Rants from the man who brings you DobberHockey and the Dobber Sports Network
In April of ’94 I broke up with one girlfriend and had another one in July. Both girls were in (or near) my hometown, whereas I went to university about an hour away in Guelph. So there was a lot of commuting involved, especially with girl number two (we became quite serious). Lots of commuting meant a lot of radio. And this is when I started to grow tired of classic rock (gasp – but it was just temporary, don’t worry!) and move more fully into modern alternative rock and grunge.
In 1993 I finished high school and started at the University of Guelph. I turned 19 that April, legal drinking age in Ontario. I was still into Classic Rock, with a lot of Tragically Hip on the playlist. But I was also exposed to Alternative/Grunge and was starting to appreciate it. By the time 1995 began, I was completely into that music. But it was a transition that took a couple of years and I never did lose my love of classic rock.
As I reviewed this year it became clear that in terms of music, this was a ho-hum year. I was 18 years old and by this point I was well into Classic Rock and only just getting started with Alternative Rock and Grunge.
The 150 songs that made the list for 1991 (so far, as I am always adding if I discover a song I’ve missed) was a stronger year than 1989 (also 150, but with fewer ‘Awesome’-classed songs). This is thanks to Nirvana’s timeless Nevermind album (which honestly just gets better over time), and the Hip’s Road Apples – which was an instant favorite of mine. Pearl Jam’s Ten was a huge part of my life, though it took me a year or two to truly appreciate them. Along with the Hip, Lenny Kravitz was my favorite artist at the time and I was waiting to pick up his Mama Said album the day it came out – it didn’t disappoint. And of course – Blood Sugar Sex Magik was another all-time favorite album of mine.
After seeing all the songs that I enjoyed from 1989 (148 of them so far), I figured that this was the year that ushered in my favorite decade. If 1989 brought me 148 quality songs, then each year in the 90s should top 150. It didn’t turn out that way. I have gone through music from 1990 and just fell short of 100 songs. In 1990, I was 16 and really into classic rock. Apparently because the quality of new rock songs at the time were somewhat sparse. Or, more likely, my group of friends at the time really delved into the classic rock genre.
In 1989 I was 15 years old and still into rap music. My favorite band was the Beastie Boys but I also loved Public Enemy. However, in 1990 I started to love The Tragically Hip and the other members of our high school’s “Big 3”: The Cult and Lenny Kravitz. The transition from rap to rock was a smooth one, as for a good year or two I loved both music types. I even made mixed tapes that rotated – one rock song, one rap song.
Weird, right?
Continue reading “My favorite songs of 1989”
More great classic slow songs, plus we’re getting into the heart of my hip-hop phase. Yep.
Continue reading “My favorite songs of 1988”
Some of the best slow songs in history were released this year, and we also had Guns N’Roses Appetite For Destruction and Def Leppard’s Hysteria albums.
In 1986 I was 12 years old, finishing up grade six and entering grade seven at a new school. The Beasties, along with Run-D.M.C.’s Walk This Way, got me into rap and I was pretty hardcore into that genre for a couple of years. But later I came to appreciate some of the pop and rock music that was released.
Continue reading “My favorite songs of 1986”
The year 1985 was the prototypical 80s year for me. An abundance of songs that I liked, but very few songs that I loved. In fact, that three songs given an ‘Awesome’ rating here I think I was being generous with the definition given the songs in prior years that hold that rating.
Continue reading “My favorite songs of 1985”
Dobber's Take 
Things people have said about this, that I don’t care about