, serve para relembrar e até dar uma segunda chance a alguns discos lançados entre os anos 90 e início dos 00 por algumas bandas/artistas famosas do rock "alternativo".
This article is intended to be about albums that were poorly received
and overlooked both commercially and in some cases critically at the
time of their release and may still be looked at negatively by their
fans. Something like Temple of the Dog, Mad Season’s
Above, and Mother Love Bone’s
Apple
aren’t on this list because they were widely regarded as great albums
when they were released and are looked back on as classics today, even
though they may not have achieved huge commercial success. Even
something like The Smashing Pumpkins’
Adore is hailed now as a
classic. So here is my list of what I believe to be the top ten
unfairly criticized and underrated albums by alternative rock/Grunge era
artists. It’s important to note that this is focused on the artists of
the Grunge/90′s alternative rock era we cover on here, rather than
modern alternative rock bands.
10. Jane’s Addiction- Strays (2003)
After 13 years, and sans original bassist Eric Avery, Jane’s Addiction came roaring back with their comeback album
Strays,
their long awaited follow-up to 1990’s Ritual de lo Habitual. Many
longtime Jane’s Addiction fans ripped on the band for having a more
polished and commercial sound, but the songwriting is top notch on this
album and it is a very focused effort. Perry Farrell has some of the
most memorable melodies of his career on this album, and Dave Navarro
shines on guitar. Standout tracks include: Strays, Just Because, Price I
Pay, True Nature, and To Match The Sun.
9. Jerry Cantrell- Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2 (2002)
Many casual Alice In Chains fans may overlook Jerry Cantrell’s solo
career, but he released two solid albums in the late 90’s/early 2000’s,
with the most underrated being
Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2.
The album was definitely the most ambitious of Cantrell’s career, a
double album that lasts 2 hours and 20 minutes and is one of the darkest
albums of the last decade. Lyrically the album addresses Cantrell’s
own isolation and misery, along with his broken friendship with the then
reclusive Layne Staley (the album was written and recorded prior to
Staley’s death). On Bargain Basement Howard Hughes, Cantrell sings
about his ailing friend, “Enigma wrapped in riddle, Your life I
belittle, Dignity I’d steal, Now I know how it feels, Stubborn bastard,
hard head knocking, We had our good years too, Though apart, you’re
still in my heart I’d give anything for you.” Standout tracks on
Degradation Trip include: Angel Eyes, Anger Rising, Solitude, Gone, and
Bargain Basement Howard Hughes.
8. Deconstruction- Deconstruction (1994)
After Jane’s Addiction broke up in 1991, bassist Eric Avery and
guitarist Dave Navarro recorded the lone Deconstruction album together
with Michael Murphy on drums. The album sounds like how musically a
third Jane’s Addiction album would have sounded if the band had never
broken up, except with Eric Avery on lead vocals (Navarro sang on some
songs like Big Sur). The album has unbelievable songs and to this day
has been totally overlooked. Standout tracks include: LA Song, Big Sur,
Iris, and Get At Em.
7. Scott Weiland- 12 Bar Blues (1998)
Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland’s debut solo album is one
of the most eclectic and daring albums of the late 90’s. Weiland went
into sonic territory he never had before, and his songwriting on here is
as strong as it is on any Stone Temple Pilots albums. This is one of
Weiland’s darkest albums as he was suffering some of the lowest points
of his heroin addiction. Comparing this to Weiland’s second solo album,
2008’s
Happy in Galoshes, is like night and day. 12 Bar Blues
features one of Weiland’s best lyrics of his career on Barbarella,
“Grab a scale and guess the weight of all the pain I’ve given with my
name, I’m a selfish piece of shit.” Standout tracks include:
Barbarella, Cool Kiss, Mockingbird Girl, and Lady Your Roof Brings Me
Down.
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers- One Hot Minute (1995)
Yep, another Dave Navarro related project! After guitarist John
Frusciante left the Chili Peppers in 1992, the band eventually replaced
him permanently with Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro. During
the making of the band’s lone album with Navarro, RHCP frontman Anthony
Kiedis relapsed on heroin which led to
One Hot Minute being the
Chili Peppers’ darkest and most personal record. Many Chili Peppers
fans couldn’t understand this change in direction for the band, but as
it stands today it could be argued that
One Hot Minute was the
band’s greatest album. If only they would play material from it live!
Standout tracks include: Aeroplane, My Friends, Warped, and Tearjerker.
5. Chris Cornell- Euphoria Morning (1999)
Euphoria Morning was Chris Cornell’s first solo album, and
his first record following Soundgarden’s breakup. 13 years later, and
it is his last masterpiece (we’ll see if he can make another with
Soundgarden’s
King Animal). The album sees Cornell embrace his
love of the Beatles and soul music, with some of his finest songs to
date. Cornell received help from Alain Johannes on the album, a guy who
always seems to be around when kick ass music is being created.
Standout tracks include: Can’t Change Me, When I’m Down, Moonchild,
Sweet Euphoria, and Preaching the End of the World.
4. Screaming Trees- Dust (1996)
While Sweet Oblivion saw the Screaming Trees reach their apex in popularity,
Dust
is really their crowning achievement. The album was overlooked
commercially, if it had come out a year or two sooner it could have done
far better, but unfortunately the Trees were not able to strike when
the iron was hot. Dust is definitely a Grunge classic. Standout tracks
include: All I Know, Sworn and Broken, Halo of Ashes, and Traveler.
3. Stone Temple Pilots- Shangri LA DEE DA (2001)
After
No. 4’s return to hard rock roots, STP surprised fans with their most experimental album ever in 2001,
Shangri LA DEE DA.
The band fully embraced their pop, bossa nova, and 60’s influences on
this album, but manage to rock out at the same time. Unfortunately
Atlantic Records refused to release Wonderful as a single, a surefire
radio hit that would have given this underrated gem of an album the
attention it deserved. Standout tracks include: Hello It’s Late, Black
Again, Hollywood Bitch, Wonderful, and Coma.
2. Zwan- Mary Star of the Sea (2003)
I think this will probably be the most surprising choice. I’ve
always thought of the Zwan album as a defacto Smashing Pumpkins album,
since the album features Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin with Billy
writing all of the songs, like most Pumpkins releases. Many Pumpkins
fans criticized this album as being too poppy and generic, but it really
is one of Corgan’s strongest bodies of work ever. Every song is
memorable, just an incredibly catchy and inspired album. I could give a
shit about the live songs and demos left off, the songs that made the
album are great. The title track Mary Star of the Sea is one of my
favorite Smashing Pumpkins/Billy Corgan songs. Standout tracks include:
Jesus, I/Mary Star of the Sea, Settle Down, Of A Broken Heart, Lyric,
and Ride A Black Swan.
1. James Iha- Let It Come Down (1998)
Just kidding Billy.
1. Pearl Jam- Riot Act (2002)
This is possibly Pearl Jam’s most divisive album among fans, but to
me it is one of their best. Over a decade into their recording career
Pearl Jam were at a point where they could either go back and try to
rewrite
Ten, or they could push forward.
Riot Act
contains the sound of a band aging gracefully, with a mature but still
heavy sound. It also features one of my favorite Eddie Vedder lyrics
ever on I Am Mine, “I know I was born and I know that I’ll die, the in
between is mine.” Riot Act is still debated fiercely on the Ten Club
boards, but it will always be a classic to me, especially since my Dad
basically played it to death for about two years when it was released.
Standout tracks include: I Am Mine, Love Boat Captain, Green Disease,
Can’t Keep, and Thumbing My Way.
# 11
By the way, a special honorable mention goes to Blind Melon’s
Soup
album from 1995. To be honest I didn’t think of it until after I
finished this article. So consider them #11, even though I think all of
these are great so the numbers don’t matter. But another great,
underrated album!
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