1.  I MOTHER EARTH - 'Dig'
(Capitol, 1993)

 A glaring injustice in the history of alternative music is that this absolute gem of an album has not received one iota of media attention outside its native Canada for nearly 15 years. Created by a band that if channelled and promoted in the right way would and should have been embraced with open arms by a totally unsuspecting audience.  Instead this release went criminally unnoticed and remains to this day hidden from view without any recognition of its brilliance; well no more!! It's a mind boggling collection of hard rock grooves, psychedelic jams and blues infused progression that completely blew me away on first listen, so if you like your rock compelling and cool with an alternative intricacy that is rich, dark and utterly inspired, then I urge you to track this down. From the opening salvo of 'Levitate' to the magnificent 'So Gently We Go' and 'Lost My America,' Edwin's sonic vocal is glaringly distinctive and oozes class.  The fluidity is seamless with each track underpinned by rumbling bass lines, interwoven with Latin style percussion which following Jag Tanna's startling guitar work on 'No-One', guides you towards the bleak menace of 'Undone' and the quiet closing mastery of 'The Universe In You'.  For me the I Mother Earth collective was a fantastically artistic four-piece and 'Dig' is an unquestionably awesome record in its entirety; so without doubt, it's top of my pile by a country mile.

 

2.  JANE'S ADDICTION - 'Ritual De Lo Habitual'
(Warner Bros, 1990)

I was introduced to Jane's Addiction by my musically wiser (at the time) elder brother back when the alternative scene really seemed to be kicking off and I was still listening to Poison and Motley Crue. They immediately made me realise that there was so much more to the alt-rock scene and while most will associate the single 'Been Caught Stealing' as Janes' commercial peak, it represents a minute proportion of their overall appeal and general influence. This, their 3^rd album has to sit at number two for me because of its shimmering quality and breadth of ideas that were almost regal in comparison to their peers; wholly compelling, unique and a hundred times better than 'Nevermind'.  With the loony leadership of Perry Farrell and an inspired Dave Navarro bending out monolithic guitar licks that created an hallucinogenic album of art and soul, it contains probably the most monumental and best 11 minutes of rock music ever written, easy. Each track has its own starry atmosphere but 'Three days' is an astonishing multi phased search for understanding that was as heavy and unapologetic as anything I'd ever heard; musically and lyrically astounding it actually left me slack jawed and drooling by the time it reached its cranium crumbling finale. Jane's really opened my eyes to the big picture and 'Ritual…' rendered everything else I was listening to at the time almost redundant; making it massively influential personally and still, undeniably iconic.

   

3.  SOUNDGARDEN - 'Superunknown'
(A&M, 1994)

The first track I heard by Soundgarden was 'Jesus Christ Pose' and I remember thinking it was one of the most crushing, thunderous and searing tracks; head and shoulders above anything else 'grunge' at the time. Shortly afterwards, 'Superunknown' landed in a ball of flames from space and I was instantly engrossed in its primal and psychedelic sentimentalities. The back catalogue was then swiftly acquired and it became apparent that 'Superunknown' was much more free flowing, broader reaching and immediate than its predecessors; something I imagined to be hammered out in double quick time, yet it would last for decades. Despite his most recent ventures, I still maintain that Chris Cornell probably has the best voice in rock and alongside side project 'Temple of the Dog' and his solo debut 'Euphoria Morning', this release showcases that statement gloriously. Every song is engulfed in a dark power and emotion, garnered by Kim Thayil's extraordinary guitar work. From the awesome title track to the curious insanity of 'Spoonman', the low slung 'Fell on Black Days', the bombastic 'The Day I Tried to Live' and of course 'Fourth of July', which sounded like an updated Neil Young pushed through a sludgepacker and boasts possibly the deepest, most sinister of riffs ever created on planet rock. It remains a pinnacle in my musical education that's instantly and always engaging, forever challenging and never to be forgotten.

 

 

5.  SATCHEL - 'EDC'
(Epic, 1994)

I can name another five albums at least that could sit comfortably in this personal ceremony, ('White Pony' by Deftones, 'Broken' by Nine Inch Nails, 'The Real Thing' by Faith No More, Earthtone 9's collosal'Arc-Tan-Gent' or 'Sky Valley' by Kyuss for example) but I'm gunna go for 'EDC' by Satchel at number 5, purely for its cool originality and other worldliness that became instantly familiar on first listen.  Crafted by Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard and ex-Pigeonhead vocalist Shawn Smith, it's essentially groove music that combines rock, funk, jazz and incongruous snippets of dialogue from Reservoir Dogs. It has more in common with Gossards other side project Brad than anything else but this albums true forte is in the spacey ballads, ethereal vocals and moon-age instrumentals; appearing both courageously vulnerable and transcendently mind-aching, particularly on the moody hair pullers 'O', 'Built for It' and 'Willow'. I played this to death and still do, long and loud, but listening to it made me breathe the air in a whole new way - it certainly didn't make me want to punch it - but its subtlety, something that is a lost art in most rock music these days, communicated; and that's difficult to ignore.