15 Records Turning 30 in August 2024

The ‘90s alternative boom lacked a star troubadour in the classic mode until Grace filled that void. Jeff Buckley had a genetic advantage, being the son of visionary songwriter Tim Buckley, but his sound was his own. On his debut album, released on August 23, 1994, Jeff Buckley combined elements of modern rock mixed with jazz, folk, psychedelia, and more to create his singular vision. Although Buckley’s debut was poorly received upon its release, its critical reputation continues to rise 30 years later.

Formed in Bristol, England, in 1991, Portishead fused hip-hop production with ethereal vocals (courtesy of Beth Gibbons) to create an atmospheric, downtempo template for what would soon be known as trip-hop. Released on August 22, 1994, amid a Brit-pop explosion that included Blur and Oasis, Portishead’s debut studio album Dummy is often regarded as one of the best albums of the ‘90s.

Released on August 9, 1994, 6 Feet Deep is the debut studio album from a hip-hop supergroup featuring Prince Paul, RZA, Frukwan, and Poetic. Frustrated with the record industry, the group fused horror-themed imagery with black comedy to satirize ‘90s gangsta rap. In the process, they helped to usher a new subgenre of hip-hop dubbed “horrorcore” into the mainstream. 

Released on August 2, 1994, Mars Audiac Quintet was Stereolab’s third studio album of avant sometime electronic pop. The album featured the breakout hit “Ping Pong,” which described the business cycle and how war influenced it and asked listeners not to worry, be happy, and keep on consuming. The song resulted in critics calling the band’s music “Marxist pop,” which the band rejected. Regardless, the album became Stereolab’s most accessible record of the ‘90s.

The 15th studio album from Prince was released when Prince, Come, was in a public dispute with Warner Bros. Records. The dispute resulted in a lack of promotion from the label, and the album underperformed. It became Prince’s first album since 1981 not to yield any top-ten singles in the U.S. The album would be the final Warner Bros. album under the name Prince before he changed his name and became “The Artist Formerly Known As Prince” in the media.

Oasis arguably did more than anybody to make Britpop a major part of the ‘90s and beyond. They added more guitar raunch and muscleman drumming to their recipe than their contemporaries. It was their hooks-a-go-go approach to songwriting, though, that presented a decent case for Liam and Noel as their generation’s Lennon and McCartney. Released on August 29, 1994, arena-ready U.K. hits like “Live Forever” and “Cigarettes & Alcohol” made it plain that Manchester was the current musical center of the country.

Released on August 30, 1994, Down was the Jesus Lizard’s last record for Touch and Go Records and their final Steve Albini-produced record. As torchbearers for the emerging noise rock genre of the ‘90s, the Jesus Lizard appeared on a split single with Nirvana in 1993 but failed to find the same commercial success Nirvana had experienced. Two years later, the Jesus Lizard released their first album for Capitol Records, Shot.

Moving away from the acoustic, lo-fi sound that characterized Sebadoh’s first few albums, Bakesale, released by Sub Pop Records on August 23, 1994, was widely received as one of the best albums of 1994 by outlets such as the Village Voice, Spin, and Mojo. Singles for the songs “Not Too Amused,” “Skull,” and “Rebound” were released, garnering radio play and spots on the U.K. Singles charts. In recent years, the band’s founder Lou Barlow himself would go on to call Bakesale his most fondly remembered Sebadoh record.

The 22nd studio album from Neil Young arrived on August 16, 1994, as a double LP and single CD. Young’s seventh album with Crazy Horse signified a ‘90s comeback for the songwriter. Fans dubbed him the “Godfather of Grunge” in the early ‘90s, and he even performed alongside Pearl Jam in 1993. The title track was written and recorded as a tribute to Kurt Cobain, who had died just months prior to the release. 

Dinosaur Jr.’s sixth studio album, Without A Sound, peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Top 200,and produced two of J Mascis’ most well-known singles: “Feel The Pain” and “I Don’t Think So.” The band’s first record minus drummer Murph (replaced by Mascis’ drumming on the album) took time for Mascis to form due to his father’s death.

Released on August 23, 1994, Toadies’ debut album for Interscope Records fused metal-tinged grunge with the lead singer Vaden Todd Lewis’ signature delivery, described by the New York Times as a cross between Robert Plant and Eddie Vedder. Rubberneck produced five singles, including the band’s most popular song, “Possum Kingdom.” Just a year after its release, it had achieved gold status from the RIAA.

Released on August 5, 1994 through Amphetamine Reptile Records, Prick featured an experimental take on Melvins‘ riffage, including field recordings, effects, extended silence, and overall weirdness in general. Originally slated to be named Kurt Kobain, the band changed the album name following his death and jumped headfirst into creating a record that would not have flown with the major labels. According to singer/guitarist Buzz Osbourne, “Prick is “a total noise crap record we did strictly for the weirdness factor.”

By 1994, the Washington D.C./Dischord scene began welcoming in hardcore transplants influenced by the region’s evolving sound. The members of Hoover arrived via Arizona and Pennsylvania and coalesced into an atmospheric brand of the Dischord sound that merged Fugazi with Slint and Talk Talk. Hoover broke up not long after they dropped their first LP, but Lurid Traversal of Rt. 7 has influenced hundreds of post-hardcore bands in the art of loud-soft-loud dynamics.

After a string of independent releases that garnered the band underground acclaim, the East Bay’s Samiam followed Green Day into the majors, signing with Atlantic and releasing Clumsy on August 23, 1994. Though full of the band’s trademark melodic, catchy hardcore, the album only sold 13,000 in the first six months of its release. In the years after Clumsy went out of print, fans returned to the record in droves. Burning Heart Records reissued the album on vinyl in 2023.

Formed in New York in 1991, Luscious Jackson’s brand of alternative rock/rap was discovered by the Beastie Boys’ Grand Royal label, and delivered their debut studio album, Natural Ingredients, on August 23, 1994. The New York Times called it “warm and sardonic music that captures the feeling of hitting the pavement on a near-perfect day.” The album spawned three singles (“City Song,” “Deep Shag,” and “Here), and was featured in the 1995 movie Clueless.