I don’t know if anyone out there remembers this song, but I distinctly recall jamming the fuck out whenever it came on X103 circa 1993 and/or 1994.  I had the initial grunge fallout (now in phase 12) to thank for “Kenny and Cleo”, part of a surfeit of bands filling the airwaves with a guy [...]

(This is the fifth and final installment of marathonpacks’ Top 50 of the 90s list. To see #50-41, click here. To see #40-31, click here. To see #30-21, click here. To see #20-11, click here.)

10. A Tribe Called Quest-Midnight Marauders (Jive, 1993)

A whittled-down version of The Low-End Theory, Midnight Marauders is, aside from the obvious [...]

(This is the fourth installment of marathonpacks’ Top 50 of the 90s list. To see #50-41, click here. To see #40-31, click here. To see #30-21, click here. The fifth and final installment will be posted Thursday.)

20. Mos Def-Black on Both Sides (Rawkus, 1999)
The last two installments of this list will draw heavily [...]

(This is the third installment of marathonpacks’ Top 50 of the 90s list. To see #50-41, click here. To see #40-31, click here. The fourth installment, #20-11, will be posted Wednesday.)

30. PJ Harvey-To Bring You My Love (Island, 1995)
The slowly building, primordial guitars of opening track “To Bring You My Love” provide the perfect initiation [...]

(This is the second installment of marathonpacks’ Top 50 of the 90s list. To see #50-41, click here. The third installment, #30-21, will be posted Tuesday.)
40. Depeche Mode-Violator (Sire, 1990) (buy)
Serving diligently, along with Paul’s Boutique and, later, Nevermind as my Walkman-based school bus listening from eighth grade through the start of [...]

(This is the first installment of my top 50 albums of the 1990s, and will continue on a daily basis through the revelation of number one on Thursday.)
I was 13 in 1990, and 22 in 1999. This list represents, to a large degree, the span of the maturation of my popular musical development. I really, [...]