Boxing the 90's

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obiwankobe
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Boxing the 90's

Post by obiwankobe »

Boxing the Nineties
by Brent DiCrescenzo

According to Billboard, the top selling albums of the 1990s were as follows:

1. Shania Twain - Come On Over
2. The Bodyguard OST
3. Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill (KROQ)
4. Hootie and the Blowfish - Cracked Rear View (KROQ)
5. Garth Brooks - No Fences
6. Garth Brooks - Double Live
7. Santana - Supernatural
8. Backstreet Boys - Backstreet Boys
9. Garth Brooks - Ropin' The Wind
10. Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time

Compare those to NPR's aka KCRW Nic Harcourt's selected favorites from the decade, as listed in his book of top 10 lists, Music Lust:

1. Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
2. Massive Attack - Blue Lines
3. Nirvana - Nevermind
4. Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
5. U2 - Achtung Baby
6. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
7. REM - Automatic for the People
8. PJ Harvey - Rid of Me
9. Jeff Buckley - Grace
10. Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville

And, now, Pitchfork's own (v. 2.0):

1. Radiohead - OK Computer
2. Loveless
3. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
4. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
5. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
6. Nevermind
7. DJ Shadow - ...Endtroducing
8. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
9. Bonnie Prince Billy - Now I See a Darkness
10. Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand

In the 1990s the gulf between what critics praised and what the public actually consumed grew enormously, and possibly forever separated. Looking at the Billboard list, it's uncertain as to whether any of that music is even reviewed at all, outside of short thumbnail blurbs in USA Today and Entertainment Weekly. Is there even a major media source for country music criticism? I have little reservation in admitting that music criticism is a futile pursuit. The American public's deeply rooted sense of distrust, a trait which could arguably be considered our most common, became our most defining over that last decade, with cynicism and irony overwhelming art. Everything from the O.J. verdict to Siskel & Ebert's two thumbs up reviews of "Sniper" and "Mr. Saturday Night" to Clinton's P.R. fiasco, and the news media's handling of it, escalated our Great Distrust. Saying that, this is a music site and nobody gives a damn about my thoughts on social psychology and politics. See?

The 1990s offered the worst music of any decade in the rock 'n' roll era. Rock splintered into countless forms-- ska-punk, grunge, post-rock, emo, hardcore, rap-rock, shoegazer, britpop, Chapel Hill slacker rock, insurgent country, rocenrol, baggy, lo-fi, Elephant 6, trip-hop, IDM, riot grrl, twee, slowcore, mathrock, grindcore, black Scandanavian metal, straight edge, post-hardcore, lapscrape, angular freakgoth, carnival-mask boogie metal, industrial barber soul, ice capade cowpunk, etc.. The cost of compact disc manufacturing dropped significantly, giving every college DJ with guitar finger co-ordination problems an Ahmet Ertegun complex. The sheer volume of music released over the decade is staggering. Picture the landfills full of just Seven Mary Three, 7 Year Bitch, Los Super Seven, Shed Seven, Six By Seven, After 7, L7, and Sevendust jewelcases. Entire catalogs of labels, such as Revelation, Initial, Crank, Zero Hour, Slowdime, Troubleman, and Mint, that people actually seemed to care about at one point, are forgetten and without any archival interest. Vinyl production lingered on, only adding to the massive output, with singles clubs and underground 7-inches sold at basement shows. The growth of zines and the internet allowed everyone and anyone to be a critic. General economic prosperity endowed musicians with delusions of grandeur. Bands like Compound Red and Trunk Federation had promotional agents. Boiling this all down to four compact discs leaves us with an aneurysm and "Aneurysm".

It'd be foolish to write off an entire decade of music as worthless. But digging through the infinite expanse of garbage surrounding it becomes tiresome and, inevitably, so heavily debated by the deluge of critics, that the exersise remains totally pointless. Witness the reaction to Rhino's recent compendium of 1990s music, Whatever, which itself titularly acknowledges its own apathy towards the endeavor. Besides, even a gleaned collection of music from critically acclaimed records would sound scatterbrain and sit unsold because of an audience of critics afraid to accept anything presented remotely canonical. And iPods pretty much killed the cumbersome boxed set.

Therefore I propose that the decade be preserved as it truly was in excessively worthless collections. The following lists are more interesting and representative of the decade than a megamix of over-discussed records like Massive Attack, Neutral Milk Hotel, Public Enemy, Talk Talk, Beck, Air, the Flaming Lips, Jay-Z, etc.

Nevermind Nevermind - 1990s Major Label Hair Metal

21 Guns: Battered And Bruised - Salute (RCA)
Arc Angels: Sent By Angels- s/t (Geffen)
Asphalt Ballet: Unlucky Mr. Lucky - s/t (Virgin)
Bad 4 Good: Tyre Kickin' (Ya Makin' Me Nervous) - Refugee (Atlantic)
Badlands: Whiskey Dust - Voodoo Highway (Atlantic)
Bang Tango: Cactus Juice - Dancin' On Coals (MCA)
Beggars & Thieves: Love Junkie - s/t (Atlantic)
Blue Murder: I Need An Angel - Nothin' But Trouble (Geffen)
Cadillac Bratz: PYBUM (Put Your Body Under Me) - Fasten Your Seatbelt
Contraband: Loud Guitars, Fast Cars & Wild, Wild Livin' (Impact)
Danger Danger: Horny S.O.B. - Screw It! - (Epic)
Dangerous Toys: Sugar, Leather & The Nail - Hellacious Acres (Columbia)
Dirty Looks: Dead, White & Blue - Chewin' on the Bit (Rockworld)
Graveyard Train: Spirits A Movin' - s/t (Geffen)
Hardline: Rhythm From A Red Car - Double Eclipse (MCA)
Heavy Bones: Enormodome - s/t (reprise)

I, Napoleon: Whipped Silly - I, Napoleon (Geffen)
Katmandu: God Part II - Katmandu
Kik Tracee: Rattlesnake Eyes (Strawberry Jam) - No Rules (BMG)
Kix: Bump the La La - Hot Wire (EastWest)
Lillian Axe: She Likes It On Top - Out of the Darkness Into the Light (Capitol)
Little Caesar: Rum And Coke - Influence (Geffen)
Love/Hate: Don't Fuck With Me - Wasted in America (Columbia)
Rhino Bucket: Scratch 'N' Sniff - Get Used to It (Reprise)
Rockhead: Hell's Back Door - Rockhead (Capitol)
Roxy Blue: Rob The Cradle - Want Some? (Geffen)
Saigon Kick: The Lizard - The Lizard (Atlantic)
Saints & Sinners: Slippin' Into Darkness - s/t (Savage)
Salty Dog: Where The Sun Don't Shine - Every Dog Has Its Day (Geffen)
Shooting Gallery: Teenage Breakdown - s/t (Mercury)
Sister Whiskey: Don't Cha Know Ya Need It - Liquor & Poker (WB)

Sledgehammer Ledge: Salute The Trash - s/t (Boomtown)
Sleeze Beez: What's That Smell? - Powertool (Atlantic)
Southgang: White Trash With Cash - Group Therapy (Charisma)
Spread EAGLE: Scratch Like a Cat - s/t (MCA)
Steelheart: Sticky Side Up - Tangled in Reins (MCA)
Tatoo Rodeo: Love Shuffle - Rode Hard and Put Away Wet (Atlantic)
Tora Tora: Nowhere To Go But Down - Wild America (A&M)
Trixter: Rockin' Horse - Hear! (MCA)
Tuff: Rattle My Bones - Fist First (RLS)
Vain: Do You Sleep With Strangers? - All Those Strangers (Island)
War Babies: Cry Yourself To Sleep - War Babies (Columbia)
Wild Boyz: Pleazure 'N' Pain - Unleashed! (Polaris)
Wild Horses: Your Love Is Junk - Bareback (Atlantic)
Wildside: Drunkin' Man's Blues - Under the Influence (Capitol)
XYZ: Whiskey on a Heartache - Hungry (Capitol)

Blame It on the Fired Writer - Pitchfork 9.0s and Beyond

DISC 1: 9.0

Turbonegro: Ass Cobra
Barkmarket: L. Ron
Mouse On Mars: Instrumental
Paul D. Miller: Viral Sonata
Add N to (X): On The Wires Of Our Nerves
A Silver Mt. Zion: He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corners of Our Rooms
Set Fire to Flames: Sings Reign Rebuilder
Out Hud: S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D.
Area: Revolution
The Rapture: Echoes
Mu: Afro Finger and Gel
Art Bears: Art Box
1 Mile North: Minor Shadows
Appleseed Cast: Low Level Owl Vol. I & II
Herbert: Secondhand Sounds
Auburn Lull: Alone I Admire
Gas: Pop
OOIOO: Feather Float
Ollano: Ollano
Manishevitz: Rollover
June of 44: Four Great Points
Machine Drum: Now You Know
Chocolate Genius: Black Music
Shizuo: Vs. Shizor
Enduser: 15 Tracks
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

DISC 2: 9.1-9.2

Isis: Oceanic
The Blood Brothers: Burn Piano Island, Burn!
Keith Fullerton Whitman: Multiples
U.S. Maple: Acre Thrills
Supersilent: 6
Momus: Ping Pong
Seaweed: Actions and Indications
The Glenrustles: In Stone
Buddyrevelles: September, November
Frog Eyes: The Golden River
Rhys Chatham: An Angel Moves Too Fast to See: Selected Works 1971-1989
Lagwagon: Let's Talk About Feelings
Clifford Gilberto: I Was Young And I Needed The Money!
Microphones: The Glow, Pt. 2
Pretty Girls Make Graves: Good Health
Non Prophets: Hope
Grasshopper and the Golden Crickets: The Orbit of Eternal Grace
Jackie-O Motherfucker: Fig. 5
MK Ultra: The Dream Is Over
Max Tundra: Some Best Friend You Turned Out to Be

DISC 3: 9.3-9.4

Olivia Block: Mobius Fuse
Max Tundra: Mastered by the Guy at the Exchange
Blackalicious: Blazing Arrow
Walt Mink: Colossus
Two Lone Swordsmen: Tiny Reminders
Ed Rush and Optical: Wormhole
Loftus: Loftus
Jan Jelinek: Loop-finding-jazz-records
Dntel: Life Is Full of Possibilities
Parson Sound: PŠrson Sound
Fennesz: Endless Summer
Shalabi Effect: The Trial of St-Orange
William Basinski: The Disintegration Loops I-IV
Finley Quaye: Maverick A Strike
Six Finger Satellite: Law of Ruins
Alana Davis: Blame It on Me
Cujo: Adventures in Foam

DISC 4: 9.5-9.9

Morton Feldman/Ives Ensemble: String Quartet II
Roots Manuva: Brand New Secondhand
Farben: Textstar
Happy Apple: Blown Shockwaves and Crash Flow
Plug: Drum'n'Bass for Papa
Slick Sixty: Nibs and Nabs
Save Ferris: It Means Everything
Circulatory System: Circulatory System
Iran: Iran
Tanya Donelly: Sliding and Diving
The Fiery Furnaces: Blueberry Boat
12 Rods: Split Personalities
Keith Fullerton Whitman: Playthroughs
UNKLE: Psyence Fiction
Squarepusher: Music Is Rotted One Note
808 State: Newbuild
New Wet Kojak: Nasty International
12 Rods: Split Personalities
Walt Mink: El Producto

DINOSAUR AUTUMN: The Biggest Names, Their Lowest Points

Disc One - Downsizing the Arena Rider

Rolling Stones: Gunface, Bridges to Babylon
Brian Wilson: South American, Imagination
Paul McCartney: Biker Like An Icon, Off The Ground
Van Morrison: Songwriter, Days Like This
Robert Plant: Tie Die On The Highway, Manic Nirvana
David Bowie: Seven Years in Tibet, Earthling
Frank Black: Kicked In The Taco
The Kinks: Babies, Phobia
ELO II: Easy Street, ELO II
Pink Floyd: Cluster One, Division Bell
Peter Gabriel: Kiss That Frog, Us
Elvis Costello: Harpies Bizarre, Mighty Like a Rose
AC/DC: Caught With Your Pants Down, Ballbreaker
Brian Eno: Spunk Worship, Headcandy
Iggy Pop: Nazi Girlfriend, Avenue B
Lou Reed: Sex with Your Parents (Motherfucker), Part II
Roger Daltrey: Everything A Heart Could Want (Willow), Rocks in the Head
Joni Mitchell: Ray's Dad's Cadillac, Night Ride Home
Black Sabbath: The Illusion of Power, Forbidden
Colin Blunstone: The Best Is Yet To Come, Echo Bridge

Disc Two - The Safety Pin Pricks Have Healed Over

Buzzcocks: Soul on a Rock, Modern
Gang of Four: Don't Fix What Ain't Broke, Mall
Public Image Ltd.: Luck's Up, That What Is Not
Sonic Youth: Female Mechanic Now On Duty, A Thousand Leaves
Deborah Harry: Dancing Down The Moon, Debravation
Ramones: Cabbies On Crack, Mondo Bizarro
Wire: Life in the Manscape, Manscape
Tom Verlaine: Kaleidescopin', The Wonder
X: Lettuce and Vodka, Hey Zeus!
Sham 69: King Kong Drinks Coca-Cola, Information Libre
The Stranglers: Lucky Finger, About Time
The Damned: I Need A Life, Not Of This Earth
David Byrne: Buck Naked, David Byrne
fIREHOSE: Herded Into Pools, Mr. Machinery Operator
Big Audio Dynamite: Psycho Wing, F-Punk
Tom Tom Club: Dogs in the Trash, Dark Sneak Love Action

Disc Three - Soul Like a Bowl

Prince: Every Day Is a Winding Road, Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic
James Brown: Make It Funky 2000, Universal James
Public Enemy: Hitler Day, Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age
Miles Davis: Duke Booty, Doo-Bop
Aretha Franklin: Doctor's Orders, What You See Is What You Sweat
Ray Charles: One Drop of Love, My World
Stevie Wonder: Sensuous Whisper, Conversation Piece
Diana Ross: Heart (Don't Change My Mind), The Force Behind The Power
Smokey Robinson: Rack Me Back, Double Good Everything
Curtis Mayfield: I Mo Get U Sucka, Take It To The Streets
The Delfonics: She's The Kinda Girl, Forever New
Al Green: Keep On Pushing Love, Your Heart's In Good Hands
Run DMC: Them Girls, Crown Royal
George Clinton: Flatman and Bobin, T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M.
Isley Brothers: Koolin' Out, Tracks of Life

Set: Bawks, Balks, Bocks, Box (Set) - The Complete Tim Kinsella

Discs 1-2
Re: Member [to thank] (/of) the Promise Ring: The Complete Cap'n Jazz Discography

Disc 3
Soup Our Group: The Complete Sky Corvair
Includes actual reproductions of University of Illinois report cards for members of the band and the names of all 34 people who purchased the album on eBay for $45 in 1998.

Discs 4-9
Freemo Does (Nth), Costs A DimeÐ The Complete Joan of Arc Studio Recordings

Disc 5
Ensign Be-Bop - The Owls

Disc 6
"Soulo" Was My Title: Split 7" with Jenn Wood, Tim Kinsellas & Crusifix Swastika

Discs 7-8
The Name Remains The Change (We Might Slip Past The Critics): Friend/Enemy, Make Believe, Everyoned

Discs 9-10
Knights Off From the Rainbo: Toe, Dark Farm, The Association of Utopian Hologram Swallowers

-tom

~"Let there be no conflict in America, if you bother me, I whup yo' ass."~Charles Barkley
assholitis
Posts: 1332
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2005 1:22 pm
Location: Orange County

Post by assholitis »

People really need to stop bitching about music, whatever music it may be. There's so much focus placed on what critics think, who's playing it, and who's listening to it, that the music itself takes a backseat to what's being said about it. For the music that you enjoy: listen to it, buy it, spread the word about it; for the music you hate: just tune it out and save me the trouble of having to sift through another angry, whiney, self-righteous "I hate..." music review/rant.

-Kevin
Alone we stand, together we fall apart.

*sireofwilshire*
User avatar
*Annie*
Posts: 2486
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:42 pm
Location: The Valley!

Post by *Annie* »

Tom, I think Kev just told you to stop posting crap... and that you whine... and that it annoys him.... and to meet him by the dumpster after school - I mean work!
"Bitches, don't you know I'm being sarcastic?!"
-Julian Casablancas
assholitis
Posts: 1332
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2005 1:22 pm
Location: Orange County

Post by assholitis »

lol Actually, I was worried my post might be accidentally misconstrued as criticism towards Tom, so I'm glad Annie was there to ensure this precise occurance. :P Dork.
No, but just this article and especially combined with the Buddyhead link were just way too much "anti-" sentiments. And what does Buddyhead guy end up praising? Metal, for Chrissakes! Go figure.

-Kevin
Alone we stand, together we fall apart.

*sireofwilshire*
gidgetgoestohell
Posts: 4942
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2005 7:57 am
Location: Guada La Habra, CA

Post by gidgetgoestohell »

I knew that you wouldn't do that....Your the male equivelent of Gooch, afterall....:D
Gidge

~I came for Jonsey. I stayed for the MMS. Now that Dicky is gone, so am I~
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