Urban75 Album of the Year 1994

[DaveCinzano]

Fun-Da-Mental - ‘Seize The Time’


Conscious music but with a lump hammer

 

[DaveCinzano]

House Of Pain - ‘Same As It Ever Was’


The first LP was a bit gimmicky, but this time round everything fell into place, and it resonates more

 

[DaveCinzano]

Julian Cope - ‘Autogeddon’


Not my favourite but definitely in the right groove

 

[DaveCinzano]

Kristin Hersh - ‘Hips And Makers’


Easily as good as Throwing Muses, more intimate, and the cello adds more oomph

 

[chilango]

Oh yeah. There were these that I liked at the time too...

 

[DaveCinzano]

Manic Street Preachers - ‘The Holy Bible’


I was not immediately won over, but a pair of teenage MSP fanzine writers I met in a queue outside the (TW) Forum helped draw me in

 

[DaveCinzano]

Massive Attack - ‘Protection’


Well, obvs

 

[DaveCinzano]

Method Man - ‘Tical’


By no means the best solo Wu Tang joint but dang it as the first solo Wu Tang joint it earned credit

 

[DaveCinzano]

Nine Inch Nails - ‘The Downward Spiral’


I mean it is very good

 

[DaveCinzano]

Orbital - ‘Snivilisation’


File also under I preferred the previous album but still quite like this one. I remember buying it in Sam Goody in The Walnuts

 

[AverageJoe]

Hole, Pulp, G Love and Special Sauce, FSOL

I'll stop now

 

[chilango]

This one should've aged more than it has

 

[DaveCinzano]

Portishead - ‘Dummy’


Natch

 

[DaveCinzano]

The Prodigy - ‘Music For The Jilted Generation’


Points for developing the sound

 

[DaveCinzano]

The Sabres Of Paradise - ‘Haunted Dancehall’


Many a night was prepped or debriefed to this

 

[stavros]

Beastie Boys - ‘Ill Communication’


I think I prefer ‘Check Your Head’ overall, but it's got two of the most perfect Beastie tracks so

Much as I like it, it's not even the best 1994 hip hop album from New York whose title starts with "Ill...":

 

[DaveCinzano]

Scarface - ‘The Diary’


The best solo Geto Boys LP surely?

 

[DaveCinzano]

Senser - ‘Stacked Up’


Don't care, not listening, I like it

 

[DaveCinzano]

Shampoo - ‘We Are Shampoo’


Should have been bigger (and not just in Japan) - poptastic

 

[DaveCinzano]

I'm finding this year an embarrassment of riches

 

[Indeliblelink]

Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works II

Is it a bit bloated? Has it aged better than SAW 1? I have am mp3 version of Stone In Focus that's been slowed down until it's a hour and half long, played on loop through headphones it's my sleep music or anytime I want any noise blocking out. Must of listened to it over a 1000 times in the last few years. I'd have it piped into my coffin on eternal loop if I could.

 

[stavros]

Shampoo - ‘We Are Shampoo’


Should have been bigger (and not just in Japan) - poptastic

I've not listened to the album for ages, but I remember there was one track, Girl Power, every bit as catchy as Trouble, and allegedly was the first use of the phrase in pop, two years before the Spice Girls arrived.

 

[stavros]

And another NY hip hop album:

 

[DaveCinzano]

Papa Brittle - ‘Obey Consume Marry & Reproduce’


Another great night at the (TW) Forum introduced me to the band - I didn't realise their 1992 mini-album was expanded and rereleased in 1994 so I'm definitely having that

 

[DaveCinzano]

I've not listened to the album for ages, but I remember there was one track, Girl Power, every bit as catchy as Trouble, and allegedly was the first use of the phrase in pop, two years before the Spice Girls arrived.

Not quite - that was on their follow-up album (which was first released in Japan in 1995, so still preceding the breakthrough of Spice AKA The Spice Girls)

 

[zahir]

Sierra Maestra - Dundunbanza

 

[Elpenor]

Orbital - ‘Snivilisation’


File also under I preferred the previous album but still quite like this one. I remember buying it in Sam Goody in The Walnuts

Goody got it - Bought many CDs there

 

[hitmouse]

So far, I've learned that a) there was a lot of great music coming out in 1994 and b) my music player is really bad at labelling release years accurately. But Calculated was definitely 1994 and it's great, fucking vicious:


Bikini Kill also put out The CD Version of the First Two Records that year but some purists might argue that it's technically "very clearly a compilation of previously released material, as stated in the title" so you can't vote for it. It is great though.

 

[hitmouse]

Not big, not clever, but I can't resist the charms of Madball's Set It Off:

Maybe it is big actually.

 

[hitmouse]

Much as I like it, it's not even the best 1994 hip hop album from New York whose title starts with "Ill...":

I should really get around to giving Illmatic another go, I remember listening to it years and years back and thinking "has a few OK tunes but it's basically just fucking jazz". Which may not be a completely fair or accurate summary.