Albums in My Life: 1994

In 1994, I was still in preschool, so it's no shock that none of the albums on this list were introduced to me in that year.


Alice in Chains: Jar of Flies
I feel like this is Alice in Chains' best record, and as far as I know, it's one of the top selling EPs of all time. Its also Alice in Chains at their most restrained, as a lot of the instrumentation and arrangements are acoustic. I feel like this is the record with some of the band's strongest songwriting, and some of my favorite Alice in Chains songs, like 'Nutshell' and 'No Excuses', are on this EP.






Beck: Mellow Gold
This was the album that put Beck on the map, but also the record that had people calling him a one hit wonder. Apart from 'Loser', most people didn't really give this album a chance, but if you actually give it a fair shake, this project has some great moments. 'Soul Suckin Jerk' and 'Beercan' are just as poppy and quirky, and 'Pay No Mind' and 'Blackhole' indicate some of the folkier directions to come. I feel like pop music audiences weren't quite ready for the genre blending and the slightly dirty, unpolished nature of Mellow Gold. Two years and some hip hop infused Dust Brothers production later, people couldn't get enough of Beck.


Manic Street Preachers: The Holy Bible
This is the Manics masterpiece, in my opinion. The music is strong, and the writing even stronger. This was their last album before the disappearance of lyricist and rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards, who is vastly underappreciated in the world of rock lyricists. The album has such a pessimistic and pitch black world view, and covers a lot of pretty dark subject matter for a mainstream rock record. Let's just say, in the 90's, you didn't see Blur or Oasis singing about prostitution, the holocaust, eating disorders, or serial killers. It also has the best bass tone ever: the disgustingly sludgy opening of 'Archives of Pain'.


Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral
This was the sound of many a disaffected teenagers angst at the time, and for the generations to come. It was also my entry point into Nine Inch Nails, and industrial music in general. The record is so angry and nihilistic and spoke to me to a pretty large degree in my teens and early 20s. I was that kind of kid, I guess. I feel like this album has been discussed and analyzed to death, and yet I can't help but noticed new layers of instrumentation even after listening to it for years. I got the remastered vinyl last year, and it was like becoming reacquainted with an old friend, and yet finding out deep personal secrets from them you never knew.


Weezer: Weezer (The Blue Album)
People see a lot of Weezer material as a bit of a joke, but one listen to this album reminds you that when they're good, that outdoes all the bad. The only weak song on here in my opinion is 'No One Else', and that has more to do with the subject matter than anything else. I love their mix of pop and heavy guitars. Somehow the guitars are mixed to be super fuzzy and heavy, but the melody of the riffs and the rest of the music isn't completely lost, which is a problem I feel occurs all too often. A crowning achievement in '90s pop rock and emo(ish) music, for sure.



Sorry for running a little behind. Holiday stuff has kept me pretty busy. Next time I'll be looking at some formative records from the year I started school (albeit near the end of it): 1995.


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Albums in My Life: 1993

I turned 28 yesterday, making this selection of albums 25 years old. I feel ancient. This year is one of the first where I actually have memories of things being released, so these picks might be a little more informative of my childhood.


Danny Elfman- The Nightmare Before Christmas Soundtrack
When I was a kid, I loved this movie. It may have been co-opted by the Hot Topic crowd, but it still holds a place in my childhood consciousness. The movie had incredible music, and introduced me to darker fare early on. My parents were a little worried this would creep me out, but I ate up every frame. This won't be the last time a soundtrack from a Tim Burton movie will be on this series, and it's because his work and aesthetic was very influential in my life.





Nirvana- In Utero
This is my favorite Nirvana album, and I think this is the album Kurt Cobain always wanted to make. I feel like some compromises were made for Nevermind, but In Utero is noisy, uncompromising, and raw. I also feel like this gave the mainstream a peek behind the curtain into the underground that their previous album didn't. If Nevermind grabbed you, but In Utero drove you off, pop is more your domain. But if you stuck around, you were much more likely to perform a deep dive into the underground music scene. Nirvana was probably a gateway band for a lot of people, and this is them at their most authentic and abrasive.


Phish- Rift
I'm not a huge fan of Phish, but this album is their best to me. They're a little more focused and they have a concept, which is at odds with their loose, jam band image. This is an argument for Phish inheriting the crown from the Grateful Dead as the premier jam band. It's psychedelic, jazzy, and even a little bit country in spots, and ups the ante for jam bands to be a little bit more progressive. I'm a huge sucker for concept albums, and to have one in this genre is very intriguing to me.




The Smashing Pumpkins- Siamese Dream
Siamese Dream goes back and forth with Mellon Collie as my favorite Smashing Pumpkins album. This album is a little bit more focused and less messy, and the songwriting is consistently great from start to finish. I think this album was absolutely essential in my teens and for every teen who discovers it. It really taps into the angst and feelings of being an outcast, and speaks volumes to every disaffected youth that comes across it. I love this album and with James Iha back in the band, I'm hoping the Smashing Pumpkins return to this sound and dig deep into their darkness.



The Wu-Tang Clan- Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers
Enter the Wu-Tang is most likely my favorite hip hop album of all time, and pulls off introducing the world to 9 distinct personalities, as well as delivering great rhymes, production, and a very interesting and unique aesthetic. I don't think there will ever be a hip hop crew as great or as relevant as the Wu-Tang Clan (although many have tried), and this album really does a lot to cement their status. It does a lot in a short amount of time to establish the group and their mythos. I didn't discover this album until I was into my late college years, and it quickly became one of my favorites not only because of what it was, but because of the effect it had on hip hop. There would be no Odd Future, a favorite of mine in college, without Wu-Tang.




That's it for now. Check in next week for my list of albums that profoundly shaped my existence: 1994 edition.


"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."