3 posts tagged “the nineties”

You know, I just can't put my finger on it, but I've always held a bizarre fascination with Brit-rock.  It all began with my exposure to the early days of MTV at a very young age.  Before this new medium shaped the music landscape for the 1980's, America was living in a post-disco and classic rock depression.  There was a lack of excitement and innovation in Top 40 radio at the time.  MTV changed all of that by giving exposure to British new wave bands who had little to no exposure on American Top 40 radio at the time.  As a result, bands like Duran Duran capitalized on the new medium with edgy, arty, special effects driven music videos that captivated American audiences with the unsual sounds of the synthesizer and the outlandish fashions.  Needless to say, I was hooked and the rest is history.

 

The First Brit Invasion:  The Mods (1959-1964)

Without the Mods, The Beatles wouldn't have been half as successful.  The Mod subculture grew out of post WWII Britain as the economy in the late '50s began to boom. Mod (short for modern) was a youth movement characterized by teenagers on the cutting edge of fashion and music most noted for their progressive attitudes, lifestyles, and androgynous ways of dressing (both boys and girls).  Boys wore suits with narrow trousers and pointed toe shoes, while girls cut their short and darkened their eyes to portay a more "boyish" image.  They were all-night pariters (fueled by amphetamines) at obscure underground London nightclubs.  The music of choice were bands influenced by everything from American jazz and R&B to Jamaican bluebeat and ska.  Bands like The Yardbirds, The Small Faces, The Kinks, The Pretty Things, The Downliners, and The High Numbers (later to achieve success as The Who) were immensely popular.  By 1966, Mod was a mainstream phenomenon in England popularized by designers like Mary Quant, models like Twiggy, and TV shows like Ready, Steady, Go!, filtering its way into American culture by extensive media coverage.  By the late '60s, Mod fell into decline and gave way to the burgeoning hippy culture that had taken hold of America, as well as the beginnings of glam.

 

The Second Brit Invasion:  The New Romantics (1979-1982)

By the late '70s, the punk scene which exploded just a few years earlier in America, Australia, and Britain began to fracture and implode creating new subgenres and subcultures, most notably new wave (a music genre which fused elements of punk, funk, glam, ska, and disco).  By 1980, a new movement in fashion and music was in full swing throughout Britain.  The New Romantic movement was a reaction to punk (inspired by glam), and was characterized by effeminate clothing (frilly "fop" styled tops, cosmetics for men, jack boots, pirate-inspired regalia, and post-Edwardian designs).  The New Romantics were nightlife scenesters spotted at various nightlcubs throughout the UK.  Two clubs in particular were The Rum Runner in Birmingham and The Blitz in London which were both extremely important during the movement (The Rum Runner was home to Duran Duran, while The Blitz was home to Steve Strange of Visage and Boy George of Culture Club).  Anthems of the movement included "Fashion" and "Ashes to Ashes" by David Bowie, as well as "Fade to Gray" by Visage.  The synthesizer was an essential element in music for the New Romantics.  By the early '80s, the New Romantics were exposed to America by a new music medium called MTV, which catapulted acts like Duran Duran, Human League, and Spandau Ballet to mainstream success.  The video for "Planet Earth" by Duran Duran personifies the movement.  By the mid '80s, the New Romantics themselves had fractured into new subcultures.

 

The Third Brit Invasion:  Cool Britannia (1994-1999)

Britpop is a subgenre in the alternative rock scene of the 1990's characterized by its nostalgia for British garage-rock and pop bands of the 1960's.  Britpop was also a partial reaction the the heavy rock-laden grunge scene in the US.  Unlike previous British subcultural movements, Britpop was not really unified as a single 'scene,' but rather as a lumping together of multiple artists by the media.  With both the British and US press claiming a third Mod revival in the UK, the hype served as a springboard for immediate attention to bands like Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Elastica, The Stone Roses, Suede, Kula Shaker, The Charlatans, The Verve, and Shed Seven.  According to British jounalist John Harris, Britpop began with the release of Blur's "Popscene" and Suede's "The Drowners" in spring of 1992.  However, by 1994, Britpop turned the tide back on grunge dominance.  The release of the albums Parklife by Blur and Definitely Maybe by Oasis created a sensational media firestorm and instigated the already existing rivalry between the two bands.  The fashion of the period was characterized by a very bohemian look with retro styles from the '60s and '70s.  Indeed Britpop received so much international exposure, that it generated an interest in British culture in general, spawning the term "Cool Britannia."  However, by 1999, much of the interest had waned, and the movement was considered officially over.

 

The Fourth Brit Invasion?  (2006-Present)

In late 2004, rustlings of a revived British rock scene fluttered about.  Bands like Kasabian, The Libertenes, Franz Ferdinand, and Kaiser Chiefs lay at the forefront of a new movement.  By 2005, The Dead 60s (with their classic Mod music elements) and The Rakes (with a heavy post-punk influence) began to gain attention.  It is even rumored that Hedi Slimane (former designer for Dior Homme) designed a whole collection around The Rakes.  By 2006, a huge influx of Brit bands poured over stateside including Razorlight, The Futureheads, The Kooks, Klaxons, New Young Pony Club, The Horrors, Friendly Fires, etc.  In this latest Brit invasion, the medium of choice has been the Internet, particularly social networking sites like Myspace.com (which in itself has been instrumental in generating downloads from the web and sales to the iTunes Online Music Store by giving relatively unknown bands massive exposure).  Brit bands of today are generally considered to be affiliated with the indie rock scene (which as a genre has been around since the 1980's, but has become its own subculture in the 2000's).  Indie rock as we know it today was born out the early '00s new wave revivalist and electoclash scenes.  It has a heavy influence in post-punk and new wave aesthetics.  The fashion is a melding of subculture retro looks from the past fourty years with emphasis on Mod and new wave styles (super skinny pants and jeans, mop-top straight hairstyles, pointed toe shoes, headbands, '80s-inspired regalia, etc.).

 

 

After the past four years of revived slip-on VANS in an array of patterns and colors (most notably the signature checkerboard design - now mainstream and commonplace), another VANS staple has begun to reemerge over the past year.  The lace-up version that began as a '60s trend, and became a huge fad among early '90s hipster teens, has made quite a comeback.

For me personally, it marks the first full revolution in fashion from my teen years.  I owned a pair of the lace-up style in 1992 (I was 17).  Of course, back then only solid colored designs were available, and one wore them with stovepipe styled jeans (as a reaction to fitted '80s denim), or vintage wide bottom trousers from the late '60s and early '70s.  These days, they are being worn with super skinny jeans (which are available in a range of colors including black, white, gray, cream, teal, lime, and red - another early '90s trend minus the skinniness).  Also, today's version of the lace-up comes in a variety of patterns and color-block designs.

WARNING - Just because it's a current trend, doesn't mean you need to go out and jump on the bandwagon.  With most everything, it has about a three-year shelf life, so by 2010, it will be mainstream and undoubtedly DONE.

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, so, anyone who knows me knows that music is a HUGE part of my life.  In fact, my life is divided up into music segments.  From birth to around 5 years of age (1975-1980), my earliest music memories mostly consist of disco, ‘70s Top 40, and classic rock (especially Elton John, The Beatles, The Eagles, Gerry Rafferty, etc.).  The ‘80s are probably my most influential music decade since it covers my early childhood to my pre-teen years.  To write a blog about the ‘80s would take twice as long to write because there are so many tracks in so many genres that are still my favorites to this day.  However, what I really want to share are some of my favorite tracks from the ‘90s (my high school and college years). 

 

In September 1990, I began high school and was immediately introduced to a “new wave” of music.  At a time when Baby Face, Vanilla Ice, Lisa Stansfield, Color Me Badd, MC Hammer, etc. ruled Top 40, the ‘80s backlash against pegged jeans, Z. Cavaricci’s, and teased bangs began.  It was then that I discovered there were other “alternatives” to the horrific mess of mainstream music and fashion.  The hipsters of 1990 dressed in a late ‘60s psychedelic style, thick headbands (think Lady Miss Kier in the “Groove is in the Heart” video), baggier bohemian-styled jeans (un-pegged), Chinese slippers, Doc Martens (before they became “cool”), flat hair, etc.  It was in 1990 that I discovered my first college radio station, WRAS 88.5 Atlanta – Album 88 (Georgia State University).  By late 1992, local Top 40 station WNNX 99,7 Atlanta – Power 99 changed formats to 99X, an “alternative” radio station.  In 99X’s infancy, it was a great station.  It provided an excellent mix of old and new.  However, as the latest incarnation of youth subculture was branded and sold to the masses, Alternative became commercial, and the rest is history.

 

All of that being said, below are some of my favorite tracks that transformed the era of decadence and greed into the era of slacker apathy.  Synthesized, sugary pop was replaced with a more grassroots sounding guitar rock.  In the early part of the decade, I was heavily into indie rock, but as grunge took over, I moved more towards Britpop and mod.  By mid-decade, I was more interested in the fusion of electronica and rock.  Finally, by the end of the decade, I had moved towards electronica completely (downtempo, jungle/drum ‘n bass, and house).

 

Wherever possible, I’ve hyperlinked the tracks to videos on YouTube.  However, being that videos are constantly both posted and removed, I can’t guarantee the video will still be linked.  If it has been removed, simply re-type the song in YouTube’s search box, and an updated version will probably be posted.

 

Enjoy!

 

1990

“Policy of Truth” – Depeche Mode

“Hippy Chick” – SoHo

“Never Enough” – The Cure

“Serious” – Duran Duran

“What is Love?” – Deee-Lite

“Down In It” – Nine Inch Nails            

“Cuts You Up” – Peter Murphy

“Candy” – Iggy Pop (featuring Kate Pierson of The B-52’s)

“Been Caught Stealing” – Jane’s Addiction

“Here’s Where the Story Ends” – The Sundays

“Unbelievable” – EMF

 

1991

“Kill Your Television” – Ned’s Atomic Dustbin

“Grey Cell Green” – Ned’s Atomic Dustbin

“Suicide Blonde” – INXS

“Give It Away” – Red Hot Chili Peppers

“No Other Way” – Blur

“Radiosong” – R.E.M.

“Jesus Built My Hotrod” – Ministry

 “Crucify” – Tori Amos

“Silent All These Years” – Tori Amos

“The Wagon” – Dinosaur Jr.

“Siva” – Smashing Pumpkins

“Monster” – Fred Schneider & The Shake Society

"It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" - Lenny Kravitz 

 

1992

“Tomorrow” – Morrissey

“Pretend that We’re Dead” – L7

“I Don’t Care” – Shakespear’s Sister

“Wild Horses” – The Sundays

“High” – The Cure

“Detachable Penis” – King Missile

“These Are the Days” – 10,000 Maniacs

“Welcome to Paradise” – Green Day

“Popscene” – Blur

“Good Stuff” – The B-52’s

 

1993

“My Sister” – Juliana Hatfield Three

"Get Off This" - Cracker

“Push th’ Little Daisies” – Ween

“Ordinary World” – Duran Duran 

“No Rain” - Blind Melon

“Labour of Love” – Frente!

“Pets” – Porno for Pyros

“Human Behavior” – Bjork

“For Tomorrow” – Blur

“Chemical World” – Blur

"Kite" - Nick Heyward 

 

1994

“Fade Into You” – Mazzy Star

“Blackhole Sun” – Soundgarden

“Girls and Boys” – Blur

“Backwater” – Meat Puppets

“Rocket” – Smashing Pumpkins

“Closer” – Nine Inch Nails

“God” – Tori Amos

“Cornflake Girl” – Tori Amos

“Here and Now” – Letters to Cleo

“Ordinary Angels” – Frente!

“Dolphin” – Shed Seven

“Supersonic” - Oasis

“Change in the Weather” – Love Spit Love

“Sour Times” – Portishead

 

1995

“Friends of P” – The Rentals

“I Kissed a Girl” – Jill Sobule

“Plowed” – Sponge

“Natural One” – Folk Implosion

“I Gotta Girl” – Tripping Daisy

“What’s the Story (Morning Glory)?” – Oasis

“Wonderwall” – Oasis

“Connection” – Elastica

“Car Song” – Elastica

“Stutter” – Elastica

“Last Goodbye” – Jeff Buckley

“Galaxie” – Blind Melon

“Army of Me” – Bjork

“Queer” – Garbage

“Bullet with Butterfly Wings” – Smashing Pumpkins 

“Disco 2000” – Pulp

“Just (Do it to Yourself)” – Radiohead

“Here (Squirmel Mix)" – Luscious Jackson

"So Low" - Self

 

1996

“Stereotypes” – Blur

“Tattva” – Kula Shaker

“In the Meantime” – Spacehog

“Big Bang Baby” – Stone Temple Pilots

“Only Happy When it Rains” – Garbage

“Stupid Girl” – Garbage

“Zero” – Smashing Pumpkins

“Ready to Go” – Republica

“Firestarter” – The Prodigy

“Christiansands” – Tricky

“Born Slippy” – Underworld

“Life in Mono” – Mono

“Roll On” – Sneaker Pimps

“Setting Sun” – The Chemical Brothers (featuring Noel Gallagher)

“Excuse Me Mr.” – No Doubt

“Naked Eye” – Luscious Jackson

 

1997

“Spin Spin Sugar” – Sneaker Pimps

“Pearl’s Girl” – Underworld

“Sick to Death” – Atari Teenage Riot

“Smack My Bitch Up” – The Prodigy

“Bittersweet Symphony” – The Verve

“Not if You Were the Last Junkie on Earth” – The Dandy Warhols

“Cosmic Girl” – Jamiroquai

“Alright” – Jamiroquai

“Paranoid Android” – Radiohead

 

1998

“Drowning” – Cleveland Lounge (Dave’s Drum & Space Mix)

“I Think I’m Paranoid” – Garbage

“Stitches” – Orgy

“Intergalactic” – Beastie Boys

“Lucky Man” – The Verve

“Everyday Should Be A Holiday” – The Dandy Warhols

“April Fools” – Rufus Wainwright

"Sweeter Love" - Blue Six 

 

1999

“Opium Dreams” – The Controls

“Soothing” – pH Balance

“Canned Heat” – Jamiroquai

“Coffee & TV” – Blur

“No Distance Left to Run” – Blur

“Somebody Has to Pay” – Susie Van Der Meer

“Push Upstairs” – Underworld

“King of Snake” – Underworld

"Feel Up" - Spook (featuring Roisin Murphy - Original Groove Mix)

“Deceptacon” – Le Tigre