Author: ifmyalbumscouldtalk

Let’s just get right back into this thing.

Mary J. Blige – My Life (1994). It was so comforting to find an uptown diva like Ms. Blige, someone to follow the footsteps of Chaka Khan. She is THE underrated discovery of Puffy’s (or whatever name he’s using today) career. It was on this album that Coombs’ production, and wholesale use of a “sample,” wasn’t annoying and worked seamlessly. This is the modern sound of R&B in the Nineties.

Nas – Illmatic (1994). This album is considered a Nineties landmark in hip hop because it singlehandedly reestablished New York City’s presence on the scene in the aftermath of The Chronic making the West Coast the epicenter. Nas combined the tough beats of some of NYC’s finest producers with his highly literate rhymes. His bleak tales of the ghetto were tempered by his hope and his remembrance of the good times. Plus, this is where you can find “N.Y. State of Mind.”

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Let Love In (1994). Cave and company picked up right where they left off on their breakthrough Henry’s Dream. This time the album is not as raw with the rough edges being sharpened to a point. Perhaps, the most surprising theme on this album is love, though it’s still a dark version of it. This is not a bubblegum version of love, so this album is not for the weak of heart. Yet, I find it compelling and beautiful in its darkness.

Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral (1994). Trent Reznor’s reputation as transcendent voice of the industrial sound and the downtrodden was made on this album. Reznor discovered new sounds that only enhanced his angry tales of disaffection that resonated so strongly with the public. Plus, his videos were downright scary stuff in the Nineties, let alone today.

Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York (1994). This whole performance was captivating at the time of its airing. Throughout that show, you got the feeling that you were watching a wake for Kurt Cobain being led by the man himself. Then, this album was released after he had died, and it definitely sounded like a funeral. With the band reduced to its acoustic essence, the desolation in Kurt’s lyrics were more poignant than when filled with the rage on the original recordings. This is an eerie album yet beautiful all the same. Can you image what Nirvana could have recorded in this vein?

Oasis – Definitely Maybe (1994). What a debut! From beginning to end, Oasis were on a mission to establish themselves as the new heir to the British rock throne. Oh, sure, you can find all of their reference points: Stones, Pistols and Kinks all wrapped up in the candy coating of The Beatles with some Stone Roses, Smiths and Happy Mondays thrown in for good measure. It’s no wonder this band was the biggest band in the UK, as they translated well with the American audience.

Pearl Jam – Vitalogy (1994). After two terrific albums, Pearl Jam stripped down their sound to create one of their more original sounding albums. Throughout, the band is uncompromising in their playing, lyrics and singing. This is a band on a mission to actually become a band for the ages by taking risks to move forward. These guys proved they were way deeper than just a grunge band.

Prince – The Black Album (1994). Back in 1994, Prince was fighting Warner Bros for the right to release as much music as he wanted. He even went as far as showing up to promote his music with “SLAVE” written across his cheek and legally changing his name to that unpronounceable symbol in order to negate his contract. As part of a compromise, he allowed this fabled 1987 album to finally be released. Bootlegs had been floating around for the better part of seven years, so no one should have been surprised by the music. If taken within the context of when it was actually intended for release, The Black Album is the sound of Prince taking back is funk roots after the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink sound of Sign ‘o’ the Times. Prince said he withheld the album in ’87 because God told him it was too dark. Those close to Prince say he was taking way too much ecstasy and got scared. Whatever the reason, The Black Album‘s release is as important musical milestone as Bob Dylan and The Band’s The Basement Tapes.

We’ll finish up 1994 soon. Peace.

Well, here it is, the last year of music that made a big impact on me. 1994 was the year during which I became a teacher. I began the year student teaching biology and chemistry at Eastern Hancock High School and ended the year as a 31-year-old first year teacher and coach at Alexandria Monroe High School. As I quickly discovered, I no longer had the time for my beloved past time, only listening to the music that truly moved me after this year. What was cool was that my students were now influencing the music I would listen to. It quickly became apparent that I was no longer cool. I was an adult now.

And, that was fine. Shortly, I would hand the musical reigns over to my boys who would take the lead in discovering new music. However, I did go out in a blaze of glory, as you can tell by my choices. From here on out, my record choses become more conservative, as you will see in future blogs. You know, we all get old at some point. But, I can still pick out a new artist that will hit before most people, so I got that going for me.

Here we go! The last multi-day year of albums on my list.

Beastie Boys – Ill Communication (1994). When we last heard from the Beasties, they had picked up their instruments again and started played hip hop with them as opposed to creating an aural collage of sounds for their beats. That move gave the trio an immediacy that only enhanced their music. On this album, the guys tightened their songs and really merge the whole alternative nation and hip hop world together into one forceful sound. This is the Beastie’s sweet spot. Don’t believe me? Put on “Sabotage.”

Beck – Mellow Gold (1994). One thing about the music of Generation X was that they were willing to attempt at synthesizing the sounds of everything that they had heard. Case in point, Beck’s “Loser.” This is an amalgamation of blues, rock, pop and hip hop that does not imitate any of the genres while developing a whole new language. And, the rest of the album only hinted at the greatness of this new kid on the block.

Blur – Parklife (1994). On this album, Blur staked claim to the Britpop throne. Their take on mid-Nineties English life was taken right out of Ray Davies’ Kinks playbook. This is one magnificent album that pushed Oasis to greater heights.

Green Day – Dookie (1994). When I heard this album, I thought I was having a flashback to 1977. Green Day reminded me of The Jam in the way they played, but their lyrics were nothing but American middle class antipathy. Ahhh! American punk had arrived.

Hole – Live Through This (1994). Back in the pre-fake news days, I remember students of mine who were certain of two conspiracies. One, Kurt Cobain, husband of Hole’s frontwoman Courtney Love, wrote, or co-wrote, all of the songs on this album. And, two, Courtney had Kurt murdered. Now, if the former were true, then why would she have the latter done considering Cobain were her gravy train? So, throw those stupid notions away and simply admire this great album that Love’s band created. It is just a great album of grunge/punk/pop/rock.

Hootie & the Blowfish – Cracked Review Mirror (1994). Long before this album became an annoying cultural phenomenon to many, Hootie was being pimped as an up-and-coming band with their pleasant rock, soul and country mix. Their music naturally fit in with classic rock songs of the Seventies while lacking much of the Gen X cynicism that seemed to be off-putting to the older Boomers. There is so much to enjoy about this album now that the hoopla has settled. Give them another chance, because this record kills.

Jeff Buckley – Grace (1994). Back in 1994, Jeff Buckley, son of the late-Seventies folk singer Tim Buckley, was being hyped as a potential savior of rock music. Sometimes, Jeff’s music was lush and ethereal, as on his enduring version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” while other times it was harsh and aggressive. Buckley had it all going for him: great looks, great guitar licks, great voice. Unfortunately, Buckley never got to cash in on the promise exhibited by this album as he died shortly after the albums release in a drowning accident. But, we have this one beautiful album.

Johnny Cash – American Recordings (1994). Legend has it that hip hop producer Rick Rubin was looking to produce an original rocker who was down on their luck and seeking a new record deal. And, it just so happened that Johnny Cash fit the bill. Rubin was seeking to revive Cash’s badass reputation and introduce his talent to a whole new generation that had little idea who the man was. The brilliance in this album is that Rubin played a bunch of songs by current artists and asked Cash to arrange them as he would his own stuff. In the process, Rubin helped Cash rediscover his muse. And, here is the first album in a series of five albums worth of material the two recorded over the last nine years of the Man in Black’s life. This remains a landmark album in Johnny’s illustrious career and sits alongside At Folsom Prison as his best albums ever. Of course, it revived Cash’s career and reputation, as well as making Rubin more palatable to more artists as a producer.

And, that my friends, is the end of Day 1. Peace.

It just happened that 1993 was my last full year working in the lab as I was finishing up my classes in order to become a teacher and take a mighty 50% reduction in my pay. While it was a crazy year working full time and taking a couple classes each semester, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. At the beginning of 1994, I would be doing my student teaching at a very small high school in the county to the south of where I live while working part-time and using my PTO to supplement my income. But, that was still the following year.

No, 1993 began with a major hangover, as my fraternity brothers and significant others all met at one of the guys’ places for what we always called “fellowship.” Although we were all entering our thirties at the time, we still got together on New Year’s Eve. So, we were all reliving our college days on one night a year. At these parties, we always have some stupid event. In 1992, at our house, we had a lip sync contest. My wife and I unexpectedly did “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” which was taped and was, I guess, the winning performance. I think I speak for all who were there, I am glad that something happened to that video. Didn’t need any evidence left around.

For this year, it was a scavenger hunt, the brothers versus the others. Well, let’s just say we lit up the little town just west of Fort Wayne with this drunken mess. When we got back to the house, the owners, both of whom are lawyers and divorced today, held a hearing on whether each team’s items were submissible. It was funny at first, but it did get tedious. So I put on George Michael on his CD player and everyone ignored them by dancing. And, that’s when the details became murky.

Of course, the year ended with me having my first surgery, an emergency appendectomy. The surgeon thought I didn’t have a problem because my pain was not in the “correct spot.” My white blood cell count said otherwise, so into surgery I went. Come to find out, my appendix had grown to be 10 milliliters long and had flipped and was pointing in the wrong direction. No wonder my pain wasn’t located where “it should have been.” That dumbass surgeon even had asked my wife if I was a “wimp with pain.” Of course, she had to hold me down because I was ready to bounce up and deck the guy.

To top everything off, Frank Zappa died that day, and the only thing I remember my wife saying to me after the surgery was that! I teased her all the time about that information being the only thing she said to me after the surgery. Oh, but the fun didn’t stop there. Nope, I developed a post-op infection in the incision and was running a very high fever and was in pain. But, the idiot I am, I finished my final project for my last education class and went in to take the final. Afterwards, my wife rushed me to the emergence room to have the incision drained for the first time. Two days later, the incision was opened, drained and packed, which to my sick microbiology side I kinda loved it. From the ER phone, I called the micro lab to make my prediction as to which bacterium they would find. Luckily, that stupid phone call got me discharged to home so I didn’t have to be admitted. Hell, I worked in a hospital, I wasn’t about to let people I know take care of me.

Needless to say, I missed the last month of work before I started student teaching. Unfortunately, I missed the last New Year’s Eve gathering, as we all got caught up in our families’ events. But, they did drunkenly call me, but none of them probably remember doing that. Which, by the way, was the perfect way to end 1993.

So, here’s what I think are the best albums of 1993.

Blur – Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993). With this album, Britpop had arrived in all of its glory. This modern take on the music of The Kinks, Jam and Smiths was a breath of fresh air during the age of grunge. Now, we were starting to get back to what I thought was the sweet spot of rock music – a tough sound with slightly jangly guitars, nice vocal harmonies and Beatlesque melodies. Who knew what was in store for the music scene in the UK?

Counting Crows – August and Everything After (1993). After a year of being bludgeoned by the sonic sounds of the grunge scene, everyone seemed a little bit ready for some acoustic-based music. Into that void stepped an alternative band that reminded me a bit of Van Morrison. I fell hook, line and sinker for this album, and it remains an album that I play often. Unfortunately, success came too quickly for this band as they really could not live up to expectations on further releases. Still, they did have a nice compilation of their hits.

Janet Jackson – janet. (1993). With this album, Janet became the creative force within her family. After first exerting her creative control, then tackling race relations, Janet continued to follow the Marvin Gaye playbook by releasing an album dripping with sex. Yes, I’ll say it. This is Janet’s Let’s Get It On. There, I said it. Next!

Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993). Lenny became his own man on this album. He was a rocker. He was a soul man crooner. He was a Prince-wannabe. He was Hendrixian. He was it all, but he was still Lenny Kravitz. And, this was his masterpiece.

Liz Phair – Exile in Guyville (1993). People seemed genuinely shocked by the lyrical content on this album. Seriously? Did you not just praise Tori Amos the year before? Therefore, why was it so surprising that a woman was openly singing about her sexual experience? Hell, didn’t Prince break down that commercial wall back in 1980 with Dirty Mind? Why would we ever think a woman didn’t think and say these things as well? I applaud Liz for having the guts to tackle this sexism straight on in very rock way. Plus, the stripped down sound is a perfect musical setting. She set the stage for what was about to come from rock & roll women this decade.

Nirvana – In Utero (1993). In 1993, Nirvana were the kings of the rock world. But, Cobain was freaked out by all the adulation. Unfortunately, he strove for it, honed his art for it, but when success did come, he decided it wasn’t what he really wanted after all. And In Utero was Kurt’s attempt at putting the genie back in the bottle. This album, although it still maintains those fantastic melodies, had abrasive instrumentation and painful screams throughout. The lyrics were darker. Yet, the public ate it all up, and that was the rub. And, we are left asking what if he could have just come out of all of this on the other side? We’ll never know.

Paul Weller – Wild Wood (1993). After building a successful career with The Jam and The Style Council, Weller released his first solo album in 1991. And, it was that album on which Weller found himself musically. He had let go of his past and moved forward into adulthood. Now, on his second solo album, Weller dives full on into his muse to create a beautiful album all about growing old in rock music. This album is a great introduction into the solo career of one of the unsung heroes of rock music.

Pearl Jam – Vs. (1993). Much like Nirvana, Pearl Jam were freaked out by how there popularity had exploded over the previous year. And like Nirvana, the band wanted to shed the bandwagon jumpers in order to get back to a more manageable audience. So, they too went abrasive. And, just like Nirvana, the album was abrasively beautiful, so the public devoured this one as well. The difference between the two bands was that Pearl Jam eventually just accepted that the public loved them and moved on. Unfortunately, Cobain did not. This album remains a great one in the Pearl Jam catalog.

PJ Harvey – Rid of Me (1993). 1993 seemed to be the year of the pint-sized woman talking directly about their sex and romantic lives. While Liz Phair attacked it from a Stones-ish sound, Harvey and her band dove into a more punkish mode, ala Nirvana. And, this album, much like Phair’s, is a fantastic statement and sound. Fortunately, Harvey’s career was much more consistent through the years than Phair’s. This is an important record that it a great listen.

Sheryl Crow – Tuesday Night Music Club (1993). Sheryl Crow got her big break as a singer on Michael Jackson’s Bad Tour. So, when people heard she was recording an album, most thought she was going down the pop path. Interestingly enough, Sheryl had her own vision. And, what a vision it was. Crow had been playing with a coterie of crack LA session players in order to create this album. And, all of the work paid off for her, as this album had great sales and won Grammys.

Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dreams (1993). This Chicago band led by guitarist/vocalist Billy Corgan was as steeped in the AOR world as he was in the punk world. And, you can hear both influences everywhere on this album. The Pumpkins’ sound was a Boston-like laying of what seems like a thousand guitars with a grungy tuning over some excellent post-punk rhythms for a new exciting sound. It’s as if all the music of my youth got together and had a baby.

Snoop Doggy Dogg – Doggystyle (1993). After making such a huge scene on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, the rap world was very excited about Snoop’s debut album. And, he and Dre did NOT disappoint. This album was played everywhere for about two years. And, any album that has a song as great as “Gin and Juice” has got to be a masterpiece.

Suede – Suede (1993). Britpop was just getting started when this band of Glam and Smiths influenced youngsters hit the UK airwaves with this stellar debut album. Where Oasis and Blur defined the Beatles’ side of Britpop, Suede took the Glam side, especially with all of their sexual ambiguity. This was definitely a British phenomenon that did not translate to the States. And, most of us lost out on it here.

The Cranberries – Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? (1993). This band was obviously a group that grew up loving The Smiths just from their sound. But, they were not limited by that influence and built upon it. “Linger” remains the band’s best song, but they did create one lasting album with their debut. This is a nearly perfect album.

Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers (1993). This conglomeration of huge personalities, egos and talent combined forces to create one of rap’s greatest albums of all time. What can I say? This album is a perfect slice of Nineties rap. And, it seems like everyone one of the guys in this group had their own successful solo careers. But, for one glorious moment, they channeled all of their hunger and might to make this earth-shaking album.

And, that’s the way it was in 1993. Peace.

Welcome to the third and final day for 1992 albums. Let’s get this thing going.

Stone Temple Pilots – Core (1992). Back in 1992, STP were often maligned that they had no sound of their own. From song to song, they were musical chameleons, aping the best alt.rock of the day from R.E.M. to Alice in Chains to Pearl Jam. The Pearl Jam rip-off characterizations were the loudest complaints. But, when you hear “Plush,” you just knew this band was destined for greatest. Even though the band is not from Seattle (they’re from San Diego), “Plush” might be the third or fourth best grunge song ever. Plus, the band did find their own vision in the near future.

Sugar – Copper Blue (1992). So, after a stellar but criminally overlooked career with Hüsker Dü and two great solo albums, Bob Mould formed another power trio that he ironically called Sugar. The difference? Oh, maybe Sugar was a bit more tame and the production was cleaner, but the volume, speed and venom were all intact. But, the public had changed and were ready for his take on punk rock. And, honestly, we are all the better for it. This album just might be his best album in his illustrious career. Nearly thirty years on and I still have not tired of this album.

The Black Crowes – The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992). On their sophomore release, the Crowes added another guitarist and organist that only expanded their sound and allowed them to stretch out into jam band regions in the live setting. This is what music of the pre-MTV era sounded like and how musicians performed. The album remains The Black Crowes finest studio moment.

The Jayhawks – Hollywood Town Hall (1992). Here is something that I will never understand. Back in 1992, as grunge was making all kinds of inroads in the mainstream, classic rock radio was jamming the country rock sounds of the Eagles, Jackson Browne, etc. down our throats as if this were a lost genre. Yet, at the time, this excellent Midwestern band who had cut their teeth on the very same influences as the older artists could not get on rock radio. Somebody explain this to me! These guys had the Eagles harmonies, Jackson Browne’s imagery and a sound that was a mix of the best of Gram Parsons, Neil Young’s Harvest and the aforementioned artists. They should have been the next big thing. Please, if you haven’t heard The Jayhawks, go listen to them right now and explain to me why they didn’t take off.

The Lemonheads – It’s a Shame About Ray (1992). Alternative nation’s pinup boy Evan Dando, the creative force behind The Lemonheads, finally put his  punk, jangle rock and folk rock influences together into one beautiful album. This album, generally speaking, is another slice of Nineties power pop, though it does foreshadow the rise of pop-punk at times. Although the album is known for the cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” the true heart of the about belongs the song “Buddy.”

The Tragically Hip – Fully Completely (1992). As one of Canada’s most beloved bands, The Tragically Hip only made a minor dent in the American market. Fully Completely remains the legendary band’s finest moment. They were a combination of Springsteen, Bryan Adams and Petty but with a post-punk frame of reference and an uplifting spirit that only made them a band that you were rooting for all along.

Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes (1992). Little Earthquakes? Hell no! Tori Amos made a major 9.5 earthquake with this album. She totally rewrote the book on confessional singer songwriter motif. Obviously, Amos was influenced by such Seventies luminaries as Carly Simon, Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks but also Kate Bush. This combination allowed Amos to created a haunting musical environment in which to set her harrowing personal tales. This album was a gamechanger. 

Various Artists – Singles OST (1992). Cameron Crowe’s movies have always had the best soundtracks, but what this movie did for both Generation X and the Seattle music scene is every bit as important as Saturday Night Fever was to disco. The only missing major player from the scene is Nirvana, but they honestly are not that missed. Plus, throw in some tasty cuts by Smashing Pumpkins, Paul Westerberg and The Lovemongers (Heart plus some of Seattle’s finest grunge musicians), and you have an excellent album. But, the highlight for me remains the Mother Love Bone cut “Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns.”

XTC – Nonsuch (1992). XTC entered the Nineties on a huge creative roll after two stellar albums as themselves and their foray into psychedelia as The Dukes of Stratosphear that I was a little scared that the high level might drop off. Well, if there was a drop off, I didn’t hear it. This album is just outstanding with “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead” being the best.

And that’s all folks! Next time, we dive head first into 1993. Peace.

I’m back for Day 2 of 1992, so let’s just jumped right into the mess.

Morrissey – Your Arsenal (1992). By 1992, Morrissey was a alt.rock cultural icon, known for his work with The Smiths and his first solo album. But his second solo album, Kill Uncle, was a clunker, so many thought he had run out of creative steam. Well, Your Arsenal proved that notion was wrong as Morrissey rediscovered his glam roots (he had been the president of New York Dolls’ London fan club) and threw in some rockabilly to create his most rocking album to date. To make the whole project complete, former Bowie sideman Mick Ronson produced the album with a very sympathetic glam-cred ear.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Henry’s Dream (1992). I have been chomping at the bit to include Mr. Cave on this list. I just love his lyrics which owe a bit to Leonard Cohen, only they seem to have some Catholic influence in their Gothic tales. This man is the real deal, only unlike Cohen, Cave is a product of the punk revolution. You really cannot go wrong with any of this band’s albums, but Henry’s Dreams is the one that finally got Cave noticed a bit more here in the States.

Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power (1992). Thank God for Pantera! The band kept the metal flag waving during the hair metal backlash of the grunge era. It’s as if this band has digested every metal influence, from Sabbath and Kiss to Metallica and Maiden, internalized it all and came out with this post-hardcore/industrial jackhammer sound that only could have happened in the Nineties. This is just pure metal joy.

Pavement – Slanted and Enchanted (1992). Pavement burst on the scene pushed by a maelstrom of hype and underground expectations that made me skeptical about the whole fuss. Let’s just say that the minimalist take of alt.rock in the Nineties started right here. I read somewhere that this album was like listening to a college radio station in which you had barely paid attention to. And there’s some truth to that description. Pavement’s music starts off in one direction, goes into a noise section, then, improbably, finds its way back to the song. They might be The Velvet Underground of the Nineties.

Pearl Jam – Ten (1992). When Nirvana turned the rock world upside down when they hit #1 on the album chart, it dawned the age of grunge. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of that moment just might have been Pearl Jam. While Nirvana represented the pop-slash-punk side of grunge and Alice in Chains were the dark Sabbath-esque band and Soundgarden took the Zeppelin route, Pearl Jam filled The Who/classic rock role in the genre. Who knew that Pearl Jam would become the biggest band from this scene, and one of the biggest bands from the decade? 

Primal Scream – Screamadelica (1992). Just three years earlier, The Stone Roses made a huge impact on the UK with their mix of rave culture, dance rhythms and Beatles/Kinks-influenced rock sounds that updated The Smiths for the late-Eighties. Next in line came Primal Scream, who this type took the Stones side of rock and melded it with acid house, techno and rave culture to give us a whole new take on the emerging Britpop scene. “Movin’ on Up” is another classic single that never really got a fair shake in the States.

Prince – O-(+> (Love Symbol) (1992). After his Sign ‘o’ the Times masterpiece, he had been failing to connect with the public. Oh, sure, he did hit big with the Batman soundtrack, but it really wasn’t a great Prince album. And, Diamonds and Pearls sold well and hit a couple of big hits, but it too seemed a little calculated. Well, Prince fans’ patience was paid off in spades when Prince released the funkiest album of his career. The whole thing seemed to be Prince finally melding every influence he’s had in the past five years into one gleaming funky sound. This album is a beauty to behold.

R.E.M. – Automatic for the People (1992). This is the last great R.E.M. album. I will remember to this day how my wife and I just sat there in our living room dumbfounded by how great this album was when it finished. This was a mature statement by THE band of OUR generation, and it was simply beautifully haunting. I really don’t know where to begin or end with this description. Let’s just list a couple of cuts and you savor the thoughts: “Everybody Hurts,” “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite” and “Nightswimming.”

Rage Against the Machine – Rage Against the Machine (1992). I know, how do you justify a supposedly radical band with a left-wing agenda being signed to a major label from an international conglomerate? I say it’s a great subversive move! RATM took the idea of bringing together rap and metal from Faith No More’s “Epic” and brought it to fruition. Plus, the band never needed a DJ because of the innovative guitar playing of Tom Morrello, who could coax the DJ scratch and sound effects from his guitar. This band, if they could have simply remained intact could have ruled the rock world in the 21st century. Honestly, we could definitely use their music during the age of Trump.

And, that’s the end of Day 2. Peace.

During 1992, I was full-tilt ahead with my classes in order to obtain my teaching license from Ball State. I was going in to the lab at 4:30 am, driving 30 minutes to Muncie, spending a couple of hours taking classes, then driving back to finish up my work at the hospital. It was a brutal schedule, and aside from the eventual huge financial cut my family would soon be experiencing, I was following my calling. Fortunately, I did not have to listen to Rush Limbaugh on the radio during all this travel time. Instead, I was able to listen to my own dubbed music on cassette tapes. The music of 1992, 1993 and the first half of 1994 got me through all of this craziness.

To be honest, my favorite musical years of the Nineties were 1992 and 1994. 1992 was particularly exciting to walk through the Ball State campus and hearing so many sounds that used to be bubbling in the underground being appreciated by the masses. And, although I was nearly a decade older than the others in my classes, their tastes in music was the thing that crossed the age differences. In a way, it was strange to be an adult in college because suddenly you weren’t concerned with how people perceived you. I felt strangely calm and confident. Is that what maturity is? But, I did miss the adrenaline rush of my youth.

So, let’s take a look at the artists and their music which was in my car’s cassette player and home CD player in 1992.

Alice in Chains – Dirt (1992). In 1992, Alice in Chains became one of the first Seattle bands to get into heavy rotation on MTV. This band depicted the dark underbelly of the grunge scene, and Dirt is their masterpiece. The whole album details lead singer Layne Staley’s descent into heroin addiction. It is harrowing and sickening to hear his struggles with his demons, but the music makes it that more compelling as if Edgar Allan Poe had been reincarnated as a rock star in the early-Nineties. Unfortunately, Staley would later loss his battle with the dark side, as many of the grunge stars of the era did. A whole generation was lost to mental illness and drugs.

Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of… (1992). By this year, rap music was becoming dominated by gangsta rap, both great and terrible. Sure, we had many fantastic diversions along the way by the likes of De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, but the rap sound of the Nineties predominantly came from the thug life. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, comes this hippy-like commune of musical souls from the South, doing a whole new fresh take on hip hop. Arrested Development was the group, and they swooped in from the country with acoustic instrumentation and a different point of view and turned rap on its head. Nowadays, this album might seem quaint, but it’s impact was immediate, as rappers and the alternative nation both latched unto these guys’ sound. “Tennessee” remains a potent throw-down of a geographical gauntlet.

Beastie Boys – Check Your Head (1992). So, by 1992, the Beasties were at a crossroads in their career. Initially, they had burst onto the scene as a trio of seemingly unruly frat boys who were given the keys to their parents’ Mercedes. Then, after realizing they could not take that image any further, totally did a Bowie by creating a “serious” futuristic rap album. But, that album was still considered a commercial failure. In response, the Beasties went back to their punk rock band basics, bought some crappy vintage microphones and went to town. And, this album, the musical marriage of punk, metal, jazz, vintage recording equipment in various states of disrepair, crazy samples, funk and hip hop set the world ablaze. Now, they had earned their rap cred AND their alternative music rep back in one terrific swoop. This is the album that made the Boys Hall of Famers.

Dr. Dre – The Chronic (1992). When N.W.A broke up, people figured the three M.C.s (Ice Cube, Eazy-E and M.C. Ren) would become huge solo artists (Cube and E did, Ren did not), but few were prepared for Dre’s solo album. Oh, we all knew his production ability was second to none, but we were not ready for his street poetry about gangsta life. One of my best friends recently made an argument that this album was one of the five best of all-time, and he’s an old white guy like me! Everything, I mean everything that was rapped on this album is STILL percolating today. WTF!!! This is both an artistic AND sociological statement that resonates to this very day. And that’s wrong! Dre totally invented the whole G-Funk sound that stuck around for the rest of the decade. And you know that Dre loved his P-Funk. Mmmh!

Faith No More – Angel Dust (1992). This album was a commercial flop and disappointment mainly because people thought this band was strictly a metal band. Oh, the public was simply wrong. This band was a new form of alternative rock that incorporated some metal guitar sounds but were much more versatile. This album remains FNM’s masterpiece, as they covered the music spectrum.

Gin Blossoms – New Miserable Experience (1992). When R.E.M. began to make inroads in popular music, a whole generation of musicians picked their Rickenbackers and started creating that sweet jangling sound. Enter the Gin Blossoms from the American Southwest bringing a commercial Flying Burrito Brothers/Byrds/R.E.M./Tom Petty jangle sound that took over the radio for a bit. Sadly, the man who wrote most of these memorable songs, Nicky Hopkins, was drinking heavily, severely depressed and was forced out of the band by their record company. In response, Hopkins took his own life. He never really got to see his music touch people, and the band never really could come up with a songwriter like their former member. Still, this album remains as a testament to just how diverse the music of the Nineties was.

Ice Cube – The Predator (1992). I get it that Cube seemed like one of the scariest MFs on the planet back in the day, but if you listened to his lyrics, you knew this man had a heart. He painted his images of ghetto life with empathy that was lost on the people who only heard his lyrics through second- and third-hand sources. Normally, this would have been the best rap of the year. The fact that Dre created a timeless classic kept this one from ascending to the throne. However, Dre never made a single like “It Was a Good Day.”

Jellyfish – Spilt Milk (1992). After creating a bonafide classic album of Badfinger-influenced power pop, Jellyfish was reduced to its two main creative visionaries drummer/singer Andy Sturmer and keyboardist/vocalist Roger Manning Jr. In response, these two musical prodigies and studio perfectionist went into full sonic OCD mode to create their greatest album of their unfairly short career. Once again, the duo mined the fertile ground of Seventies pop, arena rock and power pop. Their ode to their musical heroes Queen, “Joining a Fanclub” is a song to behold.

k.d. lang – Ingénue (1992). Oh my, did k.d. lang ever turn the world upside down. But we are all the better for her. While lang was steeped in country music, she was not making the typical Nashville crap of the day. No, lang embraced soul and alternative sounds that updated the traditional country foundation. Plus, she did all of this while challenging societal norms concerning sexual orientation by being an open lesbian. Believe it! It was less than 30 years when artists started coming out of the closet. By the way, her “Constant Craving” remains one of the sexiest songs known to man.

Cut! That’s a wrap on Day 1 of 1992. See you next time. Peace.

To many 1991 is one of those great landmark years in music, and I feel the same way. However, I did not find 1991 to be as deep as 1977 or 1982 for that matter. But, the sheer quality of the albums on this list is undeniable. Of course, those of us who were around in 1991 remember the earth-shifting shock of an up-and-coming band called Nirvana dislodging the mighty Michael Jackson from the #1 position on Billboard. That moment opened the floodgates for the influx of alt.rock and grunge artists into the commercial mainstream. It was as if punk rock had finally made its mark in the States.

Hip hop also made huge strides artistically and commercially. Britpop and shoegaze were gaining momentum, and MTV was still influencing youth culture. It was a dizzying moment in rock music. Here are my favorites for the year.

A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory (1991). The strides made by Eric B. & Rakim, De La Soul and Jungle Brothers came to fruition on this outstanding album. It was a welcomed change that A Tribe made to the rap palette by embracing the whole jazz aesthetic on this outing. The obvious smooth rapping of Rakim influenced the deliveries of Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. Now, the world is completely open to hip hop for use and influence.

Guns ‘N Roses – Use Your Illusion I and II (1991). These two albums cannot be separated. When GNR burst onto the scene in 1987/1988, the world was ready for their sleazy mix of Sex Pistols, Aerosmith and Rolling Stones, but now these guys were ready to push beyond their original sound. So, as if they could become any more decadent, these guys decided to indulge upon every sound and substance within in their grasp. Both of these albums ooze with overindulgence, which is what makes them so compelling. To this day, “November Rain” remains one of the greatest power ballads, something of a “Stairway to Heaven” for the crack era.

Ice-T – OG: Original Gangster (1991). Long before Ice-T became an acting icon, he was one of the premier rappers of his generation, and this album is his defining moment in gangsta rap. T had made quite an underground reputation in the rap world but had yet to put everything together on an album. Well, he did it here with ripe beats and his unparalleled tales of being a gang member on the streets of the West Coast inner city. Now, gangsta rap was poised to take over the music world.

Matthew Sweet – Girlfriend (1991). Power pop seemed to spring up in the early-Seventies, only to crawl back underground and re-emerge in the late-Seventies during the New Wave era. Once again, the movement, much like metal, went underground again, occasionally making noise throughout the Eighties (Marshall Crenshaw, The Bangles, The Go-Go’s, Crowded House all spring to mind). Then, Jellyfish sounded the power pop alarm, and the floodgates opened once again. Sweet, an artist who had be percolating during much of the Eighties, finally found his sound by fusing the sweet melodies of Rundgren, Badfinger and Cheap Trick, but added a fuzzed out guitar to make the sound modern. This album is a near-perfect power pop album, not to mention one of the best examples of Nineties power pop. Many more artists will follow.

Metallica – Metallica (1991). While GNR were indulging on their two simultaneously released albums, thrash metal gods Metallica were joining forces with producer Bob Rock to streamline their sound and up their bottom end. The results were an explosion of metal, musicianship and force that is still influencing the sound of metal albums today. Many of the great artists have an album in which everything comes together, and it happened for Metallica because they pulled back on their desire to fill their songs with an over abundance of crazy guitars. This is the sound of a laser-focused band maturing right before our eyes.

Michael Jackson – Dangerous (1991). Personally, I felt like this album was something of a letdown from Jackson’s Eighties peak. Yet, this was the sound of state of the art pop and R&B in the early-Nineties. Jackson, like Madonna, ever the trend discoverer and exploiter, immediately enlisted LA Reid and Babyface to do for his music what they did for Bobby Brown by adding touches of New Jack Swing and some hip hop into his trademark sound. Unfortunately, Jackson’s music will never be this good again, as the weight of his personal problems were beginning to eclipse his musical genius.

My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (1991). In the mid-Seventies, Lou Reed made what many consider to be the most unlistenable album ever released called Music Metal Machine. It was full of guitar noise and unstructured “songs.” But, it seems like a small coterie of guitarist may have been influenced by it. Thus, the shoegaze music scene was born. These people loved to play their guitars as fuzzy and feedback-laden as possible, only they never forgot the song’s melody. The Jesus and Mary Chain started the movement in 1985, and by 1991, there were several bands fighting for recognition. My Bloody Valentine became the band that rose to the top of the heap with this flawless album of ear-ringing guitars laid over pop melodies. This album is just a beautiful juxtaposition of sound and song.

Nirvana – Nevermind (1991). To many, this is THE album moment of the Nineties. Kurt Cobain, Krist Noveselic and Dave Grohl discover the magic sound of Beatles meets Sabbath meets Pixies. I really don’t know what I can say about this album that has not been said before, except “Classic.”

R.E.M. – Out of Time (1991). This album has always seemed to me as if the band were playing a little of everything they had ever recorded before as if to flex their musical muscles at us. Then, of all things, they did not tour behind the album, playing only a few acoustic dates, including the legendary MTV Unplugged performance. Over the years, I have tended to neglect this album as if I had heard it all before, yet it is just that quality that makes it a much more exciting retrospective than any of their compilations. This album continues to stand the test of time.

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991). I waited forever for the RHCP to make this album. I loved them from the moment I heard them for the first time in college. Then, they went through drummers as if they were Spinal Tap or Pearl Jam before settling on Chad Smith. And, we all know their troubled relationship with guitarists, losing Hillel Slovak to a heroin overdose, then having John Frusciante on and off over the subsequent years. But, RHCP are at their finest with Frusciante, as they proved on this album. This album remains the band’s Led Zeppelin IV, with “Under the Bridge” being the band’s “Stairway.”

Teenage Fanclub – Bandwagonesque (1991). Okay, here is my favorite album of the year. This Scottish band seemed to pop out of the sky to me, like the second coming of Big Star, only with shoegaze-influenced guitars, only not so dominating. I was totally hooked by the band’s way they could meld Nineties sound and attitude with the power pop of primo Big Star and Cheap Trick. Unfortunately, while they will go on to create some fine music, Teenage Fanclub will never reach the heights of this album. This remains a lost Nineties classic.

Temple of the Dog – Temple of the Dog (1991). In 1990, the Seattle grunge scene lost a major budding star when Andrew Wood of Pearl Jam-forerunners Mother Love Bone died of a heroin overdose. So, Wood’s roommate and Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell wrote a loving tribute with fellow Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron, former Mother Love Bone and future Pearl Jam members guitarist Stone Gossard, bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Mike McCready, and introducing Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder. This supergroup ended up creating one of the classic grunge albums of all time. Want proof? Just listen to their left-field radio hit “Hunger Strike,” as Cornell and Vedder trade verses.

U2 – Achtung Baby (1991). Well, just as the world was tiring of U2’s earnestness, the band did the unthinkable and embraced the irony of the Nineties to create what I consider to be their second best album. The band pushed themselves to the limits with their near-industrial soundscapes while never losing what truly separate the band from the pack. Now, this was a refueled U2 ready to tackle the Nineties’ changing soundscape. And if anyone has rewritten as good of a ballad as “One,” then, somebody please tell me.

And that wraps up 1991. My entries are getting smaller, but the wallop of the albums remain. Peace.

Today marks the second day of my favorite albums from 1990. Here we go again.

Mariah Carey – Mariah Carey (1990). Welcome to the age of the mega-selling diva. Mariah Carey marks the next diva in this lineage that began with Whitney Houston. Mariah’s debut album followed Whitney’s game plan to a tee, with some excellently soaring singles such as my favorite “Vision of Love.” While Whitney reinvented and transcended the term diva, Mariah remained planted in the pop realm, which might be why Mariah never topped Whitney’s reputation.

MC Hammer – Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em (1990). Okay! I know! Hammer created bubblegum rap. But, to me, that’s the beauty and genius of the man. He insidiously made rap more palatable to the suburban masses which led to rap taking over white America.

Megadeth – Rust in Peace (1990). Just as the whole metal thing was turning into a parody, Megadeth makes a last-gasp effort to inject some much needed vitality into the genre. This album represents Megadeth’s very best recording as guitarist Dave Mustaine’s songwriting was focused and his playing was concise and focused.

Neil Young – Ragged Glory (1990). Every time we all are ready to write off Neil Young, his releases an album that simply blows you away. Here, he reunites with Crazy Horse, his muddy-sounding rock side, as they anticipate the influence of their classic fuzz-based sound on all the grunge bands that are bubbling in the underground. This album proved just how vital an artist Young could be.

Pixies – Bossanova (1990). After all the craziness in the aftermath of Doolittle, you kind of expected a letdown from the Pixies. And, back in 1990, Bossanova seemed to be just that. However, after letting it marinate for 30 years, this album is not the let down it seemed to be at the time. Sure, we did not get any songs from Kim Deal, as she now had her own band, The Breeders, on the side for her creative outlet. Still, the band executed these Black Francis songs with conviction and precision. Although this album is considered to be the band’s weakest album of their original lineup, this is still a high quality slice of alt.rock that will soon become the sound of Nineties rock.

Sinéad O’Connor – I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990). O’Connor proved she was a mega-talent on this album. She hit all the right notes throughout. To this day, the highlight is her stripped down version of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” a song that was released in 1986 by a post-Time Prince band called The Family. The video for this song is iconic in that it is predominantly a close up of O’Connor’s expressive face singing the song with all the simple emotion of her version. And, the rest of the album is just as compelling. I know that some still harbor ill feelings about her SNL performance where she ripped up a photo of the Pope, but, as we learned a decade later, she was right. It’s time we rediscover her brilliance as an artist.

Sonic Youth – Goo (1990). Sonic Youth was a darling of those of us “in the know” as far back as the mid-Eighties. They were an uncompromising band of noise rockers who had a penchant for putting that noise over some great melodies. Well, on this album, the band played up the melodies and toned down the noise and were rewarded with a hit album. Folks, this is the album in which the rest of the world just caught up with the underground.

The Black Crowes – Shake Your Moneymaker (1990). If you remember 1990, many people were pining for a sound in rock music that hearkened back to the salad days of the boogie rock of the early Seventies, like the Faces, Rod Stewart and Aerosmith. In the void steps The Black Crowes who reminded all of us of that era, adding a touch of Southern Rock to their sound. Of course, The Crowes caught on with Gen X post-modern rockers and allowed the aging Boomers to reenact their youth. Who knew that this band would develop into one helluva rock band with their very own unique sound that transcended this album. Still, this is the album that put them on the map.

The La’s – The La’s (1990). May I present to you the band in which I consider to be the first Britpop band. At the time, The La’s had a unique take on power pop, which had been mostly an American take on the original British Invasion sound. Yet, there was something different in the lyrics on this album, a more British-centric set of tales and attitude which made the so distinct. Oh, and you think you have never heard of this band? Uh, everyone has heard “There She Goes.” The song seems to be required to be added to the soundtrack of every movie released since 1995. Still, I never tire of hearing it.

And, that, my friends, wraps up 1990. That means I have covered 689 albums on my list, which means that I have 30 years to cram into 311 albums. I told you that I was biased. Oh well! What’s a brother to do? Peace.

So, it’s time for 1990, the year in which we left the friendly confines of Oxford, Ohio, for the more familiar environment of Muncie, Indiana. Since I could not immediately take advantage of tuition reimbursement from my new employer, the former St. John’s Health System until I had been there one year, and was working second shift as the “senior tech” (entry-level management, I guess) at the lab in which I was trained, I did some volunteer work at the PBS radio station at Ball State that is located in the David Letterman Building. Within a couple of months getting my radio voice back, thanks to a few PSAs between movements of Brahms and reacquainting myself to some production work and interviews, I had a job offer from a local radio station as a weekend morning on-air personality. At the very same time, I had a job offer from my lab to work days, predominantly in microbiology. I weighed my options and went for the lab job, since that was much more money than in radio. Plus, the lab worked my schedule around my school scheduling when my year was up. Needless to say, 1990 was a year of upheavals and stress for a young family.

But, I survived. Unfortunately, once we were back in Muncie, I no longer had a terrific radio station playing edgy music nor did I have access to a great record store. Add to that situation that retail was no longer stocking vinyl and that forced me to finally begin buying CDs. In theory, I should have loved CDs. First, they were more convenient and portable. If that were a true selling point to me, then I would have gone to cassettes a decade ago. Next, the sound was supposedly better. Sure, you didn’t have the “pops and cracks” on an album, but albums didn’t skip if randomly if the laser in the CD player got funky or out of alignment. Plus, those CDs were not really as indestructible as they were originally touted to be. They were actually cheap pieces of crap with some music encoded. Then, there was the fact that artists now felt the necessity to add more music to their albums just to take up the extra data space on those plastic discs. Now, albums were longer, lengthened by crap filler songs (or, my favorite marketing tool, the secretly added song at the end of the disc that was preceded by a full ten minutes of silence just to get to it) and sounded flat and sterile. Yet, technology prevailed, mainly because the profit margins were so large on this medium.

Okay, so I gave in to the new technology, put away the albums and built up my collection. I guess this whole set of changes dampened my music spirit a bit. But, I was a husband and a father, and eventually a student again, so my energies were shifting to my new paradigm.

Yet, there was some fantastic music released in 1990, and let’s get this list going again!

Deee-Lite – World Clique (1990). By 1990, the music world was beginning to become dominated by the late-Boomers and early-Gen X-ers, which meant the sounds were foreign to the traditional radio listeners. During a time of sterile-sounding pop/dance singers such as Paula Abdul and Cathy Dennis, along comes a trio of club rats hellbent on fusing the dance beats in the clubs with some touches of House music and flourishes of rap and alt. rock to create an exciting moment in time in the form of Deee-Lite. This album’s reputation rests squarely on the shoulders of their eternally exuberant single “Groove Is in the Heart.” This album still smells like the ecstasy of its time, and that’s a good thing.

Depeche Mode – Violator (1990). Synthpop gods Depeche Mode finally broke through commercially with this album that plays more like a great rock album than a synthpop album. Kudos must go to the guys for finally blending all their disparate interests into one compelling artistic standing. Of course, this album contains “Personal Jesus,” so I simply plant my javelin in defiance.

Digital Underground – Sex Packets (1990). This Oakland-based posse of rappers, DJs and sons of Parliament/Funkadelic grabbed the fancy of hip hop fans everywhere. They were one of the pioneers to popularize the use of P.Funk samples. Lyrically, they were still part of the party scene of the Eighties with their silly tales of getting busy in fast food restaurant bathroom (“The Humpty Dance”), but DU did introduce us to a little-known rapper by the name of Tupac.

George Michael – Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 (1990). It get it! George was tired of being marketed as a sex symbol to teenage girls. Hell, the man was gay during a time when it was still commercial suicide to be gay. Plus, the man was so obviously talented that he wanted his music to be heard without his ass being the selling-point of his videos. That’s why he blew up his career, but, man, if you just give this album a chance, you can tell Mr. Michael was a much deeper artist than the other teen heartthrobs of the day. This album is a major artistic statement by a major talent.

Happy Mondays – Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches (1990). Wait a second Keller! Who the hell are Happy Mondays? Well, they were a little British band who put out this great mix of swirling Sixties-styled guitars (think The Smiths and The Stone Roses) who melded this rock sound to the rave beats that was sweeping across the nation at the time. In a weird way, they were the UK version of Deee-Lite, but it made for a compelling mix.

Ice Cube – AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted (1990). In N.W.A, Cube’s lyrics of the street gave Dr. Dre’s music the vitality that made the group so compelling. So, big things were expected from him when word got out that he went solo. And, man, did he ever deliver a masterpiece in gangsta rap, or music of any kind. This stuff is scary, intimidating, but full of empathy for his characters and their situations. The sad part is that the Compton is still suffering from the very same indignities 30 years later.

Jane’s Addiction – Ritual de lo Habitual (1990). Sadly, this became the last album from one of the godfathers of alt.rock. But, they sure went out with a bang. Oh, do I have stories concerning this album, but they will remain untold in this forum. Still, “Been Caught Stealing” remains a landmark single.

Jellyfish – Bellybutton (1990). I am an idiot! I had a chance to purchase this album on vinyl in 1990 and passed! I just did not have the money to spare at the time. $10! I did NOT have $10! Can you believe it?!?! Anyway, this is the definitive album of the merging of all of my favorite sounds – Squeeze, Rundgren, Queen, ELO, Costello, etc. – into one glorious album. Guess what?! I have the damn thing on CD, but I want it on vinyl. This album is crying to be played on vinyl just to hear all the beautiful sonic details these guys seemed to lovingly labored to include. This is a magnificent pop/rock album that would have made Brian Wilson proud to have made. Jellyfish are the great lost band of the Nineties!

LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out (1990). “Don’t call it a ‘comeback!'” What an opening line! LL, who seemed to have gone artistically gone adrift on his post-debut albums, came out roaring on this album and never let up. This was a major artistic statement by a legendary rapper. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame needs to listen to this album immediately to remember what a fantastic artist LL was. Put him in the Hall now!

Well, let’s call this a wrap on Day 1! Peace.

Today is a bittersweet blog as I finally bid farewell to the music of the Eighties. And although there is fantastic music to come, nothing compares to a person’s music from their teens and twenties. Those were the visceral years, while the coming years become less emotional and more academic in a sense.

Let’s raise a glass of your preferred beverage and toast the music of the Eighties.

Mötley Crüe – Dr. Feelgood (1989). These guys nearly partied themselves into oblivion, yet regrouped to create their finest artistic statement. Although in hindsight, this album is the epithet on the whole glam rock genre, some of their production values remain in vogue to this day, namely that strong, loud bass, although no one will ever confuse Nikki Sixx with being one of the greatest bassists ever. Still, rock music had never turned the bass to 11, though Spinal Tap tried in jest.

Neneh Cherry – Raw like Sushi (1989). Cherry made quite a splash in 1989 by taking cues from dance, pop, hip hop and alternative music to forge a unique sound. Her sole hit, “Buffalo Stance,” sampled Malcolm McLaren’s off-kilter sample-heavy “Buffalo Gals,” proving this daughter of a jazz musician had chops of her own.

Nine Inch Nails – Pretty Hate Machine (1989). My older son claims that he remembers me cranking “Head like a Hole” when it came on the radio with him in the car. Whether that happened or was the wishful thinking of a four-year-old, Nine Inch Nails literally sounded like nothing of its time. Still, their sound perfectly suited the ending of the Eighties as they captured everything about the Eighties. Trent Reznor brought industrial music to the forefront.

Paul McCartney – Flowers in the Dirt (1989). Let me be frank. Paul McCartney had recorded some pretty crappy music throughout the Eighties. Perhaps the greatest move he made was spending some time collaborating with Elvis Costello on some music. Unfortunately, the duo never released a full album of that music, the act did inspire both artists to record some pretty good music. Paul, in particular, revived his career with this stellar album, even his moment to cause a major commotion had passed. This album remains his last great one.

Pixies – Doolittle (1989). Definitely, this album has my vote for visionary album of the year. It has been so influential that we still have not fully escaped the sonic revelations found on it. The album’s power continues to reveal itself with every listen. This turned out to be the sound of the Nineties. I cannot praise this album nearly enough.

Soul II Soul – Club Classics Vol. One (1989). For a very brief moment in time, Soul II Soul were poised to be the saviors of club music. Their laidback beats coupled with touches of world music were setting the dance floors aflame. Unfortunately, this studio creation was one of those here today, gone tomorrow types. But, for one glorious moment, they set the world afire.

Stevie Ray Vaughan – In Step (1989). After his brilliant debut in 1983, SVR started going through the motions on his albums. Much of this could be blamed on substance abuse. Now, Vaughan was back, clean and focused. And, boy, did he ever deliver on his immense talent, with Hendrixian solos and focused songwriting, the world was ready for his take on blues rock. Unfortunately, in less than a year, he would be taken away from us at the tender age of 29 in that fateful helicopter crash after a transcendent performance with some of the greatest blues guitarists of all-time, including Eric Clapton, Robert Cray and Vaughan’s brother Jimmie. Oh, what could have been.

The B-52’s – Cosmic Thing (1989). While Bonnie Raitt had the most unlikely comeback of 1989, she was not the only artist to stake claim to that title. Re-enter The B-52’s. Since the band’s ground-shaking 1979 debut, The B-52’s had something of a rollercoaster career ride going. After the dizzying heights at the beginning of the career, the band was shaken to its core when its guitarist, Ricky Wilson, unexpectedly died from complications due to AIDS. Instead of packing it all in, drummer Keith Strickland learned to play with Ricky’s unique manner while the band hooked up with producer Nile Rodgers to create another dance classic, “Love Shack.” It was a beautiful statement of resilience made by these new wave pioneers.

The Cure – Disintegration (1989). As the Eighties were ending, one quintessential Eighties band, The Cure, created it greatest album and was rewarded with the band’s first Top 10 single in “Lovesong.” From start to finish, this album is pure Cure, albeit with a little AOR sheen. The public simply caught up with The Cure.

The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses (1989). Sometimes, I never understand why a band that is so huge in the UK will barely make a dent on the US charts, such as The Smiths. It seems that this happened all over again with The Stone Roses. During 1989, The Roses were making a huge splash across the Atlantic yet received only a cursory listen here in the States. In retrospect, The Roses were the obvious next step in the development of Britpop in the Nineties that began with The Kinks and ran through glam rock, The Jam and The Smiths. The Stone Roses’ debut album is stuffed with their classic singles along with some more tasty cuts. Unfortunately, the band fractured under the weight of their own success like a balloon full of air and let go before being tied up. Still, they left this absolute classic of swirling guitars, Sixties-influenced harmonies and light dance beats for a timeless subtle dance feel to their rocking sound. Everything was in place for Primal Scream to take the sound a step further before the whole Britpop phenomenon exploded.

Tom Petty – Full Moon Fever (1989). For this Tom Petty fan, this album represents when Petty fully transitioned into something of a new era Neil Young. You just knew you were going to get terrific sounds with profound lyrics about what young people who were trying to grow up were thinking. Unfortunately for me, Tom’s days of being the young rocker were over now. Maybe I was not ready to face this moment with Tom, still he created a very profound album that continues to resonate through time. Although I have grown to love this album, I remember being conflicted at the loss of those great energetic songs of optimistic youth. Don’t get me wrong, I love the album! I just was not ready to give up my youth. However, as an older man, I can more fully appreciate the themes of this album, even though I prefer earlier and later albums to this one. I guess that’s the contrarian in me.

And, with that, I wrap up the Eighties on my list. I will always be passionate and emotional when it comes to the music of my youth. But, I am excited to forge forward toward the present. And, to all my former students, we are entering your wheelhouse soon. Peace.