Ah. “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth” by Primitive Radio Gods. So that’s the name and band of that song. As stated above, I didn’t vote for it (and wouldn’t change my vote), but I just looked it up a few minutes ago not knowing either the artist or title by name, but I remember that song being everywhere. Never heard of these guys.
I like a lot of the Pumpkins early work, but I’ve never liked 1979 or Tonight.
I voted for the Eels.
1979 was my easy choice, the only chance I’ll get to vote for the Pumpkins, I think. As for “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth” by Primitive Radio Gods I remember a number of friends at the time getting the album that song was on and everyone to a person saying “Phone Booth” was the only decent song on it. Truly a major 90’s one-hit wonder.
I don’t know - Eels always sounded very close to the bland rock on the radio at the time (I felt the same way about Cake). In any case, it doesn’t really matter. It’s fine with me if people consider Eels alternative. I just never did.
A truly long title that is not mentioned in the song. Bet that did not help them with exposure.
Also, they (“they” meaning E) have the temerity to unironically appreciate Steve Perry. So there’s that, I suppose.
I voted for “1979”, because that was my favorite of that list at the time, and now. With that said, this poll really hit the nostalgia button for me very hard (I’m 32), as I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what a great experience it was to be that age, listening to a freaking Clear Channel alternative station, and hearing all kinds of new and newish musicians who shattered some of the preconceptions I had about music, namely, that it was all either stupid pop or macho rock and so on and so forth. I also really liked it when the DJs would get excited about a new release from a veteran alternative band, like, for example, 1997’s “Wrong Number” by The Cure.
An important thing to keep in mind is that, even though the 1990s were a time when alternative rock seemed very mainstream, lots of people growing up then never really seemed to get it.
From the original list, I voted Tracy Bonham. That was an amazing song from an amazing album. She rocked in concert when I saw her around then. Sublime for the runner-up.
I would have picked Garbage over all though, peak year with multiple wonderful songs from them.
I’ve heard that song a lot too, but it never made enough of an impression on me to even look it up until now.
Except for
Her plane takes off from Baltimore
And touches down on Bourbon street.
Always brought to mind a vision of an airplane’s wings crunching through the buildings on either side of Bourbon Street as the plane touches down there. (Maybe you can land a plane on Basin Street, but Bourbon Street’s right out.)