| Author | Message | ||
     Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 1945 Registered: 05-2005 |
1 Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. It came out on Valentine's Day. I bought it on cassette after college in Dublin that day. I went home, played it and then went back into town to see them play a brilliant gig in The Rock Garden. A classic. 2 Underworld - dubnobasswithmyheadman. A timeless dance record that veers from the New Order-esque Dark And Long to the full-on techno of Dirty Epic. I described it at the time in a college publication as "ice cool". I stand by that! 3 Grant McLennan - Horsebreaker Star. From the pop genius of Simone And Perry to all the beautiful country songs left off the US edition of the album, this is a classic record. It's the album I kept returning to after Grant died. 4 Luna - Bewitched. Blissful pop. Contained the best line of the year: "If you're gonna read your poetry aloud to me I'll have to show you to the door." 5 Blur - Parklife. Their great pop statement. 6 The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Question The Answers. I described it at the time as "Tom Waits fronting a cross between The Specials and Husker Du"! Not so sure I stand by that description, but it is a great ska-core record sung by a guy, Dicky Barrett, with a very deep voice! 7 Nirvana - Unplugged. At the time I wrote: "This disc is the sound of a man cracking at the seams. It makes frightening, depressing listening but is no less brilliant for that." 8 Cardinal - Cardinal. An orch pop classic. 9 Jeff Buckley - Grace. A great debut of so much promise. 10 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Let Love In. Rarely spoken of in the pantheon of Cave's greats, but this is up there with his best. At the time I wrote: "The album has two versions of a song called Do You Love Me. The one that opens the album is an upbeat questioning of a woman's intentions. The other, however, is asking a man who abused Cave as a child why he did it. It makes harrowing, but essential, listening." 11 Therapy? - Troublegum. The first half of it is near-peerless pop-punk. The second half lets the side down a little. 12 Stone Roses - Second Coming. Not many people liked this much. I don't play it very often, but I mostly love it when I do. 13 Single Gun Theory - Flow, River Of My Soul. Perfect pop music with dance beats and eastern samples. It should have been huge. 14 Johnny Cash - American Recordings. His renaissance started here. Delia's Gone is one of the funniest songs ever recorded. 15 Robert Forster - I Had A New York Girlfriend. I didn't love it at the time. I do now. His take on Grant Hart's 2541 does justice to the incredible original. 16 Oasis - Definitely Maybe. I tried for years to deny the greatness of this record. I was wrong to do so. Live Forever is their best song by miles, but almost everything here can make you want to jump about with abandon. 17 dEUS - Worst Case Scenario. A lost rock classic. The best Belgian band ever! Even the song titles were great: Hotellounge (Be The Death Of Me); Let's Get Lost; Suds And Soda. 18 Massive Attack - Protection. Not as brilliant as their albums immediately before and after this one, but some superb songs (and one complete turkey - the cover of Light My Fire). 19 R.E.M. - Monster. The rock album they'd been promising since 1988 and a qualified triumph. Sure, it's no classic, but I really never understood the opprobrium with which it was greeted and is still usually spoken of. 20 Beastie Boys - Ill Communication. At the time I wrote, breathlessly: "Maybe I just never grew up but I've loved everything the B-boys have ever done. This is probably their best record yet, a perfect symbiosis of hardcore rap, loud guitar and 70s funk." Ah, the impetuosity of youth! I don't remember it as being all that good, and certainly not better than Paul's Boutique. Still, makes me want to dig it out and blast it out. In retrospect, a great year for music. | ||
| kevin Member Username: Kevin Post Number: 2016 Registered: 05-2005 |
1. Vauxhall And I - Morrissey 2. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain - Pavement 3. File Under: Easy Listening - Sugar 4. American Recordings - Johnny Cash 5. San Francisco - American Music Club 6. Ill Communication - Beastie Boys 7. Cardinal - Cardinal 8. Dubnobasswithmyheadman – Underworld 9. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works2 10. Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand Padraig - I second the Cardinal selection. Randy, I cant recall if you have mentioned Cardinal before, but if you havent heard this its right up your street I think. An Australian/US collaberation between 2 excellent songwriters, Richard Davies and Eric Matthews | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 964 Registered: 01-2005 |
Was Horsebreaker Star released in 1994? | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 922 Registered: 10-2004 |
Strange that we skipped over 1993 - some great records came out that year. 1994 was not a bad year over all, sprinkled as it was with a few classics. 1. High Llamas - Gideon Gaye (stunningly beautiful!) 2. Louis Philippe - Sunshine (Philippe's best, imho) 3. Magnetic Fields - Charm of the Highway Strip (my personal fav) 4. Everything But the Girl - Amplified Heart (a strong return to form) 5. Lush - Split (their best album) 6. Stereolab - Mars Audiac Quintet 7. Nick Cave - Let Love In (his last good album, everything since has been sad self-parody) 8. AMC - SF 9. Eggstone - Somersault 10. Saint Etienne - Tiger Bay 11. Magnetic Fields - Holiday 12. Nick Heyward - From Monday to Sunday (not a great album, but "Kite" is so amazing) 13. Velocity Girl - Simpatico (dug this at the time, probably not so into it now) | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 1496 Registered: 03-2005 |
Ok, searching through my music list for 1994, the following are the ones that stand out for me: 1. Macho Champions -- Ashtray Boy. I'm still new to this incarnation of Randal Lee, but this is one of the more consistent albums. 2. Character Assassination -- Ed Kuepper. Probably Kuepper's most consistent individual album until the new one. 3. Horsebreaker Star -- Grant. I know some people don't love this album. I do, intensely. 4. Misere -- Monochrome Set. Silly lyrics, great music and arrangements. I used to listen to Dead Can Dance's "Toward the Within" a lot. I'd have to see how it stands up now. Ditto for "Mars Audiac Quintet." It's only about half a great album but I have to give honorable mention to David McComb's "Love of Will." Kevin, I am aware of Cardinal. I believe Padraig directed me to them. Eric Matthews even asked to be a MySpace friend! (In other words, I think his PR flunky asked to be a MySpace friend). | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 966 Registered: 01-2005 |
We should do 1993 next month. It was a great year for indie pop and shoegazer/dream pop. | ||
| Rob Brookman Member Username: Rob_b Post Number: 1094 Registered: 08-2006 |
Two years in one month? What the heck. '94 was a banner year for indie-rock, IMO. 1. Iris Dement - "My Life" 2. Sonic Youth - "Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star" 3. Latin Playboys - "Latin Playboys" 4. Sugar - "File Under: Easy Listening" 5. Sebadoh - "Bakesale" 6. Beck - "Mellow Gold" 7. Nirvana - "MTV Unplugged" 8. Hole - "Live Through This" 9. Pavement - "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain" 10. Ass Ponys - "Electric Rock Music" | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 968 Registered: 01-2005 |
If we are putting Horsebreaker Star in 1994, then: 1. Grant McLennan - Horsebreaker Star (my favorite GB's solo album) 2. Iris Dement - My Life 3. Lush - Split 4. Stereolab - Mars Audiac Quintet 5. Blur - Parklife 6. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Let Love In 7. Everything But the Girl - Amplified Heart 8. Neil Young - Sleeps With Angles 9. Luna - Bewitched 10. Portishead - Dummy 11. Sam Phillips - Martinis and Bikinis 12. Eric Clapton - From The Cradle 13. Johnny Cash - American Recordings 14. cub - Come On, Come On 15. Flying Saucer Attack - Flying Saucer Attack 16. Freedy Johnston - This Perfect World 17. Cranes - Loved 18. Velocity Girl - Simpatico (not nearly as good as 1993's Copacetic) 19. Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album) 20. Tori Amos - Under The Pink 21. Soundgardern - Superunknown 22. Kristin Hersh - Hips and Makers 23. Sarah McLaughlin - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy 24. Tsunami - The Heart's Tremolo 25. Massive Attack - Protection | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 302 Registered: 05-2005 |
I know I will be HOWLED down by the vast majority of shoegazer/Ride fans here, but 1994 was dominated by one album for me - Carnival of Light by Ride. I think it's the best 60's album that never came out in the 60's!!! 1000 miles is the best Byrds song that they never did and one of my all time faves along with Rain and Turn! Turn! Turn!. I took it to Nepal and India at the end of the year and it will forever be the soundtrack of my memories there. Also spectacular to smoke with! Another great smoking album of that year was Sometime anywhere, the Church's most experimental album. Also possibly the last hurrah of overtly catchy and poppy Church stuff like Business Woman. Great loping psychedelic masterpieces like Dead Man's Dream (with that eliptic backwards guitar riff) and Fly Home (that drifts off into interstellar space with it's probing insistent bass) - totally GREAT STUFF! I know these 2 have not been mentioned yet, but unlike previous "best of the years", there doesn't seem to be much consensus yet like the other years always end up having - very interesting!!! | ||
| David Gagen Member Username: David_g Post Number: 129 Registered: 02-2007 |
Sleeps With Angels - NY & Crazy Horse. My fav for the year (along with Grace, Let Love In) Mirror Blue - Richard Thompson (Mingus Eyes one of my fav RT songs) | ||
| XY765 Member Username: Judge Post Number: 391 Registered: 01-2006 |
Much the same as others: Crooked Rain Crooked Rain - Pavement Stoned & Dethroned - Jesus & Mary Chain Bewitched - Luna Sleeps With Angels - Neil Young & Crazyhorse Mellow Gold - Beck Unplugged – Nirvana Charm Of The Highway Strip – Magnetic Fields Watusi – The Wedding Present | ||
| XY765 Member Username: Judge Post Number: 393 Registered: 01-2006 |
Forgot Highs Lows and Heavenly Blows by Spectrum | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 390 Registered: 07-2006 |
nice list michael! i don't know how i managed to miss this, but stay tuned... | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 391 Registered: 07-2006 |
three of my favourite ever records manics - the holy bible suede - dog man star pulp - his n hers also-esque... saint etienne - tiger bay pavement - crooked rain crooked rain lush - split blur - parklife sonics - experimental, etc hole - live through this oasis - definitely maybe massive attack - protection stone roses - second coming ride - carnival of light (snaps geoff) nine inch nails - the downward spiral magnetic fields - the charm of the highway strip veruca salt - amerigan thighs weezer - s/t grant - horsebreaker star notorious big - ready to die korn - s/t (couldn't keep it to myself) pretty great, really | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 1073 Registered: 01-2005 |
ride - carnival of light, veruca salt - american thighs, saint etienne - tiger bay, almost made my list. Don't own: Jeff Buckley - Grace Cardinal - Cardinal American Music Club - San Francisco Sugar - File Under: Easy Listening Hole - Live Through This Magnetic Fields - Charm Of The Highway Strip Sonic Youth - Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 392 Registered: 07-2006 |
you'll wanna get your hands on those last three michael! i'd post you my copy of grace (zzzz....), but i already unloaded it onto my sister a few years back. as long as someone's enjoying it i guess. i forgot amplified heart on my list too...probably the best from ebtg in terms of a very pleasing medium of their old and the new sound. | ||
| Ewan Talisker McEwan Member Username: Ewan_mcewan Post Number: 75 Registered: 02-2008 |
Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom. "You get the ankles and I'll get the wrists." | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 351 Registered: 05-2005 |
Joe, I thought I was the only person who found "Grace" totally boring with Robert Plant's vocal histrionics wrecking (possibly) good arrangements(and passable jingle jangle!). | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 393 Registered: 07-2006 |
hah....actually, jeff's sporadic wail is just about the only thing i liked about it. all in all, ridiculously meandering (he seems to have missed that bit in spite of his vocal smiths adoration) and unmemorable. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 1078 Registered: 01-2005 |
Jeff's dad could certainly wail with the best of them, in a good way. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1089 Registered: 10-2004 |
Oh man, I can't stomach Tim Buckley's singing, not even for like 2 seconds. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 1080 Registered: 01-2005 |
Jeff, Not even Song to a Siren? | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1091 Registered: 10-2004 |
I LOVE the This Mortal Coil version of that song. But when I heard Tim Buckley's, I turned it off so I could listen to someone scratching nails on a blackboard instead. | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 395 Registered: 07-2006 |
it's all true! ditto for jeff's version of kanga-roo. one of my favourite songs of all time, but from him, just so flat. if only "it'll end in tears" got a fraction of the attention and acclaim "grace" has subsequently received.... | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 1094 Registered: 10-2004 |
"It'll End in Tears" is one of my very favorite 4AD records. It's a beautiful, melancholy, seamless piece of work, and extra kudos for successfully attempting such cool covers. Maybe I should be embarrassed to admit this (and I'm exposing my relatively younger age) but "It'll End in Tears" was my first exposure to Kangaroo and Holocaust (when I was 13). I finally heard Big Star's Third several yeas later and was obviously blown away by it, but I'll always love the This Mortal Coil covers just as much. | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 396 Registered: 07-2006 |
beautiful jeff...i feel much the same way. i got into it'll end in tears before i ever heard third too, which i've subsequently grown to love. i love that both versions of kangaroo are achingly beautiful, but in entirely different ways. serious confessions time, the first exposure i got to holocaust was a placebo version they released around 99 i think? i would've been all of 16 at the time i'd say and didn't think a whole lot of it. youth....bless! | ||
| Geoff Holmes Member Username: Geoff Post Number: 352 Registered: 05-2005 |
I agree with Jeff about Tim Buckley...except the version of Song to the Siren on the Monkees which leaves the 'Coil version sounding very thin. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 2213 Registered: 05-2005 |
Geoff, was Tim singing and playing live on The Monkees show? Actually, all this talk about Buckley, jeff B that is, the guy he tried to IMHO, imitate MR Robert Plant, did a nice version of Song a few teyears ago on a covers album, which I adored. Haven't played it in ages, wonder if I still like it?! | ||
| David Gagen Member Username: David_g Post Number: 152 Registered: 02-2007 |
Grace inspired my son to sing and write songs. It turned him on to music and song writing and performance. So in our family the album has a special place. He has since collected all the miscellaneous outtakes and live EPs etc. As a result he stopped listening to Metalica and Pearl Jam!! So the album can't be that bad! | ||
| fsh Member Username: Fsh Post Number: 162 Registered: 05-2005 |
David Gagen wrote: "Grace inspired my son to sing and write songs". He's not the only one Grace inspired. Edwyn Collins has been totally inspired by Grace imho. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 1081 Registered: 01-2005 |
TMC's "It'll End in Tears" was also my first exposure to Song to a Siren, Kangaroo and Holocaust after buying a vinyl copy back in 1985. And while I like "Blood" and "Filigree and Shadow", they don't reach the heights of "It'll End in Tears". I didn't get a copy of Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers until the reissue in 1992, and like Jeff I love the TMC and BS versions of K&H equally. |