SUPERALMIGHTY

Around this time 20 years ago is when I started to really come into my own as far as music is concerned. A few years earlier, I had gotten into the music of The Cure, New Order, R.E.M., Echo & The Bunnymen, The Smiths, Ministry, Depeche Mode, Jane's Addiction, etc... It was my gateway to a more subversive side of pop. Prior to that, I was heavily into classic rock like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles and so on. I never really liked 80's pop for some reason except for Duran Duran, U2 and oddly enough, Paul Simon (it's true).

But in 1989 I was a 14 year old high school freshman and there was a lot of buzz in the air. The Berlin Wall had come down (or was about to) and the end of communism seemed to be near. We were heading into a new decade, the 90s and it seemed so full of hope and possibilities. Acid house and techno was all the rage in the U.K., but back in Houston (where I grew up) it was a very fringe movement. Music was getting funkier. The generation that was born in the mid-late 60's and early 70's was coming of age and their obsessions with James Brown, P-Funk and Sly Stone were coming to fruition. You could hear it in the music. House was even crossing over.

In 1989, I discovered three albums that would change my life forever. "3 Feet High and Rising" by De La Soul, "Stone Roses" by Stone Roses, and "Doolittle" by The Pixies. Before 3 Feet High, I thought I knew rap music. What I was used to was the hard Rick Rubin style of minimal production with a loud synth drum and maybe a few scratches. Salt n Pepa was all the rage a few years before as was 2 Live Crew. I hadn't heard of Eric B and Rakim yet, although I do remember EPMD.

I was convinced that I didn't like rap music back then. I was into The Smiths, Skinny Puppy, Nitzer Ebb, and almost any band on Wax Trax for chrissakes and the two worlds couldn't be more opposite. It's like a kid who's into rap music now also liking polka. Although it's possible, it's also highly unlikely. But a kid in gym class let me borrow the De La tape insisting that I had to listen to it. I didn't listen to it for weeks. "I hate rap. It's dumb", I thought. But the kid wouldn't let me hear the end of it and how I would like it b/c it was different. I'd heard "Me, Myself and I", their smash single and I could care less about it. To my ears, it was the equivalent of Technotronic and all that stuff cute little girls that drove VW Cabriolets and went to the mall and had neon phones were into. I hated pop. And even though Depeche Mode and The Cure were technically pop, to me they seemed like a different breed from the Paula Abduls and Rick Astleys stinking up the top 40 radio world.

I finally listened to the tape just to appease him. I didn't think I would like it. I thought I had this rap group pegged. The beauty of tapes was that there was no easy skipping to next songs. He had finished listening to "Ghetto Thang" before he passed along the tape. That means when I listened to it on my Walkman, "Transmitting Live From Mars" would be the first song I would hear. What blew me away is that out of all songs, this is the most "unhiphop" song on the record.

It consisted of a very slowed down loop, it sounded psychedelic, hazy, drugged out and very vintage. I would later find out this is the very sample that got them in hot water. Turns out that the loop was from "You Showed Me", a song by The Turtles. I'd never heard that song in my life, but I guess it was popular at some point. De La slowed down the pitch about half of what it would normally be. This gave it that drugged out vibe. The strings sounded otherworldy.

There was a soft breakbeat to give it that added kick. On top of that, there was no rapping. It was a French instructional lesson from some dusty vinyl. The song only lasted about a minute, but it was enough to make me realize that this group was doing things in a very unconventional way. It was creative, whimsical, nuanced and even sophisticated. Most rap was macho, brash, tough and very loud. De La Soul proved to be playful, clever, subtle and interesting.

They sampled Steely Dan and Hall & Oates. They didn't have that "in your face" rugged stance I associated with most rap. They weren't rapping about the same old shit. I didn't know what they were rapping about to be honest, it was like some coded language but it was fun and I loved listening to it. People tend to put "Paul's Boutique" on a pedestal. It makes sense. Most critics come from a rock POV. But for my money, "3 Feet High" is a better record.

Some of my friends were into Sonic Youth. I couldn't give a shit about them. It was all noise to me. Punk, noise, hardcore and metal were all garbage in my opinion. Although in later years I would come to like some punk, back then, it was what I hated the most. It was so neanderthal to me. Most punks I knew were rebelling, but they had no idea what they were rebelling against. I thought it was thick and abrasive and crude and I didn't want any of it.

I didn't like Sonic Youth, but I loved The Pixies. They were on 4AD (I loved 4AD records). They were melodic, fast, funny, brilliant, fast, pop, punk, square and visceral. "Monkey's Gone To Heaven" is the first song I remember b/c I had seen it a video for it on 120 Minutes or Post Modern. I loved that song and it hooked me. Then I heard "Here Comes Your Man" and it reminded me of The Beatles. When I listened to the album, I was immediately struck by how amazing it kicked off with Debaser. La La Love You, Tame, Hey, and my all time fave, No. 13 Baby. You just couldn't go wrong with that record. The Pixies was one a few American bands I was into (coincidentally, most of my faves came from the U.K.).

I must admit it. I was crushed when The Smiths broke up. I had gotten into them about a month after it happened. They were the first band that I had to get every album like my life depended on it. I'd never felt that way about any band. The Smiths was my favorite band, hands down but I would have to settled for Morrissey in the wake of the breakup. Morrissey's "Viva Hate" was not awful. There were some good songs, but it sucked compared to anything The Smiths did. For me there was no band that could top The Smiths. That is until I heard Stone Roses.

For a brief moment, Stone Roses packed the excitement and melodic punch that I loved about The Smiths in a way that was almost as good as The Smiths. I even thought that they might eventually better The Smiths, but it was not to be. I listened to that first album so much that it was practically ingrained in my soul. She Bangs The Drums, Bye Bye Badman, I am The Resurrection, I Wanna Be Adored, Fool's Gold, it's all there in one album. John Squire was almost as cool as Johnny Marr. I had no idea how iconic that album would become. It was just another great album from a great era.

1990 proved to be an even better year for me personally. I kept getting into more and more music that I'd never heard before. I was all of 14/15 years old. It meant everything to me. I realize now that it was my equivalent of what 1967 or 1977 was to a the generations before me.