Show Notes
On November 18th, 1993, Nirvana was primed to bare their sensitive sides in an intimate setting. Armed with acoustic guitars, well placed microphones, a cello, flowers and candles fit for a funeral, a surprise musical guest, cigarettes, tea, an office chair, and a set list woven together from a potent combination of cover and original songs, The Grunge God's were set to create one of the defining cultural documents for the last decade of the 20th century. Kurt Cobain’s last album with Nirvana was released posthumously on November 1st, 1994. While it would have been a haunting record without the connection to tragedy, the LP takes on an almost mythical significance with the world having to say good-bye to the iconic front-man all too soon.
More from Don’t Scratch The Vinyl
In the 1980s fifth calendar flip through, Van Halen had once again scaled to the top of Rock ‘n’ Roll Mountain. After hitting a slight speed bump in the commercial and critical acclaim department early in the decade, Van Halen plastered “The Mighty” back in their moniker with their 6th studio album, 1984.
Over the decades, Southern California has bestowed humanity a treasure trove of iconic groups, albums, scenes, stories, and songs. But the territory’s desired way of life and one-of-a-kind ambiance was best musically depicted by a Long Beach trio’s self-titled effort that was released as a posthumous tribute to their fallen frontman. After bumming around the backyard party/club circuit for years, Sublime was set to enter a new era in 1996. In May, the band was primed to release their major label debut that summer after recording sessions in Austin, Texas. On a west coast tour, the crowd was in a frenzy of appreciation taking in live renditions of songs set to come off the new record. But lamentably, the band’s voice, guitarist, and soul would not live long enough to truly realize just how much his music would positively impact the world.
AC/DC is stripped, down n’ dirty, rock n’ roll as God intended. Heavy guitar riffs, rippin’ musical sequences, and lyrics so suggestive they would make Mother Teresa blush. The quintet from down under formed in Sydney, Australia, in late 1973. And after a myriad of early lineup changes, the band rounded into form 2 years later.
In the mid-1970s, there was nothing about the rock n’ roll lifestyle that was relatable or obtainable for fans of the genre. The simple chord play and familiar song structure that dominated primitive rock music were things of the past. By the genre’s third decade, intricate and complicated instrumental play had fully taken a death grip on rock.
By the time Master of Puppets came out on March 3rd, 1986, Metallica was truly ready to make the jump to the big time. For 6 months that year, they were the opening act for Ozzy Osbourne. It would be the last time the band played second fiddle to anyone on tour. Metallica's third studio album grabbed mature concepts and meshed them perfectly with gripping, emotional, and vibrant instrumental play. The album sounded even more operatic and larger than live compared to the group's two previous records. Themes of war, the system, and losing hope were at the heart of one of the most important rock records of the 1980s. Metallica had been building to this for years, and it led to the band pushing themselves and the metal genre into untreaded water. But unfortunately, 1986 was also the year a tragic incident forever altered the band’s very foundation.