Another mind-blowing event, if you’ll indulge me: Seeing the Boss Tones live in Albany, New York in early 1993. It was as though a wave of manic music had crashed over me. I didn’t know what “ska” was at the time and had only a vague notion of punk, but I was soon to delve headlong into both.
6. Surfer Rosa - Pixies
The Pixies put on a clinic – one that many bands learned from and learned well – of alternative rock perfection: quiet-loud dynamics (yes, kids, you can utilize dynamics in rock music!), harmonies range over discordant guitar riffs, oddball and cryptic lyrics make manic sense with repeat listens. Frank Black and Kim Deal mesh wonderfully throughout.
The older I get, the more I realize what a groundbreaking entity the Pixies were (are?).
7. Let's Go! - Rancid
A greater blast of pure and ebullient punk energy you will not find (post-1985 at least!). “Salvation” is a compulsive, churning, and hopped up power pop anthem, and the rest of the album isn’t very far behind. Its 23 tracks fly by and there’s not a second of wasted time.
If there’s a person more perfectly suited to belting, dribbling, drawling, and howling punk rock pleas than Tim Armstrong, I certainly have never heard him. Or her. His ex-wife, Brody Dalle, might be close. But that’s a different story.
I used to listen to this album during many an early morning jog in the small town of Rochester, about an hour outside of London. One icy day, just after dawn, I zipped around a corner onto my block and the home stretch. Unfortunately, I didn’t see a teenage girl walking toward the bus stop. As I whizzed by her, she screamed, “You fucking asshole!” So much for being the Non-Ugly American…
8. Energy - Operation Ivy
Speaking of Tim Armstrong, he was part of the granddaddy of the punk-ska movement, along with Matt Freeman and Jesse Michaels. It’s all showcased here, a compulsive yet raw blast of, well, Energy. Songs like “Knowledge” and “Sound System” were built to keep angst-ridden young punks from flying off the rails. “One of These Days” is just about as much fun as you can have with a cover song.
9. Paul’s Boutique - Beastie Boys
In certain ways the most inaccessible of the Boys’ albums, it’s an undeniable and funk-ridden masterpiece of hip hop, sampling, and overall goofy giddiness. Every inch of the Beastie Boys screams New York, and nowhere more so than on the second or third movement(?) of the twelve-minute plus “B-Boy Bouillabaisse,” which blasts out a masterful sonic representation of late ‘80s New York from the trenches.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Aaman
Good list, EB - much hours' listening worth of some new bands (for me).
Are some of these bands indies? e.g. Caution: Social Prescriptions May Cause Side Effects - Yolk
2 - Eric Berlin
Thanks Aaman, and yes, several are indies hailing from Upstate / Western New York in the early to mid-90s. If you can get your hands on Yolk, Brother Meat, or Perfect Thyroid -- all definitely worth a listen.
3 - BRICKLAYER
No Hole's "Live through This"? No Slayer's "Reign in Blood"? No Replacements "Tim" or "Let it Be"? No Neutral Milk Hotel's "The Aeroplane over the sea"? No Archers of Loaf at all?!?!?!!?!? Still, way better than the square's list. Big ups on the abundance of Rancid, and the Buck-o-nine!
ps. I think you forgot to put on Cattle Decapitation's mecca opus "Humanure". It should be at #24, in place of Jamiroqui, that dude's a wanker.
4 - Eric Berlin
I considered Live Through This. I like that album... but I don't really love it. I think about half of Celebrity Skin is absolutely fantastic, which is why I included it.
Replacements fall into the category of "I'd probably really dig if I took the time to get into them."
I like bands that are at the top of their genre in quality -- and I consider Slayer and Pantera to fit that description. But as you can see from the list, I'm not really a metal guy, unless there's a serious groove or hook going on. (And if you're wondering, I like Metallica fine, but I've never been head-over-heels about them).
5 - Eric Berlin
Which "square" are you referring to, by the way -- Al or Spin?
6 - Al Barger
Glad to see a second on the Manu Chao, but BON JOVI?! Then again, I'd certainly pick the Bon Jovi before RATM. Bon Jovi's a little cheesy, but he did have some reasonably catchy tunes.
Plus, I'm glad to see a second on the Everlast.
Finally, note that JACK WHITE RULES!!!
7 - Eric Berlin
No argument on the Jack White ruling.
I met the bass player who played on Everlast's album at a North Hollywood bungalo in early 1997, I believe. Nice guy, very chill. He played some of the tracks for us on what must have been a very early version of an mp3 player.
8 - BRICKLAYER
Both.
9 - Eric Olsen
thanks EB, great list - this is our most direct refutation of Spin because it pretty well sticks to da modern rocks like they do.
I really love Al and Aaman's list too, though.
I guess I'm going to have to fucking do this - aargh
10 - Al Barger
That's right Boss, we need your guidance. Please enlighten us with the true and correct answers.
11 - Mark Saleski
me too. 100, though...iz lotta work.
12 - BRICKLAYER
TOP 10 SONGS I JUST LISTENED TO, IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
10. Damn Shame (live)-Jay Farrar
09. Words of Love-Beatles
08. Climate Controllers-Napalm Death
07. Bat Country-Avenged Sevenfold
06. Apex-Black Dahlia Murder
05. Let them Eat War-Bad Religion
04. Hit So Hard-Hole
03. Voodoo Candle-Jay Farrar
02. Stepping Stone-Minor Threat
01. Jet Pilot-System of a Down
TOP 5 THINGS I JUST DID
5. Rubbed my chin
4. Looked at back of The Esoteric’s cd case
3.Thought about putting some eye drops in
2. Scrunched up my nose
1. Typed this
TOP 5 THINGS I ATE TODAY
5. Orange Creamsavers yogurt with a bag of Brick Jr’s left over peanuts, pretzels, and organic chips mixed in
4. Plum
3. Peach
2. Fruit roll up-stole it from Brick Jr, along with the bag of snacks
1. Chicken breast with left over tomatoes, pickles and onions
13 - Randy Padilla
I like the list except Bon Jovi and U2 Rattle and Hum. Achtung Baby was a far superior album.
14 - Dave
Interesting - Both this list and Spin's could serve as my personal "100 albums that I don't own" list.
15 - BRICKLAYER
And this serves to tell us not to go to any parties at Dave's house.
16 - Eric Berlin
Thanks Randy. Bon Jovi was kind of a geographic choice for me and a historical retro-shout out to a lost time (age of the hair bands). I actually spent a lot of time as a kid watching Headbanger's Ball on MTV (anyone remember Ricky Rachman... or however you spell?).
U2 is another interesting one. I'm actually a bit ashamed that I didn't include The Joshua Tree as I do think it's a phenomenal album. Rattle & Hum perhaps made it though as it's much closer to my heart. For example, it's the first cassette tape that I ever listened to in a walkman (as weird as that sounds -- I remember buying it and listening to it while I biked to a high school football game). I also listened to R&H over and over on the Auto Train, heading from Virginia to Florida as a kid on the way to visit my ailing grandfather, whilst reading The Tommyknockers, by Stephen King.
17 - Eric Berlin
EO - I'm curious to know more specifically what you mean by "direct refutation." Do you mean that I (and others) offer up more eclectic / indie selections than Spin?
18 - JR
The Bon Jovi is the best one on the list, with the exception of Guns 'n' Roses.
19 - Eric Olsen
no, I meant you're covering the same modern rock/alt rock terrain as Spin and did a better job than they did
20 - Eric Berlin
I enjoy Slippery When Wet a lot more now than I did 15 years ago. Certainly, Bon Jovi is a cut above most of the music that came out of the strange cauldron of late 80s pop (i.e. not underground) music.
21 - Eric Berlin
Oh... thanks EO!
22 - Eric Olsen
Slippery When Wet is certainly one of the better hard rock/hair pop album of the '80s - do doubt about it
23 - BRICKLAYER
We used to make fun of my one friend for owning that album, but I would internally knod my head when he played it. It doesn't make me any less a man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
24 - JR
I own it, but I don't think it would make my top 50...
25 - Eric Berlin
I get the same nostalgic / euphporic feeling when songs from the likes of Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, and Twisted Sister (which dates back several more years) pop up on the radio, or more likely, the old iPod.