Tag: 1990s
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De La Soul, Clear Lake Auditorium, 1994 on Tommy Boy
I love De La Soul, especially the first three albums – 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul is Dead, and Buhloone Mindstate. This EP was a promotional only release in 1994, which was widely bootlegged over the years, and includes 4 tracks from Buloone Mindstate plus two non-album tracks, one of which features…
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Wilco, A.M., 1995 on Sire / Reprise
Wilco emerged out of the breakup of Uncle Tupelo (some of the band remaining with Jeff Tweedy as Wilco, some with Jay Farrar as Son Volt). This was their first album under the name Wilco. Wilco is identified as Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Ken Coomer, and Max Johnston – but guest performers include Lloyd Maines,…
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A Tribe Called Quest, The Love Movement, 1998 on Jive
Fifth studio album from Tribe, and the last released before Phife Dawg died in 2016 from complications related to diabetes. Tribe announced they were disbanding a month before the album was released. Guests include Busta Rhymes, Redman, Mos Def, Leaders of the New School and Kid Hood. Production by The Ummah (which included Q-Tip and…
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The Rave-Ups, Chance, 1990 on Epic
The Rave-Ups are likely best known as the band in Pretty in Pink. (Molly Ringwald’s sister Beth was in a relationship with Jimmer Podrasky, and Ringwald brought John Hughes to see the band). This was their third and last studio album of the first go ’round (they put out a new album in 2022 on…
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Tori Amos, Unde the Pink, 1994 on Atlantic
Amos’ sophomore album every bit as compelling and memorable as her debut Little Earthquakes. Very much also on repeat throughout the Eckman household in the 1990s – I can still sing every word of many of these songs: Pretty Good Year, God, Past the Mission, The Waitress, Cornflake Girl. Whenever I find myself in an…
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Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes, 1992 on Atlantic
Tori Amos’ debut album from 1992. I had this CD (and Under the Pink) on constant repeat through graduate school – happy to finally get a copy on vinyl. What an amazing album – still gives me chills 30+ years later. “Me and a Gun” of course, but also “Silent All These Years,” “China,” “Precious…
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Bill Frisell, Have a Little Faith, 1993 on Elektra Nonesuch
Frisell on guitar, joined by Don Byron (clarinet, bass clarinet), Guy Klucevskek (accordion), Kermit Driscoll (bass), and Joey Baron (drums). Covers a wide variety of sounds here including some Aaron Copeland from his ballet Billy the Kid, two excepts from Charles Ive’s orchestral Three Places in New England, plus Dylan, Muddy Waters, Sonny Rollins, and…
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David Bowie, Unplugged & Slightly Phased: Acoustic Broadcasts 1996, 2021 on Parachute Recording Company
Basically a live bootleg, this collects Bowie’s appearances at the October 1996 Bridge School Benefit. Parachute Recording Company labels these things as radio transmissions based on the difference in copyright law regarding things broadcast in the UK (and maybe the EU?). It was previously released as a bootleg under multiple names by different labels –…
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Various Artists, Something About Joy Division, 1990 on Vox Pop
Great compilation / tribute to Joy Division on Italian label Vox Pop. Tracklist: The second edition was not a gatefold (which makes sense since the inside of the gatefold is just blank white anyway). I especially enjoy the versions of “Colony,” “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (piano and vocals), “Shadowplay” (acoustic guitar driven), and Warsaw…
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Mazzy Star, So Tonight That I Might See, 1993 on Capitol
Mazzy Star grew out of an earlier band called Opal – David Roback and Hope Sandoval actually performed as Opal before renaming themselves to Mazzy Star. (Yes, like most people, I thought Mazzy Star was the lead singer’s name but it is not – she’s Hope Sandoval). Roback was also a founder of Rain Parade…
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U2, Lemon (Remixes), 1993 on Island
Lemon was one of the singles from Zooropa – in the era while I was just entering grad school and thus not really following bands or collecting vinyl – so right in the dearth of 90s and 2000s vinyl in my collection. Was happy to find this EP of remixes on yellow translucent vinyl, including…
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Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, The Sky is Crying, 1991 on Epic
This was the fifth and final studio album from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, compiling tracks cut earlier and released more than a year after Vaughan’s death in August of 1990. (Compiled by Jimmie Vaughan). It includes a wonderful version of Hendrix’s “Little Wing” in addition to the title track and Willie Dixon’s “Close…
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Tin Machine, Tin Machine II, 1991 on Victory.
Is this post going to get me flagged on various social platforms? The cover image is four Greek Kouroi, status of nude male youths. That led to the cover being changed in the US to airbrush out the bits you’d expect. (The Canadian covers followed the European releases). Tin Machine was a band fronted by…
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The Time, Pandemonium, 1990 on Paisely Park
This was the fourth full length from Morris Day’s The Time, with Terry Lewis, Jellybean Johnson, Jesse Johnson, Jimmy Jam, Monte Moir, and Jerome Benton (who delivers the mirror). The song “Donald Trump (Black Version)” resurfaced back in 2016 for obvious reasons, but otherwise it’s just a fun funk album about food and sex.
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Fugees, The Score, 1996 on Columbia / Ruffhouse
Very hard to find original pressings of this – my copy is a 2021 reissue. This is an absolute must have, alongside The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which followed 2 years later. How Many Mics, Ready or Not, Killing Me Softly, No Woman No Cry – so much of this album is just perfect. It’s…
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The Chesterfield Kings, The Berlin Wall of Sound, 1990 on Mirror Records
The Chesterfield Kings were a garage-rock band from Rochester NY fronted by Greg Prevost. i randomly found a single of theirs in the mid-eighties (“She Told Me Lies”) but this is the first time I’ve seen a full length LP. By 1990 they were leaning a bit more heavy / hard rock than their earlier…
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Fiona Apple, When the Pawn . . . , 1999 on Clean Slate / Epic
The full title is: When The Pawn Hits The Conflicts He Thinks Like A King What He Knows Throws The Blows When He Goes To The Fight And He’ll Win The Whole Thing ‘Fore He Enters The Ring There’s No Body To Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You…
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Johnnie Frierson, Have You Been Good To Yourself, 2016 on Light in the Attic
Took a flyer on this one at a $10 sale at Vinyl Destination in Lowell, based on my appreciation of other Light in the Attic reissues – it’s really a wonderful collection. Call it lo-fi gospel with some almost spoken word production. Frierson originally put these recordings out on home-produced cassettes in the 1990s but…