The Soundtrack of 1994! I chose ’94 for this trip down memory lane as it was the first year, I really took a major interest in music. If I was asked today what type of music I listen to the most I would without hesitation reply “Melodic Rock and AOR” but way back when I didn’t wake up one day and decide I’m a rocker! So initially the music I listened to was extremely varied and I did listen to and purchase some rather embarrassing songs and albums back then.
Although my first few years as a hardcore music fan saw me exploring music in a very general way, I did find I was always leaning towards music within the rock and metal genre. So, I did eventually find myself become a rocker and finding myself by and large exclusively listening to rock music. So, this podcast is not totally representative of my listening habits of that specific year in an overall sense, but it does show my rock side of that year.
This compilation does represent the rock music I listened to that year and much of this playlist shows the start of my love affair with melodic rock. I did worry that I would miss bands or albums from that year when researching the year retrospectively. Indeed, it was only through my own memory and insisting to myself both Gun’s ‘Swagger’ and Moist’s ‘Silver’ albums were released in ’94. So, I’m sure there are songs I may have missed but looking at the playlist it is a fair representation of my rock music listening of that year. I did omit Stiltskin’s ‘Inside’ which could have been on the list and was of course one of the biggest hits of that year. I also didn’t consider anything from other genre’s although I’m sure there could be some other great stuff I could have added to the mix, but I wanted to focus on rock for this compilation.
I also noticed there was quite a few ‘Best Of’ albums released in ’94 – so listeners may be spitting feathers at some of these songs not having a 1994 copyright symbol next to them. These ‘Best Of’ albums though were highly influential on where my future listening tastes would go – most notably Bon Jovi’s ‘Cross Roads’, Aerosmith’s ‘Big Ones’ and Whitesnake’s ‘Greatest Hits’. These three records and how much I listened to them lead me down the path towards melodic rock and AOR.
If you look at the playlist before pressing play, you’ll notice I started with songs more representative of the rock scene in general in that year. Grunge and Alternative Rock were the rulers of Kerrang and the rock music industry and melodic rock had become uncool – so the vast majority of music that was in my face that I enjoyed is represented in the first half and in the second my uncool self and desire for melodic rock is showcased – although Atlantic and Midnight Blue were discoveries many years later.
Playlist -
Terrorvision – Pretend Best Friend
Green Day – Basket Case
The Offspring – Self Esteem
Therapy? – Screamager
Manic Street Preachers – Revol
The Cranberries – Zombie
R.E.M – Bang and Blame
Live – I Alone
Bush – Everything Zen
Moist – Push
Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
Bruce Dickinson – Tears Of The Dragon
Megadeth – Train Of Consequences
The Almighty – Jonestown Mind
Bon Jovi – In These Arms
Whitesnake – Now You’re Gone
Aerosmith – Crazy
FM – All Or Nothing
Dokken – Mirror Mirror
Tyketto – Meet Me In The Night
Skin – Look But Don’t Touch
Little Angels – I Wanna Be Loved By You
Gun – Don’t Say It’s Over
Magnum – Love’s A Stranger
The Rolling Stones – Love Is Strong
Glenn Hughes – The Only One
Talisman – Lonely World
Heartland – Try Me
Atlantic – Power Over Me
Midnight Blue – Hold On Til The Heartbreaks Over