The Board Dot's Top 100 Albums of the 1990s (Discussion)

[dij22]

Jul 17, 2019 9:20:06 GMT -6 chvrchbarrel said:

Phish - Billy Breathes (1996)

Waste is basically a perfect song

[chvrchbarrel]

Jul 17, 2019 9:28:59 GMT -6 @wretched said:

man if anyone besides me or pale hose get to do the Type O Negative write up then i say we quit the board lol

Do it! Which one would you pick? I only made it all the way through October Rust but Bloody Kisses is what drew me in.

[Deleted]

Bloody Kisses would definitely be the one to talk about as it was a bit more of a game changer and is probably more widely accepted as their opus (October Rust rules tho)

there's actually a LOT of darker and heavier stuff i'd love to add to this list but work and life in general has made it really difficult for me to get anything fun done for the last month or so. hopefully should be freeing up soon for me to contribute to this!

[chvrchbarrel]

Jul 17, 2019 10:36:27 GMT -6 @wretched said:

Bloody Kisses would definitely be the one to talk about as it was a bit more of a game changer and is probably more widely accepted as their opus (October Rust rules tho)

there's actually a LOT of darker and heavier stuff i'd love to add to this list but work and life in general has made it really difficult for me to get anything fun done for the last month or so. hopefully should be freeing up soon for me to contribute to this!

No worries at all, contribute what you can when you can. Even if its just a few fleeting thoughts as an album comes to you, your influence here would be appreciated. I am dedicated to listening through everything recommended just to diversify.

[ten15]

Jul 17, 2019 7:53:01 GMT -6 zircona1 said:

Jul 16, 2019 14:59:50 GMT -6 ten15 said:

Too Much Joy - Cereal Killers

Another power pop outfit, but Too Much Joy was almost a novelty act. Goofy lyrics, pop culture references, and songs about beer, Too Much Joy was a riot.

Cereal Killers was the group’s third and most popular album. They never could match the popularity of this one, and they dissolved a few years later. Fans of They Might Be Giants should definitely find something to like here.

Standouts are “Crush Story” (the album’s single), Good Kill (with a KRS-One guest appearance), King of Beers, and the closer, Theme Song - which became a drunken sloppy sing along at the end of their shows ( at least the 2 times I saw them). “Smash a glass, and cry Too Much Joy!”

Whoa, I didn't know you liked Too Much Joy! Awesome. I got into them after reading an interview with Tim Quirk where he told all these crazy stories about how they got sued by Bozo for sampling him on the early version of 'Clowns', and their idea to go down to Florida to play 2 Live Crew songs with a bunch of other bands just to get arrested.

Cereal Killers is good, but my favorite is Son of Sam I Am. I have toyed with covering 'Crush Story' at times. 

I'm gonna go listen to them right now. 

Son of Sam I Am was my introduction to the band. It came out in the 80's though.  Crazy antics and super fun live shows.  

[chvrchbarrel]

Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell (1993)



An essential component of discovering music in the ‘90s-’00s was the public library.

My mom would take all three kids to the library once every other week or so during the summer. I quickly learned that the education I was more interested in was contained in the CD racks - I could flip through the covers of CDs I might have seen in my older cousin’s collection, or at Sam Goody. I’d see names I’d only heard on the radio, unable to associate them with any particular song.
And then you could just walk out with 'em.

Flip...flip...flip…...Meat Loaf? As in, “Bat Out of Hell” Meat Loaf? He’s got more? And it’s Bat Out of Hell TWO!?! A SEQUEL?



Musically, it doesn’t take much to charm an 11 year old transitioning from bubble-gum Disney pop to classic rock and mainstream music. Cue my discovery of the original Bat Out of Hell, tucked into my dad’s old LP collection. The cover art was so incredible, I HAD to hear the music - but we had no turntable. Eventually, my dad bought me a CD copy. The theatrical, over-the-top, rock opera was so accessible. Growing up around grunge and adult alternative, Bat was a more childish brand of dramatic.

The sequel doubles down. Immediately, the banging piano intro of I’d Do Anything For Love assures that you are being plopped right into the center of a Broadway-level production (the song that follows aint bad). Life Is a Lemon furthers the light-hearted darkness that only these silly songs can conjure. Wasted Youth takes a passionate Steinman monologue (similar to the intro of “Hot Summer Night” on the original Bat) and totally jumps the shark.


Bat II is plagued with overindulgence. But the question you have to ask yourself is, “why the hell am I here?” What makes a sequel to Bat Out of Hell worth listening to? Well, everything and nothing. If you need boring, earnest rock, look elsewhere. But if you’re 11 years old at the Tinley Park Public Library and you see a familiar gothic artwork, only to discover that Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman took one of the gaudiest, best-selling rock operas of all time, and tried to one-up themselves 15 years later…


...you pick that shit up.

[Timbo]

Mortal Kombat: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1995)

.


Oh that's right baby! The Soundtrack that defined the 90s, right up in your business. It's kind of a funny story...

Mortal Kombat was a video game popularized in 1992 via arcades and home video game systems. It was noted for it's excessive (for the time anyway) violence, gruesome finishers, and realistic character models. It inspired countless imitators, a number of sequels, animated series, action figures, and of course... the movie. By today's standards, the movie sucks. But before Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB, MK was the best video game movie. Special effects were wild, and there was something ultimately fulfilling about seeing Sub-Zero vs. Liu Kang with that devastatingly awesome finale. The Highlander as Rayden? Sign me up. A cast of mostly unknowns? Heck yeah. The guy who would eventually play the main villain in Billy Zane's The Phantom? IN. The fighting was solid. The special effects were top notch. The story was... okay. But the soundtrack kicked major loads of ass.

I legit owned this on CD, and scratched the shit out of it by playing it so often, usually for the same songs. Opening with "Now for a taste of things to come" got me HYPED TF UP. Somehow the folks at New Line made the right call to have a majority of this soundtrack be brutalizing techno, industrial, and metal. Gravity Kills sounding pretty much like Trent Reznor, and lets not forget about peak KMFDM's classic barn burner Juke Joint Jezebel punching you in the face. Side note, it was also on the Bad Boys soundtrack.

The Traci Lords soundtracked the Reptile fight, in all of it's cheesy glory, giving us Robin Shou literally screaming nonsensically while he does his bicycle kick to somehow finish off Reptile. It doesn't make sense but it's there. There was a lot to love here, like Orbital's "Halcyon and On and On" to finish the movie off in positive light after the largely shit show you just sat through. Or what about how legit crazy Johnny Cage vs. Scorpion was with Fear Factory in the background? DID HE REALLY JUST DO THE SHADOW KICK? WHY IS THE HARPOON ALIVE AND HOW IS IT SO LONG? Naturally they had to dumb down some of the violence, make it PG-13, but the gist is felt.

I don't remember where the Type O Negative song is in the film, but Napalm Death brings us Goro, in laughable fashion. His large stature is hilarious, even if the animations aren't half bad. But it also gave us "those were 500 dollar sunglasses asshole," and Johnny Cage's real-life counterpart defying video game logic and ball busting Goro. Mutha's Day Out? Who the hell is that? Their song "What U See/We All Bleed Red" is their highest streamed song on Spotify, and it's b/c of this fucking soundtrack ya'll. Their whole livelihood was built on the techno bar scene, their 30 seconds of fame, that lead to this fanpage: www.paulcashman.com/mdo/mdo-faq.html

But lets be honest. Everyone bought this soundtrack for one song, and here it is paired with some epic fails.



Techno Syndrome is the song. And it appears in the movie for a whole... minute I think, as Shang Tsung and Liu Kang elbow wrap each other for the fate of the world. Now if that doesn't get you off, I don't know what will. Nor do I care. But Mortal Kombat the soundtrack kicks ass. Basically, this soundtrack played at least a small part in the success of the movie. I bet when execs heard Techno Syndrome they peed a little. The movie ultimately turned a profit, and somehow lead to a sequel, Mortal Kombat: Abomination Annihilation. That soundtrack wasn't as good, and the movie made literally no sense. But it exists and we're all sad because of it. With rumors circulating about a new film, it's safe to assume that if done, Techno Syndrome HAS to be on the soundtrack. Otherwise the movie will fail. And no one wants that. God bless Paul W.S. Anderson.

[chvrchbarrel]

Hey, Type O Negative!

[chvrchbarrel]

Lou Reed & John Cale - Songs For Drella (1990)



I don't have time for a full write-up and I'm still making my way through it, but I didn't know it existed and I wanted to call some attention to it here. Reed & Cale collaborated on these songs in the wake of Andy Warhol's death.

As far as I can tell, it marked the last time the two would work together. It's really great.



for some reason i am thinking Xamnam would like this, some of it is a little TMG-esque

[monasterymonochrome]

Jul 24, 2019 7:57:46 GMT -6 chvrchbarrel said:

Lou Reed & John Cale - Songs For Drella (1990)



I don't have time for a full write-up and I'm still making my way through it, but I didn't know it existed and I wanted to call some attention to it here. Reed & Cale collaborated on these songs in the wake of Andy Warhol's death.

As far as I can tell, it marked the last time the two would work together. It's really great.




for some reason i am thinking Xamnam would like this, some of it is a little TMG-esque

Went on a deep-dive of Lou Reed's career while reading his Anthony DeCurtis bio back in January.  Said it then and I'll say it now - Songs for Drella is his best full project since the dissolution of VU.  

[Tweet]

(peaks in thread 2 days later)

Sir, what the fuck is that take.

[chvrchbarrel]

Dave Matthews Band - Listener Supported (1999)



Sometimes a live album transcends its purpose of documenting a time and place for a particular artist, and becomes such a staple of their career that it must be recognized as such. In 1999, after tedious market research at various Kohls' cargo shorts sections, a startling overlap was found between devout PBS viewers and fans of one of the most iconic, jammiest bands of all time. Cue: Listener Supported.

Recorded a mere 4 years, 8 months, and 12 days before their tour bus would pour feces over Chicago River visitors, Listener Supported sees Dave Matthews Band taking the stage to right many wrongs in their studio catalog. The inspiration is clear - this set has the band pushing. "Two Step," barely sufficient at 6 and a half minutes on "Crash," is stretched to a comfortable 16-minute "jam."* As further evidenced by the soiled Chicago tourists - DMB knows how to lay it on thick.

Even the show's intro, a simple 7-min futzing around, is enchanting in its near-silence. If you pick up PBS's "Listener Supported" DVD, you'll recognize the various spots of crowd noise as the moments each band member takes their shirt off on stage.

There are more people in Dave Matthews Band than in Phish, but if you listen carefully you'll find you're hearing less. Emptiness is the true beauty of Dave Matthews Band - the space between.

*It has been long-rumored that PBS asked the band's saxophone player to really drag out his solos, so they could be recorded as hold music for an upcoming telethon. LeRoi Moore took that secret to the grave in 2008.

[alady]

Perhaps the definitive college boning record of its era. I'm gonna listen to this today.

[chvrchbarrel]

I was just trying to spice up the thread a little today, but I should disclaim that Before These Crowded Streets is on my list.

[zircona1]

I saw them live during that era, one of the most boring shows I've been to.

[Tweet]

Jul 30, 2019 9:06:52 GMT -6 zircona1 said:

I saw them live during that era, one of the most boring shows I've been to.

Did you try boning to it

[ksimone]

I made a playlist folder on Spotify of everything that appealed to me from multiple lists and now I have 258 albums to comb through. This is going to be difficult.

[Deleted]

Is there a good list to use as a reference point? This thread is great with the recommendations, but I was hoping to find some other gems I may have missed.

I was going to do a write-up about Euphoria Morning (which was renamed Euphoria Mourning in 2015 apparently - who knew!) and how that basically was my entire last year of high school, but I think Mookie and I are the only ones who would actually listen to it, so meh.

[chvrchbarrel]

Jul 30, 2019 9:46:59 GMT -6 scoots said:

Is there a good list to use as a reference point? This thread is great with the recommendations, but I was hoping to find some other gems I may have missed.

I was going to do a write-up about Euphoria Morning (which was renamed Euphoria Mourning in 2015 apparently - who knew!) and how that basically was my entire last year of high school, but I think Mookie and I are the only ones who would actually listen to it, so meh.

As a fan of that album, this is tacky (i didnt know it either)

quick edit: i thought it was a reaction to CC's death but he died in 2017?

[Deleted]

I guess that's the title he wanted initially but a manager convinced him to change it. Why he changed it 16 years after the release is beyond me.

[chvrchbarrel]

You should for-sure still do a writeup, its a good piece of music that I'm sure some people would benefit from discovering.

[andrewvb]

vic chesnutt - is the actor happy?






apple music: music.apple.com/us/album/is-the-actor-happy/1436927817

i apologize as i have been meaning to do a write up of this album but haven't had the energy among work and family stuff. but it's a wonderful record. i was introduced to vic through his 2000s albums with godspeed members as his backing band, but his 90s albums are among my favorite alt-country/slowcore stuff. the allmusic write up is a good enticement to listen i think:

Probably as good an album as Chesnutt has made, Is the Actor Happy? verifies his standing as one of the most relevant songwriters of the '90s. Pristine production that insures that not a note is wasted or out of place, it provides the perfect vehicle for Chesnutt's slice-of-life short stories. At times more accessible than the average Chesnutt record with instantly engaging tracks like "Gravity of the Situation," "Onion Soup" and "Guilty By Association" (featuring Michael Stipe), it is still not by any means a light-hearted affair. The album is a beautiful testament to Chesnutt's unique voice and the adversity that he's been through. Heartbreakingly delicate folk rock arrangements are followed by crashing guitar crescendos as the perfect vehicles for taking Chesnutt's songs to places very few songwriters have been or can go.

[chvrchbarrel]

Will give this a spin today avb!

[chvrchbarrel]

Hey ya'll - only 11 days until lists are due! I think I'm very close to wrapping up my listening, and will probably post my list by the end of this week.

I'm going to try to write a little more today, depending on how much time I spend at my desk.

Anyone been listening to anything from the 90s?

[zircona1]

There's 1 or 2 more I want to do a write-up about, I'll try to get on those.

If you want a headstart, they are:

Liz Phair - Whitechocolatespaceegg
Veruca Salt - Eight Arms to Hold You

[chvrchbarrel]

Aug 6, 2019 9:07:04 GMT -6 zircona1 said:

There's 1 or 2 more I want to do a write-up about, I'll try to get on those.

If you want a headstart, they are:

Liz Phair - Whitechocolatespaceegg
Veruca Salt - Eight Arms to Hold You

Nice! The Liz Phair album has one of my favs by her, "Uncle Alvarez"


It looks like I'll have a couple to share today.

[chvrchbarrel]

Butthole Surfers - Independent Worm Saloon (1993)



“I don’t give a fuck about the FBI / I don’t give a fuck about the CIA / I don’t give a fuck about the cash on the street / I don’t give a fuck about anything”



This album is angry. An anxious kind of angry. The paranoia of Who Was In My Room Last Night? The gritty screams that introduce Goofy’s Concern (also the source of the lyrics above.) It all builds - less of an assault, and more of a stewed rage.



This album is funny. Obviously, you can’t take yourselves too seriously with a name like Butthole Surfers. But humor is propped right up against the anger; the aforementioned screaming intro comes right after a skit about eating poop. The Annoying Song attempts to make something heavy out of a chipmunked-out Gibby Haynes (and doesn’t totally fail).



This album was produced by John Paul Jones. He’s remembered as mostly being an abrasive alcoholic in the studio, putting as much effort into the bar tab as the record. It makes Alcohol a little grimier.



This album weaves psych rock through grunge. Everything about Some Dispute Over T-Shirt Sales is wicked. Paul Leary has a field day with his pedalboard on this record, at times sounding like he’s madly stomping at whichever effect catches his foot. Random pockets of delay, modulation, and sudden layers of distortion and overdrive pepper the songs.



Grab a friend, get [redacted], sit on the couch, and put on Independent Worm Saloon.





Highlights: Who Was In My Room Last Night?, Goofy’s Concern, Some Dispute Over T-Shirt Sales, Dust Devil

[ten15]

Aug 6, 2019 8:16:54 GMT -6 chvrchbarrel said:

Hey ya'll - only 11 days until lists are due! 

Oh, hell.  I have spent close to zero time on this.  I am usually all about these lists, but going through this work merger has sucked up all of my time.  There is a zero point two percent chance I get a list together.  

[chvrchbarrel]

Aug 6, 2019 10:20:46 GMT -6 ten15 said:

Aug 6, 2019 8:16:54 GMT -6 chvrchbarrel said:

Hey ya'll - only 11 days until lists are due! 

Oh, hell.  I have spent close to zero time on this.  I am usually all about these lists, but going through this work merger has sucked up all of my time.  There is a zero point two percent chance I get a list together.  

Hey, no worries. Remember, you only need 25 to be eligible, so even if you just want to cobble something together off the top of your head, you can still participate. And if life gets in the way, that's fine too!


I also just gotta share something I found while listening through Pixies' Bossanova:

The opening song "Cecilia Ann" sets the scene for Bossanova perfectly. I start researching this era of the Pixies a bit, and find out its a cover of a Surftones song. I don't recognize that name, and I like some good classic surf rock, so I look up Surftones on Wikipedia.

It redirects to Steve Hoffman, of the somewhat-popular Steve Hoffman Forums, which you should visit if you're ever bored and want to see a message board entirely made up of boomers. Hoffman is popular because he's a renowned audio engineer, so the site appeals to audiophiles looking to debate which of the 135 different presses of Disraeli Gears sounds the best.

Hoffman wrote and recorded the song with a buddy for the sole purpose of leading off a surf-rock anthology Hoffman was compiling in 1989. Pixies covered it the next year.

[andrewvb]

Aug 7, 2019 15:22:12 GMT -6 chvrchbarrel said:

Aight, I think I'm done. 10 days left to submit!

113. Smash Mouth - Astro Lounge
117. Nas - Illmatic

amazing