Smashing Pumpkins new album....

[swampfrog]

Saw several of those bands in the 90s. Pretty sure I saw The Ocean Blue at the Wilk. The Connells was my first concert without parental supervision, out at Salt Air.

Early 90's? If so, I was there.

[falafel]

Early 90's? If so, I was there.

Would have been mid 90s for both of those. 95 or 96.

[falafel]

I'm going to add Live's Throwing Copper to the list. Listening now. Still holds up very well, imo. Really good album. Lightening Crashes is a near perfect song.

[swampfrog]

Would have been mid 90s for both of those. 95 or 96.

Hmmm. Could be they came around again. I left Provo for good in April '95, so it had to be before then when I saw them. I think it was '94. Still love their music.

[USUC]

Much like The Pixies. 90s Cure and U2 just wasn’t as good as the 80s versions. I always liked U2 but never loved them like many of my friends.

I absolutely agree with this sentiment except for the Cure's Wish. I think Wish is among the 3 best Cure albums. I also have a love-hate relationship with U2. I think the Edge is amazing and his style influenced countless guitarists. But Bono... man, I just can't take that guy. I just remember listening to Achtung Baby a lot and trying to work out the guitar parts.

[wuapinmon]

USUC,

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea over On Avery Island? Really? My goodness, I just don't see how.

[wuapinmon]

Also, Blue over Pinkerton? What? I don't know where to begin on that. I'm going to have to think about how to approach that.

[Commando]

Yeah, Bossonova is only better than Trompe le Monde in the Pixies discography. But I just think so many bands were influenced by that album (I feel like the Weezer sound comes from Velouria).

Did you get that Pixies tribute record that came out sometime in the mid 2000s(?) where Weezer covered Velouria?

[Commando]

Also, Blue over Pinkerton? What? I don't know where to begin on that. I'm going to have to think about how to approach that.

I would take that on sound alone. Mind you, I love love love Pinkerton; that's some of the most introspective, soul-baring songwriting I've ever heard. But Weezer was fresh-faced on some Rick Okasek shit and just didn't miss anything at all on that first record- it didn't get any better.

[Commando]

Much like The Pixies. 90s Cure and U2 just wasn’t as good as the 80s versions. I always liked U2 but never loved them like many of my friends.

Dunno. Give Bossanova and Trompe le Monde another spin. There are more less-interesting songs in the mix, but the ones that hit- are you kidding me? Alex Eiffel, Havalina, Planet of Sound, Umass, Digging for Fire, Subbacultcha etc -- just all around a great time. What an original sound and band.

[Commando]

Fair enough. I'll focus and specific albums. For me, there are 2 criteria for what I consider the greatest music from the 90s: 1) it was influential on bands that followed and 2) it stands the test of time. In no particular order:

Pavement – Crooked Rain
Pavement – Slanted and Enchanted
DJ Shadow - …Entroducing
Nirvana – Nevermind
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Radiohead – OK Computer
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
Slint – Spiderland
Talk Talk - Laughing Stock

If we were going to expand it to 20 it would also include:

Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Björk – Post
Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
Pixies – Bossanova
Weezer – Weezer
Built to Spill - Perfect from Now On
Wilco – Summerteeth
Aphex Twin - The Richard D. James Album
Mogwai - Young Team
Daft Punk - Homework

So I was wrong, there would be 4 bands mentioned that would be included in the top 20. Also, I realize I am omitting some important hip hop albums/groups. Finally, I must own up to my bias against California pop punk... yuck

I got into those top 10 band except Pavement. I went down the Slint/David Pajo rabbit hole for a while and that's a great time-- check out his albums released under the 'Papa M' moniker. I also really love NMH and MBV. Siamese Dream stands alone at the top for me, but what I love about SP is that no 2 albums really sound alike. Mellon Collie might as well be a completely different band-- they could have easily made like 7 more Siamese Dreams and hung their hat on it, but I guess if Billy was that kind of guy we would have never gotten Siamese Dream to begin with...

[wuapinmon]

I would take that on sound alone. Mind you, I love love love Pinkerton; that's some of the most introspective, soul-baring songwriting I've ever heard. But Weezer was fresh-faced on some Rick Okasek shit and just didn't miss anything at all on that first record- it didn't get any better.

"Say It Ain't So" is my favorite Weezer track, followed by "El Scorcho." Although, I dig that "Greatest Man That Ever Lived" off Red. Maybe not as much, but it gets in my head sometimes for days.

[USUC]

USUC,

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea over On Avery Island? Really? My goodness, I just don't see how.

Also, Blue over Pinkerton? What? I don't know where to begin on that. I'm going to have to think about how to approach that.

I realize I really stepped in it when I came in all hipster snobby with my "your opinions are wrong." I can get deep in the weeds with this stuff and then get lost in the nuance. I didn't necessarily pick my top list from the albums or bands that are my personal favorites (although the majority of them are), I went with what was influential and aged well. I love both Pinkerton and On Avery Island. Pinkerton has more meaning to me than Weezer, but the Blue album was just such a part of the 90s milieu. And to be honest, almost everything on my list prior to 1994 I got into after the fact so I don't know how I would have responded had I heard it in real time (14 year old me certainly wouldn't have been able to tolerate Loveless). I of course knew of and liked Nevermind and Siamese Dream when they came out, but from 1992 to 1995 I was deeply immersed in the pre-1973 Pink Floyd discography and late 60s psychedelia. A lot of this wasn't discovered until the end of the decade. I was familiar with a lot of these bands that have been mentioned (STP, Live, Green Day, etc.), but they didn't hold a candle to Live at Pompeii to me at the time. And when I returned to them they just never spoke to me and seemed derivative.

[USUC]

I got into those top 10 band except Pavement. I went down the Slint/David Pajo rabbit hole for a while and that's a great time-- check out his albums released under the 'Papa M' moniker. I also really love NMH and MBV. Siamese Dream stands alone at the top for me, but what I love about SP is that no 2 albums really sound alike. Mellon Collie might as well be a completely different band-- they could have easily made like 7 more Siamese Dreams and hung their hat on it, but I guess if Billy was that kind of guy we would have never gotten Siamese Dream to begin with...

Pavement is indescribably good. Outside of "Cut Your Hair" I really didn't listen to them much until the 2000s. But once I gave them a serious look they blew me away. Stephen Malkmus laid the groundwork for almost every American indie band that arose after 1994.

Billy Corgan is such an interesting character. He almost seems like a megalomaniac who thinks everyone is persecuting him. Most musical geniuses are control freaks with the music, but he seemed to want to control stuff beyond the music. The stuff that Pajo and Lenchantin said happened during the Zwan project is crazy.

[Shaka]

An addendum to my picks. My favorite album of the nineties was not a huge commercial success but it's awesome and still holds up to this day. The Refreshments - Fizzy Fuzzy Big and Buzzy. I highly recommend it. Killer all the way through.