Why 1995 Rocked

1995 was a stellar year for music. While the rest of the world was experiencing such historic and tragic events as OJ Simpson's acquittal, the Unabomber terror, Michael Jordan's return to basketball, the Korean War Veterans Memorial unveiling, and the founding of eBay, the alternative music scene was fresh and thriving. Just take a looksee at a small sample of the great music that hit shelves 13 years ago, changing their landscape forever:

Foo Fighters, Foo Fighters. Okay, I admit I didn't take them seriously in the beginning. Yeah, they had Dave Grohl, former Nirvana drummer, and the music was killer. But what kind of a name was Foo Fighters? (I've just recently, after all these years, found out that the term dates back to WWII, when UFO-like objects were witnessed in the sky by Allied troops. The phenomenon was never explained, but the objects were given the name foo fighters.) For some reason Big Me always sounded like a spoof to me, and I was skeptical that the whole gig was nothing more than a Nirvana spinoff. But I'm not too proud to beg forgiveness for my obvious lack of judgement. Dave and his boys have stood the test of time, as evidenced by their hugely successful latest album, which has won them multiple Grammys and a new generation of fans.



Better Than Ezra, Deluxe. My favorite band (along with Dave Matthews Band), Better Than Ezra, was expected to be written off as a one-hit wonder, riding the coattails of "Good" forever. But, ha!, they played on, and to date have several studio albums, a live album, and even a greatest hits album to their name. Good isn't even close to being their best song, although one could contend that its fellow track In the Blood is. It's also one of the few tunes I remember hearing for the first time. Before the days of internet music-on-demand, when we were all at the mercy of the radio, I would blast our family record player/radio when it came on, my ears pressed up against the speakers. Much more about Kevin, Tom and Travis to come in future posts...



Collective Soul, Collective Soul. The first CD that yours truly ever purchased with my own money. And, my oh my was it worth the $15, which in 2008 would translate to about $500 in my world. The sophomore album has everything you could ever want: an inspiring ballad with gospel touches (Reunion), a headbanging classic (Gel), the defining hit (December), and a moving message tune (The World I Know). In a future blog post, I'd like to dissect the fact that CS has managed to remain mainstream notwithstanding their frequent Christian references and refusal to portray anything other than lyrical and musical class and dignity in the mostly dirty world of rock and roll.



Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill. Similar to her country counterpart Shania Twain, Alanis is Canadian born, brunette, has sold heaps of records, and has an unusual name. Unlike Shania's music, however, Alanis' debut album was unlike anyone had ever heard before. It was angry. It was gritty. Her lyrics were full of carefully placed curse words and unlikely rhythms. The bitterness was there, yes, and it was aimed at parents, exes, Catholicism. But at least there was one straight forward love song: Head Over Feet. Isn't it ironic, though, that that one's the worst on the album? It was the unrestrained soul baring that really had us head over feet for Alanis.



Matthew Sweet, 100% Fun. Mr. Sweet was already practically a music veteran when Sick of Myself introduced him to a whole new set of willing fans, myself included. His signature style is true, good old rock and roll. Comfortingly predicatable rhythms stave off surprises, but that's the beauty of it. That and Sweet's impossibly sweet voice. Smog Moon remains to this day one of my favorite rock ballads.



Dishwalla, Pet Your Friends. A largely underestimated band, as they are tragically thought by most to be a one-hit wonder. This is justified though, since they did only manage one Top 40 song (Counting Blue Cars). The problem with the one-hit wonder label is that it disregards the quality of future recordings that didn't "sell." The more music you hear, the more you realize that truly great songs don't always make a ton of money. That's just the way it is. The whole of Pet Your Friends is classic nineties alternative, with all the great music we expect of such a genre, as well as a surprisingly bold and noble lyric in the opening track, Pretty Babies: "Everything about the world is sex / It's a message of a popular culture / Telling all our children how to do it right / And all through their innocence you can ask yourself why / Why the need? / Why the need to eroticize our children? / Oh, our pretty babies / How they're ready / Oh, our pretty babies / How they're not ready." I applaud these guys (one of whom is reportedly LDS) for making such a desperately needed statement at the risk of being called, gasp!, "uncool."



Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Much like this blog post is turning out to be, the Pumpkins' two-disc, Grammy-winning CD set is incredibly long, self-indulgent, and perfect. The masterpiece secured ciritical and commercial success by reaching Number One status, and accomplishing the rare task of making loads of dough without selling out.