Essential Studio Albums

[VinylGuy]

yeah, thats such a heavy album. The step from Louder Than Love to this one is similar to the one thats next with SU, And the inclusion of Ben is so good, you can already hear how he writes and how good he is with the band.

Searching With My Good Eye Closed is a top 10 song from the 90s to me.

[liebzz]

Yeah, I actually love the live version of that on I-5, and the studio track is great and was definitely on the short list.

Rusty Cage is maybe obvious, but for me that’s all about the sudden way the song drops into sludge, like a demonstration that they can hang with all of the Sabbath sounds…in a single track. It’s one helluva statement on the album, even if it’s unintended.

[VinylGuy]

I love the L5 version!! the bridge is fucking awesome there. Huge. I saw it live twice and first time was in Chile and damn i was hooked. Ben was a bad mofo playing it live.

[wease]

Ben’s my boy

[VinylGuy]

yeah, probably my fav bassist from the 90s

[liebzz]

yeah, probably my fav bassist from the 90s

Mine would be Les Claypool, probably followed by Victor Wooten and then Juan Nelson (BHIC). I’d put him though in a high tier with Jeff Ament, and Mike Gordon (Phish).

[wease]

yeah, probably my fav bassist from the 90s

Mine would be Les Claypool, probably followed by Victor Wooten and then Juan Nelson (BHIC). I’d put him though in a high tier with Jeff Ament, and Mike Gordon (Phish).

Oteil Burbridge.

[VinylGuy]

yeah, probably my fav bassist from the 90s

Mine would be Les Claypool, probably followed by Victor Wooten and then Juan Nelson (BHIC). I’d put him though in a high tier with Jeff Ament, and Mike Gordon (Phish).

Jeff is in my top three for sure.

[liebzz]

Pearl Jam - Ten

It was up for grabs for me where the Pearl Jam albums were going to fit here. I pretty much intentionally put them down in December 2024 when I started this thing with the idea that distancing myself would remove the sense of bias - that hearing it amid hundreds of other bands and artists in all the genres would be a sort of test (not that I really needed one). I saw it as a new way to experience them, but also a way to hit reset after consistently listening to them for so many decades.

Turns out despite all the albums and such, 1991 still comes down to Ten and Nevermind for me. Two albums I obsessed over as a teenager, and at least at 47, I think think that’s correct. Another album where there’s basically no problems, with the album’s first half plus being an all out assault of pure intensity, as if the first opportunity to come up for air ends up being Oceans. Then it’s right back into the fray with Porch, Garden, and Deep. It all wraps up with the emotionally intense Release and the greater chunk of the Master/Slave intro as a sign off. Frankly, after all this time, I found myself getting emotional hearing Alive, so I am picking that as the winner here.

As a side note, I listened to the original Rick Parashar produced version - and since I had basically abandoned it like 15 years ago for the Brendan O’Brien remaster, I haven’t heard this version in at least that amount of time. A real return to that 15 year old that spent hours with a blank cassette with Ten on one side and Vs. on the other listening on repeat.

The Essential Track: Alive

Up Next: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Singles

[oasisfan35]

Pearl Jam - Ten

It was up for grabs for me where the Pearl Jam albums were going to fit here. I pretty much intentionally put them down in December 2024 when I started this thing with the idea that distancing myself would remove the sense of bias - that hearing it amid hundreds of other bands and artists in all the genres would be a sort of test (not that I really needed one). I saw it as a new way to experience them, but also a way to hit reset after consistently listening to them for so many decades.

Turns out despite all the albums and such, 1991 still comes down to Ten and Nevermind for me. Two albums I obsessed over as a teenager, and at least at 47, I think think that’s correct. Another album where there’s basically no problems, with the album’s first half plus being an all out assault of pure intensity, as if the first opportunity to come up for air ends up being Oceans. Then it’s right back into the fray with Porch, Garden, and Deep. It all wraps up with the emotionally intense Release and the greater chunk of the Master/Slave intro as a sign off. Frankly, after all this time, I found myself getting emotional hearing Alive, so I am picking that as the winner here.

As a side note, I listened to the original Rick Parashar produced version - and since I had basically abandoned it like 15 years ago for the Brendan O’Brien remaster, I haven’t heard this version in at least that amount of time. A real return to that 15 year old that spent hours with a blank cassette with Ten on one side and Vs. on the other listening on repeat.

The Essential Track: Alive

Up Next: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Singles

I was totally expecting to ask 'which' version you went with, good call

[liebzz]

Singles - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

I have been largely avoiding soundtracks despite considering it earlier on. I had to include this though as there are fewer more apt documents of early 90s rock music than this. Though it includes two older songs that are really important glues to this (The Lovemongers cover of The Battle of Evermore, and Hendrix’s May This Be Love), pretty much the rest, between Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Mother Love Bone, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, and Chris Cornell, is essential Seattle bliss. I used to really tune into Breath and State of Love and Trust on this, but frankly Seasons has sort of taken on new meaning and is now my winner here. What a great soundtrack.

The Essential Track: Seasons

Up Next: Alice In Chains - Dirt

[liebzz]

Alice In Chains - Dirt

This is AIC’s second album, and already there’s a big shift in this album that more resembles their contemporaries in town. Even more than the other bands, this album finds at least Layne singing about the throes of addiction. Junkhead is the most obvious of those, and there are otherwise quite a few great highlights - Angry Chair, Would?, Them Bones, Down in a Hole, Dirt, Rooster, Rain When I Die, and Dam That River are the ones that come immediately to mind. This is a wonderful album I have heard many times over the years.

The Essential Track: Rooster

Up Next: Alice In Chains - Sap

[wease]

Singles - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

I have been largely avoiding soundtracks despite considering it earlier on. I had to include this though as there are fewer more apt documents of early 90s rock music than this. Though it includes two older songs that are really important glues to this (The Lovemongers cover of The Battle of Evermore, and Hendrix’s May This Be Love), pretty much the rest, between Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Mother Love Bone, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Screaming Trees, and Chris Cornell, is essential Seattle bliss. I used to really tune into Breath and State of Love and Trust on this, but frankly Seasons has sort of taken on new meaning and is now my winner here. What a great soundtrack.

The Essential Track: Seasons

Up Next: Alice In Chains - Dirt

Can’t argue with that. Even with Would? on here. Luckily, it’s on your next selection.

[wease]

Alice In Chains - Dirt

This is AIC’s second album, and already there’s a big shift in this album that more resembles their contemporaries in town. Even more than the other bands, this album finds at least Layne singing about the throes of addiction. Junkhead is the most obvious of those, and there are otherwise quite a few great highlights - Angry Chair, Would?, Them Bones, Down in a Hole, Dirt, Rooster, Rain When I Die, and Dam That River are the ones that come immediately to mind. This is a wonderful album I have heard many times over the years.

The Essential Track: Rooster

Up Next: Alice In Chains - Sap

Sap is chronologically before Dirt. Rooster, Would? Junkhead, maybe more were written and demoed during the sessions.

Would? is the clear winner, here.

[liebzz]

Alice In Chains - Sap

This EP exposes something I have long known about my preferences concerning Alice In Chains: I much prefer their stripped down sound. This and Jar of Flies are really among my favorite of their releases. Here, Brother and Got Me Wrong are top shelf AIC while the Aliceinmudgarden combo for Right Turn sounds really good. Am I Inside is also a solid finish on this short EP - and as good as Dirt is, I might just prefer this sound.

The Essential Track: Got Me Wrong

Up Next: Screaming Trees - Sweet Oblivion

[liebzz]

Alice In Chains - Dirt

This is AIC’s second album, and already there’s a big shift in this album that more resembles their contemporaries in town. Even more than the other bands, this album finds at least Layne singing about the throes of addiction. Junkhead is the most obvious of those, and there are otherwise quite a few great highlights - Angry Chair, Would?, Them Bones, Down in a Hole, Dirt, Rooster, Rain When I Die, and Dam That River are the ones that come immediately to mind. This is a wonderful album I have heard many times over the years.

The Essential Track: Rooster

Up Next: Alice In Chains - Sap

Sap is chronologically before Dirt. Rooster, Would? Junkhead, maybe more were written and demoed during the sessions.

Would? is the clear winner, here.

I originally put in Would and then changed it to Rooster. A toss up for me.

[wease]

Got Me Wrong is so good

[VinylGuy]

yeah, Sap is such a cool little ep. Right Turn is a fucking classic. I love how Mark Arm sounds there.

[liebzz]

Screaming Trees - Sweet Oblivion

This feels like an early 90s album by the book. Mark Lanegan seems to really hit a stride here, with one excellent track after another balancing hard classic rock with big guitars and big choruses. It’s just a really solid sounding album front to back. The fully known quantity here is Nearly Lost You, which is pretty fantastic to my ears, but The Secret Kind, More or Less, Dollar Bill, Shadow of the Season, and No One Knows really highlighting this album. Once Julie Paradise really kicks in, it also joins that list. I was really impressed with this one.

The Essential Track: Nearly Lost You

Up Next: Nirvana - Incesticide

[wease]

Screaming Trees - Sweet Oblivion

This feels like an early 90s album by the book. Mark Lanegan seems to really hit a stride here, with one excellent track after another balancing hard classic rock with big guitars and big choruses. It’s just a really solid sounding album front to back. The fully known quantity here is Nearly Lost You, which is pretty fantastic to my ears, but The Secret Kind, More or Less, Dollar Bill, Shadow of the Season, and No One Knows really highlighting this album. Once Julie Paradise really kicks in, it also joins that list. I was really impressed with this one.

The Essential Track: Nearly Lost You

Up Next: Nirvana - Incesticide

We saw them at the same Lollapalooza show in ‘96 with Rage, Metallica and Soundgarden. I liked them but other than Nearly Lost You, didn’t/don’t know anything else. I may need to rectify that. Lost You is one of my top early-90s “grunge” tunes so I’d probably like a lot of their stuff.