1998 in music. • Page 4

RIYL fastball?

 

You have probably heard these songs:

 

Never in my entire life but I like them

 

that’s wild

 

You must wear headphones in the grocery store or just be REALLY good at tuning out background noise lol

 

Yesterday I found out my fiancé has never seen a James Bond movie, which must be a really hard thing to do because I feel like I saw 15 of them as a kid because nothing else was on TV at the time

 

Funny you say that, because I have been wearing noise-canceling headphones in the grocery store for years haha

 

I'm too paranoid to do that

 

All The Pain Money Can Buy is a really good album, obscured by a sorta novelty song hit (which also rules)

Their previous album from 1996 is also really good. Produced by Jerry Finn and a lot more rockin power poppy

 

Dang! I’m surprised. “Out of My Head” got sampled/interpolated for a Machine Gun Kelly/Camilla Cabello song a few years back, which I believe was a Top 5 hit.

 

No idea who fastball is but I’ve heard those songs. I think the second one was in a scrubs episode once.

 

Shameless plug for the really underrated and enjoyable solo album from Scott Weiland, 12 Bar Blues.

I think there's stuff to like for both STP fans and for those who think they are a little too 'radio rock'/safe of a band. Scott leans into his Bowie and psychedelia influences, and the album is just a really enjoyable listen through and through. Daniel Lanois contributed some of the production to it as well.

Whenever I listen to this album I wonder where he was mentally/with his addiction at the time. Knowing STP's timeline after Tiny Music... and that Scott even did some jail time leading up to/around the release of No. 4, it's impressive he was able to make a record like this while presumably in the throes of addiction.

This was one of the 'singles' from it.

 

yeah that album rules

 

Here's my list:

1) THE SMASHING PUMPKINS - Adore

Even though Billy was the primary (almost only) songwriter in the Pumpkins, I feel like this is as close as he got to making a solo album in the 90's. Grieving from the loss of his mother, breakup of his marriage as well as having to kick Jimmy out of the band at the time, this is a lovesick tragic electro-rock masterpiece. Leading into this album, there was a lot of talk of the Pumpkins abandoning rock and making a "totally acoustic" or "electronic" album. Turns out they kinda did both while also not TOTALLY abandoning some crunchy distortion (like lead single "Ava Adore"). This is always the one the SP stans will refer new fans to.

2) GOO GOO DOLLS - Dizzy Up The Girl

Look, this is not a cool album nor is it a cool band but I spent a LOT of the fall of 1998 listening to it. I still think "Iris" is an absolute masterpiece and the Dolls obviously used that as a template to inform this record, essentially re-writing it as "Black Balloon" (which is another masterpiece). Hell, even the Robby songs on this album are great.

3) LESS THAN JAKE - Hello Rockview

Working with Howard Benson was great for this band as he juiced up their sound. The members have always had a fairly non-ironic love of hair-metal and it's cool hearing some nice juicy riffs and power chords compliment their ska sound. Chris and Roger sound fantastic and Vinnie was on point lyrically on this record about the struggles of an early 20-something trying to reconcile with adult life.

4) THE OFFSPRING - Americana

Stereogum wrote a piece on this album in 2018 and essentially dismissed it as "Fox News Punk Rock" since it doesn't hold up to 2020's wokeness standards but I think they missed the point. Americana essentially served as a precursor to Green Day's "American Idiot" in that it is satirical commentary on late 90's nihilistic and shallow culture. The big singles haven't aged especially well but the whole album is still pretty incredible front-to-break.

5) AIR - Moon Safari

Not something I listened to in 1998 as I was too young to get into this style of music but later years have definitely revealed this to be an excellent soundscape masterpiece.

6) NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL - In The Aeroplane Over The SEa

Nothing than I can add that anyone else hasn't said about this record. Fantastic and charming collection of earnest lo-fi songs.

7) TORI AMOS - From The Choirgirl Hotel

It can be daunting trying to consume a legacy artist's discography as you often don't know where to start. For anyone looking to get into Tori Amos, full length albums can be a challenge as they are often vast and somewhat difficult listens that unravel over time. From The Choirgirl Hotel is probably Tori's most accessible and showcases a wide variety of sounds from screechy guitars to stunningly beautiful piano ballads.

8) HOLE - Celebrity Skin

This usually doesn't get as many column inches as Live Through This but it's a great example of grunge being put through 70's Laurel Canyon slick rock. There are still big power chords but Courtney and team sharpened up their hooks (with assistance from Billy Corgan)

9) SCOTT WEILAND - 12 Bar Blues

Weiland was probably in his biggest drug phase in 97/98 so it pains me to give this album props but it really is a phenomenal achievement from someone the music press didn't take seriously at the time. Without the limitations of a 3-piece band he was allowed to layer on sound after sound, fully embracing his inner-Bowie.

10) MXPX - Slowly Going The Way Of The Buffalo

I wasn't fully aware of the punk police in 1998 but I think I remember later hearing some people annoyed at MxPx's signing to A&M (which is really odd since they always had a sugary sweet sound on their indie releases). This is one of the few major label debuts that actually sounds HARSHER than a band's indie releases as the band plays faster and tighter throughout the whole record.

11) UNWRITTEN LAW - Unwritten Law

Speaking of skate-punk, another major label offering that just rips from front to back. UL would better this on Elva in 2002 but this release perfectly balances punk and pop.

12) FUEL - Sunburn

This likely gets categorized as "corporate rock" and for good reason as Fuel was the type of band who fretted over radio ads, the "right" tours, etc but, damnit if this isn't a fine collection of drop-D based modern rock. These songs still hold up over 20 years later.

13) SEMISONIC - Feeling Strangely Fine

1998 was truly ground-zero for modern rock one-hit wonders who put out really good records that may not have had another surefire single. Semisonic probably would have benefitted from the poptimist of the 2010's but they were left trying to compete with all the other radio bands while modern rock radio was moving onto a harder sound (Korn, Orgy, Limp Bizkit, etc). Feeling Strangely Fine is full of timeless pop-rock goodness that really wouldn't sound of place if it were made in the 70's or 2010's.

14) SYSTEM OF A DOWN - System Of A Down

This is my last favorite (and I still think overall worst) SOAD album but, given the quality of this band's output, it's still pretty damn good. They would later reign in some of their more whacky impulses but this is their most raw and loosest album which hinted at their ability to balance big melodic hooks with crazy schizophrenic time signatures and riffs. I remember first hearing "Sugar" in 1999 on the radio and fucking hating it as it took me until the release of "Spider" and then Toxicity for me to go back and check this out. Plus any SOAD playlist that doesn't include "P.L.U.C.K" is lying to you.

15) HUM - Downward Is Heaven

There are modern rock one-hit wonders and there are no-hit wonders. I guess you could count "Stars" from their 1995 album as a minor hit but Hum were really a forgotten gem until they reformed in 2015. Downward Is Heaven is another collection of phaser-soaked guitar space theatrics with tripped out melodies and awesome riffs.

16) BETTER THAN EZRA - How Does Your Garden Grow?

This band, amongst many others, shit the bed in modern rock's great 1996 failure (Weezer, Presidents Of The USA, Sponge, etc) where a bunch of buzz bin favorites couldn't match the commercial success of their debut. This apparently freed up the band to make whatever record they wanted and, while they jumped on the obvious trend of incorporating electronic beats and loops, Kevin Griffin turned in his most dynamic set of songs from tender ballads, driving rockers and funky mid-tempo Southern boogies.

17) STABBING WESTWARD - Darkest Days

Nine Inch Nails rip-offs were plenty in the mid-90's but I think Stabbing Westward actually had a bit of their own thing going on. Lead singer Christopher Hall was born a year later than Trent Reznor so he naturally got to grow up and experience the UK's synth-pop emergence in the early 80's as well as several of the same industrial touch-points as Reznor. As such, Darkest Days is industrial rock without all the instrumental fuss or ambient tracks. Just one brutal track of self-loathing after another mixed with eerie electronics and big distortion.

18) 2 SKINNEE J'S - Supermercado

Formed in Brooklyn before forming in Brooklyn was cool, 2 Skinnee J's were a mixed race hip-hop duo who embraced all genres of music to make fun, hummable and dynamic rap. If you ever caught these guys live, their show was phenomenal and Supermercado is one of the few records on here I can honestly describe as fun. "Riot Nerd" was a minor hit on some radio stations but should have been much bigger.

19) KORN - Follow The Leader

Korn were still a cult concern with their self-titled and Life Is Peachy (albeit a BIG cult concern as they could sell out venues like the 3500-capacity Roseland Ballroom in NYC). Follow The Leader is the band leveling up, smoothing out some of their sound for broader consumption while still keeping all the necessary ugliness to showcase the nu metal youth crowd at the time. Once FTE came out, most people had to justify their fandom by claiming they liked the first two albums better but I still think Follow The Leader may be the best front-to-back listen.

20) THE LIVING END - The Living End

This didn't break in the US until 1999 (at least that's when I heard it) but was definitely a cool stylistic detour from the usual riff-raff you heard at the Warped Tour. Incorporating rockabilly and 50's blues into a ferocious punk rock attack, this is a great debut with many snarly sing-alongs, Stray Cat-struts and almost doo-wop styles.

 

Ha, sorry, didn't see this before I wrote my blurb. 100% in on the 12 Bar Blues love. I actually saw Scott Weiland play a radio fest in NY in 1998. He played in between Green Day and Third Eye Blind (ah 1998). You're right in that his addiction was terrible at the time but the amount of ambition and chances he took with this record was really incredible. I think the STP fanbase was more of a meat-and-potatoes rock crowd so likely didn't fully embrace it and it also scared him and the band into a more streamlined approach on No 4.

 

I'd like to submit that, perhaps more than any other year, 1998 has given us so many grocery store songs from Goo Goo Dolls, New Radicals, Fastball, Semisonic, Marcy Playground, Natalie Imbruglia, Shania Twain, Matchbox 20, Third Eye Blind, etc.

 

Hadn't listened to Dizzy up the girl in years until just now. what a great album that is.

 

All good my man! Scott was such a wonderful talent. A definite shame how his addiction ultimately got the best of him. STP was my first concert (saw them when I was 14 on the No. 4 tour), so I have always had a deep personal connection to this band AND Scott solo stuff. I get legitimately sad on the verge of tears every time I think about his passing.

Great list btw.

 

Which leg of the No 4 tour? I saw them play a radio fest with Creed, Limp Bizkit, Godsmack, Deftones and Sevendust (that's a 2000 lineup for you there).

 

Oh my! Yeah I'd say ....

Stone Temple Pilots Setlist at Star Pavilion at Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey

That was the show - summer '00. There wasn't really major support - the opening act was a band called Paloalto , who I do not remember anything about because I was that excited for STP. Lol

 

Forgot about this pop rock nug:

 

Ok, I listened to the Fastball album and it was solid. Like Fountains of Wayne without the storytelling and the one that was a quirky character study (Charlie, the Methadone Man) was easily my least favorite song.

Weirdly enough, the second Fire Escape started I realized I had heard that song before. The Way also maybe has started to scrape some sort of memory at the very back of my brain, but I definitely had never consciously heard Out of My Head.

 

Yeah, "Fire Escape," "Better Than It Was," and "Sooner or Later" got some play here and there and cropped up in some movies, I think.

 

I always thought "Fire Escape" could have been a Cooley-sung Drive By Truckers song if it was dirtied up a bit.