AllMusic Loves 1999
May 9th, 2008 | 10:15 am est |
We love 1999 a whole lot, but maybe not quite as much as we love making lists. Each month (or so), until we have covered every year we can remember (unless we get tired), we will take a look at our favorite albums and singles released during a given year. In the year 1999, Basement Jaxx, Eminem, Mos Def, the Flaming Lips, the Dismemberment Plan, the ageless Tom Jones, the mighty LEN, and dozens of others produced nonperishable goods that would’ve gotten us through a Y2K drought of just about any magnitude.
Marisa Brown
I heard “Where My Girls At?” on the radio a couple of weeks ago and I still remembered every single word. If that’s not a testament to powerful songwriting (or um, limited radio playlists), I don’t know what is.
Blackalicious - A2G
The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
The Roots - Things Fall Apart
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Aesop Rock - Float
Beth Orton - Central Reservation
Goldie - INCredible Sound of Drum’n'Bass
Rob Swift - The Ablist
Quannum - Quannum Spectrum
702 - “Where My Girls At?” 
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
There was a bunch of great music in 1999 — I can’t think of another year in the past decade with so many great singles from all genres of music — so I decided to whittle my list to the albums and singles I still actively play (although I do admit that the singles are in heavier rotation than the full albums).
Fiona Apple - When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts…
Pavement - Terror Twilight
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Paul McCartney - Run Devil Run
XTC - Apple Venus, Pt. 1
Super Furry Animals - Guerrilla
The White Stripes - The White Stripes
Alan Jackson - Under the Influence
LEN - “Steal My Sunshine”
Madonna - “Beautiful Stranger”
Sugar Ray - “Every Morning”
Supergrass - “Pumping on Your Stereo”
Kid Rock - “Cowboy”
Super Furry Animals - “Northern Lights”
Backstreet Boys - “I Want It That Way”
Christina Aguilera - “Genie in a Bottle”
Suede - “Electricity”
Eminem - “Guilty Conscience”
David Jeffries
At the end of the year, Billy Joel promised to never play pop music again. Had he kept this promise, it would have been the best year ever. I also wish I could have fit Eiffel 65 or the Vengaboys on the list but the boss told me to keep it to ten.
Cut Chemist & DJ Shadow - Brainfreeze
Underworld - Beaucoup Fish
Beanie Sigel - The Truth
Tom Jones - Reload
Pharoahe Monch - Internal Affairs
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
The Fall - The Marshall Suite
The Chemical Brothers - Surrender
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Basement Jaxx - Remedy
Mr. Vegas - “Heads High (Kill Dem Wid It)”
Ol’ Dirty Bastard - “Got Your Money”
Q-Tip - “Vivrant Thing”
Mr. Oizo - “Flat Beat”
Buccaneer - “Bruk Out”
Armand Van Helden - “U Don’t Know Me”
Groove Armada - “At the River”
Foxy Brown - “Hot Spot”
Capleton - “Jah Jah City”
Terrance & Phillip - “Uncle F**ka”
Andy Kellman
Basement Jaxx - Remedy
Mary J. Blige - Mary
Aril Brikha - Deeparture in Time
Dettinger - Intershop
Drexciya - Neptune’s Lair
Gas - Königsforst
Innerzone Orchestra - Programmed
Kelis - Kaleidoscope
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
Stewart Walker - Stabiles
Basement Jaxx - “Red Alert”
Bows - “Girls Lips Glitter”
Pépé Bradock - “Deep Burnt”
Foxy Brown - “Hot Spot”
Vladislav Delay - “Huone”
Farben - “Live at the Sahara Tahoe, 1973″
Donell Jones - “U Know What’s Up”
Moodymann - “Shades of Jae”
Theo Parrish - “Summertime Is Here”
Slum Village - “Get Dis Money”
Andrew Leahey
Wilco - Summerteeth
The Waking Hours - The Waking Hours
Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers - Honky Tonk Union
Kate Rusby - Sleepless
Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
Fountains of Wayne - Utopia Parkway
Drive-By Truckers - Alabama Ass Whuppin’
Beck - Midnite Vultures
Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers - “Green & Dumb”
The Waking Hours - “Dolores”
Jimmy Eat World - “Lucky Denver Mint”
Madonna - “Beautiful Stranger”
Kate Rusby - “The Unquiet Grave”
Fountains of Wayne - “The Valley of Malls”
Jason Lymangrover
Mr. Bungle - California
Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun
Handsome Boy Modeling School - So…How’s Your Girl?
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
The Roots - Things Fall Apart
Beulah - When Your Heartstrings Break
Built to Spill - Keep It Like a Secret
The Dismemberment Plan - Emegency & I
Fantastic Plastic Machine - Luxury
Pavement - Terror Twilight
James Christopher Monger
The Negro Problem - Joys & Concerns
XTC - Apple Venus, Pt. 1
Agalloch - Pale Folklore
The Gourds - Ghosts of Hallelujah
Waterson:Carthy - Broken Ground
Tom Waits - Mule Variations
Nightmares on Wax - Carboot Soul
Dolly Parton - The Grass Is Blue
The Auteurs - How I Learned to Love the Bootboys
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
Heather Phares
Add N to (X) - Avant Hard
Basement Jaxx - Remedy
The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci - Spanish Dance Troupe
Jim O’Rourke - Eureka
Royal Trux - Veterans of Disorder
Smog - Knock Knock
Stereo Total - My Melody
Super Furry Animals - Guerrilla
The White Stripes - The White Stripes
Tim Sendra
These poptastic songs are guaranteed to rub you the right way, get your game on, and be friends forever. These songs are strong enough, as high as Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, and Aphrodite, and if you’re lucky, they might just kiss you beneath the milky twilight. None of these songs are also known as a buster, none will hang out the passenger side of their best friend’s ride, and they will never, not ever, steal your sunshine. And yes, we like butter tarts!
LEN - “Steal My Sunshine”
Cher - “Believe”
Smashmouth - “All Star”
Sugar Ray - “Every Morning”
Tal Bachman - “She’s So High”
Sixpence None the Richer - “Kiss Me”
TLC - “No Scrubs”
Christina Aguilera - “Genie in a Bottle”
Vitamin C - “Graduation (Friends Forever)”
Some of the recordings listed above are technically 1998 releases, but they made more of an impact in 1999.
That Erlewine would list that completely talentless and useless scum-of-the-earth “Kid Schlock” in his singles of the year explains the fact that overall his reviews of artists and albums sound like they were written like a fourteen-year-old. AMG, for God’s sake, get rid of this moron.
I think he’s head of the site Bill.
That Tom Jones album was great, forgot all about it.
AMG *hates* Midnite Vultures! only one mention? come on, guys, just because STE gave it a bad review doesn’t mean you have to tow the line. if it had come out three years later and been called “the Love Below” you’d have shit your pants with glee.
I would vote for 1993.
1998 was a fascinating year.
“Kiss Me”! I can’t remember anything beyond the first line. But I still like it.
Armand Petri, the guy who produced and managed Sixpence None the Richer for a while, was an adjunct professor at my college for a while. He said “Kiss Me” got its big break when someone said that none of the songs from “She’s All That” could possibly become a hit. As a sort of “oh yeah?” to that, they took “Kiss Me” and promoted and pushed it like mad; sure enough, they broke it (in the sense of making it a hit, not irreparably damaging it)–it was all over the radio, on “Dawson’s Creek”, everywhere you turned.
Speaking of 1999, and because I love cheesiness, I’d add Vertical Horizon’s “Everything You Want” to the list just because was one of the few songs that I constantly heard on top-40 stations that didn’t make me want to break the radio into tiny pieces.
sunscreen
some albums not mentioned (just for the hell of it):
counting crows - this desert life
ben folds five - unauthorized biography of reinhold messner
blur - 13
cocteau twins - bbc sessions (old recordings, but an essential CT release, so it’s worth mentioning)
third eye blind - blue
nine inch nails - the fragile
supergrass - s/t
red hot chili peppers - californication
the fixx - 1011 woodland
def leppard - euphoria
chris cornell - euphoria morning
incubus - make yourself
stone temple pilots - no. 4
rage against the machine - battle of los angeles
foo fighters - there is nothing left to lose
limp bizkit - significant other
sleater-kinney - the hot rock
I’m really surprised that there are no mentions of Groove Armada’s “Vertigo,” the Magnetic Fields’ “69 Love Songs,” Moby’s “Play,” or Sleater-Kinney’s “The Hot Rock.” And no love for “…Baby One More Time” (in album or single form)? For shame.
Veterans of Disorder is a fantastic record…
“waterpark” and “second skin” sound as classic rock and roll songs… and the acid-soul-drenched “Stop” still makes me cry.
for me it ranks as the 2nd greatest royal trux album of all time.
being…
1st. Accelerator
3rd Cats and Dogs
rock on, baby!
I quite relate with Andrew’s list the most, despite how much I usually agree with STE. I think he completely missed the point of Utopia Parkway in his review, in fact FOW in general.
I also agree with the guy who listed ‘There Is Nothing Left To Lose’. The last FF album that doesn’t feel forced or bland.
But overall, 1999 wasn’t so hot.
This is a fun feature, and I’ll be following it along. Good work, all!
Shalom, y’all!
L. Bangs
Yes, actually very interesting and fun to send spotlight on a specific year.
Here’s my top 5 (as far I can remember it…)
The chemical brothers: Surrender
Mr. Bungle: California
Sigur Rós: Ágætis byrjun
The flaming lips: The soft bulletin
Rage against the machine: Battle of LA
Wilco - Summerteeth
STP - No. 4
Stereolab - Cobra and Phases Group
Snog - Third Mall from the Sun
RHCP - Californication
Rage Against the Machine - Battle of L.A.
Orbital - Middle of Nowhere
Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile
Incubus - Make Yourself
Handsome Boy Modeling School - So…How’s Your Girl
Flaming Lips - Soft Bulletin
Filter - Title of Record
Dr. Dre - 2001
Death Cab - Something About Airplanes
Ben Folds - Unauthorized Biograph of Reinhold Messner
Beck - Midnite Vultures
I just lost all respect for this site.
I was working in a music store back in 1998 and we spent most of that summer listening to Underworld’s “Beaucoup Fish.” Great album (an all-time favorite of mine, in fact), but to say it “made more of an impact in 1999″ is just plain inaccurate.
Also, “Steal My Sunshine” isn’t available on iTunes. That’s just wrong.
I’m glad that Heather Phares got Smog’s “Knock Knock” mentioned, I don’t know why that album isn’t more popular.
Leedog,
We have the Underworld album as an April 13, 1999 release in the U.S. (and March 1, 1999 in the U.K.).
Interesting, and now that I think more about it, almost certainly correct. The CD’s copyrighted 1998 (with the exception of the track “Moaner,” which is 1997), but I imagine that’s when it was available in the UK. My bad, everything prior to 2002 is a blur for me.
Anyway, I hope you plan on working backwards at least a little. 1997 and 1998 were loaded with great albums.
Steve Earle’s The Mountain, which he recorded w/the Del McCoury Band, is a keeper from 1999. (Granted, his tour with them was even better … but how can anyone resist his duet w/Iris Dement on this album, “I’m Still in Love with You”?)