1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die - 1990

Not my favourite list, but hardly my favourite year either.

Primal Scream, Orb and Saint Etienne all OK, but going for Seal.

I imagine that Jane's Addiction is going to take this.

This may be the first list where I've not heard more of the songs than I have heard (at least to my knowledge). Also, a really short list--did everyone take 1990 off to prep for 1991?

Should be Adamski's Killer, no?

The book is generally thinner on more recent material. Starting already in the 90s, and getting even thinner in the 00s.

xp, what? sorry, on crack.

holy hell

Cocteau Twins: Iceblink Luck
Joey Beltram: Energy Flash
A Tribe Called Quest: Bonita Applebum
The Orb: Little Fluffy Clouds
Jane's Addiction: Three Days
Sonic Youth: Kool Thing
Saint Etienne: Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Seal: Crazy

these are all great

probably voting Jane's but Tribe and Seal are both making me hesitate

Bit of an odd mix, some massive omissions; 'Enjoy The Silence', 'Everything Flows', 'Soon', ''Vogue', Ghetto Heaven', 'Falling', 'Welcome to the Terrordome', 'What Time is Love?', much better year than indicated by the slim selection.

Love Sonic Youth and Primal Scream. Voted Primal Scream because it's the one I still listen to on the reg.

I really can't vote for Primal Scream in anything other than a "who would you like to see kicked" competition unless the song is "Slip Inside This House"

>:o

Not that I don't listen to SY anymore but I swear to God "Loaded" is one of those songs that seems to come up when my phone is on shuffle all the damn time but I'm always happy when it does.

Worst list yet. God, I hate Jane's Addiction. Beween SY and St. Etienne here, probably pick the latter.

"Loaded" isn't a bad song really, I just was massively disappointed in both "Movin' On Up" and Screamadelica

This is the year I discovered pop music. So many tracks close to my heart. How do I pick between Loaded, Only Love Can Break Yr Heart, Birdhouse, Little Fluffy Clouds, Dub Be Good To Me and Iceblink Luck?

If they'd picked "Killer" instead of "Crazy", it would have made it even more impossible. 1990 was such a great year for singles, maybe not so much albums.

Went for Beats International btw. One of my first ever favourite songs. Birdshouse second, then Only Love.

"I DON'T WANT UNUSUAL LOVE!!"

Two that I love: "Bonita Applebum" and "Only Love Can Break Your Heart." I'll vote for the original. Supplementary list tonight...

Voted for St. Etienne, but I really like "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and suspect it will underperform here.

THREE DAYS

weakest list in a few. voted st etienne, but was thinking orb too. if this was albums i prob would have gone cocteau twins

Little Fluffy Clouds, most definitely.

"Crazy" >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> "Killer" IMO.

But, sure, I miss "Enjoy The Silence". Easily best single of 1990. Should have had "So Hard" in there too. And a personal favourite would be "The King Is Half Undressed" by Jellyfish.

Energy Flash. Tune.

The songs by St Etienne, TMBG and Cocteau Twins are all great, but not as great as "Energy Flash".

Kool Thing, totally.

WAW WAW WAW WAW WA-WA WAW WAW WAW

Not a whole lot to add to the two songs I singled out earlier, but here are my other 1990 favourites: Chris Twinning's "Netherlands" (as obscure as can be), Loose Ends' "Don't Be a Fool," Love Positions' "Twenty-Five More," Neil Young's "Over and Over" (should be on the list), Posies' "Any Other Way" (ditto), Scrawl's "Charles," Shop Assistants' "Big E Power," Sinead O'Connor's "The Emperor's New Clothes," Soho's "Hippychick," Strings of Love's cover of "Nothing Has Been Proved," Superchunk's "Slack Motherfucker."

painkiller over little fluffy clouds

Sinead O'Connor's "The Emperor's New Clothes," Soho's "Hippychick," Superchunk's "Slack Motherfucker."

all great

I just looked at this list again. These keep getting more batshit with each passing year.

Ha, enjoyed watching my little niece and nephew rocking out to "Kool Thing" playing at Pizza Luce the other week. But I have to admit, I'm no longer a fan of it--one of those SY songs where their quotations around the whole exercise are more than a little grating. Killer riff, though.

Voted Judas Priest, for the first time in my life. I hate this list so much.

Ok, emperors new clothes gets my write in vote

xp: And yay "Big E Power" and "Slack." My favorite single from this year is probably Unrest's "Yes She Is My Skinhead Girl" (speaking of big quotations, but those kind of disappear there) and I also love the Clean's "Diamond Shine." There's at least two better songs each on the Tribe and Cocteaus album. Almost tempted to vote "Crazy" for the Heddy Honigmann film of that name but I'll just go with my first impulse and not vote.

And yay "Enjoy the Silence."

I completely missed "Kool Thing"--though I'd stay with my vote for "Bonita Applebum," I still love "Kool Thing," especially in the Hal Hartley film.

Unbelievable!

Beltram or Nusrat for me.

Love lots of these but have to go for the Geir-baiting rave vote with Beltram.

I've been doing some 90s playlists on Spotify recently so here's 1990:

http://open.spotify.com/user/dorianlynskey/playlist/0eND0x5tPAeXzGQeshUqNt

Never heard the Joey Beltram track before, which is a shame because it's a fucking banger. I'd've loved it back in 1990. Duly added Joey Beltram "Classics" to my download list...

Was not familiar with Beltram, but Sonic Youth or A Tribe Called Quest would be baiting me considerably more. I am not so tough on techno/dance music that I used to be 15-20 years ago. :)

(Although, sure, this is a bit too minimalist compared to the dance/electronica I like best)

15 years ago you were extolling In Sides!!!! I WAS THERE

had to vote for "Little Fluffy Clouds" i will never ever get tired of that tune and its endless iterations

Poll Closing Date: Monday, October 24, 2011 7:00 PM (in 3 days)

this is a sign

15 years ago you were extolling In Sides!!!! I WAS THERE

I know. That album played a very important part in changing my views upon dance/electronica, alongside "Leftism", the rest of Orbital's then catalogue and maybe a couple of Orb albums.

Posies' "Any Other Way" (ditto), Scrawl's "Charles," . . . Superchunk's "Slack Motherfucker."

Marry me!

Scrawl sadly missing from this and many other lists. I know odds are slim, but something from the Bloodsucker EP really should be on the 1991 list.

Geir, have you ever listened to Plaid? I think you'd like them.

I haven't. Sound OK, but so does most indiepop basically ;)

And I now realize there are two different Plaid's on Spotify, and that you probably didn't mean the indiepop act who have an album out from 2011 ;)

As in, I suppose you mean http://open.spotify.com/album/6u0491tdcL0GcQpNDWDiX5, not http://open.spotify.com/album/71wuWz7NnLodYBYvCjkQbx

The first. Didn't know about the indiepop act - surely that's not allowed?

I reckon you should check out Restproof Clockwork and/or Double Figure.

Appendix: Songs You Must Hear Before You Die 1990 (Non-featured)

Breeders - Hellbound
Chapterhouse - Mesmerise
Dee-lite - Groove is in the Heart
Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
Happy Mondays - Step On
The Gories - Thuderbird Esq
INXS - Suicide Blonde
Joey Beltram - Energy Flash
Lush - Sweetness & Light
Mazzy Star - Halah
My Bloody Valentine - Soon
Ride - Dreams Burn Down
Soho - Hippy Chick
Sun City Girls - Space Prophet Dogon
Superchunk - Slack Motherfucker
Yo La Tengo - Speeding Motorcycle

Love:

Breeders - Hellbound
Happy Mondays - Step On
Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
Mazzy Star - Halah
INXS - Suicide Blonde
Soho - Hippy Chick
Yo La Tengo - Speeding Motorcycle

This list sucks. No vote.

"Energy Flash" is on the original list, Moka.

I would have voted Lush in a heartbeat, esp. "De-Luxe".

No La's?

No La's?

"There She Goes" was apparently first released in 1989. Should have been included in the book regardless of release year though.

Forgot "Groove is in the Heart," easily song of the year.

tmbg

Awful list

I'm picking Seal and I'm not all that sorry about it (although I do apologize to my 14-year-old Sonic Youth-obsessed self).

birdhouse

seal is good too tho

"Energy Flash" is on the original list, Moka.

I would have voted Lush in a heartbeat, esp. "De-Luxe".

― do not wake the dragon (DJP)

You're right, that's odd. I remember Geir lying about the list back in the pre-1950s saying there were no instrumental songs in the book. Now I'm dissapointed at all the lack of jazz instrumentals and upcoming lack of groundbreaking electronic tunes in favor of milquetoast rock pop.

Now I haven't listened through the entire "Energy Flash", but are there no vocal samples at all? Some don't count dance tracks containing vocal samples as instrumentals.

Gotta go with Birdhouse. One of my favorite songs of all time. According to Wikipedia it went up to #6 in the UK. Was John Peel a fan, like what happened with "O Superman"?

The Orb: Little Fluffy Clouds
Sonic Youth: Kool Thing
Jane's Addiction: Three Days

These songs are all vomit.

smh @ this list

like a few songs on this list but 1990 was a good great year for mainstream pop/R&B IMO

"All Around the World" – Lisa Stansfield
"Being Boring" – Pet Shop Boys
"Step In The Arena" - Gang Starr
"Friends In Low Places" – Garth Brooks
"Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" – C+C Music Factory
"Hold On" - En Vogue
"Killer" – Adamski feat. Seal
"Make You Sweat" - Keith Sweat
"Nothing Compares 2 U" – Sinéad O'Connor
"Poison" – Bell Biv DeVoe
"Roam" – The B-52's
"The Power" – Snap!
"Vogue" – Madonna

At the time I loved C + C's second single, "Here We Go (Let's Rock and Roll)." I think I'd be closer to Marcus now, who had a great line in Pazz & Jop that year about hell being a locked room where people scream "EVERYBODY DANCE NOW!" and "IT'S UNBELIEVABLE!" 24 hours a day.

like a few songs on this list but 1990 was a good great year for mainstream pop/R&B IMO

1990 - like 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1991 - was a horrible year for mainstream pop.

i don't really get this idea of certain years being classic vintages and others being barren wastelands.

I'm really reaching the limits of my Geir tolerance itt.

i don't really get this idea of certain years being classic vintages and others being barren wastelands.

More about eras for me. However, 2009 was an unusually good year because virtually all of my currently active favourite acts released albums that year.

Wow, what a bad list! Ended up voting Cocteaus, which is too cliche of me.

I'm normally a mild-mannered sort of fellow, but for some reason 'Birdhouse In Your Soul' totally brings out the frothy-mouthed puppy-stabber in me. Vile song, ought to be towed out into the middle of the Pacific and used strictly for nuclear weapons testing.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I learnt all the lyrics to Birdhouse through a copy of Smash Hits back in 1990 and I can still recite them.

filibuster vigilantly.

If I take the first two and the last two (which I admit I've never heard) off the list, I have had massive fits of Friday night youtube nostalgia to all of these songs

that being said, it's down to Little Fluffy Clouds, Energy Flash or Birdhouse. Going with Clouds as I'm more likely to listen to it rather than just mentally play it back to myself and think about how important it is like w/Energy Flash.

Feel like Birdhouse is either going to get very few votes or loads of votes despite having few supporters onthread; will be sad if the former, but will be more sad if I give it a sympathy vote only to find it gets tons of votes and the dancey stuff doesn't

Not Heard "Loaded" ?

Oops, I meant I've never heard the last two, am happy never to hear Loaded ever again, and don't care much either way about Judas Priest.

I might have voted for "Been Caught Stealing" - but "Three Days"? I'm not that much of a Jane's obsessive. Also, "Disappearer" would have been a more tempting choice than "Kool Thing". Of these choices, I'd probably vote for "Little Fluffy Clouds".

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Only Love is probably the best St Etienne song. I remember being captivated by the piano/beat/woodwind arrangement.

I like their version of "Only Love" although I generally like later Saint Etienne better. IMO they peaked around "Tiger Bay" and "Continental", which was probably their most Pet Shop Boys-like era.

I didn't vote but I should've voted for Kool Thing, which is a song that has grown on me immensely since the first time I heard Goo