1990 was a boring year for music. There I said it. There was nothing really exciting that stands out from that year, nothing that evokes wonderful musical memories from 1990. And why should there be? Censorship in music was the theme of the year, and sugary-sweet artists like Michael Bolton, Paula Abdul, Wilson Phillips and Mariah Carey capitalized on that movement.
The climate in America was changing the musical landscape, and music and lyrics were under attack in the halls of Congress, on conservative talk shows and among educators in the schools. The content of hit songs and music videos was under fire, and so were the artists, and for that matter, so was MTV.
Tipper Gore, wife of then-Senator Al Gore and a reviled rabble-rouser who was at the forefront of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), led efforts which bore the now ubiquitous "Parental Advisory" labels that adorn the covers of new releases with potentially objectionable content.
The times were changing; it was a new era, the music business was unsure of itself, and it showed in music and in video. Case in point, the video for Madonna's "Justify My Love" was banned by MTV. Always defiant, the singer took her case to ABC's "Nightline" to defend herself and her art. Certainly Ted Koppel enjoyed the ratings boost as well as a chance to interview Madonna. Then she released "Vogue" and "Hanky Panky". Go figure.
Madonna wasn't the only performer caught with her pants down in the midst of musical controversy. On November 27th, 1990, the artists Rob and Fab, known professionally as Milli Vanilli, admitted to lip-synching hits such as "Girl You Know It's True" and "Blame It On The Rain", and then saw their Grammy Award for Best New Artist revoked. This came nine months to the day after the group announced in Time Magazine that they were "more talented than any Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney". For good measure, Rob added, "I'm the new Elvis." Oh the humanity.
Technologically speaking, as we entered the 1990s the face of music was changing dramatically, and now rather than one medium overtaking all others, the new developments in technology seemingly just added further choices for the music fan. While the CD remained the dominant force in sales terms, 1990 also represented the advances in digital music that are so common today. In 1990, Dolby proposed a 5-channel surround-sound scheme for home theater systems, and the write-once CD-R became a commercial reality. Also, The Bell Telephone invention of ISDN telephone links were offered for high-end studio use, paving the way for the MP3 file.
As far as the music we listened to, Depeche Mode had a monstrous year with the release of "Violator", charting five songs from the album in 1990. Jon Bon Jovi had a solo hit with "Blaze Of Glory", and Sinead O'Connor had the single of the year with the Prince-penned song "Nothing Compares 2 U". College radio continued to grow in popularity thanks to groups like World Party, The Smithereens, The Replacements and The B-52's. The Black Crowes debuted with the raucous "Shake Your Money Maker", the 4th-largest selling album of the year, producing two Mainstream Rock number one hits with "Hard To Handle" and "She Talks To Angels", as well as "Twice As Hard" and "Jealous Again", both of which made it into the top twenty.
Indeed, 1990 started a profound change in the music we listen to as well as the way we listened to it. By 1999, the 5 largest record companies in the U.S. controlled 84% of the 755 million albums sold in the U.S., a trend that continues to this day: 26.3% by Universal (owns MCA, Polygram), 16.2% by Sony Music (owns Columbia), 16% by BMG (owns RCA Victor), 15.7% by Time Warner, and 9.4% by EMI.
Playlist Adds For Friday Flashback 1990
01. When It Began by The Replacements
02. Kiss This Thing Goodbye by Del Amitri
03. Cuts You Up by Peter Murphy
04. King Of The Mountain by Midnight Oil
05. I'm Free by Soup Dragons
06. Suicide Blonde by INXS
07. Is It Too Late? by World Party
08. Metropolis by The Church
09. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) by They Might Be Giants
10. 96 Tears by The Stranglers
11. Signs (live) by Tesla
12. Silent Lucidity by Queensryche
13. November Spawned A Monster by Morrissey
14. Bloodletting (A Vampire Song) by Concrete Blonde
15. What It Is by Mark Knopfler
16. Policy Of Truth by Depeche Mode
17. More Than Words by Extreme
18. Book Of Dreams by Suzanne Vega
19. Birdhouse In Your Soul by They Might Be Giants
20. Way Down Now by World Party
21. Jealous Again by The Black Crowes
22. A Girl Like You by The Smithereens
23. Valerie Loves Me by Material Issue
24. Merry Go Round by The Replacements
25. Higher Ground by Red Hot Chili Peppers
26. Blaze Of Glory by Jon Bon Jovi
27. Cradle Of Love by Billy Idol
28. Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega featuring DNA
29. Real Real Gone by Van Morrison
30. Star (Trafalmadore Mix) by Erasure
31. Pictures Of You by The Cure
32. Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode
33. Bathtub Gin by Phish
34. Attitude by The Replacements
35. Love Rears It's Ugly Head by Living Colour
36. Groove Is In The Heart by Deee-Lite
37. Yesterday Girl by The Smithereens
38. Thunderstruck by AC/DC
39. In My Town by Afghan Whigs
40. Sailing To Philadelphia by Mark Knopfler with James Taylor
41. Roam by The B-52s
42. This Is How It Feels by Inspiral Carpets
43. World In Motion by New Order
44. Hold On by Wilson Phillips
45. Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O'Connor
46. Hole Hearted by Extreme
47. Vogue by Madonna
48. Don't Wanna Fall In Love by Jane Child
49. Follow Your Bliss by The B-52s
50. Solace Of You by Living Colour
51. Blue Sky Mine by Midnight Oil
52. Kool Thing by Sonic Youth
53. Been Caught Stealing by Jane's Addiction
54. Man In The Box by Alice In Chains
55. Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns by Mother Love Bone
56. The Only One I Know by Charlatans U.K.
57. Put The Message In The Box by World Party
58. No Myth by Michael Penn
59. Someone Take The Wheel by The Replacements
60. Crime Of Passion by Hunters & Collectors
61. Story Of My Life by Social Distortion
62. Head Like A Hole by Nine Inch Nails
63. Cowboys From Hell by Pantera
64. Stop! by Jane's Addiction
65. Cut Flowers by The Smithereens
66. She Talks To Angels by Black Crowes
67. Velouria by The Pixies
68. Freedom '90 by George Michael
69. Hanky Panky by Madonna
70. Mea Culpa by Enigma
71. Here's Where The Story Ends by The Sundays
72. This & That by Michael Penn
73. Epic by Faith No More
74. Taste The Pain by Red Hot Chili Peppers
75. Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode
76. Loaded by Primal Scream
77. Maria Elena by The Smithereens
78. Hard To Handle by Black Crowes
79. Twist In My Sobriety by Tanita Tikaram
80. Still Got The Blues by Gary Moore
Previous In This Series: Friday Flashback 1993
1 comments:
Love "Cowboys From Hell" - hell to the yeah!
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