As all the "Best o' Decade" lists come pouring out for the 00-hs (and I doubt I'll be able to contain my opinion on such things in the next few weeks), just wanted to look back at where we were at musically exactly 10 years ago. Figured there would be no better way to do that than to resurrect a noble attempt to take measure of the last decade of the millennium: Acoustic Neurosa's "Top 90 of the 90's" radio shows.
Pals Bubba and Sloth had a radio show called "Acoustic Neurosa" at the college station for Millersville University in Millersville, PA, just outside of Lancaster. They organized a project wherein several of us who were nursed to musical health by indie rock each made a list of our favorite 90 albums of the 1990's. The participants were Bubba and Sloth (natch), myself (double natch), Moo, JenMahar, and PatGibbs. (The last two people lacking a catchy nickname to obscure their identity.) From a scoring system created by Sloth, a man who obviously has a secret passion for crunching numbers, the lists were compiled so that each album on each list was assigned a score based on how highly ranked it was on each list. The number 90 album on your list garnered 1 point. The number 1 album on your list got 90 points. Albums would then get all of the points from each list it appeared on and that sum would be its score.
You could pretty much select any release from the decade, even EPs. Just no singles comps. So no 'Tossing Seeds' for example. But something like "Celebrate the New Dark Age" was eligible. (Though sadly didn't make the cut. A lesson to be learned about compromise and democracy.)
Based completely on my age, the 90s was the decade when I cut my musical teeth, so its significance to me is immeasurable. And as such, I succumb fairly easily to these bouts of nostalgia. Mainly though, by compiling this stuff digitally, everyone, specifically the participants/organizers (though also the curious), will get to join in or at least sample the nostalgia.
(Merry XMas Bubba, Sloth, Moo, JMahar, PGibbs, and everybody else as well...)
Track list:
Intro
90. Sebadoh-“Oceans” from Harmacy
89. Unwound-“For You Entertainment” from Repetition
88. Portishead-“Sour Times” from Dummy
87. Wedding Present-“Dalliance” from Seamonsters
Without a Hitch
86. Unwound-“Re-Enact the Crime” from The Future of What
85. Luna-“Bonnie and Clyde” from Penthouse
84. Pavement-“Debris Slide” from Perfect Sound Forever EP
83. The Sea and Cake-“The Cantina” from Nassau
Getting the Frogs and the Brits Out of the Way
82. Fugazi-“Repeater” from Repeater
81. Heavens to Betsy-“Terrorist” from Calculated
80. Thee Headcoats-“I Wasn’t Made For This World” from The Good Times Are Killing Me
79. Karate-“If You Can Hold Your Breath” from Karate
Wrong Karate Song
78. Built to Spill-“Carry the Zero” from Keep It Like a Secret
77. Huggy Bear-"Herjazz" from Taking the Rough With the Smooch
76. Galaxie 500-“Fourth of July” from This Is Our Music
75. Modest Mouse-“Dramamine” from This Is a Long Drive For Someone With Nothing to Think About
That Is a Ridiculously Long Album Title
74. Silver Jews-“Random Rules” from American Water
73. Moped-“Hotel” from It Won’t Sound Any Better Tomorrow
72. Mercury Rev-“Trickle Down” from Boces
71. Nation of Ulysses-“A Kid Who Tells On Another Kid Is a Dead Kid” from 13 Point Program to Destroy America
66% Dave Matthews
70. Mule-“Hayride” from If I Don’t Six
69. Cat Power-“Headlights” from Dear Sir
68. Trans Am-“Carboforce” from Surrender to the Night
What Timing
67. Pavement-“Starlings of the Slipstream” from Brighten the Corners
66. Franklin Bruno-“For the Fire Drill” from Bedroom Community
65. Firehose-“Making the Freeway” from Totem Pole EP
64. Palace Brothers-“You Will Miss Me When I Burn” from Days in the Wake
He Has Issues
63. Sebadoh-“Soul and Fire” from Bubble & Scrape
62. Seaweed-“Bill” from Weak
61. Tortoise-“Magnet Pulls Through” from Tortoise
60. Shellac-“House Full of Garbage” from Terraform
Three Dollars at Circuit City
59. Eggs-“John’s Bar Mitzvah” from Bruiser LP
How I Announced to the World That I was Leaving Bachelorhood
58. Urge Overkill-“Goodbye to Guyville” from Stull EP
57. Smog-“Bathysphere” from Wild Love
56. Elliott Smith-“The Biggest Lie” from Elliott Smith
55. Wimp Factor 14-“Heart of My Stupefaction” from Ankle Deep
54. Guided By Voices-“Non-Absorbing” from Vampire on Titus
53. Belle and Sebastian-“Boy With the Arab Strap” from Boy With the Arab Strap
52. Unwound-“Valentine” from Fake Train
51. Urge Overkill-“Blackie’s Birthday” from Supersonic Storybook
Getting In Trouble for Talking About Breasts
50. Mercury Rev-“Coney Island Cyclone” from Yerself Is Steam
49. Mudhoney-“Into the Drink” from Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
48. Unrest-“Makeout Club” from Perfect Teeth
47. Tortoise-“The Taut and Tame” from Millions Now Living Will Never Die
Mormons At Our Place
46. Polvo-“Feather of Forgiveness” from Exploded Drawing
45. Gastr Del Sol-“Rebecca Sylvester” from Upgrade & Afterlife
44. Sleater-Kinney-“Dig Me Out” from Dig Me Out
43. Belle and Sebastian-“Fox in the Snow” from If You’re Feeling Sinister
Fox Smells His Own Hole
42. My Bloody Valentine-“Only Shallow” from Loveless
41. Palace-“Werner’s Last Blues for Blockbuster” from Hope EP
40. June of 44-“Anisette” from Tropics and Meridians
39. Yo La Tengo-“Sugarcube” from I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One
Stevie Wonder DUI
38. Butterglory-“Skills of the Star Pilot” from Crumble
37. Neutral Milk Hotel-“Holland 1945” from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
36. Guided By Voices-“Game of Pricks” from Alien Lanes
35. Smog-“Ex-Con” from Red Apple Falls
I Needed That 14 Minutes
34. Mule-“Mississippi Breaks” from Mule
33. Rocket From the Crypt-“Sturdy Wrists” from Circa: Now
32. Stereolab-“Our Trinitone Blast (Wow and Flutter)” from Transient Random Noisebursts with Announcements
31. The Sea and Cake-“Jacking the Ball” from The Sea and Cake
Everybody Was There to See Rancid
30. Sebadoh-“License to Confuse” from Bakesale
29. Beastie Boys-“Gratitude” from Check Your Head
Is It "Suckerpunch"?
28. New Bomb Turks-“Sucker Punch” from Destroy Oh Boy!
The Kernel of Good Music
27. Archers of Loaf-“Vocal Shrapnel” from All the Nation's Airports
26. Trumans Water-“Rations” from Spasm Smash XXXOXOX Ox And Ass
25. Smog-“37 Pushups” from Julius Caesar
24. Pavement-“Feed Them to the Lindin Lions” from Watery Domestic EP
Why Am I So Slow Today?
23. The Sea and Cake-“The Transaction” from The Biz
22. Sleater-Kinney-“Start Together" from The Hot Rock
21. Small Factory-“Pretending It’s Sunny” from I Do Not Love You
20. Rodan-“Gauge” from Rusty
Indie Bands That Start With “S”
19. June of 44-“Have a Safe Trip, Dear” from Engine Takes to Water
18. Polvo-“Lazy Comet” from Today’s Active Lifestyles
17. Karl Hendricks Trio-“Pittsburgh’s Hottest Babes” from Some Girls Like Cigarettes
16. Archers of Loaf-“Harnessed In Slums” from Vee Vee
You Deserve the Verve Pipe
15. Liz Phair-“Divorce Song” from Exile in Guyville
14. Superchunk-“Skip Steps 1 and 3” from No Pocky For Kitty
13. Unrest-“Suki” from Imperial f.f.r.r.
12. Archers of Loaf-“The Lowest Part Is Free/Freezing Point” from Vs. the Greatest of All Time EP
My AC/DC Impression
11. Silver Jews-“New Orleans” from Starlite Walker
10. Sebadoh-“God Told Me” from Sebadoh III
9. Shellac-“The Crow” from At Action Park
8. Slint-“Good Morning Captain” from Spiderland
Sicko
7. Pavement-“Stop Breathing” from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
6. Guided By Voices-“Buzzards and Dreadful Crows from Bee Thousand
5. Palace-“New Partner” from Viva Last Blues
What Time Does the Mall Close?
4. Built To Spill-“Stab” from There’s Nothing Wrong With Love
3. Archers of Loaf-“Might” from Icky Mettle
2. Modest Mouse-“Styrofoam Boots/ It's All Nice On Ice, Alright” from Lonesome Crowded West
A Mandate From the People
1. Pavement-“Trigger Cut”, “Zurich Is Stained”, and “Loretta’s Scars” from Slanted and Enchanted
Happy Winter Solstice
Download here:
(Make sure you take the "Top 90 of the 90s" playlist included in the "90-81" folder. To import into iTunes, go to "File" pulldown menu --> "Library" --> "Import Playlist..." That's the only way you'll be able to listen to the radio show in order. Of course if you want to just listen to the tunes randomly or build the tracklist yourself, then please ignore the .XML file.)
Top 90 of the 90s: #90-81
Top 90 of the 90s: #80-71
Top 90 of the 90s: #70-61
Top 90 of the 90s: #60-51
Top 90 of the 90s: #50-41
Top 90 of the 90s: #40-31
Top 90 of the 90s: #30-21
Top 90 of the 90s: #20-11
Top 90 of the 90s: #10-1
