Helmet - Betty (1994)

With the corporate rock cognoscenti frothing at the mouth to sign the next Nirvana, in 1991 a seemingly "nerdy" band from New York by the name of Helmet was about to set the world on fire -- at least on paper. Seemingly overnight, the Amphetamine Reptile faves had a fat check in their pockets and an astounding major-label debut by the name of Meantime. Eschewing Cobain's neo-punk/power pop instincts, Helmet opted instead for a more a minimalist approach, whereby rhythmic tension over 4/4 melodies reigned supreme. Now poised to step into their role as future darlings of a sound that can only be described as bludgeoning aggro-punk-atonal-rock, the band was propelled by a massive hype campaign and heralded as East Coast tastemakers du jour. But for all its accolades (mostly well-deserved), Meantime's commercial success sadly fell short of expectations and, by 1994, Helmet was giving it another try with Betty -- its second effort for Interscope. Label pressure notwithstanding, Betty had a lot more riding on it than even perhaps Hamilton was willing to admit. Lacking some of the tightly focused ferocity of Meantime, Betty appears to be an almost too well-thought-out affair and, ultimately, its songs miss out on some of the discreet melodic accents that had served to underpin even the most bludgeoning noise-fests on Meantime. Songs like "Wilma's Rainbow," "Biscuits for Smut," and especially "Milquetoast" have their moments, but don't quite live up to expectations. And although Helmet's tuned down, stop-go-stop dynamic (originally pioneered by New Yorkers Prong) would go on to influence hundreds of up-and-coming acts, their complete lack of image or star quality (a key ingredient to Cobain's magnetism, as much as he himself despised it) would play a major role in eventually doing them in. Betty initiated a commercial spiral for the quartet that not even the return to form and progress displayed by 1997's massive sounding Aftertaste could reverse. Source: [AMG]

Helmet - Milquetoast



Track Listing
1. Wilma's Rainbow
2. I Know
3. Biscuits for Smut
4. Milquetoast
5. Tic
6. Rollo
7. Street Crab
8. Clean
9. Vaccination
10. Beautiful Love
11. Speechless
12. The Silver Hawaiian
13. Overrated
14. Sam Hell

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The Devil Dogs - Saturday Night Fever (1994)

New York garage punk trio the Devil Dogs could usually be counted on for consistency, but 1994's Saturday Night Fever is a hair below most of their other albums in the entertainment department. Most of the problem is in the production, which takes that fatal half-step from authentically raunchy lo-fi to just plain bad: most of the record sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a fairly deep well. Even aside from that, however, there are fewer of the Devil Dogs' great snotty pop-punk classics, and too many songs sound like half-hearted rewrites of what had come before. Although it has a fun early-'60s pop parody feel to it, "Get On Your Knees" isn't much more than a rewrite of "Suck the Dog," the early Devil Dogs' slice of punk misogyny later recorded by both Billy Childish and the Italian punks the Singing Dogs. One highlight is a swell cover of Gene Pitney's "Backstage," but too much of the rest of the album is simply passable at best. Source: [AMG]

The Devil Dogs - Once Around The Block / C'mon Little Baby


Track Listing
1. Big Fuckin Party (Pt. 1)
2. Dance With You Baby
3. Gonna Be My Girl
4. Once Around the Block
5. I Don't Believe You
6. Backstage
7. Back in the City
8. 6th Ave. Local
9. It's Not Easy
10. Sweet Like Wine
11. Stuck in 3rd Gear
12. Alright!
13. Big Fuckin Party (Reprise)
14. Get on Your Knees
15. Hellraiser
16. Burnin' Love
17. So Young
18. Long Gone

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The Dirtys - You Should Be Sinnin' (1997)

With nothing else to do in Port Huron, Michigan except drink, listen to the Stooges and start a bottle breaking, obnoxious rock troupe. At least that was the case for Screamin' Joe Burdick (bass/ vocals), Nick Lloyd (drums), Larry TerBush (guitar/ vocals) and Marc Watt (guitar) when they got together The Dirtys in early 1996. Known for their destructive stage presence and getting themselves banned from the occasional bar, Crypt Records took a liking to these guys and released their first album You Should Be Sinnin' in 1997. The Dirtys attempt to resurrect the spirit of classic rock & roll on You Should Be Sinnin'..., fusing Chuck Berry-esque riffs with considerable bad-boy attitude for maximum raunch. Source: [AMG]

Track Listing
1. Midnite Till Noon
2. I'm on Fire
3. Rock It Out Tonight!
4. Alive
5. Born to Lose, Live to Win
6. I Ain't Cheatin'
7. Grind Baby Grind
8. Shanty
9. Sex Pain
10. Dirtys Boogie
11. You Should Be Packin' Mama
12. Pistol Packin' Mama
13. You Belong to Me
14. Ain't She Sweet
15. Drink, Fight...Fuck!

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Pizzicato Five - Made In USA (1994)

Although it's not billed as such, Pizzicato Five's stateside debut, Made in USA, is actually a compilation of tracks from their 15 or so albums. You need a taste for irreverent sampling and ironic deconstruction of lightweight pop idioms to dig this. But within that narrow field, Pizzicato Five are as good as it gets. They devise fare that's both funky and funny, made more human than most such projects by Maki Nomiya's fetching vocals. Source: [AMG]

Pizzicato Five - Magic Carpet Ride


Track Listing
1. I
2. Sweet Soul Revue
3. Magic Carpet Ride
4. Readymade FM
5. Baby Love Child
6. Twiggy Twiggy/Twiggy Vs. James Bond [mix]
7. This Year's Girl #2
8. I Wanna Be Like You
9. Go Go Dancer
10. Catchy
11. Peace Music

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Soundgarden - Superunknown (1994)

Soundgarden's finest hour, Superunknown is a sprawling, 70-minute magnum opus that pushes beyond any previous boundaries. Soundgarden had always loved replicating Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath riffs, but Superunknown's debt is more to mid-period Zep's layered arrangements and sweeping epics. Their earlier punk influences are rarely detectable, replaced by surprisingly effective appropriations of pop and psychedelia. Badmotorfinger boasted more than its fair share of indelible riffs, but here the main hooks reside mostly in Chris Cornell's vocals; accordingly, he's mixed right up front, floating over the band instead of cutting through it. The rest of the production is just as crisp, with the band achieving a huge, robust sound that makes even the heaviest songs sound deceptively bright. But the most important reason Superunknown is such a rich listen is twofold: the band's embrace of psychedelia, and their rapidly progressing mastery of songcraft. Soundgarden had always been a little mind-bending, but the full-on experiments with psychedelia give them a much wider sonic palette, paving the way for less metallic sounds and instruments, more detailed arrangements, and a bridge into pop (which made the eerie ballad "Black Hole Sun" an inescapable hit). That blossoming melodic skill is apparent on most of the record, not just the poppier songs and Cornell-penned hits; though a couple of drummer Matt Cameron's contributions are pretty undistinguished, they're easy to overlook, given the overall consistency. The focused songwriting allows the band to stretch material out for grander effect, without sinking into the pointlessly drawn-out muck that cluttered their early records. The dissonance and odd time signatures are still in force, though not as jarring or immediately obvious, which means that the album reveals more subtleties with each listen. It's obvious that Superunknown was consciously styled as a masterwork, and it fulfills every ambition. Source: [AMG]

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun


Track Listing
1. Let Me Drown
2. My Wave
3. Fell on Black Days
4. Mailman
5. Superunknown
6. Head Down
7. Black Hole Sun
8. Spoonman
9. Limo Wreck
10. The Day I Tried to Live
11. Kickstand
12. Fresh Tendrils
13. 4th of July
14. Half
15. Like Suicide
16. She Likes Surprises

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The Afghan Whigs - Congregation (1991)

The grunge era's most overlooked masterpiece, Congregation was the Afghan Whigs' breakthrough album, an incendiary and insidious set which bridges the gap between the noisy aggression of the band's early releases and the soulful swagger of their later work. Slipping with ominous ease into the sinister, self-obsessed Lothario guise which would serve him so well from here on out, Greg Dulli announces his arrival as a truly magnetic presence -- by turns predator ("Tonight") and prey ("I'm Her Slave"), he's the guy your parents always warned you about, delivering each syllable of his remarkable lyrics with equal measures of innuendo and venom. Equally startling is the Whigs' musical growth -- while still unmistakably a member of the Sub Pop stable, there's a greater maturity and depth to their sinewy sound, with a newfound grasp of mood and nuance on tracks like the opening "Her Against Me" and "Let Me Lie to You" -- the wah-wah guitar which dominates "Turn On the Water," meanwhile, offers the first taste of the funk ambitions to follow. It was hardly a surprise when the Whigs jumped to Elektra soon after -- Congregation was clearly their ticket to the big leagues. Source: [AMG]

The Afghan Whigs - Miles Iz Ded


Track Listing
1. Her Against Me
2. I'm Her Slave
3. Turn On The Water
4. Conjure Me
5. Kiss the Floor
6. Congregation
7. This Is My Confession
8. Dedicate It
9. The Temple
10. Let Me Lie to You
11. Tonight
12. Miles Iz Ded

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The Verve - Urban Hymns (1997)

Not long after the release of A Northern Soul, the Verve imploded due to friction between vocalist Richard Ashcroft and guitarist Nick McCabe. It looked like the band had ended before reaching its full potential, which is part of the reason why their third album, Urban Hymns -- recorded after the pair patched things up in late 1996 -- is so remarkable. Much of the record consists of songs Ashcroft had intended for a solo project or a new group, yet Urban Hymns unmistakably sounds like the work of a full band, with its sweeping, grandiose soundscapes and sense of purpose. The Verve have toned down their trancy, psychedelic excursions, yet haven't abandoned them -- if anything, they sound more muscular than before, whether it's the trippy "Catching the Butterfly" or the pounding "Come On." These powerful, guitar-drenched rockers provide the context for Ashcroft's affecting, string-laden ballads, which give Urban Hymns its hurt. The majestic "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and the heartbreaking, country-tinged "The Drugs Don't Work" are an astonishing pair, two anthemic ballads that make the personal universal, thereby sounding like instant classics. They just are the tip of the iceberg -- "Sonnet" is a lovely, surprisingly understated ballad, "The Rolling People" has a measured, electric power, and many others match their quality. Although it may run a bit too long for some tastes, Urban Hymns is a rich album that revitalizes rock traditions without ever seeming less than contemporary. It is the album the Verve have been striving to make since their formation, and it turns out to be worth all the wait. Source: [AMG]

The Verve - Lucky Man


Track Listing
1. Bittersweet Symphony
2. Sonnet
3. The Rolling People
4. The Drugs Don't Work
5. Catching the Butterfly
6. Neon Wilderness
7. Space and Time
8. Weeping Willow
9. Lucky Man
10. One Day
11. This Time
12. Velvet Morning
13. Come On/Deep Freeze

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The Posies - Amazing Disgrace (1996)

The Posies let their true power pop colors fly but with a tougher edge by steeping the songs on their fourth album in punk rock and '70s metal. "Throwaway" is a big guitar rocker with a harmonious chorus — the kind that became the band's calling card. The band invited Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander to sing along on "Hate Song." Unfortunately, the elder pair's charms were lost in the mix, though "Daily Mutilation" would be a good choice of cover for their own band. "Everybody Is a Fucking Liar" takes a trip back in time with its histrionic guitar parts. Naturally, "Grant Hart" and "Broken Record" are punk rock. "Song #1" and "Will You Ever Ease Your Mind?" are the kind of gorgeous pop songs on which the band grew their reputation. Whether they tackle punk, hard rock, or soft rock, the Posies' brand of songcraft is extraordinary, though, sadly, it would appear this was their swan song. Source: [AMG]

The Posies - Daily Mutilation


Track Listing
1. Daily Mutilation
2. Ontario
3. Throwaway
4. Please Return It
5. Hate Song
6. Precious Moments
7. Fight It (If You Want)
8. Everybody Is a Fucking Liar
9. World
10. Grant Hart
11. Broken Record
12. The Certainity
13. Song #1
14. ¿Will You Ever Ease Your Mind?
15. Terrorized

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Girls Against Boys - Cruise Yourself (1994)

Having fully made their case with Venus Luxure, Girls Against Boys kept on course with the equally fine Cruise Yourself. The hints of lounge and Vegas were even more explicit here -- the cocktail artwork on the CD, the fact that one particularly bitter number is called "My Martini." Again, though, these weren't the gauche clichés of characters like Combustible Edison, but signposts of a vicious, cutting quality in lyrics and music. McCloud's purring rasp again serves as one of the band's chief qualities, perfectly suited to the sassy, snarling burn of songs like "Cruise Your New Baby Fly Self" and "The Royal Lowdown." Though backing vocals aren't specifically credited, it's Janney adding the high parts here and there, such as the effectively creepy chorus of "Explicitly Yours." Ted Niceley and Janney once again handle the production/engineering combination, and, unsurprisingly, the whole album is a tightly wound effort that sounds like it's going to explode every second. In an interesting switch, and a demonstration of the band's increasing reach, Temple took over the duties with the sampler, while Janney concentrated not only on his own bass work, but organ and vibes as well. "Kill the Sexplayer" was the arguable standout, and while again many critics saw McCloud's slurring sneer as being the new incarnation of Mark E. Smith, that's a lazy connection. McCloud's singing oozes its own attitude, while the band isn't reinventing art/rockabilly as much as finding its own fast, bass-led charge. Certainly, though, the German motorik touches both bands share have their place on Cruise Yourself -- half the time on "Psychic Know-How," Fleisig is laying down a smart Krautrock chug and both Temple and Janney are right there with him, especially with Janney's keyboard glaze. And at one point -- "From Now On" -- McCloud's distorted rasp does for once sound exactly like the Mancunian master. Source: [AMG]

Girls Against Boys - (I) Don't Got A Place


Track Listing
1. Tucked-In
2. Cruise Your New Baby Fly Self
3. Kill the Sexplayer
4. (I) Don't Got a Place
5. Psychic Know-How
6. Explicitly Yours
7. From Now On
8. Raindrop
9. The Royal Lowdown
10. My Martini
11. Glazed-Eye

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VV.AA. - Revolution Come And Gone (1992)

Nirvana - The Money Will Roll Right In


Track Listing
1. Tad - Jinx
2. Six Finger Satellite - Weapon
3. Rein Sanction - Creel
4. Beat Happening - Revolution Come and Gone
5. Thw Walkabouts - Maggie's Farm
6. Truly - Heart and Lungs
7. Mudhoney - The Money Will Roll Right In
8. Supersuckers - Caliente
9. Reverend Horton Heat - Marijuana
10. The Dwarves - Fuck Em All
11. Bullet Lavolta - Rails
12. Green Magnet School - Throb
13. Hole - Dicknail
14. Steven Jesse Bernstein - No No Man Pt. 2
15. Seaweed - Baggage
16. The Monkeywrench - Call My Body Home
17. Afghan Whigs - Miles Iz Ded
18. Love Battery - Foot
19. Codeine - Cracked in Two
20. Mark Lanegan - Woe
21. Earth - A Bureaucratic Desire for Revenge, Pt. 1

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