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I love this whole album and it’s completely wrapped up with the sensory memories of my shitty Madison apartment, blasting this on my JVC cd boombox while getting ready to go out to bars since I was finally legal. My top songs include the four singles Sonic Youth released from Dirty: “100%” (#4 on the US alternative chart, #28 UK) about the murder of their roadie Joseph Cole in ’91; the video was directed by Tamra Davis and Spike Jonze and features Jason Lee skateboarding, pre-acting days; “Youth Against Fascism” (#52 UK) which features Minor Threat/Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye on guitar and the still-resonant lyric “I believe Anita Hill; “Sugar Kane” (#26 UK) – its video is the first screen appearance by Chloe Sevigny; and “Drunken Butterfly” – I don’t know if it charted but the video was a result of a 120 Minutes contest and the song’s lyrics are composed entirely from Heart song names and lyrics. I also like the punk grrrl growl of “Orange Rolls, Angel’s Spit,” the super-short, super-punk’d Untouchables cover “Nic Fit,” and “Purr” which has a late 80’s grungy Seattle feel in the vocals and guitar. The track “Stalker” is not on the CD version, it was added in 2003 when the record was released on vinyl in the US.

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For whatever reason, Railroad Jerk isn’t really available broken down by tracks (except for “Talking RR Jerk Blues”) but you can listen to the entire album here and there a full show recording from a 1990 show at the Pyramid Club in New York City where they perform several songs from the album including “Don’t Be Jealous,” “99 Miles,” “Old Mill Stream,” “Participant,” “Glamorous Bitch,” “Krismus Time,” “Talking RR Jerk Blues,” and “I’m Not Mad.”

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Because this album is so imprinted in my consciousness it’s really hard to highlight my top tracks but if pushed, I’d choose the rocker “Plump” which I’m fairly certain is about drugs and motherhood. The singles are also all great. “Miss World” was the first to be released; it hit #13 in the US and #64 in the UK. It is, partially, also about drugs. “Doll Parts” went all the way to #4 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart (to #58 on the regular chart and to #16 UK); it’s about Kurt Cobain. “Violet” was the third single, going to #29 on the Modern Rock chart (#17 UK) and supposedly is about Love’s relationship with Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan. “Softer, Softest” was the final single from Live Through This and went to #32 on the Alternative Airplay chart in the US. Cobain provided backing vocals for the track (same for “Asking for It” which is another great song). As the title implies, “Softer, Softest” is one of  the most mellow tracks on the record but the lyrics are…not (“Burn the witch/Just bring me back her head”).

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Unfortunately I didn’t receive this in time for the actual 30th anniversary date (August 30th) and it’s the first time we’ve had it on vinyl: I bought Last Splash on cd in the fall of ’93, pretty soon after its release. I have very distinct memories of driving up the Milwaukee freeway to my mind-numbing first job out of college September of ’93 blasting the shit out of this album and singing along to Kim and Kelley Deal at the top of my lungs.  It was then and remains one of my favorite records from the 90’s.

Last Splash went to #33 in the US and to #5 in the UK; publications like NME, Rolling Stone, Spin and Pitchfork all include it on best-of lists, both from the 90’s and of all-time. It helps to define all the best that alternative rock in the 90’s had to offer: fuzz, loud-quiet-loud, heavy yet effervescent, and – probably most importantly for commercial success – it was approachable with catchy pop hooks. The first and breakthrough single “Cannonball” is still one of my favorites: it went to #44 in the US and to #40 in the UK. The Breeders also released “Divine Hammer” (#28 US Alternative, #59 UK) and “Saints” (#12 US Alternative) as singles. My other top picks are the album opener “New Year,” the surfy instrumental “Flipside,” “I Just Wanna Get Along” and “Hag.”

Back in 2018 we won tickets to see the Breeders at the Rave here in Milwaukee and it was amazing (even though it was at the Rave, which sucks). They played a ton of songs from Last Splash: most of my faves plus “No Aloha” and “Drivin’ on 9.” For that song on the 2018 tour in whatever town they played last they would secure a local violin player to play that instrumental part of the song, however they weren’t able to get one in Milwaukee so Kelley sang the part, beautifully. Here’s a photo of Kim Deal from that show in 2018:

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I purchased In Utero on cd in 1993 (I still have it but not entirely sure where it is at the moment), probably the week of its release. My recollections of that are actually pretty vivid 30 years on: I had very recently moved to Milwaukee to start my first job post-college, was still very into the alternative rock/grunge scene and stoked for the newest Nirvana album. I remember being…disappointed. I don’t think I listened to the cd much after the first couple of weeks and I have not listened to it at all the last three decades. Upon reflection I think that had a lot less to do with Nirvana and In Utero and a lot more about me and where my head was at the fall of ’93, namely I had bigger and more important things on my mind, like navigating the first couple of months of being a “real adult” – paying all my own bills, having a car for the first time, an actual 9 to 5 job, etc. I was uncomfortable and In Utero is an intentionally uncomfortable record.

In Utero, Nirvana’s third and final LP, was produced by Steve Albini and hit #1 in both the US and UK; it is also on many best-of lists for rock/90’s albums. Having given it 30 years of space, I definitely appreciate it a lot more than I did in ’93 but some of it still makes me uncomfortable, especially “Rape Me” which is also, weirdly, one of my favorite songs on the record. The title is obviously triggering and singing along, loudly, is a really terrible idea even though the song is catchy as hell. The track was released as a single in the UK (not in the US where it was semi-banned) and went to #32. Another top pick for me is “Scentless Apprentice” (the guitar riff written by Dave Grohl, not Kurt Cobain, and Kris Novoselic also contributed to the song, making it the only Nirvana track to award writing credits to all three band members); though not released as a single, it ranks among many folks’ top picks for Nirvana songs. I also love the thrashing rocker “Very Ape” and the punk-crazed “Tourette’s” (though it is angular and uncomfortable, too). I find that I am still sick of “Heart-Shaped Box” (#5 UK, #1 US Alternative/Rock chart) and “All Apologies” (both versions: the LP and the MTV Unplugged one which ultimately became more popular than the original: the track went to #45 in the US/#1 on the alternative chart and to #32 in the UK).

The bonus LP is also a bit uncomfortable (mostly because it includes titles like “Moist Vagina” and “I Hate Myself and Want to Die“). The most recognizable track (besides the original mixes of “Heart-Shaped Box” and “All Apologies”) on the disc is “Sappy” (originally titled “Verse Chorus Verse”), originally recorded by Butch Vig in ’90 and then again in ’91. The recording of “Sappy” on this bonus disc is the one recorded by Albini in ’93; it originally  appeared on the 1993 comp No Alternative, an AIDS benefit release. It hit #9 on the US alternative chart in ’94.

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I had to dodge and weave the very young, very drunk girl who was next to me at the security railing (her head gets in the way a few times in the videos linked below and my dodging her made my phone shaky), but other than that it was a great night. Rubberneck was one of my most listened to albums in the mid-90’s and I still love it in its entirety. “Backslider” is brutal, as is “Quitter” and “I Come From the Water.” “Tyler” is a perfect example of a 90’s grunge ballad: head-banging, anthemic and seriously creepy. But for me the highlights of the record — and their show — are the epic tracks “Possum Kingdom” (#4 on the US Alternative chart) and the album closer “I Burn.” At the Rave show, the drummers from Nashville Pussy and the Rev’s band joined the Toadies on stage, plus another young drummer (who I think is from Milwaukee as he was doing some stage running and I swear I’ve seen him doing stage work at other recent concerts at other venues). Definitely the highlight of the night.

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