Essential Studio Albums

[liebzz]

I think Nevermind could fall into the category of so beloved that the backlash turned the album from overrated to almost underrated - perhaps overrated by the general populace but underrated by the fanatics. Maybe they balance each other out?

[VinylGuy]

yeah, i didnt quite knew about the backlash until recently. Nobody trashed the album back then, but our understanding of the world was way smaller back then and also healthier. No internet forums, no social media, you got the idea.

I was suprised to hear Cobain didnt liked the production, i call the bullshit. He knew what they were doing and went totally for it im sure.

[liebzz]

I do think, based on what I have read, that he wanted more of an Albini sound, which he went for on In Utero. I don’t doubt that because I think for a guy who went for it with music videos and press and the like, that he wasn’t really against being famous, but wanted the harsher sound as it fit their style of music, particularly when you dive into live shows and such. I actually think the way it sounds, at least on the more recent remasters, is a nice balance that maybe is a big piece towards why the album is so huge - just the right amount of edge to make it different than what was popular at the time, but accessible enough for folks so it didn’t immediately offend the senses of the teenage buying public.

[VinylGuy]

I think he knew what he was doing but he had a different ¨press persona¨ type of guy

[liebzz]

The Melvins - Eggnog EP

Outside of the 12+ minute final song, this EP’s first three tracks work at a much more rapid pace than the album. It doesn’t necessarily make it better, and I found myself largely uninspired by this particular collection, though the first track, which felt like an intro, really was my favorite here. Sometimes it works, sometimes I just feel otherwise.

The Essential Track: Wispy

Up Next: Mudhoney - Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

[liebzz]

Mudhoney - Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

Perhaps because this was one of the Mudhoney albums I invested in during my youth, this sort of feels like the standard bearer of Mudhoney albums. Fuzzy guitars, that wild man lead vocal, songs that range from silly to serious, and a general punk sneer steeped in hard rock. No complaints here. I enjoyed nearly everything on here to some level, but most enjoyed Good Enough in the end, but this is just a solid and consistently good album.

The Essential Track: Good Enough

Up Next: Dinosaur Jr. - Green Mind

[VinylGuy]

Thats one of my favs from Mudhoney

[liebzz]

I was always partial to My Brother the Cow, though the self-titled was really good.

[VinylGuy]

You should listen to The Lucky Ones; Thats an amazing álbum.

Also Translucent is pretty awesome; Sonic Infusion is such a ride

[Birds in Hell]

Even though the band don't rate it as highly, I think Piece of Cake is their best.

[liebzz]

All in due time

[liebzz]

Dinosaur Jr. - Green Mind

Of the bands, and there are quite a few, that exist in a space where a goal of mine in this thread was to explore their music when I hadn’t really had the chance before, this one ranks near the top. J. Mascis is somehow fitting with the bridge in rock’s changing landscape from 1980-something to this point, while also something I could have heard last week and still would have thought it sounded fresh. It’s a wonderful balance that occurs to me every time I hear this band, even if this is largely Mascis solo. Everything in this one is fantastic, and if it doesn’t rise to the level of Bug to me, it’s by mere centimeters rather than any projection of a change in quality - so consistently good.

The Essential Track: Water

Up Next: Screaming Trees - Uncle Anesthesia

[VinylGuy]

Yeah thats one of their best; and i love the Mike Johnson phase as much as the original lineup

[wease]

Holy shit. Had no idea that’s where the avatar came from.

[VinylGuy]

Ha really? Its a pretty well known album of them

[liebzz]

Screaming Trees - Uncle Anesthesia

I am not sure what it is about this band, but it really kind of reminds me of a 90s version of the Doors. It could be Lanegan’s vocals or the way the band just plays off him, but that quasi mysterious vibe and a slightly lighter palette - it just works so well. On this one, I mean everything is good, so it’s nearly impossible to go with highlights. It’s just a real well crafted album top to bottom. I guess if I had to choose, it’s sort of a three way tie between Beyond This Horizon, the title track, and Caught Between. But all of this is real good.

The Essential Track: Caught Between

Up Next: Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger

[wease]

Ha really? Its a pretty well known album of them

They were never really on my radar. Can’t name a single tune by them.

[liebzz]

Feel the Pain off Without a Sound I think was a minor hit, or at least the song I knew. I am not well versed in Dinosaur Jr., but I am really glad to bring them into the fold in this thread. They are a great band.

[liebzz]

Badmotorfinger is going to be last album on this thread before Ten. I haven’t really listened to Pearl Jam in the year and a half since I started this thread, deliberately, to try and get a new perspective on their music in context of this thread. I am really curious to figure out what that’s gonna be - but I swear i am not looking past Badmotorfinger, which is a great album.

[liebzz]

Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger

Soundgarden’s evolution to me is remarkable. They were already a really great band heading into this, but Badmotorfinger for me had always been a big step up. Songs like Rusty Cage and Slaves & Bulldozers are a kind of unique sort of Soundgarden workout, while Outshined showed they could write what seems to be like an obvious hit, but probably that wasn’t so obvious when they recorded it. Jesus Christ Pose is another beast. All the obvious highlights of course with Searching With My Good Eye Closed and Room a Thousand Years Wide…but how about the three tracks to end this. Amazing. Drawing Flies, Holy Water, and New Damage are just absolute peak. They are nearly untouchable here.

The Essential Track: Slaves & Bulldozers

Up Next: Pearl Jam - Ten