Tag Archives: Decades

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Song of the Day #5,045: ‘Come As You Are (Live in New York)’ – Nirvana

I thought it fitting to follow up my post on Hole’s Live Through This with one on Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York. This is another album that overachieved due to the tragic suicide of Kurt Cobain.

Recorded in November of 1993 and released a year later, MTV Unplugged in New York found a band famous for pioneering the loud grunge sound settling into an acoustic set that highlighted their skill as songwriters and performers. In a set heavy on deep cuts and covers — they don’t even play ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ — Nirvana makes a case for themselves as an excellent folk rock band.

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Song of the Day #5,044: ‘Doll Parts’ – Hole

Fronted by Courtney Love, Hole is one of the most successful female-led rock bands in history, and their sophomore album — 1994’s Live Through This — was their biggest hit. And yet, this record was almost entirely new to me.

Hole’s debut album, the hard-edged, punk rock Pretty On the Inside, was released three years earlier, and Love wanted to go in a new direction musically, introducing softer sounds and more melody. The change led to the departures of the band’s drummer and bassist, forcing Love to recruit a whole new rhythm section for Live Through This.

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Song of the Day #5,043: ‘Gimme the Loot’ – The Notorious B.I.G.

Now that I’ve counted down my personal top ten albums of 1994, it’s time to feature some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful releases of that year.

The Notorious B.I.G.’s debut album, Ready To Die, has been hailed as one of the best hip-hop albums of all time. Recorded by the Brooklyn rapper when he was 19 going on 20, the record is a semi-autobiographical account of the gangster life he never really escaped.

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Song of the Day #5,040: ‘Wildflowers’ – Tom Petty

Continuing my look at 1994, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.

#1 – Wildflowers – Tom Petty

Naming my favorite album of 1994 was very easy. Wildflowers is one of Tom Petty’s best albums, and one of the best of the decade. It’s a wide-ranging blend of folk, blues and rock that shows Petty in peak songwriting form.

One of Petty’s three solo releases (though it features almost all of the Heartbreakers), Wildflowers sits just behind Full Moon Fever</em, tied with Damn the Torpedoes, as his second most successful album in terms of sales.

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Song of the Day #5,039: ‘Nanci’ – Toad the Wet Sprocket

Continuing my look at 1994, first by counting down my own top ten albums of that year.

#2 – Dulcinea – Toad the Wet Sprocket

I know this is an album I love, because it’s almost tapped out in terms of representation on this blog. Today’s track is the ninth of its 12 songs to feature as a Song of the Day.

Dulcinea is Today the Wet Sprocket’s fourth album, and the first new release after I became a fan of the band. My future wife and I had bonded over our love of their previous album, Fear, and we eagerly anticipated the release of this one.

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