2021-03-29

Insanely Great 90s Songs You're Not Sick of: 1994

 

It is scientifically impossible to be sick of this video


1994 was another seminal year for Alternative Rock. So many landmark albums were released it boggles the mind to consider so much great music came out in just a 12-month period. 



Albums like Nirvana Unplugged, Superunknown, The Downward Spiral, Vitalogy, Jar of Flies, Mellow Gold, Ill Communication, Dookie, the debuts of Weezer, Korn and Oasis, Purple, Sixteen Stone and The Crow soundtrack would be feeding playlists for decades, right up to this very day, in fact. 


If 1994 is somewhat less momentous than 1991, it’s only because the idea of an Alternative Rock blockbuster had lost its novelty by then.



Even the death of the de facto figurehead of Alt.Rock didn’t dim the lustre of that momentous year. If anything, the tragedy and mourning only heightened the adolescent passions that were fueling the movement. One can only imagine what might have been had the truth behind his death been known at the time.



The specter of death hovered over all the youthful excitement, paradoxically. The Crow became huge hit despite— or perhaps because of — the tragic accident that claimed the life of Brandon Lee, son of the legendary martial arts master who also died too young. The soundtrack was a huge hit thanks to tracks like Nine Inch Nails’ cover of Joy Division’s “Dead Souls.”



Machines of Loving Grace also had a song on that soundtrack, but I don’t really like it. Plus, I meant to post them in my 1991 playlist, so let’s listen to this killer closet classic instead.



The Downward Spiral was released the same day as Superunknown, which is kind of mind-boggling to consider. I think we all know which one I prefer. It’s hard to pick a favorite since the entire album is my favorite song, so let’s go with this corker.



Speaking of which, Jeff Buckley released his debut LP in 1994, which he and the band recorded after binging on Cocteau Twins records (true story). Buckley also began a torrid affair with the Oracle of the Apocalypse in March of '94 (true story), as prophesied in the very stars a billion years before (true story). He also had a fling with PJ Harvey, on account of he liked ‘em weird, crazy and dangerous.



Buckley’d also hook up with Joan Wasser of The Dambuilders, the Agdistis to his Attis, on account of he was apparently out to score with every kooky chanteuse whose music videos were prophesying his ultimate fate.



Another GenX martyr and his band released their best album in 1994, moving light years past the bombast and borrowings of their first album to create a totally unique and groundbreaking sound all their own. 



Pearl Jam also overcame the overproduced ardor of their earlier works, in order to get down to writing and recording great songs. Unfortunately, they would also soon overcome their sales, but that’s another story. Love this album and especially love this track.



Another band that had previously gotten on my nerves found their footing in 1994. Live dropped the slap bass and ponderous non-melodies and served up some great radio-ready rock to drive around in your brand new Saturn SL2 to. God, I miss that car.



Oasis didn’t make much of a splash in the States until their second album, but this song still brings back the warm and fuzzy memories.



Same can be said for Prodigy, who wouldn’t break the US until 1997’s Fat of the Land. But I fucking love this shit here. Plus, they’re from Braintree. Braintree, England, mind you. But still.



Bristol-borne Trip Hop made its mark in 1994. This was my favorite cut on Portishead’s classic debut. Smoky, sexy and smoldery.



And this is my favorite cut on Massive Attack’s second album, Protection. Everyone say hi to Banksy. Hey there, Banksy.



Honey-mouthed chanteuse Tracey Thorn cooed on the title track of Protection and released a classic album with her own project. You’re all sick to death of the hit, so let’s listen to this gorgeous tearjerker. Go on and have a good cry. You’ll feel better. 



Sonic Youth released an album whose title I don’t feel like typing either, but still love this moody, atmospheric classic. I generally prefer their more moody and atmospheric material to the clongy stuff.



Another underground It Girl went ‘mersh with this song. Can’t say it’s my favorite song in the world, but I do love that riff.


OK, those are some of the records everyone is familiar with. Now let’s go for some of the more overlooked releases of 1994.



California pop-punk made a big splash with hits by Green Day, Offspring and Rancid, but I’ll let this furious face-puncher from Portland punks Fitz of Depression fly the flag for ’94 Neo-Punk.  For me a great punk rock song should leave you feeling like you just got jumped by a bunch of guys in the alley. You should be like, “what the fuck just happened?” Like here.



The Veldt were a band who put a soul sheen on 90s guitar rock. This is a phenomenal song and really should have gotten more exposure. Those chord changes melt my brain.



When I first conceived this series of 90s deep cuts, this was one of the songs foremost in my thoughts. This industrial post-punk band never really caught on, possibly on account of the fact they called themselves “Dink.”



The grand-daddies of Industrial postpunkmetalwhatever returned to the scene and got the most stateside exposure they would ever enjoy.  Pandemonium featured vocals recorded inside the Kings Chamber of the Great Pyramid and more scorchingly-catchy riffs than you can wave a magic wand at.



The Flaming Lips took a lot of drugs, recorded this freak-pop classic, took some more drugs, then recorded something else. Enjoy.



The industry cracked down on sampling by '94, so sample-crazed sound terrorists Renegade Soundwave were facing the end of the road. They did manage another nicely nihilistic toe-tapper. It features one of my favorite verses of all time: “We deliver, never start without me/ Because when I find my sounds/ You’re going to wish you’d taken acid.”



Eric Avery and David Navarro did their post-Janes Addiction thing, which was a kind of Primus-Chili Peppers-beatnik poetry fusion that I think no one actually bought but me. Needless to say, I love this album. David Navarro was my favorite guitarist for quite some time, largely on the strength of it.



Speaking of beatnik poetry, Soul Coughing released their classic, all-killer debut album. It’s hard to pick a favorite but I’ll go with this, since it’s the first thing I ever heard from them. Set your alarm for 5 AM and listen to it again then.



Another bunch of weirdos that got pulled into the almighty X-Files orbit released their hilariously non-Woke Chocolate and Cheese album. Again, hard to pick just one but this song is absolute genius. These guys are great musicians, believe it.



Lush released this great set, a very nice recovery after the somewhat wan Spooky album. Unfortunately they’d turn into Elastica on their next album. But it put some much-needed moolah in their pockets, so you go, girls.



I’m feeling like there are a lot of songs I’m overlooking but that’s what addenda are for. So let’s close this out with this bulletproof bonanza of beauteous pop gold, featuring Nina Persson looking and sounding fresh as a daisy.


Now get your ass in gear and drop some of your 1994 favorites in the comments. 



Don't forget The Secret Sun Institute of Advanced Synchromysticism, now holding classes in the highly strange. There's a ton of exclusive material up already and so much more on the way. 


And don't forget the all-night 90s lotus party over at SHRR...


23 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Another huge year, and agree, up there with 1991 in terms of monumental releases.

    Stoked you picked 'Still Remains' from Purple. Definitely the highlight of the album and possibly the band for me. Untoldly beautiful melodies from Weiland at his prime there. 'Loungefly' was also a good one - really dark and experimental for a grunge track. Definitely like no other song around at the time.

    Yep trip hop had definitely arrived by 94. One of the best, legitimately new genres of the 90s - and well overdue for a comeback or re-interpretation. Still incredibly dark and paranoid, yet a smoother anecdote to all the scruffiness of grunge and indie at the time. Perhaps symptomatic of the pre-millienial tension starting to take ahold of the culture. On this note, the Bladerunner Soundtrack finally got officially released in 94 I think, which was a big influence on the genre. I cannot say enough good things about the track 'Wait For Me', an incredibly smooth, almost sensual piece, but with a foreboding darkness at its core.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dctsh_1zjOM

    Superunknown is still one of the most impressive albums of the decade. Perhaps the last TRULY great rock album ever?? I happen to believe that when Cobain put that shotgun into his mouth (or whatever actually happened) he took the essence of Rock and Roll with him. At least Rock and Roll as being a legitimate symbol of rebellion and anti-authority.

    A few other things that I dug from '94:

    Bark Psychosis - Hex
    Hugely influenced by late-Talk Talk, this proto-post rock album is still probably better than all the post rock albums that would come out in the next few years. Check out these tunes:
    Loom : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-6lvU3O6kM
    Absent Friend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4OSxc9XYRc (check out the WEAVING GUITARS towards the end...)

    Kyuss - Welcome to Sky Valley
    Their finest moment. Still rocks to this day and def one of the coolest sounding and most listenable albums ever, and kicks the ass of any of the QOTSA records. So many classic tracks but this track pretty much became their defacto anthem:
    Gardenia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8VmoqBz9Vg

    Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the bad seeds was a lot of fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrxePKps87k

    I'll get crucified for the next one, but at one time, a friend and I thought this could be the most exquisite pop song ever made. It's tailormade for early 90s yuppies who are yearning for something a bit more spiritual than the coke and hookers wall street pop hits from the late 80s. I'm suprised it wasn't released on any of those 'Pure Moods' CD compilations that were selling by the truckload in the early 90s. Anyways here's Martin Page (producer behind King of Wishful Thinking et al), doing his best Gordon Sumner impression. The dude can write a good tune though:
    Martin Page - The House of Stone and Light : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIa9UEXd98Q

    Last minute addition is this ripping tune from the Pumpkins supremely underrated Pisces Iscariot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEvce93W9GI
    I almost prefer this b-side album to the bloated Mellon Collie, which does have moments of brilliance but overrated

    ReplyDelete
  3. At the time, i thought Superunknown was overblown and half the record of BadMotorFinger. However, I did love Fresh Tendrils (largely Matt Cameron's tune) and Head Down (Ben Shepherds finest).

    Mark Lanegan hasn't always delivered in terms of quality, but his Whisky for the Holy Ghost solo effort is truly momentous. If you haven't, check out Shooting Gallery.

    Big .nostalgic props to the following:

    Nailbomb - World of shit
    Machine Head - Davidian
    Helmet - the silver Hawaian
    AC - Unbelievable (EMF cover)
    Pantera - 5 minutes alone
    Public Enemy - whole lotta love going on in the middle of hell
    Future Sound of London - Flak
    Pavement - cut your hair
    Melt Banana - Pierced eye

    Finally, it wasn't released in 1994, but via Pulp Fiction, was the first time I ever heard Rumble by Link Wray.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yup, 1994 was frickin' amazing for alternative rock, for music in general. I gotta echo the kudos for STP's "Still Remains". It is definitely my favorite song of theirs. And I totally agree with the previous poster regarding the Blade Runner soundtrack, which took so long to get released, finally in '94. It is quite simply my all-time favorite soundtrack to, of course, one of my all-time favorite films (it's Top 5 for sure).

    Not surprisingly, Chris mentioned so many of the fantastic albums released in 1994 and provided a classic from each, so I'll mention some other fab tracks from most of said albums and add a bunch more:

    Pearl Jam - "Tremor Christ"
    Soundgarden - "The Day I Tried to Live"
    Liz Phair - "Whip-Smart"
    Portishead - "It Could Be Sweet"
    Jeff Buckley - "Lilic Wine"
    Stone Temple Pilots - "Vasoline"
    Green Day - "Longview"
    Nirvana - "The Man Who Sold the World"
    Live - "White Discussion"
    Oasis - "Live Forever"
    Blur - "Parklife"
    Massive Attack - "Protection"
    Sonic Youth - "Sweet Shine"
    Dinosaur Jr. - "Feel the Pain"
    The Stone Roses - "Ten Storey Love Song"
    Elvis Costello - "Kinder Murder"
    Sugar - "Gee Angel"
    The Tragically Hip - "Grace, Too"
    Neil Young - "Change Your Mind"
    Sam Phillips - "I Need Love"
    Pink Floyd - "What Do You Want From Me"
    Frank Black - "Headache"
    Beck - "Truckdrivin' Neighbors Downstairs"
    The Jesus and Mary Chain - "Sometimes Always"
    Hole - "Miss World"
    Morrisey - "The More You Ignore Me, the Closer I Get"
    The Pretenders - "Night in My Veins"
    Underworld - "Cowgirl"
    L7 - "Andres"
    The Cranberries - "Zombie"
    Sinead O'Connor - "Fire on Babylon"
    The Offspring - "Come Out and Play"
    Weezer - "Say It Ain't So"
    Stereolab - "Wow and Flutter"
    Guided By Voices - "Echos Myron"
    Lush - "Lit Up"
    The High Llamas - "Checking In, Checking Out"
    Pavement - "Cut Your Hair"
    Nine Inch Nails - "Mr. Self Destruct"
    R.E.M. - "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?"
    Nas - "The World is Yours"
    Luna - "Sleeping Pill"
    Toad the Wet Sprocket - "Fall Down"
    Sloan - "Coax Me"
    Radiohead - "My Iron Lung"
    Veruca Salt - "Seether"
    Maria McKee - "If Love Is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags)"
    Tom Petty - "Hard On Me"

    ReplyDelete
  5. I can forgive you because you are an American... but Canada was engaged in its own unique alt-rock renaisance in the 90's. The pinnacle by far for me is the Rheostatics.. vritually unknown outside of their national borders. I present to you, in order to be relevant, the leadoff track of 94's Introducing Happiness... but I urge you to dig deeper as the treasures this band gave are limitless and defy definition.
    https://youtu.be/dqIyaJiwNys

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hot damn kudos to you for bringing in the Rheos. A best kept secret if ever there was one.

      Delete
    2. Martin Tielli is one of our greatest unsung luminaries.

      Delete
    3. What do you think of Uncle Bumbo's Christmas from Nick Buzz? Mysterious and coded as usual for Tielli, but he's knocking the globbo warble cult for half the song.

      Delete
    4. I never have listened to any of the Nick Buzz stuff, this gives me something to do. Tielli, when he's not a wreck, can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned.

      Delete
  6. Hundred percent Matt. I'll post a fave song for every other year too. Chris needs to check these guys out if he's going on a deep dive alt-rock 90's kick!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have been loving this trip back to the 90s Chris! I don't know if anyone else has posted one of these but I've been making a spotify playlist you inspired and will keep adding to:

    https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3RN9vo01J9SYgfpMveQBIK?si=0be56889c17e4dd2

    Thanks Chris!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love this selection of tunes, man. Ahhh, the glorious nineties. Back when being a Millennial just meant watching Frank Black battling Lucy Butler for the fate of all mankind. Simpler, sexier times, ya know? :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. So many good songs! Amazing how similar our tastes are. Very hard to pick for '94, I had to cut so many songs from my list because of overlap. Anyways, here goes:

    Lisa Germano: My Secret Reason
    Archers of Loaf: Lowest Part is Free
    Bad Religion: Infected
    Velocity Girl: Sorry Again
    Echobelly: Insomniac
    Meat Puppets: Backwater
    Manic Street Preachers: Faster
    Low: Lullaby
    Stereolab: Ping Pong
    The Jesus Lizard: Fly on the Wall
    Bjork: Big Time Sensuality
    Rollins Band: Liar
    Juliana Hatfield Three: Spin the Bottle
    Cracker: Get Off This
    Cowboy Junkies: Sweet Jane
    Tori Amos: God
    Ween: Freedom of '76
    Urge Overkill: Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon
    Sebadoh: Magnet's Coil
    Afghan Whigs: Gentlemen
    Alice in Chains: No Excuses
    Jeff Buckley: Last Goodbye
    Mazzy Star: Fade Into You
    Pavement: Gold Soundz
    Nine Inch Nails: Closer

    ReplyDelete
  10. Given Perfume Tree's Vancouver base of operations It's a wonder they never featured in "The X-Files", is It possible that Carter, Anderson & Duchovney didn't hear some tune of theirs at a drinking hole in the city or weren't present at some soiree at which the band played a set as part of an evening's meeting & greeting only to envisage some forthcoming "X" scene soundtracked by the band? Did no one in the local production office know the band & put in a word for them? Maybe, possibly, seems It was so or perhaps they didn't sound a good fit?

    Their 1994 album "The Sun's Running Out", which includes "Here To Haunt You", "Faint Magick", "Charmer", "Swirl", "Sea", "Never The Same Again", "Listen To My Head", "Violet Shift", "Paradise", ends with the extremely Cocteau Twinsey "Days Like These":

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMVkXyn3BTM&list=PLk73fMyoaD8vlS9i8WgMvN1p08whREmxE&index=16

    the vocals in particular sounding particuarly Twinsey.

    ReplyDelete
  11. He's even entertaining in full on wreck mode. I've seen stuff where he took the ditch so hard it looked like an Andy Kaufman con.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To me, "Nick Buzz" is a quintessentially mid-nineties Toronto indie band name. It could be a character from a Bruce McDonald movie.

      Delete
    2. Bruce Mcdonald was brought up again to me this week... I gotta rewatch those films! And dig into the one's I never saw.

      Delete
  12. You are all so sweet to share what you care about- I send you all a hug in whatever form will feel best of all((()))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That was really sweet to read! Imagine if the internet was full of kindness like this?

      Delete
  13. From the album... "Just call me Nick... cause I'm the buuuuuzz!" ha! If you haven't heard it... you are in for a WAY stranger experience than you are expecting! Absolute legends on that album.. and the other one. The name is of course a reference to his prodigious nicotine habit.

    Nothing beats Tielli's solo album Operation Infinite Joy however... strongly recommend you get that if you haven't heard it yet.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I had to go back in time for this one.
    Magic Hour's "No Excess is Absurd", exceptionally fuzzy, breezy and not-grunge, here's "Sally Free and Easy":
    httpss://youtu.be/3ZRz4SksCyM

    ReplyDelete
  15. Shudder to Think "X-French Tee Shirt"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixr7laXgV1c

    lovesliescrushing "BabyBreath"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLe_-ZZbs5k

    Beautiful mix of Loveless era MBV and Cocteau Twins.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Shudder to Think "X-French Tee Shirt"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixr7laXgV1c

    lovesliescrushing "Babybreath"

    Beautiful mix of Loveless era MBV and Cocteau Twins

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLe_-ZZbs5k

    ReplyDelete

Tell me your secret history.