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What with the Smashing Pumpkins preparing to roll into town this weekend for their Saturday show at the Charlottesville Pavilion, I began wondering where they might be listed among the best bands of the 1990’s. It’s a tough question to ask, an even tougher question to answer.
In dealing with the merits of the Smashing Pumpkins any discussion (in my opinion) begins with their debut album Gish and the EP follow-up Lull, both of which were released early in the decade (1991). These two recordings for me are the heart and soul of the Smashing Pumpkins sound that I love. I’m not denying that Siamese Dream isn’t a really good record, but I’ll take the two aforementioned albums before their big hit record any day of the week. By the time Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was released in 1995, the Pumpkins were on their way to becoming one of the top-selling album bands of the entire decade.
But do they make the list? That’s the eternal question. I’m sure we will debate the merits of the Pumpkins and other bands in the coming days, but before we do so, I should remind again you that the Smashing Pumpkins are in Charlottesville on Saturday (August 16). Gates open at 6pm, show starts at 7pm. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here. My Top Ten Bands of the 1990’s can be found after the break.
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10. Phish. I can’t wait for the comments and remarks that the inclusion of this band is sure to draw. It’s OK. I can take it. The big cheese when it comes to the jammy side of things in the 1990’s, Phish made their living on the road. These guys will never be known as an album oriented band, although I have to say that 1996’s Billy Breathes is their masterpiece and remains the one Phish album that finds its way into my CD player without hesitation. By the end of 1990’s Phish had established itself as one of the top touring bands in the country and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more dedicated fanbase. Between 1994 and New Year’s Eve 1998 I probably saw these guys 12 or 13 times, highlighted by Lemonwheel and two shows at MSG in 1998 and a run of great shows at Hampton Coliseum in the mid to late 90’s.
09. Weezer. Can you only release two albums in the entire decade and still make the list? If you’re Weezer and it’s my list, indeed you can. There’s no denying the popularity of the band’s Blue Album which included the hits “Buddy Holly”, “Say It Ain’t So”, and “Undone–The Sweater Song” but it’s their second album, Pinkerton, that can cause the band’s fans to get their panties in a bunch. I have to admit that by the late 90’s I had started to tune out on a lot of “alternative” music so for me the debate just passed me by. I discovered the album a number of years later and you can consider me in the “two thumbs up” category. I still think these two albums make up the band’s best work to date.
08. Wilco. I debated whether I should include Jeff Tweedy twice in this list, but then I listened to A.M. (an overlooked classic that was a continuation of Tweedy’s sound with another band soon to be named), Being There, and Summerteeth and realized that it was a silly debate to have in the first place. Yes, I was one of those guys declaring 2002’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot a masterpiece, but as time has passed I’ve grown to consider YHF a great mood album, while the three aforementioned albums I can listen to at any time on repeat.
07. Ween. Maybe a strange choice, but they are without a doubt an even stranger band. And I love ‘em for it. Give me “Baby Bitch”, “Buenas Tardes Amigo”, and “Roses Are Free” from Chocolate and Cheese, “Piss Up a Rope” (which always makes me laugh) and “You Were the Fool” from 12 Golden Country Greats (the album by the way only includes 10 songs), and the entire Mollusk album and I’m good to go. God Bless Gene and Dean Ween.
06. Morphine. A three-piece band with no electric guitar, when one of their songs is played you immediately know its Morphine. Nobody else sounded like these guys. Featuring saxophone, drums, bass, and the vocals of frontman Mark Sandman, the band’s first three albums of the decade (Good, Cure for Pain, and Yes) are classics. Beatnick jazz and blues with a lo-end boom of rock that always satisfies.
05. Uncle Tupelo. Whenever they hear it I’m sure Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy probably cringe, but this is where the alt-country boom of the 1990’s began. Not many bands will include The Minutemen and the Carter Family as influences in the same breadth. The first album I heard was Still Feel Gone. It was a week before Thanksgiving in 1996. It changed everything. One look at my album collection and it’s evident. From 1997 through 2005 I lived and breathed alt-country/Americana. Their March 16 - 20, 1992 record is still one of my all-time favorite acoustic albums.
04. Pavement. If Uncle Tupelo stands at the genesis of alt-country, then these guys have to be somewhere close to the genesis of today’s indie rock. Slanted and Enchanted was all the rage during my freshman year of college. It’s still in many ways all the rage today. And in a Best of List for the 1990’s where I’m questioning the position of the Smashing Pumpkins, we have to at least mention Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain’s ”Range Life” don’t we? I will not argue with those of you who may think these guys should be at the top of the list. But to not include them at all…shame on you. Pavement came in with the 90’s and went out with the 90’s but former frontman Stephen Malkmus continues to pump out some amazing albums.
03. Nirvana. Ever heard of them?
02. Soul Coughing. Maybe some of you will think I’m smoking crack for putting these guys so high, but think what you want. I can still listen to Soul Coughing seven days a week and twice on Sunday. I know there’s only three albums to speak of (Lady Vroom, Irresistible Bliss, and El Oso) but damn they’re good (especially the first two). As I’ve said before this is Mike Doughty at his very best. The jazz, the poetry, and the feel of Soul Coughing keeps me coming back again and again and again and…
01. Radiohead. These guys could take the prize for the best band of the 1990’s and the 2000’s. I’m not sure anybody could have predicted where this band would end up when they released Pablo Honey back in 1992. There was “Creep” and there was…”Creep”. Don’t get me wrong I played the hell out of that song. I was not alone. But then there was silence. The silence was broken in 1995 with The Bends. Since then all hell has broken loose (in a good way). Was anyone besides me not prepared for OK Computer? And while I may not have been paying attention to “alternative” rock in the late 90’s, there was no ignoring that album. Somehow it just made sense against all the senselessness.
Ok, there’s my list. Argue away, chip at it, applaud it, bicker and poke fun. But if you’re going to vocally disagree at least come up with your own list. As for the Smashing Pumpkins? They probably end up somewhere between Pearl Jam and Oasis but well below a band like Cake or Dinosaur, Jr. or Primus. At least in my book.
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Tagged as: Best Bands of the 1990's, charlottesville, Charlottesville Pavilion, concert, Music, Smashing Pumpkins
i assume we are talking just bands, not solo artists right? that would affect any list i come up with for sure, whether i can include Beck or not, for one.
Aside from a few tunes from Nirvana, all those bands offered nothing but noise. Of course that was par for the course in the 90s (and 80s too).
Dear Horation,
You sir offer nothing but noise!
@1 Sorry for the delay in response Brian. Definitely bands. Including solo artists is an entirely different animal to which Beck would without a doubt play a starring role.
/It’s been a crazy day.
no particular order:
Pixies
Stereolab
Soundgarden
Nirvana
Portishead
Beastie Boys
Guided By Voices
Radiohead
Jellyfish
Ben Folds Five
@5 No complaints with that list there. I considered the Pixies too, but thought that their best work was actually released in the late 80’s. They came along in that strange in between decades period. First album in 87 and gone by 92 or 93. Their impact on the 90’s though is undeniable. Great list.
Brother, I like your choices. Pearl Jam would definitely be on my list though, for the nights my friends and I spent singing along to Better Man and Elderly Woman. Brian, I love the inclusion of Ben Folds Five. They’re often overlooked. But I often find “and give me back my black tee shirt” running through my head. Nirvana is a given. They certainly changed my world. They broke me of my terrible Boyz II Men habit. And for me personally, I think Green Day should be close to say, the number 10 slot. Basket Case and When I Come Around are still fun.
Hard to wrap my head around. So many bands and so long ago. But I do need to ask, are we saying bands putting out the best music in the 90s, or bands that had the most influence on music in the 90s?
Ouch, to mention Pearl Jam and then admit to singing along to Better Man and Elderly Woman
But yes, Pearl Jam probably belong on there.
I know these lists are personal opinions and all, but I can’t help arguing with them anyway
Shaun - while I absolutely love some of the bands you’ve got on your list, I have trouble granting them “best band of the 90’s” status e.g., Morphine. Great band, but top 10 of the 90’s? And while I’m kicking myself as I type it, I’m just not sure Soul Coughing makes the top 10 either (and I LOVE Soul Coughing).
I think Radiohead and Wilco - 2 of my all time favorite bands, have cemented themselves into the top 10 for the 2000’s and probably don’t warrant top slots in the 90’s as well. Wilco really spans the 2nd half of the 90’s with A.M. having been released in 95, Being There in 96, and Summerteeth in 99. Plus, their career didn’t really take off until the 2000’s.
Nirvana is definitely a top 10 band of the 90’s and while I’d like to include both the Pumpkins and Soundgarden, also 2 of my all time favorite bands, both bands saw their greatness wane in the back half of the 90’s with Soundgarden not even managing to finish out the decade. It’s a shame the Pumpkins didn’t call it quits before they put out Adore and Machina, but I think those 2 albums and Corgan’s adamant refusal to acknowledge his descent into suckland, bump the Pumpkins off the list. Though I’m tempted to give it to them anyway just on the basis of Jimmy Chamberlain. Regardless of whether Soundgarden make the cut or not, Badmotorfinger absolutely belongs on a top albums of the decade list (not sure where on the list though).
Phish probably belongs on there - or DMB. Jam bands have certainly been an important part of the musical landscape over the past 10 years and one of those god awful aforementioned bands probably deserves credit for kicking the jam band craze into overdrive.
How about the Red Hots? Even though 1987’s Uplift Mofo Party Plan is probably still my favorite record, Mother’s Milk is one of those decade defining albums.
Rage? Oasis? Tool? Green Day? Beck? PJ Harvey? Jeff Buckley? Foo Fighters? Alice in Chains? Chemical Brothers? Portishead?
I could see Tool in there, as well as Alice in Chains. I would have gone with Beck or Buckley as well, but Shaun ruled out solo artists. I do like PJ, but wouldn’t see her in this list.
I guess you could make a case for Live, if we are going on popularity in the 90s, although they tanked shortly after their 3rd album (some might even say their 2nd, or their 1st)
Andy you’re gonna make this fun you know that?
I’ll argue with you for the sake of arguing and because I’m a glutton for punishment. And we didn’t include solo artists so things would have definitely been a little different. (i.e. PJ, Jeff, and Beck)
I had a number of bands you mentioned written down (I actually have my scribbled notes from yesterday here) Pearl Jam, Oasis, Tool, RCP, and Alice in Chains all were there. But then I began to think about how many of those bands I still listen to because if they are so great I still should be listening to them shouldn’t I? Pearl Jam. No. Tool. No. RCP. No. (although agreed on Uplift Mofo and Mother’s Milk-those were my introduction to the Peppers and still my faves and yes they are definitely worthy of the list when you also include Blood Sugar Sex Magik). Alice in Chains. Rarely. Oasis. Yes. (They almost made my list)
But what made bands like Morphine and Soul Coughing so great (in my opinion) was that they weren’t following the herd. They weren’t reaching for a flannel shirt and trying to sound like they were from Seattle. They didn’t try to bring back punk (Green Day) or become an alt-country band (Whiskeytown…who I freakin’ love by the way). There are no two bands that I can think of that sounded like Morphine and Soul Coughing. That doesn’t have to make them great automatically but do me a favor. Throw on Cure for Pain at your next party and then throw on Even Flow. Tell me who wins among your guests? I could be wrong but I’m putting my money on Morphine. Did these guys sell a million records? Of course not but they were great because they made music that to this day, in some cases 15 or 16 years later, I can still put it in and it’s great! P.S.-I smoke crack.
Foo Fighters also only released three albums beginning in the 2nd half of the 90’s. 95 Self Titled, 97 The Colour and the Shape, and 99 There is Nothing Left to Lose. While the Foos debut trumps Wilco’s, I’ll take Summerteeth and Being There over The Colour and the Shape, and There is Nothing Left to Lose in a heart beat. Add the Mermaid Avenue album in there and bingo. Wilco 90’s and 2000’s. As for Green Day they will never be anywhere close to my Top 50 list, let alone my Top 10. I gotta take Phish over DMB. I saw DMB open for Phish, I never saw it the other way around but in the end you’re right, it’s one or the other.
Portishead. Definitely worthy. And I won’t argue with Rage even though I could (”Killing in the Name” and “Bulls on Parade” and…um…yeah…and hmm.)
And of course Tom Waits would be in every decade list since the 80s if we weren’t just focusing on bands. Thanks for the fun Andy. I await your rebuttal.
@8. Dan for arguments sake let’s say the best music of the 90s if it helps answer the question.
what about Crash Test Dummies? Chumbawumba? Dishwalla? Hanson? Veruca Salt? The Proclaimers?
Dang, there’s no agreeable objective standard, so total subjectivity it is I suppose…
Just too many important acts of the 90’s…
Wow, were we blessed with a great decade of music or what? And the 2000’s haven’t been too shabby either thus far.
@ 12. The Cambell’s Soup Bands of Crash Test Dummies and Hanson?. Mmmm…mmm. and MMM.Bop? Is that my sarcasm meter going off…I believe it is. I sure hope it is or it’s my alarm clock waking me up from some strange dream where I’m throwing mud at a stage at some concert inappropriately called Woodstock.
no Cracker, Tom Petty, or TMBG.
Petty - good call. He’s right up there with The Macarena.
Nah, for real, Petty would be good to add, but he really made his debut in the 80’s (and 70’s for that matter). However, his best album of all time (Wildflowers) was released in ‘94, so maybe that makes it more legit?
Also should be mentioned: The Breeders
See ya at the Pumpkins show.
[…] it seemed as though the young audience didn’t seem to mind. The joy of seeing one of the top bands of the 90’s in our hometown seemed to be plenty pleasing for the fresh faces of UVA students peppered among the […]
I am wicked late on this one, but I absolutely must comment.
Shaun, as usual, you are right on the money. Love that Ween and Weezer both made the list, as well as Morphine. Know every word and horn on Cure for Pain and always will. And Radiohead absolutely, hands down the best band of the 90s. Maybe the best band of all time (gasp! they’re giving the beatles and the dead a serious run for their money, IMHO).
What got left out, in MY subjective view?
NIN - pretty hate machine…need i say more?***
Dinosaur Jr - J. Mascis is a f*cking genius
Cake - Fashion Nugget another album i just can’t live without
Honerable Mention: Sonic Youth (brings back memories of my adolescence); Blind Melon; THE FEMMES
***NOTE: pretty hate machine came out in ‘89??? damn.
My Top 10 most-frequently-played songs from the 1990’s, according to iTunes (in descending order):
Stereolab - “Super Electric”
Big L - “Put it On”
Yo La Tengo - “Sugarcube”
Gescom - “Keynell 1″
Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth - “Funky Technician”
Burzum - “Jesu Tød”
Squarepusher - “Port Rhombus”
Aphex Twin - “4″
Sonic Youth - “Washing Machine”
Plone - “Summer Plays Out”
Smashing Pumpkins “Bury Me” did come in at #48, though…
Wow, I love the fact that you used the iTunes metadata and play stats to do that. That’s fantastically nerdy, and I wish I’d thought of it.