'90s music forms the foundation of my collection. I've spent an ungodly amount of time sliding Better Than Ezra compact discs into binders, prying them from 6-CD changers, using them as hockey pucks.
I came of age during that idyllic time before Napster and Spotify, in which circular discs were sold for $15.99 (or if you preferred less for more, CD singles for $6.99) We loitered in music megastores like Virgin and Sam Goody (in my case Strawberries and Newbury Comics) and let shows like 120 Minutes with Matt Pinfield and Yo! MTV Raps tell us who to idolize and what to buy. It's no wonder music revenue peaked in 1999 at $23.7 billion.
The musical landscape at the time still dominated by '80s holdovers like U2, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. Mononymous names like Celine, Mariah, Janet. But really when we talk '90s, it's rap and grunge. Snoop & Dre, Biggie and Tupac. Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Soundgarden.
Radio was as diverse as any previous decade; Jamiroquai to Eric Clapton unplugged, Skee Lo to Chumbawumba. It was a decade brimming with one and two-hit wonders. Duncan Sheik anyone? Vanilla Ice! Tom Cochrane's Life is a Highway? Radio friendly alt rock also occupied a huge space: Dave Matthews, Matchbox 20, the Lillith Fair gang from Sarah McLaughlin to Natalie Merchant.
There were boy bands, starting with New Kids - the highest grossing tour of 1990 - and Spice Girls, who redefined the girl group forever.
With so much to cover, this won't be the last '90s music piece. We'll start with the icons.
Owner: BigPoppaEth (no primary assigned)
Registered: 3 years
Sales/Offers: Bought for 1e 7 months ago (Free.)
Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G, Biggie, Biggie Smalls. His Ready To Die album, released in fall '94, was one of the biggest revelations in rap history. I listened to it on loop in my yellow Sony walkman, walking in the snow to hoops practice. As Snoop Dogg and Dre had in 1992-3, Biggie's debut album crossed over and had everyone from Detroit to small town Vermont pumping Juicy.
Discovered by then A&R man Sean Puffy Combs, his first album sold 6 mil records. His second album, the prophetic double album Life After Death has sold over 10 million records making it one of the best selling rap albums of all time. His rivalry with Tupac.eth (also a towering figure of this era) and subsequent death at 24 in a drive-by shooting made him as much myth as rapper. And it makes this domain one of the celebrity grails of the era, music or otherwise.
It should be noted that the owner not only owns BigPoppa.eth, they ALSO own 61 Biggies from the Big Poppa Collection on Sandbox that looks fun. A true fan.
Biggie.eth is owned by ENS Trading Post, listed for 5eth, registered for 3 yrs.
Biggiesmalls.eth is also registered for 6 years. Owners know what they have.
My favorite tracks: One More Chance, Get Money
RATING: 💽 💽 💽 💽 💽
Owner: http.eth
Sales/Offers: Listed at 89.99
Another gone too soon. Kurt Cobain and his Seattle-based band Nirvana (including bandmates Kris Novacelic and Dave Grohl) broke things wide open for grunge with their album Nevermind, featuring the hit Smells Like Teen Spirit. It made Cobain an overnight star. His torrid relationship with Courtney Love only heightened his public persona.
Despite only releasing 3 major albums: Bleach, Nevermind, and In Utero, they're one of the best selling bands of all time, having sold over 75 million records. As with Biggie, Cobain's premature death at 27 only heightened his legend.
Favorite tracks: The entire MTV Unplugged album, especially Lake of Fire.
RATING: 💽 💽 💽 💽 💽
Owner: MariahCarey.eth (primary!)
Sales/Offers: Bought out of premium for 1e+ 7 months ago.
I still remember where I was the day I heard Mariah Carey for the first time. Her 1990 debut Vision of Love featured 5 consecutive #1 singles, shattering records.
She's one of the most successful recording artists of all time with 200+ mil records sold. Considered a true modern day diva (you get what you want when you have 5 octave range) Mariah's marriage to Nick Cannon is one of the most perplexing celeb coupling ever.
All Mariah knows is hits. 19 Billboard #1s. Including the most successful Christmas single of all time, All I want For Christmas Is You, which has over a billion spins on Spotify. The song was included this year in Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.
Like Alanis below, Mariah's a huge name but not quite as transcendent as the two deceased legends Biggie and Cobain, thus her ranking.
Favorite tracks: One Sweet Day (w/Boyz II Men), Heartbreaker (w/Jay Z) Beautiful (w/Miguel)
RATING: 💽 💽 💽
Owner: Older wallet includes gems like Methodman.eth and StevieNicks.eth
Sales/Listings: N/A
Jagged. Little. Pill. The feminist anthem that's since spawned a Broadway show and been re-embraced by a new generation
The Canadian singer-songwriter (who I met, best smile in all of music and such a voice) started out making pop, then worked with producer Glen Ballard to craft what became a signature '90s rock classic.
Few artists or albums more evoke '90s' than Jagged Little Pill. It sold over 18 million copies worldwide, the highest selling album of 1996, and won Alanis a bunch of Grammys including Album of the Year.
FUN FACT: Alanis dated Dave Coulier aka Uncle Joey, and fellow Canuck Ryan Reynolds.
Morissette's gone on to make a few successful records, but nothing comes close to the outsized impact of Jagged Little Pill.
Favorite tracks: Right Through You, acoustic cover of King of Pain
RATING: 💽 💽 💽
Sales/Offers: .05e offers months ago
The Gallagher brothers. Liam and Noel. Perhaps the most combustible siblings in rock history.
Part of the Britpop explosion which included bands like Blur and The Verve, their 1995 album What's The Story Morning Glory? absolutely owned the charts in the UK, hit #4 in the US, and spawned a bunch of hit singles. including Wonderwall (a cover) which shot to #1 and as of today has nearly 2 billion plays on Spotify. Th album is one of the best selling of all-time with over 20 mil copies sold worldwide
The band has stayed in the limelight, not so much for their music but their cantankerous public personas and spats. They've sued each other, abruptly broke up on a tour in 2009, taken jabs in interviews and on social media.
Fave tracks: Wonderwall, Morning Glory, Champagne Supernova
The domain, like a lot of musical names, have more meanings than one. This is a nice 5 letter word without the Galleghers attached to it.
RATING: 💽 💽 💽 💽
HONORABLE MENTION
Nirvana.eth - Surprisingly, high offer of .1e
Tupac.eth - Listed for 500eth (2Pac.eth another great alt)
Wutangclan.eth
PearlJam.eth
Greenday.eth
FionaApple.eth - Bought for 1e 2 years ago!
RedHotChiliPeppers.eth - PrePunk, listed for 25e.
Countingcrows.eth - Listed for 11.7e. Ambitious.
TLC.eth - A strong 3L all round. Listed at 24e.
Matchbox20.eth - Listed for .13e
The Offspring - Listed for 4.95e
Available domains!
StoneTemplePilots.eth
BigPun.eth
VirginRecords.eth
Compactdisc(s).eth
until Y2K,
Careless Whisper