The Bears
Artist: The Bears

The debut album from the Bears is a solid slice of great guitar-driven pop tunes. Although Adrian Belew was seen nominally as the frontman, this was truly a band; four friends who had known each other for years, playing for pure joy. Songwriting duties were shared, with each member contributing at least one track, and they also wrote several... Read More

Ritual de lo Habitual
Artist: Jane's Addiction
Community Score: 7.88

Ritual de lo Habitual served as Jane's Addiction's breakthrough to the mainstream in 1990 (going gold and reaching the Top 20), and remains one of rock's all-time sprawling masterpieces. While its predecessor, 1988's Nothing's Shocking, served as a fine introduction to the group, Ritual de lo Habitual proved to be even more daring; few (if any)... Read More

Superstar Car Wash
Artist: The Goo Goo Dolls
Community Score: 6.83

The hard rock rawness of Buffalo's Goo Goo Dolls makes Superstar Car Wash an album that is high on amicable guitar riffs and attractive hooks, with an edge that never goes away. All the choruses are sandwiched perfectly between the crunching throttle of electric guitar and pleasing rock rhythms, changing pace and style just a notch in each of... Read More

Nothing's Shocking
Artist: Jane's Addiction
Community Score: 7.35

Although Jane's Addiction's 1987 self-titled debut was an intriguing release (few alternative bands at the time had the courage to mix modern rock, prog rock, and heavy metal together), it paled in comparison to their now classic major-label release one year later, Nothing's Shocking. Produced by Dave Jerden and Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry... Read More

Mother Juno
Artist: Gun Club

The Gun Club collapsed within a year of the release of 1984's The Las Vegas Story, so more than a few fans were surprised in 1987 when Jeffrey Lee Pierce and Kid Congo Powers returned with a new version of the band, featuring Romi Mori (Pierce's significant other) on bass and Nick Sanderson (ex-Clock DVA) on drums. Even more startling was that... Read More

Even If and Especially When
Artist: Screaming Trees
Community Score: 7.00

By essentially "repeating the language of the land and the sky," the Screaming Trees accurately portray the organic spirit of the Pacific Northwest. On tracks such as "Cold Rain" and "In the Forest" their narrative landscapes are not only expressed by the seasoned voice of Mark Lanegan but also by the rich complexity of their song structures.... Read More

Anthology: SST Years 1985-1989
Artist: Screaming Trees

Understandably, Screaming Trees gained far more attention during the '90s, caught up as that decade was in the Nirvana fallout and the fluke (but well-deserved) success of "Nearly Lost You." But the band's '80s efforts are worth a listen, and Anthology, cherry-picking from the three SST albums as well as the Other Worlds EP that preceded them,... Read More

Love Junk
Artist: The Pursuit of Happiness

The Pursuit of Happiness' debut set a standard for Canadian pop/rock -- their tight arrangements, self-deprecating lyrics, and bitter yet funny cynicism paved the way for Canadian acts to come, like the Odds, Sloan, and Barenaked Ladies -- although few Canadian artists are as sexually frustrated as TPOH. Love Junk features the minor hits "She's... Read More

The Real Thing
Artist: Faith No More
Community Score: 8.42

Starting with the careening "From Out of Nowhere," driven by Bottum's doomy, energetic keyboards, Faith No More rebounded excellently on The Real Thing after Mosley's firing. Given that the band had nearly finished recording the music and Patton was a last minute recruit, he adjusts to the proceedings well. His insane, wide-ranging musical... Read More

Electric
Artist: The Cult
Community Score: 7.17

The roots of Electric lay in another album entirely, Peace, which was recorded with Love producer Steve Brown in a series of sessions that the band found increasingly pressure-filled and fraught with tension. A chance meeting with Def Jam supremo Rick Rubin at an American awards ceremony turned out to be the charm, resulting in the saucy... Read More

A Boy Named Goo
Artist: The Goo Goo Dolls
Community Score: 7.06

Produced by Lou Giordano with his trademark full-bodied, immediately accessible, but never washed-out sound, A Boy Named Goo finally got the band across to a wide audience, and deservedly so. Right from the start, the Goo Goo Dolls sound perfectly on the right track after Superstar Car Wash's OK but ultimately go-nowhere feeling -- "Long Way... Read More