Favorite CDs of the '90s -- #50 to #46

Okay, so one of the first things you'll notice is that I've got some albums here from 1989 -- right after you read me gripe about not including albums from 1999 on the current decade's list. Well, I figure I won't be doing an '80s countdown, plus it was so late in 1989 that I started buying CDs that I really think of it all as belonging to the '90s anyway. Besides, it's my blog, so ... nanny-nanny-poo-poo.

50. NIGHTINGALE - "Lightdance"
(Higher Octave, 1989)

I picked this one up back when I was in my "new age" phase, and like the rest of that genre, it hasn't aged very well in the last twenty years. But for some reason I've grown awfully fond of this silly old album, and some of its songs will still swim around in my head for days after I listen to it. Ironic that a bunch of music that sounds about as generic as possible can glom onto me in such a strong way, for absolutely no logical reason.

49. JIVE BUNNY & THE MASTERMIXERS - "The Album"
(ATCO, 1989)

Imagine if you will an album filled with what we now call "megamixes" of some of the greatest tunes of the early years of rock and roll ... Chubby Checker, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, and the list goes on. If you're looking for a party album, look no further. It's a shame that The Mastermixers went downhill from this, their first album, but it's more of a shame that this gem has dwindled into obscurity over the years.

48. ERICH KUNZEL AND THE CINCINNATI POPS - "Symphonic 'Star Trek'"
(Telarc, 1996)

The '90s saw the peak of my "Star Trek" fandom, as well as this album, from my second favorite recording pops orchestra (the Boston Pops, under the baton of my man John Williams, being my favorite). If you need a crash course in the music of "Trek" -- from the Original Series, through seven feature films, and up to "Voyager" -- make this your syllabus. I never really understood or appreciated the inclusion of sound effects tracks on the Cincinnati Pops releases, but the music was always top-notch.

47. THE UNINVITED - "The Uninvited"
(Atlantic, 1998)

These guys were a little hard to peg at first -- a rollicking tongue-in-cheek rock number here, a subdued serious ballad there -- but it didn't take long for me to warm up to their unique stew of sharp wit, sardonic satire, and moody introspection. Were they inspired by Barenaked Ladies or just trying to ride their coat-tails? When they're this entertaining, I frankly couldn't care less.

46. COLLAPSIS - "Dirty Wake"
(Universal, 1999)

Mike Garrigan (later an "honorary" member of Athenaeum) fronted this unfortunately short-lived band ... but their only album was a gem. The haunting title track, the stirring "October", the optimistic "Tell Me Everything", the tender "Wonderland" ... all delivered with Garrigan's lush vocals and a tight, solid band. I just have to wonder if it might have sold better -- and kept the band around longer -- if the cover image wasn't quite so reminiscent of a Creed album.