bananacasts:

The mainstream started to take over again around 1997 when the major labels were pushing whiny fratboy “rock” and their own spins on “alternative.”

Also, I graduated from college that year and stopped caring about new music and radio in general. GET OFF MY LAWN!

Mr. Banana,

Yes.
Absolutely.
I can’t argue that.

There is no doubt that ‘91-‘97 (one could even make a case for ‘89-‘97) is chock full of most of my favorite releases.  However, I don’t think you will find any single year with as impressive a resume as that of 1994.

In fact, I’ve checked the other years and none of them even come close.  While many are buoyed by stunning masterpieces (‘91: Nirvana-Nevermind & Pearl Jam-Ten, ‘95: Radiohead-The Bends & Ben Folds Five-Ben Folds Five, ‘96: weezer-pinkerton & Tool-Ænima, ‘97: Radiohead: OK Computer), none can compare to the veritable onslaught of highly-influential releases that came in ‘94.

However, there is no doubt that, overall, this time period gave birth to great bands and great influence.

Here’s a sampling of the albums released in 1994, selected by me as albums that I consider to have had some impact on my musical taste (my personal faves are in bold):

• Alice in Chains - Jar Of Flies
• Green Day - Dookie
• Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
• Cake - Motorcade of Generosity
• Beck - Mellow Gold
• Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
• Soundgarden - Superunknown
• Pantera - Far Beyond Driven
• The Offspring - Smash
• Hole - Live Through This
• Rollins Band - Weight
• Blur - Parklife
• Live - Throwing Copper
• Sonic Youth - Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star
• Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary
• Weezer - weezer (blue)
• Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
• Stone Temple Pilots - Purple
• Rancid - Let’s Go
• Marilyn Manson - Portrait of an American Family
• Barenaked Ladies - Maybe You Should Drive
• Jeff Buckley - Grace
• Dinosaur Jr - Without a Sound
• Rusted Root - When I Woke
• Toadies - Rubberneck
• Oasis - Definitely Maybe
• Sloan - Twice Removed
• Blues Traveler - Four
• Built To Spill - There’s Nothing Wrong with Love
• Eric Clapton - From the Cradle
• They Might Be Giants - John Henry
• Liz Phair - Whip-Smart
• R.E.M. - Monster
• Soul Coughing - Ruby Vroom
• Veruca Salt - American Thighs
• Ween - Chocolate and Cheese
• Pulp Fiction - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
• The Cranberries - No Need to Argue
• Portishead - Dummy
• Shellac - At Action Park
• Nirvana - MTV Unplugged
• Tom Petty - Wildflowers
• Bush - Sixteen Stone
• Pearl Jam - Vitalogy
• Jimmy Eat World - Jimmy Eat World
• That dog. - That Dog.

The full list is here, and it includes countless more incredible releases from the Pop, Hip-Hop, Country, and Metal scenes that I don’t consider a large influence on me.