Ultimate Music: 10 Albums That Influenced the 90’s Teen

So many styles and bands were flung around; so many one hit wonder bands and singers like Lou Bega cover of Perez Prado’s Mambo Number 5 or The Bomfunk MC’s with Freestyler, had to be deciphered by every late nineties teen who was into music and defining themselves and their status amongst their peers.

1. Enema of the State – Blink-182

   

   The punksters from Poway, California rocked our socks off with their crazy 1999 album which combined teenage lunacy with engrossing lyrics and catchy tunes that you knew all the words to. Mark, Tom, and Travis sure knew how to capture the imagination of millions of teens worldwide and provide something for the punk enthusiasts to while away the time and worship in all high school common rooms around the world.

2. The Score – Fugees

   

   The Fugees were no ordinary hip hoppers when their grammy award winning album The Score was released in 1996. They combined an African American attitude from Lauryn Hill with a Carribean flavour courtesy of Haitian Americans Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel. Their lyrics weren’t all about rims, hoes and bling; they sent a message of oppression through their music which captured young teen’s attention. Or was it the two great covers on the album? Bob Marley’s No Woman, No Cry, and Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly with His Song.

3. Dookie – Green Day

   

   This album may well have been the defining moment for teens trying to find their niche in a mixed up nineties music world. Green Day had released previous albums but it wasn’t until 1994 when they released Dookie that they became a world wide smash hit. With the single “When I Come Around” being thrashed by any teen who loved music, there was no doubt that Dookie would become their most successful album to date.

4. Throwing Copper – Live

   

   The Christian rockers from York, Pennsylvania released Throwing Copper in 1994 and subsequently their single “Lightning Crashes” stayed at number one on the US rock chart for 12 consecutive weeks. It was probably lucky that their background was relatively unknown as being classed as a Christian in the late nineties was not how you made the “cool kids” sub group. But it was and still is a legendary album.

5. Americana – Offspring

   

   Riding in a soccer mum van on the way to footy is how Americana from the Offspring will be remembered by this nineties teen as it was thrashed from head to toe. Released in late 1998, it defined the punk culture and sound at that time and millions of teens world wide could identify with the weedy looking nerd from their first single “Pretty Fly for a White Guy” which poked fun at the guy who tried to fit in with the rapidly emerging hip hop culture.

6. The Fat of the Land – The Prodigy

   Nobody had ever experienced a sound like it when the Prodigy released their album The Fat of the Land in 1997 which was composed entirely electronically making them a very curious commodity indeed. Their singles “Fire Starter” and “Breathe” were a sensation for the raving head bangers who loved the new sound. The single “Smack My Bitch Up” just fuelled the fire of their followers even more with its controversial lyrics and music video which was censored because of its violent content.

7. Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers

   

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   The 1999 album by arguably the greatest alternative band of all time had teens rejoicing that finally there was an album that wasn’t by a so called “boy band”. Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante and Will Ferrell’s “twin brother” Chad Smith, produced an album which defined rock music for the time selling a total of 15 million copies. Lead singer Kiedis put it down to Frusciante’s recovery from heroin addiction which had him on the verge of death by saying that:
   “For me, that was the defining moment of what would become the next six years of our lives together. That was when I knew that this was the real deal, that the magic was about to happen again. Suddenly we could all hear, we could all listen, and instead of being caught up in our finite little balls of bullshit, we could all become players in that great universal orchestra again.”

8. Traction – Super Groove

   

   Probably the first New Zealand band to capture the hearts of the countries younger generation, they produced an iconic album in 1994 which was lead by the very successful solo singer Che Fu. Singles included “Can”t Get Enough’, “You Gotta Know and “Sitting Inside My Head’.

9. Dangerous Minds Soundtrack – Various Artists

   

   Michelle Pfeiffer wowed us with her award winning performance in the movie Dangerous Minds released in 1995 but it will be Coolio’s hit Gangstas Paradise which everyone will remember for years to come from the movies soundtrack by the same name. His cameo appearance in the movie and the music video helped the album to cement its place in Grammy Awards history.

10. Triple J’s Hottest 100 Volume 4 – Various Artists

    

    Probably one of the greatest compilations of rock music ever produced, the Australian album featured hits such as Tool’s “Stinkfist” and No Doubt’s “Just A Girl”. It was released in 1994 and was one of those rare albums which people could say that they enjoyed the majority of the songs rather than just buying it for the one hit song featured. For teens of the time Triple J had pulled off one of the hottest volumes of music they had heard.

Album artwork sourced from www.wikipedia.com unless otherwise stated.