Oasis - Be Here Now

This is the sound of a band where no one tells them “no”.  Their first two albums are considered high points in Britpop.  Rightly so.  There are so many classics on those albums.  The band themselves say that the problem with Be Here Now was drugs.  Their excuse for the album not being very good is that they took too many drugs while making it.  But I think it goes further than that.  Lead single D’You Know What I Mean goes for nearly 8 minutes.  Ballad All Around the World is nearly 10 minutes long - and it has the kitchen sink thrown at it.  Strings, Brass, guitar solos.  The lot.  There are only two tracks on the album shorter than 5 minutes. 

I don’t think the problem was drugs necessarily.  I think the problem is that there was no one telling the band that their ideas weren’t any good.  There are some good songs hidden here.  Stand By Me – while it could have done with an edit – is good.  Low key Don’t Go Away is also top shelf material.  But the whole album is overblown and bombastic.  After this album Oasis went from being a vital band, to being inessential.  They had moments of greatness, but were never the same again.  The classics, so abundant on their first two albums, became very rare.  This is a case of more being definitely less.  

Tina Arena - In Deep

I’ve previously reviewed Tina Arena and don’t have anything further to add.  More of the same. 

Hanson - Middle of Nowhere

It’s fair to say that the only song I had previously heard from this album was MMMbop.  It’s also fair to say that I after listening to this album, that’s the only song I remember.

The Prodigy - The Fat of the Land

I don’t know if there’s any truth to the rumour the band wanted to switch the title around for the US market and call it “The Land of the Fat”, but that kind of sums up the attitude of the band.  They want to be provocative and in your face.  They want to grab your attention.  This album is proof that you don’t need guitars to be loud and angry.  The Prodigy are a proper punk band.

Conversely, I love the story that frontman Keith Flint owned a pub and whenever he lit the fire people would inevitably make the “I’m a Firestarter” joke.  He’d point to an empty pint glass on the bar and say “you owe me a pound”.  That money went to charity.  Never judge a book by its cover, I guess.   

Anyway… Breathe and Firestarter are the highlights of this album.  But the whole album is loud and in your face.  It’s relentless.

Faith No More - Album of the Year

Like many innovators, Faith No More suffer from being lumped in with their imitators.  Fusing rock and hip hop feels so natural now, but when the band started there were definite, and firm, demarcation lines between the genres.  Faith No More seem like the godfathers of the Nu-Metal scene (Korn, Limp Bizkit) but they were so much more than these bands. 

The band really came into its own with songs like Epic, We Care A Lot and Midlife Crisis.  Their biggest song is a cover of Easy by the Commodores.  By playing it straight, it goes against all expectations but works a charm.  Album of the Year has a slight change in direction with a more conservative sound.  But songs like Ashes to Ashes, Stripsearch and Last Cup of Sorrow are certainly not easy listening.  It was to be their final album for 18 years and it was a suitable full stop to their career before their inevitable reformation.

Savage Garden - Savage Garden

Did you see the video?  The one where the lead singer was on the back of a ute singing the song?  It seemed so ridiculous.  But it was also quite compelling.  The first three singles from the album were called I Want You, Truly, Madly, Deeply and To the Moon and Back.  I challenge you to find a more cliched trio of song titles.  But, by god, they were so catchy.  I couldn’t help but fall for these songs.  I know it was fashionable to look down your nose at the band, but these songs took the band to unparalleled success.  They had a number one single in the US, their album sold 12 million copies worldwide. 

Now, I’ll admit that aside from these singles, the album isn’t great.  But, oh boy, those singles!  So good.

U2 - Pop

When you’re riding high, you can do what you want and not care what anyone else thinks about it.  Some might call it confidence, while others would call it hubris.  This is the sound of a band being creative and pushing themselves.  They definitely explored new sounds on this album and I think of Pop as the last U2 album where they really were great. 

It has to be said that this is the album where the old school fans left in droves.  It’s no accident that the follow up to this album (All That You Can’t Leave Behind) returned to a more traditional U2 sound with songs like Beautiful Day on it.  Pop has largely been dismissed by the band as a misstep.  To my mind, this means that it didn’t sell enough copies.  But when has commercial success equalled artistic merit? 

This album is known as the album where U2 went “dance” music.  While there are definitely influences of techno and electronica on tracks like Discotheque and Mofo, it doesn’t describe the whole album.  In fact, they’ve never cast their net so wide.  They are on familiar territory with a song like Please which references the Troubles, Gone features Edge’s guitar sounding like a siren and in another universe If You Wear That Velvet Dress would be a lounge music classic. 

The album isn’t without its flaws.  U2 booked their tour before they finished the album and they’ve re-recorded half the tracks subsequent to its release.  That tells its own story.

But for me, it is the sound of a band that doesn’t care what you think.  This is the last time U2 were fearless.

Silverchair - Freakshow

God this album annoyed me when I was younger. I thought “what the hell are you complaining about – you’re living the dream”.  But age brings perspective, and by god Daniel Johns must have been going through a tough time.  The clues are in the song titles.  Freak, Abuse Me, Pop Song For Us Rejects. 

Yes, these titles could be considered the complaints of any teenager… but isn’t exactly what he was?  I’ve seen footage of the band playing Freak at Rock in Rio and there must be 250,000 people in the audience.  a moment where you think he should be enjoying one of the high points of his career, he’s letting out involuntary screams, he puts on funny voices, he’s acting up.  But not quite in a “rock star” way.  Daniel Johns is basically losing his mind.  In It’s quite hard to watch for me.  I really feel for him.  I always thought the lyrics “I’m a Freak of nature” were really basic.  Turns out he was expressing exactly how he felt.   

Romeo and Juliet - Soundtrack

The soundtrack to Baz Lurhmann’s best film is actually really great.  It really suits the mood of the film and it pulls together some lesser known tracks by some great artists.  Imagine throwing away songs like #1 Crush (Garbage) or Talk Show Host (Radiohead) on a soundtrack!  Brilliant.

1996

 Oasis

Alanis 

Celine Dion - Falling Into You 

Cranberries 

 

 

Jimmy Barnes - Barnes Hits Anthology

There’s something reliable about a greatest hits package.  You know what you’re going to get and this delivers exactly what you want if you’re after a Jimmy Barnes fix. 
 

Nirvana - From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah

There was a trend in the 90s (and before the 90s I guess) when releasing live albums the idea was to make a compilation of the best version of the songs and make it seem that all the songs were all from the one concert – even if they were recorded months or years apart.  These days record companies release an entire concert which gives a more complete picture of what happens on an individual night.  For me, that’s part of the appeal of a live album.  Seeing a band without a safety net and experiencing the thrill of a live performance.  If I wanted perfection, I would listen to a studio album.  This album is ok, but it feels a bit disjointed as if it was recorded all over the place.  Because it was. 

Toni Childs - The Very Best Of...

The appearance of this album at the top of the charts can only be explained by the fact that one of the songs (Many Rivers to Cross) featured in a bank advertisement at the time.  What I can’t explain is that this lasted 6 weeks in the top spot!   

R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi

A drummer isn’t often a key member of any band.  But after this album Bill Berry (the drummer) quit the band after suffering a brain aneurysm on stage.  The quality of REM’s catalogue dropped considerably. 

REM almost defined underground music in the 80s.  Their first 5 albums are, quite rightly, considered foundation stones of indie music as they embody both the spirit and the sound of the scene. 

This album, mostly written at soundchecks of their first world tour in 5 years, is good.  But it’s not great.  While this album has some great songs on it (E-Bow the Letter, Electrolite, The Wake Up Bomb) it could certainly have done with a bit of a trim.  There’s too much filler here.  My advice?  Listen to any of the albums that precede this one in the catalogue.  They’re all great. 

Pearl Jam - No Code

This is quite a divisive album.  For the “true fans” of the band, they love it.  It’s the sound of a band walking to the beat of its own drum.  For the rest of us, this is where we parted ways.  I didn’t like this album in 1996 and listening to it again 25 years later, I still don’t.  This is the sound of a band taking a step back from their established sound and trying new things.  Some might argue that without this album they wouldn’t be an active band to this day as it allowed them to broaden their sound.  I’m not so sure.  It feels like a bit of a mess. I don’t think I’ll be revisiting this album anytime soon.

The Corrs - Forgiven, Not Forgotten

This album features a series of traditional Irish instrumental pieces between the songs that, back in the 90s, I always thought was just a bit of filler that was used to pad out the album because they didn’t have enough songs.  My feelings towards the instrumentals is entirely different now.  Those instrumental songs are what turns ties this album together.  It lifts the soft pop songs into being something a bit different.  Yes, this is lightweight pop, but is a satisfying album to listen to.

Crowded House - Recurring Dream

You can see why Australia wants to claim them.  If a band has two thirds Australian members and is formed in Melbourne, you think we have a strong claim.  However, the driving force is clearly from New Zealand!  There aren’t many bands that have a flawless catalogue, but Crowded House was one of them.  This album is a collection of Crowded House’s greatest hits and is, as you would expect, flawless.  Neil Finn reformed the band in 2006 with mixed results.  But if you focus on the first four albums (which is done here) then you can’t go wrong.  This is world class pop music created by a master of his craft.

You Am I - Hourly, Daily

I think this might be a strange comparison, but Tim Rogers is a bit like Bruce Springsteen on this album.  Not in sound, but in his storytelling ability.  Hourly Daily, is a series of vignettes, kitchen sink dramas and slices of every day Australian life that really resonate with me.  Perhaps writing about Australian life was why You Am I were never a huge success internationally, but the quality of their songs was certainly as good as their international contemporaries.

Metallica - Load

This is where Metallica started to fall apart.  Load was part one of a two part double album (Re-load follows in 1997) and it is probably all you’d expect it to be.  Rare is the double album that couldn’t be trimmed into one really good single album and that’s what happens here.  Good songs, mixed with too much filler.  Could you make a really great 10 song album from the selection of songs on Load and Re-load?  Of course you could.  That’s what they should have done.

Soundgarden - Down on the Upside

I was going to say that this album sounds like a band who was trying to record a Soundgarden album, but forgot to write any songs.  But that’s not entirely true.  Soundgarden don’t always have traditional songs, they sometimes have just really great riffs that propel their music along.  Or they have driving rhythm tracks that grab you by the throat.  Their songs structures are quite unusual.  This album has nothing of what makes Soundgarden great.  There aren’t any songs to speak of.  The riffs and powerful rhythms you usually find are missing. It feels like the band ran out of steam.  They’re uninspired.  It’s no accident that this was their last album for 16 years.  After really liking Soundgarden’s previous album, Superunknown, I was really disappointed with this.

George Michael - Older

I think the thing people forget about George Michael is that he wasn’t just a pop star, but he was actually a music producer.  Yes, he was a singer and a song writer (and teen idol), but he was a fantastic producer of music.  Unlike other famous producers (George Martin etc) he produced his own work.  And it is work of such amazingly high quality that it feels so effortless.  But it’s not.  It takes a lot of effort to make music this good.  Older features works that are a bit slower and more reflective than his previous albums.  Jesus to a Child, and Spinning the Wheel, are slow burning songs.  Even the fantastic track Fastlove is a slow groove dance song.  The title, Older is truly reflective of the maturity of the contents.

The Cranberries - To The Faithful Departed

This album might have made it to number one, but the shine came off the Cranberries around this time.  It’s almost like they had nothing further to say and just recorded this album because they felt like they needed to record an album.  This album is OK, but it’s nothing special.

Celine Dion - Falling Into You

More of the same from Celine Dion.  This isn’t really a problem.  She’s certainly popular and there’s nothing wrong with giving your fans exactly what they want is there? 

Alanis Morisette - Jagged Little Pill

Does it really matter that the things Alanis mentioned in Ironic weren’t, in fact, ironic at all?  It doesn’t to me.  It’s such a catchy song.  This was, by any measure, one of the biggest albums of the 90s.  It has great, catchy songs with direct lyrics and great hooks.   

It feels that while it is reductive to define music by gender (I mean, while they have best female artists lists, they don’t have best male artists do they?  It’s just best artists lists… but I digress). 

There was a wave of strong female artists in the 90s that walked to the beat of their own drum.  Prior to the 90s, female artists were largely found singing bubble-gum pop.  I know there were exceptions (Debbie Harry, Maryanne Faithful, Chrissy Amphlett, etc) but most female artists weren’t really taken seriously. 

The problem with naming artists is that you generally forget someone important (Kate Bush! Siousxie Sioux!).  Entire books could be written about the rise of female rock stars.  But the point still stands, prior to the 90s most female artists were considered a novelty. 

In the 90s, a wave of female artists emerged (Gwen Stefani, Shirley Manson, Courtney Love, PJ Harvey, Bjork, Tori Amos, Ani DiFanco, Aimee Mann to name but a few) and showed that they had something to say, that they had the chops, they could write great songs and they were a force to be reckoned with. 

Alanis Morisette was probably the biggest selling of these artists.  It’s no accident that this album was so successful.  Just look at the songs Ironic, You Outta Know, Hand In Pocket, You Learn.  These songs were inescapable in the 90s.  They’re all great.  And so is this album

Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory

Blur vs Oasis.  The battle of Britpop seems quaint these days. Especially as the best Britpop band was Suede!  But what I actually mean is that in the 90s there was a clear demarcation between the bands.  This was probably more evident in the UK than in Australia, but you were either a Blur fan or an Oasis fan.  You couldn’t be both.  Listening to them now, you realise how silly that is.  While there are definite differences between the bands, it all feels like a marketing stunt to get them both publicity. 

The first two Oasis albums were really great.  While I have a slight preference for their debut (Definitely Maybe), this album is no drop in form.  Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back In Anger, Champagne Supernova.  They’re all great tracks.  In fact, even the songs that aren’t big singles are good.  The sum is greater than the constituent parts.  It sounds like a band, not with something to prove, but with a band knowing that this is their moment and not letting the opportunity go to waste. 

At the time, they were about to become the biggest band in the UK.  It shows.

1995

The Cranberries - No Need To Argue

The Offspring - Smash 

Enya - The Memory of Trees

The fact that this album made it to number one confuses me beyond words.  I can’t work out how it gets to number one for 4 weeks over the Christmas period (traditionally the time where most CDs were sold).  I never realised that Enya was so popular.

The Beatles - Anthology 1

When it comes time to write the history of 20th century music the Beatles will be at the top of the list.  Perhaps thy might be second only to Elvis.  Anthology was a TV series that told their story and this is the accompanying album.  This album starts in the pre-Beatles years to show their roots as the Quarrymen, their time in Hamburg, through to their early recording sessions.  While it doesn’t replace their flawless catalogue, is an interesting addition that sheds light on their early years as a band.

Madonna - Something to Remember

A greatest hits collection that focuses on Madonna’s ballads.  If you like that kind of thing, this will suit you down to the ground.

Tina Arena - Don't Ask

There’s no doubt that Tina Arena is very popular.  She’s one of the highest selling artists in Australia.  Don’t Ask features Chains and Sorento Moon and was really the start of her adult career.  She would only go from strength to strength after this.

The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Grandiose, overblown, indulgent.  This album is all of those things and more. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad album by any means.  Whether you want to sit through two and a half hours of Billy Corgan’s inner most thoughts is something entirely up to you (yes, this is a double album).  The singles on this album are really good 1979, Tonight, Tonight, Zero, Bullet with Butterfly Wings.   But let’s be honest, the tracklist could have done with a pretty harsh edit.

Dangerous Minds - Soundtrack

This feels like such a weird album to make it to number 1.  I guess Gangster’s Paradise (that features on this album) was a massive hit.  But can everyone really have bought it for this one song?  I guess they must have.

Mariah Carey - Daydream

One Mariah Carey album sounds pretty much like all the others to me.  I don’t really have anything further to add.

AC/DC - Ballbreaker

By this stage of their career AC/DC have made the same album 13 times.  You know what you’re getting and if that’s your thing you get it here.  No surprises.  But you don’t really want surprises from AC/DC do you?