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Hey, Remember the '90s?

It's finally here: the first major box set to cover music from the '90s. It's called Whatever: The '90s Pop Culture Box and there are a whopping SEVEN discs. Billboard has the story and here is the track listing:

Disc one:
"U Can't Touch This," M.C. Hammer
"Nothing Compares 2 U," Sinead O'Connor
"No Myth," Michael Penn
"Ladies First," Queen Latifah featuring Monie Love
"Ball and Chain," Social Distortion
"Birdhouse in Your Soul," They Might Be Giants
"Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns," Mother Love Bone
"Here's Where the Story Ends," the Sundays
"Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)," C & C Music Factory "Groove Is in the Heart," Deee-Lite
"Right Here, Right Now," Jesus Jones
"New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)," Ice-T
"I Touch Myself," Divinyls
"Unbelievable," EMF
"Hard To Handle," the Black Crowes
"O.P.P.," Naughty By Nature
"Walking in Memphis," Marc Cohn
"It's So Hard To Say Goodbye to Yesterday," Boyz II Men

Disc two:
"Silent Lucidity," Queensryche
"Into the Drink," Mudhoney
"Girlfriend," Matthew Sweet
"I'm Too Sexy," Right Said Fred (R*S*F*)
"Calling All Angels," Jane Siberry with k.d. lang
"Only Shallow," My Bloody Valentine
"It's a Shame About Ray," the Lemonheads
"Baby Got Back," Sir Mix-A-Lot
"They Want EFX," DAS EFX
"Jump," Kris Kross
"Walk," Pantera
"N.W.O.," Ministry
"S***list," L7
"Absynthe," the Gits
"Coattail Rider," Supersuckers
"Runaway Train," Soul Asylum
"Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," Spin Doctors
"Dizz Knee Land," dada
"Nearly Lost You," Screaming Trees

Disc three:
"Under the Bridge," Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Unsung," Helmet
"Jump Around," House Of Pain
"Free Your Mind," En Vogue
"Rump Shaker," Wreckx-N-Effect
"Informer," Snow
"Connected," Stereo MC's
"Detachable Penis," King Missile
"Freak Me," Silk
"Ordinary World," Duran Duran
"If I Can't Change Your Mind," Sugar
"Three Little Pigs," Green Jelly
"Start Choppin," Dinosaur Jr
"The Devil's Chasing Me," the Reverend Horton Heat
"Gone to the Moon," Fastbacks
"My Name Is Mud," Primus
"What's Up," 4 Non Blondes

Disc four:
"Thunder Kiss '65," White Zombie
"Whoomp! (There It Is)," Tag Team
"Broken Hearted Savior," Big Head Todd and the Monsters
"Trust Me," Guru with N'Dea Davenport
"Here Comes," Velocity Girl
"Gepetto," Belly
"Eye to Eye," the Muffs
"Gentlemen," Afghan Whigs
"Leafy Incline," Tad
"Dream All Day," the Posies
"Hey Jealousy," Gin Blossoms
"My Sister," the Juliana Hatfield Three
"Whatta Man," Salt-N-Pepa
"Back & Forth," Aaliyah
"If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)," Me'Shell NdegéOcello "Freedom of '76," Ween
"Cut Your Hair," Pavement
"God," Tori Amos
"MMM MMM MMM MMM," Crash Test Dummies
"Possession," Sarah McLachlan

Disc five:
"Shine," Collective Soul
"Far Behind," Candlebox
"You Gotta Be," Des'ree
"Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon," Urge Overkill
"She Don't Use Jelly," the Flaming Lips
"m.i.a.," 7 Year Bitch
"21st Century (Digital Boy)," Bad Religion
"Sugar Free Jazz," Soul Coughing
"Mockingbirds," Grant Lee Buffalo
"What's the Frequency, Kenneth?," R.E.M.
"Revolve," Melvins
"Buddy Holly," Weezer
"Here and Now," Letters To Cleo
"Good," Better Than Ezra
"Run-Around," Blues Traveler
"I'll Be There for You (Theme From "Friends")," the Rembrandts
"Tomorrow," Silverchair
"Not a Pretty Girl," Ani DiFranco
"Carnival," Natalie Merchant

Disc six:
"Wonderwall," Oasis
"Birthday Cake," Cibo Matto
"Cumbersome," Seven Mary Three
"One of Us," Joan Osborne
"Caught by the Fuzz," Supergrass
"Sweet 69," Babes In Toyland
"Breakfast at Tiffany's," Deep Blue Something
"Photograph," the Verve Pipe
"In the Meantime," Spacehog
"Woo Hah!! Got You All In Check," Busta Rhymes featuring Rampage The Last Boy Scout
"Who Will Save Your Soul," Jewel
"Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand," Primitive Radio Gods
"Cybele's Reverie," Stereolab
"Capri Pants," Bikini Kill
"What I Got," Sublime
"Kung Fu," Ash
"Virtual Insanity," Jamiroquai
"Naked Eye," Luscious Jackson
"Outtasite (Outta Mind)," Wilco

Disc seven:
"itszoweezee (hot)," De La Soul
"LoveFool," the Cardigans
"Radiation Vibe," Fountains Of Wayne
"The Impression That I Get," the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
"Turn It On," Sleater-Kinney
"Bitch," Meredith Brooks
"MMMBop," Hanson
"Brian Wilson" (live), Barenaked Ladies
"Brick," Ben Folds Five
"Sex and Candy," Marcy Playground
"Walking on the Sun," Smash Mouth
"Tubthumping," Chumbawamba
"6 Underground," Sneaker Pimps
"Lullaby," Shawn Mullins
"Slide," Goo Goo Dolls
"Kiss Me," Sixpence None The Richer
"Steal My Sunshine," LEN
"What It's Like," Everlast
"Natural Blues," Moby

I think Rhino does a great job with reissues and box sets, but I have an issue with this track listing: this is trying to cover everything. Blockbuster Top 40 hits next to college rock hits next to rather obscure acts and everything in between is too wide a range for me. There is too much stuff set aside for the sake of space and time. Sure, seven discs are a lot, but there is plenty more to cover.

This list looks like an iTunes library made by a late-20s/early-30s married couple. One spouse was a big alternative fan and the other was a fan of all things considered Top 40. The sequencing looks like they put everything on 'random' on their shared 60-gig iPod.

I would love to see '90s-era box sets dedicated only to loose genres: from R&B to Top 40 pop to alternative. How about a Nuggets-styled box set of well-known to obscure songs from the alternative era? Now that is something I would buy.

Comments

Insightful observation -- re: Itunes library of 90's hitz.
Anonymous said…
Yes, an interesting collection. I understand the inclusion of a lot of the popular songs, but then am surprised to see some of the more obscure songs on there, like Ash, the Reverend and Sleater-Kinney.

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