Paul Westerberg started his musical career fronting the 80s alternative rock icons, The Replacements. Upon their break-up in 1991, Westerberg wasted no time getting to work on a solo career, contributing two tracks to the soundtrack for the hit movie Singles. Both should have helped him break onto the charts, but despite appreciable airplay, neither "Dyslexic Heart" or "Waiting For Somebody" took off. His first solo record, "14 Songs," should have introduced the world to Westerberg's songwriting genius, but for some reason it failed to happen. This is one of the best records of the 90s in my book. Ever prolific, Westerberg continued to release records under his name, as well as Grandpaboy, and has appeared on lots of soundtracks and tribute albums. Most notably, some of his best work in years appears on the soundtrack to the 2006 animated film Open Season. In 2015, he teamed up with Juliana Hatfield to release a singe album as The I Don't Cares. While his more recent efforts are low-fi adventures from his basement studio, I rank his work during the late 80s and early 90s with some of finest tunes out there. "World Class Fad," from his 1993 solo debut, should have made Westerberg the household name he deserves to be.
Aimee Mann rose to fame as the voice behind 80s one-hit wonders, 'Til Tuesday. Some may also remember her as Geddy Lee's partner in the duet "Time Stand Still" by Rush in 1987. But Mann has been quietly cranking out solo records since her debut album in 1993, "Whatever." Mann is a darling of critics, but her brand of snarky lyrics wrapped in perky pop hasn't translated into commercial success. Her only chart appearance occurred in 1995 when "That's Just What You Are" (co-written with Jon Brion) managed to climb to #93. The song was lifted from her sophomore effort, "I'm With Stupid," which boasted lots of special guests. Do you recognize the backing vocals on "That's Just What You Are"? That's Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford of Squeeze. Juliana Hatfield sang on some tracks, and her future husband, Michael Penn, played acoustic guitar on several tracks. While commercial success has been elusive, her songwriting prowess has earned her two Grammys and wide critical acclaim. "Say Anything" defies all logical explanation for not giving Mann more commercial success. From her debut solo effort, it remains one of the best, most radio-friendly tunes she's ever written.
Led by the dreamy stoner dude, Evan Dando, Boston's The Lemonheads are an alternative rock band that tasted their 15 minutes of fame in the early nineties. After amassing a cult following since their formation in 1986, the band settled into a slacker acoustic rock niche that wrote artsy tunes that provided a reprieve from the gritty grunge of the '90s. The band scored some major airplay with their excellent LP, "It's A Shame About Ray," thanks to the title track (whose video featured Johnny Depp) and their cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson." The '90s darling Juliana Hatfield played bass and sang on some of the tracks, too. The band followed these singles up with their 1993 record, "Come On Feel The Lemonheads," which yielded their only chart hit, "Into Your Arms." "Into Your Arms" embraced the #67 position in 1993. Despite some other strong potential hits on this record, such as "The Great Big No," the band pretty much soured after this flash of fame. "Confetti" comes from their landmark "It's A Shame About Ray" album. To this day, I am surprised this catchy song was not one to put them on the map sooner.
I've often thought of 90s darling Juliana Hatfield as the female Paul Westerberg, which is strangely predictive of her recent 2016 collaboration album with him under the moniker The I Don't Cares. But back in the 90s this singer/songwriter from Maine played with The Lemonheads and in her own outfit, The Juliana Hatfield Three. She went solo in 1994, scoring two minor hits with "Spin The Bottle" (#97), which was featured in the movie Reality Bites, and "Universal Heart-Beat" (#84). I've never quite figured out why songs like these didn't fare better. Perhaps her sugary voice was too sweet for grungy guitars?
