1993

In September, Nirvana release their final studio album, In Utero. It would hit #1 despite initial concerns from the label over the lack of “hit singles” and the sludgy final mix by Steve Albini. Two songs, “Heart Shaped-Box” and “All Apologies”, were remixed and released as singles.

Nirvana-All Apologies
Nirvana Rape Me


Frank Zappa dies after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer.

Natalie Merchant quits 10,000 Maniacs to pursue a solo career.


The Dandy Warhols are formed in Portland, Oregon. [lame excuse but I’ll take any I can get to post a Warhols track, like this live cut of “Boys Better” from ’98.]

Green Day part ways with indie Lookout! Records to sign a multi-album deal with Warner/Reprise. [Check out "Only Of You" live.]

In June, Oasis are signed to Creation Records by Alan McGee.

Check out their early demos:
Cigarettes And Alcohol
Shakermaker


In February, Duran Duran enjoy an unlikely chart return with the self-titled (but unofficially titled “The Wedding Album”), which features the Top 10 singles “Come Undone” and “Ordinary World”. The album itself would land at #7 on the U.S. Top 100 Albums chart.


U2 release “Zooropa”, a drastic departure from their usual fare and hastily completed in order to be released prior to their already-planned Zoo TV tour. It is most notable for a lack of charting singles, although “Lemon”, “Numb”, and “Stay (Far Away, So Close)” did receive moderate airplay.

U2 (with R.E.M.) - One (live)


In April, Tool releases their debut album, “Undertow”. The album was quite influential and songs such as “Sober” and “Prison Sex” garnered a fair amount of radio play, despite some controversy. The album would peak at #50 on the Top 100, but continue to sell consistently for years to come.

Tool-Prison Sex
Tool-Sober


In June, Chicago singer/songwriter Liz Phair releases the indie smash “Exile In Guyville”, which, according to Phair, was a song-by-song response to the Rolling Stones’ “Exile On Main Street”. The lo-fi production and no-holds-barred lyrics would go on to inspire many imitators, most notably Alanis Morrissette. Despite charting only as high as #196, the album would eventually be certified gold for sales of 500,000 units.

Here are live versions of some tunes from that legendary album:

Fuck and Run
6'1"
Dance of The Seven Veils
Stratford-on-Guy
Glory
Divorce Song
Flower
Help Me Mary
Mesmerizing
Never Said

Radiohead release their debut album, “Pablo Honey”, in February. The album is most notable for including the single, “Creep”, which was a huge Modern Rock hit and Top 40 pop single.


Smashing Pumpkins’ second album, “Siamese Dream”, is released in July. It becomes their first Top 10 album and features the singles “Cherub Rock”, “Today”, “Disarm” and “Rocket”. Most notably, the video for “Today” received heavy MTV rotation.

Cherub Rock
Today
Disarm
Rocket


In October, Pearl Jam debut at #1 with their second album “Vs.”. The album would hold the top spot for five straight weeks. Despite no charting commercial singles, several tracks received heavy modern rock radio airplay, including “Daughter”, “Dissident”, and “Go”, and “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town”.

Pearl Jam-Daughter
Pearl Jam Dock Of The Bay

In November, Swedish group Ace Of Base release their debut album, “The Sign”, which goes on to enjoy huge worldwide success. It had been issued earlier in the year throughout Europe under the title “Happy Nation”, then re-released as “Happy Nation, US Version” to match the track listing of the U.S.-issued “The Sign”. The album, while short on versatility, is long on hits; “All That She Wants” (#1), “Don’t Turn Around” (#4), “Living In Danger (#20), and “The Sign” (#1). The album has gone on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide.


In March, Lenny Kravitz releases his third studio album, “Are You Gonna Go My Way?”. Aside from being the first Kravitz album to dent the Top 20 (peaking at #12), the album’s title track garnered heavy radio airplay and is perhaps his best known song to date, but was never actually released as a commercial single.

Lenny w/Guns 'n' Roses-Always On The Run
Lenny Kravitz-Are You Gonna Go My Way


Reuniting with producer Jim Steinman, Meatloaf releases “Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell” and makes a triumphant comeback. The single “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That” would go #1 in 28 different countries, including the U.S. and UK (where it was #1 for seven weeks). Subsequent singles “Objects In The Rearview Mirror May Be Closer Than They Are” (#30) and “Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through” (#13) would enjoy noteworthy success and the album would go on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide.

Meatloaf-I Would Do Anything For Love

Better Than Ezra release “Deluxe” on the indie Swell Records label. It would be remixed and re-released two years later by Elektra and become a Top 40 hit that would eventually go gold. It features modern rock radio staples “Good” and “Rosealia”.

New Order release “Republic” and enjoy their last #1 UK album (peaking at #11 in the States). “Regret” would garner heavy modern rock radio airplay before becoming a fixture on Top 40 radio, peaking at #28 on the pop singles chart. The band would break up during the tour to promote this album, not reuniting until 1998.


In March, the Cranberries release their debut album, “Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?”. Highlighted by the unique faux-yodeling vocal stylings of singer Dolores O’Riordan, the album finds a home at modern rock radio and then crosses over to Top 40 formats soonafter, yielding the Top 10 hit “Linger”.

Cranberries-Linger

In August, The Breeders (featuring the Pixies’ Kim Deal) release “Last Splash” and see “Cannonball” become a huge hit at modern rock radio and a Top 40 pop single.

Breeders-Cannonball (live)


Counting Crows release “August And Everything After” in September and score a career-defining Top 5 hit. Despite an initially slow start, “Mr. Jones” would eventually catch fire at Top 40 radio and climb to #2 on the Pop charts. “Rain King” would peak in the Top 30, to be followed by the band’s second Top 10 single, “Round Here”. The album has sold over ten million copies in the U.S. to date.

Counting Crows-Mr. Jones (acoustic)
Counting Crows-Rain King (acoustic)

In August, Cracker releases “Kerosene Hat” (corrected because I left off "Hat originally, thank you), which would fail to hit the Top 40, but manage to unleash modern rock radio hits “Low” and “Get Off This”.

Collective Soul release their debut album, “Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid” on the indie label, Rising Storm Records. Regional success in the Atlanta area would lead Atlantic Records to sign the band and re-release the album a year later, resulting in the Top 20 success of the single “Shine”.

Collective Soul-Shine


In February, Paul McCartney releases “Off The Ground”, his first new album of the decade and his first album to hit the top 20 since “Pipes Of Peace” in 1983. To promote the album, he launches the very ambitious “The New World” tour, which spanned the year and the globe, becoming one of the year’s most successful rock tours.

Here are some tracks from the '93 Paul tour:

Let Me Roll It
I Saw Her Standing There
Drive My Car
Hope Of Deliverance
The Long And Winding Road
Paperback Writer
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely hearts Club Band
My Love
Live And Let Die
Band On The Run
Another Day
We Can Work It Out

Depeche Mode would hit #1 on the U.S. albums chart with their eighth studio album, “Songs of Faith & Devotion”. Despite the success of the album, the highest charting single from the album, “I Feel You”, would only make it to #37 on the U.S. singles chart.

The Flaming Lips release “Transmissions From The Satellite Heart” in June and land their first charting radio hit with “She Don’t Use Jelly”, which was a Top 10 Modern Rock hit, making it as far as #55 on the pop singles chart.

KISS milk the “Alive” series a third time with the release of “Alive III”, which rockets into the Top 10.