Jake London asked:
> Well, I was laying in bed last night struggling to fall asleep when it
> dawned on me that this would be a good thread to throw out to the list,
> given that the '90s are almost over, and people on this listserve seem to
> love making lists.
>
Hey, I resemble that remark.
> What are the 5 most criminally underappreciated albums of the '90s?
Seems to me like you could probably look at any P2 best of the year list and
pick out likely targets pretty fast.Me, I'd start with Mike Ireland &
Holler's LEARNING HOW TO LIVE. Sure, it was big *here*, but.
Then I'd add Cheri Knight's THE KNITTER, which sold even fewer copies last I
heard. (Sure the recent one's better, but just sayin') But sales alone
probably isn't the best criteria. I'd add the Posies FROSTING ON THE BEATER,
dismissed by too many pop critics and fans as a betrayal of the pure
Hollies-clone pop of DEAR 23, but in fact an even better record that
successfully merged the early 90's guitar sounds (you know, "before grunge
became an epithet" as Tom Krueger once said) from up your way with the Posies
exemplary melodies and harmonies. It's always seemed to me that the Blood
Oranges never really got their due, despite "our" appreciation of them. All
the records are at least very good, but THE CRYING TREE should be considered
a landmark for whatever you wanna call alternative country the way ANODYNE or
STILL FEEL GONE are.
And to return to Seattle pop, (sorry) I'm a big fan of Super Deluxe, who are
dismissed as sort-of trashy and faux by most folks, but both records, FAMOUS,
and VIA SATELLITE deserve more respect Not everything works, but there are
tunes on both records that just thrill me.
> A plain list seems fine to me. But if you're inclined, a paragraph
> justifying each choice is even better.
Or a couple of pages Jake...<g>
b.s.
