Favorite album #7 of the 90s comes from a Canadian band that didn’t get its just due.  I thought that the early 90s were actually a cool time to be a music fan and there was a little bit of something for everyone, including a vast array of talented bands springing up in the rock/metal world that were a bit more alternative, some a bit more funky, and some quite a bit darker.  I Mother Earth ticked a number of those boxes; unfortunately, timing is often everything and with the band releasing debut album Dig during the height of grunge their brand of alternative/psychedelic hard rock was kicked to the curb as the labels were concentrating on finding the next Nirvana or Pearl Jam.  A major, major shame as Dig is an outstanding release with a wide, expansive sound; everything from Latin percussive rhythms, psychedelic/bluesy jamming, hard rock, funk, space rock, and all things in between.

I’ve pretty much gone into depth on this album via my first Under The Radar post (click HERE ) but there’s a few things I want to call out on this particular one, especially where this release fit in with the 90s as a whole- the musicality of this disc is what I missed from a good chunk of the decade.  There is so much free spirited, vast, brave, and challenging playing on this disc that takes elements from past artists of the previous three decades, mixed it all together, and still created something fresh and new.  This, to me, was a gigantic, progressive leap forward into a promising era of where music could go-  there is some killer playing going on here from the entire band, plus the tones and sonics on display via the mix were fantastic.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed a lot of the music of the era but what eventually was deemed as popular as the decade progressed had done a bit of a 180 degree turn away from where my interests lie.  Somewhere, experimental music of this design was shoved deep in those cobwebbed corners of the attic in favor of something much much different.

Ah man, what are ya gonna do…  I tell you what, here’s what you’re gonna do:  find this disc, go straight to track #8 “No One”, and TURN IT UP.  Dig the explosiveness of the percussive attack, the expansive guitar sounds, and the relentless and driven headbanging funk.  Next, to cool off that nasty sweat you’ve broken into, segue into the next track “Undone” and focus on the mellow psychedelia and groove on Edwin’s passive vocal and the bluesy tones of guitarist Jag Tanna.  As you get swept away in the lush, kaleidoscope of sound bop on over to track twelve and the spacey, monolithic build of “The Universe In You” and turn off the lights for the last four minutes of Floydian vibe, Hendrix bluesiness, Deep Purple heaviness, and Christian Tanna’s crashing Latin rhythms.  Oh yeah, and don’t forget to have the shuffle button on because you still have to bounce over to the massive crunch of “Rain Will Fall”, Doorsy raga/psych of “So Gently We Go”, the bouncy funk of “Not Quite Sonic”, and the rest.  And once you are done?  Start the disc from track one and play through again…  and again… and again…

Man…  out of all the local bands I caught back in the day I miss The Mimis the most.  My first exposure to the band was their opening slot at Bogarts opening for Blue Oyster Cult sometime in 1990-  first thought was…  who are these guys?  Second thought came midway through their set…  hey, these guys are pretty good!  Last thought as they played their final song of the night was…  damn, when are these guys playing again?  The set couldn’t have lasted more than 30 minutes and during that time I quickly became a major Mimis fan, eventually picking up their self financed release Fungusamongus and catching many a show during their all too brief run.

So how does a local band make it to #8 on my favorite albums list of the 90s?  Simple… these guys were literally a breath of fresh air; certainly the antithesis to what was popular on the radio at the time yet having certain elements that were starting to bubble up in the underground rock/metal scene of the time.  There was no guitar pyrotechnics, there was no banshee screaming, there were no ooey gooey bubble gum hooks…  no, this was a slightly darker, more atmospheric and open, often funky and groovy chunk of alterna-rock that crept into your pores, sunk its claws deep, and did not let go.  Hints of Soundgarden’s early material (think Louder Than Love) puts you in the ballpark, with maybe touches of guitar washes circa Love era Cult (Not Blue Oyster, but the Brit guys) and other grungier sonics yet all the while totally unique in its own right.

Listening to Fungusamongus is like a trip on the wayback machine-  it definitely takes me back to those killer shows at Sudsy Malones (bar in the front, laundry in the back), Shorty’s Underground, Annies, and wherever else I saw them.  The songs still hold up well regardless which version you listen to-  the original cassette has a different batch of songs than the CD that was eventually released in the late 90s or so, the first five on said CD includes some newish material that the band was working on at the time before singer/guitarist Mike Davis moved on to San Francisco to become a full time tattoo artist (check out his work at https://www.everlastingtattoo.com/mike-davis) with the last four coming from the previously released cassette.   Unfortunately, I can’t find my cassette of the original version because I’d rather use that fantastic Mike Davis drawn cover art so we gotta settle for the CD version instead, which took a band shot that was found in the inner sleeve of the cassette.  Oh well…

Oh yeah, the songs…  the original cassette was a great mix, featuring the tight and semi-funky riffery of “Wind Me Up”, the laid back stomp of “Patient Man”, the thunderously cool and slammin’ “Texas Wind” (featuring the cannon fire drumming of Bob Powers), and the downright funkiness of both “Pain” and “Mustard Pie”.  Mike Davis and Chris Donnelly provide some mighty fine and tasty guitar work and play well off each other, settling more for chunky rhythms and maybe more of a bluesier vibe with the solos, relying more on atmospherics and a “less is more” approach rather than guitar flash.  Bassist Karl Bach is solid too, content to provide an impenetrable foundation of rhythm to go along with the thunderous drums of sticksman Powers.  Newer songs that were added to the CD show off a slightly different vibe from the band, feature a bit of a bleaker yet noisier progression on cuts like “Big Money Jar” where Davis and Donnelly’s guitar tag team wrenches out multiple tones: caustic rhythms, thick sustain, wah drenched leads, all building into a massive sonic stew; and the driving and insistent “People Machine” with its screaming slide work at the tail end of the song.  Toss in more open and atmospheric songs like “Ten Feet Deep” and “Tight Rope”; both offering up different grooves, textures, and vibe between the two cuts:  the intro of the former shaped by Bach’s slippery bassline and Powers’ percussive touches builds into a heavier verse before idling back to the intro and eventually segueing back into another riffier section, while the latter builds off a swirling guitar intro and plays off the thump of the Bach/Powers backline with more fat and tasty guitar tones.

As with all of these songs the band does an excellent job on the tone spectrum, not just content to hit you over the head with the same riffs and ideas but concentrating more on sliding in and out of that rhythmically deep pocket with various shades, hues, and different layers of guitar, also leaving plenty of open space for Davis’ ultra cool vocals.  You can find the CD on Amazon and I highly recommend it.  As for the cassette…  it’s around the house somewhere-  I hope my Mimis T shirt is with it!

Album #9 comes from a band that was formed shortly after the death of Texas blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, featuring two members of the late guitarist’s band Double Trouble along with an 80s wunderkind artist and a young hotshot guitar player whose father was a lifelong friend and writing partner of Vaughan’s.  As part of their grieving process the four artists started jamming at the Austin Rehearsal Complex (hence the ARC of their name), playing a few live gigs here and there and eventually releasing their self titled album in 1992.  Their lone album (besides a 2009 live album) was chock full of bluesy and soulful rock that, while out of step with the 90s musical climate, should have deserved more attention.

If you’ve followed the career of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble you undoubtedly know the rock solid tag team of bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris “Whipper” Layton.  On this album the two veterans lay down an impenetrable backbone for the dynamic duo of Charlie Sexton and Doyle Bramhall II, two fellow Austinites who combine their vocal and guitar talents to produce twelve fantastic songs that mixed SRV/Hendrix guitar stylings with tuneful yet passionate vocals and casually cool bluesy rock vibe.  The combination of the four talents offered up something a bit fresh as it did not rely on standard blues derivations, instead focusing more on a killer mix of melody and in the pocket grooviness.  Still, the band could amp it up and amp it up well.

So, the songs…  lead cut on this disc and the one that received frequent radio play (at least around here) was the excellent “Living In A Dream” and its wide open chord voicings and killer shared vocal between Sexton and Bramhall.  The two voices are a bit different but blend extremely well, each taking a different verse or line in the song- Bramhall’s thicker tone offering up some deep soul while Sexton’s higher range tosses in some gritty bite. But it’s not just the voices…  guitar wise it’s a similar bag as Bramhall dips deep into the SRV\Hendrix trick bag while Sexton offers up cleaner tones overall; a  wicked combination that plays well throughout the disc, whether it be the lighter and good timey vibes of “Paradise Cafe”, the funkiness of “Good Time”, the greasy stomp of “Spanish Moon, or the swinging “Shape I’m In”.   Bramhall and Sexton bring it on their individually sung songs too:  “See What Tomorrow Brings” is a beautifully poignant reminiscence of Stevie Ray that features a top notch vocal and some tasty guitar work from Bramhall, and Sexton offers up the catchy and melodic soul in “Sweet Nadine”.

Oftentimes a great album saves the best for last and here we’ve got a dead on stinger in “Too Many Ways To Fall”, sung with fervent passion by Sexton as he covers a husky lower, gritty range mixed with mid and upper range conviction and occasional falsetto yelps.  While the vocal is stellar, Bramhall’s fretwork is not to be outdone as he absolutely nails some steamy and atmospheric leads topped off with some groovy rhythm work.  A fantastic blend of strong vocal and guitar work on this song from these two very fine players.

If you like blues based rock that doesn’t stick to the roots of a particular formula but offers up something fresh and new, track this one down.  There’s a little bit of this band for everyone-  hooks, fiery guitar playing, impassioned singing, and solid rock.  Buy it today.

Starting off the 90s hit parade with an oldie but a goodie from an artist that I fully respect and enjoy yet oftentimes confuses the hell out of me, but I’ll be damned if he didn’t go off and release one of the better albums in his career in Ragged Glory.  Released in 1990 and recorded with his comrades in Crazy Horse, ol’ Neil pretty much cemented his “Godfather of Grunge” image with this one, especially after releasing and odd melange of albums in the previous decade that flirted with rockabilly, blues, hard rock, country, and electronic new wave.  With 1989 album Freedom hinting that Neil had plenty of gas in the tank courtesy of the menacing “Rockin’ In The Free World” it wasn’t until his first album in the new decade pieced everything together via ten solid tracks of garage rock tunefulness and extended guitar workouts.  This was Neil Young at his fiercest and most rocking in years, cooking up an excellent batch of catchy songs like the twangy grunge of lead track “Country Home”, the crunchy “Mansion On The Hill”, or the sweetly melodic yet ballsy “Days That Used To Be”.  But for my money, the best cuts on here are the heaviest ones:  the venomous bite of “F*!#In’ Up” and the absolutely killer two headed monster in “Love To Burn” and “Love And Only Love”, all three cuts feature some of Neil’s best playing in ages-  guitars are loud, nasty, and ugly and feature a unit just JAMMING.  The Horse is the rock steady backbone, giving Neil much freedom to bob and weave with lead/rhythm playing that runs the gamut of tuneful chord structures, hammering feedback, and distorted crunch with as much passion as anyone can wring out of a guitar.  A fantastic album and a great kickoff to the decade as Ragged Glory offers up a bit of a clarion call, leading the charge for no nonsense rock music that was starting to bubble up in the Seattle area and soon to take over the world within just a couple of years.

For me, the 90s were an odd decade- personally it was great: worked in a record store, got married, my son was born, became an uncle, and eventually moved on to a great job, among other things.  But from a musical standpoint there was a massive sea change in what was deemed hot and trendy:  grunge and rap became huge, boy bands were everywhere, Disney stars became singing sensations, and female artists of all sorts were making their mark.  As the industry was focusing on the “fresh and new”, they were kicking many 80s bands to the curb or shoving them into the deep, dark recesses of the underground.  For a music fan like me who was used to picking up his new favorite tunes from the radio or MTV, I had to dig deeper and search farther and wider.  Thankfully, a little old thing called the Internet opened up a whole new world and offered up another option to find hidden gems after weeding through the crap.  But I digress…

So if the 90s were such an odd decade, why run off a list of favorite albums?  Well…  I wanted a challenge.  This is the first decade where I was becoming extremely disappointed in what the industry deemed as popular vs where my interests lay.  Don’t get me wrong; the start of the decade was great and I dug some of the newer bands and artists but by the end of those ten years there were plenty of bad copycats or bands that were of ZERO interest to me.  Instead of a musical progression there was a musical regression, so I started to look elsewhere.  This series of posts will cover my favorite 25 albums from the 90s, starting with an honorable mention of 15 releases followed by individual posts for each top ten entry.  And once the #1 is announced down the road, those adventurous types may want to dig into the release dates of each of these because you’ll find something VERY telling.

So without further ado, here’s albums 11-25 (in no particular order) of my favorite albums of the 90s:

Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine

Van Halen – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge

Lynch Mob – Wicked Sensation

Elvin Bishop – Don’t Let The Bossman Get You Down

Badlands – Voodoo Highway

Armored Saint – Symbol Of Salvation

Iron Maiden – The X Factor

Cheap Trick – Cheap Trick (1997)

Pantera – Vulgar Display Of Power

Green Day – Dookie

Page/Plant – No Quarter

Megadeth – Rust In Peace

Sacred Reich – The American Way

Social Distortion – Live At The Roxy

Stone Temple Pilots – Core

Yep, revisiting this thread after nearly a year from Part One.  We’ll definitely have a part three down the line but here are a new five 🙂

Rob Halford (“Victim Of Changes”, “Exciter”, “The Green Manalishi”, “Devil’s Child”, “Painkiller”)

Like some of these other guys, there are just too many awesome choices from Judas Priest’s Rob Halford.  Been a fan of the band since their Screaming For Vengeance album, so he’s pretty much been the first metal screamer I ever really got into.  Interestingly enough the title cut from that LP is not my fave moment on there, going a bit more for the dynamic vocal of “Devil’s Child”.

Paul McCartney\John Lennon (“Helter Skelter”, “Revolution”, “Twist & Shout”, “I’m Down”, “Oh Darling”, “Hey Jude”, “Yer Blues”)

Tossing in a couple extras for the Beatle boys since we got the dynamic duo here.  What’s interesting is the different depths of scream on display-  Paul could do the Little Richard and John pretty much let out the primal scream (“Mother” being the example), both with great unbridled effect.  Preference for Paul’s enthusiastic shouts if I had to pick between the two.

Randy Rampage (“Welcome To Your Death”, “Phantasmagoria ’86”, “Alison Hell”)

Gotta throw this one on here from the Annihilator man because it’s a bit of a manic, gurgling RAAAAAH that comes out of his mouth instead of singing the final word of the song’s title during the last line of the chorus.  Rampage was never a great singer but has a voice of character that makes this a fun, killer addition to this list.  Anything from that first album rules; too bad he didn’t stick around very long.

Philip Anselmo (“This Love”, “Hellbound” , “I’ll Cast A Shadow”, “Cemetery Gates”, “5 Minutes Alone”)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kue-zcTr4A

Anselmo’s an interesting case here because he can be very tasteful with his singing and then full on manic with his screaming.  I prefer a mixup in his style and lean more towards his mid period roars rather than his early years Halfordesque yelps or his occasional constant hardcore roars-  he shows some killer intensity throughout “Hellbound” and his croon to riproar in “This Love”.

Robin Zander (“Anytime”, “Gonna Raise Hell”, “The Ballad Of TV Violence”, “Best Friend”, “Twisted Heart”)

Yes ladies and gentlemen, these are titles to Cheap Trick songs.  Yes ladies and gentlemen, Cheap Trick is MUCH MUCH more than the hits.  Robin Zander has always been “the man of 1000 voices” and these are five songs where he shows off his mastery of the scream.  He doesn’t rely on it too much, tending to use various facets of his powerful range but when the roar comes you know it.

Love, love, love it when I go CD shopping and find something interesting and come up with a new favorite song in the process.  Those of you not familiar with The Yayhoos likely know one of the key players in the band-  guitarist Dan Baird, formerly of the Georgia Satellites (“Keep Your Hands To Yourself” fame), but by golly you gotta dig the rest of the gang too:  guitarist (and former Blackheart for Joan Jett) Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, bassist Keith Christopher, and drummer/guitarist Terry Anderson, the latter of which pens this fine ditty in “I Can Give You Everything” from the band’s 2001 disc Fear Not The Obvious.

Originally covered by R&B queen Etta James, The Yayhoos version sounds like a long lost Rolling Stones/Faces cut from the early ’70s; maybe a cross between “Happy” and “Tumbling Dice” mixed in with, say, Rod Stewart’s “Hot Legs” or his former band’s “Stay With Me”.  Anderson sings with some serious Keef Richards mojo, a bit of country twang that’s certainly in the same ballpark as fellow Yayhoo Baird as he belts out a fun and spirited lyric about how much love he can give to someone of the fairer sex.  And how about the guitar work on this cut?  So much CHONK from Anderson and Ambel, the latter of which throws in some tasty counter chunk and leads against the former’s steady rhythm.  And how about Baird and Christopher?  Both switch up instruments; Baird laying down a seriously groovy bassline that would make Bill Wyman proud and Christopher bashing the drums with some serious heat.  Great backing vocals from Ambel too.

Now THIS ladies and gentlemen, is what a good bar band should sound like.  If I ever get back into the game we’d have to play this one-  just a good time booty shakin’ rock and roll tune with plenty of mojo and swagger.  If you like, track down The Yayhoos disc and while you’re at it grab a Dan Baird solo disc or pick up one from Terry Anderson and his Olympic Ass-Kickin’ Team.  Fine fine stuff.

A few years ago I was cruising the net as is my wont, looking for something maybe a little different from the headbanging stuff that I love but still maintaining a bit of attitude and sense of rockin’ spirit when I stumbled onto a YouTube link for “Acid Jazz Singer” and immediately found my next fave new band.  Kicking off as a bit of an acoustic campfire strummer, the song adds some rock stomp with the addition of bass and drums and some cool lead guitar touches before segueing into a dead on killer, boozy singalong chorus that sounds like a mix of The Kinks’ music hall pomp, a bit of Slade cum AC/DC swagger, and the songsmithery of a T Rex.  All in all, one incredibly fun ditty but what about the rest of their tunes?

Well, you’re in luck because this Scottish band has plenty stretched out across four great albums (with a fifth on the way) chock full of catchy tunes that stretch from acoustic based ditties to solid rock with plenty of great choruses and singalong bits.  The Fratellis were formed in 2005, led by lead singer/guitarist and main songwriter Jon Fratelli and backed by bassist Barry Fratelli and drummer Mince Fratelli (not their real names, but hey, it worked for The Ramones!) and soon released their intro disc Costello Music in 2006 which featured the incredibly fun ‘n swingin’ “Chelsea Dagger”, a song now ubiquitous at various worldwide sporting events do to its bootstomp and fun “doo doo doot” singalong bits, kind of like an updated “Rock And Roll, Part II” for a newer generation.  The rest of Costello Music features other catchy material like intro rocker “Henrietta”, the laid back strummer “Whistle For The Choir”, the fast and punky “The Gutterati?”, the 60’s garage rock vibe of “Doginabag”, and country glam (seriously!) of “Vince The Loveable Stoner”.  The whole album feels like a mashup of 60s/70s bands mixed with newer artists of the same ilk like the Dropkick Murphys and Jack White-  just a batch of fun tunes with straightforward riffs, catchy singalong bits, often funny lyrics, and good time rock sure to bring a smile to your face.

But wait a minute…  what about the other three albums?  Well, if you liked Costello Music you’re sure to like the next one just as much.  Here We Stand maybe dials back the in your face production just a tad but still includes killer cuts like the aforementioned “Acid Jazz Singer” and other goodies such as straight ahead burners like “Mistress Mabel” and “My Friend John”, the fuzz rock of “Shameless”, the dangerous bluesy swing of “Stragglers Moon”, the beautifully melodic “Babydoll”, and the Scottish jig and grandeur of “Lupe Brown”.  An album just as good as the debut that doesn’t change up the song formula but adds a few new wrinkles in instrumentation and different melodies, maybe surpassing it in levels of confidence but falling slightly short when it comes to loose and rollicking fun.  Still, a very very good album.

Shortly after the touring cycle ended for Here We Stand the band went on hiatus as the guys explored other creative outlets but eventually reformed in 2012 for next album We Need Medicine, which continued the Fratelli formula of fun singalong rock and roll.  Like its predecessor, Medicine sounds like a confident and veteran rock band willing to fall into a solid groove and let the song speak for itself but unlike Costello Music the production is not as open and swinging as that boisterous debut. Still, Medicine has a number of wonderful songs as well:  the rowdy singalong of the title cut, the raucous stomp of “Halloween Blues”, the almost Springsteenesque/Van Morrison rumble through “This Old Ghost Town”, the twangy swing of “Seven Nights Seven Days”, the stomp of “Shotgun Shoes”, and laid back ruminations of “Rock N Roll Will Break Your Heart”.  While the production here and on Here We Stand loses that pop and sizzle feel of the debut, I guarantee a number of these cuts would sound just as killer in a live environment.  All the elements of great songwriting are definitely there and even moreso as Jon Fratelli continues to paint different tapestries from one album to the next.

As for Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied…  sorry, haven’t heard it yet and can’t weigh in.  I’ve caught bits and pieces of it and what I’ve heard continues to expand the Fratelli brand, maybe a bit more singer/songwriter than the rest of the catalog but still with those catchy singalong moments that gets your foot tappin’.  Without having fully listened to the album I can’t vouch for how good it is, but from what I’ve sampled it covers a fairly wide swath of sonics, from funk to keyboard samples to different guitar tones throughout all eleven cuts.  Certainly the album appears to brave some newer atmospherics while retaining that original vibe, all in an attempt to stretch out creatively without reinventing the wheel.  And with new album In Your Own Sweet Time on the horizon I’m sure the band will continue to build on that sonic spectrum and we’ll have another great batch of tunes.

So yeah, hit up iTunes or Amazon and do some sampling of this band’s material right now and enjoy!  Touring the States this year as well, so go support them live if you can.