THAT'S RIGHT....

ARTIST: NAZ FT. R. KELLY
ALBUM: N/A
SONG: STREET DREAMS RE:MIX
DATE: 1996
STATUS: ACQURED

Naz was the realest MC. Somehow he walked the line of dishing out gangster fantasies and morality tales. In this Remix (and in the 90's it seams like every rap song was closely followed by a remix) R. Kelly provides the hook. Kelly was a rather generic R&B act at this time but he hints at the crazy genius that would follow on albums like "In the Closet" when he tosses in the line "That's right"

SO MANY HEADLINES

ARTIST: HOLE
ALBUM: CELEBRITY SKIN
SONG: CELEBRITY SKIN
DATE: SEPTEMBER 1, 1998
STATUS: ACQUIRED

To much tabloid bounce back gets in the way of appreciating Live Through This, and even more so Celebrity Skin.  Live Through This is a great album, but it does sound very heavily influenced by Nirvana. There's nothing wrong with that. A lot of bands wanted to sound like Nirvana, and Love brought an intense energy to the role of lead singer that separated the band from other acts. Celebrity Skin is a little more pop, and seems to represent an emergence of Love's own view point.

NEO SOUL

ARTIST: ERYKAH BADU
ALBUM: BADUIZUM
SONG: ON & ON
DATE: JANUARY 24, 1997
STATUS: ACQUIRED

Soul in the early 90's was New Jack. Flat and tiny. Heavy on the dance beat. Following close on its heals was hip-hop soul. Thick heavy beats and big church voices like Mary J. Blige. Then followed Neo Soul. More earthy with a greater emphasis on real instruments, or at least mixes that sounded more like real bands.

Ms. Badu was the leading edge of this sound. Her songs were soaked in a mix of new age and afro centric mysticism. On & On's mysticism is reflected in the down home southern retelling of the Cinderella story of the video.

OLD COUNTRY IS ALWAYS COOL

ARTIST: JOHNNY CASH
ALBUM: UNCHAINED
SONG: I;VE BEEN EVERYWHERE
DATE: 1996
STATUS: NOT ACQUIRED

Country, real country, made for coal miners and cotton pickers, by coal miners and cotton pickers, was supplanted by new country in the nineties. New country is a pop abomination of Australians and Garth Brooks pretending to be from Tennessee and singing odes to ignorance and stupidity which reassure the dumb that dumb is the place to be. But enough hate for Friday.

Fortunately Rick Rubens got together with Johnny Cash to bring real country back into the light, and Johnny Cash, the man in black rode back into America's consciousness. We're all better for it. Unchained is better remembered for Cash's cover of "Rusty Cage" by Soundgarden. "I've Been Everywhere" wraps up the album in a tone that rarely heard on Cash's American recordings, the fun crowd pleaser that got people up on their feet and stomping around. Originally an Australian song (so Australians actually know a little about real county) written by Geoff Mack, the American version obviously uses the names of American cities in place of Australian cities.

DANCE HALL BREAK

ARTIST: PATRA
ALBUM: QUEEN OF THE PACK
SONG: QUEEN OF THE PACK
DATE: 1993
STATUS: ACQUIRED

So, where did they get the dancers for this video? Am I missing something, is this a cultural thing I don't get? I mean, I get the hip grinding and the booty shaking, even at burning Caribbean sun intensity levels of Jamaica, but did they cast this video at the Claremont?

Patra had a nice run of hits on BET and Rap and R&B radio stations. Here early work was more austerely Dance Hall. As here career progressed the singles became more and more American in tone.

ALTERNATIVE TO ALTERNATIVE

ARTIST: SEBADOH
ALBUM: BAKESALE
SONG: REBOUND
DATE: APRIL 23, 1994
STATUS: NOT ACQUIRED

Not exactly a side project of Dinosaur Jr. Bassist, Lou Barlow, and definitely a higher priority than Barlow's other project, Folk Implosion, Sebadoh was more of an ongoing chess game that its members frequently fiddled with to produce punkier and popier songs than their other projects. "Rebound" is a great mid nineties Lo-Fi rocker.

GEEK SHEEK REVOLUTION

ARTIST: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
ALBUM: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
SONG: BULLET IN YOUR HEAD
DATE: NOVEMBER 3, 1992
STATUS: ACQUIRED

Rage never fits easily into any compilation. They care too much and they rock too mighty. Then again, what makes for good political rock, maybe doesn't make for great politics, which is an entirely different level of confusion.  When does patronizing an artist transgress into endorsement. Its too easy to turn poetic lyrics into simplistic ideologies, and to infer simplistic ideologies from poetic lyrics. 

In any event, Rage is right on this count, its better to be educated and prepared to fire the mental bullets than to have them fired at you.

IS THAT JENNIFER ANISTON?

ARTIST: TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS
ALBUM: SONGS AND MUSIC FOR SHE'S THE ONE
SONG: WALLS
DATE: JULY, 29, 1996
STATUS: NOT ACQUIRED

One of my favorite albums from Tom and the Heartbreakers. I particularly enjoy their covers of Lucinda William's "Change the Locks" and Beck's "Asshole". Also good is the original rocker, "Zero from Outer Space". Generally the tone of the album is darker, than other Petty efforts but it feels more clear-eyed than dower.

DO THE HIPPIE SHAKE LIKE ITS 1993

ARTIST: THE LEMONHEADS
ALBUM: COME ON FEEL THE LEMONHEADS
SONG: INTO YOUR ARMS
DATE: 1993
STATUS: ACQUIRED

Punk songs don't have to be loud and angry, they just have to be short and simple. Sometimes they can be earnest, up-beat, love songs, and that's great. brevity kicks ass.

SKA BANDS LOVE TO HOP

ARTIST: THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES
ALBUM: DON'T KNOW HOW TO PARTY
SONG: SOMEDAY I SUPPOSE
DATE: 1993
STATUS: ACQUIRED

The Bosstones' horn section is just phat. They sound great on vinyl or cassette, and Dickey Barrett is a supreme front man. He just wrangles all that sound and pushes it to the back of the room. Sounds great. I wonder if he had the same voice as little kid?  I bet he totally did.

The point is, horns are cool. They really are, and so are the Bosstones. Its too bad more bands can't pull of the horn section. Come to think of it, its to bad more high school marching bands don't play ska music. Save those kids some ass beatings, and there's nothing worse than getting your ass beat for being talented.

THIS IS MY BOOM STICK!

ARTIST: METALLICA
ALBUM: METALLICA
SONG: ENTER SANDMAN
DATE: JULY 29, 1991
STATUS: ACQUIRED

Sure MetallicA got a little more musical with this album, but I also think the rest of the world caught up with Metallica. For years Metallica was the monster prowling around the outside of the cabin, and this song was that monster beating down the door. Sure the monster wasn't some demon from another world, it was just a bear, but JESUS THERE'S A FRIGGIN BEAR IN THE CABIN, AND HE'S HUNGRY!!!! RUN!!! I WISH IT WAS JUST SOME DAMN DEMON!!!

LITTLE BO PEEP TO LOST SHEEP...PARTY DOWN

ARTIST: BIG AUDIO DYNAMITE II
ALBUM: THE GLOBE
SONG: RUSH
DATE: JUNE 1991
STATUS: ACQUIRED

I bet you forgot about the weird ass middle part. I know I did. It was cut out of most radio broadcasts of the song. Mick Jones gets his full "Who" thing on with a fare share of sampling, which was pretty unheard of at the time.

LISTEN TO NED THE BULL

ARTIST: TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS
ALBUM: INTO THE GREAT WIDE OPEN
SONG: LEARNING TO FLY
DATE: APRIL 1991
STATUS: ACQUIRED

Tom Petty believes that if a song is hart to play, its not a good song. He'd probably say the same thing about lyrics. If you have to work hard to decipher them, then they probably aren't any good. That Petty magic shines through on "Learning to Fly". As a teenager it was good to hear someone talk right down to earth in a language I could understand and say, "look, life's a kick in the nuts, don't sweat it. Go out and find something, anything."

Also, I totally forgot about the topless body painted go-go dancer. How'd that play on TV in the early 90's. I mean in a couple shots you can clearly see nipple, and not Frank Cross three-quarter nipple. full on "it must be cold on the set" nipple.  How did Tipper Gore let this happen?

TEARS OF A CLOWN LEVEL DOWNER

ARTIST: MATTHEW SWEET
ALBUM: 100% FUN
SONG: SICK OF MYSELF
DATE: MARCH 14, 1995

Its hard to deny the power of a good power pop song, and a sad sack of a power pop song at that. Holly shit this song is downer. Don't think about it, its Friday, and the guitar hook is fun...jesus, I just want to finish the day, go home an drink the week away. I'd rather drive a cab...

CHAMPION HOTDOG EATER HIROFUMI NAKAJIMA

ARTIST: GOOD LIVES UNDERWATER
ALBUM: LIFE IN THIS SO-CALLED SPACE AGE
SONG: FROM YOUR MOUTH
DATE: MAY 19, 1998
STATUUS: ACQUIRED

The songs cool. I like the song. Its a Johnny-Sad-Balls song, we've heard it a million times, but it's done well here. The thing that really stands out in my memory though is the video. Remember this is before Youtube started blasting unbelievable into our minds 24/7. It used to be you actually had to be some place to see something, or a professional would seek someone out and make a thing which would then be distributed through corporate controlled media. It was simpler time full of lost innocence.

...AND THEY SAY A COMPOOTER CAN DO MY JOB BETTER THAN I CAN DAMN DO IT.

ARTIST: OUTKAST
ALBUM: STANKONIA
SONG: B.O.B.
DATE: SEPTEMBER 2000
STATUS: ACQUIRED

Stankonia was one of the last albums I remember absolutely everyone of my generation owning. It was huge, It was everywhere, and when B.O.B. clicked over on the CD player windows would explode and panties would fall from the sky. Where ever you where, whatever you were doing, the party has just kicked the fuck off. Don't resist, you'll just hurt yourself, channel your inner leopard skin tights and ride the wave.

EDDIE LOVES JAN AND DEAN

ARTIST: PEARL JAM
ALBUM: NO BOUNDARIES: A BENIFET FOR KOSOVAR REFUGEES
SONG: LAST KISS
DATE: JUNE 15, 1999
STATUS: ACQUIRED

It's not a Jan and Dean song, but it sounds like one. I totally forgot about the "No Boundaries" album. Probably just more proof that the 90's was a decade of young people looking for a cause. DARN YOU BILL CLINTON, YOUR STRONG ECONOMY AND YOUR REASONABLE LEFT OF CENTER POLICIES!

It took me a long time to come to grips with Pearl Jam. As great as they are, they aren't cool. You just can't care that much and be cool. Right about the time I was coming around this song hit the charts and it totally confused me. It didn't fit into anything else on the air in the late 90's, which was quickly being overrun by tween acts 'N SYNC and Brittney Spears*, and it didn't fit in with the rest of Pearl Jam's opus. Taken on its own though, its a really nice sweet song that does somehow fit with Pearl Jam's soul.

*also known as "pedophile chic"

SIR GODFREY TIBBET

ARTIST: OASIS
ALBUM: (WHAT'S THE STORY) MORNING GLORY
SONG: DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER
DATE: FEBRUARY 2, 1996
STATUS: ACQUIRED

Don't Look back in anger is Oasis at their Beatliest. An impression driven home by a video rife with 60's British mod references. The entire mood of the song feels like what Noel Gallagher imagines' a John Lennon lament might be; an impression promoted by the band who claim that some of the lyrics come from an unreleased recording of Lennon's memoirs stolen from the Dakota Hotel. Mythology, true or not, is important.

The video is also a reminder of Liam Gallagher's petulance and Noels arrogance. Liam frequently refused to cooperated with big brother Noel's plans by refusing to perform at concerts or fully participate in video shoots. Noel's solution was simply to do Liam's part.  Noel's voice is fine, but he doesn't have that front man charisma of his brother.