Remembering the "Chill" of a good album - Part 1

When filmmaker Lawrence Kasdan was in production on arguably his best film, The Big Chill, he and his wife began compiling music for the soundtrack. It was meant to be an exercise in re-discovering, like the characters would in the film, the music they loved and were shaped by in college. The result went on to be historic in its nature by selling millions of copies and ushered in the age of using popular music re-issues for complete soundtrack albums.

I often wonder what music I would compile if I had the same task ahead of me. There's a lot a of good music that when I hear it, I'm back there, in college all doe eyed and clueless. But of course, I now know that was the best part.

The following list is an attempt to remember and pay homage to my musical growth between 1994 and 1998. Admittedly, some obvious choices by the likes of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, The Counting Crows, The Stone Temple Pilots and many others will be missing from this list. Even though they were everywhere at the time, I wasn't ready to hear them yet. Sure, there are several tracks of theirs that wowed me then and now. But there were some whole albums that I would play all the way through, not believing that I would love the next track more than the previous. So I gave myself some simple rules for this list, only whole albums, no one-hit wonders and it had to be newly released music of the day. These rules unfortunately cancel out another groundbreaking soundtrack/film, "Pulp Fiction."

Harry Connick, Jr. - "SHE"
He really went all out on this one by completely pitching his "big band" persona and striking out on a funky journey. At first, I hated it, but it held on and then I couldn't get enough. It was my first lesson in artistic departure and now it's among my favorite albums of his.
FAVE TRACK: "Between Us"

Dave Matthews Band - "Under The Table and Dreaming"
Not that I really have to explain this choice. It's one of those 90's albums that can be best described by the phrase, "you had to be there" to know what it felt like. Lots of "experts" tried, but the sound of that album could not be compared to anything else before it. It holds up and is honestly like seeing a great old friend when you listen to it.
FAVE TRACK: "Jimi Thing"

The Wallflowers - "Bringing Down the Horse"
The first time I ever heard "6th Avenue Heartache" it literally set me on my ass. I was working at the campus fitness center when it came on the radio, I heard the first chords, stopped what I was doing, and just sat there to listen. I couldn't believe it was new. I didn't think they released such soulful material in the time of Ace of Bass. Thank God I was mistaken.
FAVE TRACK: Tie - "One Headlight"/"Three Marlenas"

The Beatles: Anthology 1
I know what you're thinking, that this album doesn't count, but this was the first time any of us Beatlemaniacs had heard these dusted off un-released tracks. The genesis of such fantastic music was finally ours to pour over, just when we thought we couldn't be any more obsessed with them.
FAVE TRACK: "One After 909 (False Starts)"

UP NEXT: We "Crash" into "Mr. Happy Go Lucky."