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

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There's another thread floating around I started like this one.

Wax -- Southern California

Local H -- THe Kids are Right

Soul Asylum -- Misery, Somebody To Shove, Just Like Anyone (Starring Claire Danes!!)

Sponge -- Molly

Filter -- Hey Man Nice Shot

Flaming Lips -- She Don't Use Jelly

Faith No More -- We Care A Lot, Epic

Screaming Trees -- Nearly Lost You

Len -- Steal My Sunshine

Sneaker Pimps -- Six Underground

Verve Pipe -- THe Freshman

― ModJ, Tuesday, 2 September 2003 12:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Cracker's best singles from the early 90s =

"Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)"
"Happy Birthday to Me"

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 12:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Primitive Radio Gods -- Standing in a blah blah blah oh I give up. The greatest one-hit wonder since "Sugar Shack."

― Jesse Fuchs (Jesse Fuchs), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

C'mon, people, he said OBSCURE!

Try....

"Ten Dollar Bill" by Cop Shoot Cop
"Heterosexual Male" by the Odds
"Annie's Gone" by Redd Kross
"13th Disciple" by the 5:30

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

"Whoever You Are," Geggy Tah
"I Kissed a Girl," Jill Sobule
"X-French Tee Shirt," Shudder to Think

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Good call with Shudder to Think there, Jaymc.

Some mo'....

"Stay" by Shakespeare's Sister
"Something Good" by Utah Saints

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 13:54 (twenty-two years ago)

C'mon, people, he said OBSCURE!

But he also said "forgotten," and that kinda covers a lot of territory. Plus he cited "Two Princes" as an example.

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 13:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Seek ya also The Wolfgang Press' cover of "Mama Told Me Not to Come".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 2 September 2003 13:59 (twenty-two years ago)

dada - "Dizz Knee Land"

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

Sidi Bou Said "Twilight Eyes"

Out-obscure that one ya fukkas :)

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

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-two years ago)

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

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

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-two years ago)

"Valerie Loves Me" - Material Issue

Y'all are AMATEURS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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-two years ago)

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

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

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

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

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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

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

great "immigrant song" groove on that one.

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

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

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

Wordy mcword word.

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

* "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-two years ago)

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

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

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-two years ago)

Dishwalla - "Counting Blue Cars"

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

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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

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

We're splitting hairs here.

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

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

King Missile - Detachable Penis
Living Colour - Nothingness

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

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-two years ago)

Semisonic, "FNT"

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

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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-two years ago)

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

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

earlier than that.

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

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-two years ago)

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

"Mother Mother by Tracy Bonham"

Saw her play finally relent and play this while opening for a touring Blue Man Group show after the crowd wouldn't even clap for her then-new album (2008ish?)

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Tuesday, 24 March 2015 02:36 (eleven years ago)

Mary's Danish - "Don't Crash The Car Tonight"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaCSZHw5lS8

― with HD lyrics (Eazy), Tuesday, 24 March 2015 02:54 (eleven years ago)

xpost. Tracy Bonham was the music teacher at my son's school in 2013.

― dlp9001, Tuesday, 24 March 2015 03:01 (eleven years ago)

Anyway, also this Mary's Danish track, which I still like a lot:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTtJLC65zIk

― dlp9001, Tuesday, 24 March 2015 03:02 (eleven years ago)

one year passes...

Green Apple Quick Step "Los Vargos"

― van smack, Monday, 5 September 2016 05:01 (nine years ago)

Sky Cries Mary "Shipwrecked"
The Frogs "Starboy"
Nixons "Sister"

― van smack, Monday, 5 September 2016 05:20 (nine years ago)

Smile, "Staring at the Sun"

― Neanderthal, Monday, 5 September 2016 06:07 (nine years ago)

three months pass...

Who covered "Temptation Eyes" in the late 90's/early 2000s? It was in the indie/college music. Kinda sounds like a brass band playing with Molly's Yes or Gin Blossums.

― Triznorbob, Friday, 16 December 2016 16:26 (nine years ago)

Blake Babies

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

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 (nine years ago)

two years pass...

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

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

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 (six years ago)

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 (six years ago)

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

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

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 (six years ago)

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 (six years ago)

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 (six years ago)

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 (six years ago)

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