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25 Years Later: Was 1993 The Greatest Year In Music?

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Sep 21, 2005
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25 Years Later: Was 1993 The Greatest Year In Music?

NPR

Here at the World Cafe, we've had hours of conversations about what some of the greatest years in music are. So far, we've presented the case for 1967, for 1978 and 1988. This time around we narrow the window and present to you for consideration the silver anniversary of a crop of albums that came out in 1993.

Was 1993 the greatest year in music? Ask that question to someone who was in high school or college that year, and the answer might be yes. To those of you now in your late 30s and early 40s, grunge is your classic rock, and Snoop Dogg's Doggstyle and Wu-Tang Clan's Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), are your go-to hip-hop classics.That year also saw the release of some watershed debuts including Exile In Guyville by Liz Phair, Tuesday Night Music Club by Sheryl Crow, August and Everything After by Counting Crows, Bikini Kill's Pussy Whipped, Radiohead's Pablo Honey, and Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) from Digable Planets. Alt-rock was still hanging on as the flavor of the moment with The Breeders' Last Splash, In Utero by Nirvana, Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam's Vs., and U2's Zooropa.

"the year hip-hop and R&B conquered the world." Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Quest and Wu-Tang's Enter The Wu-Tang were both released on the same day that year. Add the release of Tupac Shakur's Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... to the mix, and you've got four of the most influential hip-hop albums.

While '93 was marked with some big records, it's some of the lesser known, yet musically influential records that have endured in the last 25 years, including Me'Shell Ndgeocello's Plantation Lullabies, PJ Harvey's Rid of Me, Souls of Mischief's 93 'til Infinty, Archers of Loaf's Icky Mettle, Uncle Tupelo's Anodyne, Rosanne Cash's The Wheel, Bjork's Debut, and one of the greatest rock records of the decade, Gentlemenby Afghan Whigs.

Was 1993 the greatest year in music? Ultimately, that's your decision to make. Was it the greatest year of the decade? We think we've made the case for it. Let us know what you think.
 
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