You Tore Me Down

1990 bonus track #1 by Yo La Tengo



This was the song that turned me into a YLT fan twenty years ago. It isn't an original, but Fakebook showed their impeccable taste in cover songs along with their ability to make every song sound like one of theirs. There have been at least three covers of "You Tore Me Down" this year (by Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, Paul Collins, and Invisible Cities) -- it's nice to see artists venturing into Groovieland beyond "Shake Some Action".

When It Began

Wrapping up(*) 1990 with the Replacements.


(* - last track on my 1990 mix, but there are still 2 days in November)

Ironically, this song ("When It Began") was the Replacements final video, and probably the best one they ever made. The last track on All Shook Down was fittingly called "The Last", which I think was written to be the final song on their final album.

ASD is an album that got kind of mixed reviews when it came out, but it keeps getting better as Paul keeps releasing solo albums that don't hold a candle to it. Sometimes I miss the Replacements.

Velouria

Another 1990 song from the Pixies

As "Velouria" was climbing up the UK Top 40, the band was offered a spot on Top Of The Pops. However, a BBC rule stated that only singles with videos could be performed on the show. To counter this, a cheap video was made with the band being filmed running down a quarry.

Obscurity Knocks

Next from 1990: the first single by The Trash Can Sinatras



At some point, these guys changed their name from "Trash Can Sinatras" to "Trashcan Sinatras", which messes up my iTunes, but last.fm tries to "correct" the name when I try to standardize it, so I have two "Trash Can Sinatras" albums and two "Trashcan Sinatras" albums.

That's Just The Way It Is Baby

Next from 1990: The Rembrandts



The first few times I heard this song, I thought it was a new Squeeze song. If you're getting confused with Squeeze, you're doing something right in my book.

These guys later got tagged with the "Friends" theme, which probably made them a bunch of money but ended up killing their career. Why don't the reruns play the entire theme song -- that was the best thing about the show and it's only 30 seconds long!

Staring At The Sun

Continuing 1990 with Ultra Vivid Scene



UVS's second album was one of the highlights of 1990, and this was its best song. This one is also good, obvious "borrowed" melody aside.

Quick as Rainbows

Next from 1990: "Quick As Rainbows" by KoD



Have to love any year with two quality songs beginning with Q!

To celebrate, here are more quality Q songs on my iTunes.

1. Quality of Armor-Guided by Voices
2. Queen's English-Mutton Birds
3. Queen of Eyes-Soft Boys
4. Queen of Hearts-Dave Edmunds
5. Quelle Folie-Sneakers
6. A Question Mark-Elliott Smith
7. Questions I Can't Answer-Amy Rigby
8. A Quick One, While He's Away-The Who
9. Quicksand-DM3
10. Quicksilver 1&2-Future Clouds and Radar
11. Quiet Heart-Go-Betweens
12. Quiet Town-Josh Rouse
13. Quietly Alone-Kirsty MacColl
14. Quit That Scene-Tommy Keene

Queen Elvis

Robyn Hitchcock performs "Queen Elvis" from Queen Elvis Eye

Put The Message In The Box

You can't get more 1990 than Arsenio introducing World Party!



One of my favorite clips, even though it dies a few minutes in.

Piccadilly Palare

Next from 1990: Steven Patrick Morrissey



This live version of the song crushes the studio version like a plumb.

Out Of My Mind On Dope And Speed

Next from 1990: Julian David Cope



Skellington is a strange album that was recorded in just a few days, but Julian ended up banging out a few great songs like this one during the quickie sessions.

Never Do That

Next From 1990: The Pretenders Packed!



This album is considered one of the weak links of Chrissie's career, but it has one of my favorite album covers and a few great songs, this one being one of the best. Very "Back On The Chain Gang"!

Metropolis

Next from 1990 is this song by the Church. I couldn't find a video of the actual song, just a lot of recent live stuff, but this GAF demo version is pretty nice.



This album was a disappointment for me, but "Metropolis" is still one of my favorite Church songs, and this version doesn't have any of the dated production stuff that hampers the album version.

The Laundry Time

Next up from 1990: The Lilac Time



I wish the video was more interesting, but the song is one of my favorites, and & Love For All is another lost classic from 1990.
As well as being the best album ever starting with "ampersand".

Joey

The J song is by a S.F. Bay Area band called the Movie Stars, which has almost no internet presence, so I'm falling back to another J song by Concrete Blonde.



I've always liked this song, but I only bought Bloodletting as an R.E.M./Dream Syndicate completist because Steve Wynn and Peter Buck were on it, and I've never owned anything else by Concrete Blonde, or had any desire to do so.

I Don't Know Why I Love You

Next from 1990 is the House Of Love



HOL's self-titled "butterfly" album is another lost classic from the early 90s. And their first self-titled album is a lost classic from the late 80s. Their biggest mistake was putting titles on their albums.

Heavenly Pop Hit

Next up from 1990: The Chills



I had trouble compiling a top 20 from 1990 and I'm not sure if I even purchased 20 albums that year, but I'm pretty sure Submarine Bells was my #1 for the year. And it still holds up as one of the best albums of its time.

God Knows It's True

Continuing 1990 with Teenage Fanclub



Talk about a time capsule from the early 90s!

Golden Blunders

The Posies from Dear 23



This was written as a Beatles homage, so the Posies were excited when Ringo covered it a couple of years later. It seems like an anti-wedding song even though I've seen it performed at two different weddings. And its video doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Forgotten Years

Continuing 1990 with..
oh no, not Chrome Dome and the Self-Righteous Whiners!



I think Blue Sky Mining is better than Diesel & Dust.

Enjoy The Silence

Nada Surf covers Depeche Mode



I always thought that song would be better sans synthesizers!

Draw(in)g To A (W)hole

The Clean performing a song from their classic Vehicle album.



Between Vehicle, The Law Of Things, and Submarine Bells, 1990 marked the height of my musical Kiwiphilia. Lots of strange and exciting music from the other side of the world.

Carolyn

My next 1990 song is Track #2 from Steve Wynn's Kerosene Man



The official video doesn't have any audio (not authorized by WMG), but it's a good video. I didn't even think WMG was authorized to it.

Bellybutton

For 1990, I'm following the "songs in alphabetical order" format.
First up is "Baby's Coming Back" by Jellyfish.



When I discovered the internet in the mid 90s, I discovered that there were people who hated Jellyfish and people who loved them. I'm in the like don't love camp, except for this song, which I love and think is absolutely brilliant.

Even this cover by McFly (mostly lame UK boy band) is okay.

They Might Be Giants

Fast forward ten years to 1990, which is my year for the month of November. Apropos of recent sporting news, first up is the literal version of TMBG's "Birdhouse In Your Soul"



Surprised that these guys didn't think of "literal videos" 20 years ago!