Dig Me Out: 90s Rock

Styx - Surviving The 90s

We're always looking at new ways to approach the 90s, and in the past we've revisited the output from bands and artists that got that start in the 1970s and 80s, like Tom Petty, KISS, Van Halen, and others. At the suggestion of our friend and 80s Metal co-host Chip, we've revamped the format for a fresh start. We kick it off with progressive arena rock veterans Styx, and start by checking out their 70s and 80s greatest hits to re-familiarize ourselves with the songs that became staples on classic rock radio for decades - "Come Sail Away," "Renegade," "Mr. Roboto," "Lady," and many more. Then we check out their 90s releases - the 1990 album Edge of the Century, which did not feature guitarist Tommy Shaw, then guitarist for Damn Yankees, and then their 1999 reunion with Shaw, and last with lead singer/keyboardist Dennis DeYoung, Brave New World. Unlike many of their classic rock peers, Styx managed to score a hit single at the start of the decade with the ballad "Show Me The Way." From their, we catch up with the band and current status to determine if the band thrived in the 90s, merely adapted to the times, or creatively died.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Show Me The Way (from Edge of the Century)

7:40 - Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) (from Pieces of Eight)

28:42 - Suite Madame Blue (from Equinox)

38:56 - Back To Chicago (from Edge of the Century)

41.57 - All In A Day's Work (from Edge of the Century)

58:57 - What Have They Done to You (from Brave New World)

Outro - Everything Is Cool (from Brave New World)

 

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Howlin Maggie - Honeysuckle Strange | 90s Album Review

From the ashes of acclaimed but underheard Royal Crescent Mob, bass player Harold "Happy" Chichester switched to guitar and lead vocal for his new band Howlin Maggie, who released their debut album Honeysuckle Strange in 1996. With an all-star cast of Columbus, Ohio players, the band produced a fierce yet catchy album for Columbia Records at the height of alternative rock, but didn't make a dent with national radio or MTV. Which is a shame, because Honeysuckle Strange is more than just your run-of-the-mill 90s alt-rock album. Carrying over from his funk rock background in RC Mob, the album never rests on simple rhythms, chord progressions, or vocal hooks, always coming up with something a bit more interesting or challenging, even if it means pushing the volume and harshness up a notch.

 

Songs In This Episode

I

Intro - Miss Universe

18:54 - Rubbing The Industry Raw

21:40 - You Are

25:57 - $3.99

31:45 - Promise To Be Happy

34:56 - I'm A Slut

40:13 - How The West Was Won

Outro - Easy To Be Stupid (Beautiful Girls soundtrack)

 

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No Knife - Hit Man Dreams | 90s Album Review

San Diego-based band No Knife released their sophomore album Hit Man Dreams in 1997 during the peak era of underground emo and post-grunge indie rock. The album marked a pivotal moment in their evolution thanks to the intricate guitar work by Mitch Wilson and Ryan Ferguson, who blend angular post-hardcore riffs with melodic indie rock sensibility. Tracks like "Your Albatross" and the title track showcase the band's knack for crafting dynamic compositions that shift seamlessly between tension and release. Producer Mark Trombino dials in their sound to perfection, highlighting the two-guitar attack and melodic vocals that define their style. While the band isn't as well know as many of their former pre-00s emo and post-hardcore contemporaries, Hit Man Dreams and the pair of album that follow suggest a serious reconsideration.

 

Songs In This Episode

I

Intro - Roped In - Lock On

13:30 - Your Albatross

21:34 - Charades

30:25 - Median

Outro - Jackboots

 

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Thankful in 2024 | Roundtable

It's our fifth year of getting the patrons together and giving thanks for the new music that gave us happiness and good vibes in 2024. There's a wide array of bands and artists, new and old, that helped make 2024 a great year for music. New albums from 1980s, 90s and 00s artists like The Cure, Pearl Jam, Judas Priest, Underworld, The Black Crowes, John Davis (Superdrag), The Sheila Divine, Jack White, Pig, the Pixies, Watershed, Sebastian Bach, Silver Sun, D-A-D, J. Mascis, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Primal Scream, The Smile, and many more all released great late career records, while newer bands like Return to Dust, Ahem, Friko, The Blackburns, Crows, and several others landed on our radar.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Alone by The Cure (from Songs from a Lost World)

3:38 - Trust In Me by Silver Sun (from Mild Peril)

11:49 - (Hold On) To The Dream by Sebastian Bach (from Child Within The Man)

18:11 - Lapdog by Ahem (from Avoider)

21:34 - Fallout by Pig (from Feast of Agony EP)

31:17 - Free To Fall by John Davis (from JINX)

34:32 - Trial By Fire by Judas Priest (from Invincible Shield)

42:00 - Automaticity by J. Robbins (from Basilisk)

52:01 - Wanting and Waiting by The Black Crowes (from Happiness Bastards)

1:08:41 - The Darkness by The Sheila Divine (from I Am The Darkness. We Are The Light)

Outro - Dark Matter by Pearl Jam (from Dark Matter)

 

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Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Let Love In | 90s Album Review

The 1994 album Let Love In by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is a masterful exploration of beauty and brutality. Blending gothic rock with bluesy undertones, Cave delivers haunting melodies with vivid, poetic lyrics. Tracks like "Do You Love Me?" and "Red Right Hand" showcase Cave's magnetic storytelling and the band's dynamic range, taking the wildness of his previous band The Birthday Party, and the noisy experimentation of fellow Aussies The Dirty Three, and utilizes it in surprisingly restrained ways. Themes of passion, despair, and redemption weave through the music, and while a few of the louder tracks break up the flow, overall the album creates a dark, immersive experience unlike anything from the decade.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Red Right Hand

15:55 - Do You Love Me?

20:02 - Ain't Gonna Rain Anymore

23:45 - Jangling Jack

27:06 - Do You Love Me? (Part 2)

30:48 - Thirsty Dog

Outro - I Let Love In

 

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Blind Guardian - Nightfall in Middle-Earth | 90s Album Review

The 1998 concept album Nightfall in Middle-Earth by Blind Guardian brings the epic scope of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion to life through power metal. The album tells the tragic tales of elves, men, and gods embroiled in a war against the dark lord Morgoth, blending rich lyrical storytelling with complex arrangements, and finds a sweet spot between the technical skill of bands like Metallica and Helloween with the melodic bombast of Queen. Each track serves as a chapter in the larger saga, with both interludes and full songs capturing key moments via a variety of unique approaches. Mixing soaring vocals, symphonic elements, and Brian May-esque guitar riffage, the band create a sense of grandeur that mirrors the mythic subject matter.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Into The Storm

14:49 - A Dark Passage

19:42 - Nightfall

24:50 - The Eldar

34:08 - Thorn

38:53 - Mirror Mirror

Outro - The Minstrel

 

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Unbelievable Truth - Almost Here | 90s Album Review

Almost Here is the 1998 debut album by the Unbelievable Truth, fronted by Andy Yorke, who you may have just discovered (like us) is the younger brother of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. Infused with haunting melodies and introspective lyrics that lean on melancholy, emotional conflict, and introspection, the album showcases Yorke's evocative vocals and a minimalist approach Throughout the album, songs like "Settle Down" and "Stone" highlights the band’s thoughtful arrangements and subdued sound, tasteful integrating keys and organs without overpowering the mix.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Solved

15:27 - Higher Than Reason

18:02 - Stone

25:57 - Settle Down

Outro - Finest Little Space

 

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Smashing Pumpkins - Gish | 90s Album Review

The 1991 debut album Gish by The Smashing Pumpkins marked the band's entry into the alternative rock scene with a unique mix of psychedelic rock, heavy metal, and dream pop elements. Produced by Butch Vig, who would later work with Nirvana on Nevermind, the album showcases the band's early experimentation with layered guitars, intricate rhythms, raw energy, and dense sonic textures that would become hallmarks of the Pumpkins sound. Although Gish did not initially achieve mainstream success, it garnered a strong underground following, helping to set the stage for the band's breakthrough with Siamese Dream in 1993. Celebrated for its unique blend of intensity and melody, it serves as an early glimpse into the Pumpkins' evolving musical ambitions, complete the fingerprints of Jane's Addiction, Van Halen, and Black Sabbath.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Tristessa

16:57 - I Am One

21:57 - Rhinoceros

30:36 - Window Paine

33:46 - Siva

Outro - Bury Me

 

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Jesus Jones - Perverse | 90s Album Review

Most people know Jesus Jones from their big hit in 1991, "Right Here Right Now." Thanks to the explosion of grunge and alternative rock that was already bubbling up from the underground to the mainstream, the techno-rock of Jesus Jones took a back seat and relegated them to one-hit wonder status. But instead of changing their sound to blend in with the loud guitars from Seattle, the band and primary songwriter/singer Mike Edwards went in the opposite direction and leaned into their electronic elements for 1993's Perverse. Recorded entirely on computers, the album marks on the second fully digital release, and the sounds Edwards and band created sound positively futuristic compared the 1993 musical landscape.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Zeroes and Ones

24:43 - Spiral

27:49 - The Devil You Know

41:09 - Yellow Brown

Outro - Magazine

 

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Pig - Sinsation | 90s Album Review

An original member of KMFDM, producer, musician and singer Raymond Watts has been ensconced in the electronic and industrial music scenes for going on five decades. His own project PIG started out far more raw and aggressive, but over time Watts evolved the sound and eventually found a home on Trent Reznor's NOTHING label for the 1996 release of Sinsation (released the previous year in Japan only). With nods to Reznor's Nine Inch Nails and fellow industrial metal act Ministry, among others, Sinsation adds some unexpected and well-placed orchestra and horn samples to give the album a cinematic feel that would sound appropriate backing a dystopian science fiction film.

 

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Hamstrung on the Highway

16:01 - The Sick

22:04 - Serial Killer Thriller

30:31 - Transceration

35:48 - Hot Hole

Outro - Paniac

 

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Listen to the episode archive at DigMeOutPodcast.com.