I picked up the double disc reissue of Pavement’s 1995 album, Wowee Zowee this weekend. I would normally pass up reissues of albums made after 1993 (Björk, Pulp), because they aren’t in any need of re-mastering. However, given the strength of the bonus discs from the previous two Pavement albums, I couldn’t resist. The recent Stylus review of it was interesting. Despite mentioning the album is “not without its faults,” it rated it an A+, and went on to call Pavement the “unequivocal best band of the 90s,” based on their “four great albums.” I guess the writer didn’t think Terror Twilight (1999) was too great.
It’s funny, because although I liked all their albums, when I made my best artists of the ’90s list in 2000, Pavement only came in 43rd. The reissues have gotten me to re-listen to and reconsider Pavement (I’ve had all five albums in the disc changer all afternoon). I was a big fan early on. When I bought their Perfect Sound Forever EP, released by Drag City in 1990, I felt I had found a new favorite band. They were the first band in a while to make overt references to some of my favorite post-punk groups like Pere Ubu, The Fall and Swell Maps. It was a noisy mess, but stood up to repeated listens, and “Box Elder” hinted at some potential melodic genius. Something like five months before it was released, Spin gave a rapturous review of Slanted And Enchanted (1992). I enjoyed it a lot, but felt something was missing, keeping them off my favorite band list. The album just made my top ten for the year, and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994) barely made my top 50. At the time, Wowee Zowee didn’t even make my top 100. I think at the time the album didn’t click for me because it sounded kind of quaint compared to exciting, innovative albums from Tricky, PJ Harvey, Björk, Asian Dub Foundation, Dirty Three, Radiohead, Labradford, Cornelius, Chico Science & Nação Zumbí, and others. On re-listening, I think it’ll move up to my top 25 at least.
But still, can Pavement be considered the best band of the ’90s? Maybe, but they’ve got some worthy competition. I normally wouldn’t say quantity necessarily reigns over quality, but the Stylus writer made a point to infer that no artist made four albums as great as Pavement. If nothing else, they were one of the quintessential bands of the ’90s, from their first vinyl EP released in 1990, then bowing out politely in 1999 with their fifth and most polished album. But who was the greatest?
For the sake of this exercise I’m restricting it to bands, leaving out solo artists like PJ Harvey, Tricky, Beck, Tom Waits, Arto Lindsay, Nick Cave, The The and Smog. The bands should have at least five albums in the ’90s, of consistent enough quality to possibly surpass Pavement. Bands that don’t qualify because they only mustered four albums in the ’90s include Mercury Rev, The Sea And Cake, Pulp, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Café Tacuba, Mano Negra, The Wedding Present, Sleater-Kinney, Soundgarden, Uncle Tupelo, Low, Pram, Seam, Walt Mink, Swervedriver, Built To Spill, Smashing Pumpkins, Primal Scream, Trans Am, Six Finger Satellite, The Blue Aeroplanes, Polvo, Dinosaur Jr. and Suede. The majority of their greatest work should be in the ’90s, which would arguably exclude the likes of prolific artists like Sonic Youth, The Fall, and R.E.M., who’s 80s albums no doubt helped define the ’80s, though I have a feeling some will make their case, which is fine. Even the Rough Guide to Rock tried to make a case for A Thousand Leaves (1998) as Sonic Youth’s best album.
So, on to the nominees. If I missed anyone, feel free to add them. Vote for just one, please. For the record, my vote was going to The Flaming Lips, but I’m kind of sick of them, so Melvins win. Aside from Cobain giving them props and producing Houdini, they were kind of underdogs, all the while quietly, er, loudly, creating blueprints (in the 80s) of grunge, stoner rock with their special, unique hybrid of noise rock, doom metal and awesome insanity. Their stature, if not sales, will continue to grow, unless they somehow screw it up. Do Pavement and Lips fans cry foul? Unfairness — now that’s rock ‘n’ roll! List includes the band, number of albums released in the ’90s, and a few of their best albums.
Melvins – 9 (Bullhead ’91, Lysol ’92, Houdini ’93, Stoner Witch ’94, Stag ’96)
The Flaming Lips – 6 (In A Priest Driven Ambulance ’90, Transmissions ’93, Clouds Taste Metallic ’97, Soft Bulletin ’99)
Royal Trux – 7 (Twin Infinitives ’90, Cats & Dogs ’93, Thank You ’95, Accelerator ’98)
Pavement – 5 (Slanted And Enchanted ’92, Crooked Rain ’94, Wowee Zowee ’95)
Stereolab – 6 (Transient Random Noise-Bursts ’93, Mars Audiac Quintet ’95, Emperor Tomato Ketchup ’96)
The Afghan Whigs – 5 (Congregation ’91, Gentlemen ’93, Black Love ’96)
Yo La Tengo – 5 (Fakebook ’90, Painful ’93, I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One ’97)
Fugazi – 5 (Repeater ’90, In On the Kill Taker ’93, Red Medicine ’95)
The Magnetic Fields – 6 (Holiday ’94, The Charm of the Highway Strip ’94, 69 Love Songs ’99)
The Jesus Lizard – 6 (Head ’90, Goat ’91, Liar ’92)
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – 6 (Extra Width ’93, Orange ’94, Now I Got Worry ’96)
Rocket From the Crypt – 5 (Circa: Now! ’92, Hot Charity ’95, Scream Dracula, Scream! ’95)
Unwound – 5 (New Plastic Ideas ’94, The Future of What ’95, Repetition ’96)
Sloan – 5 (Twice Removed ’94, One Chord To Another ’96, Between the Bridges ’99)
Teenage Fanclub – 5 (Bandwagonesque ’91, Thirteen ’93, Grand Prix ’95)
Gallon Drunk – 5 (You, the Night & the Music ’92, From the Heart of the Town ’93, In The Long Still Night ’96)
Labradford – 5 (Prazision ’94, A Stable Reference ’95, Mi Media Naranja ’97)
Luna – 5 (Lunapark ’92, Bewitched ’94, Penthouse ’95)
Buffalo Tom – 5 (Birdbrain ’90, Let Me Come Over ’92, Big Red Letter Day ’93)
The Grifters – 5 (One Sock Missing ’93, Crappin’ You Negative ’94, Full Blown Possessio ’97)
Guided By Voices – 7 (Propeller ’92, Bee Thousand ’94)
Blur – 6 (Parklife ’94, The Great Escape ’95, Blur ’97)
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