94.5 The Edge was the greatest radio station I have ever heard. It debuted in Dallas in the summer of 1989, and for five years it exposed me to more new alternative music than I could have ever imagined. In this continuing series, we’ll take a look back at the songs that made the Edge required listening for anyone with a musical pulse in North Texas in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Songs From The Edge: 1994
Angelfish: “King Of The World” (Angelfish)
From the album Angelfish
Radioactive Records, 1994
You probably haven’t heard of Angelfish, but you likely know that voice– yes, that is Shirley Manson. Garbage co-founder Steve Marker saw the video for Angelfish’s “Suffocate Me” on 120 Minutes, and immediately invited Manson to join his new band. “King Of The World” wasn’t released as a single, but it’s my favorite track from the one and only Angelfish album.
The Cult: “Star” [Rock Radio Remix] (Astbury/Duffy)
Original version from the album The Cult
Sire Records, 1994
After the lackluster reception to 1991’s Ceremony, The Cult modernized their sound for the epic 1992 soundtrack cut “The Witch.” Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy continued down this path on their 1994 self-titled album, but the results were a bit mixed. The Cult remain one of my favorite bands to this day, but The Cult album just didn’t do much for me (an opinion widely shared by many long-time fans of the band). “Star” was one of the few songs on the record that successfully blended the aggressive production with Duffy’s signature guitar, and Astbury’s endearingly rough vocal only adds to its charms.
Love And Rockets: “Trip And Glide” (Ash/Love And Rockets)
From the album Hot Trip To Heaven
American Records, 1994
Like The Cult, Love And Rockets were one of my favorite bands from my college days. I was introduced to both groups in 1986 thanks to my friend Curtis, who let me borrow a cassette that had Love on one side and Express on the other. The two bands remained forever linked in my mind after that, so I suppose it is fitting that both The Cult and Love And Rockets released albums in 1994 that I didn’t really like very much. Hot Trip To Heaven was just way too electronic for my tastes, and only one song really grabbed me like old Love And Rockets: “Trip And Glide.” The band must have felt the same way, as 1996’s Sweet F.A. saw Love And Rockets edge back towards their classic sound.
Liz Phair: “Jealousy” (Phair)
From the album Whip-Smart
Matador Records, 1994
My good friend Matt was semi-obsessed with Liz Phair back in the ’90s, so I listened to a lot of Liz during our many Longhorn football road trips. I know I’m in the minority when I say that I prefer Whip-Smart to Exile In Guyville, but I do. Sorry, ’90s alt-music hipsters! I even (mostly) like Liz’s self-titled 2003 album, despite its made-for-Dawson’s Creek production values.
The Jesus & Mary Chain: “Sometimes Always”
From the album Stoned & Dethroned
American Records, 1994
My friend Curtis also introduced me to The Jesus & Mary Chain back in 1986 via his vinyl copy of Pyschocandy. I was starting to get a little bored with the band’s sound by the time of 1992’s Honey’s Dead, and clearly Jim and William Reid were as well. The mostly-acoustic Stoned & Dethroned sounds like it was made by a completely different band, yet somehow it is also still manages to sound like The Jesus & Mary Chain. Neat trick, guys! Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval adds vocals to “Sometimes Always,” a breezy little pop song that still makes me smile every time I hear it.
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Bonus Tracks!
The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.
Angelfish: “Suffocate Me” (Angelfish)
From the album Angelfish
Radioactove Records, 1993
Garbage: “Trip My Wire” (Garbage)
From the U.K. CD single Queer
Mushroom Records, 1995
The Cult: “The Witch” (Astbury/Duffy)
From the soundtrack album Songs From The Cool World
Warner Brothers Records, 1992
The Cult: “(Here Comes The) Rain” (Astbury/Duffy)
From the U.K. 12″ single Rain
Original version from the album Love
Beggars Banquet, 1985
Love And Rockets: “Kundalini Express” (David J/Love And Rockets)
From the album Express
Beggars Banquet Records, 1986
Love And Rockets: “Sweet Lover Hangover” (Ash/Love And Rockets)
From the album Sweet F.A.
American Records, 1996
Liz Phair: “Divorce Song” (Phair)
From the album Exile In Guyville
Matador Records, 1993
Liz Phair: “Extraordinary” (Phair/Christy/Edwards/Spock)
From the album Liz Phair
Capitol Records, 2003
The Jesus And Mary Chain: “Some Candy Talking” (Reid/Reid)
From the album Psychocandy
Blanco y Negro, 1985
The Jesus And Mary Chain: “Far Gone And Out” (Reid/Reid)
From the album Honey’s Dead
Blanco y Negro, 1992
Mazzy Star: “Fade Into You” (Sandoval/Roback}
From the album So Tonight That I Might See
Capitol Records, 1993
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