What are some obscure alternative hits from the early 90's?

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dada - "Dizz Knee Land"

― BrianB, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 14:05 (twenty years ago) link

Sidi Bou Said "Twilight Eyes"

Out-obscure that one ya fukkas :)

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 14:45 (twenty years ago) link

Oooh....

- The Pale Saints' cover of "Kinky Love"
- "Paradise" by Birdland
- "I'd Sell My Soul to God" by Passion Fodder

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 14:49 (twenty years ago) link

Lightning Seeds-"Pure"
and second Wolfgang Press's cover of "Mama Told me not to Come"

― ddb, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 15:51 (twenty years ago) link

C'mon, people, he said OBSCURE!
Try....

"Ten Dollar Bill" by Cop Shoot Cop

Haha, Jackie Brambles made that single of the week on the Radio 1 mid-morning show.

― David Merryweather (DavidM), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:09 (twenty years ago) link

"Valerie Loves Me" - Material Issue

Y'all are AMATEURS.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:11 (twenty years ago) link

Also, "I Need You Like A Drug" - They Eat Their Own

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:11 (twenty years ago) link

A second for "Pure" and "Homeboy" by the Adorable.

― Ess, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:15 (twenty years ago) link

"Joyride," "Fading Like A Flower," "The Look" -- Roxette (I shamelessly love that band.)

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:18 (twenty years ago) link

"I Need You Like A Drug" - They Eat Their Own

Dan, I kiss you. I found that on an unlabelled mixtape the other day and have been tearing my hair out trying to remember who sang it.

How the heck are Roxette obscure? Or alternative?

What about Push The Little Daisies by Ween?

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:37 (twenty years ago) link

(not that that's obscure either, but then what is around here?)

― ailsa (ailsa), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:37 (twenty years ago) link

If not for Beavis and Butthead, "Push the Little Daisies" woulda been hella obscure.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:40 (twenty years ago) link

didn't "push the little daisies" get hella regular mtv airplay? or am i hallucinating that?

posies - "dream all day," which remains hella obscure to anyone who isn't a music geek.

― fact checking cuz, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:52 (twenty years ago) link

Oooh, "Valerie Love Me" seconded, although that's the only song of Material Issue's I could actually stomach.

Seek ye also "F Minor" by Nudeswirl and "Psych Out" by the Seers!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 16:58 (twenty years ago) link

i'm reasonably sure that nudeswirl's "f sharp" (that was the actual title, wasn't it, alex?) missed out on one of the three qualifications for being an "obscure" "alternative" "hit," but hot damn that's still a great choice.

anyone want to nominate a big nurse song next, or perhaps "lesbians" by nudeswirl side project they might be vaginas?

― fact checking cuz, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:03 (twenty years ago) link

Oop, yer right, cuz. Great wah-wah-wah guitars on that one.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:16 (twenty years ago) link

great "immigrant song" groove on that one.

― fact checking cuz, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:25 (twenty years ago) link

i don't know whether to laugh or cry...

― robin (robin), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:33 (twenty years ago) link

Wordy mcword word.

― Larcole (Nicole), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 17:34 (twenty years ago) link

* "Breathe" - Loud Lucy
* The Silverchair one where he says "the water out of the tap is very... very... haaaard to driiink...."
* "Three Little Pigs" - Green Jelly
* and a personal favorite of mine: "In the Meantime" - Spacehog

― Ben Boyer (Ben Boyer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 20:37 (twenty years ago) link

Truly obscure songs weren't hits, so the task is impossible anyway.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 20:45 (twenty years ago) link

Truly obscure songs weren't hits, so the task is impossible anyway.

He's got a point. Maybe it should be, Some Obscure Alternative SINGLES from the early 90's instead, no?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 21:37 (twenty years ago) link

Dishwalla - "Counting Blue Cars"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 21:43 (twenty years ago) link

not sure i agree with geir and alex. the murmurs, freedy johnston and del amitri songs mentioned upthread, for example, were all chart hits in their day and are all pretty damn obscure now.

― fact checking cuz, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 21:47 (twenty years ago) link

yeah, but lots of these suggestions were very decidedly not hits, despite the fact that they were released as singles or were played as videos.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 21:49 (twenty years ago) link

quite true. but i got the impression the famous athlete was looking for hits when he started the thread. but as i am neither famous nor an athlete, i can not speak for him.

― fact checking cuz, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 21:54 (twenty years ago) link

This is true, this is true, but maybe the famed athelete himself (and I'm guessing it's a 'he', apologies if it is not) should've said "singles" instead.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 21:59 (twenty years ago) link

He said that he was interested in stuff that charted, so.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 22:04 (twenty years ago) link

We're splitting hairs here.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 22:05 (twenty years ago) link

I guess I meant singles. In either case, these are all excellent. The kind of stuff I was shooting for was things like "Counting Blue Cars" by Dishwalla and "Breathe" by Loud Lucy and "The Freshmen" by the Verve Pipe and "Into Your Arms" by the Lemonheads. Guess I really just meant forgotten hits, not so much obscure.

― Famous Athlete, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 22:54 (twenty years ago) link

this thread is awesome because there were radio stations in the 90s that played this and ONLY this kinda music.

what about female of the species by that band space?
and anything by catherine wheel.

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 23:23 (twenty years ago) link

what about female of the species by that band space?

would that be a cover of the walker brothers song?

― fact checking cuz, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 23:30 (twenty years ago) link

King Missile - Detachable Penis
Living Colour - Nothingness

― momalley, Wednesday, 3 September 2003 01:12 (twenty years ago) link

Feed the Tree Belly
Grey Cell Green Ned's Atomic Dustbin
Cut Your Hair Pavment
Whip Smart Liz Phair
She Bangs the Drums Stone Roses
Stone Cold Yesterday The Connells
Unsung Helmet

― William R Henderson (Cabin Essence), Wednesday, 3 September 2003 01:33 (twenty years ago) link

Semisonic, "FNT"

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Wednesday, 3 September 2003 01:34 (twenty years ago) link

Here's one y'all missed that was actually No. 1 on Billboard's Modern Rock Charts, beating out U2 and REM, who both had hits at the time.

"Ballerina Out Of Control" by The Ocean Blue

Another gooder is "Rush" by Big Audio Dynamite II

― blutroniq (blutroniq), Wednesday, 3 September 2003 02:16 (twenty years ago) link

Seven Mary Three. Can't remember the name of the song, but it may have been the worst song of the 90's. Hootie and the Blowfish, too.

― Shmuel (shmuel), Wednesday, 3 September 2003 02:20 (twenty years ago) link

field mice - sensitive
catherine wheel - flower to hide
lemonheads - it's a shame about ray (there were better ones, i have forgotten the titles)
house of love - christine (see above)
luna - tiger lily (there are more)
yo la tengo - blue line swinger
stereolab - peng
tindersticks - blood
red house püainters - katy song
cocteau twins - heaven or las vegas
bel canto - mornixuur
my bloody valentine - when you sleep

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 3 September 2003 02:56 (twenty years ago) link

Seven Mary Three. Can't remember the name of the song, but it may have been the worst song of the 90's. Hootie and the Blowfish, too.

That would be the godawful "Cumbersome", which was only slightly more irritaing than the work of Collective Soul.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 4 September 2003 22:37 (twenty years ago) link

Also, "Christine" by the House of Love was `89, I believe.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 4 September 2003 22:37 (twenty years ago) link

earlier than that.

― keith (keithmcl), Friday, 5 September 2003 01:52 (twenty years ago) link

Sponge - "Plowed"
Deadeye Dick - "New Age Girl"
Blur - "There's No Other Way"
The Butthole Surfers - "Pepper"
Pavement - "Cut Your Hair"
Butt Trumpet - "You're Ugly"
Radiohead - "Creep"
Candlebox - "You"
Sonic Youth - "100%"
Live - "Selling the Drama"
The Presidents... - "Lump"
The Smashing Pumpkins - "Bullet with Butterfly Wings"
Marilyn Manson - "Sweet Dreams"
Nine Inch Nails - "Piggy"

Pretty much my local rock radio station's playlist circa mid-90s, give or take the obligatory Nirvana song.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 5 September 2003 04:08 (twenty years ago) link

These might help...

http://www.mtv.com/bands/buzzworthy/history.jhtml?year=1991
http://www.mtv.com/bands/buzzworthy/history.jhtml?year=1992
http://www.mtv.com/bands/buzzworthy/history.jhtml?year=1993
and so forth..

― billstevejim, Friday, 5 September 2003 04:21 (twenty years ago) link

for some reason, linking to those pages is impossible..

try http://www.mtv.com/bands/buzzworthy and clicking on "more history of buzz" and then choosing a year from the "choose a year" drop-menu.

― billstevejim, Friday, 5 September 2003 04:29 (twenty years ago) link

there was this band called a house and i even had their album once and i liked it but i can't remember the song titles.

― youn, Friday, 5 September 2003 04:36 (twenty years ago) link

A House had a couple of minor hits - "call me blue" and "endless art" (and i think there were others)

― the surface noise (electricsound), Friday, 5 September 2003 04:38 (twenty years ago) link

James - "Laid"
Robyn Hitchcock - "So You Think You're In Love"
Love Spit Love - "Am I Wrong"
Lightning Seeds - "Sense"
Sugar - "Helpless"

― turkey (turkey), Friday, 5 September 2003 05:52 (twenty years ago) link

Big Wreck - That Song
Artificial Joy Club - Sick And Beautiful
Econoline Crush - All That You Are
Matthew Good Band - Apparitions
Matthew Good Band - Everything Is Automatic
Marcy Playground - Sex and Candy
Our Lady Peace - Superman's Dead
Tonic - If You Could Only See

― derrick (derrick), Friday, 5 September 2003 06:30 (twenty years ago) link

Too Much Joy - "Long Haired Guy from England"

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 5 September 2003 06:32 (twenty years ago) link

Too Much Joy - "Long Haired Guy from England"

a masterpiece!

― fact checking cuz, Friday, 5 September 2003 14:57 (twenty years ago) link

Skipping 75 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Blake Babies

― My Lunch Is Older Than Your Lunch (Old Lunch), Friday, 16 December 2016 16:32 (seven years ago) link

Oh wait no, I incorrectly assumed Blake Babies because thread is for early '90s alt rock.

― My Lunch Is Older Than Your Lunch (Old Lunch), Friday, 16 December 2016 16:33 (seven years ago) link

two years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Maz6jFdvn2Q

― Go-Gurt Ops (Old Lunch), Friday, 25 October 2019 12:52 (four years ago) link

Every time I hear it I'm like 'christ, how did I forget about this awful song that was in constant rotation for a decent stretch of time?' and then I immediately forget about it again once it's over.

― Go-Gurt Ops (Old Lunch), Friday, 25 October 2019 12:55 (four years ago) link

There couldn't be a less memorable song!

When I saw the thread title, I thought of these three, all of which got a decent amount of airplay on my local alt-rock station in the early 90s:

E - Hello Cruel World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLYSl3PblyU

Lloyd Cole - She's a Girl and I'm a Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2hGy7cBRNM

Freedy Johnston - Bad Reputation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsQBuFNt65U

― ☮ (peace, man), Friday, 25 October 2019 13:24 (four years ago) link

I think about "Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe" by Whale not infrequently.

― Chris L, Friday, 25 October 2019 13:30 (four years ago) link

It's rare that I suddenly recall a long-lost alternasingle from this era and think 'how could I possibly have forgotten such a good song?'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VTBam8YzQg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJhulZ0zR58

― Go-Gurt Ops (Old Lunch), Friday, 25 October 2019 14:27 (four years ago) link

Little Bastard, of course! Never heard that Rugburns song, but when I moved to San Diego I kept running into people who tried to sell me on Steve Poltz.

― ☮ (peace, man), Friday, 25 October 2019 14:55 (four years ago) link

Came here to post The Caulfields' "Devil's Diary," but someone did it sixteen years ago. Still will...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja0eDZIyfbI

― A breezy pop-rock feel fairly typical of the mid-'80s (Dan Peterson), Friday, 25 October 2019 14:58 (four years ago) link

Never cared for much of the rest of their records (singing is generally useless) but this riff is all time -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PugwqtNSwco

― Maresn3st, Friday, 25 October 2019 15:07 (four years ago) link

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