Strange Currencies

I have always said my favorite year in music was 1994. I know this might sound absurd to many, because there is no denying that historically there have been more pivotal years for rock and roll (i.e. 1968, 1977). But for me, this was the year I started to truly appreciate music because this was the height of the alternative rock/grunge era and the triumphant return of songwriting. And it was HUGE! On pop stations you would hear "Today" by the Smashing Pumpkins and "Closer" by the Nine Inch Nails sharing song blocks with The Real McCoy, Mariah Carey, and TLC.

The other day I was reading about R.E.M.'s upcoming 14th studio release, Accelerate (which is already getting some rave reviews), and was then inspired to pop in their (highly underrated) 1994 album, Monster. People say that listening to a certain song or album can take you back to a particular time or place in your life. For me, Monster is the album that best exemplifies my favorite year in music. Although critics tended to agree that R.E.M. was past their prime when they released this record, I couldn't disagree more. Monster showed that R.E.M. held onto the rock lifeblood that was lacking in their two previous (extremely successful) efforts, Out of Time and Automatic For The People. The band proved that it hadn't gone completely soft, and in doing so redefined itself as an alt-rock mainstay. From the distorted glam sound of their first single, "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?" to the sensational 70's throwback "Tongue", the album certainly lived up to its title. What I remember most about this record is that half of its songs were singles and/or had videos -- and deservingly so. Unfortunately, this was the last time that R.E.M. was able to achieve multi-platinum success, despite owning the title as the most consistently prolific rock band of the last twenty years. Soon after Monster, drummer Bill Berry called it quits, and the band was just never the same.

If you ever get as nostalgic for good music as I do, and have the urge to be transported back to an era when mainstream rock did NOT consist of Maroon 5, Nickelback, Linkin Park, here is a good place to start -- I give you my '94 Alternative Rock Mix:

1. Stone Temple Pilots - "Interstate Love Song"
2. R.E.M. - "What's The Frequency, Kenneth?"
3. Green Day - "Basketcase"
4. Smashing Pumpkins - "Today"
5. Nine Inch Nails - "Hurt"
6. Pearl Jam - "Yellow Ledbetter"
7. Dinosaur Jr. - "Feel The Pain"
8. Beastie Boys - "Sabatoge"
9. The Cranberries - "Zombie"
10. Cracker - "Low"
11. Nirvana - "The Man Who Sold The World" (Unplugged)
12. Gin Blossoms - "I Found Out About You"
13. Green Day - "Longview"
14. Smashing Pumpkins - "Disarm"
15. Live - "Selling The Drama"
16. Pearl Jam - "Better Man"
17. Hole - "Doll Parts"
18. R.E.M. - "Bang & Blame"
19. Stone Temple Pilots - "Big Empty"
20. Nirvana - "About A Girl" (Unplugged)