Colorado rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters seemed secured in mainstream success with their breakout record, "Sister Sweetly". The album spawned several standards of 90s radio including "Bittersweet", which bubbled under the top 100 at #104 in January of 1994. While the album only went to #117, it created enough buzz to get the band's follow-up, "Stratagem", to #30. "Stratagem" failed to generate a hit single, so the band took 3 years to craft their next record, 1997's "Beautiful World". Helmed by Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads, "Beautiful World" was a glorious return to form and saw the band flexing their blues muscles too. Filled with sizzling rockers and sultry ballads, "Beautiful World" reached a respectable #56 on the albums chart and put the band back on the mainstream rock charts, too (thanks to "Resignation Superman"). Here's another wonderful cut from "Beautiful World" called "Heart of Wilderness":
I'm willing to bet many of you never heard of Adrian Belew, but I bet you've heard him perform in some capacity. Discovered by Frank Zappa, Belew was an accomplished singer and guitarist as a sideman for the likes of Talking Heads, David Bowie, and Paul Simon. He was also a member of the prog rock band King Crimson. Belew's only chart appearance as a solo act was for the song, "Oh Daddy", which made it to #58 in 1989. In 1990, he released his 5th album, "Young Lions", which is filled with a mix of melodic and experimental rock. There is a duet with David Bowie ("Pretty Pink Rose"), a cover of the Traveling Wilburys song, "Not Alone Anymore", and even a broadcast from an evangelist called Prophet Omega. Among the more accessible cuts is this snappy little number, "Looking For A U.F.O." Not just a great commentary on world affairs, the song also features a pretty obvious nod to the Talking Heads.
