "recorded a couple of years ago" note for that song. I'll keep it on 1990 because of the release date of the CD, but there could have been a bootleg tape floating around before then. Interesting. Anyway, you get the gist of what he does- the rest of the disc is just as entertaining in that sort of way.


Blitz- great list! The ones I didn't list could've been on mine if I'da thought of 'em. Flood is really solid, naturally. I forgot Chris Isaak! Heart Shaped World is great also.

Oh, and I appreciate the Posies reference up there. I haven't heard as much of them as I'd like, but what I have is great. - Blitz

Which ones do you have? I really like them all, though they seem to take a slightly different approach to each disc (I really admire that, actually.) Dear 23 is worth getting, most fans consider it their best. I'm sure they'll show up on my lists again.

Great. Now I've gotta work up my list. And I was hoping to wait til I was finished with all of my comics boards nitpicking. Oh well.

np - Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic - Red Hot Chili Peppers

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Sorry, Benn

I don't actually have any Posies CDs, that's why I haven't heard as much of them as I'd like.

It looks like I'll only be able to do top five lists for the nineties years. Here's mine for 1990:

1. "Days Like These", ASIA
2. "She Talks To Angels", THE BLACK CROWES
3. "King Of Dreams", DEEP PURPLE
4. "Candy", TSOL
5. "The Chains Of Pain", BOB GELDOF

I've started the preliminary work on my list. It's starting to look a bit skimpy, too. I'll know more after I've consulted my music charts.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

OK, here's my '91 list:

“Breaking The Girl” Red Hot Chili Peppers
The obvious thing to do here would be to express suprise that the tube-sock boys would record a ballad complete with flutes, but then I've never liked doing the obvious thing so I won't.

“Candy” The Magnetic Fields
What Phil Spector would have sounded like if he worked out of somebody's garage. This song, like a number of those off their first two albums, sounds kind of weird as vocalist Susan Amway sings leader Stephin Merritt's lyrics exactly as he wrote them: from the male perspective ("Candy, I know I'm not the man you want me to be" No, Susan, that you're not), but her voice beats Merritt's any day of the week, so it's ok.

“Girlfriend” Matthew Sweet
Not exactly a song that lends it self to being written about, just a good old fashion rock song. For some reason, I though this was a Lenny Kravitz song for a long time.

“Loosing My Religion” R.E.M.
Another one for the "overplayed" file, and another one that totally deserves to be played as much as it is

“Learning To Fly” Tom Petty
No comments come to mind for this one. Sorry, Tom.

“Mama Said” Lenny Kravitz
Same here. Sorry, Lenny

“Mysterious Ways” U2
Again, I don't generaly like U2 much at all, but this is a good one

“Polly” Nirvana
One of my favorite songs by Kurt and the boys. Noise is over rated...

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” Nirvana
...but but done right it can be a wonderful thing.

“There’s No Other Way” Blur
Probobly my favorite Blur song, even though it bears little resemblance to the rest of their hits

“Under The Bridge” Red Hot Chili Peppers
ANOTHER overplayed song.

“When You Were My Baby” The Magnetic Fields
I have a confassion to make, both the Magnetic Fields songs I've mentioned in this list were first released before '91. The thing is, dispite my best efforts, I haven't been able to track down the track listings for those two albums. I only know the compilation album that was released in '91. Thus, rather than randomly throw songs in years that Im not sure about, I'm just sticking them here.

We've gone through 1990 and no one's mentioned anything from Metallica's black album yet?

Of course, at the top of anyone's 1991 list should be any song from Unleashed by the Wild Boyz!! Well, it should be at the top of a "Worst of 1991" list.

Probably because the Metallica/"Don't Tread On Me"/"Black Album" by Metallica didn't appear on the scene until 1991, Tom.


np - Life Is Killing Me - Type O Negative

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Sorry, I've only got time to do a straight list this time:

“Rusty Cage”- Soundgarden
“Black”- Pearl Jam
“Lithium”- Nirvana
“Looking at the Sun”- Matthew Sweet
“Subbacultcha”- Pixies
“I Hear They Smoke the Barbecue”- Pere Ubu
“She’s So High”- Blur
“Hanging Out and Hung Up on the Line”- Julian Cope
“Haley’s Comet”- Tom Russell Band
“Child of the Wind”- Bruce Cockburn
“All the Best”- John Prine
“1952 Vincent Black Lightning”- Richard Thompson
“Stories I Tell”- Toad the Wet Sprocket
“Good Things”- BoDeans

The last four are from the Until the End of the World soundtrack:
“The Adversary”- Crime and the City Solution
“Fretless”- REM
“(I’ll Love You) Till the End of the World”- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
“Calling All Angels”- Jane Siberry and k.d.lang

'91?! I haven't even finished making my 1990 list. Sigh. I'll guess I'm bowing out now. I'm about to get too far behind on this.

I can't speak for others, Benn, but I'm sure that Blitz and Todd would agree to slow things down a bit to allow you to catch up. It seems you've already invested some time into this and, personally, I'm interested in what you'd like to post. Partial steam ahead!

Thanks for the offer, MrPorter, but I get the feeling I'm gonna be holding up progress. So, I think I will be bowing out.

I could probably go on through '95, but I would only be able to post about five songs per list and my choices would all be from classic rock bands performing in the nineties, which would be alienated from all the lists here. There is only so much money and time to be spent in collecting and listening to music, after all, and I've chosen to concentrate on a particular time and era which popular music of the nineties falls outside of. So I'm afrqaid my lists would be pretty uninformed. I'm willing to go on into the nineties, but I don't know what point there would be to it.

Well why didn't you say so? Sure I can slow down. I got something of a head start in that I was already gathering up '90s songs for a while before we actually got to this decade. Sorry, I thought you had already done a list (should pay more attention, huh?)

Oh, and who ever said lists had to be informed, Todd? I thought they've just got to be songs you like

Well, since everyone's waiting, and I finally finished my 1990 list....

1. "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth

This was actually a kind of difficult year to rank anything as #1, per se. But I'm picking this song because it helped influence the way I listen to music. This was the first SY song I'd ever heard. It's tough, rockin', and powerful. Kim Gordon's vocal are ironically sensual in this song dealing with sexual politics. And Chuck D lays down some great, growling rhymes. It helped fuel a mini-trend: Alt-rockers using rappers on their songs. R.E.M. did it ("Radio Song") and so did Kirsty MacColl ("Walking Down Madison"). This was the best of the lot.

2. "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" - Concrete Blonde

Probably my second favorite CB song. This song, undoubtedly influenced by Anne Rice's books, is Goth incarnate. Spooky, atmospheric, Johnette's bass is a mother of a groove. The chorus ("I've got the way and means to New Orleans.") is catchy as anything Napolitano has ever written. A perfect Hallowe'en song.

3. "Flood of Sunshine" - the Posies

Also from Dear 23. I saw the Posies opening for the Replacements on the 'Mats' swan song tour. This is one of the songs I really remember hearing them perform. I can still see in my mind the lights on stage as the end solo was being played. This is a lush, melancholic tune, epic in scope. The guitar solo at the end is one of my all time favorites. It just doesn't last long enough. I wish it could go on forever.

4. "Candy" - Iggy Pop

This may be Igster's biggest hit. An ex-con returns from jail goes to his former love, hoping to rekindle the romance. Great vocals on Iggy's part, but the kicker is the second vocals provided by the B52s' Kate Pierson. She sells the song in a way that Pop never could. Sheer classic.

5. "Man In the Box" - Alice In Chains

PETA could, if they really had the courage, adopt this as their theme song. Trouble is, this song is probably too dark for the Animal Rights organization. A great choppy guitar riff coupled with some terrifying vocals from Layne Staley, make this one of AIC's best songs.

6. "Dirty Boots" - Sonic Youth

Creeping music, strange, nonsensical lyrics, this is the first track from SY's Goo. It's almost as close to a straight forward rocker as this band ever got.

7. "Metropolis" - the Church

I think this song was inspired by the Fritz Lang film of the same title, rather than the Superman comic book. It's a gentle stroll of a song with some excellent vocals by Steven Kilby. The last really great song by the Church that I've heard.

8. "Suddenly, Mary" - the Posies

Some humming at the beginning of the song, then the guitars kick in. This is a surprisingly gentle tune given how dark and almost depressing the lyrics are. It's a power ballad in the best sense of the word. It has an almost Sixties-ish feel to it.

9. "Bullet" - the DiVinyls

The obvious choice from the band's 1990, self-titled album is "I Touch Myself". I like it okay, but it's far from being one of the best thing this band has ever done. And this bouyant rocker is better. Mark McEntee churns out some tasty chords, while Christina Amphlett's vocals have been refined (almost to the point of lacking its original personality). This is easily the best track off DiVinyls. Unfortunately.

10. "Tomorrow, Wendy" - Concrete Blonde

The closing track to Bloodletting, this a sad, depressing song about AIDS and a young woman who's life is cut short by the disease. The song counterbalances youthful optimism (symbolized by the lines about JFK) against the bleakness of impending death. Haunting.

11. "Tunic (Song For Karen)" - Sonic Youth

Death, take 2. This song cracks me up. It's a very tongue-in-cheek number about Karen Carpenter. In it, "Karen" says goodbye to her brother and hello to Janis, Jimi and Morrison. She reassures her mother that she's playing the drums again. The best line in this song is both chilling and funny as hell, "I remember what you said/You said, 'Honey, you look so underfed.'"

12. "If Love Was a Gun" - the DiVinyls

There's an irony that the two best songs by this Australian band deal with guns. Still, this smooth, plaintive song shows that her refined vocals need not be detrimental to Christina Amphlett.

13. "Mama Said Knock You Out" - L.L. Cool J

"Don't call this a comeback!" No foolin'. This is rap at its most melodic - believe it or not. L.L. is at his toughest, most defiantly bad-ass with this joint. Musically, this one keeps churning and weaving in and out. It's almost as if Cool J's rhyme and the song's rhythm were slugging it out with each other. And who could resist that refrain: "Mama said, 'Knock you out!'/I'm gonna knock you out!"?

14. "Kinky Afro" - the Happy Mondays

There's an almost unfortunate irony that this song is ranked where it is. But still, this was one of the best of the Manchester sound that was leaking into the Alternative Rock movement of the early '90s. Sure it steals from LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade", but that only adds to the soulful retro sound of this cut. It really does sound like a refugee from the Seventies, doesn't it?

15. "911 Is a Joke" = Public Enemy

This was from the first P.E. album I ever heard. I still think it's their best album. This is Flavor Flav's showcase. And while it's a bit goofy, it still has an underlying truth within it. But then again, this was from back in the days when not only was rap the CNN of music, Public Enemy was its Wolf Blitzer.

16. "Ball and Chain" - Social Distortion

One of the greatest drunken born loser songs. The late Mike Ness' vocals and guitar propel this stompin' punk tune and manages to keep it just this side of self-pity. Self-aware, yes. One of the great post-Punk songs of all time.

17. "Put the Message In the Box" - World Party

Sounds like a cross between ELO and Bob Dylan without sounding like the Traveling Wilburys, doesn't it? This was such a smooth, well crafted pop song. This song is everything MrPorter said it was. An almost forgotten classic.

18. "Enjoy the Silence" - Depeche Mode

Not as big a hit as "Personal Jesus" was, but it's the better song, I think. One of the catchiest synth pop songs ever. Even if musically it sounds like a throwback to the early '80s.

19. "Wicked Game" - Chirs Isaak

This has what is probably the best guitar lick of 1990. Isaak's vocals are haunting and haunted. It's so close to being a blues tune, it hurts. A truly great song.

20. "The Deeper Shade of Soul" - Urban Dance Squad

Hip hop not only performed by white boys, but by white boys from Amsterdam. Who knew they could pull it off so successfully?

21. "Ring of Fire" - Social Distortion

Wonder if Rick Rubin heard this version of the song before he signed Johnny Cash? While the Dead Kennedys made good on the musical promise of David Allen Coe's "Take This Job and Shove It" (it really is a punk song), Social Distortion did something even more remarkable with this, the late Johnny Cash's signature tune - they took a purely country song and successfully translated it to Punk. There's a difference. ("Ring of Fire" has no Punk in it. "Take This Job and Shove It" does. Think about it.)

22. "Jealous" - Gene Loves Jezebel

By this point, Gene was being led by Jay Ashton, brother Michael having already left the band. This was a wonderful melodic open wound of a tune.

23. "Getting Away With It" - Electronic

A side project of Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys and the Smith's Johnny Marr. This was actually more of a kindred spirit to the Pet Shop Boys than its own sound. Still, it's smooth, easy and absolutely lovely.

24. "Burn, Hollywood Burn" - Public Enemy

P.E.'s condemnation of the roles African-American were given to portray. Judging by TV and some comedy films, things aren't much better. This song found its way into Spike Lee's Bamboozled. Chuck D's angry, accusatory rhymes are dead on.

25. "Empire" - Queensryche

"Silent Lucidity" was the big hit from this album, but again, this tune is the keeper. More hard rock than metal really, this apocalyptic song was the thematic center of the album of the same name. Great guitar work. The voice intoning "Empire" throughout makes for a great hook.

26. "Brothers" - the Vaughan Brothers

A killer axe-war between Stevie Ray Vaughan and his big brother Jimmy. I originally was going to pick "D/FW" from the Family Style album, but at the last minute decided this is the highlight cut. The brothers share the same guitar on this rollicking number, each trying to outdo the other with their playing. This had to have been one of SRV's personal favorites. It's docked several notches for the very annoying intrusion of Brenda White-King, as the boys' "mother". However, it does get extra points for the zydeco accordian playing of Rockin' Sydney (famous for his hit "Messin' With My Toot-Toot").

27. "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson

First of all, having met him, I can tell you that Eric Johnson is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet in the music world. He is as sweet and gentle as the music he creates. Johnson really doesn't get the credit he deserves for being such a truly great guitarist. His fretwork is deft and truly astounding. Tones may be the better album, but this track from his second record, Ah, Via Musicom! is one of the best things to be released in '90. A breathtakingly powerful instrumental.

28. "I'm Free" - the Soup Dragons

Yeah, it's been used in a car commercial here of late, but this cover the Rolling Stones' tune is a fantastically danceable number. (Something I doubt Mick and Keef could have ever pulled off as successfully.) Junior Reid lends some nice rapping in this midst of all this.

29. "Vigilante Man" - the Hindu Love Gods

Another cover, this one of a Woody Guthrie song performed by a makeshift band that was made up of the drummer, bassist and guitarist of R.E.M., teaming up with the late, great Warren Zevon for an album of covers. This rocks while paying tribute to the great folk artist who wrote the song. Zevon's ruff cigarette, booze stained voice was perfect for this tune and it's great hearing the musicians of R.E.M. backing up someone who knows how to articulate a lyric, rather than mumble it. A nice roots rock stomper.

30. "Waco Stomp" - Cold Blue Steel

No, you don't know this one. Cold Blue Steel is (I think they're still together) a Dallas band that specializes in making music from another era - the Fifties. Except this isn't Buddy Holly, Pat Boone '50s. This is more Chuck Berry territory - country and blues stiched together to create a groove that'll get your butt shaking. It's old style honky tonk and blues with a modern sensibility. A throwback. And these four guys don't mind. They're proud of it. It's too bad this album never got a national release, but if you ever get lucky and see a copy of it, grab it. You won't regret it. Oh, and I happen to know the lead guitar on this album, Drivin' to Mexico, Mark Pollock. He used to own Charley's Guitars. Charley's used to make guitars for Stevie Ray Vaughan. Judging by the shop's website, Mark has sold the business. Wonder if he took the autographed SRV picture with him? (I currently have this on album on CD, but my first copy of it was a tape that Mark had given me.)

Hope this was worth the wait.

np - Hearbeat City - the Cars

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Glad to see you're still playing along!

4. "Candy" - Iggy Pop

This may be Igster's biggest hit.

If memory serves, this is his ONLY "hit", in the conventional sense of the term.

27. "Cliffs of Dover" - Eric Johnson

I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT THAT!!! I love that song! Thank you Benn!

np - III - Led Zepplin

Okay, I've got my 1991 list made. I'll post it after work tonight. Thanks for your patience!

Oh, and Blitz, you're welcome for the reminder about "Cliffs of Dover". I had to d/l that one to remember how it went.

np - Solid Citizens - Joe Bouchard presents the X-Brothers (Happy Birthday to Blue Öyster Cult's original bassist, Joe Bouchard!)

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

And here we go with the best of 1991 ---

1. "Jeremy" - Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam were never really grunge. At worst, they were grunge wannabes. This harrowing song of child abuse and its deadly consequence isn't that far removed from the arena rock of the Who and Led Zeppelin. Vedder's voice conveys the shock and desperation of the tune's tale (such as it is). At the end, the song swirls and bounces back and forth, descending into chaotic madness before settling into almost dead calm. Literally dead calm.

2. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana

Stealing the riff from (take your pick): (A.) "More Than a Feeling" by Boston, (B.) "Godzilla" by Blue Öyster Cult or (C.) "Louie, Louie" by the Kingsmen, Kurt Cobain and his co-conspirators ushered into the world the Seattle sound of grunge. Grunge in some ways, was one part Jimi Hendrix hard rock, one part Punk and this song was the very personification of that mixture. The song alternates between near quiet and raucous metal. For many the lyrics were indecipherable, but they responded to the anger and desperation the song generated. The opening line, though, "Load up on guns" is almost chillingly prophetic now.

3. "Breaking the Girl" - the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Unbelievable! These rap-metallists had a big hit with a song that's done in a waltz time rhythm. (Listen to it again, if you don't believe me.) Anthony Keidis is all sensitive and regretful in his vocals, while Flea and Chad Smith carry the song's beat. Still a song I never get tired of.

4. "Like a Hurricane (live)" - Neil Young and Crazy Horse

Yeah, I ranked the studio version earlier. So what? This live version (from '91's double live set, Weld) pretty much tops the original. Neil's guitar solo is awesome. It's easily one of my all-time favorites.

5. "Walking Down Madison" - Kirsty MacColl

This may have been the late MacColl's biggest hit. A song that examines the differences between the rich and the poor/homeless and how the rich (or even middle class) tend to look down on the destitute. All the while reminding us that it doesn't take much for one's fortune to change for the worse. ("From the sharks in the penthouse/To the rats in the basement/It's not that far.") The song also employs some rapping by Anif Cousins. The slamming guitar riffs, that cuts through like an accusation, were by the Smiths' Johnny Marr.

6. "Chocolate Cake" - Crowded House

A devastatingly hilarious song that slams Andrew Lloyd Webber ("May his trousers fall down as he bows to the Queen and the Crown.") tabloids ("I saw Elvis Presley walk out of a 7/11.") and the American culture in general ("Now the excess of fat on your American bones/Will cushion the impact/As you sink like a stone."). This song is catchy pop at its best.

7. "Heart of Soul" - the Cult

Ian Astbury's best song. Period. A great "I'm gonna get wasted" song. This is a very heartfelt song ("You've got to bleed a little while you sing/Lest the words don't mean nothing/Get to the heart of soul.") This song soars and roars. Billy Duffy's guitar playing is outstanding.

8. "Crazy" - Seal

The song opens in swirling vat of sound before hitting it's dance club groove. It's infectious as hell and Seal's vocals are killer.

9. "Very First Lie" - Material Issue

God, do I ever relate to this song. Too much maybe. Shows what kind of relationships I've been. Like "Teen Spirit", it juggles between a softer sound and a more rocking beat. But this tune employs acoustic guitars, whereas the Nirvana hit doesn't.

10. "The City Sleeps" - MC 900 Ft. Jesus

This has got to be one of the creepiest songs I know. It's a near rap song about an arsonist. The best and most chilling lines in the tune are "Everyone has a little secret he keeps/I light fires while the city sleeps." It's all in the way Mark Griffins intones those words.

11. "Near Wild Heaven" - R.E.M.

Jokingly refered to as "The Partridge Family Song", this one features bass player Mike Mills on lead vocals. It's a smooth tune that swoops up and down and back and forth. Mills is a surprisingly excellent vocalist. If Michael Stipe ever decides to leave the band, Mills could easily take over, I think.

12. "Right Here, Righ Now" - Jesus Jones

"...Watching the world wake up from history." This is a powerful, relentlessly optimistic song.

13. "who's gonna RIDE your WILD HORSES" - U2

Opening with some feedback, this song, about a free spirit, begins with a trot, building to a full gallop. Bono's voice is full of aching and longing and resignation. A great performance all around.

14. "Garden of Eden" - Guns N' Roses

This is a short, powerful hurricane of a song, in which Axl Rose sceams the lyrics at near warp speed. It has all the power and agression of punk, while never letting go of its metal roots.

15. "Alive" - Pearl Jam

In which Eddie Vedder learns the truth about his daddy. Nowhere near as good as "Jeremy", but a powerful song nonetheless.

16. "Lost At Birth" - Public Enemy

Terminator X produces a scratch loop that gives this rap joint the weight of heavy metal. Even more so than P.E.'s duet with Anthrax on "Bring the Noize". Chuck D and Flavor Flav swap rhymes helping make this, the opening track from Apocalypse '91 The Empire Strikes Black, one of the year's highlights.

17. "even BETTER than the REAL THING" - U2

Some truly great guitar work from the Edge. And that's all that needs to be said.

18. "Enter Sandman" - Metallica

The title sounds like the title to an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man. But this is a nightmare put to hard as stone music. With this album, Metallica would begin to abandon the speed metal sound they helped found and popularize. This cut showed that they could create a more melodic metal sound without sacrificing any of their edges.

19. "Black" - Pearl Jam

A great metal-dirge.

20. "I Could Have Lied" - the Red Hot Chili Peppers

Yet another deviation from their previously established rap-metal party-hearty sound. Keidis is still in his sensitive, full of regrets mode, but it doesn't get tedious. Not yet, anyway.

21. "Shut 'Em Down" - Public Enemy

This really doesn't have any of the urgency that many of P.E.'s other songs have. It's mostly drumbeats with just the faintest whiff of anything else in the background. Still, it's pretty catchy. Neat trick for a rap song.

22. "Pretty Tied Up (The Perils of Rock and Roll Decadence)" - Guns N' Roses

A kinky little number that rocks.

23. "Kiss Them For Me" - Siuosxie Sioux and the Banshee

Ethereal and haunting. This is probably this Goth punker's best song.

24. "O.P.P" - Naughty By Nature

Yeah, it got to be an annoying catchphrase, this hip hop song is based on a sample of the Jackson 5's "ABC". Still worth listening to.

25. "Unsuccessfully Coping With the Natural Beauty of Infidelity (I Know You're F...in' Someone Else)" - Type O Negative

Type O hadn't quite developed their Goth aspect yet. Instead they were somewhat of a standard metal band. But this heavy hitter about being in love with a slut was as dense and hard rockin' as anything Peter Steele and the rest of the band have ever recorded.

26. "Crucify" - Tori Amos

This gorgeous redhead's signature song. Her piano player is light and pleasant in this tune about self-doubt and self-recrimination. A great debut.

27. "I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo Niga" - Public Enemy

In which Flavor Flav takes exception to being called by the racial epithet. This is more serious than Flav normally is. Terminator X uses a great guitar loop to wonderful effect.

28. "Radio Song" - R.E.M.

Michael Stipe bites the hand that's fed him. KRS-One adds some nice rap, but his aren't as good as Chuck D's on Sonic Youth's "Kool Thing" or Anif Cousins' on "Walking Down Madison". Musically this really isn't much different from your standard issue R.E.M. song, though.

29. "Lily Was Here" - Candy Dulfer (with David A. Stewart)

Nice, catchy lite jazz by this Dutch saxophonist, teaming up with one half of the Eurythmics.

30. "F... Tha Police" - N.W.A.

The intense, biting prelude to Body Count's "Cop Killer". Personally, I don't remember it being as controversial as the Ice T song. Was it? (I mean beyond the FBI sending the band a letter.)

And there you have it. I'm up to date now. Thanks for waiting. I hope the lists were worth it.

np - The Ocean Blue - the Ocean Blue

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Great lists, Benn- worth the wait!


First, apologies again for only posting a list the last time. I really do enjoy reading the reasoning behind the selections more than anything else so I will strive to put forth a supremo effort from now on (things have been sort of hectic lately).

Also, from now on out I will be breaking my self-imposed limitation of only listing one song per disc because the reasons I got into it no longer make that much sense to me (i.e.- you gotta draw the line somewhere or why not just list the whole thing?) It happens…

On to 1992: in no particular order

I’ll start with three from the Singles soundtrack-

“Dyslexic Heart”- Paul Westerberg
Memorable hooks, clever lyrics- not just one of the standout tracks from the disc but also one that sounds like the ex-‘Mat had been revitalized and make a real go of it alone.

“Seasons”- Chris Cornell
Soundgarden is also included but it is on this acoustic number that Cornell really shines. His songwriting was really starting to come into its own during this period.

“Drown”- Smashing Pumpkins
Not the truncated version that you hear on the radio but the extended take with the intense “feedback” solo. It just seems really incomplete without it.

“When You’re Away”- Sonny Landreth
There are few slide guitarists in Landreth’s league, and he can coax amazing sounds from the instrument to be sure. But he also never loses sight of what it takes to make a great record. “When You’re Away” is a terrific pulsating R&B pop number steeped with the rhythms and textures of his native Louisiana.

“Pineola”- Lucinda Williams
The standout track on the Sweet Old World release, it captures the emotions and events surrounding the moments after a sudden suicide where everybody involved seems numb and just going through the motions.

“William”- Come
It starts out slow but deliberate before becoming a blindly thrashing beast. This song, in particular, benefits mightily from its low-fi recording process.

“Les Coeurs Jumeaux”- Concrete Blonde
Flat out lovely and haunting. As mentioned elsewhere, my all time fave song of theirs. The title translates to “The Twin Hearts” btw.


“Fear Loves This Place”- Julian Cope
Hard to describe and be brief…I’ll try-”Fear…” is a keystone in Cope’s Jehovakill disc, which is a concept album about (mostly) how pagan religions (female energy) have been usurped by Organized Religion (male energy), along with a bunch of archeological and Erich Von Danikan type ET references thrown in for good measure. Cope also declared himself an arch druid at the time. “Fear Loves This Place” is, on the surface, about how men have tended to dominate women with their physical superiority.

“The First Rule of Love”- Del Amitri
An understated and ironic ballad from their excellent Change Everything release. Justin Currie, an underappreciated singer IMO, shows what he is capable of on this one.

“Wake Up Dolores”- Los Lobos
From their landmark Kiko disc, the groove on “Wake Up Dolores” is so insistent and complicated it makes a statement on its own. It’s also a layered sonically adventurous track which is about a couple making their way for the American border who seem to be caught between two worlds, literally and figuratively.

“Beeswax”- Nirvava
The first half of Incesticide sounds like the hodge podge that it is, but the second half just kills. “I got nothing to explain!” was also the right attitude at the right time for these guys. I have a friend who really shied away from all things Nirvana at the time- when he heard this song on a mix tape of mine he asked “that was really good- who was it?”. When I told him his response was simply “I had no idea…”

“Zurich is Stained”- Pavement
It’s hard to pick individual tracks from the wildly chaotic rollercoaster that is Slanted and Enchanted, not that they don’t stand on their own, because they do, but because you become so accustomed to the whole bi-polar stream of consciousness of it all. That being said, “Zurich…” is a haunting and catchy slice of Pavement.

“Cold Feelings”- Social Distortion
Ah, the days of catching a Social D set at CBGB’s … Ness and the boys really got their act together for Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell. They always had a great sound but rarely the material to back it up. That changed in 1992, they sound especially inspired on the set opener and remain that way throughout.

“Wicked Garden”- Stone Temple Pilots
From back before they dropped the ball.

“The Act We Act”- Sugar
Bob Mould’s first post-Husker Du band garnered him some much deserved success but also represented an artistic rebirth. Copper Blue remains one of the essential post punk albums, a stunning masterwork that pays homage to Brian Wilson and Phil Spector while wielding a tremendous arsenal. “The Act We Act” is the leadoff track and proves that you can arrange things impeccably, multi track the vocals and instruments, and still create something vibrant and intense.

“Hoover Dam”- Sugar
“Standing on the edge of the Hoover Dam”- Chiming 12 strings, cascading synths, backwards lead guitar and evocative lyrics all combine to create an atmosphere of awe and purpose- “right between two states of mind.”

“Bull Rush”- Paul Weller
Freed from the stylistic constraints of both The Jam and the Style Council, Weller produced his strongest set of songs to date with his first solo disc. “Bull Rush”, as one would expect, has elements of pop, R&B and folk and reflects a mature artist exploring his new-found freedom.

“Living in Reverse”- Iain Matthews
“Watched a man shoot an eagle down/ Saw it fall from the skies/ It took a little light from inside of me/ Put a shine in his eyes” -the song comes across as a compassionate warning about the increasingly polarized nature of American society and politics. Unfortunately it is probably more prescient now than it was in 1992.

“Wrapped In Grey”- XTC
“Some folks pull this life like a weight/ Drab and dragging dreams made of slate/ Your heart is the big box of paints/ And others, the canvas we’re dealt/ Just think how the old masters felt”- Quite possibly Andy Partridge’s best song- “Awaken you dreamers”- in a call to reap the most out of life no matter what path you’ve chosen.

“Dear Madam Barnum”- XTC
A clever and catchy pop song about dumping a cheating girlfriend- “If I’m not the sole fool/ who pulls his trousers down/ then Dear Madam Barnum/ I resign as clown.”

“No Easy Way”- Maire Brennan
By the time she got around to releasing her first solo album Clannad had already been getting further from their celtic roots, so this wasn’t very much of a departure. There were some excellent tracks, though, and “No Easy Way” is chief among them. It’s absolutely spellbinding and gorgeous.

“Goin’ Out West”- Tom Waits
One of the coolest songs ever recorded.

“Black Wings”- Tom Waits
Another piece of the infamous Bone Machine, chilling and atmospheric in a spaghetti western meets gothic novel sort of way about a character part human/ part demon/ part myth/ part reality- “Some say beneath his coat there are wings/ One look in his eye/ Everyone denies ever having met him”.


“In the Coliseum”- Tom Waits
Tom’s unforgiving take on American politics- “As the Senators decapitate the presidential whore/ The bald headed senators are splashing in the blood/ The dogs are having someone who is splashing in the mud/ In the coliseum tonight.”

3. "Flood of Sunshine" - the Posies

Also from Dear 23. ... This is a lush, melancholic tune, epic in scope. The guitar solo at the end is one of my all time favorites. It just doesn't last long enough. I wish it could go on forever.

Agreed- but the length of it is what kept it off of my Posies compilation disc (ducks hurled objects). Well, there's only so much time on one of those things and I choose to see it as reflective of the strength of the rest of their catalog, including how great the rest of Dear 23 is.

>"Dear Madam Barnum" - XTC

Good choice, but I prefer "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead" from the same album.

Yeah, Nonesuch is one of those discs that I could have taken any number of songs from. I also considered "Books Are Burning"- pretty solid throughout.

Whoa, already jumping to '92? Well, OK:

“Black” Pearl Jam
Odd, my sources list Ten as being a '92 release, not '91.

“Jeremy” Pearl Jam
OK, so how long did it take for everyone else to understand the hook? I didn't get it until they explained it on Pop Up Video.

“John Cage Bubblegum” Stereolab
Also known as "Stereolab's Greatest Hits", since they mostly sound just like this. But I don't mind, do you?

“Nearly Lost You” Screaming Trees
I hate to drudge up the well worn cliche of artists getting bland an undistinguished asfter signing with a major label, but that's sadly what happened when The Screaming Trees left SST for Epic. They still had most of the magic on
Sweet Oblivion, though. Ironicaly, this was their last album until '96, meaning that they missed the the era when anything from Seattle made money.

“No Rain” Blind Melon
OK, so it's been played to death, I still like it.

"Tortise Brand Pot Scrubbing Cleaner's Theme" Shonen Knife
Often refered to as Japan's answer to the Ramones, these girls from Osaka are, in my humble (but accurate) oppinion, one of the best pop-rock bands ever. I don't know if the titular product actualy exists or not, but this makes a killer lable either way.

“Remedy” The Black Crowes
It's still hard to imagine that this song was recorded after 1973.

“Riding On The Rocket” Shonen Knife
Every song off Shonen Knife's english language debut Let's Knife is great, but the opening track may be the best

“See The Constellations” They Might Be Giants
As fun as these fellows might be, you have to admit that one doesn't usually associate them with straight ahead kickin' rock and roll, but they sure pull it off with this one.

“The Sun” The Flaming Lips
Wayne Coyne and co.'s first major label outing, and shortly before they became (temporary) one-hit wonders with "She Don't use Jelly" in '93. Unlike the similar Screaming Trees, the Flaiming Lips only get better with the new label.

“Thunder Kiss ‘65” White Zombie
Wha... WHITE ZOMBIE? I REALLY suprised myself this time, but this song just rocks, man!

“Yellow Ledbetter” Pearl Jam
The best song Jimi Hendrix never played. Nice of them to keep the lyrics far out of the way where nobody is bothered by them.

np - Achtung Baby - U2

“Black” Pearl Jam
Odd, my sources list Ten as being a '92 release, not '91. - Blitz

It has a '91 copyright date.

“Jeremy” Pearl Jam
OK, so how long did it take for everyone else to understand the hook? I didn't get it until they explained it on Pop Up Video. - Blitz

Okay, I'll be the cabbagehead here. I'll bite. What exactly do you mean by "the hook?"

“No Rain” Blind Melon
OK, so it's been played to death, I still like it.

I'm really sick of that song. I mean, really, really sick of it. It's possibly the whiniest song of the decade. (And, admittedly, I used to really, really like it.)

“Remedy” The Black Crowes
It's still hard to imagine that this song was recorded after 1973.

Agreed.

“Yellow Ledbetter” Pearl Jam
The best song Jimi Hendrix never played. Nice of them to keep the lyrics far out of the way where nobody is bothered by them.

Great song. I'd've forgotten about it if not for your post here. Thanks.

np - Achtung Baby - U2

Played that one the other day myself.

np - Little Earthquakes - Tori Amos

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

“See The Constellations” They Might Be Giants - Blitz

"Just a guy made of dots and lines!" Big <d'oh!> from me, mostly because Apollo 18 is my most played TMBG disc and I forgot to verify the release date. So, yeah, seconding that one...

"Hook" Slang a. A means of attracting interest or attention; an enticement b Music A catchy motif or refrain.

In other words, the one line (usually including the title) that is repeated on many occasions throughout the song. In this case, it's "Jeremy spoke in class today", though I couldn't have told you that's what it actually was for a looooong time. Oh, by the way...

It's possibly the whiniest song of the decade -Benn

Now that's saying something. How many songs WEREN'T whiny on one level or another?

That's what I thought you meant by "hook". I just wasn't sure what part of the song you were refereing to. The hook usually refers to a repeated instrumental motif. So I wasn't quite sure what you meant.

Now that's saying something. How many songs WEREN'T whiny on one level or another? - Blitz

"Three Little Pigs" by Green Jello. "Jesus Built My Hotrod" by Ministry. "Hatred" by the Kinks.
There's a few. The whining mostly came from the Alternative rock side of the fence. "Loser" by Beck and "Creep" by radiohead being two of the other biggest whiny songs of the Nineties. I actually still like those two those. I dunno. I guess Shannon Hoon's voice was sounds so "cry-baby" in "No Rain", it's gotten annoying to me now.

np - Gold - Ryan Adams

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

I know, I was just being a smart aleck.

About Hoon's voice, it took a few listens before I realized that was really the way he sounded. I honestly thought that it was being run through a rotating speaker or something

Okay. I've got my list pretty much ready. I do want to listen to an album before I'm completely settled on everything. I should be ready to post it tomorrow night.

np - Ooooooohhh...On the TLC Tip - TLC

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Before I begin, I need to correct my 1991 list. In the #4 position should be "Life By the Drop" by Stevie Ray Vaughan. That means everything from "Like a Hurricane (live)" by Neil Young and Crazy Horse on gets bumped down one notch. In other words, N.W.A.'s "F... Tha Police" is no longer on the list. We regret the omission.

My comments on "Life By the Drop":

A rare purely solo SRV number. Written by Texas blues mainstay Doyle Bramhall and Barbara Logan, this is a touching, lovely, elegant farewell song by Stevie. In it, Stevie proves he was just as adept with the acoustic guitar as he was with the electric. It's hard to listen to this song and not have tears come to your eyes. It was a great parting gift from one of the best blues artists of all times.

Now on to 1992 ----

np - puzzle - dada

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

1992

1. "Man On the Moon" - R.E.M.

My second favorite R.E.M. song. ("It's the End of the World" is my favorite.) This is a loping, laidback tune dedicated to Andy Kaufman. (Anyone who didn't know that factoid may leave the room now.) It name drops such people as the late wrestler Fred Blassie (famous for his novelty hit, "Pencil Neck Geek"), the glam band, Mott the Hoople, Moses, Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton, this was kind of a cultural pop test. Michael Stipe's vocals are tight and on the money on this one.

2. "Midnight Cowboy" - Faith No More

A great cover of the instrumental from the movie of the same name. This actually blows away the original, IMNSHO. The guitar work is smooth and it gets the adrenaline going at the same time. It's haunting and melancholy and perfect for those late nights when you're feeling blue.

3. "Jesus Built My Hotrod" - Ministry

Gawd! Did this song blindside me! This is pure, vicious, angry, hard rock and I love it! It's almost impossible to make out what the lead singer, Al Jourgeson, is singing, but somehow that doesn't matter. What matters is this really is one of the great headbanging tunes of all times. It was a blueprint for industrial metal. The guitar clash in a chaotic mess, but you gotta love it.

4. "Diz Knee Land" - dada

No matter how many times I've heard this song, I still enjoy it. It's another great drunken born loser songs. The line "I just flipped off President George" has actually gained relevance again. It no longer dates the song. Who'd've guessed?

5. "Seminole Wind" - John Anderson

The last great Country song, if you ask me. I haven't heard anything I find as compelling in the 11 years since it's release. Heck it's almost a throwback to "real Country". Anderson uses the traditional style for this gorgeous song about the damage being done to the Florida Everglades. Southern, beautiful, it should have influenced more Country artists. Unfortunately, most Country acts today are Pop Stars, not Country artists. There is a difference.

6. "Pretend We're Dead" - L7

Punk by way of the Riot Grrrl movement. This tune proves that girls can not only rock, but rock as hard as Ozzy, Lemmy and the other boys.

7. "Somebody to Shove" - Soul Asylum

Dave Pirner and the boys' Grave Dancers Union is one of my two candidates for album of the year. This is the opening cut from that record. Lyrically clever without showing off, the song rocked enough that it almost managed to take everyone's mind off Seattle Grunge movement. Almost.

8. "Mrs. Robinson" - the Lemonheads

A nice rockin' version of the Simon and Garfunkel classic. It's one of the few covers that, if it doesn't add to the original, it at least doesn't dihonor the original. Evan Dando and the band churn through this one and make it work, turning a folk song into a true rock and roll song.

9. "What's Up?" - 4 Non Blondes

I've got a feeling I'm dredging up a few repressed memories by ranking this song on my list. It wasn't necessarily the most clever song of the year. Nor was it the most innovative. The only thing it had going for it was that it was catchy as hell. Since the break-up of this one hit wonder, Linda Perry has moved on to writing songs for Pink, notably the girls/gay anthem "Get the Party Started".

10. "D4mn, Wish I Was Your Lover" - Sophie B. Hawkins

Speaking of gay... How many of you caught the sapphic nature of this song? ("I lay by the ocean making love to her with visions clear.") This was an AOR pop smash that came out of left field. Maybe Heart's "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" paved the way for the frank sexual invite of this number, but Sophie sure upped the ante for women being honest about their desires.

11. "Physical (You're Too)" - nine inch nails

One of the rare covers that Trent Reznor has ever done, this one was, of all things, an Adam Ant song. (Reznor has also recorded a cover of Queen's "Get Down, Make Love" and that's about all I'm aware of.) This cut was a part of the broken e.p. that nine inch nails released between their debut album (pretty hate machine) and their breakout album, the downward spiral. All the music was created on a computer. (As has been the pattern for all of Reznor's songs so far.) It rocks in a way that's hard to imagine New Waver Adam Ant's original could.

12. "The Horsemen Arrive" - Blue Öyster Cult

One of two new songs by B.Ö.C. in '92. Maybe it's not their best song, but it showed that the old boys could still play heavy metal with the best of them. The lyrics are as dark and apocalyptic as anything the Cult has ever recorded. It was a nice prelude to their next album of new material.

13. "The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite" - R.E.M.

Stealing (borrowing?) in part from the Tokens' 1950s classic, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", this was a mid-tempo song about love and no answer on the telephone. It's basically a pop song and nothing more. But it's fun listening to it.

14. "Dim" - dada

In which the band breaks out the guitars and rock out. Not to the volume of pain, mind you. But just enough to make your pulse jump some. Great lyrics, btw.

15. "Ignoreland" - R.E.M.

Stipe wears his liberal bleeding heart on his sleeves in this rockin' diatribe against Republicans. Probably the most bluntly political song the band's ever recorded. It's hard to misinterpret the intentions behind this one.

16. "Black Gold" - Soul Asylum

An elegant song about prejudices told through the eyes of someone who is confined to a wheelchair. The song is acoustic driven, and lacks the oh-so-clever lyrics of some of the other cuts off Grave Dancers Union. But that helps it get its meaning across more easily than the other tracks. (And, no I'm not complaining about the cleverness of Pirner's lyrics. They're part of what I like about this album.)

17. "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" - dada

Boy decides to go to Hollywood to become a star. Boy meets girl. Boy forgets Hollywood stardom. Boy and girl become a modern Bonnie and Clyde and live happily ever after, partying at Hugh Hefner's place and drinking vodka and gin and smoking pot with Jack Webb. Only in America.

18. "Just One Fix" - Ministry

"Never trust a junkie." Absolutely. Sonic chaos that bombards your ears. This isn't as powerful a song as "Jesus Built My Hotrod", but it musically conveys the nightmare of drug addiction.

19. "Sleeping Satellite" - Tasmin Archer

I'm almost tempted to list the acoustic version as my version of choice, but I'll go with this one instead. Archer was regrettably a one-hit wonder, but this was positively a soaring, brilliant ballad about the ecology. (Again with that theme.) Archer's voice is superb and the piano playing is majestic.

20. "Cop Killer" - Body Count

The most controversial song of '92, if not the entire decade. This speed metal song was in the news everywhere, but did anyone ever get to hear it? It was hard to take seriously those who wanted to ban it when they couldn't even get basic information about it right. It was condemned as a rap song. (It isn't. It's speed metal.) It was credited as an Ice-T song. (No. Ice was a member of the band, and the lead vocalist, but it was a recording by Body Count.) Nor did anyone ever quote the most damning lines of the song - "What do you wanna be when you grow up?" "Cop killer!" "Good choice." Still, it was a hoot watching Moses (Chuck Heston) read the lyrics to the song, knowing he was so clueless about the music. To be honest, it isn't the best, or most memorable metal song of '92. But it's good enough to make my list.

21. "Speed (hardcore)" - Alpha Team

'92 was the year techno began making itself known to the public at large. There were several acts who based their careers on the techno beat - Stereo MC's, Utah Saints, Sunscreem - and several one-hit wonders, like Smart E's ("Sesame's Treet", which incorporated the theme to the crown of PBS' children show). But this was probably the best - and most fun - of the techno songs I heard that year. Utilizing dialogue from the old anime series, Speed Racer and putting them to a techno beat, this was actually pretty damned funny. The hardcore version is the longest version I know, and probably the dirtiest. Let's put it this way, it gave a whole new meaning to a line in the theme to the old anime show: "Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer." Yeah, it's adolescent, but what are you gonna do?

22. "Walking In London" - Concrete Blonde

To be honest, I'm hard pressed to say why I like this song so much. Johnette's voice has a desperate feel to it that's very appropriate for this tune and it has an epic feel to it. I dunno. I just like it. That's all.

23. "100%" - Sonic Youth

One of the most straight forward tunes by this highly individualistic and influential band. The lyrics are based on an actual event; a friend of the group was murdered. The song's about his death. Thurston Moore's vocal are distant and cold, but that's not in any way to the tune's detriment. This is probably one of the two only really good songs off the album, Dirty.

24. "Rooster" - Alice In Chains

A spooky, atmospheric song about a Vietnam vet. This really is not half as good as "Man In the Box", but it still has some really great qualities to it.

25. "Symphony of Destruction" - Megadeth

A great metal song about the senselessness of war and the imminent end of all things. Some great guitar licks in this one. It's kind of a Metallica-lite. But then, I suppose that's all Megadeth ever was.

26. "Happiness In Slavery" - nine inch nails

The real industrial hit off broken, this one finds Trent indulging in his usual fascination with S&M, pain and other disturbing things. Or am I thinking of the video?

27. "Season of Hollow Soul" - k.d. lang

For her album, Ingenue, this Canadian Country star opted to go the Billie Holliday route. While most people were, understandably, more interested in "Constant Cravings", this is the song I much prefer and relate to better. Lang has a great voice and it is well suited to handle the Tin Pan Alley chantuesse style she adopts here. A great, great song.

28. "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" - TLC

Originally these rappers seemed a bit too gimmicky. "Look! They're wearing condoms as accessory!" But if you got past the gimmick, you found three young ladies who were creating some very personal and very powerful songs. They were easily the forerunners to the Spice Girls and Britney Spears. (Lord, forgive Left Eye. She knew not what she did.) This is yet another song that deals with frankly with women's sexual needs. It was a funky, cool song and just a taste of things to come from this act.

29. "Timothy" - dada

This another haunting (can't get away from that word) song about a poor boy from a lousy home (Mom's crashed the car, Dad's a drunk) who has an overactive imagination. The underlying sense of abuse that's in this tune, makes it one of the more disturbing song of 1992.

30. "The Doo Bop Song (edit without rap)" - Miles Davis

The Master finally makes it on these list with one of his own tunes. (He first appeared as one of the artists that made up Artists Against Apartheid on the cut "Sun City".) On this song, Miles Dewey Davis III unsuccessfully tried to meld rap and jazz. It's not an entirely successful experiment. Of course, Doo Bop was released just after his death in '91, so perhaps it suffers from not having enough input from the Prince of Darkness. Actually, I should note that it's the version with the rapping in it, that's not quite all that successful. This version, without the rapping is great. Smooth, melodic with a minimum of singing and just the right amount of Miles' fantastic trumpet playing. It reminds you of what made Miles Davis the jazz giant he was.

np - In the Beginning - Stevie Vaughan and Double Trouble

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

np - puzzle - dada

Simply great disc throughout. Thanks for reminding me, Benn. I also rank "Mary Sunshine Rain" pretty highly.

5. "Seminole Wind" - John Anderson

The last great Country song, if you ask me. I haven't heard anything I find as compelling in the 11 years since it's release... Unfortunately, most Country acts today are Pop Stars, not Country artists. There is a difference. - Benn


Semantics, perhaps, but why is it that the act of producing music that is true to the very nature of "country music" earns you the label of "alternative"? Just the way it always has been I suppose...But just when you're about to write the whole scene off somebody like The Mavericks comes along- their 1994 What a Crying Shame is an excellent album.


It's almost impossible to make out what the lead singer, Al Jourgeson, is singing,- Benn

Minor correction- that's guest vocalist Gibby Haynes of Butthole Surfers fame.

np - puzzle - dada

Simply great disc throughout. Thanks for reminding me, Benn. I also rank "Mary Sunshine Rain" pretty highly.

Puzzle is my other candidate for album of the year for 1992. It's a clever, catchy, well made record.

5. "Seminole Wind" - John Anderson

The last great Country song, if you ask me. I haven't heard anything I find as compelling in the 11 years since it's release... Unfortunately, most Country acts today are Pop Stars, not Country artists. There is a difference. - Benn


Semantics, perhaps, but why is it that the act of producing music that is true to the very nature of "country music" earns you the label of "alternative"? Just the way it always has been I suppose...

Which is a crying shame and one of the reasons I have such little regard for modern country. It's all but abandoned its roots and the elements that distinguishes it as "Country". These days it's Pop Rock sung with a twang. That means Tom Petty qualifies as a "Country Artist."

It's almost impossible to make out what the lead singer, Al Jourgeson, is singing,- Benn

Minor correction- that's guest vocalist Gibby Haynes of Butthole Surfers fame.

(Annoyed grunt!) You're right. I'd forgotten that little tidbit. At the time, Ministry (Al Jourgeson, anyway) was based in Austin, Texas; the Butthole Surfers' stomping grounds. So it kinda makes sense that Al would invite Gibby in for a guest vocal.

np - Curse of the Hidden Mirror - Blue Öyster Cult

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

I'd forgot about Mrs. Robinson. Good call, Benn.

Not to rush things, but I'm going to be out of town for a while tomorow, so I'm going to go ahead and put my '93 list up, lest I be left behind in my absence. OK?

1993

“Are You Gonna Go My Way?” Lenny Kravitz
Lenny's first big hit, and one of his best. Darn good riff here.

“But If You’re Happy” The Lyres
HA! Bet you thought I'd run out of Lyres songs to list, didn't ya? Well now you know better!

“Cannonball” The Breeders
Nice catchy grove here, good thing because it needs to cover up the REALLY lame riff

“Catnip Dream” Shonen Knife
What can I say? I'm a cat person! This one recalls an early REM, though I can't think of much precident for commenting that catnip is "drugs for cats" in a song.

“Cherub Rock” Smashing Pumpkins
Three words: big, BIG song. (I know that sounds lame, but this is a song that just sounds HUGE)

“Cobra Versus Mongoose” Shonen Knife
The girls from Osaka go for a much tougher sound on this song, which sounds like a joke, but it isn't. Actually, this turns out to be a pretty good slice of VERY loud punk rock.

“Creep” Radiohead
Ironic that the one Radiohead song I like sounds NOTHING like the rest of their library (or at least the stuff that got them famous). On a more twisted note, this pretty much sums up my outlook on romance. Yes, I'm THAT sad.

“Daughter” Pearl Jam
Nice, striped down song. So striped down that i can't think of anything interesting to say about it, in fact.

“Goldie’s Last Day” PFR
Somewhere in between Queen and ELO lise this quirky little ditty, about the death of a beloved, aged pet dog.

“Heart Shaped Box” Nirvana
My second favorite Nirvana song. Really great video too.

“Lost The Plot” Newsboys
Interesting stuff here. Christian rock, but with a downright startling aditude. I think ritgheous indignation is the word.

“Low” Craker
I believe this is the only song I've ever heard to mention "Cosmonaut" in the lyrics. I wonder why? It's a much cooler souning word than "astronaut".

“Mary Jane’s Last Dance” Tom Petty
If I recall corectly, this song was recorded as the designated "new" track for a greatest hits CD. Usually, that's an actu of sheer egotism, but in this case, it really is one of his greatest hits.

“Take Me To Your Leader” Newsboys
The star of this one is the fast, pun-filled lyrics, provided by Steve Taylor: one of the SERIOUSLY underapreciated writers out there.

“Today” Smashing Pumpkins
Perhaps my favorite of their tunes, probobly the most pop friendly, anyway.

“Rape Me” Nirvana
One that would definately get you in trouble with a number of people for various reasons if you went around singing it.

“She Don’t Use Jelly” The Flaming Lips
Up until last year, they were one hit wonders thanks to this weird little ditty.

Sorry I haven't posted a '91 list yet. The sad fact is, is that really only own about three or four albums from this year and am familiar with little else. So I'm not really qualified to talk about '91, other than to cast my vote for Asia's magnificent Aqua comeback as the record of the year. Alice Cooper also released one of his best latter-career works in Hey Stoopid.

1993

“I Forgive You”- Maria McKee
McKee finally puts it all together on this Soul/R&B song highlighted by a vocal performance that’s not just great, it’s ArethaFranklingreat. Just breathtaking and worth waiting for.

“So I’ll Run”- Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Perfect marriage of singer and song, a gorgeous chill-inducing honky tonk ballad that somehow references Leonardo DaVinci and makes it work.

“Acuff-Rose”- Uncle Tupelo
A fitting backporch/acoustic tribute to their influences.

“Chicamauga”- Uncle Tupelo
“I never wanna taste those tears again” they say in a personal song that also ranks as UT at their roadhouse punk best.

“JC Auto”- Sugar
Tremendously furious, aggressive and ultimately cathartic. On the surface it’s a statement on personal relationships, but it can also be seen as a gay man’s screed against the Catholic church: “Passing judgement on my life/ You never really got it right/ I can’t believe in anything/ …You’ll be sorry when I’m gone/ I guess you knew it all along.”

“Rearviewmirror”- Pearl Jam
Vedder and the boys really bring the drama on this one, one of the things they do best.

“Los Angeles”- Frank Black
Former Black Francis of the Pixies teams up with Pere Ubu keyboardist Eric Drew Feldman and produces a work that is lush, off kilter and occasionally brutal. Great sound.

“Saints”- The Breeders
“Summer is ready when you are” The Deal sisters go the simple route and produce a driving with the top down classic.

“Scentless Apprentice”- Nirvana
Monstrous riffing, propulsive drumming and Cobain is exuding hostility and alienation. Could be THE definitive Nirvana song.

“Very Ape”- Nirvana
The catchiest song from In Utero with a really nice dynamic arrangement- kind of ironic that this wasn’t the first single.

“Milk It”- Nirvana
Start/ stop dynamics perfected- mucho kudos to Steve Albini.


“The Annoying Song”- Butthole Surfers
And annoying it is! Gibby’s voice is processed to the point where he sounds like a rabid Donald Duck. It could be meant as a parody of those “Let’s Party!!!” anthems, but probably knowing these guys it’s just a bunch of dumb fun.

“I Stay Away”- Alice in Chains
Do what you do best, and AIC doesn’t do cheerful.

“Reaching Out”- Matthew Sweet
A resonant, soaring jangle pop ballad.

“Knowing People”- Matthew Sweet
Sweet really let’s his bleak flag fly on this one about isolation.

“Flavor of the Month”- Posies
A superb anti-pop pop song.

“The Ghost at Number One”- Jellyfish
Another anti-pop pop song, this one on a grander scale than the Posies.

“Glutton of Sympathy”- Jellyfish
A magnificent track- these guys may have taken the whole retro-look thing too far but they had the goods to back it up both as songwriters and performers.

“The Greatest Living Englishman”- Martin Newell
An impressive bit of scathing social satire done pop/ rock/ broadway style while maintaining a certain eccentric British charm.

“Linger”- The Cranberries
My favorite song by them.

“Distant Sun”- Crowded House
Among the best songs of their impressive repertoire.

“Persuasion”- Tim Finn
Tim took a Richard Thompson melody from his Sweet Talker soundtrack and added lyrics to make a great folk/rock song.

“Break it Down Again”- Tears for Fears
Guilty pleasure, I suppose, but I still like it. Another good one for the car.

“Sunflower”- Paul Weller
Weller cops a solid early Traffic/ late Jam groove on this strong leadoff track of his exceptional Wild Wood release.


“Shadow of the Sun”- Paul Weller
Also from Wild Wood, this time a nice extended track.

“Buffalo River Home”- John Hiatt
A classic from Hiatt about dealing with the inevitable mid life crisis.

“Is It Like Today?”- World Party
WP tackles environmental issues again, this time imagining God asking “How could it come to this?”

“The Moon and the Sun”- Heidi Berry
The Sandy Denny comparisons are most appropriate with Berry, to my ears, and this is a very lovely track.

I'm making a correction to my 1992 list. I can't believe I left this song off. It goes in the number seven. Everything goes down on notch, until #27, "Season of Hollow Soul". That gets omitted. The rest stays the same.

27. "Big League" - Tom Cochrane & Red Rider

From the Canadian band that brought you the classic, "Lunatic Fringe", this is a somber, soberingly tragic song. It's based on an incident that happened to one of their fans. Seems the fan had a son who was looking to play professional hockey. Then one night, while out with his girl, the boy is killed in a car crash by "a truck doing seventy in the wrong lane." The song is harrowing and Tom Cochrane sings it with such an anguished voice that you'd almost believe the story happened to him. It's hard to listen to this tune and not be moved. And the lyrics are superb, with such great lines as

"Never can tell what might come down
Never can tell when you might check out
Just don't know, no you never can tell
So do right by others like you do to yourself."

This song blows "Lunatic Fringe" out of the water and should be better remembered. Classic.

np - The Blues to the Bush - The Who

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

WHEW! Finally back! Lessee, where to start...

“Very Ape”- Nirvana
The catchiest song from In Utero with a really nice dynamic arrangement- kind of ironic that this wasn’t the first single. -MrPorter

Maybe for another band, but it makes perfect sense for Kurt and the boys.

“Reaching Out”- Matthew Sweet
“Knowing People”- Matthew Sweet -MrPorter

Yeah! More Matthew Sweet songs! I wanted to include more of them in my own lists, but I'm afraid that my own encounters with his body of wrk have been rather brief and seperated by long stretches of time, so I didn't trust my memory enough to pick songs. Glad to see it's not a common problem

“The Greatest Living Englishman”- Martin Newell
An impressive bit of scathing social satire done pop/ rock/ broadway style while maintaining a certain eccentric British charm

HEY! Where'd you find that? I've looked everywhere (well, I've looked, anyway) for Martin Newell/Cleaners From Venus albums and haven't been able to find a thing!

>> “Break it Down Again”- Tears for Fears
Guilty pleasure, I suppose, but I still like it. Another good one for the car. <<

Guilty pleasure? Why? It's quite a good song, I think.

Well, I guess I'm ready to post my 1993 list. Here goes:

1. "Ordinary World" - Duran Duran

One of the greatest comeback hits of all times. This song is lush and ethereal and has some wonderfully mature lyrics. While I might prefer "Hungry Like the Wolf", this was the best song to be released in '93.

2. "Linger" - the Cranberries

Smooth, heartfelt and heartbreaking. This song slowly builds, adding layers and instruments as it gains in urgency and desperation. Who hasn't been in love with someone whose presence lingers in their lives?

3. "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" - Us3

What Miles Davis attempted with his Doo Bop album, Us3 pulls off with ease. The track is based on a tune by Herbie Hancock ("Cantaloup"), and uses Hancock's song to great advantage. It's too the rap and jazz welding experiment hasn't been continued. This song proves it can work.

4. "Feed the Tree" - Belly

Former Blake's Babies Tanya Donelly formed her own band and came up with this dizzyingly great pop hit. The music is compelling and driven, threatening to burst out of the speakers. The lyrics are kinda dopey. ("This little squirrel I used to be/Slammed her bike down the stairs.") As far as I can tell it's about death. I'm not sure. Still, I enjoy listening to this track even after ten years.

5. "Regret" - New Order

A strumming of the guitar and then this song barrells along. The guitar plays a great riff that acts the hook for this song.

6. "Pets" - Porno for Pyros

Perry Farrell, having just disbanded Jane's Addiction, put together a new band. This hit ducks and dives and swoops in and out and is more like pop than anything Jane ever did. The lyrics are pessimistic, but this is still a classic. Definitely the only great song by PfP.

7. "Creep" - Radiohead

Blitz isn't the only one who relates to this song, and feels it sums up his love life. The lyrics are superb. The music is subtle and the production is tight. The song, heavy as it is lyrically is light as a feather musically. Even when it cranks it up a bit. A masterpiece.

8. "Three Little Pigs" - Green Jello (or Green Jelly as they've had to change their name to after the threat of a copyright infringement suit)

Yeah, this is a silly, dopey song. But it's fun. The video was equally cool. Green Jello was kinda a GWAR clone, IIRC. It could be that like GWAR, they are an influence on Slipknot. That's a good or bad thing depending upon your perspective. Still, this might have been the best metal song of the year. That's pathetic.

9. "Shine" - Collective Soul

A great spiritually influenced song by this Florida band. Good cranking guitars and great vocals singing some wonderful lyrics.

10. "Crazy Mary" - Pearl Jam

A cover from the Sweet Relief Victoria Williams tribute album. This is a dark and foreboding tune. I absolutely love the lines "That what you fear the most/Could meet you half the way." It's not clear what happened to Mary (other than she dies), but that doesn't detract from the power of this song. Eddie Vedder's vocals are as good as they were on "Jeremy".

11. "Mary Jane's Last Dance" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Originally titled "Indiana Girl" (look carefully at the liner notes), this was one of two new cuts from the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits album. It's also the better of the two new cuts. It's really the typical lackadaisical Southern Rock that TP and the Heartbreakers do best. But there's nothing wrong with that when Petty's at the top of his game. He is here.

12. "Sweet Lullaby" - Deep Forest

A lush, gorgeous ambient techno song. It sounds both primitive and modern at the same time. Soothing and relaxing.

13. "Numb" - U2

The Edge gets the lead vocal on a hit for the first time. This is a brooding, robotic, monochromatic song. But despite the fact that the song is such a flat landscape it is quite compelling.

14. "Mr. Krinkle" - Primus

For some reason, I've always found this to be a scary tune. Maybe it's the video that colors that feeling. Still, this contains the best use of a cello since ELO. Normally, Les Claypool's songs are goofy. This one is spooky.

15. "Hatred (A Duet)" - the Kinks

Both tongue in cheek and brutally honest. That's the best way to describe this cut from the final (so far) studio album by the Brothers Davies. It's definitely a rockin' tune about Ray and Dave's relationship. Too bad the Kinks broke up. They were one of the most underrated bands to come from the British Invasion of the Sixties.

16. "Loser" - Beck

This completes what I think of as the "Whiners Trilogy" of the early Nineties. ("No Rain" by Blind Melon and "Creep" by Radiohead are the other two cuts.) This is the more clever of the three songs, though.

17. "Too Much Information" - Duran Duran

"The Wedding Album" is probably Duran Duran's best album. This is the opening cut from the CD, and it's a great commentary on the Information Overload we often find ourselves inundated by these days. And it rocks!

18. "It Was a Good Day" - Ice Cube

For Cube, that means not having to kill anybody, no one in the Hood getting killed and Ice Cube getting laid. You take your pleasures where you find them.

19. "Detachable Pen1s" - King Missile

Yeah, it's juvenile. But it's also funny as hell. So sue me. I love this one.

20. "No Excuses" - Alice In Chains

A tight, gentle ballad from the Jar of Flies e.p.

21. "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" - Crash Test Dummies

A gentle, reflective song by this Canadian act. Brad Roberts has the deepest voice this side of Type O Negative's Peter Steele.

22. "Heart Shaped Box" - Nirvana

Anguished and desperate, this song didn't rock as hard as "Smells Like Teen Spirit". It didn't need to, either.

23. "I Got You Babe" - Beavis and Butthead and Cher

What was Mike Judge smoking when he came up with this idea!? What was Cher smoking when she agreed to do this recording that pokes fun at her classic duet with Sonny Bono?! It was inspired and funny as hell! To this day I can no longer hear even the Sonny and Cher original without imitating Beavis' "Dut-duh, dut-duhs". Brilliant!

24. "Mr. Vain" - Culture Beat

A great techno hit.

25. "Gin and Juice" - Snoop Doggy Dogg

Or Snoop Dogg as he's better known as now. Snoop was introduced to the Hip Hop audience on Dr. Dre's The Chronic. He then proceeded to create his own rap masterpiece, Doggystyle. This is my favorite cut from that album.

26. "Low" - Cracker

Cracker was Matt Lowery's post Camper Van Beethoven band. This pop rocker isn't as sardonic or funny as most of CVB's repertoire, but it's still catchy and always a welcome sound coming from the speakers.

27. "Country At War" - X

The L.A. Punk Rock band returns with an album that's not as hard rockin' as their earlier works. But, on the other hand, Hey Zeus! isn't as laid back as the band's last studio album (See How We Are). This song features X attempting a political commentary. Not one of the group's stronger points. Still, it's not a bad song for all that.

28. "Truganini" - Midnight Oil

This wasn't as big a hit for this Australian act as "Beds Are Burining" was. Might be due to the track's explicit references to life in Oz. ("I hear much concern for the Monarchy/I hear the Union Jack's to remain/I see Namajiro's in custody/I see Truganini in chains.") These references are hopelessly lost on those of us who live in the States. Still, this chuggin' song is a potent politi-rocker that deserves more attention than it got.

29. "What Is Love?" - Haddaway

This is from '93? Really? I thought it was a late Nineties song. Seriously. I guess it's almost impossible now to separate this number's association with the SNL Roxbury sketch that featured Will Farrell and Chris Kattan. You certainly almost can't help but bobbing your head in the idiotic fashion the two SNLers did whenever this techno hit plays.

30. "Wall of Fire" - the Kinks

Another selection from the Kinks' final studio album, Phobia. This one finds Ray in a rather pessimistic mood (what else is new?) Apocalyptic and foreboding, this is a smooth easy rocker from a band that really deserves more credit than it ever got in its lifetime. Ray. Dave. Thanks for Lola, Arthur, the Muswell Hillbillies and all the other great songs and characters.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

7. "Creep" - Radiohead

Blitz isn't the only one who relates to this song, and feels it sums up his love life. The lyrics are superb.

That fills me with both pitty and comfort. Thanks.

15. "Hatred (A Duet)" - the Kinks

DRAT!!! I was SURE that I'd put that in my list! guess my memory's going in my old age

20. "No Excuses" - Alice In Chains

A tight, gentle ballad from the Jar of Flies e.p.

It's OK, but I personally think that the song goes much longer than its simplicity justifies. Kind of gets old after a while.

29. "What Is Love?" - Haddaway

As sort of a sidenote, this is the song that brought me into the whole MP3 craze, and through it, reignited my love of music. And yes, I first heard it on the SNL sketch.

I guess it's just that catchy. :-D

>> “Break it Down Again”- Tears for Fears
Guilty pleasure, I suppose, but I still like it. Another good one for the car. <<

Guilty pleasure? Why? It's quite a good song, I think. - Paul Joyce

At the time a lot of the TfF fans were of the opinion that Roland went 'Adult Contemporary' on them and shunned the Elemental album, but you're right it's a very good song from a very good disc. I just took a look at Amazon and it seems that the tide is turning- a number of reviewers said that they went back to it and found it better than they originally thought.

HEY! Where'd you find that? I've looked everywhere (well, I've looked, anyway) for Martin Newell/Cleaners From Venus albums and haven't been able to find a thing! - Blitz

At my local music store. In 1993. Something to be said for being an XTC follower- Andy Partridge produced that one and directed all of us to go out and purchase it, so it was available for a while...

Try Martin Newell's site- he has a link to a mail order company with his stuff available:

http://www.martinnewell.co.uk/

And if you play your cards right you might even get to hear the song "Christmas in Suburbia" at the right time of year.

Yeah! More Matthew Sweet songs! I wanted to include more of them in my own lists, but I'm afraid that my own encounters with his body of wrk have been rather brief and seperated by long stretches of time, - Blitz

Oh, ya gotta get Altered Beast, just gotta.

14. "Mr. Krinkle" - Primus

For some reason, I've always found this to be a scary tune. Maybe it's the video that colors that feeling. Still, this contains the best use of a cello since ELO. Normally, Les Claypool's songs are goofy. This one is spooky. - Benn

I wanted to include something from Pork Soda, glad somebody did. Is it me or do you think that Claypool's voice being so low in the mix takes away from the impact of their music?

8. "Three Little Pigs" - Green Jello (or Green Jelly as they've had to change their name to after the threat of a copyright infringement suit) - Benn

Their video of "Anarchy (in Bedrock)" is still one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

Cracker was Matt Lowery's post Camper Van Beethoven band- Benn

(I'm going to post this before I verify it) I thought it was David Lowery. Good pick, though.

You're right. It is David Lowery. (Wonder why I was thinking Matt Lowery?)

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Wonder why I was thinking Matt Lowery?

Perhaps you were thinking of Matt Lauer (and anything beyond that is none of my business )

Who's Matt Lauer?

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Once again, I find myself needing to correct a list. 1993 has two corrections to make. I'm removing 27. "Country At War" by X and replacing it with "I Should've Known" by Aimee Mann. I'm also removing #30. "Wall of Fire" by the Kinks and replacing it with "Baby Blue" by Aimee Mann. Here are my comments on the songs:

27. "I Should've Known" - Aimee Mann

The former lead singer of 'til tuesday scores an outstanding debut solo hit with this one. A moderate beat back by some great guitar work (especially the solo) and some intensely bitter vocals. This is probably a second cousin to Mann's former band's classic, "Voices Carry", but it still stands on its own as a great pop rock number.

30. "Baby Blue" - Aimee Mann

A superb cover of the old Badfinger standard. Mann captures all the spirit and substance that made this song great to begin with, and made it her own. It really does sound better sung by a woman.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

Benn, look here for Matt Lauer.

oh. That's who is. Nope. No way was I thinking of him.

"It's all one song." - Neil Young

SIGH. I once again find myself in the position of having to readjust my list. As noted on the second board of this series, "Loser" by Beck was a 1994 release, and is therefore ineligible for this year. In its place I'm listing "Too Late: Frozen/Blood & Fire" by Type O Negative. However, because I forgot Type O's Bloody Kisses was a 1993 release, and because they have a song I like better than "Too Late...", I'm also omitting King Missile's "Detachable Pen1s". The best Type O Negative song of all - "Black ^no.1 (Little Miss Scare-All)" goes at the #4 position. This is how my list should look now:

1. "Ordinary World" - Duran Duran
2. "Linger" - the cranberries
3. "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)" - Us3
4. "Black ^no.1 (Little Miss Scare-All)" - Type O Negative
5. "Feed the Tree" - Belly
6. "Regret" - New Order
7. "Pets" - Porno For Pyros
8. "Creep" - radiohead
9. "Three Little Pigs" - Green Jello (Jelly)
10. "Shine" - Collective Soul
11. "Crazy Mary" - Pearl Jam
12. "Mary Jane's Last Dance" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
13. "Sweet Lullabye" - Deep Forest
14. "Numb" - U2
15. "Mr. Krinkle" - Primus
16. "Hatred (A Duet)" - the Kinks
17. "Too Late: Frozen/Blood & Fire" - Type O Negative
18. "Too Much Information" - Duran Duran
19. "It Was a Good Day" - Ice Cube
20. "No Excuses" - Alice In Chains
21. "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" - Crash Test Dummies
22. "Heart Shaped Box" - Nirvana
23. "I Got You Babe" - Beavis and Butthead with Cher
24. "Mr. Vain" - Culture Beat
25. "Gin and Juice" - Snoop Doggy Dogg
26. "Low" - Cracker
27. "I Should've Known" - Aimee Mann
28. "Truganini" - Midnight Oil
29. "What Is Love?" - Haddaway
30. "Baby Blue" - Aimee Mann

There. And that is my final answer!

np - Throwing Copper - Live

"It's all one song." -Neil Young