It's 1994 all over again... (1 Viewer)

[Seth Paxton]

Okay, Nirvana now has a new kickass single out. Can't believe that track never found it's way to an album or something. It's really solid.
And Rage and Soundgarden both "live" now as Audioslave and the OFFICIAL release for "Cochise" is also a new single release. Man, is that just as good as I expected it to be. I hadn't downloaded the bootlegged demo stuff but I think I might go look for it now. Still, I would expect the finished versions to be even tighter and I can't wait to get that album (Nov 19).
Meanwhile Pearl Jam has their new album on the way too.
What's next, Smashing Pumpkins reunite and AiC find another 10 songs in the vault.
Anyway, good stuff with those 2 singles (Nirvana, Audioslave). Strangely enough I was just jamming on another mid-90's fav of mine the other night - Wax "13 Unlucky Numbers". Ah, memories, back when a Lollapalooza mosh pit was cool.

 

[KeithH]

When I think of music in 1994, I tend to think of Hootie and the Blowfish Cracked Rear View, Live Throwing Copper, and Counting Crows August and Everything After. These albums remind me of my days in graduate school.

 

[Matt Birchall]

What's next, Smashing Pumpkins reunite

Well, no, but on November 19, they will be releasing "Vieuphoria" on DVD and "Earphoria" on CD--featuring some of their best live performances of that early 90's period (the thirteen-something-minute-long version of "Silverfuck" is absolutely amazing).

Plus, Billy and Jimmy have their new band, Zwan, and have either completed or have almost completed their first album.

 

[Mike Broadman]

In 1994 I was a high school grunge twerp. Ah, the fond memories.
But I do look forward to the Audioslave CD.

 

[KeithH]

Audioslave? Are you guys talking about us?

 

[MickeS]

Wasn't the "grunge" thing pretty much over by -94?

 

[JohnE]

Audioslave kicks much ass, highly recommended! I hope they tour soon.

 

[MichaelAW]

Not that I dislike any of the abovementioned acts, but the album of the year 1994 for me will always be Brave by Marillion.

 

[Leif Wall]

I wish it was 94, man. That's when I started discovering music. Watching 120 Minutes every sunday night. Recently I have been getting back into those bands and albums that I listened to back then. Seems like a LOT of female alternative rock:

Helium
Belly
Letters to Cleo
Elastica
Veruca Salt
Juliana Hatfield
Velocity Girl
Liz Phair
Luscious Jackson
Sonic Youth
Smashing Pumpkins
Sublime (Though I think I first saw them in '95)

 

[Jason_H]

Poor Elastica...awesome first album, then so many drug/personnel problems, and then they finally made an excellent second album that got ignored by the fickle public. Very sad to see them call it a day.

 

[Ryan Spaight]

Here's some stuff I was listening to in 1994 (that came out that year) that I still enjoy:

Marillion - Brave
Lovely, brilliant album if you're into the big epic thing.

Suede - Dog Man Star
Last gasp of the original Suede. The newer stuff is fun, but doesn't have the same grandeur.

Sugar - File Under Easy Listening
This one scorches paint off walls while remaining melodic and listenable. Great stuff.

Mick Ronson - Heaven and Hull
Really nice posthumous release, with worthwhile contributions from Bowie, Mellencamp, and Chrissie Hynde.

Johnny Cash - American Recordings
The Man in Black, a microphone and a guitar. 'Nuff said.

Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon - Prairie Home Invasion
Jello and Mojo go all rootsy years before "O Brother" made it fashionable. You have to hear it to believe it.

Ryan

 

[MickeS]

And don't forget the "Pulp Fiction" soundtrack, which was released that year. Incidentally, a remastered 2-disc version of that was just released.
/Mike

 

[Philip_G]

I really don't care for the audioslave stuff :frowning: the music is great, but then HE starts signing :frowning:
wasn't zack de la rocha working on a solo album?

 

[Luc D]

Speaking as a Rage Against the Machine fan, Audioslave is very disappointing (terrible name too). Considering the remarkable steps forward RATM took with their music, I find Audioslave's sound to be really regressive. It sounds ten years old. I don't think Cornell fits in very well, and I find the lyrics to be very corny.

 

[Jeff Pryor]

1994, a good year for Mazzy Star with their hits 'Fade Into You' (released in '93) and 'Halah' (released in '90). Took 'em long enough to become hits. Also later in the year the Cranes released their best effort to date 'Loved'.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Wasn't the "grunge" thing pretty much over by -94?

No, it still had another year or so probably.
Soundgarden - Superunknown
AiC - Jar of Flies
Rage - halfway between 1st and 2nd album
Smashing Pumpkins - Pisces Iscariot (and Siamese Dream was still going pretty good)
Pearl Jam - Vitalogy
Nirvana - Unplugged (and In Utero was late 93 so the tour was in full swing in 94 as well as getting radio play. Remember the Italy incident before his suicide, for example).
BTW, just a year before on the 93 Lollapolloza there was this cool little band that rocked the hell out of the 2nd stage around 4 in the afternoon. Maybe you heard of them - Tool. So that's another band I associate heavily in 94 because Undertow was huge with us by then.
Looking back we can see that all the bands were shifting away from "grunge" by this point anyway, but Cobain's death seems to have been the real death blow to the movement.
I love that first Elastica album. I totally missed the release of Menace, but I'll make sure to check it out now.
Audioslave - what can I say, I loved both bands and this sounds exactly like I expected it to. For me it's sort of the best of both worlds without being the just more of the same from either artist. Don't get me wrong, I could just as well enjoy Rage and Soundgarden getting back together as well, but this is what the guys want to be doing now and I think it sounds great.

 

[Carlo_M]

Yup I was at the Lollapalooza '93 show in L.A. (at some Dam, I forgot the name, it was only my 2nd year here as a college student). I loved that show: Rage 1st, Tool 2nd, Dinosaur Jr, Arrested Development, AIC, Primus and Fishbone (I think, it's all a hazy daze w/ the killer music and my ex-then-current fiancee - it might have been the best day of my life come to think of it...)

So for me it's more like it's 1992-3 all over again. And I for one like the one Audioslave track, and my opinion was that Rage was regressing as they got on, I still love their first album best. And Chris Cornell is just my personal singer/songwriter/guitar idol.

 

[JohnE]

Audioslave - what can I say, I loved both bands and this sounds exactly like I expected it to.

That's my take on it as well. I'm glad they didn't try to create a new RATM or Soundgarden album, and instead met somwhere in the middle. I like the sound!
I just gotta say though Tom Morello is just an amazing friking guitar player. He's always fun to listen too.

 

[Todd H]

I LOVE the new Audioslave single and am really looking forward to the album. BTW, I caught the "Cochise" video on MTV2 today. Basically just a performance video, but if it's an indication of the kind of energy their live show would have I'm there.

 

[Seth Paxton]

Carlo, that would be one of my top concerts except that I also went to Lolla 92 (PJ, Soundgarden, Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, Ministry, Jim Rose freak show). Jeremy had just gotten big, Blood Sugar was now big, Badmotorfinger was now big. Most insane but cool mosh pit ever. With that heat I thougth I was going to die. I did have serious heat exhaustion, especially after Soundgarden got done around 4 (PJ started early, like 2).
2nd best concert - Aragon Ballroom, Chicago 1994 Nirvana/Mudhoney. What can I say, Kurt was God.
3rd best - PJ, Smashing Pumpkins, Peppers. We missed PJ because no one knew who they were, Pumpkins only had Gish out, and Peppers only had the not yet popular Give It Away out (Under the Bridge wasn't release yet, it was winter). If only we'd rushed to get there for PJ.
But 93 Lolla is not far after those.
Another good one, Soundgarden OPENING for Skid Row. Cornell stagedives, my buddy is right in the middle of it and catches him, Chris give him a high five as he gets passed back toward the front.
I wish there were as many good shows now as were back then (rock shows at least). I missed System of a Down this year which I was really up for seeing. But so many shows are pop/R&B anymore...
Oh, and I also had tickets to the Beasties/Rage concert 2 (or is it 3) years ago...then Mike D had to go and hurt himself...you can guess what happened before the show was rescheduled. :frowning: