I was thinking about this last night as I was trying to fall asleep. Here are several of my faves from high school (grad 1991): The Pixies "Doolittle" The Replacements "Let It Be" and "Pleased to Meet Me" Sonic Youth "Goo" Nirvana "Bleach" Soundgarden "Louder Than Love" and "Screaming Life" Tom Waits "Rain Dogs" The Clash "London Calling" Most of them hold up really well. The two Soundgarden records have more filler than I thought at the time, and I kind of burned out on that Tom Waits record. I lost my copy of "Goo," but it's probably still pretty solid. What are yours? P.S. I also used to love pretty much everything SubPop put out. Green River isn't holding up too well, though they had their moments. Tad, however, I'm now rediscovering. Those first three records are fantastic.
--- well considering that my highschool days were the late 50s early 60s, it's a miracle i remember any of it... the first rock and roll album i bought with my own money was Mr Tambourine Man by The Byrds. i had been out of highschool for quite a while. before that, i mostly purchased jazz albums. when Are You Experienced was released, i was off and running. just about every penny i had to spare went into my music collection. in between, i bought a couple of Beatles and Stones albums and Jefferson Airplane's second album, i think.
I'm class of '93. Jane's Addiction ... still a pretty good group. Three Days is still a spectacular song, as is Nothing's Shocking, etc. Descendents/ALL - all albums... still very much rock, are a lot of fun, and don't seem to get stupider with age like a lot of punk. Mainly because they didn't take themselves too seriously. Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II... still a lot of good hip hop tracks on there. They stood the test of time as far as rap is concerned. Gwar... I gotta say, I still dig listening to all their older stuff, from Hell-O up to This Toilet Earth. Good music, funny lyrics, and great show. I figured I might be embarassed to admit it in the future, but I'm not... I love GWAR! NWA - Straight Outta Compton... still angry and violent after all these years! Minor Threat - all songs... still angry and smart after all these years! ................... and then there's the stuff that DIDN'T hold up in my eyes: NOFX - all albums... I realized about 8 or 9 years ago that the vocals are SO WHINEY. Oh good lord I can't even hear one song now without cringing. Any ska-anything... Wow, I'm glad I didn't ever REALLY get into ska. I loathe hearing it in ANY form. How ska gets grouped in with punk music is far beyond me.
Good topic. My high school years were Sept 85 - June 89. U2, The Joshua Tree -- The biggest thing in my high school my sophomore year, and I never had more girls interested in me than I did when I secured tickets to see them at the Meadowlands Arena on this tour. After Achtung this feels dated but still strong. I now think "One Tree Hill" is the best song on this, even though it was my least favorite when I was 16. New Order, Substance -- I used to drive to school with this girl who lived down the street from me, and my senior year this was the album. When the break part of "Blue Monday" came on, we'd pound our fists against the top of the car four times, keeping with the beat. Haven't listened to it in years though it still has a place in my heart. We had about 12 people go to see them on the tour with PiL and Sugarcubes after we all graduated from high school, and we all thought PiL was awesome but New Order sucked. The Smiths, Louder Than Bombs -- for some reason it was this album, not any of the studio albums, that I and my friends really got into. After learning more about them, this compilation feels more like a mishmash than a cohesive work. They Might Be Giants, Lincoln -- This was a great album to spring on people in the car while they were stuck in the back seat and I was driving. My best friend and I loved TMBG, and since I had a car and he didn't he was usually in the front passenger seat. We thought the whole album was hysterical -- inevitably something like "Cowtown" or "Shoehorn With Teeth" would come on, and we'd sing along, and the person in the back would say "what the hell is this crap?" and we'd just burst out laughing. This and Flood remain their best work, IMHO. Midnight Oil, Diesel and Dust -- Humongous album in 1988 or thereabouts; sad to say I never listen to it now. I should try to rescue it from the dustbin. R.E.M., Life's Rich Pageant, Document, and Green -- All came out during my high-school years, and I skipped my senior prom to go to see them at MSG in May '89. Green was my favorite of the three when it was released and now I find it generally unlistenable. The other two remain among my favorites, though I'm one of those 80s / early 90s REM fans who haven't kept up with them during the Up / Reveal / Around The Sun era. Putting out an album as bad as Monster will do that to a fan.
Class of '88 and some of my faves from last two years of HS: Aged to perfection Elvis - Blood and Chocolate No noticeable decline in taste or texture The Smiths - Strangeways Here We Come REM - Document The Primitives - Lovely (how is it possible that after 16 years this album is still just as catchy and candy sweet as when it came out?) Turned to vinegar Jesus and Mary Chain - Darklands Echo and the Bunnymen - self titled
Ooh, good call, I forgot about this one. I'd have to put this in my "no noticeable decline" category.
I used to play the first Mahavishnu Orchestra album almost every morning before school. I still love that album. "Live At Leeds" was another one I played to death during that period, and it still top shelf for my money. The albums that have fallen to the scrap heap? "Aja" by Steely Dan along with a lot of fusion that I used to listen to. I don't think I'll be replacing any Larry Carlton albums in the future. "War" by U2 and "Offramp," by Pat Metheny were released while I was in high school. Sort of fall in between: still enjoy them, but not nearly at the same level. Ditto for "Sandinista," by the Clash.
Great stuff. I actually live in Richmond and know all of the original members. My fraternity brother actually built the Butt Cannon.
Class of '83 The Jam - the earlier albums hold up well, but anything past Sound Affects just sounds patched together (as they did at the time, unfortunately) English Beat - aged well, still danceable XTC - the pure musicianship puts every current act back on the bus The Police - Regatta de Blanc and Outlandos de Amor still sound good, but then Sting had to go and get all metaphysical on us - that, and Andy Summer fell seriously in love with his Roland GR1. REM - Chronic Town and Murmur still amazingly fresh, if somewhat amatuerish production-wise. The Clash - again, I prefer the early stuff. Sandinista was never my cup of tea, and Combat Rock was just a huge disappointment for me. Elvis Costello - good stuff. In a parallel universe, Burt Bacharach dies before they ever meet.
I have a similar feeling with "Elvis Presley and America," on "The Unforgettable Fire." I wouldn't call it the best cut on the album, but the older I get, the more and more I like that tune. It's one of my favorite tunes of their's now. Would skip over it when I was in my late teens. One band that I loved in HS and I can say for sure than not only have I not listened to one of their albums in well over a decade, but I never replaced the original vinyl: The Police. They just lost me somewhere in my 30's. Loved them in my late teens-even bought a pair of red high-tops because I thought they looked cool on Andy Summers. Eh...kids
class of 83 here, some stuff I listened to AC/DC highway to hell, back in black, for those about to rock Black sabbath - heaven and hell, mob rules Pat travers - go for what you know Krokus - headhunter Judas Priest - screaming for vengence Iron Maiden - piece of mind, number of the beast Frankie goes to holly,,,,,,ooops! UFO - no place to run, wild willing and the innocent Thin Lizzy - killers, thunder and lightning Ya, i was a teenage headbanger
Class of '99. I'm a little different because I didn't listen to hardly any comtemporary music. I listened to a ton of Ska rocksteady and reggae. Almost all of the stands the test of time, but I listen to less and less contemporary/US ska. I was also a skinhead for 7 years, so I listened to a lot of gawd aweful crap Oi! music that I can barely stand now. Only classics like Blitz and Cocksparrer hold up for me. All the Moon Ska label stuff has pretty much grown stale with the exception of the NYC Ska mob stuff. I'd say three years out of college and being married has mellowed my tastes slightly.
Hey! Gimme my life back. Well, except for REM, who I just never took the time to listen to, all of that is one big fat ditto. Although I like the Bacharach stuff and I love, love, lurve Sandinista. That must be that one year I have on you. Others: Blue Oyster Cult: Hey, if we're being honest here, "Oh No! There goes Tokyo! Go Go Godzilla!" Ehhh, not so much. Styx: Ooow: That smarts. J. Geils Band: Yipes. The Cars: Candy-O. I need you. To this day. Gary Numan: Hmmm. The Blue Book says Gary was ahead of his time and an art-rock legend. The Castigo book says "Next Stop: one hit wonderville. Everybody off!" DEVO: Honestly, this would get you beat up in certain circles. Screw the jocks! DEVO rocks! Blondie: Man, these guys were punk rock! Can you believe it? I stand by Debbie's supreme hotness at the time. Stones, Beatles: I have lots of older brothers and sisters, so these were the only two bands that existed for a good part of my youth. Tom Petty: Again with the brothers. But American Girl is still one of the all time greats. The Smiths: They definitely hold up. Human League: It's not excrutiating to put that on today, but "dated" might be an understatement. The Who: They're The fvckin Who. The Specials: See 'The Who.' Foghat: Just kidding. They always sucked. Also proudly in that category: Quarterflash, Toto, Foreigner, Loverboy and Hall and Freakin Oates. There's definitely a trajectory here . . . . Okay, just remembered one more I'm going to cop to: Asia: Hey man, they were a supergroup. A. Super. Group. C'mon, gimme a break.
Heh...great minds. How could I forget Blondie and Devo? Speaking as a (former) drummer, The Who sucked donkey balls when Kenny Jones replaced Moon. I went to see them in concert, and that no-talent hack had a click track (headphones) going and STILL couldn't keep up.
B.O.C. before "Don't Fear the Reaper" was a tough band. First three albums have good stuff on them, not every vein a goldmine, but certainly worth a spin now and then. from first album: Cities on Flame... Transmaniacon MC Stairway to the Stars cool guitar, trippy lyrics, good vibes, plus they dressed to kill. second album had this: Hot Rails to Hell by Joe Bouchard ©1973 B. O'Cult Songs, Inc. Riding the underground Swimming in sweat A rumble above and below Hey cop don’t you know The heat’s on all right The hot summer day didn’t quit for the night 1277 express to heaven Speeding along like dynamite 1277 express to heaven Rumbles the steel like a dogfight You caught me in its spell Trying to leave but you know darn well The heat from below can burn your eyes out Blackened out eyes Scratched on the wall Stoned out looks from the crowd The king will not know On the wall it was said The flash of his cards was sprayed with red... --- ya hadda be dere
In highschool I remember thinking that The Cars and Candy-O was the absolute greatest music to cruise around in. But I never bought the albums - they belonged to friends. This year I bought both and you know what? They are still the greatest driving-around albums.
I like a much wider variety of stuff now (some, altho not a lot of, country and rap, both of which I detested until about 2 years ago; and a lot heavier stuff on the rock side), but my 2 favorite bands (Oasis and U2) today are the same as they were in HS...altho now you could add Aerosmith to that level. Of course, I only graduated HS 2.5 years ago. I also don't listen to nearly as much whiny Brit-indie stuff (Travis, Coldplay, David Gray, etc) as I used to, altho I still like it...just don't listen to it as much.
1988 Husker Du - listened to "Warehouse" constantly that year. but i actually like "Candy Apple Grey" & "Flip Your Wig" better now. "Don't Want to Know if You Are Lonely" is one angry motherf-er of a break-up song. Smiths - the whole collection. I borrowed a home-made cassette of "Queen Is Dead" from a friend and never gave it back. Sorry! "Strangeways" grew on me more over the years. Dead Kennedys - still one of the most underrated punk originals out there. i laughed when i heard a PG version of "Police Truck" in the first Tony Hawk skateboard game for playstation. I told my teenage nephew that the lyrics were a bit........ahem.......sanitized. Clash - the 1st album & "London Calling" of course. Big Audio Dynamite - "No. 10 Upping Street." a lot of BAD's stuff sounds silly today, but i can always listen to "Beyond The Pale." Screaming Blue Messiahs - saw 'em live and they put on a great show. The "Flintstones" song was jokey but "Gun Shy" is a kick-ass album from the 80s.
Class of '97 Kiss - yeah, for some reason I turned into a total Kiss nut in high school. Most people think it's weird that I listened to them and the next band more than any others. Girls Against Boys - I got enamored with Cruise Yourself freshman year and it spawned into an obsession. I still listen to them a little, but not as much as then. Korn, Deftones, etc. - I remember when all the nu-metal stuff started, and me being a total metalhead I was really into them. Deftones are still my favorite band of all-time, and the first two Korn CDs are still great. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream was like the soundtrack to my freshman year. Still one of the best albums of my collection (and it's still hard to believe it's been 10 years since that album came out).
I think the music you listen to from the ages of 12-25 or so will always be fondly remembered no matter how good it was. It's sort of the backbone of your youth. Now that I'm older there's stuff that I thought was crap then, know now was definitely crap and yet still brings a smile to my face when I hear it. I could be 80 and if I hear 'I like to move it, move it' I know it will bring a smile to my face. So that being said I think most of what I listened to then and thought was good, I still enjoy now. For the most part. class of 95 (but started HS in eigth grade, so this is a big five-year span) quirky pop: Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper, They Might Be Giants, Dead Milkmen and Jonathan Richman. noise rock: pixies, sonic youth, eric's trip, ride, dinosaur jr., slowdive, jesus and mary chain, cure, sloan, tristan psionic, etc. pop punk: NOFX, green day, lagwagon, rancid, offspring, facetoface 'alternative music': nirvana, smashing pumpkins, red hot chili peppers, mudhoney hardcore: minor threat, bad brains and many, many local and area touring bands who were (I realize now) not particularly good. etc: tiger trap, beat happening, cub, zumpano, love, simon and garfunkle, beatles, the boredoms, the beach boys, the byrds, the clash I think most of that stands up and I still listen to a lot of it. The pop punk stuff doesn't get played very often if ever and I was kind of sick of it by time I was 19, but I think that happens a lot in that genre. Plus those bands all came through my town, while virtually none of the other bands on the list did. Same with some of the hardcore stuff. The politics was as important as the music I think looking back. Some of the other questionable stuff I still love. I still love mopey Brit noise and I've got a guilty pleasure for decent twee pop. I don't listen to TMBG or Mojo nixon much anymore, but I think if I were 13 again I'd love them both to death all over. It may not have been all of the best music out there, but it could have been a lot worse. cheers, hobbes
Class of '75, with music dominated by the likes of: Elton John Cat Stevens Pink Floyd The Who Van Morrison Of those, Van the Man gets the most airplay, but, really, if the mood is right, they're all good (meaning the music they released at that time). For me though, my greatest musical imprints are the very early ones (e.g., Beatles) and the late/early post college bands I got into, like Nick Lowe, Engilsh Beat and Elvis Costello.
Free: Mr. Big, Ridin' on a Pony, Soon I Will Be Gone, Be My Friend. The Dramatics: What Ya' See is What Ya' Get, Fell For You, Toast to the Fool. Jefferson Airplane: all of Surrealistic Pillow The Stones: especially Get Your Ya Yas Out! Issac Hayes: Hot Buttered Soul Rigo Tovar y su Costa Azul
Reps for stating what everyone else has been dancing around. You've got time in high school to talk about music, I don't have that time now. So the music of that time is still the best. My first album, Christmas of 76 was Linda Ronstadt, Blue Bayou. Life still stops for me when I hear that song. I graduated class of 82, after outgrowing early disco and pop, I gravitated to the Boss (The River came out my senior year) and new wave. Yeah, those have held up well. Darkness is still the best late night album I've ever had. Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello (all pre-Blood and Chocolate), U2 prior to Joshua Tree, The English Beat, Psychedelic Furs, Human League (if you get past Don't You Want Me Baby off of Dare), Depeche Mode, Ultravox (I played Vienna at my wedding), Boomtown Rats, The Clash, The Alarm, The Cars, even the Go-Gos, all still resonate.