Something I haven't done in a while: Early 90s Monday

I get the feeling there are a lot of people who don't quite know what to make of my early 90s Monday series, and maybe like 3 people who think it's totally awesome.  I'm catering to those 3 people right now with two mid-school (certainly not oldschool, and not quite newschool) Michael Jackson hits.  Man, I totally LOVED these videos when they first came out--still do.

Michael Jackson, "Black or White," 1991
Macauley Culkin on the heels of his Home Alone success, Jackson's still-present nose, Tyra Banks, and video people-morphing.  Need I say more?

Michael Jackson, "Remember the Time," 1992
A really involved production, a short film studded with stars like Magic Johnson, Eddie Murphy, IMAN, George Foreman.  Murphy puts on his "Coming to America" face. 

Previous Entries

8. TLC, "Baby Baby Baby" and Mariah Carey, "Can't Let Go"
5. Paperboy, "Ditty" and En Vogue, "Giving Him Something He Can Feel"
4. Mariah Carey, "Vision of Love" and Color Me Badd, "I Adore Mi Amor"
3. Mr. Big, "Be With You" and Mint Condition, "Breaking My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)"
2. PM Dawn, "Die Without You" and Mista Grimm, "Indo Smoke
1. Boyz II Men, "Motownphilly" and Paula Abdul, "Opposites Attract"

Oldschool Monday: More Girl Power

TLC, "Baby Baby Baby," 1992 (before they really got cool)

I think I almost like this song better than any of the ones on the album they are best known for, CrazySexyCool.  It's here you see, despite the bright clothing and random teddy bears (which are horrific and yet totally awesome), the kind of confidant star power that would launch them to stratospheric heights in the late 1990s.

TLC - Baby Baby Baby (Promo Only) - TLC

Mariah Carey, "Can't Let Go," 1991

Probably my favorite MC song ever.  Makes me feel all soft and gooey inside.  Though it's hard to pick a favorite really--so many gems from the once 8-octave singer in that early era.  Such a classy video, too.


Previous Entries

TLC - Baby Baby Baby (Promo Only) - TLC

Oldschool Monday: I'm feeling rawther moon-y.

Whenever I was feeling lovelorn (pshaw, as a kid, really!) I'd sit around and listen to songs like these and moon.  (Many people don't know the definition of 'moon' in this context. According to Merriam Webster, it originated in 1836, and means, 'to spend in idle reverie : dream—used with away.') The songs still conjure up delicious feelings of unrequited luuuuuuuurve.  Haha!

SVW (or Sisters With Voices), "Weak," 1992
Just some solid, early '90s R&B gold.

The Bangles, "Eternal Flame," 1989
I know, a bit earlier than the parameters of this series.  But oh-so-good.  I always thought it would make a good prom theme, but people thought it sounded too much like burning in the fiery pit of you-know-where.  It should have a place on tender mixtapes everywhere.

And, this sweet song from Expose released in 1990 - "I'll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me)"

Back with a vengeance: Early 90s Monday

Took a vacation last week for Labor Day.  Now we're back!

Janet Jackson, "Love Will Never Do Without You."
This is the sunny, smiling JJ we all knew and loved--before she lost all that weight for Janet. and got all weird and kinky in The Velvet Rope.  I love this video also because it features a gloriously muscled, charmingly dimpled Antonio Sabato Jr. (here's to you, Karin!) AND Djimon Honsou.

Another Bad Creation, "Iesha," 1990
I love these pocket-sized proteges of New Edition.  Who knew 11 could look so badass?

Previous Entries:

5. Paperboy, "Ditty" and En Vogue, "Giving Him Something He Can Feel"
4. Mariah Carey, "Vision of Love" and Color Me Badd, "I Adore Mi Amor"
3. Mr. Big, "Be With You" and Mint Condition, "Breaking My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)"
2. PM Dawn, "Die Without You" and Mista Grimm, "Indo Smoke
1. Boyz II Men, "Motownphilly" and Paula Abdul, "Opposites Attract"

Early 90s Monday: Givin' the Paperboy Something to Feel

The goodness continues!

Paperboy, "Ditty," 1993
Talk about a one-hit wonder.  I remember two guys from our sixth grade class danced to this song in front of all the sixth graders during PE and they were sooooooooooooo coooooooooooooool.

En Vogue, "Giving Him Something He Can Feel," 1992
I really love this video--classic, sexy, and some beautiful vocal styling.  En Vogue is one of my favorite girl groups ever.  They are true originals. 



Previous Entries:

4. Mariah Carey, "Vision of Love" and Color Me Badd, "I Adore Mi Amor"
3. Mr. Big, "Be With You" and Mint Condition, "Breaking My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)"
2. PM Dawn, "Die Without You" and Mista Grimm, "Indo Smoke
1. Boyz II Men, "Motownphilly" and Paula Abdul, "Opposites Attract"

Early 90s Monday: No end in sight.

I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of the great gobs of warm cheesy goodness that is early 90s pop music.  I'm going to start re-capping past favorites at the bottom of these posts.

Mariah Carey, "Vision of Love," 1990
Her very first single, ever.  I can't believe how wide-eyed and humble she used to be, and it's always refreshing to hear just how amazingly talented she has always been, though her voice these days sounds like it's petering out on her.  Still one of my favorite songs, and always a good one to order up in the KTV room. 



Color Me Badd, "I Ador Mi Amor," 1991
Nope, I canNOT keep a straight face watching this video.  I can't believe we all used to think these guys were so smoking hot!  Especially the one that looks like Kenny G!  One thing I gotta give them, though, is how multicultural the group is.  Impressive.

3. Mr. Big, "Be With You" and Mint Condition, "Breaking My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)"
2. PM Dawn, "Die Without You" and Mista Grimm, "Indo Smoke
1. Boyz II Men, "Motownphilly" and Paula Abdul, "Opposites Attract"

Posting early: Early 90s Monday

I couldn't wait to lay on some more early nineties goodness.


Mr. Big, "Be With You" 1991
To me, this ranks almost right up there with "More Than Words."  (Don't worry, I'll be posting that one too, but I'm trying to start out with slightly lesser-known picks.)  Especially since both songs are pretty much the only songs from these two bands that any of us really know.  And both translate so beautifully to karaoke.  Just try not to belt it out, I dare you.

Mint Condition, "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)" 1991
I wanted to draw out the 1991 picks but there are just so many awesome ones.  This one, I think, is smootherific early-nineties R&B at its very finest.  Who knows what other songs Mint Condition actually released?

Sorry for the poor quality and lack of actual video... I couldn't find an embeddable version on YouTube, those Universal bastards.



Lastly, I just realized that no one could watch the "Indo Smoke" video because embedding was disabled (props to you if you actually clicked through to YouTube for it).  So here's just the song (no video, sorry):

It's time for more Nineties goodness.

While I'm waiting for my video capture of tonight's lightning storm to load onto YouTube, I'll go ahead and release the next bit of early-nineties hip hop/R&B.

Last week when I was trolling around YouTube I came across sooooo many great old videos from 1989 - 1993.  It was so hard to narrow it down to just two links for this week, but I guess that means this series can continue on for a long long time.  Anyway, here's what I came up with for this week:

PM Dawn, "I'd Die Without You" 1992
On the Boomerang soundtrack.  I've "always been a big PM Dawn fan," but this one takes the cake.  So smooth.

Mista Grimm feat. Warren G, "Indo Smoke," 1993
Not a lot of people remember this totally underrated track featuring the "G Child" long before he broke out with "Regulator."  I guess he was eclipsed by the force that was Dr. Dre.  But still makes me want to go cruisin' in my ride, rollin' w/ my homies, getting high on... um, pinkberry ice cream.  It's just so amazing how someone can really make a whole song around the love of one drug.

A Music Era Worth Remembering: 1989 - 1993/4

So you are probably going to think I'm crazy.  Especially those who are totally into a) eighties music or b) whiny-bastard "indie" music. But I maintain that some of the best pop music of the last three decades happened between the years of 1989 and 1993, culminating sometime in 1991 (with maybe a few hits before and after). 

Just think about it.  In 1989 you have the Bangles, Paula Abdul, and the dawning of the true golden age of R&B.  Now, I'm no expert on music, whether it be hip hop or alternative, but I think I can say with some certainty that the R&B in those days was pure, soulful, and oh so smooth, with nothing like it before or since.

In 1993, Dr. Dre exploded onto the scene with his west coast-flavored rap.  Not that that wasn't excellent in its own right, but it was, in a sense, the end of innocence, and music--both so-called "black music" and so-called "white music"--was never the same again.

I'm convinced that this era is so underrated because most fakers my age didn't even start listening to music until high school, or college.  But because I had an older brother who insisted on listening to KIIS FM and Power 106 ad nauseum (a totally absurd experience with your parents in the car, let me tell you), I was educated on music from quite an early age, like third grade. 

Anyway I remember these videos/songs with such fondness that I'm going to start a new weekly installment, each time re-introducing a you to a new handful of Early Nineties videos, straight from YouTube.  You're welcome.

This week!  Kickin it off with "Motownphilly" by Boyz II Men (1991)
Aww yeah..."Boyz II Men, ABC, BBD--The East Coast Family!"

And Paula Abdul, "Opposites Attract" (1990)
Sailing on the coattails of the movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), when mixing live-action and animation was all the rage, this video was so awesome.  I couldn't get enough of it when I was 9.