Best Album from the Alternative Nation 1992-1995

I might go for Soup, too. I love the interplay of the guitars and I think Shannon Hoon was an underrated (if sentimental) lyricist.

Another opportunity for me to point out the stunning similarity between Shannon Hoon's and Micky Dolenz's singing voices.

Hoon and Karen Dalton too!

Why Jar of Flies over Dirt? The former too heavy?

Anyway it's Faith No More vs Bjork.

xpost I mentioned it upthread. Dirt is bad vibes city. I can appreciate it for what it is but I can't really listen to it these days. Whereas Jar of Flies is improbably gorgeous and almost perfect and still in fairly regular rotation for me.

Post

Siamese Dream wins by a nose, Hole / FNM / Nirvana tie for 2nd place. 1992-1995 era me would have complained about the lack of RATM, RCHP and Weezer on this list tbh.

It is, perhaps, telling that 2019 era you isn't making too big a stink about their omission. I could never really get into any of those dudes.

Nowadays when I hear RATM I can't help but picture de la Rocha marching offstage after a heavy 'FUCK YOU I WON'T DO WHATCHA TELL ME' sesh and walking up to an Epic exec and being all
https://media0.giphy.com/media/dpqQNluWFaSpq/giphy.gif

Nice to see a few fond memories of the Luscious Jackson album, that might actually be my pick. Or Bjork, but I'm feeling like neither of those quite fit in with the popularity level of Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Pumpkins et al.

Maybe not Luscious Jackson so much (or not the first album, anyway), but if nothing else I feel like the video for 'I Miss You' got a lot of MTV play even outside of the alterna-ghetto.

I remember going to a party in college before RATM had really blown up. I can’t remember if I had heard the album or a few songs before, but I was super high and someone put the debut on super loud and Bombtrack came on and sounded immense and everyone was losing their minds.

Voted Superunknown over Crooked Rain.

Voted Siamese Dream. Not my favorite album on this list, but when I close my eyes and conjure up Alternative Nation on MTV (and esp Buzz Bin commercials), that "Today" ice cream truck driving through the desert pops into my head more vividly than any other image.

it's Mellon Collie, the only Gen X magnum opus. 2 hours long, 28 songs, all of them great. would vote for it based on the lyrics alone. many great records here, but nothing is even in the same universe as Mellon Collie.

based on the lyrics alone

"Who wants honey / Long as there's some money"?

C'mon, flaps... ;P

that's on Siamese Dream

and yeah it is a shit lyric in an otherwise perfect song

I have watched this in full at least 20 times

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U7QGPz4xmA

Haha, my bad

(I had my wires crossed w/the 1993 thread)

(flaps tho, I have to raise you -- "...I'm still just a rat in a cage"!)

that one is better than honey/money and I think works in the context of the song, which is as reflexive and self aware and it is big, loud, and silly.

as it is*

besides, "the world is a vampire" is one of the all time best opening lines to a song or anything ever

at the time, all I could think when watching the video was "despite all my rage / my head still looks like an egg"

at the time it would have been an extremely tough call between Check Your Head and Siamese Dream, but honestly can't listen to Corgan's bullshit any more even the "classic" stuff.

now it's basically 3-way tie for me between CYH/ CRCR/ Mellow Gold, and those just edging out Transmissions.

i guess since CYH makes it both times i should give it the vote,,,

'Bullet With Butterfly Wings' often reminds me of the Grand Royal interview with Weird Al where a pre-fame Spike Jonez (posing as a random fan) interrupts to present a baffled Al with the golden lyric 'despite my old age/I am still making minimum wage'.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

so what’cha want is all time and I want to live inside that video with the song on infinite loop.

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

That seems about right.

Yeah, v solid results.