The Top 26 Albums Of The 1990s (Last Part)
Who: Neutral Milk Hotel
What: In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
When: February 10, 1998
Why: Jeff Mangum seems to exist now only as an archetype – part of a long strain of slightly odd but endearing melodic geniuses stretching from Brian Wilson to Colin Meloy. If he does nothing more, having made this album will be enough. If this album has a forebear, for me it’s Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart. Both albums combine a slightly shaggy take on a wealth of subjects with a dynamic range of instrumentation. The results for both are continued rewards even after years of listening. Welcome, Jeff, come into the light.
Who: Lauryn Hill
What: The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
When: August 25, 1998
Why: OK, the “dramatic interludes” are lame in the extreme, but they’re usually easy enough to fast forward through. The songs themselves are a soulful blend of mid-60s melodies and late-90s hip hop beats (an idea that was captured beautifully in the video for “Doo Wop (That Thing)”). The eerie sense of capturing this long-gone ethos comes through most forcefully, though, when L. channels and updates Stevie Wonder on “Everything Is Everything.”
Who: Fatboy Slim
What: You’ve Come A Long Way Baby
When: October 20, 1998
Why: In a previous life he was Norman Cook, bass player for The Housemartins. By 1998 he was Fatboy Slim, pasty Brit DJ par excellence. This album introduced his alter ego to a wider audience, and accelerated the process of spreading rave music to the masses. While the whole album is great, the two hits, “Rockafeller Skank” and “Praise You” really do stand out above the crowd – their catch phrases worming their way deep, deep into your skull. “Praise You” then had the further notoriety of one of the great videos of all time, with Spike Jonze directing himself as himself in a reality dance piece/trespassing crime.
The Top 26 Albums Of The 1990s (Part 8)
The Top 26 Albums Of The 1990s (Part 7)
The Top 26 Albums Of The 1990s (Part 6)
The Top 26 Albums Of The 1990s (Part 5)
The Top 26 Albums Of The 1990s (Part 4)
The Top 26 Albums Of The 1990s (Part 3)
The Top 26 Albums Of The 1990s (Part 2)
The Top 26 Albums Of The 1990s (Part 1)
The Top 19 Albums Of The 1980s
The Top 16 Albums Of The 1970s
posted by dgags @ 3:41 PM
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