STACK #239 September 2024

FEATURE MUSIC

There’s nothing quite like taking home some fresh vinyl and putting it on the turntable for the first time. It’s a total experience. Each month we pull together a collection of reissues, JB-exclusives, or just straight-up classic long-players to add to any burgeoning collection. Words Paul Jones, Amy Flower V I N Y L V I T A L

Add some ’90s to your record collection with these ten essential cuts.

PEARL JAM TEN (1990) Loaded with anthemic jugger nauts like Alive , Jeremy , and Black , Pearl Jam’s debut album crash landed in 1991 like a foot through a television. Eddie Vedder’s iconic gravelly voice and introspective lyrics coupled with powerfully raw guitar riffs proved a potent combination in what re mains one of the most influential rock albums of the ‘90s. TOP TRACK: Even Flow FAST FACT: Eddie Vedder only joined the band five months before the recording of the album began.

JEFF BUCKLEY GRACE (1994) While Grace had already beguiled the sharp-eared music fraternity in 1994, it was second single Last Goodbye that opened the door to commercial recognition. Buckley’s unparalleled seraphic voice bridged rock, opera, and gospel with aplomb. Grace is an album laden with drama, a fine balance of haunting, emotional expression, and straight-out rockers. TOP TRACK: Grace FAST FACT: Jimmy Page would call Grace his favourite album of the decade, and David Bowie listed it as one of the ten albums he would take to a desert island.

LAURYN HILL THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL (1998)

WU-TANG CLAN ENTER THE WU-TANG (36 CHAMBERS) (1993) A revolutionary force that fired its broadside into hip-hop in 1993, the Clan’s unfiltered voices spat razor-sharp rhymes over RZA’s trailblazing stripped-down beats. This is an album that thrived on chaos and camaraderie, fusing street wisdom with classic kung fu movie samples. A defining moment in hip-hop, it laid down a blueprint for a generation of MCs. TOP TRACK: C.R.E.A.M. FAST FACT: Inspiration for the title of the album came from the movies Enter the Dragon and The 36th Chamber of Shaolin .

SHANIA TWAIN COME ON OVER: DIAMOND EDITION (1997) Shania Twain’s Come on Over is a pop-country revolution. From the sassy That Don’t Impress Me Much to the empowering Man! I Feel Like a Woman! , every track on this polished album is a banger. Unapologetically mainstream, the meticulously produced album put Twain on the global stage. TOP TRACK: Man! I Feel Like a Woman! FAST FACT: Twain had originally want ed to call the album No Inhibitions but decided on Come on Over as it sounded more invitational.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a bold, genre-spanning masterpiece. Mixing hip-hop, soul, and reggae, Hill’s sharp lyricism and powerful voice shine on tracks like Doo Wop (That Thing) and Ex-Factor . It’s a deeply personal and socially con scious album that defined an era. Top Track: Doo Wop (That Thing) Fast Fact: A then unknown musician called John Stephens played piano Everything Is Everything . He would later change his name to John Legend.

METALLICA BLACK ALBUM (1991) BLACK MARBLED VINYL Metallica’s self-titled fifth album, often referred to as the ‘Black Album,’ marked a departure from their thrash metal roots towards a more accessible rock foundation. From the thunderous anthemic opener Enter Sandman to ballads Nothing Else Matters and The Unforgiven , the album showcased Metallica’s expansive songwriting prowess and willingness to evolve. TOP TRACK: Enter Sandman FAST FACT: Incredibly, the album has sold over 30 million copies glob ally, and it is the biggest heavy metal album of all time.

NIRVANA NEVERMIND (1991) Nobody predicted how Nirvana’s Nevermind would shake up the world of rock. Led by the clarion call of the seductive Smells Like Teen Spirit , the trio’s way of taking a killer pop hook and playing it loud and heavy resonated the world over, leaving us with killer tracks like Lithium , In Bloom , and Come as You Are that still hit fresh today. TOP TRACK: Smells Like Teen Spirit FAST FACT: Some noted a similarity between the big riffs in Smells Like Teen Spirit and Boston’s More Than a Feeling . Nirvana had fun leading into the former via the latter at the Reading Festival in 1992.

MICHAEL JACKSON DANGEROUS (1991)

R.E.M. AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE (1992) While their breakthrough long player Out of Time was smashing records, R.EM. were busy on its follow-up. The plan was to make a more rock influenced, guitar based album. What eventuated was a collection of songs that many still count as their favourite. These included Man on the Moon , Nightswimming , and the tear-inducing Everybody Hurts . TOP TRACK: Drive FAST FACT: Four of the album’s tracks feature string arrangements by Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones.

RADIOHEAD OK COMPUTER (1997) As Radiohead sought to move away from the guitar-centric rock of their killer LP The Bends , they may have veered into more experimental territory, but they also delivered one of the greatest rock albums of the 1990s. But no matter how far out-there they headed, they couldn’t avoid a catchy hook and wry, insightful, or just plain touching lyrics. TOP TRACK: Let Down FAST FACT: The album’s title was tak en from a line uttered by Zaphod Beeblebrox in the original radio series of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy .

After the success of 1987’s Bad , MJ took his time crafting this follow-up. He also worked with several different producers to realise his more socially conscious creation, rather than his regular col laborator Quincy Jones. The result was another classic, packed with hits – nine singles were plucked from the 14 tracks that feature. TOP TRACK: Black or White FAST FACT: In the Closet , the duet with “Mystery Girl” (aka Princess Stéphanie of Monaco), was originally planned to feature Madonna instead.

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