Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1995…
#7 – What’s the Story (Morning Glory)? – Oasis
The sophomore release by British indie rockers Oasis is a Britpop touchstone and one of history’s best-selling albums worldwide. For a brief period, Oasis was the biggest thing in the UK since The Beatles (though brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher were a much pricklier duo than Lennon and McCartney).
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1995…
#8 – Tigerlily – Natalie Merchant
The Decades series offer up two distinct pleasures. One is discovering music that passed me by at the time, and the other is rediscovering music I haven’t listened to for years.
Natalie Merchant’s solo debut, Tigerlily, was a lovely, low-key collection from an artist who had released several strong albums with the alternative band 10,000 Maniacs. This record didn’t have the jangly college radio appeal of her work with the band, but it was resonant in a whole different way.
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1995…
#9 – Ron Sexsmith – Ron Sexsmith
I didn’t discover Ron Sexsmith in 1995 — that happened six years later with the release of 2001’s Blue Boy. But my love of that album sent me back to his earlier catalog.
This self-titled record was not Sexsmith’s debut, but it was his first on a major label. According to the artist, this disc was relegated to the bargain bin before Elvis Costello started singing his praises.
It’s been nearly six months since I last did an installment of the Decades series. That one covered the year 1985, and offered up a host of excellent albums.
Starting today, I’ll jump ahead ten years to 1995 and see if the output was as strong. That’s the year I turned 23, and I was pretty good about seeking out new music. So even though I consider the 90s a rather weak music decade overall, I didn’t have much trouble coming up with a list of 1995 albums I enjoy.
Eight days ago, I chose today’s album for the final installment of my 1985 Decades series. I’m not sure why I settled on Irish band The Pogues’ sophomore effort, Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, over a half dozen other albums I had on my list, but I did.
I listened to it for most of that afternoon, then sat down in the evening to write today’s post. When I brought up this song on YouTube, I noticed a lot of “RIP” comments about lead singer Shane MacGowan and thought he must have passed away rather young. I checked his bio, and was shocked to discover he had died that very morning.
