90’s Music

Music
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While we’ve been in lockdown, I’ve been listening to loads of 90’s music. I never really revisited it properly like I have with the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s for some reason but finding it really interesting as it was a decade I was ‘there’ for I was 6-16 between 90 & 99, but certainly til 98 I basically listened to chart music and Britpop.

Since then I’ve gone back and got the canonical albums obviously, but I’m interested to know what people’s recommendations are. What are the absolutely essential 90’s records, that there’s no accurate portrait of the decade without…

Cheers

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Just as a starter, I’m listening to ‘Loveless’ now. Aware of it, but never really properly listened to it before. I’m not sure it’s aged that well…

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Kind of a big question! Are there any genres that you particularly like?

Off the top of my head these are a couplrof my favourites where I think the critical consensus is pretty positive overall, but obviously leaves out loads. 90s was absolutely massive for hip hop for example and I’ve only recommended two

Wu Tang Clan - Enter The Wu Tang
Stereolab – Dots And Loops
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Volume II
The Boo Radleys - Giant Steps
Failure - Fantastic Planet
Boredoms - Vision Creation Newsun
The Flaming Lips – Clouds Taste Metallic
Super Furry Animals – Radiator
Björk – Homogenic
Daft Punk – Homework
Nas - Illmatic

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This is perfect cheers.

Never heard Stereolab at all I don’t think, and outside of Wake Up Boo, never knowingly listened to the Boo Radleys. Will rectify that now.

Stuff like Bjork & Aphex Twin & Wu-Tang I’ve gone back to afterwards and now love.

What I suppose I’m looking for is stuff like that Stereolab record, that won’t be top of a FIVE HUNDRED GREATEST RECORDS OF THE 90’S list. I know those, it’s albums people really love that I won’t find near the top of those.

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For me the 90s is all about US indie rock. So much great stuff. Pavement, Smog, Silver Jews, Cat Power etc etc.

And this is obv the best album of the 90s

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Amazing. Never listened to Built to Spill.
It’s on the list ta!

Cat Power I think I’ve got it all.
Find Pavement very hit and miss. Sorry, I know that’s sacrilege.

Not made anywhere near enough effort with Silver Jews or Smog. Will rectify that too.

This is all great, cheers. Keep it coming.

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Knock Knock by Smog is his best for me.

Also away from the US stuff I’ve been getting into The Beta Band again, The Three EPs is excellent

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My favourite decade of music. The best Built to Spill albums are Keep it Like a Secret and Perfect From Now On. They’re on YouTube but out of print in the UK everywhere else.

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Thank you! Yep, love the 3 Ep’s, but prob only got that in 2010.

It’s a weird decade for me. I remember all the big stuff. Bought loads of records, but missed entire genres, scenes, everything as my scope was so limited.

Then looking back there seems to be less of a definite consensus than other decades - aside from OK Computer, Nevermind - consensus is really wide.

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Yep, love this.

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Never heard this. On the list. Cheers!

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Disco Inferno - The Five EPs

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Ok cool.

Couple more hip hop records that I should have recommended last time

Outkast – Aquemini,
The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die and
A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory

And some other favourite albums that aren’t part of the general 90s cannon (I don’t think)

Motorpsycho – Blissard
Tortoise – TNT
Superdrag – Head Trip In Every Key
Flying Saucer Attack - Flying Saucer Attack
Earth – Earth 2
Red Red Meat - Bunny Gets Paid
Michael Head & The Strands ‎– The Magical World Of The Strands

If you like death metal or hardcore or garage punk (90s was big for all of these too), have a couple more recommendations, but I know that not everybody does…

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Belting compilation that :+1: they’re album proper from that era ‘D.I goes pop’ is a proper lost classic.

If you’re into Nick Cave then I would recommend Rowland S Howard’s ’ Teenage Snuff Film’. A staggering album if you like that noir-ish to kind of rock n roll.

I always think the 90’s is when the ‘soundtrack to an imaginary film’ genre really took hold, a lot of great stuff there…

Sabres Of Paradise - Haunted Dancehall
David Holmes - Let’s Get Killed
Primal Scream - Vanishing Point/Echo Dek
Barry Adamson - Oedipus Schmoedipus/ As above so below/Moss Side Story (from '89 but amazing and arguably kick started the genre…)

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Angel Dust by Faith No More, please
And the first two Portishead albums
Oh, then of course Maxinquaye by Tricky too

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Cornershop, Gorkys?

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The Olivia Tremor Control’s two albums are both great

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Really recommend tracking this book down. Think you can buy it second-hand for a couple of pounds
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seven-Years-Plenty-Ben-Thompson/dp/0575401699

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Drugstore - Drugstore (my favourite album of 1995)
Afghan Whigs - Black Love
Yo La Tengo - Painful
Tindersticks - First Album
Silver Jews - Starlite Walker
Palace Songs - Hope
Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix
Stereolab - Mars Audiac Quintet
The Delgados - Peloton
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Let Love In
Portishead - Portishead
Tricky - Maxinquaye
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
Pernice Brothers - Overcome By Happiness

I was very partial to Prolapse in the 90s (still am), particularly their Italian Flag album, but they are not for everybody.

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This isn’t a very cool option, and the band themselves are so ubiquitous that you’ve almost certainly heard it already but if not then Foo Fighters - The Colour & The Shape. Flawless album imo.

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