FREEFORM 1990's ALTERNATIVE ALBUM POLL - THE RECKONING (TOP TEN COUNTING DOWN NOW)

I'd say maybe second biggest after the Melvins, maybe.

50= Kristin Hersh - Hips And Makers (1994)
50 points
1 vote
1 first-place vote
Contributor: anatol_merklich

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/2c8463b2bf4a2fcdbf5d72916451133f/8923.jpg

Hips and Makers still does it for me. I don't know whether it captures a period or a time or whatever for me but I still think it's the best thing she's ever done in or out of the Muses.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 29 April 2003 00:24 (7 years ago)

i just love her so much. i'm sorry i'm getting all emotional.

― Surmounter (rra123), Sunday, 11 February 2007 16:33 (3 years ago)

i had a dream last night that kristin was in my town, somehow passing through on a train, and she wrote me a note and left it on a telephone pole near the station. and then i lost the note, and i was looking for it all over town, shit scared. then i woke up and put Learn TO Sing Like A STar on, and now i'm listening to surf guitar.

― Surmounter, Tuesday, 22 May 2007 13:05 (2 years ago)

I've unexpectedly found myself back into Hips & Makers after all these years. I revisited with it around 2001 but couldn't really bring it into a present context at that time, it was more about memories for me. This time it's resonating with me in the present moment. It's funny that I always tend to think of it as an good album with a few really standout tracks, but in reality it all hangs together very well and feels very complete, like taking a journey through different parts of a forest or something.

I was so disappointed in Strange Angels that I quit paying attention to her work at all after that. The way I remember it, the songs that appear on Hips & Makers are ones she'd been saving up for years.

Haven't heard this Strings EP mentioned upthread...will have to track it down.

Also this line especially gets me - "I've been on the other side of the Blue Ridge, seen the Shenandoah rolling there" because I grew up in Virginia and it makes me remember the mountains there.

― I wonder who his history bitches are and if they approve (Bimble), Wednesday, 1 July 2009 16:18 (9 months ago)

jesus i wonder how many albums tied at 100 or 200 points

not saying anything except that 50 and 38 are by far the biggest tied-point scores in this poll

Oh, I love her, but I've never heard this!

well not by far. there were 5 on 36 too.

50= Ground Zero - Revolutionary Pekinese Opera Ver.1.28
50 points
1 vote
1 first-place vote
Contributor: Moka

http://www.squidco.com/miva/graphics/products/ReR/albums/ground.zero.revolutionary.jpg

All of Ground Zero's albums sound amazing -- but all of them have at least moments (some a great many) of complete nuclear meltdown chaos too. Thing is, to me, those are usually the best parts.

― dleone (dleone), Monday, 8 September 2003 16:52 (6 years ago)

'revolutionary pekanese opera' is one of my favorite albums of the previous decade. Frequent listening, can't even discuss.

― jl (Jon L), Monday, 8 September 2003 18:12 (6 years ago)

I was listening to RPO last night. I don't know their other records but I love that one. Things I like include: just the sharp bright colourful timbres (that makes it sound like Avril or something but it's not obv) they use even when doing noise, the sense of pacing and dynamics, of tension and intensity, the cartoon-like quality of bits of it, yes, the guitar noise solo, the way the whole thing kind of feels like some kind of sci-fi anime epic.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 10 September 2003 01:57 (6 years ago)

Ground-zero's "Revolutionary Pekinese Opera" is ass-beating in the best possible way. Where to next?

― t, Friday, 10 May 2002 00:00 (7 years ago)

really REALLY fucken intrigued by this one

(1996)

Man, I forgot to vote for Red Heaven.

A pal of mine's brother (not a big music fan so far as I know) unaccountably bought Hips and Makers and must've been hugely disappointed, because a decade later that whole family was still using it as a byword for any bad purchase.

Belated woo yay Autoditacker. I agonised long and hard about which 90s Mouse on Mars album to vote for and could have talked myself into any of them, but in the end went for the first one I heard. Glad I wasn't alone in that choice!

I have never heard of Magic Hour and should change that, seeing as I dig Galaxie 500 and really enjoyed seeing Damon + Naomi live on the Playback Singers tour.

To me, Pizzicato 5 always sounded great as single tracks on compilations or on John Peel, but my attention wanders during the full albums I have. Don't have this one, though, so will give it a go.

Right, carry on...

Haha, fucking aces, good call Moka!

feisty, Spanish, into turntable Japanoise fuckchaos

ground zero! fucking hell! yet another incredible record (though second to 'plays standards', imo) that I totally forgot to vote for.

I perhaps should have spent more than 45 seconds on my ballot.

I perhaps should have spent more than 45 seconds on my ballot.

Likewise.

this poll is great fun by the way, LJ. lots of good stuff, and plenty of new tastiness to explore. top work!

I hadn't heard of abooooout half of these btw

One more before the election debate, I think, and then we'll have done with the 50s

Your Ghost was one of the songs that i listened to on repeat so many times I can't bear to hear it now.

never even heard of ground zero. very curious.

...and now for something completely and utterly different...

Simply Red?

stand up comedy record

I thought about slinging Stars a few.

rollins spoken word album

Ach, "They're All Gonna Laugh at You!" for the win. Anyone remember "The Longest Pee"?

guys fyi merzbox didnt come out until 2000 iirc

Ruled out Merzbow for much the same reasons I ruled out NWW

50= Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (1998)
50 points
1 vote
1 first-place vote
Contributor: outdoorminer

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/080623/lucinda-williams_l.jpg

What did Xgua write in his A+ review of Car Wheels? "Most accomplished record maker of her generation"? That's about right.

― Roy Kasten (Roy Kasten), Saturday, 20 January 2007 18:31 (3 years ago)

I'm a big fan of Car Wheels, sort of desert island style, but the rest I have been disappointed by. That was one of those records that just clicked time and place and dispositiion.

― mcd (mcd), Saturday, 20 January 2007 18:57 (3 years ago)

more on-topic: Car Wheels deserves all the praise it gets.

― aaron d.g. (aaron d.g.), Sunday, 21 January 2007 09:37 (3 years ago)

Yeah, self-titled above all. "Car Wheels" feels overworked, maybe 'cause with all that love and care and those gazillion reels of tape, it was. It smacks of Lucinda Doing Lucinda. I own it and haven't played it in years. I prefer "Essence"; at the very least, she was trying something different sonically.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 18 August 2003 07:25 (6 years ago)

I voted Car Wheels but I'm not very fluent in her oeuvre. After getting into Car Wheels I bought Sweet Old World and found it disappointing save for the Nick Drake cover. Her singing sells Car Wheels to me; she's as anxious as on Sweet Old World but her singing isn't as sweet and mannered. It sounds as worn as the hurt she's hinting at throughout. I'll also rep for Steve Earle's production on Car Wheels. I love a bunch of the records he produced in the mid 90s because it sounds like he took the sound on "Honky Tonk Women" as a template, so that the song seems to have been recorded from inside the bass drum. It makes for claustrophobic listening, like a realization of new wave's nervous ideal with a better drum sound.

― Euler, Thursday, 1 October 2009 06:23 (6 months ago)

(different to Ground Zero, I meant...this isn't by any means the most unearthly thing in the poll)

ohh nice choice.

Round up!

____ Stereolab - Peng! (1992)
____ XTC - Apple Venus, Vol. 1 (1999)
100. De La Soul - Buhloone Mind State (1993)
___ Fugazi - End Hits (1998)
98. Crowded House - Woodface (1991)
97. Sonic Youth - Washing Machine (1995)
96. Björk - Debut (1993)
95. Mark Eitzel - Songs of Love (1991)
94. Elliott Smith - Either/Or (1997)
___ The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde (1992)
92. The Afghan Whigs - Black Love (1996)
91. Tori Amos - From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998)
90. UGK - Ridin' Dirty (1996)
89. Grifters - Crappin' You Negative (1994)
88. The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I (1999)
87. The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen (1993)
___ Neil Young - Harvest Moon (1992)
85. Biosphere - Substrata (1997)
___ Missy Elliott - Da Real World (1999)
___ Mogwai - Young Team (1997)
82. 2pac - All Eyez on Me (1996)
81. Metallica - Metallica (1991)
___ Built To Spill - Keep it Like a Secret (1999)
79. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders (1993)
___ The Divine Comedy - Promenade (1994)
77. The Auteurs - New Wave (1993)
___ Burger/Ink - Las Vegas (1996)
___ Electronic - Electronic (1991)
74. Sleep - Dopesmoker (199?)
___ Slowdive - Souvlaki (1993)
72. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F#A#∞ (1998)
71. R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996)
___ Earl Brutus - Tonight You Are The Special One (1998)
69. Sun City Girls - Torch of the Mystics (1990)
___ Sun City Girls - 330,003 Crossdressers From the Rig Veda (1996)
67. Pete Namlook - Air (1994)
66. Palace Music - Lost Blues and Other Songs (1997)
65. Sonny Sharrock - Ask the Ages (1991)
___ Lush - Spooky (1992)
63. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return to the 36 Chambers (1995)
62. Aphex Twin - I Care Because You Do (1995)
___ They Might Be Giants - Flood (1990)
60. Mr. Bungle - California (1999)
___ Madonna - Erotica (1992)
58. Gas - Königsforst (1999)
57. Mouse on Mars - Autoditacker (1997)
56. Sonic Youth - A Thousand Leaves (1998)
___ Pizzicato Five - Happy End of the World (1997)
___ Magic Hour - No Excess Is Absurd (1994)
___ Nomeansno - Live and Cuddly (1991)
___ Kristin Hersh - Hips and Makers (1994)
___ Ground Zero - Revolutionary Pekinese Opera Ver.1.28 (1996)
50. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998)

Really interesting list so far. I haven't heard any of the albums from 60 to 50.

Own/enjoy the following (though I haven't pulled out many in years)... not a bad hit ratio for this kind of poll:

____ Stereolab - Peng! (1992)
____ XTC - Apple Venus, Vol. 1 (1999)
100. De La Soul - Buhloone Mind State (1993)
98. Crowded House - Woodface (1991)
97. Sonic Youth - Washing Machine (1995)
96. Björk - Debut (1993)
92. The Afghan Whigs - Black Love (1996)
91. Tori Amos - From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998)
90. UGK - Ridin' Dirty (1996)
87. The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen (1993)
___ Missy Elliott - Da Real World (1999)
___ Mogwai - Young Team (1997)
79. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders (1993)
___ Electronic - Electronic (1991)
74. Sleep - Dopesmoker (199?)
___ Slowdive - Souvlaki (1993)
72. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F#A#∞ (1998)
71. R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996)
69. Sun City Girls - Torch of the Mystics (1990)
___ Sun City Girls - 330,003 Crossdressers From the Rig Veda (1996)
___ Lush - Spooky (1992)
63. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return to the 36 Chambers (1995)
62. Aphex Twin - I Care Because You Do (1995)
60. Mr. Bungle - California (1999)
___ Madonna - Erotica (1992)
58. Gas - Königsforst (1999)
57. Mouse on Mars - Autoditacker (1997)
56. Sonic Youth - A Thousand Leaves (1998)

you could manage a few more tonight lj before you post your prog club picks at midnight!

yes why don't i just abandon my MA course

I didn't vote in this, but damn good to see NoMeansNo in it anyway.

this poll is great fun by the way, LJ. lots of good stuff, and plenty of new tastiness to explore. top work!

― m the g, Thursday, 29 April 2010 20:15 (3 hours ago) Bookmark

*blushes*

That 50 point thing is really freaky. I'm enjoying these results and maybe will even make myself listen to some of this stuff that I haven't heard (which is a lot of it).

Round-up with added Spotify links:

____ Stereolab - Peng! (1992)
____ XTC - Apple Venus, Vol. 1 (1999)
100. De La Soul - Buhloone Mind State (1993)
___ Fugazi - End Hits (1998)
98. Crowded House - Woodface (1991)
97. Sonic Youth - Washing Machine (1995)
96. Björk - Debut (1993)
95. Mark Eitzel - Songs of Love (1991)
94. Elliott Smith - Either/Or (1997)
___ The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde (1992)
92. The Afghan Whigs - Black Love (1996)
91. Tori Amos - From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998)
90. UGK - Ridin' Dirty (1996)
89. Grifters - Crappin' You Negative (1994)
88. The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I (1999)
87. The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen (1993)
___ Neil Young - Harvest Moon (1992)
85. Biosphere - Substrata (1997)
___ Missy Elliott - Da Real World (1999)
___ Mogwai - Young Team (1997)
82. 2pac - All Eyez on Me (1996)
81. Metallica - Metallica (1991)
___ Built To Spill - Keep it Like a Secret (1999)
79. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders (1993)
___ The Divine Comedy - Promenade (1994)
77. The Auteurs - New Wave (1993)
___ Burger/Ink - Las Vegas (1996)
___ Electronic - Electronic (1991)
74. Sleep - Dopesmoker (199?)
___ Slowdive - Souvlaki (1993)
72. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F#A#∞ (1998)
71. R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi (1996)
___ Earl Brutus - Tonight You Are The Special One (1998)
69. Sun City Girls - Torch of the Mystics (1990)
___ Sun City Girls - 330,003 Crossdressers From the Rig Veda (1996)
67. Pete Namlook - Air (1994)
66. Palace Music - Lost Blues and Other Songs (1997)
65. Sonny Sharrock - Ask the Ages (1991)
___ Lush - Spooky (1992)
63. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return to the 36 Chambers (1995)
62. Aphex Twin - I Care Because You Do (1995)
___ They Might Be Giants - Flood (1990)
60. Mr. Bungle - California (1999)
___ Madonna - Erotica (1992)
58. Gas - Königsforst (1999)
57. Mouse on Mars - Autoditacker (1997)
56. Sonic Youth - A Thousand Leaves (1998)
___ Pizzicato Five - Happy End of the World (1997)
___ Magic Hour - No Excess Is Absurd (1994)
___ Nomeansno - Live and Cuddly (1991)
___ Kristin Hersh - Hips and Makers (1994)
___ Ground Zero - Revolutionary Pekinese Opera Ver.1.28 (1996)
50. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (1998)

Man, so jealous of people who can use Spotify. This reminds me of what it must be like for all of the other countries of the world who hate our freedom because they're so jealous.

Yeahy! 3 out of my top 10 choices represented so far.

Really glad some of you support and feel curious about listening to the Ground Zero album.
Louis kindly asked me to share a few words about why I love the album... and... well, it's a hard question... I can easily feel why I like Gas - Konigsforst, I just put on my headphones and look at the ground or the sky and it feels like I'm exploring another world. It's a perfect record for architectural design.

But why do I think Revolutionary Pekinese Opera is such a kickass record? Well, I really can't tell... I've always been a huge fan of sound collages... I think it might just be one of the most effective ways to capture a set of emotions, ideas and time on record and I think a huge part of their appeal is their abstract meaning.
So maybe I like it for its strong political subtext, maybe because it makes me feel like seeing through the saturated eyes of a Japanese metropolitan or maybe just because there's quite nothing like it when I'm in the mood for it... none of it matters.... this sort of record feeds off of your own imagination and mood and whatever meaning it might reveal depends solely on what the listener makes off it.

So anyways, if you have even the slightest taste for sound collages, abstract music, free jazz or maybe music by artists like The Books or Paavoharju I'd definitely recommend giving it a try. The whole thing plays like a film and it's a very satisfying experience.

:D top stuff!

so you're saying it's a very open-ended album experience...and one to be heard end-to-end...a sort of sound-world. yep, very much intrigued.

Thanks! Yes, that's pretty much what I make of it, at least the main reason I enjoy it so much.

Regardless of the idiosyncratic method involved in creating this poll the results are turning out beautiful so far.

Gotta say, I'm surprised and delighted at the sheer range and quality of the records here. Gives creedence to my oft-repeated claims that the 90's really were a cracking time for music.

The only Ground Zero album I've heard is Consume Red, which I never really got into. Is Revolutionary Pekinese Opera significantly different? By Moka's description it should be right up my avenue.

Yes, it's way easier to digest than 'consume red'... it's also more concise and adventurous... to be honest, I'm not a huge fan of that record myself... I think it's sort of dull, I always lose interest before it starts getting interesting. There's a couple of entertaining user reviews for pekinse opera on rym:

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/ground_zero/revolutionary_pekinese_opera_ver_1_28/reviews/1