by Erik R. Slagle
Thirty years, to be blatantly cliched, is an eon in the music world. Think about the shifts from the Roaring 20s to the 1950s, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the birth of rock & roll … from the swinging Big Band 30s to the Twist, the Beatles and Woodstock … from Glenn Miller to Glam Rock … Bill Haley to Hair Metal … from Santana, Jimi and Janis at the original Woodstock to the corporate wreck of the ’99 revival. Seismic. Even the way we consume it is wildly different today than it was in 1996.
In the 30 years since the Showcase launched, the musical landscape has continued to shift. This year, the Playlist will dedicate a “look back” in each issue to that year in music – a year before streaming, before iTunes, or even Napster. To kick off the 30-year anniversary of Warren & Watchung’s favorite periodical, though, here are some instant highlights that belong on just about anyone’s Playlist. (Or, in 1996, in anyone’s CD changer or Discman.)
The year started with Mariah Carey’s “Daydream” atop the charts and ended with No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom” knocking Bush’s “Razorblade Suitcase” from the top spot. But there was maybe no bigger story in music that year than “Jagged Little Pill” from Alanis Morissette, which (despite its mid-’95 release) returned to the #1 spot in February, April, AND August. Except, perhaps, “The Score” from the Fugees – the album that introduced the world to New Jersey’s on Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean & company. “Scoring” big as well were the “Waiting to Exhale” soundtrack, plus tracks from cinema hits like “Jerry Maguire,” “Romeo & Juliet,” and even “Beavis and Butt-Head Do America.” (The last one features the Chili Peppers’ rendition of “Love Rollercoaster,” which by itself is worth the price of admission!)
Established stars Rage Against the Machine (“Evil Empire”), Metallica (“Load”), Pearl Jam (“No Code”) and Beck (“Odelay,” which his management team reportedly begged him not to release) also took their turns on the charts. And new acts hit it big as well: Fatboy Slim’s “Better Living Through Chemistry” pushed “Exit Planet Dust” from The Chemical Brothers, released in 1995, for supremacy in bringing the new Big Beat sound to the masses. And the Wallflowers, headed by Jacob Dylan, released “Bringing Down the Horse.” I saw Bob, Jacob’s father, perform that spring at Drew University in Madison to kick off the “Never Ending Tour.” His opening act for that tour was a yodeling blonde playing acoustic guitar – who was introduced as Jewel – whose debut single, “Who Will Save Your Soul,” dropped in ’96 as well.
(On a personal note, late in 1996, I underwent life-saving emergency brain surgery. I remember the Wallflowers’ “Sixth Avenue Heartache” being on every radio station that Fall, and it’s part of another 30th anniversary this year that I’m deeply grateful for.)
So enjoy venturing back along some familiar, nostalgic musical roads this year, when The Playlist digs deeper into the year’s rock, hip-hop and pop records in the issues to come. Whether streaming, on vinyl, or the Compact Discs and jewel cases we loved in 1996, let that year’s landmarks take you back. Way back!
