With that thought I decided to do a "Best Of" entry to compartmentalize my musings on what I consider "good music." This is all a matter of personal taste. Those who know me well are aware that "personal taste" equals "absolute truth" in my world so try not to flame me. In any case, I hope that you will find an album here that you missed out on and give it a play on the old cassette player. I believe we call them mp3 players nowadays.
Here we go. My top 10 best albums of the 1990's in no particular order. I'll break them up to entries of two each.
Note that I won't include any "Best Of" albums here.
Ace of Base - Happy Nation (US Version)
I discovered this album a couple of weeks before it charted internationally. It has 3 versions. I found the re-released European version with the all-too-ubiquitous single "The Sign" in it.
What drew me to it? The sound
was fresh. Reggae fused with Swedish pop sensibility and sprinkled with techno. This was ABBA on Ecstasy!
Incidentally, it wasn't the
hit singles that I gravitated toward but more to the "techno tracks" such as "Waiting for Magic" and "Dancer in a Daydream".
Ace of Base is once again active but less one member, namely Malin Berggren. She was the main face and voice of the band
in the 90s. Personally, with her voice out of the mix, this Ace of Base comeback will lead nowhere.
Give this album a listen. Not just the tracks that every 30-ish person knows but also the ones in between.
Fillers you might call them but they certainly played the role well. This album wasn't once the best-selling debut
album of all time for nothing.
Listen to: Living in Danger, Waiting for Magic, Dancer in a Daydream and yes, do indulge in your secret love for "The Sign". I won't tell a soul.
Best listened to: When driving
Watch: Living in Danger live at the 1994 MTV Europe Music Awards.
U2 - Achtung Baby
"Awesome album cover...what artist?" I asked the saleslady at my local department store(Manuela 2). She grabbed the album and read the spine, "Uz... eh..." she said, "no... it's U2". (translated from Filipino).
U2 with a new album? This was news to me. Remember this was the early 90's. It was before public Internet so information was scarce. Heck, it was U2 so I plopped 100 pesos($4 then) for it and took my find home. Put the tape in my bulky Mega-Bass Sony player and listened.
"WTF???"
They turned rock techno!
Sure the delayed shimmery chiming guitars where still there but what happened to the overall sound? Bono sounds possessed and is falsetto-happy. The rhythm section is more upfront in the mix. It was radical departure from their old selves. It's way different from the old-school, self-righteous, political U2, but I liked it. No... I really really liked it! My Walkman played this album so many times that i think the magnetic head has memorized it.
Listen to: The Fly, One, Mysterious Ways
Best listened to: In the shower before school or work
Watch: The Fly live from Sydney - Zoo TV Tour
