My Life Of Music Obsession: 1993

In 1993 West Coast Hip Hop and so called "Grunge" were dominating the music scene.

Snoop Dogg then known by Snoop Doggy Dogg released his album "Doggystyle" which became the biggest and fastest selling hip hop album by going quadruple platinum. That's 4 million copies sold. This feat was unmatched in hip hop until the year 2000 when Eminem's "Marshall Mathers LP" went on to sell 8 million copies.

The soundtrack to the movie "The Bodyguard" snagged the grammy nomination for album of the year and went on to sell over 17 million copies.

Aerosmith released the biggest album of their career with "Get A Grip" which went on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide, and charted 7 singles with 4 of them being top 10 singles.

In addition to 1993 producing some of the biggest selling albums of all time every baby boomer and generation X'er in the world knew the chorus and sang along to Tag Team's "Whomp! There It Is."

It was a big year in music and had a huge impact on music history.

Check Out The Companion Playlist: Spotify, YouTube, iTunes.
On to the playlist...

1. US3 - Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia). - The break in this song is sampled from Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloop Island." US3 are one of three hip hop groups to really show their admiration for Jazz music in 1993, by outright making songs that could be categorized under both jazz and hip hop. Being a fan of both genres I really enjoyed this song and the next song on my list...

2. Digable Planets - Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat). - This has the coolest jazz bass line in the world.

3. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Gin And Juice. - The intro to the album version of this song has the sound of someone urinating in the background. I much prefer the single version, that doesn't include the micturating but it's impossible to track down unless you own a hard copy of it. I have the 12" single.

4. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Who Am I (What's My Name?). - I remember the magic of hearing this for the first time on the radio in the fall of 1993. I was hooked. The chorus is an interpolation of George Clinton's "Atomic Dog." My excitement became further peaked when my parents would take me for appointments at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh and I would see billboards in the window of every record store in Pittsburgh's Oakland Section for this album. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this album. It did not disappoint the young hip hop fan in me.

5. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You. - The biggest song of 1993. This cover of the Dolly Parton song earned multiple accolades for Whitney Houston.

6. Tag Team - Whoomp! (There It Is). - This is probably the first dirty south hip hop song to be a #1 single.

7. UB40 - (I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You. 

8. Janet Jackson - That's The Way Love Goes. - Her album "Janet" is my favorite album of hers.

9. Janet Jackson - If. 

10. Janet Jackson - Again. - I used to sing this ballad to my late great siamese cat "Fe." I never claimed to be normal.

11. SWV - Weak. - I love SWV. They are one of my favorite 1990's R&B groups. I still listen to three of their songs on a regular basis.

12. SWV - Right Here (Human Nature Remix.) - Two of my favorite songs of all time sample "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson. This is one of them. The other is Nas's "It Ain't Hard To Tell" which I will cover in my 1994 blog. Michael Jackson definitely created one of the greatest break beats of all time.

13. Snow - Informer. - This dance hall style song about someone dropping the dime and being ratted out to The Man became a big hit for this Canadian artist in 1993.

14. H Town - Knockin' Da Boots.

15. Duice - Dazzey Duks. - I love the 808 Miami Bass Sound on this song.

16. Paperboy - Ditty - This has that East Bay California hip hop sound, that E-40 and several other Bay Area rappers were known for well into the late 1990's.

17. Billy Joel - The River Of Dreams. - This is an ode to 1950's groups such as The Four Seasons.

18. The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles). - While this song is hard for me to listen to right now due to a bad memory involving this song on a drive home from Philly a few months ago, it still remains one of my favorite pop songs.

19. The Spin Doctors - Two Princes.

20. The Spin Doctors - Little Miss Can't Be Wrong. - This belongs on my ultimate break up songs list. It helped me through my most recent break up. I love the lyric "I hope them cigarettes are gonna make you cough. I hope you heard this song and it pissed you off. I take that back. I hope you're doing fine, and if I had a dollar I might give you ninety nine."

21. The Spin Doctors - Jimmy Olsen's Blues.

22. Tony! Toni! Tone! - If I Had No Loot. - One of my favorite R&B Jams.

23. Onyx - Throw Ya Gunz. 

24. Onyx - Slam. - The first hardcore rap song to become a major hit.

25. Michael Jackson - Will You Be There. - A great song recorded for the soundtrack to a lousy movie.

26. Naughty By Nature - Hip Hop Hooray. - Many wondered how this New Jersey Trio could achieve the same success they had with their song O.P.P. They came back strong with one of the greatest hip hop anthems of all time.

27. Toni Braxton - Another Sad Love Song. 

28. 4 Non Blondes - What's Up? - This one hit wonder group never had success beyond this song but it's an iconic song. Lead singer Linda Perry is an award winning songwriter and has written many of today's modern pop hits for the likes of artists like Adele.

29. Ace Of Base - All That She Wants.

30. Ace Of Base - Don't Turn Around.

31. Ace Of Base - The Sign. - This song by the Swedish pop group is one of the biggest songs of all time. It still gets referenced regularly in pop culture.

32. Aerosmith - Livin' On The Edge.

33. Aerosmith - Cryin'.

34. Aerosmith - Crazy.

35. Aerosmith - Amazing.

36. 2 Pac - Holler If Ya Hear Me.

37. 2 Pac - Keep Ya Head Up. - This song written by Tupac Shakur is telling us that we as men need to respect women. This song had a far different message from the misogynistic themed hip hop that most of the year produced.

38. 2 Pac - I Get Around. - The first song that exposed me to the music of Tupac Shakur.

39. Xscape - Just Kickin' It.

40. Positive K - I Got A Man. 

41. Zhane - Hey Mr. DJ.

42. Cypress Hill - Insane In The Brain. - The first song I heard by this classic hip hop group. I won a rap battle at a high school dance by rapping this song.

43. Cypress Hill - Hits From The Bong. - When I first heard this song I thought a bong was a type of Drum and had no idea that it was used for smoking Mary Jane. It was my 13 year old innocence that had no idea about illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia.

I remember a friend of mine lending me this CD in the 7th grade, and my 7th grade civics teacher snatching it from me somehow, reading the liner notes which contained a whole spill about the history of cannabis, it's prohibition and why it should be legal. That teacher confiscated the CD from me and called my parents. I got a lecture about the dangers of drugs from my parents.

I attended a Cypress Hill concert in 2004. They brought a large bong out on stage and announced to the crowd "It's time for a chronic break." The group commenced to get high on stage and share the bong with audience members in the first few rows before launching into this song.

Who Knew that some 20 odd years after the release of this song Marijuana wouldn't be a taboo subject anymore, and it would become legal to purchase and consume in at least 5 of the fifty U.S. States?

I guarantee that prohibition will be overturned nationwide within the next two years.

44. Cypress Hill - Pigs.

45. Cypress Hill - How I Could Just Kill A Man. - I took it upon myself to discover their 1991 debut album after hearing "Black Sunday." The first two Cypress Hill albums are amazing.

46. Cypress Hill. -Hand On The Pump.

47. Madonna - Erotica.

48. Inner Circle - Sweat ( A La La La La Long).

49. Inner Circle - Bad Boys. - The theme song from the hit TV series "Cops." When I was enrolled at Penn State Fayette The Eberly Campus for classes I joind a club called the WPSU radio club that allowed it's members to play music in the school cafeteria at lunchtime. The club president decided to send out a survey about the club on campus and the biggest complaint was about the president always playing this song. In fact most of the complaints were about the president. One stated "No More Poison." I still laugh about it.

50. DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince - I'm Looking For The One (To Be With Me.) - Even though clean cut hip hop like this became a dying art in the 1990's due to the Gangsta Rap of the time, when I DJ'd throughout the 90's I would always throw this song in and the crowd loved it. It's got a great sound.

51. DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince - Boom! Shake The Room.

52. Kris Kross - Alright.

53. Haddaway - What Is Love. - I always associate this song with the most iconic scene in the movie "A Night At The Roxbury."

54. Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy. - These guys brought back Power Pop in the 1990's.

55. Gin Blossoms - Found Out About You.

56. Gin Blossoms - Allison Road.

57. Sting - If I Ever Lose My Faith In You.

58. Green Jelly - Three Little Pigs. - This song is so wacky.

59. Def Leppard - Two Steps Behind - Easily their best ballad.

60. Def Leppard - Miss You In A Heartbeat.

61. Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way?

62. Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box. - The band's fourth album saw them move away from the punk sound and to more of a mainstream rock sound.

63. Nirvana - All Apologies.

64.Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Mary Jane's Last Dance.

65. Pearl Jam - Daughter.

66. Peral Jam - Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town. - My second favorite Pearl Jam song.

67. The Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock.

68. The Smashing Pumpkins - Today. 

69. The Smashing Pumpkins - Disarm. - This is the song that turned me on to this Chicago based group.

70. Counting Crows - Round Here. - I didn't appreciate this song in 1993 like I do now. It was around 2001 when adolescence had ended for me that this song became a lot more meaningful and became one of my favorite songs of all time.

71. Counting Crows - Mr. Jones.

72. Primus - My Name Is Mud. - When I caught Primus live in 2004 they opened the show with this song,

73. Anthrax - Only. - The First song I heard by this thrash metal outfit is this one. I will do an essential Anthrax playlist in a future entry, but the album this came from is still my favorite album of their's to date. It just sounds great. I think it's one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time.

74. MC Lyte - Ruffneck.

75. Outkast - Player's Ball. - Thanks to a cousin who worked in the warehouse of a record store chain, I received an advanced copy of this Atlanta duo's first album. I remember telling all my friends that these guys were going to be huge. I got told that they were terrible and laughed at. A few years later they started to sell a lot of records. I have quite the ear for music. I still love this song and listen to it regularly.

76. Outkast - Git Up, Git Out. - This is the song that introduced Cee Lo Green to the world. He sings on the chorus and even raps a verse on the album version. I remember when I first heard his voice and thinking he's going to be huge. Ten years later he became a household name.

77. Wu Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M. - One of the greatest hip hop songs of all time off of one of the greatest albums of all time.

78. Wu Tang Clan - Method Man.

79. Wu Tang Clan - Protect Ya Neck.

80. Souls Of Mischeif - 93 'Til Infinity.

81. Queen Latifah - Just Another Day...

82. Queen Latifah - U.N.I.T.Y. - Queen Latifah's stance against the misogyny from the male hip hop artists of the time.

83. A Tribe Called Quest - Award Tour.

84. A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation.

85. EPMD - Crossover. - I find it cool that Parrish Smith aka PMD of this classic hip hop group actually plugged my blog entry on old school hip hop on his twitter account.

86. Redman - Tonight's Da Night.

87. Spice 1 - Trigga Got's No Heart. - The song is the only hit this East Bay rapper ever had. I don't think it helped that 100% of his songs are about gang related murders and selling drugs.

88. MC Eiht - Straight Up Menace.

89. Boss - Deeper. - In 1993 hip hop was being dominated by artists from the west coast. New York based Def Jam Records, hip hop's biggest label of the 1980's and early 1990's decided to launch "Def Jam West" and signed Detroit born female rapper "Boss" who relocated to Los Angeles to achieve a hip hop career.

90. Boss - I Don't Give A F***. - I heard this song in an episode of the first season of "Orange Is The New Black." I found it cool that a hip hop rarity like this made it into a major TV show.

91. Megadeth - Symphony Of Destruction. - Dave Mustaine is one of the best guitar players in the world.

92. Megadeth - Sweating Bullets. - This is a great song about suffering from anxiety. It describes the feelings of anxiety accurately. It's also one of the best metal songs ever written. It makes me smile a "Black Tooth Grin."

93. Ice Cube - Really Doe. - I think Ice Cube's 1993 album "Lethal Injection" is often overlooked. I think it's one of best. When I went to Philly in the fall, my friend's two brothers kept quoting one of the lines from the intro. I quoted it with them and got high fives.

94. Ice Cube - Down For Whatever.

95. Ice Cube - Bop Gun (One Nation). - This song is a total throw back to the music of Parliment. It even features one of Parliment's member's George Clinton singing back up vocals.

96. Ice Cube - Ghetto Bird.

97. Ice Cube - What Can I Do? - This song is told from the perspective of an ex-con being released from prison and trying to find work.

98. Stone Temple Pilots - Piece Of Pie. - This song rocks. While hip hop pretty much dominated my stereo when this came out I still loved me some STP. These guys are so talented. The late great Scott Weiland was a fantastic frontman.

99. Stone Temple Pilots - Sex Type Thing.

100. Stone Temple Pilots - Dead And Bloated.

101. Stone Temple Pilots - Crackerman.

102. Stone Temple Pilots. - Plush.

103. Stone Temple Pilots - Creep.

104. The Cranberries - Dreams. - The Cranberries wrote some beautiful songs.

105. The Cranberries - Linger.


Coming Soon...My Life Of Music Obsession: Punk Rock Volume One.

If You would like to read my other entries you can do so by clicking here.

My Life Of Music Obsession: 1992

In 1992 hair metal was on its last legs due to the so called "Grunge" Movement. Only two bands from the hair metal genre continued to thrive in 1992. By 1993 hair metal and anything to do with the 1980's had become pretty much dead.

The second year of the 90's saw the rise of Gangsta Rap as Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre stormed upon the scene with their own brand of melodic hip hop that they labeled as "G-Funk." 

Queen landed on the charts in 1992 with their 1975 song "Bohemian Rhapsody" due in large part to the movie "Wayne's World."

Check Out The Companion Playlist: Spotify, YouTube, iTunes.

On to the playlist...

1. Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg - Deep Cover. - This song was recorded for the movie "Deep Cover." This became the world's first exposure to Snoop Doggy Dogg who later shortened his name to Snoop Dogg.

2. Dr. Dre - F*** Wit Dre Day.

3. Dr. Dre - Nuthin' But A G Thang. - This song launched Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg into super stardom.

4. Dr. Dre - Let Me Ride. - If you can track it down, the lengthy remix to this featuring George Clinton must be heard. It contains some extra verses by Snoop Dogg and a really cool brass section.

5. Def Leppard - Let's Get Rocked.

6. Def Leppard - Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad?

7. Def Leppard - Tonight. - I think Def Leppard's "Adrenalize" is one of their best albums. It's underrated and overlooked because anything to do with the 1980's was on it's way out due to Grunge. I think it's as amazing as Pyromania or Hysteria. Check It Out. It had five top ten singles.

8. Def Leppard - Make Love Like A Man.

9. Def Leppard - Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion).

10. Kris Kross - Jump. - This hip hop duo pretty much invented the style that would dominate hip hop fashion for 15 years to follow. They were the first to wear baggy pants that fell below the waist, and shirts that are way too big. 

11. Kris Kross - Warm It Up.

12. Boyz II Men - End Of The Road.

13. Sir Mix A Lot - Baby Got Back. - This song was so popular in 1992 that my parents liked it. You know you have something special if the Baby Boomer population liked it as much as Generation X. 

14. Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day.

15. Eric B & Rakim - What's On Your Mind?

16. Eric B & Rakim - Juice (Know The Ledge).

17. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You). - Easily in my top ten hip hop songs of all time. It contains my favorite jazz break beat. 

18. Joe Public - Live And Learn.

19. Silk - Freak Me. - Just the other day me and my best friend were discussing this song. She works in a flower shop and told me a hilarious story involving one of the employees of the flower shop, and a customer having this as the ring tone on his phone. This is one of the best slow jams of the 1990's.

20. Vanessa Williams - Save The Best For Last.

21. TLC - Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg.

22. TLC - Baby, Baby, Baby. 

23. En Vogue - My Lovin' ( You're Never Gonna Get It).

24. En Vogue - Free Your Mind. - This is one of the first songs to stand up against stereotyping. 

25.  En Vogue - Giving Him Something He Can Feel.

26. Tom Cochrane - Life Is A Highway. - I will probably get ridiculed by my fellow music journalists for saying I like this song, but I don't care. It's a song I still enjoy to this day. It's really positive and cheers me up when I hear it.

27. George Michael and Elton John - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me. - As I was putting this blog together, George Michael sadly passed away on Christmas Day of this year at age 53. I never really liked Wham, and I wasn't much a fan of solo efforts. This is the first song I liked with George Michael and it isn't even his own song. I now feel obligated to check out the Wham and Solo stuff. It just wasn't my thing, but maybe I'll appreciate it a little differently now that I'm older and my tastes have changed so much. 

28. Eric Clapton - Tears In Heaven.

29. Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart. - This is a terrible song that had lots of success. This is one of the first Country songs to crossover to the pop charts too,

30. Shanice - I Love Your Smile. - This song is very catchy. I had a crush on Shanice. I miss the days when it was acceptable to tell someone "I love your smile" and it wasn't taken as cheesy or creepy.

31. CeCe Peniston - Finally.

32. Patty Smyth and Don Henley - Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough.

33. House Of Pain - Jump Around. - One of the greatest hip hop songs of all time. It put Boston on the hip hop map.

34. Bobby Brown - Humpin' Around. - I got tired of this song after five listens. I can't stand to hear it today.

35. Sophie B. Hawkins - Damn! I Wish I Was Your Lover.

36. Toad The Wet Sprocket - All I Want.

37. Arrested Development - People Everyday.

38. Arrested Development - Mr. Wendal. - Their first album is the first CD I bought to go along with the new portable CD player my parents got me. I still have that Panasonic portable CD player and it still works very well. I wish I still had the Arrested Development CD. It was definitely a cool companion to go along with the first CD player I could take on the go with me. I don't think the batteries lasted longer than an hour.

39. Arrested Development - Tennessee. - In my last entry I talked about hip hop artists borrowing heavily from Mixmaster Spade's rap while singing vocal style. This song is a perfect example of that style.

40. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody. - If you don't like this song we can't be friends.

41. Black Sabbath - Time Machine - My first exposure to Sabbath came from this song. Ronnie James Dio's vocals are on point, and the band sounds great.

42. Jimi Hendrix - Foxy Lady. - I heard this song on the Wayne's World Soundtrack.

43.Alice Cooper - Feed My Frankenstein - Alice Co-Wrote this with Zodiac Mindwarp. Alice still plays this live to this day. It's one of my favorite AC songs.

44. Rhino Bucket - Ride With Yourself. - The first of two AC/DC want-to-be bands in this entry.

45. Firehouse - Reach For The Sky. - I loved their first album, but the second album "Hold Your Fire" disappointed me as a fan. To me it didn't sound like much originality or thought went into it. It's as if the record label pushed them to write something that would sell quick and not really stand the test of time. I still think to this day that they are a wonderful band. I just think they suffered the "Sophmore Album Curse" at the worst possible time. If this album had been better they may have had much more success in the 90's.

46. Firehouse - When I Look Into Your Eyes. - The opening keyboard riff sounds borrowed from Journey's "Faithfully." It's a great ballad but lacks in originality.

47. Slaughter - The Wild Life. - I like Slaughter's second album much better than the first one.

48. Slaughter - Days Gone By. - I love the harmonies on this song.

49. Slaughter - Real Love. - I think this is their best song. It was all over the radio in 1992. It's got a great guitar riff too played by the late great Tim Kelly.

50. Beastie Boys - Pass The Mic.

51. Beastie Boys - So What'Cha Want? - The music video for this song is so trippy.

52. Ice Cube feat Das EFX - Check Yo Self (remix).

53. Faith No More - Caffeine. - Faith no More's fourth album "Angel Dust" is extremely experimental and 24 years later still way ahead of it's time. I've heard so many bands try to duplicate their sound on this album but they don't come close. If you listen to the band Incubus's first three albums, they were definitely influenced by Faith No More. If you love music this album should definitely be in your collection.

54. Faith No More - Midlife Crisis. - I sometimes wonder if film director Sam Mendes may have been influenced by this song when he made "American Beauty." Every time I hear this song it makes me think of certain scenes in that film. Maybe I'm just weird.

55. Faith No More - Smaller And Smaller.

56. Faith No More - Everything's Ruined. - This song and music video are both strange.

57. Faith No More - A Small Victory.

58. Faith No More - Be Aggressive. - Faith No More is so hard to categorize musically because I think they borrow a little from each genre.

59. Alice In Chains - Brother.

60. Alice In Chains - Got Me Wrong. - I love the Jerry Cantrell chorus.

61. Alice In Chains - Them Bones.

62. Alice In Chains - Down In A Hole.

63. Alice In Chains - Rooster. - This is usually the first song that's brought up when talking about Alice In Chains.

64. Alice In Chains - Angry Chair.

65. Alice In Chains - Would? - I love the bass line and everything about this song. I would love to have the ability to experience the magic of hearing this again for the first time.

66. White Zombie - Thunderkiss '65. - This song has such an amazing groove to it. Rob Zombie owes Beavis and Butthead creator Mike Judge a huge debt of gratitude. It was the cartoon duo giving their thumbs up to this music video that launched him from underground status to fame and fortune.

67. Bruce Springsteen - Human Touch.

68. Bruce Springsteen - 57 Channels (And Nothin' On).

69. Bad Company - Here Comes Trouble.

70. Blind Melon - Tones Of Home.

71. Blind Melon - No Rain.

72. Jackyl - I Stand Alone. - These guys try a little too hard to be AC/DC. I like them though. Lead singer Jesse James Dupree is one of the best showmen in music. I love the music video for this song. It has the band playing on a flatbed truck in front of a k-mart store. K-Mart refused to carry their album due to a Parental Advisory Sticker.

73. Jackyl - The Lumberjack. - The first and only song with a chainsaw as an instrument that got significant radio airplay.

74. Damn Yankees - Don't Tread On Me.

75. Ugly Kid Joe - Panhandlin' Prince.

76. Ugly Kid Joe - Cats In The Cradle. - This Harry Chapin song also became a big hit for Ugly Kid Joe. I remember UKJ playing this live at one of the first televised MTV Spring Break's.

77. Compton's Most Wanted - Hood Took Me Under. - This song is a look at the harsh reality of being in a street gang.

78. A.L.T. And The Lost Civilization - Tequila.

79. Wreckx-N-Effect - Rump Shaker. 

80. Mary J. Blige - Real Love. - I love Mary J. Blige. I think she's one of the greatest singers of all time. She also shares the same birth date as me.

81. Mary J. Blige featuring Biggie Smalls - Real Love (Remix) - I feel this is important to include on my list because it served as the world's first introduction to Biggie Smalls who would have fame two years later when he changed his name to Notorious B.I.G. and released his first album.

82. Soul Asylum - Somebody To Shove.

83. Soul Asylum - Runaway Train.

84. Vince Neil - You're Invited (But Your Friend Can't Come).

85. Janet Jackson - The Best Things In Life Are Free.

86. Ralph Tresvant - Money Can't Buy You Love.

87. Public Enemy - Get Off My Back. - Flavor Flav's  take on Parliment's "Give Up The Funk."

Coming Soon...My Life Of Music Obsession: 1993.

If you would like to read my other entries you can do so by clicking here.

My Life Of Music Obsession: Old School Hip Hop.

In 1992 I started to transform into a hip hop fanatic which lasted through a majority of my teenage years. When I first heard Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg's "Deep Cover" and Ice Cube's "Today Was A Good Day", in 1992 I took it upon myself to discover as much hip hop as possible.

What follows in this entry is what I discovered courtesy of K-Tel compilations, and tapes that relatives and friends made me. The years in this entry range from 1978 to 1990. This entry contains well over 80 songs, and covers what I consider to be the golden era of hip hop music.

I do want to forewarn my readers that a majority of this playlist contains explicit lyrics. I try to keep my blogs family friendly for the most part, but I don't feel I would being doing a blog entry about the golden era of hip hop justice by excluding any of the essential songs on this list.

I hope many of my readers will remember the magic of the first time you heard Rappers Delight, or Boyz N' The Hood, or The Message, or King Of Rock, or Fight The Power, or Paid In Full. If you are discovering many of these for the first time I hope they bring you as much joy as they brought me.

I really dove deep into the annals of hip hop as I do with every genre of music. In future entries I will fill in the gaps of other essentials in other genres that I discovered later in life.

Check out the companion playlist Spotify, YouTube, iTunes.

On to the playlist...

1. Sugarhill Gang  - Rappers Delight. - The first hip hop song to expose hip hop to the masses. I didn't hear this until I was 17 years old via a cover version done by members of EPMD. I used to subscribe to BMG music club and ended up ordering the compilation "Best of the Sugarhill Gang" in 1997. I much prefer the edited 6 minute cut to the full version which clocks in at well over 14 minutes long. The bass line and other instrumental parts of "Good Times" by the disco act Chic are sampled and used to compose the break beat used on this song.

2. Sugarhill Gang - Apache. - While not as big as "Rappers Delight", I feel this is also an essential hip hop song.

3. Toddy Tee - Batterram - This is a song that chronicles the story of the LAPD using tanks to barge into suspected Crack Houses in South Central Los Angeles in the early 1980's.

4. Mixmaster Spade And Compton Posse - Genius Is Back. -This is an unofficial sequel to "Genius Of Love" by the NYC post punk group The Tom Tom Club. I originally heard this on the priority records compilation "Compton's Greatest Rap" in 1992. At this time I was DJ'ing grade school dances and I would always throw this song into my set list. I find it awesome that most of the crowd would always sing along to the line "Whatcha Gonna Do When You Get Out Of Jail?" Mariah Carey sampled a great deal of this song in her 1995 single "Fantasy."

5. Toddy Tee Ft. Mixmaster Spade - Just Say No. - I feel the music of Mixmaster Spade is often overlooked when it comes to Hip Hop music, and that the west coast hip hop scene didn't really get exposure until N.W.A. but there is much to be discovered about early west coast hip hop. I feel Mixmaster Spade is a good start. I have heard many hip hop artists rip off Mixmaster Spade's singing while rapping style. It's sad to me that he never gets the credit for it.

6. Kurtis Blow - The Breaks. - Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, and Kurtis Blow are considered by many to be the pioneers of hip hop.

7. Kurtis Blow - Basketball.

8. Fat Boys - Can You Feel It. - A lot of modern pop music borrows heavily from the break beats of the second generation of hip hop (1982 - 1986). Everytime I hear Passion Pit, or Bruno Mars, or Taylor Swift, it reminds me of those second generation hip hop break beats. I feel a lot of journalists will dismiss The Fat Boys as a gimmick to sell records but I feel they are every bit as important to the story of Hip Hop's mainstream success as Run DMC or anyone else.

9. Grandmaster Flash - The Message. - "Don't push me 'cause I'm close to the edge. I'm trying not to lose my head." I think this may very well be the first reality rap song about life on the streets.

10. Run DMC - Hard Times.

11. Run DMC - Rock Box. - I think this might be the first hip hop song to utilize a rock guitar instrumental over a break beat. This is one of my favorite hip hop songs of all time.

12. Run DMC - Sucker MC's. - This song comes from the movie "Krush Groove." I feel if you are researching old school hip hop it's an essential movie you should watch because I believe it chronicles the rise of one of hip hops most important and influential record labels "Def Jam."

13. Run DMC - It's Like That.

14. Run DMC - King Of Rock. - One of my favorite and what I feel is the most essential line in hip hop music came from this song. I get thrilled every time I hear "I'm the king of rock. There is none higher. Sucker MC's should call me sire."

15. Run DMC - Can You Rock It Like This?

16. Run DMC - Peter Piper.

17. Run DMC - It's Tricky.

18. Run DMC - My Adidas - I feel if you're going to dress the part of the 1980's hip hop scene, you need a kangol hat, a gold chain, a white t-shirt, an adidas track suit, and adidas high tops with straight laces.

19. Run DMC - You Be Illin'.

20. Run DMC - Run's House.

21. Run DMC - Mary, Mary.

22. LL Cool J - I Can't Live Without My Radio.

23. LL Cool J - Rock The Bells. - This is my favorite LL Cool J song of all time.

24. LL Cool J - I Need Love. - I believe this is the very first Hip Hop love ballad or attempt at it anyway.

25. LL Cool J - I'm Bad.

26. LL Cool J - Going Back To Cali.

27. LL Cool J - Around The Way Girl.

28. Whodini - Freaks Come Out At Night. - My deep appreciation for this hip hop trio came in the early 2000's when I watched the movie "The Wood." and heard this song in it. To me they took hip hop to the next level. They were the first to create their own original synthesizer instrumentals that they used over break beats. It's a style that Dr. Dre and many would come to utilize to this day. I find it wrong that these guys don't get the credit for being the originators of this style of hip hop. I've heard countless artists rip them off.

29. Whodini - Escape (I Need A Break).

30. Whodini - Friends.

31. Whodini - One Love. - Everyone from Nas to A Tribe Called Quest have sampled portions of this song.

32. Whodini - I'm A Ho.

33. Public Enemy - Sophisticated Bitch.

34. Public Enemy - Public Enemy No. 1.

35. Public Enemy - Night Of The Living Baseheads. - This is my favorite Public Enemy song. It talks about the dangers of using Crack.

36. Public Enemy - Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos.

37. Public Enemy - Rebel Without A Pause.

38. Public Enemy - 911 Is A Joke.

39. Public Enemy - Fight The Power. - A song about standing up to The Man.

40. Public Enemy - Don't Believe The Hype.

41. N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton. - This is one of the most important hip hop songs of all time. This isn't where Gangsta Rap had started but it was the first Gangsta Rap record to be exposed to the masses.

42. N.W.A. - F*** Tha Police. - They got a cease and desist letter from the FBI for this song. They were accused of invoking brutality against police.

43. N.W.A - Gangsta, Gangsta.

44. N.W.A. - 8 Ball Remix.

45. N.W.A. - Express Yourself. - The First N.W.A. song to feature vocals primarily by Dr. Dre.

46. N.W.A. - Dopeman.

47. Luke Featuring The 2 Live Crew - Face Down, A** Up. - This song is very vulgar but most 2 Live Crew songs are. It has a catchy sing a long part that's too infectious to ignore no matter how conservative you may be. "That's The Way (I Like It) by KC and The Sunshine band is sampled over top of that heavy BPM 808 drum sound that most Dirty South Hip Hop became known for.

48. 2 Live Crew - Me So Horny.

49. 2 Live Crew - Pop That Coochie.

50. Big Daddy Kane - Ain't No Half Steppin'.

51. Ice T - 6 'N The Morning. - Before Ice T became known for his acting role on "Law and Order" he was making classic Hip Hop records like this one. In my opinion this is the first Gangsta Rap song.

52. Ice T - I'm Your Pusher. - This is a song that warns kids about the dangers of doing drugs. It samples the Curtis Mayfield classic of the same name.

53. Ice T - Colors.

54. Ice Cube - The N**** Ya Love To Hate. - Ice Cube had left N.W.A. due to unpaid royalties by the groups then manager Jerry Heller and put out his own solo album by teaming up with members of Public Enemy. His first solo effort is his best in my opinion. Even though Ice Cube is from the west coast, his first album has a very east coast sound.

55.  Ice Cube - Once Upon A Time In The Projects.

56. Eazy E - Boyz 'N The Hood (remix). - This is my favorite Hip Hop song of all time, It's timeless.

57. Eazy E - Eazy Duz It.

58. Eazy E - We Want Eazy.

59. The D.O.C. - It's Funky Enough. - This is one of those timeless Dr. Dre Produced classics.

60. The D.O.C. - The Formula.

61. Boogie Down Productions - South Bronx. - It may be a battle rap but it's also an essential hip hop song.

62. MC Shan - The Bridge. 

63. Geto Boys - Scarface. - The Geto Boys put Houston, Texas on the Hip Hop Map. Scarface, one of the trio's members wrote what I feel is the best hip hop album of the 2000's "The Fix." I've heard Jay Z copy a lot of what Scarface did a decade earlier.

64. Geto Boys - Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta. - I remember a friend in grade school dubbed me a copy of the compilation "Uncut Dope" which has this song on it. It was neat to hear it years later in the movie "Office Space."

65. Eric B And Rakim - I Ain't No Joke. - I feel that Rakim is the greatest MC of all time. His flow is still unmatched to this day. The only other rapper's who have come close are Eminem, and The Notorious B.I.G.

66. Eric B And Rakim - I Know You Got Soul.

67. Eric B And Rakim - Paid In Full. - The line "Thinking of a master plan 'cause aint nothing but sweat inside my hand" is so iconic.

68. Eric B And Rakim - Microphone Fiend.

69. Beastie Boys - Hey Ladies. - Many music critics hail the Beastie Boys second album "Paul's Boutique" as their best and I've never understood why. It certainly isn't anywhere near as great as "Licensed To Ill" but it does have some good songs like this one.

70. Beastie Boys - Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun.

71. Salt N' Pepa - Push It.

72. A Tribe Called Quest - I Left My Wallet In El Segundo. - These guys were the first to profess their love of Jazz and Break Beats through their music. While DJ Jazzy Jeff may have been the first to combine these two styles of music, these guys made it known that they were both Jazz and Hip Hop Fanatics.

73. A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It?

74.  De La Soul - Me, Myself and I. - This song is just pure fun.

75. EPMD - I'm Housin'.

76. EPMD - You Gots To Chill.

77. EPMD - So Wat Cha Sayin' - I didn't really get sold on EPMD until their later works in the 1990's which featured Redman, but I did like this song.

78. Compton's Most Wanted - This Is Compton.

79. Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock - It Takes Two. - No essential hip hop list is complete without this song.

80. Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock - Joy And Pain.

81. Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh - La Di Da Di.

82. Slick Rick - Children's Story.

83. Slick Rick - Teenage Love. - This is my favorite hip hop love ballad.

84. Afrika Bambaataa and Soul Sonic Force - Planet Rock.

Coming Soon...My Life Of Music Obsession: 1992

You can read my other blog entries by clicking here.

My Life Of Music Obsession: 1991

As I have been gathering playlists for my 1990's blog entries I discover that the playlist becomes more and more massive with each year. This playlist has 112 songs.

As I did my research into the music charts of 1991, I rediscovered a bunch of long forgotten gems like Color Me Badd.

...1991 is the year that Michael Jackson released his album "Dangerous" which spawned 4 number one singles.

...1991 is the year Metallica released their self titled album, and had their first radio hit with "Enter Sandman."

...1991 is the year that Nirvana released their second album "Nevermind" which is credited with killing the glitz, glam, and fashion of the 1980's.

Nirvana are credited with being the Godfathers of "Grunge" music, but I've never liked that term. I've always seen Nirvana as a Punk Rock band, and the term "Grunge" has been used to categorize the sound of any band that came from Seattle, Washington in the 1990's. Bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, The Melvins, and Mudhoney were all identified as "Grunge Rock" just because they were from Seattle. My problem with that labeling is that all these bands sound very different from each other. How can one term be used to categorize the sound of bands that don't even sound similar? The latter is a question I pose to my readers

Check Out The Companion Playlist: Spotify, YouTube, iTunes.

On to the playlist...


1. Michael Jackson - Jam. - I remember the cool music video to this song which featured Michael Jordan.

2. Michael Jackson - Remember The Time. - This is my favorite song on the album "Dangerous."

3. Michael Jackson - Heal The World.

4. Michael Jackson - Black Or White. - Did you know that Slash from the band Guns N' Roses plays guitar on this song?

5. Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy. - I first started DJ'ing school dances in 1991. I remember this song got requested a lot. Yes I was DJ'ing at 11 years old.

6. Jesus Jones - Right Here Right Now. - I still love this song. I like the message in the song too that wherever you are is the place to be.

7. EMF - Unbelievable. - I liked this back in the day, but I can't stand to listen to it now.

8. Color Me Badd - I Wanna Sex You Up. - My parents bought me this album for my 11th birthday. I remember wanting this album and a Pogo Stick. I gave up on the pogo stick after a few falls, but this album and song sure got a lot of usage.

9. Color Me Badd - All 4 Love.

10. Color Me Badd - I Adore Mi Amore.

11. Bryan Adams - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You. - Hands down one of the best love songs ever written.

12. Amy Grant - Baby, Baby.

13. Bette Midler - From A Distance.

14. Bonnie Raitt - Something To Talk About. - I got this album as a Christmas present in 1991 from one of my aunt's.

15. Bonnie Raitt - I Can't Make You Love Me. - As I was going through a breakup a few months ago I kept hearing the chorus to this song in my head. "I can't make you love me, if you dont."

16. Boyz II Men - It's So Hard To Say Goodbye. - My first slow dance was to this song.

17. Boyz II Men - Motownphilly - One of my uncle's got me this album for Christmas in 1991.

18. Boyz II Men - Sympin (remix) - Did you know that the very first concert I ever attended was a Boyz II Men concert?

19. Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch - Good Vibrations. - Actor Mark Walberg is a dope rapper.

20. Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch - Wildside.

21. Cathy Dennis - Touch Me (All Night Long). - Cathy Dennis had more success with this song than Wish feat. Fonda Rae had with it in the early 1980's. I had a major crush on Cathy Dennis.

22. Michael Bolton - When A Man Loves A Woman. - Ugggh! Did I really like this song?

23. Divinyls - I Touch Myself. - I urge everyone to check out The Divinyls work prior to 1991. It's so good.

24. Another Bad Creation - Playground. - I think these kids were attempting to be the next New Edition.

25. Another Bad Creation - Iesha.

26. Bryan Adams - Can't Stop This Thing We Started.

27. UB40 - The Way You Do The Things You Do.

28. UB40 - Here I Am.

29. Seal - Crazy. - Long before he had success with his song "Kiss From A Rose" he made some amazing music that should not be overlooked.

30. Seal - Killer. - I wonder if Trent Reznor took notes from Seal before starting work on the Nine Inch Nails album " The Downward Spiral"? I definitely hear a lot of influence.

31. Chris Isaak - Wicked Game.

32. Naughty By Nature - Everything's Gonna Be Alright.

33. Naughty By Nature - Uptown Anthem.

34. Naughty By Nature - O.P.P. - Were You Down with O.P.P.?

35. Salt N' Pepa - Let's Talk About Sex. - I remember this song causing a lot of controversy when it came out due to the A.I.D.S. epidemic.

36. R.E.M. - Losing My Religion. - R.E.M. had some amazing albums in the 1990's.

37. R.E.M. - Shiny Happy People.

38. Van Halen - Poundcake.

39. Van Halen - Runaround. - Van Halen's 1991 album "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" has some of the best songs from their run with Sammy Hagar as their lead vocalist.

40. Van Halen - Right Now. - I remember this song being used in Crystal Pepsi Commercials in 1991.

41. Van Halen - Top Of The World.

42. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Learning To Fly.

43. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Into The Great Wide Open.

44. U2 - One. - A great song from my favorite U2 album "Achtung Baby." I got this album for Christmas in 1991.

45. U2 - Mysterious Ways.

46. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit. - I remember this song breaking on MTV in 1991. It made everything I liked up until that time seem really lame. I guess you could say that Nirvana put the bug in my ear that would eventually lead me to liking Punk Rock in my 20's. It only took me 9 more years, and discovering 4 more bands to get me there.

47. Nirvana - In Bloom.

48. Nirvana -Come As You Are.

49. Nirvana - Lithium.

50. Nirvana - Polly.

51. Nirvana - Territorial Pissings. - This song is total punk rock.

52. Nirvana - Something In The Way.

53. Nirvana - Sliver.

54. Guns N' Roses - Live And Let Die. - Guns N' Roses Released 2 albums in 1991 Entitled "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II."

55. Guns N' Roses - Don't Cry.

56. Guns N' Roses - Double Talkin' Jive.

57. Guns N' Roses - Civil War. - I first heard this song on the b-side of their single "You Could Be Mine."

58. Guns N' Roses - 14 Years.

59. Guns N' Roses - Yesterdays.

60. Guns N' Roses - Knockin' On Heavens Door.

61. Guns N' Roses - Get In The Ring. - This is a great profanity laced anthem directed towards sensational journalists.

62. Guns N' Roses - Estranged.

63. Guns N' Roses - You Could Be Mine. - I remember my parents surprising me one day with this cassette single. This song is featured in the movie "Terminator 2: Judgement Day."

64. Metallica - Enter Sandman. - A lot of old Metallica fans felt Metallica had sold out when they released their self titled album in 1991.

65. Metallica - Sad But True.

66. Metallica - Holier Than Thou.

67. Metallica - The Unforgiven.

68. Metallica - Wherever I May Roam.

69. Metallica - Through The Never.

70. Metallica - Nothing Else Matters. - This ballad has a lot more meaning to me as an adult than it did as an 11 year old. I certainly appreciate the lyrics more.

71. Metallica - Of Wolf And Man.

72. Metallica - My Friend Of Misery.

73. DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince - Ring My Bell.

74. DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince - Summertime.

75. DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince - You Saw My Blinker.

76. Goo Goo Dolls - You Know What I Mean.

77. Goo Goo Dolls - I'm Awake Now.

78. Public Enemy - Shut Em' Down.

79. Geto Boys - Chuckie.

80. Geto Boys - Mind Playing Tricks On Me. - This is the first "Gangsta Rap" song I heard. I love it.

81. Geto Boys - The Other Level.

82. Chubb Rock - Treat Em' Right.

83. P.M. Dawn - Set Adrift On Memory Bliss.

84. Nice And Smooth - Sometimes I Rhyme Slow.

85. DJ Quik - Tonite.

86. DJ Quik - Born And Raised In Compton.

87. Ozzy Osbourne - Mama I'm Coming Home.

88. Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears.

89. Pearl Jam - Even Flow. - The first time I heard Pearl Jam it was love.

90. Pearl Jam - Alive.

91. Pearl Jam - Black.

92. Pearl Jam - Jeremy.

93. Pearl Jam - State Of Love And Trust. - This is my favorite Pearl Jam song. It sounds like a live performance.

94. Pearl Jam - Yellow Ledbetter.

95. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give It Away.

96. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge.

97. Ugly Kid Joe - Everything About You. - Did you know that the drummer for this band now plays in Godsmack?

98. Mr. Big - To Be With You.

99. Mr. Big - Just Take My Heart.

100. Faith No More - The Perfect Crime.

101. Slaughter - Shout It Out.

102. Megadeth - Go To Hell.

103. Vanilla Ice - Ninja Rap.

104. Roxette - Joyride.

105. Hammer - 2 Legit 2 Quit.

106. Hammer - Addams Groove.

107. Genesis - Jesus He Knows Me.

108. Genesis - I Can't Dance.

109. Skid Row - Monkey Business.

110. Skid Row - Slave To The Grind.

111. Poison - So Tell Me Why.

112. Guns N' Roses - November Rain.


Coming Soon...My Life Of Music Obsession: Old School Hip Hop.

If you would like to read my other blog entries you can do so by clicking here.

My Life Of Music Obsession: 1990

(Cue the Vanilla Ice) "Yo! V.I.P. Let's kick it!" ...1990 was definitely a great year in music to kick off the new decade. I look upon it with very fond memories. 

It's the year I got my first CD player. It's the year Alice In Chains prepared us for what was to come our way musically in the 1990's. It's the year that had everyone doing "The Bartman" and singing "Everybody Dance Now!"

Check Out The Companion Playlist: Spotify, YouTube, iTunes.

...On to the playlist.

1. Poison - Valley Of Lost Souls. - Poison arguably released the best album of their career in 1990. It charted 5 top ten singles. They open every live performance with the intro to this song before launching into their 1986 song "Look What The Cat Dragged In." I'm hoping one of the times I catch them live that they'll surprise me and play this whole song and not just the intro.

2. Poison - Unskinny Bop. - This song doesn't have as much appeal as it used to, but it was fun for the time.

3. Poison - Let It Play.

4. Poison - Life Goes On.

5. Poison - Ride The Wind.

6. Poison - Something To Believe In. - I've heard a lot of journalists and others say that the "Hair Bands" had no substance, but I disagree. This is a prime example that they did. This is a straight from the heart song about losing people you love, all the problems in the world, and questioning the existence of a higher power in the presence of it all. It's a very real song that everyone can relate to.

7. MC Hammer - U Can't Touch This. - I remember the TV commercials for the tour. This song was everywhere in 1990. I still hear people say they want the "Hammer Pants" from this music video.

8. MC Hammer - Pray.

9. The Simpsons - Do The Bartman. - I remember the local Fox affiliate playing this music video in between TV slots on Saturday's. The Simpsons were the hip prime time cartoon that everyone in America loved. It was only natural to bring them to another medium by releasing an album of music called "The Simpsons Sing The Blues."

10. Slaughter - Up All Night. - I think the name of the band is definitely way better than the actual music. I liked them at the time. I think they had talent. Blas and Dana are definitely talented musicians for sure, but I don't think it translated well in this band. Mark Slaughter is definitely a great guitar player too, but his voice is a little hard to palate sometimes.

11. Slaughter - Fly To The Angels.

12. Slaughter - Mad About You.

13. Firehouse - All She Wrote. - The production on their debut album is very slick.

14. Firehouse - Don't Treat Me Bad. - I remember the first time I heard this on the radio. It was love. I immediately bought the album the next day at the record store.

15. Firehouse - Overnight Sensation. - Lead singer CJ Snare definitely had a great falsetto voice that rivaled that of King Diamond's.

16. Firehouse - Love Of A Lifetime. - If I ever get married I want this to be the song for the bride and groom first dance. 

17. Firehouse - Helpless. - I loved this song when it first came out. Unfortunately, I don't feel it holds up well today. The guitar playing on it is phenomenal.

18. Jon Bon Jovi. - Blaze Of Glory. - This is the theme song for the movie "Young Guns II." It's a cool song for a cool movie. 

19. Wilson Philips - Hold On.

20. Nelson - (Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection. - The Nelson twins were known as "Power Tool" prior to changing their name to "Nelson." I liked them for a brief period.

21. Nelson - After The Rain. 

22. Nelson - Only Time Will Tell.

23. Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby. - I often question myself as to why I actually liked this at one point. It's definitely on my list of the worst songs of all time. It samples a phenomenal song by David Bowie and Queen called "Under Pressure" that you should definitely go listen to now. Replace this song on my playlist with that song,

24. Vanilla Ice - Play That Funky Music. - Nothing funky here. Move On.

25. Technotronic - Pump Up The Jam. - The 1990's had some great EDM music for sure.

26. Technotronic - Move This.

27. C&C Music Factory - Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now). - I was singing this at work the other night, and someone who was born in 1990 started singing along. That's a testament to how iconic this song is. Everybody knows this song.

28. C&C Music Factory - Things That Make You Go Hmmm. 

29. C&C Music Factory - Just A Touch Of Love (Everyday). - If I'm making someone an EDM mix playlist, this song is always included. It still sounds fresh and most people don't pick up on the fact that it's 26 years old.

30. Michael Bolton - How Can We Be Lovers? - I almost forgot about this song until a co-worker brought it up while we were talking about relationships.

31. Janet Jackson - Miss You Much. 

32. Janet Jackson - Escapade.

33. Janet Jackson - Black Cat.

34. SNAP! - The Power. 

35. Faith No More - From Out Of Nowhere.

36. Faith No More - Epic. - I think this is the first time I heard metal and hip hop mixed together so seamlessly. I still remember seeing the video on MTV. 

For those of us who grew up in and around Morgantown, WV  you might remember 1990 as the year that the "New Mall" opened. My first purchase at the new mall was the cassette single to this song. I played this song a lot. It was so different from anything else out at the time.

Last week I went to sheetz to get coffee for a co-worker, and this song was playing over the speaker system in the store. I started banging my head when I heard it. I sure was getting some strange looks.

37. Faith No More - Falling To Pieces.

38. Motley Crue - Dr. Feelgood. - As the 80's ended, Motley Crue became more and more watered down. This is certainly the slickest they had ever sounded, but I liked the raw edginess of their older stuff. 

39. Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart.

40. Motley Crue - Without You.

41. Motley Crue - Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.) - My favorite song on the "Dr. Feelgood" album. It sounds great live.

42. Motley Crue - Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away.) 

43. Ice T - You Played Yourself. - As the 1990's rolled on, I found myself getting more and more into hip hop.

44. Go West - King Of Wishful Thinking. -  I still love this song. The soundtrack to "Pretty Woman" is one of the first CD's I had owned and to this day this is my favorite song from it. I randomly sing this song all the time. "I'll get over you. I know I will."

45. Roxette - It Must Have Been Love. - ..."but it's over now."

46. Biz Markie - Just A Friend. - I remember having my boombox on the playground at school during recess, rewinding and playing this song frequently." 

47. LL Cool J - Jack The Ripper. - This song served as my first introduction to what's become known as a "Diss" or a "Battle Rap." This is LL Cool J's diss to Kool Moe Dee but Kool Moe Dee answered back with...

48. Kool Moe Dee - Let's Go. - This is the answer to LL Cool J's "Jack The Ripper." Lyrically speaking he murdered LL on this song, but LL Cool J answered back with...

49. LL Cool J  - Mama Said Knock You Out. - LL answered Kool's diss with this song, and this is the first battle rap to become a hit single and helped bolster LL Cool J into super star status. Success wise LL Cool J won the battle with this song, but lyrically speaking Kool Moe Dee had the better rhymes.  

50. INXS - Disappear. - This is my favorite INXS song. This is the most pop influenced song they've ever written and I love every second of it.

51. Black Crowes - Hard To Handle.

52. Cinderella - Shelter Me. - I think this is one of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time. I still love the music video starring Little Richard. It's one of my favorites.

53. Cinderella - Heartbreak Station. - This is a testament to the great song writer that Tom Kiefer is. This song echoes what it feels like to have your heart broken. 

54. Faster Pussycat - House Of Pain. - A band known for it's sleaziness scored it's one and only hit with a power ballad. I didn't discover their other music until a few years ago. These guys are the inventors of "Sleaze Metal."

55. Tesla - Signs.

56. Warrant - Cherry Pie. - The story goes that Warrant turned their second album into Columbia Records and it was called "Uncle Tom's Cabin" but it didn't contain this song. The record label told the band they needed an anthem, and out of anger Jani Lane wrote this song in an hour. The band recorded it, and the rest is history as this became their biggest song much to the chagrin of the late great Jani Lane.

The album got renamed to "Cherry Pie."

57. Damn Yankees - High Enough.

58. Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance.

59. Bel Biv Devoe - Poison - A great song produced by Michael Bivins that set the stage for two groups to become successful 1991. I'm talking about Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men.

60.  Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence. - This song has great lyrics.

61. Concrete Blonde - Joey. - This is one of those songs from the 90's that sounds like a bad regurgitation of the 1980's. I thought I would never have to hear it again but in 2006 it reared its ugly head out again courtesy of a friend who would play this song repeatedly when she got a little too merry. I love you Sarah.

62. Whodini - Anyway I Gotta Swing It. - This hip hop group never became as successful as the people who ripped them off. I still hear hip hop artists ripping them off. I didn't discover their earlier stuff until about 14 years ago. They were definitely way ahead of their time.

63. Extreme - More Than Words. - This song still gets played often at Weddings.

64. Extreme - Hole Hearted.

65. AC/DC - Thunderstruck. - Easily one of the most iconic guitar riffs of all time.

66. AC/DC - Moneytalks. - I seemed to annoy the DJ at the local roller rink a lot as a child. I requested this song almost every time I went there in 1990.

67. Queensryche - Silent Lucidity. - I'm not much of a queensryche fan, but I do love a well written song. This song sounds like it could have been on a Pink Floyd album.

68. Pantera- Cowboys From Hell. - A cousin used to work in the warehouse for the Pittsburgh, Pa based music chain "National Record Mart." They had once per month promotional tapes that would play on a continuous loop in the stores to promote new music. Each tape contained about 16 songs featuring 2 songs by 8 different artists. My cousin would sometimes send me these tapes. On one of the tapes, I heard this song. 

I'll never forget hearing that chugging riff, before it launches into a bluesy swaggering thrash metal riff. The whole song grooves from start to finish. I had never heard anything that sounded this amazing, groovy, and brutal before. To this day I haven't heard any metal song that made me as excited as this one. 

Sadly, as the 1990's progressed I got into hip hop, and totally missed their next two albums but I ended up discovering those albums in my 20's. I will do an essential Pantera entry in the future.

69. Pantera - Psycho Holiday. - This is the other song that was on that promotional tape.

70. Alice In Chains - We Die Young. - Hailing from Seattle, this band sounded so different. The crushing guitars, and the two part harmonies between Jerry Cantrell and the late Layne Stayley made this band so unique. Even though I had gotten into hip hop post 1992, this is one of the very few rock bands that I followed through the 90's. They were part of the soundtrack to my high school years.

71. Alice In Chains - Man In The Box.

72. Alice In Chains - Bleed The Freak.

Coming Soon...My Life Of Music Obesession: 1991

If you would like to read older entries you can do so by clicking here. 

My Life Of Music Obsession: 1989

...1989 is a year that's giving me writers block when it comes to writing about the music of the year. There definitely were some gems, but at this point music had become dull and boring. I think a lot of people got tired of what was dominating the airwaves and were ready for a change.


This year saw Aerosmith come back in a major way with their 1989 album "Pump." They changed their sound by writing more accessible radio friendly songs, and scored 4 top ten singles. Aerosmith's success with top ten singles continued through the 1990's.

Check Out The Companion Playlist: Spotify, YouTube, iTunes.


On to the playlist...

1. Bobby Brown - My Prerogative.

2. Bobby Brown - Every Little Step I Take.

3. Bobby Brown - On Our Own. - This is still one of my go to favorite songs of the 1980's. This is the theme song for the film "Ghostbusters II." It's a lousy film. Dare I say that I like this song way better than the theme to the first movie? I love the rap part in the song. It's a fine example of a perfect pop song.


4. Bette Midler - Wind Beneath My Wings. - It may surprise some people that I would have this on my list. This song is so iconic, and a good song is a good song. I'm not a Bette Midler fan by any stretch of the imagination, but she does have some great songs in her catalog.


5.Roxette - The Look.


6. Was (Not Was) - Walk The Dinosaur. - This song is so incredibly cheesy and I can't stand to listen to it today, but I'd be lying if I said I didmt enjoy it and sing along to it as a 9 year old.


7. Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy. - This is another one of those songs I enjoyed when it came out but can't stand to listen to it now.


8. Bon Jovi - Lay Your Hands On Me. - This song definitely has some great guitar work.


9. Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine. - I remember the DJ at the local roller skating rink getting angry at me because I would request this song every Friday.


10. Bon Jovi - I'll Be There For You.

11. Madonna - Like A Prayer.

12. Madonna - Express Yourself.

13. Madonna - Cherish.

14. Martika - Toy Soldiers. - Eminem sampled the chorus from this in his hit song " Like Toy Soldiers."


15. Mike and The Mechanics - The Living Years. - I love the kids singing on the chorus in this song.


16. Tone Loc - Wild Thing.

17. Tone Loc - Funky Cold Medina.


18. The B-52's. - Love Shack. - This became a massive hit for this group. I love them but I got tired of this song after it played on MTV and every radio station at least once an hour.


19. The B-52's - Roam. - I still own the 45 to this song. It sounds way more incredible on Vinyl than any other medium.


20. Guns N' Roses - Patience.

21.Guns N' Roses - Mama Kin. - This is a great cover of an Aerosmith song. I remember myself and some friends playing Axl's introduction to this song way more than the actual song itself.


22. Aerosmith - Love In An Elevator.

23. Aerosmith - Janie's Got A Gun.

24. Aerosmith - The Other Side.

25. Aerosmith - What It Takes.

26. Alice Cooper - Poison.

27. Tom Petty - Free Fallin' - This is an iconic song, and you can't mention Tom Petty without bringing up this song.


28. Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down.

29. Tom Petty - Running Down A Dream.

30. Megadeth - No More Mr. Nice Guy. - This cover of the Alice Cooper classic served as my first introduction to Megadeth.


31. The Dudes Of Wrath - Shocker. - The Dudes Of Wrath were a super group that consisted of Paul Stanley, Rudy Sarzo, Vivian Campbell, Desmond Child, Guy Mann-Dude, Tommy Lee, Michael Anthony, and Kane Roberts. They recorded one song for the Wes Craven film "Shocker" and this is it. It's a great song. I wish they would have recorded more.


32. Dangerous Toys - Demon Bell.


33. Dead On - Different Breed - This is a song on the soundtrack to Wes Craven's "Shocker" that I would play on repeat often. These guys sounded so raw and brutal with their thrash/speed metal sound. A few years ago I tracked down a copy of their one and only album. It's sad they never had success because it's a fantastic metal album.


34. Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire.

35. Great White - Once Bitten Twice Shy.

36. Skid Row - 18 And Life. - I love the first two Skid Row albums. They are so great.


37. Skid Row - I Remember You.


Coming Soon...My Life Of Music Obsession: 1990

If you would like to read my other blog entries you can do so by clicking here.

My Life Of Music Obsession: Iron Maiden 1980 - 1990

The Faithful readers of my blog may be wondering why Iron Maiden, or Slayer, or Anthrax haven't been covered in my 1980's entries. I didn't discover Iron Maiden until my junior year of high school, Slayer until college, and Anthrax until junior high.

The two former bands rose to popularity during the height of the "satanic panic" when every news media outlet, and conservative group had accused these bands of practicing Satanism. My parents wouldn't let me own their albums during that time period from 1983 - 1993 when virtually everybody in rock music had been accused of worshipping the devil. By 1993 a sub genre of Hip Hop called "Gangsta Rap" rose to popularity and those same media outlets and conservative groups found a new target, and suddenly the sensational journalism surrounding these metal bands disappeared.

I've decided to write entries of essential songs by the artists who were around during the 80's and 90's that I didn't discover until later in life to fill in the gaps of anything missing from the years in my other entries. For this entry I give you Iron Maiden who have sold over 80 million records world wide, and are still making great music to this day.

Iron Maiden have an interesting background to say the least. They were formed in the mid to late 1970's in the U.K. at a time when heavy metal was almost a dying art. Punk Rock was the thing during that time for British teenagers, and the kids had turned their backs on Black Sabbath. Then came the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. Iron Maiden sounded like a punk band at first and the British teenagers who were into punk accepted Iron Maiden with open arms. Members of Iron Maiden to this day deny any punk influence, but if you listen to the first two Iron Maiden albums it's obvious that they were influenced by punk. Listen to their B-side "Burning Ambition" It's everything punk rock is about.

I really look up to and admire this band. They are great guys, and they sold over 80 million records with little to no radio airplay. In 1982 when they fired original lead singer Paul Dianno and brought in Bruce Dickinson as their lead singer they were about to become a force to be reckoned with.

Bruce is an amazing guy in his own right. He's a fencer, he is the pilot of the band's Boeing 757 plane dubbed "Ed Force One", fly's himself, the band, their crew and all their equipment from continent to continent and still is able to run around on stage with high energy and deliver a great performance at every concert. Did I mention he is 58 years old? I hope to have that much energy when I'm that age.


I first discovered Iron Maiden in 1997 while watching the 1985 Dario Argento Film "Phenomena" which is also known by it's heavily cut version in America "Creepers." In one of the scenes a song by Iron Maiden called "Flash Of The Blade" played. It was instant love. I immediately went out and bought their 1984 album "Powerslave" that included that song. After hearing that album, I took it upon myself to discover the rest of their material.

This entry is the first in a two part series. In a future entry I will post their work from 1991 - 2016. Here's 42 songs to get you started.

Check Out The Companion Playlist: Spotify, YouTube, iTunes.


...on to the playlist.

1. Prowler.

2. Sanctuary.

3.  Remember Tomorrow. - This is one of my favorite songs from the first album.  It's a ballad that turns into a rocker.

4. Running Free.

5. Phantom Of The Opera. - I remember seeing Iron Maiden live in 2005 on Ozzfest. On the tour they were only playing songs from the first four albums. One of my friends who attended the festival with me is a Hippy through and through but he also likes metal. When lead singer Bruce Dickinson introduced this song he said to the audience " This song right here is the definition of heavy metal and if you don't believe me you can go listen to some f*cking hippy sh*t like the Dave Matthews Band." I remember my friend being highly offended by that statement.

6. Iron Maiden. - The band closes every show with this song, and the band's huge robotic mascot "Eddie" comes out on stage during it and harrasses the members of the band.

7. The Ides Of March/Wrathchild. - This is really two songs but they belong together. The first is an instrumental, and it transitions nicely into Wrathchild.

8. Murders In The Rue Morgue.

9. Another Life.

10. Innocent Exile.

11. Killers. - This song sounds so creepy and evil.

12. Purgatory. - The first Iron Maiden shirt I ever owned had the cover from this single on it. I got it on their "Give Me Ed Till I'm Dead" tour in 2003.

As opening acts they had Motorhead and Dio. The Lead singers of both of the opening acts are now deceased and I'm glad I got to see Lemmy and Ronnie James Dio perform live before both of their deaths from cancer.

13. The Prisoner - This song is based off the BBC TV series "The Prisoner."

14. The Number Of The Beast. - This song caused a lot of controversy for the band and got them labeled as Satanists. It's probably the song they're most known for.

15. Run To The Hills - This song is one of the few by Iron Maiden that got played on the radio. It's about Native Americans, and the battles they faced to keep their land.

16. Gangland.

17. Hallowed Be Thy Name. - The story in this song is told from the perspective of a woman falsely accused of being a witch before being burned at the stake.

18. Where Eagles Dare. - Nicko's drumming is great on this song, and so is Steve's bass playing. I think Steve Harris is the best bass player in the world.

19. The Flight Of Icarus.

20. Die With Your Boots On.

21. The Trooper. - This song is about "The Charge Of The Light Brigade." It's a fan favorite too.

22. Still Life. - This is one of my favorites. Bands like Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, and Judas Priest were accused of putting backward messages in the music and brainwashing kids to worship the devil. So Nicko thought it would be funny to record a backwards message for the intro. When played forward it's a funny message with a belch at the end. I forget exactly what it says.

23. Aces High.

24. 2 Minutes To Midnight.

25. Losfer Words (Big Orra). - This is a great instrumental song.

26. Flash Of The Blade. - The song that started it all for me.

27. The Duelists.

28. Back In The Village.

29. Powerslave. - This song is about Egyptian Pharoahs.

30. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner. - There's always tons of history lessons on an Iron Maiden album.

31. Wasted Years. - The message in this song is great, and it's a very catchy tune too. The message is to not spend your time in the past, to live in the now, and make every day going forward the best of your life.

32. Heaven Can Wait.

33. Stranger In A Strange Land. - Bruce Dickinson once said in an interview that you can't have synthesizers in heavy metal. I'm guessing this isn't a heavy metal song because it has synths.

34. Moonchild. - This song is so epic. 

35. Can I Play With Madness?

36. The Evil That Men Do. - This is one of those Maiden songs that's so catchy you'll be singing the chorus for days.

37. The Clairvoyant.

38. Tailgunner.

39. Holy Smoke. - This song is about the Televangelists that would dupe people into sending them money in exchange for eternal salvation. I think the lyrics " Died on the cross and that ain't funny, but my so called friends are making me a joke. They missed out what I said like I never spoke. They choose what they want to hear. They don't tell a lie. They just leave out the truth as they're watching you die" sums up what these fire and brimstone preachers are all about.

40. Bring Your Daughter...To The Slaughter.

41. Revelations.

42. Sun And Steel.

Coming Soon...My Life Of Music Obsession: 1989.

If you would like to read my other blog entries you can do so by clicking here.