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Twenty years on … the class of 1994 still rocks

Twenty years ago, popular music arrived at something of a crossroads. Grunge had ruled the early 1990s, and some of the genre’s biggest names – Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins – released massive albums in 1993 and 1994.

But the rise of hip hop and a handful of other niche genres, combined with the heroin-related deaths of Kurt Cobain and Hole’s Kirsten Pfaff, signalled a shift.

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A bumper crop of rookies emerged in 1994, with a bunch of cracking debuts in tow – many of which became regarded as modern classics.

Most of the debutants fulfilled their early promise and remain almost as popular two decades on; some quickly fizzled out with disappointing follow-ups; and a couple died before they could fully realise their massive potential, but left enormous legacies nonetheless.

Alternative rock was crying out for a fresh, slightly more optimistic direction, and a number of newcomers were more than willing to provide it in the shape of sparkling debut albums.


New wave

Oasis

Oasis burst into the consciousness of music fans around the world with searing debut Definitely Maybe in August 1994. Featuring brilliant singles Supersonic and Live Forever, Definitely Maybe was a huge critical and commercial success, taking the fight for the Britpop crown directly to Blur. Oasis took an unassailable lead in that race with 1995 follow-up (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, an absolute juggernaut of an album that sold a record-breaking 347,000 copies in its first week.

Bush

Riding on grunge’s coattails, London-based Bush earned massive success with debut LP Sixteen Stone, released in late 1994. Singles Glycerine and Comedown were huge slow-burning hits and provided ideal bedroom fodder for brooding teens, but Everything Zen and Little Things proved Bush had substantial hard rock chops. Sophomore album Razorblade Suitcase (1996) sold well but was generally disappointing, however, and frontman Gavin Rossdale soon became better known for being Mr Gwen Stefani.

Weezer

Signed by Geffen a year earlier, alt-rock upstarts Weezer’s self-titled debut (otherwise known as The Blue Album) was released to little fanfare but eventually went triple-platinum in the US. Undone – The Sweater Song was the first single, but it was Buddy Holly and Say It Ain’t So that sent Weezer into the stratosphere, rendering it one of 1994’s defining records.

Jeff Buckley

Unlike anything released around the mid-1990s, Grace was extraordinary. Jeff Buckley’s unique vocal style was best exhibited on every track of this seminal album, including Last Goodbye, So Real, Lover, You Should’ve Come Over, and what became the most well-know song from the album, his cover of Leonard Cohen’s classic Hallejuah. But while working on a follow-up, the 30-year-old Buckley drowned accidentally while swimming in the Wolf River Harbour, Tennessee, on May 29, 1997.

Portishead

Coming on the back of Massive Attack’s mainstream breakthroughs of the early 1990s, fellow Bristol band Portishead’s debut Dummy became one of the essential albums of the trip-hop genre. Haunting, atmospheric and sample-heavy, Dummy was universally lauded, and beat out the likes of Oasis and PJ Harvey for the Mercury Music Prize. The mysterious, reclusive Beth Gibbons-led trio have released just two subsequent albums – Portishead (1997) and Third (2008) – but Dummy sounds as fresh and enveloping as it did 20 years ago.

Veruca Salt

Named after the spoilt rich girl in Roald Dahl’s classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Veruca Salt looked set to capitalise on the opportunities the Riot grrrl movement had opened up for female-led alternative rock bands and ride the post-grunge wave to success. Debut American Thighs, and in particular lead single Seether, garnered plenty of praise and the future looked bright. But follow-up Eight Arms to Hold You (1997) underwhelmed and the co-leader Nina Gordon left the band in 1998. The original line-up reformed in 2013, to little fanfare.

Ben Harper

A 24-year-old Ben Harper released his first album, Welcome to the Cruel World, in early-1994 to scant attention – although it did reach #11 in France and cracked the Top 100 in Australia. But part African-American, part Cherokee, part Jewish Harper’s soulful blend of folk, blues and alt-rock saw him explode a year later following the release of superb sophomore effort Fight for Your Mind; long-running mainstream success ensued. Despite insipid post-2000 hits like Steal My Kisses and Diamonds on the Inside, Harper remains one of the most universally liked artists going around.


Australia

Two Australian bands destined for domestic greatness pressed their maiden offerings to compact disc in 1994 – although the initial reception for the now-iconic acts was poles apart.

Powderfinger

Powderfinger’s debut full-length Parables for Wooden Ears gave few hints that the band would become one of Australia’s most universally loved and commercially successful rock acts. Channelling Pearl Jam’s darkest and heaviest moments, an indication of the album’s mood was the fact they were chosen to support heavy metal powerhouses Pantera when they toured Australia. But Bernard Fanning and co. took a new, optimistic indie direction with follow-up Double Allergic (1996), while The Internationalist (1998) shot to No.1 on the ARIA Charts.

Silverchair

When three pubescent lads from Newcastle burst onto the scene by winning a national song competition, there was little indication of the impact they would have on the Australian music landscape. Silverchair, fronted by 15-year-old Daniel Johns, enjoyed six weeks at #1 in the ARIA charts and #5 spot in Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 1994 with alternative rock gem Tomorrow, the title track of their debut EP. Frogstomp (1995) and follow-up Freak Show (1997), which reached #9 and #12 respectively in the US, did little to douse the ‘Nirvana in Pyjamas’ tag. But Silverchair – with Johns the driving force – took new and ambitious directions with Australian chart-toppers Neon Ballroom (1999), Diorama (2002) and Young Modern (2007).

Rebecca’s Empire

Inidie rock duo Rebecca’s Empire was one of the most promising Australian acts to emerge in 1994, reaching #38 in Triple J’s Hottest 100 with Atomic Electric, the title track of their debut EP. High Triple J rotation followed after the release of full-length Way of All Things (1996), but buzz around the band petered out before the end of the decade.


Hip Hop

The evolution and increasing popularity of rap and hip hop throughout the 1980s had become a juggernaut by the mid-1990s, becoming deeply entrenched in the mainstream and in popular culture. Some of the genre’s greatest debuts and most influential albums hit the shelves and the airwaves in ’94.

The Notorious B.I.G.

Born Christopher Wallace, The Notorious B.I.G. soared to rap superstardom following the release of debut record Ready to Die in September 1994. He was the prized stallion in Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy stable, with the first two singles, Juicy and Big Poppa, quickly becoming hip hop standards with their slick rhymes and semi-autobiographical lyrics about his rougher-than-rough upbringing in the projects. But New York-based Biggie became embroiled in the infamous coastal battle that plagued rap throughout the 1990s, and died in March 1997 in a drive-by shooting, aged just 24. His second album, Life After Death, was posthumously released 16 days later.

Fugees

Hip hop trio Fugees, comprising of Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel, released their debut, Blunted on Reality, in early-1994. It garnered only modest attention, but their combination of hip hop, soul and reggae, and lyrical themes of black empowerment and social awareness, saw Fugees blow up via sophomore LP The Score and memorable singles Ready or Not and a cover of Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly. The group pursued individual interests thereafter: Hill released the enormously popular and critically lauded The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1998 but was jailed for tax evasion in 2013; Jean went on to become a genuine solo star in his own right; and Pras’ greatest post-Fugees claim to fame was massive 1997 hit Ghetto Superstar.

Outkast

Andre 3000 and Big Boi were still teenagers when they released debut LP Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, a record credited with kick-starting the rise of southern hip hop. Incorporating funk, soul and guitar licks into their sound, the charismatic Atlanta duo found wider recognition with ATliens (1996) and Aquemini (1998), before exploding into the mainstream with 2000’s Stankonia. Outkast became one of the most broadly popular hip hop acts in the world with hits such as Ms. Jackson and Hey Ya, before going on hiatus and working on solo projects from 2006. Their 2014 reunion was rapturously received and saw Outkast headline virtually every major music festival around the world, including a searing set at Bryon Bay’s Splendour in the Grass in July.

Warren G

West coast rapper Warren G had good pedigree, collaborating with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and his step-brother, Dr. Dre. He carved out his own slice of hip hop’s rapidly-expanding recognition with debut solo release Regulate…G Funk Era in 1994, which went triple platinum on the back of seminal hit single Regulate. But the G-Funk sound’s appeal soon faded, and Warren G toppled from his lofty position; his six subsequent albums were increasingly unpopular.


Metal

Two heavy, parent-terrifying bands that went on to achieve massive success despite their controversial subject matter and dark themes released important debut LPs in 1994. Although these bands’ first albums were ultimately a precursor to the terrible reign of nu metal, they were among the most absorbing industrial/alternative releases of the decade.

Marilyn Manson

The members of industrial metal weirdos Marilyn Manson took their pseudonyms by combining the first name of an iconic female sex symbol with the surname of a notorious serial killer, and their debut Portrait of an American Family was a self-styled critique of American culture and society, set against the backdrop of crunching industrial guitars. The highly-intelligent eponymous lead singer’s shocking on- and off-stage behaviour saw him become one of the most controversial figures in music history, while brilliant subsequent albums Antichrist Superstar (1996) and Mechanical Animals (1998) were critically well-received and enormously popular.

Korn

Dealing with harrowing themes such as drug abuse, bullying, violence and child abuse, Korn’s self-titled debut album was confronting, powerful and influential – few metal albums have helped changed the course of the genre to the same extent. Reaching #46 in Australia and #10 in New Zealand, Korn has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Sophomore effort Life is Peachey was a moderate success and Follow the Leader shot Korn into the mainstream, but the band lost its impact with subsequent releases.

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