I just realized I hit ‘save’ instead of ‘publish’ on this yesterday. Oh well, a day late, no songs short, and some really interesting guitarists in this mix.
*’s by the ones I’ve seen live…
- “Subterranean Homesick Alien” – Radiohead – OK Computer
- “Drunken Butterfly” – Sonic Youth* – Dirty
- “Loretta’s Scars” – Pavement* – Slanted & Enchanted
- “Moron” – The Dead Milkmen* – Eat Your Paisley
- “Outta Hand” – Dinosaur Jr* – Without a Sound
- “The Lost City of Refuge” – …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead – Worlds Apart
- “Animal Farm” – John Scofield – Überjam
- “(Take a) Beetle to the Badlands – The Slip* – Angels Come on Time
- “Hoverin'” – The Amps – Pacer
- “Unchained” – Willie Nelson* & Johnny Cash – VH1 Storytellers
OK Computer is probably my favorite album of the ’90s.
In ’92, I saw Pavement open for Sonic Youth at Liberty Lunch. They were probably supporting the albums listed here and probably played those songs. It wasn’t a great night for SY (three attempts at “Sugar Kane,” three busted strings), but Pavement, a band I’d never before heard, was a revelation.
I don’t know how many times I saw the Dead Milkmen at Liberty Lunch, but I never missed one of their shows from ’89-’93. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more consistently fun act.
Dinosaur Jr fits right in with SY and Pavement for brilliant guitar weirdness. I finally got to see them last year.
If I was ten years younger, I’d probably never miss a Trail of Dead show. But, I’m not so I buy the CDs and pretend I’m cool. I am, however, just the right age for someone like Scofield and I do like him.
The Slip was a great ACL Fest discovery from a few years back. The Amps were Kim Deal’s post-Breeders low-fi experiment, and for my money, more interesting.
Willie & Cash. That would have been cool to see.
James Brush is a teacher and writer who lives in Austin, TX. He tries to get outside as much as possible.
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