1992, the beginning of he Clinton, gas was $1.05 a gallon, Wayne’s World & Reservoir Dogs hit theaters, and the record breaking 78 acre Mall of America is opened. For music, 1992 was a year of debut albums and experimentation. Classics from many genres appear came out this year, and I’ll be honest, it was tough to narrow it down to 10. Below you’ll find the list detailing the 10 essential works from 1992. Enjoy!
Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against The Machine is the debut, self-titled album from “rock” group Rage Against The Machine. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic calls it “the first album to successfully merge the seemingly disparate sounds of rap and heavy metal.” The cover work for this politically charged album features the striking image of Thich Quan Duc, the Buddhist monk who set himself on fire in protest of his governments oppression of the Buddhist religion. The band even lists Huey Newton (founder of the Black Panthers) and Bobby Sands (member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army) as inspirations for the album. The groups meaningful and fiery delivery on songs like “‘Bombtrack,‘ ‘Take the Power Back,’ and ‘Know Your Enemy‘ were as instantly unforgettable as they were astonishing. Yet even they paled in comparison to veritable clinics in the art of slowly mounting tension such as “Settle for Nothing,” “Bullet in the Head,” and the particularly venomous ‘Wake Up‘ (where Morello revises Led Zeppelin’s ‘Kashmir‘ riff for his own needs) — all of which finally exploded with awesome power and fury. And even listeners who were unable (or unwilling) to fully process the band’s unique clash of muscle and intellect were catered to, as RATM were able to convey their messages through stubborn repetition via the fundamental challenge of “Freedom” and their signature track, “Killing in the Name,” which would become a rallying cry of disenfranchisement, thanks to its relentlessly rebellious mantra of ‘Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me!'”(AllMusic) The album’s brilliance an influence has yet to be surpassed, making it one of the most essential albums of the 1990’s.
Selected Ambient Works 85-92 – Aphex Twins
Selected Ambient Works 85-92 is the debut album from electronic musician, Aphex Twin. This pioneering electronic album has become the standard for modern day EDM music, and led the charge in the creation of the IDM (intellectual dance music) genre. IDM, which emerged in the 90’s, featured mostly down-tempo beats and contemplative vibes. The genre had a wide variety of sounds due to it’s dependence on an artists individual experimentation, which likens itself to the impressionist movement in modern art, and Selected Ambient Works was the crown jewel. Aphex Twin reportedly used just a primitive homemade synthesizer and a computer to create his minimalist, yet dense pieces of art. In addition to the creeping basslines and eerie synths, Aphex Twins utilized a variety of vocal samples to add even more depth to his songs like “We are the Music Makers”, which sample the famous lines from Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. AllMusic calls Selected Ambient Works “One of the indisputable classics of electronica, and a defining document for ambient music in particular. This landmark recording is one of the essential building blocks of any electronica collection.” AllMusic’s review further details the album:
"'Tha,' for example, contains a muted bass-drum pulse that becomes the center for evolving patterns of sound–a kind of aural mandala. The more driving rhythm of “Heliosphan” also gives rise to the ethereal play of melody. Several tracks, such as “Schottkey 7th Path” and “Hedphelym,” have a tense, telescoping ambience that evokes paranoia and a sense of gravity-free floating at once. Other selections show Aphex Twin working more firmly in the techno-dance idiom, but even these display a complexity, elegance, and delicacy rarely heard in the genre."
Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde – The Pharcyde
Among the gangster-rap dominated scene of the 90’s, The Pharcyde was able to stand out from the crowd with their debut album Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. The Pharcyde proved to the hip-hop world that the east coast artists like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest weren’t the only ones able to spit rhymes over jazz beats. The playful, light-hearted nature of the album was a refreshing break from the aggressive and politically charged music coming from most hip-hop artists. “The L.A.-based quartet introduced listeners to an uproarious vision of earthy hip-hop informed by P-Funk silliness and an everybody-on-the-mic street-corner atmosphere that highlights the incredible rapping skills of each member. With multiple voices freestyling over hilarious story-songs like “Oh Shit,” “Soul Flower,” the dozens contest “Ya Mama,” and even a half-serious driving-while-black critique named “Officer,” The Pharcyde perfected the recipe for fun and approachable hip-hop (AllMusic). Though it’s easy to get lost in the fun, the group demands your respect with some of the tightest rhymes and production on the songs “Otha Fish” and “Passin’ Me By” (my personal favorites). “The Pharcyde’s lack of a followup to Bizarre Ride isn’t a slight against the band’s legacy at all, but much more a testament to the incredible capacity of five kids to refract a politically and culturally tumultuous era into a work that, remarkably, transcends its context.” (Pitchfork)
Automatic For The People – R.E.M.
R.E.M.’s eighth studio album, Automatic For The People has proved to be one of, if not the best R.E.M. record. “R.E.M. created a haunting, melancholy masterpiece with Automatic for the People.” writes Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic “At its core, the album is a collection of folk songs about aging, death, and loss, but the music has a grand, epic sweep provided by layers of lush strings, interweaving acoustic instruments, and shimmering keyboards. Automatic for the People captures the group at a crossroads, as they moved from cult heroes to elder statesmen, and the album is a graceful transition into their new status.” Automatic For The People topped the charts in the UK, reached the #2 spot on the US Billboards, and has sold over 18 million copies. Ann Powers of The New York Times concludes:
Even in the midst of such disenchantment, R.E.M. can’t resist its own talent for creating beautiful and moving sounds. “Automatic” never comes close to the epiphany of “Losing My Religion,” but Buck, Mills and Berry can still conjure melodies that fall like summer sunlight. And Stipe still possesses a gorgeous voice that cannot shake its own gift for meaning. His self-doubt and evasiveness never completely squelch its evocative power.
Propeller – Guided by Voices
Propeller is the fifth (and almost final) album from Ohio indie-rock group, Guided By Voices. Robert Pollard, the band’s leading creative force, had initially made the album as a farewell for the band who, at the time, had been piling up debt as they struggled to breakthrough. Ironically, the album ended up “propelling” the band out of obscurity (see what I did there, puns!). Although many of the songs were recorded in a professional studio, Pollard utilized lo-fi recording techniques to give listeners that “made in the garage” feel. One of the coolest/most interesting aspects of the album is the eleventh song on the album, “Back to Saturn X Radio Report“. Before Guided By Voices recorded Propeller, they had been working on different project which was eventually thrown out in favor of Propeller. So instead of getting rid of the songs entirely, they fused them into a single 1 minute and 33 second collage. Years later all of the songs would be released on various projects. In Stephen Deusner’s review, he concludes:
After the perfect adolescent wistfulness of “14 Cheerleader Coldfront“, Propeller trails off as it makes its way to the finish line. Still, after the odd collage “Ergo Space Pig“, “Circus World“and “Some Drilling Implied” give the band a chance to run through more guitar solos, breakdowns, rock dramatics that you’d think lo-fi was capable of sustaining. But the sound preempts any chance of irony– all those rock anthems, monumental choruses, and microphone windmills are completely from the boy’s large heart. That’s the key to the band’s appeal, the factor often missed or simply left unstated: Pollard believes in rock and roll, and Propeller is his sacrifice on the altar.
The Chronic – Dr. Dre
Few albums have ever been as influential as Dr. Dre’s debut solo album, The Chronic. Steve Huey of AllMusic writes:
"The Chronic, transformed the entire sound of West Coast rap. Here Dre established his patented G-funk sound: fat, blunted Parliament-Funkadelic beats, soulful backing vocals, and live instruments in the rolling basslines and whiny synths. What’s impressive is that Dre crafts tighter singles than his inspiration, George Clinton — he’s just as effortlessly funky, and he has a better feel for a hook, a knack that improbably landed gangsta rap on the pop charts. But none of The Chronic’s legions of imitators were as rich in personality, and that’s due in large part to Dre’s monumental discovery, Snoop Doggy Dogg."
The Chronic hit the # 3 spot on the US billboards and has sold over 5 million copies in the US alone. Notable hits from the album include “Deeez Nuuuuutz”, “Bi**hes Ain’t S**t”, and Grammy Nominated single “Let Me Ride” and “Nuthin’ But a G Thang”. The album was well received by most critics, but a hand-full of critics considered it “bad pop music” for its frequent expletives and song topics. Regardless of any opionion, The Chronic is undoubtedly one of the most influential hip-hop albums ever, and is a must have for any collection.
Slanted and Enchanted – Pavement
Indie-rock band, Pavement created a huge buzz with their debut album Slanted and Enchanted, even receiving comparisons to Nirvana. The album was not an initial success. The alt-rock scene was being dominated by clean, professional recordings, a strategy that Pavement chose to forgo. They opted for the lo-fi, dirty grunge sound, which might not have been commercially successful, but it did create a very loyal cult following. The album was re-released in 2007, giving fans 34 bonus tracks. Stephen Erlewine writes:
"There are wonders to behold everywhere: the surging “Baptist Blacktick,” discovering that the previous unreleased “Nothing Ever Happens” is quoted after “Trigger Cut” as “Wounded-Kite at :17,” two John Peel sessions consisting of songs that never made the LPs (and it all could, most notably “Kentucky Cocktail“), Watery, Domestic is revealed as a key transition from Slanted to Crooked Rainwith its final song, “Shoot the Singer,” standing as one of the band’s unheralded classics, and the entirety of the December 14, 1992, concert at the Brixton Academy in London is phenomenal, capturing a notoriously erratic live band at the peak of their powers. It’s essential listening, not just for indie rockers, but any serious rock fan."
Mecca and The Soul Brother – Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth followed up their debut album, All Souled Out, with one of hip-hop’s greatest albums, Mecca and the Soul Brother. Pete Rock’s production is timeless and is easily on of the list of The Top 15 hip-hop producers of all-time, with Mecca and the Soul Brother as a considerable milestone in his career. Head nodding boom-bap drums, smooth riding cymbals, and a perfect choice of samples, are Pete Rock’s specialty. Stanton Swihart praises the “sprawling, nearly 80-minute-long album, on which not a single song or interlude is a throwaway or a superfluous piece.” C.L. Smooth provides a smooth flow, telling stories of love, death, and life in the ghettos. Although Mecca and the Soul Brother was not as much of a commercial success as Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, but Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth produced one of the most highly regarded and iconic songs of all time with “T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You)“, a tribute to their friend Trouble T-Roy. Smooth’s lyrics are strong all the way through and “the album is propelled forward by Rock’s quick, soul-tight interludes; these are usually bits of old R&B and soul tunes but sometimes they’re spoken pieces or spontaneous, freestyle sessions. These interludes provide a sort of dense spiritual tone and resonance in the album that is not religiously based at all, but fully hip-hop based, emerging from the urban altars that are the basements and rooftops of the city.” (AllMusic) With an essential album like Mecca and the Soul Brother,its no mystery that Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth are considered to be a top 10 rap duo of all time.
Angel Dust – Faith No More
Angel Dust is the fourth studio album from rock group Faith No More. Ned Ragget of AllMusic calls it a “bizzaro masterpeice”, pulling together and combining aspects of funk, metal, and classic rock to form sort of a musical Frankenstein. The album took over a year to complete as guitarist Jim Martin never seemed to be satisfied with the music they were producing. Bassist Billy Gouldtells us that “Jim was great. He was a funny guy, he was a great guitar player, but he didn’t like Angel Dust; he didn’t like the music on it. And he just didn’t want to do it.” They album pushes a few boundaries with a few songs and their topics including “Be Aggressive” and “Crack Hitler“. “I guess if you have a song like ‘Crack Hitler’ on a record following up a platinum album, then chances are the people behind it probably either have a really bizarre sense of humor or are a little bit strange,” Gould said. “We tried to make the music kind of perverted because we believed there was perversion in the art. We were looking for a little bit of push back, but we didn’t get any.” Seriously, they really didn’t get any backlash. The band might have only sold about 700,000 records in the US, the band was hugely popular in Europe and Australia, selling over 3 million records there.
Check Your Head – Beastie Boys
Rolling Stone calls The Beastie Boys third album Check Your Head, “their most unconventional outing to date”. The Beastie Boys’ had developed a large cult following “whose minds were so thoroughly blown by that record, they couldn’t wait to see what came next” (AllMusic). With strong support from the fans, Check Your Head debuted in the Top Ten. The Beastie Boys had chosen to go back to their roots for this album, bringing more of a punk vibe to their songs.
"They had not abandoned rap, but it was no longer the foundation of their music, it was simply the most prominent in a thick pop-culture gumbo where old school rap sat comfortably with soul-jazz, hardcore punk, white-trash metal, arena rock, Bob Dylan, bossa nova, spacy pop, and hard, dirty funk. What they did abandon was the psychedelic samples of Paul’s Boutique, turning toward primitive grooves they played themselves, augmented by keyboardist Money Mark and co-producer Mario Caldato, Jr." (Pitchfork)
The new sound introduced the band to large scores of white youth who were listening to a lot of alternative rock, “at a time when being deep into hip-hop was still considered a sort of weird trait for a white teenager to have. [Check Your Head’s] earth-bound D.I.Y. [sound] is what makes it all seem equally accessible — which is a big reason why it turned out to be an alt-rock touchstone of the ’90s, something that both set trends and predicted them.” (Pitchfork)