All art forms tend to have certain time periods of ingenuity. Nearly every generation sees a time where there just seems to be a spark in creativity where art is allowed to flourish, and rock music is certainly no exception. Much like a Renaissance that seems to spin back around once every 30 years or so, rock music has always seen certain flashes in time that become legendary. One might argue that The Beatles were a Renaissance in and of themselves; as was the ascent of progressive groups in the ‘70s or hard rock in the ‘80s. Others might say Grunge rock of the early-mid ‘90s was another revolution. This always seems to get my thoughts spinning, especially the time period that bridged the gap between the two aforementioned time periods- the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Neither before nor since has rock seen such a drastic change as what took shape during the years of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The bombastic, over-the-top antics of pop culture of the 1980’s had become the status quo and you could say rock had hit somewhat of a wall, both from a creative and showmanship standpoint. Self-indulgence had become so commonplace that it began to drive the younger generation away and allow itself to become stale. Bands like Guns N Roses and Tesla were making it cool to play down and dirty, bluesy hard rock again- much like the Rolling Stones had done 20 years before. There were also rumblings in cities like Seattle where bands like Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam were returning rock to its riff-heavy, song-focused roots. It was during this time period that I feel many masterpieces were made, from a variety of genres and artists. It was, in hindsight, a kind of swan song for rock in the mainstream.
What I love most about the years of 1990-1991 was the artistry of using the studio as an instrument in and of itself. You’d be hard-pressed to find recordings that sound as good as ones made during this time. Tape was still a force in the production and yet artists and producers were opening up to the possibilities that digital technology brought to the table as well. And keep in mind: this was still pre-autotune and pre-make-everything-sound-like-a-machine-did-it. Technology was used as a tool, not as a crutch. You can still hear all the human qualities of bands and artists on the records of this time, and it is some of the best-sounding recordings I’ve ever heard. It's interesting to note in the above album slideshows that a couple of pairs of groundbreaking albums were released on the same day- Guns N Roses' Use Your Illusion (I and II) and Ozzy's No More Tears were both released September 17, 1991 and exactly one week later Nirvana's game-changing Nevermind and Red Hot Chili Peppers' masterpiece Blood Sugar Sex Magik were released September 24. In addition to studio artistry, there were ground-breaking live albums released during this time as well- Tesla’s masterpiece Five Man Acoustical Jam and Clapton’s 24 Nights (showcasing some of his best post-Cream playing and performances) are prime examples. Long live a truly golden age of rock!
Please comment and share any albums from this time period you feel fit the bill as well! Till next time...
Please comment and share any albums from this time period you feel fit the bill as well! Till next time...
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