Rock 'N' Roll Ramblings: MY Top 10 Favorite Bands of the 1990s

This was a list that I posted on my Facebook many years ago for my Friends with plans to update and put on my Blog. I figure now that such great bands should be rediscovered by today's young generation. They are not in any particular order by the way.

10. The Bare Naked Ladies 

How could you not like their album Gordon? Their one of those fun bands to listen to that make you feel good with such great songs as "Brian Wilson", "Be My Yoko Ono", & "If I Had a Million Dollars". Their Debut Album quickly became #1 in their homecounrty of Canada, but sadly found little success in the U.S.A.

9. Live. 

In the Summer of 1995 I moved to a new town & one of the 1st persons I met was a guy named Joe who introduced me to Live’s album Throwing Copper, & I Love Every Song.

8. The Tea Party

When I 1st heard "Save Me" from their 1993 album Splendor Soils thought it was The Doors, Hell! The Lead Singer Jeff Martin even looked like Jim Morrison! Plus They Were Canadians! Which was Cool!
They were nominated for Best Hard Rock Album & Best New Group that year at the Juno Awards (the Canadian version of the Grammys).

7. Soundgarden

In 1994 I pick up Superunknown cause I was searching for something "Dark & Depressing", I found it in this album. Songs like "Blackhole Sun" & "Spoonman" became regular songs I recorded on mix-tapes for years.

6. Alice In Chains

They were one of the 1st of the "New Bands" that were coming out at the time in 1990 when my older brother pick up their debut album "Facelift". They were marketed as a new Heavy Metal band, but sounded different from the others. Little did I know that it was the start of the "Seattle Sound" & the New Grudge movement. It was the 1st Grunge album to make platinum, then double platinum and appear in the Top 50 in Billboard 200.

I totally "marked out" when I heard for the 1st time ECW pro wrestler Tommy Dreamer used "Man In The Box" as his entrance music.

5. Red Hot Chili Peppers
Although the Alternative Rock band had already release a few previous albums, it wasn't until their 1991 release of Blood Sugar Magik that they reached mainstream success, peaking at #3 on the Billboard 200 when I & everybody else took notice.

Douglas & Lancaster in Tough Guys

Previously I just remember them as the band that made a cameo in the 1986 movie Tough Guys starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, & Dana Carvey.
Most fans consider this their best album ever with great songs like "Under the Bridge", "Give it Away", "Suck My Kill", "Breaking the Girl", & "If You Have to Ask".

4. Pearl Jam
The band had a dark beginning as it was formed as when Mother Love Bone frontman Andrew Wood died from a heroine overdose in 1990. 2 of the surviving members Jeff Ament (bassist) & Stone Gossard (guitarist) joined up with vocalist Eddie Vedder & drummer Dave Krusen to create Pearl Jam.
Their debut album Ten helped popularize Alternative / Grunge Rock into the mainstream, peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200.

Songs like "Jeremy" brought forth the realities of school bullying & teen suicide back into discussion. The music video predated the events of the Columbine Massacre in 1999, almost as an eerie warning of things to come. 

3. The Smashing Pumpkins

It was their 2nd album release "Siamese Dream" that rocketed the Alternative Rock band to mainstream success with such songs as "Cherab Rock", "Today", "Disarm", & "Rocket", making it one of the best albums of the 1990s. Even Rolling Stone magazine listed it as 360 on it's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2003.

The Smashing Pumpkins would continue to headline such festivals as Lollapalooza for many years & be on the playlist of every Gothkid out there. I was happy that they reunited in 2005.

2. Green Day

 Their 1994 album "Dookie" reintroduced me to Punk Music that was FUN, in the tradition of such bands like the Ramones, with their short, poppy sounding songs that you could just sing along with like "When I Come Around", "Longview", "Welcome to Paradise", & "Basket Case".

Billie Joe Armstrong in 1994

Anyone remember their appearance at Woodstock '94 with their infamous mudfight with the crowds. Every Teenager is naturally Basket Case Right? Well now they have a big hit on Broadway play. Who would've thunk'it back in 1994?

1. Nirvana

They where "the Shot Heard Around the World" with the unexpected success of their single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from their 2nd Album release "Nevermind", the Band found themselves headlining what the Media dub "the Grunge Movement". Frontman Kurt Cobain was now called "the spokesman for a generation" & Nirvana "the flagship band" of Generation X as they not only influenced music but fashion as well, with every High School adopting the whole "Grunge Look" from Seattle.
No Band meant more to me in my youth than Nirvana, I was devastated when I heard about Cobain's death in 1994. I found it hard to listen to Nirvana for many years afterwards until the release of their compilation album in 2002 with the single "You Know You're Right", which reminded me of my love for the music of "My Generation".

~ Raja Devilman74 

Pro Wrestling Ramblings: My Top 10 Dream Matches, Part 2

Now here's numbers 6 to 10

6.                                        HULK HOGAN (Mid-1980s Era) 

                                                                                  vs. 

                                                     SUPERSTAR BILLY GRAHAM (Late-1970s Era)

HOGAN himself would admit that he was just another SUPERSTAR knock-off, but a damn good one. GRAHAM himself was a man before his time. Even though he was thought of as just a heel (wrestling villain), the fans of the time period cheered for him because of his flamboyant personality & amazing bodybuilder physique. He was the cool heel before cool heels became popular in the 1990s with the likes of the NWO & STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN. While this match could of happen with the SUPERSTAR's return in the WWF in 1987, the years of steroid abuse did a number on GRAHAM's heath & sadly wasn't the same SUPERSTAR he was in 1977. But I could just imagine what it could of been like if the stars aligned right and the veteran pro wrestler confronting this upstart who dared copy his look. Not to mention that he holds on to his World Heavyweight Championship Belt. The Battle of the Pythons would begin, making this HOGAN greatest challenge ever.

7.                                            De-GENERATION X 

                       (the Original 1990s Group: HBK SHAWN MICHAELS, TRIPLE H, & CHYNA )

                                                                   vs. 

                                           The FABULOUS FREE BIRDS 

(the Original 1980s Group: MICHAEL P.S. HAYES, TERRY "BAM BAM" GRODY, & BUDDY JACK ROBERTS)

This would be a 3- Man/ Mix Tag Team Match between two very similar groups. Both worked as a 3 person heel team, but were so damn cool that you couldn't help but like them. The FREEBIRDS had legendary feuds with the VON ERICHS in WCCW and the ROAD WARRIORS in the AWA. While DX faced off against the likes of the NEW HART FOUNDATION in the WWF.
It would start off with each group being introduced & respected theme music played (for the FREEBIRDS it would be the classic LYNYRD SKYNYRD song). Both MICHAELS & HAYES would strut their stuff in the ring for the ladies, with HAYES showing SHAWN why he was called "Purely Sexy". The Big Men would go at it with BAM BAM GORDY having a slight edge over TRIPLE H. BUDDY JACK ROBERTS would try to lure one of DX out of the ring and make them do a classic chase round which would end with another FREEBIRD sneak attack, but this would back fire as the 9th Wonder of the World CHYNA would be waiting around the corner with a clothesline of her own. Who would come out on top? I don't known, but the fans would've had a great show.


8.                                                CACTUS JACK (aka, MICK FOLEY) 

                                                                              vs.

                                                                 BRUISER BRODY 

This would be a Hardcore Wrestling Fans Dream Match. FOLEY would be in his old WCW/ECW CACTUS JACK persona for this one. BRODY was Hardcore before Hardcore was a term in wrestling. His matches with ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER in WCCW were just legendary bloodly brawls. I could see new standards in gore set for this match up if it ever happened, this could out do the famous "HELL IN A CELL" match.

9.                                                           MIKE AWESOME 

                                                                            vs.

                                                                  ROB VAN DAM

Back during the Original ECW's heyday, ECW Promoter PAUL E. HEYMAN teased the ECW Fans for many months with a "Champion vs. Champion" match with then ECW World Heavyweight Champion MIKE AWESOME  and the popular ECW World Television Champion ROB VAN DAM. This match done right could've been ECW's most lucrative Pay-Per-View Main Event in the company's history and HEYMAN was depending on this match to bring an influx of badly needed money. HEYMAN was failing to pay his Wrestlers and some of his bigger names like RAVEN & The SANDMAN left for greener pastures. But sadly VAN DAM broke his ankle during a successful title defence against RHINO on January 29, 2000 forcing VAN DAM to vacate the World TV Championship. MIKE AWESOME would later leave ECW for WCW while still the ECW World Heavyweight Champion in April 2000 after HEYMAN failed to pay him overdue wages.      


10.
                                                    STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN

                                                                                vs. 

                                                      DR. DEATH STEVE WILLIAMS 

Back during the WWF ATTITUDE ERA of the 1990s, the biggest name of the time was STONE COLD STEVE WILLIAMS. The WWF was looking around for opponents to challenge AUSTIN, so on the advice of WWF Executive & MONDAY NIGHT RAW commentator JIM ROSS, the WWF signed former NWA/WCW & ALL JAPAN Champion DR. DEATH STEVE WILLIAMS in 1998 (funny thing was that STEVE AUSTIN's real name was Steve Williams).
The WWF wanted to built up DR. DEATH's reputation as a legitimate toughguy fo the WWF fans who didn't know him, so the WWF Creative team of VINCE RUSSO and ED FERRARA came up with one of Pro Wrestling's Stupidest Ideas Ever! They wanted to try to capitalized on the recent interest on Toughman Contests around the country by having volunteers from the WWF Rosters complete in a Shootfighting tournament. To entice volunteers they would start off with a $5, 000 payday, with a maximum of $ 75, 000 at the end of the tournament. It was thought that DR. DEATH would easily win this being a NCAA Wrestler & All-American Football player, but not thinking that DR. DEATH had never boxed in his life, which would later could to haunt them. Also at that point in time the WWF had sent years educating the WWF fans that they were no longer Pro Wrestling, but Sports Entertainment and everything was now fake. So the fans didn't believe anything in the ring was real. So when the WWF debut it's BRAWL FOR ALL in June 1998, many of the audience didn't understand the rules (if there were any), the action was so slow that they chanted (to VINCE McMAHON's embarrassment), "WE WANT WRESTLING!"
Many of the wrestlers had never trained for such a competitive competition, only for in-ring performance. So a number of them were injured and unable to work after this fiasco ( List of the injured included: STEVE BLACKMAN; The GODFATHER; SAVIO VEGA; & ROAD WARRIOR HAWK).
DR. DEATH made it to the 2nd Round of the tournament where he was matched against former WWF Tag Team Champion BART GUNN. GUNN was different from the others, as he had previous Toughman experience and was a Golden Gloves boxer. In the 3rd round GUNN gave DR. DEATH a punch that knocked him out and caused a concussion. This lost lessened DR. DEATH's tough-guy mystique the WWF was trying to built for this character, effectively ending his planned push against STEVE AUSTIN.
So not only did the BRAWL FOR ALL injury a number of pro wrestlers needlessly, it cost the WWF Millions of Dollars in Pay-Per-View buys that a STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN vs. a DR. DEATH STEVE WILLIAMS Main Event match would generate.
 

- Rajadevilman74