Brent’s 1994 Better Late Than Never

Apologies for the tardy post! Busy time of year for me. Let’s keep this going!

Albums

1)  Boredoms – Super Roots 3

– Crystal clear, concise, to the point. Yes, it’s ½ hour of hardcore riffing. Again…crystal clear, concise, to the point.

2)  Kyuss – Welcome To Sky Valley

– Like taking a hit off an exhaust pipe. Opens with this “suite” for god’s sake…Gardenia, Asteroid, Supa Scoopa And Mighty Scoop.

3)  Melvins – Stoner Witch

– The first 3 minutes of Magic Pig Detective changed how I listen to music. No Kidding. No Hyperbole. No B.S. A transformative moment. I remember the location, room, chair I was sitting in, who I was with, the time of day, the volume, and my jaw dropping. Also Revolve, Sweet Willy Rollbar.

4)  Frank Black – Teenager of the Year

– I recall hearing Kim Deal disparage this at the time. She was/is wrong. Speedy Marie, Freedom Rock.

5)  Die Like A Dog Quartet – Fragments Of Music, Life and Death of Albert Ayler

– I may have “heard” Brotzmann prior to this…but I’m pretty sure I never “HEARD” him till this.

6)  Altered States (Feat Otomo Yoshihide) – Lithuania & Estonia Live

– Improvised Rock is no light task. Otomo Yoshihide and company knock it down here. They were doing this in 1994. Visionary. Chain Reaction.

7) Bill Dixon with Barry Guy, Tony Oxley, William Parker – Vade Mecum

– Astounding. Spaces.

8)  Paul Haines – Darn It!

– Poet Haines assembled some of my favorite artists to create this beautiful tapestry.  Check out the credits – HERE

9)  Jeff Buckley – Grace

– Pretty sure one those things we all can agree is pretty fantastic.

10)  Ween – Chocolate & Cheese

– I don’t think things get any catchier than this.  Stylistically all over the map, coherent at the same time. Freedom of ’76, What Deaner Was Talking About, Mister Would You Please Help My Pony.

Songs

1)  Kew.Rhone – John Greaves – Songs

– Robert Wyatt does great justice lending vocals this remake of the ‘77 Greaves/Blegvad/Herman tune.

2)  Over the River Club/Grief – Henry Threadgill – Song Of My Trees

– Myra Melford plays some beautiful piano here. Threadgill compositions can be somewhat “cold”. Not so here.

3)  A Hundred Years – Mule – If I Don’t Six

– Something sets PW Long and company apart from contemporaries like Shellac, JSBE, or Jesus Lizard. Soul.

4)  Shit Soup – Sebahoh – Bakesale

– Bakesale is one of those Lp’s in my collection I feel I should appreciate more than I do, could become a favorite with the right listen. This track always lays me out though.

5)  Work from Smoke – Gastr Del Sol – Crookt, Crackt, or Fly

– O’Rourke & Grubbs were working alongside Red Krayola at this time and it shows here.  Who knew what these two would accomplish over the next decades?

6)  Hot Freaks – Guided By Voices – Bee Thousand

– Like most of my favorite GBV tracks this comes off as more of an idea for a song, a whisper of something greater. More perfect kept in its adolescent form.

7)  Vroom/Thrak – King Crimson – Vroom

– Only Crimson return from a ten year hiatus this fit, muscular, retooled.

8)  Become One/The Born One – Keiji Haino – A Challenge To Fate

– Soft/Loud….no not the “pixies” sense.

9)  Blasters (feat Eddie Hazel) – Booty’s New Rubber Band – Blasters of the Universe

– Built up around an old Eddie Hazel guitar track. This is the sort of thing that never works. Except here.

10)  Superbird – Fu Manchu – No One Rides For Free

– SOLID! Love a good shitkicker!

Mike’s 1994 (revised)

Okay, I’ll be the one to break the silence here, and see if I can help keep this train rolling. Apologies for missing out on the Bowie month. I’ve got my long list of favorites, of course, and really wanted to share them vis a vis a sincere and elegiac essay. May still try do so sometime down the line. I got a huge kick listening to all of the other site contributor’s picks.

So, in 1994 I was beginning to enter my age of maturity. Began working in the occupation in which I still find myself employed. Was engaged to my wife. I began to accept that I would no longer be able to keep track of all the great stuff that was coming out, and so I largely ignored a lot of it, especially all the “indie” stuff that will surely fill some other’s lists for 1994.

In addition to many of the artists listed below, I was particularly enamored at the time with XTC, King Crimson (their double-trio comeback!), Smashing Pumpkins, Adrian Belew, the NYC downtown music scene (Zorn, Laswell, compatriots, and the things they liked), and, correspondingly and ever increasingly, jazz in its more avant-garde forms.

LPs

1. Tim Berne’s Caos Totale–Nice View. Some online discographies claim this is a 1993 release. It isn’t, but feel free to replace Nice View with either of the incredible live “Paris Concert” Bloodcount albums those same discographies claim were released in 1994 but were actually released in 1995: Poisoned Minds or Lowlife.  Berne is so prolific around this time, and in general, but this is for me probably his high point.
2. Sonic Youth–Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star. Might be my favorite SY record.
3. Frank Black–Teenager of the Year. “Freedom Rock” should really be our site’s theme song. A true 5 star album in my eyes. So rare for every single song on an album (that contains 22 of ’em!) to reach such heights.
4. Richard Buckner–Bloomed. A great production and even sounds good on youtube! Love the clarity of his acoustic guitar. Such great songs.
5. Kyuss–[Welcome to Sky Valley]. Oh, fuck, yes.
6. Helmet–Betty. See above.
7. Red Red Meat–Jimmywine Majestic. Their live show opening for the pumpkins at the Unicorn around this time (maybe a year or so earlier?) remains one of the great shows I’ve ever witnessed. Almost 20 years passed before I heard this record in full, and I swear I remember several of these songs performed live that night, that show made such a lasting impression on me.
8. Melvins–Stoner Witch. Can’t figure why I never became a full-on metal head.
9. Joni Mitchell–Turbulent Indigo. May be every bit as good as her Hejira, Don Juan 70’s prime. This record comes close.
10. They Might Be Giants–John Henry.

Some other great songs that don’t appear on those albums:

1. Jawbox–“Savory.” A go-to song for achieving a manic, head hit the ceiling, high.
2. Boredoms–“Acid Police.” I really dig the wholly strange Beefheartiness of this entire record. Still haven’t acquired and fully digested the Super Roots stuff. If I had, the “3” EP would have to appear somewhere here. Hah! 
3. Jon Spencer’s Blue Explosion–“Bellbottoms“
4. Henry Threadgill–“Come, Carry the Day.” When he is on, nothing really compares.
5. Luna–“Tiger Lily” and “California All the Way.” Seemingly effortless beauty.
6. Material–“Words of Advice” (with William Burroughs)
7. Craig Harris–The first several tracks on the F-Stops album, including “1st Flow,” “2nd Flow,” and so on, are sublime. The last couple tracks do bring it down to earth.
8. Adrian Belew–“Dream Life“
9. Jeff Buckley–“Hallelujah“