Search - Various Artists :: Whatever: The 90s Pop & Culture Box

The weakest of the three Pop Culture box sets.

M J Heilbron Jr. | Long Beach, CA United States | 08/10/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As the proud owner of all three of Rhino's fantastic Pop Culture box sets (70's, 80's and now 90's), this is by far the worst.



These boxes attempt to encapsulate ten years of music in seven CD's. They do so by selecting some of the biggest hits of the era, along with representative examples of important trends (disco, New Wave, punk) and those singular songs that could only have existed during that time, and sound positively atrocious now. Songs so bad yet so popular they're now "good".



Like "U Can't Touch This" by M.C. Hammer. You cannot deny that song's "hugeness" during it's radio/video reign, no matter HOW dated it now sounds.



The reasons for this specific set's weakness are manifold.

It may be too early to survey the 90's. We don't have decent perspective yet. Too many of the decade's major artists were unwilling to allow their songs to be on the compilation. There were too many small musical "movements" or themes, few all-encompassing trends (remember, The Rolling Stones and Kiss went disco), and those "so bad they're good" songs haven't become evident yet, especially when looking at the end of the 90's.



There still is a lot of good stuff here. Songs that in all likelihood will be considered "classic" in the future include: Sinead O'Connor's frail but powerful reading of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U", the dance floor anthem "Gonna Make You Sweat", "Under The Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, the underappreciated Gin Blossoms "Hey Jealousy", Sarah McLachlan's eerie "Possession", Weezer's goofy "Buddy Holly", the Britpop representative Oasis with "Wonderwall"...

...I think many of those songs will stand the test of time.



Then there are those songs which exemplify genres, and do so in one song. Pop-rap's "Jump" (Kris Kross) or blissfully politically incorrect "Baby Got Back"; ethereal folk-pop like Jewel, The Sundays and Sixpence None The Richer; sports stadium anthems like "Jump Around", "Whoomp! (There It Is)" and "Tubthumping"; the Sneaker Pimps' trip-hop "6 Underground", indie rock's Pavement and Sleater-Kinney, punk-pop Supergrass and Sublime.



How about one-hit wonders? Here we have terrific singles by Jesus Jones ("Right Here Right Now"), the Divinyls ("I Touch Myself"), The Mighty Mighty Bosstones ("The Impression That I Get"), EMF ("Unbelievable"), Marc Cohn ("Walking In Memphis") and the theme song to "Friends". I still enjoy "MmmBop" and am only slightly embarrassed to admit it.



Wince-inducing pop touchstones? How about "I'm Too Sexy", Queensryche, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm", "Breakfast at Tiffany's", Joan Osborne's "One of Us" and the afore-mentioned M.C. Hammer? "Lovefool" by The Cardigans?



Terrific examples of pop and rock like: The Black Crowes, Matthew Sweet, dada, En Vogue...



Personal faves and nice surprises include songs by The Juliana Hatfield Three, Sugar, Barenaked Ladies, Better Then Ezra, Naughty By Nature...



All essential.



Now for the bad.



The biggest artists of the decade apparently want nothing to do with this. No Madonna, no Janet Jackson, no Mariah Carey, no U2. Who was bigger, for a year or two, than Alanis Morissette?



Major artists like TLC, Green Day and The Offspring are absent. 2Pac? What about Ricky Martin and the Latin pop explosion?



Pop country is totally ignored, but I don't really like pop-country stuff, so that's not really a check in the "bad" column for me personally.



Def Leppard, Seal and the Cure had some good singles in the decade. What about PM Dawn? Sheryl Crow? Beck?



Grunge, arguably the single most important musical trend, is represented by Mother Love Bone and Mudhoney, instead of the absent Nirvana and Pearl Jam.



Certain artists are represented by curious song selections. REM gets "What's the Frequency Kenneth?" when "Losing My Religion" or all the amazing songs off "Automatic For The People" are candidates? . The Verve Pipe's huge hit "The Freshmen" is passed over for "Photograph". Candlebox's "Far Behind" instead of "You."



Great one-hit wonders like "Ice Ice Baby" are missing (they couldn't get Vanilla Ice?). What about the so bad-so good "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams? Meat Loaf's comeback single? Ace of Base "All That She Wants". Blind Melon's "No Rain". "I Love You Always Forever" by Donna Lewis?



No Spice Girls? No Britney? No Backstreet Boys? Where is all the awful teen pop that deserves some sort of mention?



Mysteriously selected for inclusion, however, are: The Gits, Supersuckers, Fastbacks, Guru, Muffs, Tad, 7 Year Bitch, Grant Lee Buffalo, Spacehog, Stereolab...



Overall, I like the set. I like the book that comes with it...I like the kitschy coffee-bean filled cover (just like my avocado carpeted 70's box and my rubber Day-Glo 80's box.)...I like it's irreverence...and I admire the effort that went into this collection.



It's just the final product that comes up a little short."

Perfect for the 90s connoisseur

Daniel Maltzman | Arlington, MA, USA | 12/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The great Rhino Records has released excellent compilations over the years which chronicle various decades. For the 60s, there is the classic "Nuggets" series and for the 70s there is the "Have a nice Decade" box set. For the 80s, Rhino set out tackling different genres with different sets. For hair metal there is the "Youth Gone Wild" series and for new wave there is the "Just Can't Get Enough" Series. The thing that all these sets have in common is that the each not only summed up a decade, but an entire genre.



For their 1990s box set "Whatever: The 90s Pop and Culture Box," Rhino has a difficult task of defining the decade. The 90s were really a melting pop in terms of sounds and styles. The early 90s were basically and obviously a continuation of the 1980s. Then, with the release of Nirvana's "Nevermind" (1991) there was the Seattle Grunge and Alternative movements. Then there was post-grunge (Seven Mary Three, Collective Soul), followed by rap-metal or Nu-Metal (Korn, Limp Bizkit). Then in concurrence with rock's changing styles there was hip-hop, pop, and the odd-ball anomalies (Crash Test Dummies). Also, don't forget punk, R&B, retro jam bands, metal, industrial metal, riot grrrl, funk-metal, and techno! Rhino would have had an easier time if they released a few box sets, each focusing on a particular genre. But instead, they have decided to tackle everything with one box set.



With so many genres, and sub-genres (many bands were just labeled "alternative") it's going to be very, very hard to make an all encompassing, definitive box set of the eclectic 90s that is going to please everyone. Still, Rhino does a fabulous job with "Whatever: The 90s Pop and Culture Box." The set really captures the essence, the ambiance of the 1990s. Almost every aforementioned style is represented here (thankfully nu-metal was left off) as the set takes its listener through the decade. When you listen to these discs, it's as though you were re-living moments of your life. For example, when I listen to "Jump" (Kris Kross) I think back to the summer of '92, when I was twelve. Or when I hear "Cumbersome" (Seven Mary Three) or "Waterfall," (Oasis) it takes me right back to high school. Most of these songs evoke a lot of memories for me, and bring back a lot of good (and bad) times from my formative (10-20) years.



This box set has received a lot of condemnation from critics and Amazon reviewers alike. The common complaint is that many of the 90s best artists are left off and lesser-known artists, and one-hit-wonders are included instead. Personally, I see this as both a flaw and an asset of the box set, depending on how you look at it. If you don't already own the great works from the 90s and are expecting to get the cream of the crop with this box set, you are going to be disappointed. However, if you already lived throughout the 90s and collected all the classics over the years, this box set could be just what you're looking for. As someone that already owns the complete works of Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, Garbage, the Seattle "big four:" Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and Soundgarden, I don't want a box set with all the usual suspects. Do I really need a seven-disc anthology with songs that I already own? "Whatever" really rounds out my collection by giving me the singles of the decade's best one-hit wonders, without having to spend $15.00 on any given artist's entire album. For example, I like "Baby's got Back," but I just want the song, not the entire Sir Mix a Lot CD. This set is packed with tons of songs that I liked when I heard them on the radio back in the day; but haven't heard in years, i.e., "Right Here, Right Now," (Jesus Jones) "I Touch Myself," (Divinlys) "OPP" (Naughty By Nature) "Three Little Pigs," (Green Jelly) "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and so on.



Another criticism this set has received is that the best of a given genre is not represented. For example, when it comes to grunge, why is Mudhoney included instead of Pearl Jam or Nirvana? Well, this is in part due to copyrights and what Rhino had access to. But even if Rhino was denied use of a genres best known song, it ultimately works to the sets advantage. As much as I love "Smells like Teen Spirit" or "Jeremy," I rather listen to "into the drink." Even though I own that song already, I haven't listened to it ten thousand times, simply because Mudhoney hasn't received the airplay of Nirvana or Pearl Jam. A similar complaint is that the artists that are represented are not represented by their best work. For example, why is L7 represented with "Sh.tlist" instead of "Pretend that we're dead?" To that I would offer a similar response. It's more refreshing to listen to any given artist's lesser known songs, as opposed to just having a box set of what you would expect, lest "Whatever: The 90s Pop and Culture Box," be just seven CD's of clichés, great songs they may be. Plus due to the absence of the decade's best known artists, many great bands from the 90s that are underappreciated are represented here, like My Bloody Valentine, Mudhoney, and Screaming Trees.



While some people may not be satisfied with this set, I feel as though it were custom made for me personally. It collects many songs that I know and love, but just want the single, not the entire album. While many of the decade's best known artists are left off, in-lieu of lesser known artists, I personally feel that untimely works to the sets advantage, as it is refreshing to hear songs that haven't been played to death.



I would recommend this set with caution. If you were born in or after the 90s, be warned, this box set is not a definitive collection of the 90s essential artists. Or if you don't already own albums like "Ten," (1991) "Nevermind," and "Garbage" (1995), start there first. However, if you grew up in the 90s and want all those one-hit wonders, and a great collection of lesser known songs that you may already own but aren't sick of, this set is for you. The packaging is really, really, cool, with coffee beans attached to the set. Just be careful to keep in it one place, as it can wear easily. The accompanying booklet is also excellent, with funny detailed accounts of all the music, political, cultural, and world events of the times.



To reiterate the sets biggest asset: "Whatever" really captures the heart and the atmosphere of the 1990s, as it is an eclectic stew of so many different styles.



Bravo Rhino.



"

Amazon reviewer dazed and confused...no, wait, that's a '70s

Jay-Gee-Gee | Fist City, USA | 07/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Folks, ignore the blathering fellow behind the curtain. Amazon's reviewer is apparently outraged that Rhino has taken a "novelty-centric" (ooh, there's a neologism sure to last) approach to the Grungey '90s and ignored the turmoil, the tumult, the sheer musical ferment of that decade.



Mm-hm.



I'm thinking that the reviewer either hasn't listened to "Have A Nice Decade" or "Like, Omigod!" (Rhino's '70s and '80s box sets, respectively), or he somehow feels that the music of the '90s (for which I'm guessing he has much greater nostalgia) should somehow be treated with a reverence that is, you know, COMPLETELY ATYPICAL OF RHINO'S APPROACH IN THIS SERIES. Unless he doesn't consider the inclusion in the earlier volumes of such enduring masterpieces as "General Hospi-tale" by the Afternoon Delights, "Take Off" by Doug & Bob McKenzie, "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees, and "Convoy" by C.W. McCall to be, you know, "novelty-centric".



Listen, I'm not a huge fan of the inclusion of novelty and fluff in this series at the cost of excluding prime cuts, but this set has a much, MUCH higher wheat:chaff ratio than either the '70s or the '80s set. The fact that it doesn't exhaustively trace the development of the decade's many disparate under/aboveground movements is utterly irrelevant because that was never the compilation's objective. The set has a ton of songs you'd like to hear but don't feel like buying an entire album to own. In short, tune out the static and enjoy the set. It's the best in the series to date."