Playlist : August 16th - 20th : The 1990s

For my 1990s week playlist, I wanted to stick as close as I could to what my personal 90s sounded like. That meant 90s albums I only discovered later (by Notorious B.I.G., Josh Rouse, Digable Planets) had to miss out. It also meant that albums I haven't gotten into for a while made the cut. I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends.

Special mention has to go to Guns & Roses - Use Your Illusion I & II which were giants of 1990/1991. Then, along came a bunch of slack greasy kids from Seattle WA and made them seem archaic overnight.

< axl_god >< BAM >< teen_spirit >< /cock_rock >< grunge >

• VA - Triple J's Hottest 100 Vol. 1 : For me at least, it just wouldn't have been the 90s without JJJ. Mikey Robbins and Helen Razer played me my first taste of grunge in the thunderclap that kicked off the already rumbling Seattle storm; Smells Like Teen Spirit. If you listened to anything else, you were behind the curve for at least 3 months, being that the ABC was a 'taste-maker'.
  

• U2 - Achtung Baby : I originally bought this album on cassette. I'd been huge into Rattle & Hum and U2 were the biggest thing since Elvis at the time. I must have played Achtung a billion times on the Walkman on the bus to and from Uni. Eventually I bought the CD and now even that collects dust for my iPod. Achtung was a narrow winner over Pop for the U2 sound of my 90s. I saw the Pop tour at Burswood Dome, so it was a really close second.
  

• Nirvana - In Utero : While Nevermind had been arguably the biggest Nirvana release, In Utero probably got more airplay from me by the end of the 90s. I remember an interview with Kurt who said that a lot of fans wouldn't like In Utero because it wasn't like Nevermind at all. Being it was released not too long before Kurt's demise, I think a lot of fans held onto it tight while it got a fresh crop of followers with the cult of celebrity death.
  

• Tori Amos - More Pink : I was in awe of Tori Amos in the 90s. I saw her play live at the Perth Concert Hall in 1994. This album was the bonus Australian Tour disc that came with Under The Pink - which meant at one stage I owned two copies of the official release.
  

• Hole - Live Through This : An album that defined a period of time for me and forever and always one of my very favourite albums. That would be why it makes it to so many playlists. I still don't know if Kurt Cobain had a bigger role in this LP than Courtney lets on. Hole never did surpass it's brilliance. And while Celebrity Skin has its merits, it isn't anywhere close to this good.
  

• Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - The Boatman's Call : If I recall, I actually won this album for free from the SDA Union magazine. The funny thing is, the only other Nick Cave I owned at the time, Let Love In, I'd got for free for subscribing to Rolling Stone. I'm now what you'd call a Nick Cave fan and have since bought some CDs; proving that free music does increase sales.

• Pulp - Different Class : I have a confession. When this album came out, I rushed right out to buy it on the strength of Common People. It was a wise choice. However, it came with a glittering Pulp t-shirt transfer and I proceeded to put it on a black skivvy. This was not a wise choice. I thought it looked alright. Turns out, it didn't. An easy assessment in hindsight. Now let us never speak of it again.
  

• Melissa Etheridge - Your Little Secret : I saw Melissa Etheridge play the Perth Concert Hall in 1996. I've never seen so many lesbians in one place. In the 80s, people told me I was judging her on her voice when I said Melissa was gay. Good on her for her tireless dedication to equal rights. And I'll tell you a secret, that concert and this album proved to me that this girl can really rock out. I've never seen anyone else play guitar on their back for 10 minutes of relentless rhythm. Just sayin'

• The Cranberries - Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? : Not intentionally, but I seem to have chosen artists I got to see play live. REM Monster only narrowly missed out too. I saw The Cranberries play Metro Freo right after Zombie took over the world. But I have fond memories of singing Linger drunk on the streets of Northbridge when only JJJ listeners knew who they were.
  

• J Mascis - Martin & Me : Another high rotation album for me and a big part of the way the 90s sounds in my head. As someone who plays and appreciates acoustic guitars, the things that J could make them do just astounded me. When I first heard the live acoustic version of Quest from the EP of the same name, I renewed my passion for playing for a while.
  

That is my 1990s in a nutshell. There are albums that missed out on this list and some which were there but best forgotten *cough* Bel Biv Devoe *cough* Until the 00s next week folks, don't get hung up - stay cool.