No Doubt is one of two bands on this list that feature lead singers who went on to solo fame in future decades. Gwen Stefani has enjoyed great success as both a performer and a fashion icon in the past decade. My daughters were just perusing her fashion line at Target.
But the Gwen Stefani of the 90s was a punk princess whose athletic front-woman posturing made No Doubt one of the most refreshing acts of the decade.
I’m counting down bands that typify the 90s, but if I was counting down the decade’s best albums instead, Oasis’ (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? would place high on that list.
This record is an explosion of emotional Britpop that shoots for the rafters on every track. Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher stopped hating each other just long enough to produce one of the seminal pop records of their generation.
In the universe of 90s grunge bands, Nirvana is the favorite son and Stone Temple Pilots are the the red-headed stepchild. STP enjoyed a ton of commercial success but never received the critical acclaim of their counterparts.
In fact, they were often dismissed as imitators of Nirvana’s sound, even though both bands came up around the same time. Today’s song, ‘Creep,’ certainly sounds like it could be by Nirvana. Or maybe ‘Lithium’ sounds like it could be by Stone Temple Pilots?
Two and a half years ago I counted down my 20 favorite 80s songs. At the time I figured I’d tackle the 90s next but I never got around to it.
The reason is simple: 90s music basically sucks. Certainly lots of quality songs and albums were released during that decade, but the overall sound that defines the period — a mixture of alterna-grunge pseudo-seriousness and boy band superficiality — is a loser.
That said, I do love a countdown. So over the next two weeks I will list not my favorite songs from the 90s but my favorite artists and bands.
I’ve always looked at music appreciation as something akin to a scholarly pursuit. I feel it is my duty as a music lover to seek out the cultural touchstones that have shaped popular music over the decades.
I might not like everything I encounter, but at least I’ll earn that opinion. That’s the reason I own several Joni Mitchell albums despite my distinct aversion to listening to any of them — I had to know what I was going to be missing.
