I have nothing better to do, so it's time to explore EVEN more underrated albums from the 90s. At some point I am going to run out of underrated albums but there's at least one more post in me after this one. In this post, I share two albums that were personally important to me in the 90s but the first album I write about is an album I discovered much later.
Lemonheads - Car Button Cloth (1996)
Evan Dando is one weird dude (this is his current "intro video" on his YoutTube homepage) and I think it makes Car Button Cloth all the much better for it. Dando could never quite pull it altogether to make a great album (It's a Shame About Ray comes closest). But The Lemonhead's discography is full of good albums and some great songs. Car Button Cloth will have your head bopping along with the jangly guitars and catchy songs that feature odd and creative lyrics. It's an album that is just very, very 90's. If you like that slacker-college rock, indie music delivered in a deadpan tone, this will work for you. It's not an ambitious album, but it's definitely not straight-ahead "alternative" rock. It's got heart and some of these songs will stick with you. If the momentum of the first six tracks could have held, this would have been a classic 90s album. The back half isn't bad mind you, but the last 6-7 tracks are a grab-bag of okay or generic alternative songs.
Standout Tracks: Tracks 1-5, but especially "It's All True", "If I Could Talk I'd Tell You", "Hospital" and "The Outdoor Type".
Ben Folds Five - Naked Baby Photos (1997)
It's only one of my favorite songs of all time.
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know...should a compilation album of live performances and demos that was meant to be a quick cash grab capitalizing on a huge hit really be on this list? Yes, yes. and yes. Of course, this isn't Ben Folds Five's best album but it IS underrated and I love this charming album, warts and all. I should preface this by saying this should NOT be your introduction to Ben Folds or Ben Folds Five. If you're a newbie, start with Whatever and Ever Amen, then where you go next is up to you. This was one of those classic 90s purchases for me. I saw it at Best Buy, didn't know a single thing about it, and went for it. I can't really put into words why this album meant so much to me (although the fact I was projecting my romantic life into every single song on this album helps). It's still a worthwhile trip to take, even if you're not nostalgic for it. It gives you just a taste of what Ben Folds is like live. If you like brash, piano-driven, heart-on-your-sleeve anthems with dashes of jazz and heavy metal...give it a try.
This person has the whole album uploaded after being absent from YT or the internet in general for the last 20+ years, this was finally uploaded in 2020. This person is now my hero.
Coward is the classic case that proves sometimes good songwriting and great melodies aren't enough to "make it". I already said something similar to this in my first "Underrated 90s" post about The Pulsars (which ironically enough is another self-titled release from 1997). Coward released one album to lackluster sales and then promptly disintegrated into the ether of the late 90s. But what they left us with is a gem of an album. It's a fine example of 90s power pop, full of hooks, catchy choruses, rocking solos and good vibes. No doubt, if you give this album a chance, you'll be switching what your favorite song is every few weeks. It's a little cheesy and there are some lyrics (and maybe a song or two) that land with a thud but overall, it's breezy, rocky and fun. It's a mix of the debut albums of Weezer and Fountains of Wayne and it will be stuck in your head for the rest of your life. It's candy for your ears.
Standout Tracks: "Fell Down", "I Don't Care", " "I Wish", "I'm Alright", "Psycho", "Mulcahy's" - almost all of it okay!
I was meaning to post fragments last month but I just wasn't motivated. I think it was a holiday hangover.
Here are the latest and greatest fragments from my life:
Did We Get COVID? Read and Find Out
Sometime in December I saw this gif on Twitter and thought, "yeah, that's it!"
We prepped for the holiday season as I knew there would be more possibilities for getting exposed to COVID. I got boosted the week of Thanksgiving while my wife was boosted a few weeks later. Of course, we wore masks at work and out in public and we never eat inside restaurants but in early December we went out to lunch with another couple at an empty restaurant. I felt a little naked. A week later I took the kids to Spider-Man: No Way Home (it was fine) of course we still wore masks.
Part of this renewed risk activity was because we were boosted, and Omicron hadn't hit yet, part of it was just being exhausted with COVID, like everyone else.
It felt as if we were tempting fate but we decided to hold our annual holiday party for the first time since 2019. We felt pretty safe as the Omicron surge hadn't hit our area yet (at least not in a big way). Almost all the adults and children were vaccinated and/or boosted, and one family had just had COVID ten days ago. So, all things considered, we felt pretty good about having the party. We had about 10-12 adults and 15 kids attend the party. It was a lovely time and it almost felt normal if not for a sinking feeling I would get when I would look out across the house and wonder if we were hosting a mini-super spreader event.
As it turned out, everyone was fine.
On New Year's Eve, we decided to once again take a big risk and we attended a wedding. It was a little too hard to pass up as some good friends were going and it was a young couple that we really like. Besides, there was gonna be an open bar and a lot of our theater friends would be there.
Most people were masked during the ceremony but once things really got going at the reception, there were only a few masks. I would haphazardly wear mine at the reception...but....again, remember there was an open bar so I possibly wasn't using the best judgment all of the time. That said, once again, we made it out okay. Last I heard the pastor did get COVID but the event was not a super-spreader event at all. A good and memorable time was had by all. I have to say the fact that they brought out tacos right before midnight was just so awesome and so San Antonio.
Maybe we shouldn't have been so risky, but especially after the wedding, we steered clear of our parents for a week or so, just in case.
But like Mario above, we somehow made it to the flagpole safely. We've had a bunch of close calls, taken various members to get tested but so far, so good....(not sure it can last forever)....
I don't recommend reading it, so to sum it up, it's a pathetic post about how lonely I was as I neared turning 40. It seemed like I hardly had any more "active" friends and of course, making friends as an adult is always hard. Well, I suppose I should update the blog and tell you since that time I have made some new friends.
Instead of just having one good friend at work I am happy to report I now have two additional really good friends. All three are so different and bring something different to the table. My wife and I also found, almost-the-impossible: we made friends with another couple....and we like both of them! We met through the church theater group we are a part of. Look, I am not saying I have some super busy social life but it's made all the difference for me and I feel much more happy friend-wise than I have been in a long time. So, if you're a lonely adult, there is hope...but ya gotta get a little lucky too.
Fam Update
C (almost 16) has a boyfriend. They have been dating for about 3 months now, which feels even longer to me. He seems like a good kid and yet.... well, there's too much to say in this blog about him. So, it's better left unsaid (it's complicated). He goes to another school on the other side of town and neither can drive so that's been easier to control. Still, you can't help but worry for her heart.
Also, C starting up dual credit/college applications and worrying about driving soon. She was looking up colleges and universities tonight. It's a weird place to be. Sure, it felt a lot easier building pillow forts and having sock battles, telling bedtime stories and going for walks together on beautiful days but being a dad of a teen has its pleasures too. She's a smartie and I am proud of how passionate she can be about doing the right thing. We have loved being a good "second home" for her friends. The other day her best friend said we were the best parents....hey, not too shabby, that made us feel good.
E is doing well in the 7th grade. She's a ballet dancer and I feel like half our week is driving her to her lessons or prepping for her dance performance for the school. She just got braces and refused to even show me for the first day! She's such a good kid...lately, we've been watching LOST together. It's my first re-watch of the show since it aired and that has been so much fun, watching it together. I might even write a blog post about it at some point (yeah, don't hold your breath).
H is once again obsessed with Pokemon, this is his third iteration of being Poke-crazed, which is fine by me (it's gotta be something and right now it's Pokemon and Minecraft). Now he watches YouTube videos of box and pack openings and we even tried to sell one on eBay (it was bought but the dude never paid). He is also playing flag football, the league is pretty competitive and he is having a blast. Good coaches and that's the key. Competitive but good hearts and good sportsmanship. His team is very good and while he is new, he caught his first pass last week for 25 yards. He was filling in for the injured center the last week and did a great job. This week it was too cold and the game got postponed. :/
Comics Update
Did I ever tell you I have some comic goals in my life? Yeah, my life is that shallow and nerdy. I mainly collect old Marvel's, mainly late 70's to the very early 90s. But I also love old Disney (Dell/Gladstone) or the occasional DC also, you gotta spice it up sometimes.
I will never collect a whole run of something, but I do have a few goals.
Here's what I usually buy on the spot if the price is right:
All Black Costume pre-Venom Spider-Man (I probably have about half of these as is)...these are now almost impossible to find at the used book stores, so I might pick up a few in the coming years at the comic shop but we'll see how the prices are....
Any 80's Marvel...I think my heart skips a beat when I can find a Dr. Strange, Defenders, Fantastic Four, Avengers, and especially Spider-Ham, Rom and Micronauts. Basically, any weird stuff is a bonus and I will usually buy it if it's reasonably priced. About the only thing 80's I will shun is New Mutants (heck even the first year is kinda cool but after that, forget about it...I could just never get into them).
I picked up Fantastic Four #140 last week and thought damn, the Thing was talking about orgies in a comic from 1971. Just kinda blew my mind.
Special collections I am building towards:
I am hoping to complete a run of 265-300 of Fantastic Four, I have about 2/3 of it already. I just like to pick up what I can find in the wild. It's more fun that way.
Anything with Kang, time travel, alternate universes, etc.
I am also trying to collect Excalibur 1-75. I have 1-26 and much of the later run but I probably need another 20 or so to go! A really underrated comic, especially when Alan Davis was at the helm. Funny, smart, and usually fun.
The whole point is I try to find these organically and on the cheap it makes life exciting, yeah, I said it.
------
I have some blog ideas but they are on the back burner. I also started editing a paper for possible publication but every time I think of it, I just feel ill. I have a lot going on at work that is non-teaching related and it's very exciting. I may find myself back in Ireland in the years to come but the soonest would be 2024. We'll see....
Well, that about does it, folks. Until next time, stay safe, stay warm and when you hear that old song you haven't heard in a long time in the car, let go and sing like you've never sung before, I won't tell a soul.
