Screen Shot 2013-01-29 at 1.23.59 PM - 25 amazing forgotten songs of the '90s

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25 amazing forgotten songs of the ’90s

The last few weeks have heralded an avalanche of terrible ’90s reunions: New Kids on the Block are touring with 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men, and even famous backwards-wearing-clothes duo Kris Kross are coming back. So let’s take a minute to remember that the ’90s weren’t all bad. Here are 25 forgotten gems from a decade that gave us some incredible music.

Primitive Radio Gods: Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand

Ned’s Atomic Dustbin: Grey Cell Green

Souxsie & the Banshees: Kiss Them For Me

School of Fish: 3 Strange Days

Teenage Fanclub: The Concept

Jawbox: Savory

Land of the Loops: Multi Family Garage Sale

Concrete Blonde Tomorrow Wendy

Sneaker Pimps: 6 Underground

XTC: Dear God

Digable Planets: Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)

Belly: Gepetto

Edwyn Collins: A Girl Like You

Swirlies: Bell

Madder Rose: Panic On

Jesus Jones: Right Here, Right Now

Ministry: Jesus Built My Hotrod

Soul Asylum: Somebody to Shove

Bettie Seveert: Tom Boy

MC 900 Feat Jesus: Killer Inside Me

Smashing Pumpkins: Starla

Helium: XXX

Placebo: Pure Morning

Luna: Bewitched

The Sundays: Here’s Where the Story Ends

  1. January 29, 2013 at 10:00 pm, Michael Bradshaw said:

    Urge Overkill – "Sister Havana" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzFlPdHt1Gk.

    Reply

  2. January 30, 2013 at 12:15 am, Matt Meskill said:

    Dear God is an 80's tune.

    Reply

    • February 01, 2013 at 9:48 pm, Timb Krueller said:

      Wiki says 1986. That's unacceptable.

      Reply

    • February 09, 2013 at 1:43 am, Shawn Timothy Coleman said:

      Thank you, I was about to make the same comments. Now I don't need to.

      Reply

  3. January 29, 2013 at 10:08 pm, Richard Gere Is A Sex Gymnast and More Links said:

    [...] Death+Taxes: 25 amazing forgotten songs of the ’90s [...]

    Reply

  4. January 30, 2013 at 3:32 am, Aaron Wright said:

    Superchunk – Driveway to Driveway.
    Lemonheads – It's a Shame about Ray.
    Anything by Liz Phair.

    Reply

    • January 30, 2013 at 5:50 pm, Michael Bradshaw said:

      Fuck and Run is a clear oversight.

      Reply

    • January 30, 2013 at 6:39 pm, Erin Jones Buckingham said:

      I love the Lemonheads!

      Reply

    • January 30, 2013 at 9:52 pm, Alex Moore said:

      All great calls – I wanted to do 100 instead of 25 but it wouldn't load with that many videos.

      Reply

    • February 01, 2013 at 1:04 am, Aaron Wright said:

      Perhaps this could be a multi-part entry, Alex. You have excellent taste, sir. Cracker, Bob Mould, the Pixies, Veruca Salt, etc. Sure wish XM 90s on 9 would play more of this and less of the teenie-bopper stuff.

      Reply

  5. January 30, 2013 at 7:25 am, Trish Coate said:

    Porno for Pyros "100 Ways" http://youtu.be/BrZeOLSi3yA.
    SCOTS "Camel Walk" http://youtu.be/KUP5rwVNJko.
    Cake "Frank Sinatra" http://youtu.be/NSypnaxAlP4.

    Reply

  6. January 31, 2013 at 9:51 pm, Jeff Bauer said:

    Another gem by MC 900 foot jesus-The City Sleeps.
    You can catch most of these on 120 minutes on vh1 clasic…DVR it!

    Reply

  7. January 31, 2013 at 11:30 pm, Lance Mitaro said:

    More that should have made the list:

    White Town – Your Woman.
    New Radicals – You Get What You Give.
    Ruth Ruth – Uninvited.
    Brother Cane – And Fools Shine On.

    Reply

  8. February 01, 2013 at 9:50 pm, Timb Krueller said:

    Not bad. Major props for even knowing about MC 900. I would say that some of this stuff doesn't belong on any "forgotten music" list, especially Jesus Jones, Placebo, Soul Asylum… No one has even remotely forgotten about those tunes.

    Reply

    • February 02, 2013 at 2:46 am, Rose Evalyn said:

      the primitive radio gods song is on my favorite playlist :) I would also add medicine-time baby. It was on the crow soundtrack and everyone remembers it when they hear it

      Reply

    • February 02, 2013 at 2:53 am, Rose Evalyn said:

      on a related note; green jelly is touring. remember the 3 little pigs song?

      Reply

    • February 02, 2013 at 3:03 am, Rose Evalyn said:

      remember sugar cane by the space monkeys? that song (and the entire album) was about crack. do pop bands openly sing about crack anymore?

      Reply

    • February 02, 2013 at 1:34 pm, Timb Krueller said:

      Not familiar with that one actually. There were so many songs that sounded exactly like this in the mid/late 90s.

      Reply

  9. February 02, 2013 at 6:52 pm, Eoghan-Tony Dwyer said:

    a whole lot of meh.

    Reply

  10. February 03, 2013 at 12:33 am, Jordan Kelly Banas said:

    They had me at Geppeto

    Reply

  11. February 09, 2013 at 1:44 am, Shawn Timothy Coleman said:

    The Sundays were a great band from beginning to their all too fast finish.

    Reply

    • February 23, 2013 at 6:15 am, Doc Jom said:

      one of my favorites. but I thought they belong to the 80s era?

      Reply

  12. February 11, 2013 at 4:51 am, Jamey H said:

    I'd like to add the Butthole Surfers – "Pepper".

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO8vBVUaKvk

    Reply

  13. February 12, 2013 at 3:09 pm, Ian Norburg said:

    Too bad you couldn't do 100. Soul Coughing and Jeff Buckley (as well as a host of others) really should be on there.

    Reply

  14. February 14, 2013 at 2:41 am, Mike Ringl said:

    ok I don't know most of these bands…were they some underground hipster shit or something?

    Reply

  15. February 14, 2013 at 7:06 pm, Brandy Fenn said:

    * Siouxsie and the banshees.

    Reply

  16. February 16, 2013 at 3:48 am, Natalie Nicodemus said:

    Best.song.ever.

    Reply

  17. February 16, 2013 at 3:50 am, Natalie Nicodemus said:

    Also "pure" lightning seeds and "inside out" mighty lemon drops

    Reply

  18. February 27, 2013 at 12:39 pm, Stephen Wills said:

    Smashing Pumpkins? Who were they? Seriously, though, props on the Madder Rose and Bettie Serveert. I would have replaced the more well-known bands with Blake Babies and Daisy Chainsaw. Love Ministry, but maybe bands like Jawbreaker and Walt Mink need to be heard a little more often.

    Reply

  19. March 25, 2013 at 6:13 am, Luna Love said:

    haha flashbacks omg.

    Reply

  20. April 13, 2013 at 7:03 pm, Sarah Jayne Anderson said:

    I am a massive Placebo fan. I saw them 13 times when I lived in the UK. It saddens me that they haven't been able to make that much of a dent in the US market. I'm hoping they eventually tour here.

    Reply

    • April 13, 2013 at 7:40 pm, John Sullivan said:

      Six favourites on that list… Pretty good!

      Reply

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