Rock Evolution – The History of Rock & Roll - 1998 - (page 271)

Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
Nice, sounds like a big year of changes all around.

His best album, and I enjoyed his prior ones, but everything came together on this release in '93.


I'm glad we got 3 selections thus far from this release, so thanks to you and PJ for chiming in.



Ahh, and here is my BIG MISS. I can't believe I didn't have this album on my shortlist. I too was a big fan and glad you got this track in. I wouldn't be upset at all if we got another nomination from this, even "Outbreak of Love" or "My Country". As one reviewer said at the time, this could have been Midnight Oil's Joshua Tree had it been better marketed. A very underrated release.


Looking forward to one new and one familiar I enjoy a lot as well above. That title track is the best on that album, hands down. Mellencamp's opening vocals to this track are so haunting, it still gives me chills listening now.
Click to expand...
I only got around to A&EA at Christmas 1994 - missed it around the time of release but so glad to have found it. This is the best example of T-Bone Burnett's production.

"Human Wheels", the song and the album - are haunting. It's hard not to think of a funeral when you hear the song, and the fact that the album is dedicated to keyboard player/accordionist John Cascella, one of the stars of The Lonesome Jubilee, who died partway through recording the album, only re-enforces the point.
 
Human Behaviour by Bjork
Plush by Stone Temple Pilots
Fuzzy by Grant Lee Buffalo
Where's me Jumper by Sultans of Ping (think this was released as a single in 92 but appeared on their album in 93 so if I'm not allowed it I'll pick 10 Years Asleep by Kingmaker instead)

I absolutely would not have been listening to any of this stuff in 1993 so likely only became familiar with them from the second hand section of King Bee records in Chorlton. I think I did get the GLB album from the library but my memory is never reliable
 
mrbelfry said:
Human Behaviour by Bjork
Plush by Stone Temple Pilots
Fuzzy by Grant Lee Buffalo
Where's me Jumper by Sultans of Ping (think this was released as a single in 92 but appeared on their album in 93 so if I'm not allowed it I'll pick 10 Years Asleep by Kingmaker instead)

I absolutely would not have been listening to any of this stuff in 1993 so likely only became familiar with them from the second hand section of King Bee records in Chorlton. I think I did get the GLB album from the library but my memory is never reliable
Click to expand...
GLB - there's another great album from '93. We reviewed Fuzzy on the album thread.
 
RobMCFC said:
GLB - there's another great album from '93. We reviewed Fuzzy on the album thread.
Click to expand...
I had a look through the best 100 albums on best ever albums.com and I’m afraid it said to me, not a great year. I’ll download the full list to review and maybe it will jog better memories of the music.

And just had a look at a list of the best individual songs of 1993 on a website I often look at for this thread and it is so poor compared to any of the 1970’s or 80’s.
 
OB1 said:
I had a look through the best 100 albums on best ever albums.com and I’m afraid it said to me, not a great year. I’ll download the full list to review and maybe it will jog better memories of the music.

And just had a look at a list of the best individual songs of 1993 on a website I often look at for this thread and it is so poor compared to any of the 1970’s or 80’s.
Click to expand...
As previously mentioned, this is my 2nd favourite year in music, but admittedly none of the albums I think about this year are big rock albums.
 
For me 1993 was kind of a dud year musically with one enormous exception — my second favo(u)rite record of all time was released in 1993. As at some point I want to nominate it on the album thread, and no one has touched upon it yet, I will leave it alone for now although some of you can probably guess. Still thinking through singles but The Breeders’ Cannonball was far and away the one I like most from 93.
 
Well, to sneak in some basics . . .

“All Apologies” — Nirvana
In Utero, the follow up to Nevermind, was and is beloved by some, hated by others, and confuses still others. Personally I like Nevermind better, but feel In Utero is starker, more experimental, and more honest. The lyrics still engender arguments (“I’ll proceed from shame” or “Aqua seafoam shame”?), the song is still among Cobain’s most moving, and is a fitting closer for a man spiraling into a world of chronic pain and drug addiction, while wearing a crown of thorns the “Voice of a Generation” always does. All he wanted to do was get along better with his wife.

“Young Offender” — New Order
Since I love about 97% of the songs this band produced, I could pick anything off of Republic and be happy, but this is the one I like best despite Regret being a monster and Special vastly underrated. Different from Technique in a lot of ways, and songier more than soundier, it’s just another step in New Order’s evolution. And on YO, the little keyboard riff (I love you, Gillian) gets me every time.
 
And my other two . . .

"Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" -- Crash Test Dummies
A very strange song sung in bass with quite odd imagery -- weird even for Canadians -- but with a lilting, hymn-like melody that stuck in your brain for weeks. Apparently they continued to be very popular in Canada despite the "one and done" band they were stateside.

"Precision Auto" -- Superchunk
Returning to this North Carolina band who really was my favo(u)rite of the 90s and into the 2000s, this lightning fast little punky ditty that opened their third record "On The Mouth" should have been a big smash but wasn't, sadly. Words to live by on the road: "Do not pass me / Just to slow down".

Note once again I am leaving off songs from bands/albums that I intend to nominate in the other thread and don’t want to preview.
 
Last edited:
Black&White&BlueMoon Town said:
Unfortunately, I'm not finding the original on this, at least on Spotify in the US. I put some live version out there, but I'm thinking this is probably not what you had in mind. Sorry about that, but I can switch it up if needed.
Click to expand...
Oh, that’s a pity. I’ll pick something else but it might be another Counting Crows track.
 
I thought 93 had some nice albums, Sheryl Crow, Counting Crows, Sting and The Red Shoes, Bjork, Pulp. I remember buying and liking in 93. My first pick is one of my favourites from her. Poignant, sparse, full of ghosts, in memory of those she had already lost in her life:

'Just being alive, it can really hurt....'

Now thats a line that resonates.

The song speaks for itself and I really don't believe she wrote many that are more beautiful. The Red Shoes, isn't my favourite of hers peppered with 'guests' EC, Prince amongst others. A little too inconsistent.

Kate Bush - Moments of Pleasure
 
I think @GoatersLeftShin has briefly mentioned the MTV Unplugged series, but that's about it so far. 1993 was a busy year for them including of course one of Curt Cobain's last public appearances. The series offered another less permanent farewell for Natalie Merchant who left 10,000 Maniacs between their Unplugged performance being recorded and the live album coming out. They were the first band to make a second appearance on Unplugged after doing one of the first ones in '89. This later session spawned a minor hit with their version of Patti Smith's Because the Night.

The session was also an example of how what was subsequently released from them was often a subset of what was played. Despite being 14 songs long, the live album didn't include the 3 songs that David Byrne guested on, including a cover of Iris Dement's Let The Mystery Be which is one of my favourite parts of the session. They have recently been added to a reissue I believe. I'm going to go for the closer from the album which is a song I deferred nominating from their 1992 album Our Time in Eden. Though robbed of the propulsion of the original album version, imo it works well in this format.

10,000 Maniacs - Noah's Dove (unplugged)

(As an aside it would have been about now that Merchant and Stipe took to slaughtering To Sir With Love live at gigs together. It's testament to the underlying quality of the song that despite their best efforts they're still listenable. I don't think that song made it to a playlist though it might have ended up on one of the giant codas (?) but it's on my "should have been included" playlist I'm building every time I annoy myself by remembering something that I could/should have nominated. The latest addition is Horse McDonald's Careless from '90 which which I realised earlier this week that I'd forgotten. Horse had a follow up album out in 93 but despite being loved by many I didn't think it was a patch on their debut.
 
Next two from me:

I will indulge my love of Jim Steinman’s grandiose, theatrical epics with a number from “Bat out of Hell II”, a worthy successor to the original - if you like that sort of thing. A track with a cunning little title: Meat Loaf: I Will Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).

Rush: Animate
 
OB1 said:
Next two from me:

I will indulge my love of Jim Steinman’s grandiose, theatrical epics with a number from “Bat out of Hell II”, a worthy successor to the original - if you like that sort of thing. A track with a cunning little title: Meat Loaf: I Will Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).
Click to expand...

The model who mimed in the video for that got offered multiple recording contracts and the Geordie lass who actually sang on it failed to get anyone to turn round for her on The Voice. Funny old world.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top