The 90s provided massive changes in the music scene. But it didn’t happen overnight. A look at the albums released in September 1990 shows that several holdovers from the previous two or three decades were still going strong.
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Those albums turn 45 years old this month. Here’s a look at five of them that intrigued audiences then and still pack a wallop after all this time.
‘Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1’ by George Michael
Michael had the world’s ear after Faith. He easily could have continued in that crowd-pleasing direction. Instead, he got introspective and deep. The end result was something far less commercial, but perhaps more potent in the long run. Even the big hit, “Freedom ‘90” had a lot on its mind to go with the boogie in the rhythm. “Imagine”-like “Praying For Time” sets the pensive mood. The choice of cover, Stevie Wonder’s mournful “They Won’t Go When I Go”, is telling as well. Instead of Michael the pop star, we got Michael the songwriter here, and it was a revelation.
‘The Razor’s Edge’ by AC/DC
Although their albums were still doing solid numbers and they still drew fanatical live crowds, the Australian hard-rock legends seemed to be coasting a bit on their 80s studio releases post-Back In Black. The Razor’s Edge righted the warship in a major way. Angus and Malcolm Young took over sole songwriting responsibilities on the record. They dialed up chant-along choruses and some of their most memorable riffs in years. “Thunderstruck” and “Money Talks” put AC/DC all over the radio again. Even the deeper tracks hit hard, especially the fiery maelstrom of the title cut.
‘Ragged Glory’ by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Music critics everywhere likely cursed Neil Young for coming up with an album title so apropos that it robbed them of a phrase they likely would have used to describe the record. Ragged Glory is Young and Crazy Horse in all their…um…well, see what I mean? No acoustic instruments anywhere to be found on this one, unless Neil and company piled them on top of an amplifier to get more feedback. Some cool songs peek out from the morass, especially the sweetly nostalgic “Days That Used To Be”. Overall, however, it sounds like one unbroken, squealing guitar solo. And we’re OK with that.
‘All Shook Down’ by The Replacements
Technically, this goes down as the final Replacements album. But Paul Westerberg essentially constructed a solo record and then was convinced to invite some of the Mats to play on it for branding purposes. It sounds very little like the shambolic insouciance of the band’s early records. But the tradeoff is that you get Westerberg writing tighter songs with much more variety in musical approach than just serrated electric guitars. In fact, the best stuff here is the slower material, such as the title track and “Sadly Beautiful”.
‘Under The Red Sky’ by Bob Dylan
No one is ever going to put the 1990 effort, Under The Red Sky, too high on any list of Dylan’s best albums. But it’s also not nearly as poor as its reputation suggests. Music-wise, it features some ingratiating melodies, especially on the quieter material like “Born In Time”. Dylan probably bit off more than he could chew in trying to use nursery rhymes as the jumping-off point for many of the songs. Still, some ace players ensure that the whole thing sounds sharp. And “Handy Dandy” gives a good example of the potential of his intended approach when executed well.
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