Gosh! I didn’t see that one coming 😂 You are totally right though. It’s made me laugh because I can vividly remember them being everywhere. Enjoyed the singles, never invested heavily into them or saw them live. Brilliant video - so evocative. Made think of my hopes and dreams. Successes and failures. Pet Shop Boys Behaviour for me. Electronic music with Johnny Marr on guitar. Probably their best album. Being Boring is a stunning yet sad song about friends dying of AIDS. Jealousy another track that’s somehow like a gut punch. This Must Be The Place I’ve Waited Years To Leave. They summed up so many thoughts and feelings for mixed up kids from cities and towns outside of London. I saw their Teenage Cancer Trust gig years ago at the Royal Albert Hall. Johnny Marr played. Had me bawling my eyes out 🥲 It’s on RUclips. Keep up the good work. Love the vids. Stay well.
Thanks. I guess the take home message is that the music you discover by yourself, is going to be very different to the music you experience in a crowd! Away from home...surrounded by people like yourself...free to come and go as you please. Maybe it's a little like rave music in that respect...only really effective in the right setting! Trying to stay as well as I can! Had a bit of a health scare over the last few months (hence me scaling back to focus on just the weekly LOL videos). Things are looking OK, I'm feeling a lot better, and happy to have this series to work on. Cheers, D
Sonic Youth "Goo" and Fugazi "Repeater" definitely big for me that year. I also think that would be around the time I went through a heavy The House of Love phase!
Carter was always a guilty pleasure for me. 1990 was turning 21, going to my 1st and only Glastonbury, where less than 18 months after seeing them play to c.30 people at the SU, Del Amitri played the pyramid stage, Italia 90 and the long hot summer, before starting my 4th and final year at Uni. Honourable mentions include The La’s, Listen without Prejudice (yes, really), Violator, and the album which 7 years later influenced the choice of name for our daughter - Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. But my choice of Album is one which grew on me and has stayed with me ever since, and incidentally was subject of the video which introduced me to your channel. Swagger by The Blue Aeroplanes.
Nice! I'm not consciously avoiding any of those albums I covered in the 90s series, but by the same token, I don't want to be repeating myself too much! Still love "Swagger" (also think "Beatsongs" runs it close)...for a short period in the early '90s, the Aeroplanes were my most gigged band. Must have seen them half a dozen times over the course of a couple of years. Cheers, D
Carter USM got radio play where I lived thanks to our excellent college radio station, but the music just never resonated with me. It was things like the Sundays and Lush that really caught my ear, along with diving deep into Wax Trax releases.
I actually like Carter quite a bit even though I'm not from the UK! Though I discovered them through their 1992 the Love album... so, yeah, that's the one that holds the most nostalgia for me personally. Think I once saw them described as the Pet Shop Boys on a shoestring budget... 😅 Not really accurate but quite funny. Nice mention of those kiwi bands 👍 After yesterday's shocking news, I somehow imagined your pick might be swayed to the Breeders magnificent Pod album but really, the honest choice is the more interesting pick. Well, back to watching the ESC then...😱
'90/'91 was peak Carter for me, so those first two albums are my "go to" ones. Must've been the height of the stagedive/crowd-surf craze, too...I remember a lot of concerts being absolute carnage in that period. The clip I used was from the "In Bed With Carter" live video, of their "hometown" '91 show at Brixton Academy. I was at that one with a bunch of new friends...great memories! I'd already shot everything and was mid-edit when the news started breaking yesterday, so no realistic chance of reworking anything. Do like "Pod" a lot, though! Cheers, D
Never heard of this band. But I am all about being writing songs about the world they inhabit in the here and now, good bad and otherwise. Another good one (coolness is not the point - how boring would that be?).
Had '101 Ds' since it came out but let it go when I sold my vynal just after lockdown. One of the few albums I didn't replace with a CD (along with the first 3 Babes In Toyland albums now I think about it). Maybe I'll download this weekend and give it a re-listen ('Everytime a churchbell rings' got me thru a v difficult teen episode so maybe I owe it that much)
I don't listen to Carter that regularly these days, but have been in touch with a few old friends recently, who were all into them during that 90/91 period, and it all came flooding back. Given how historically resilient shoegaze and grunge seem to be, it's a shame that bands like Carter are still framed (by critics at least) as the deeply unglamorous precursor to Britpop! Listening to 101 again reminded me how much they cared, and I think we could do with a bit more of that nowadays. Cheers, D
First time I heard of Carter USM was when XFM in London during 1990 had a trial on the airwaves playing indie music and they played Carter's version of the Pet Shop Boys' Rent, which I thought was better than the original version by the Pet Shop Boys. However, I wasn't keen on their other stuff, although 'Rubbish' was OK. The 'Rubbish' track included a sample of Peel's voice, which he played on his show in 1990. However, he never played any of their other stuff.
You are correct that Carter never got a foothold here in the states, and I was (and still am) a massive Ned's Atomic Dustbin fan, so they weren't unknown to me. But.... I have never listened to them. Despite being aware of their existence since 1992, I don't think I have ever heard note one. That will change tomorrow (only listening to Steve stuff today). You've turned me on to other great bands already--Pylon would be the first--so I generally trust your taste. As for my 1990, it was basically the same as my '89, though my retrospective choice for that year would definitely be Repeater. 1991, however, was a HUGE year.... Really curious what your pick will be.
Hope you find something to like about Carter! They always felt super aware of how low-rent some of their stuff sounded...keyboard presets, samples, etc...and just leaned into it, big-style. Theatrical brassy synth flourishes, that sort of thing! But a lot of heart, a sense of the ridiculous, a puncturing of pretense (non-stop puns will do that), whilst still going all-out for the epic flourishes. It worked for me in 1990, in a huge crowd, singing along at the top of my voice...but how well it's travelled over the years? You'll have to let me know! Still not made a final pick for '91...getting a bit nervous, actually. Cheers, D
@@discellany I gave 101 Damnations a spin, and I dig it! I see what you mean about their clever wordplay and overt Britishness, for sure. Overall, my reaction was "this sounds like if Cut The Crap didn't suck". (and I absolutely adore the Monkees sample on "A Perfect Day To Drop The Bomb"). Thanks for the recommendation!
Do you remember Wire at Reading playing Kidney Bingoes and Eardrum Buzz simultaneously or was I just overly refreshed? Fugazi, Babes In Toyland, James Addiction, all excellent! I agree that Ride's EPs are better than the album. Although I had Carter USM's first one or two singles, I missed 101 Damnations, probably due to lack of money. But my brother got 30 Something when it came out and we listened to that a lot. My other choices for 1990 are Songs for Drella by Reed and Cale, Ragged Glory by Neil Young and Crazy Horse, A Catholic Education by Teenage Fanclub and Strap It On by Helmet.
Ah yes! I remember it well, and can confirm that it really happened. In fact...there's evidence... ruclips.net/video/OMlK6MnQGjI/видео.html A Catholic Education is a goodie, but it always felt to me like the rest of the album was kind of dwarfed by "Everything Flows"...which is easily one of the ten greatest songs of the entire decade. Cheers, D
Gosh! I didn’t see that one coming 😂 You are totally right though. It’s made me laugh because I can vividly remember them being everywhere. Enjoyed the singles, never invested heavily into them or saw them live. Brilliant video - so evocative. Made think of my hopes and dreams. Successes and failures. Pet Shop Boys Behaviour for me. Electronic music with Johnny Marr on guitar. Probably their best album. Being Boring is a stunning yet sad song about friends dying of AIDS. Jealousy another track that’s somehow like a gut punch. This Must Be The Place I’ve Waited Years To Leave. They summed up so many thoughts and feelings for mixed up kids from cities and towns outside of London. I saw their Teenage Cancer Trust gig years ago at the Royal Albert Hall. Johnny Marr played. Had me bawling my eyes out 🥲 It’s on RUclips. Keep up the good work. Love the vids. Stay well.
Thanks. I guess the take home message is that the music you discover by yourself, is going to be very different to the music you experience in a crowd! Away from home...surrounded by people like yourself...free to come and go as you please. Maybe it's a little like rave music in that respect...only really effective in the right setting!
Trying to stay as well as I can! Had a bit of a health scare over the last few months (hence me scaling back to focus on just the weekly LOL videos). Things are looking OK, I'm feeling a lot better, and happy to have this series to work on. Cheers, D
Sonic Youth "Goo" and Fugazi "Repeater" definitely big for me that year. I also think that would be around the time I went through a heavy The House of Love phase!
Carter was always a guilty pleasure for me.
1990 was turning 21, going to my 1st and only Glastonbury, where less than 18 months after seeing them play to c.30 people at the SU, Del Amitri played the pyramid stage, Italia 90 and the long hot summer, before starting my 4th and final year at Uni.
Honourable mentions include The La’s, Listen without Prejudice (yes, really), Violator, and the album which 7 years later influenced the choice of name for our daughter - Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.
But my choice of Album is one which grew on me and has stayed with me ever since, and incidentally was subject of the video which introduced me to your channel.
Swagger by The Blue Aeroplanes.
Nice! I'm not consciously avoiding any of those albums I covered in the 90s series, but by the same token, I don't want to be repeating myself too much! Still love "Swagger" (also think "Beatsongs" runs it close)...for a short period in the early '90s, the Aeroplanes were my most gigged band. Must have seen them half a dozen times over the course of a couple of years. Cheers, D
Carter USM got radio play where I lived thanks to our excellent college radio station, but the music just never resonated with me. It was things like the Sundays and Lush that really caught my ear, along with diving deep into Wax Trax releases.
Davie Long fin here. Al give yi one. Not sure which year. Dead kids. Into the fire. Saw them at Hyde park. Best band all day mate
I actually like Carter quite a bit even though I'm not from the UK! Though I discovered them through their 1992 the Love album... so, yeah, that's the one that holds the most nostalgia for me personally. Think I once saw them described as the Pet Shop Boys on a shoestring budget... 😅 Not really accurate but quite funny.
Nice mention of those kiwi bands 👍 After yesterday's shocking news, I somehow imagined your pick might be swayed to the Breeders magnificent Pod album but really, the honest choice is the more interesting pick. Well, back to watching the ESC then...😱
'90/'91 was peak Carter for me, so those first two albums are my "go to" ones. Must've been the height of the stagedive/crowd-surf craze, too...I remember a lot of concerts being absolute carnage in that period. The clip I used was from the "In Bed With Carter" live video, of their "hometown" '91 show at Brixton Academy. I was at that one with a bunch of new friends...great memories!
I'd already shot everything and was mid-edit when the news started breaking yesterday, so no realistic chance of reworking anything. Do like "Pod" a lot, though! Cheers, D
Never heard of this band. But I am all about being writing songs about the world they inhabit in the here and now, good bad and otherwise. Another good one (coolness is not the point - how boring would that be?).
Had '101 Ds' since it came out but let it go when I sold my vynal just after lockdown. One of the few albums I didn't replace with a CD (along with the first 3 Babes In Toyland albums now I think about it). Maybe I'll download this weekend and give it a re-listen ('Everytime a churchbell rings' got me thru a v difficult teen episode so maybe I owe it that much)
I don't listen to Carter that regularly these days, but have been in touch with a few old friends recently, who were all into them during that 90/91 period, and it all came flooding back.
Given how historically resilient shoegaze and grunge seem to be, it's a shame that bands like Carter are still framed (by critics at least) as the deeply unglamorous precursor to Britpop! Listening to 101 again reminded me how much they cared, and I think we could do with a bit more of that nowadays. Cheers, D
First time I heard of Carter USM was when XFM in London during 1990 had a trial on the airwaves playing indie music and they played Carter's version of the Pet Shop Boys' Rent, which I thought was better than the original version by the Pet Shop Boys. However, I wasn't keen on their other stuff, although 'Rubbish' was OK. The 'Rubbish' track included a sample of Peel's voice, which he played on his show in 1990. However, he never played any of their other stuff.
Yeah, read an interview with Jim Bob recently, and he was also of the opinion that "Rent" was by far the best of their cover versions. Cheers, D
You are correct that Carter never got a foothold here in the states, and I was (and still am) a massive Ned's Atomic Dustbin fan, so they weren't unknown to me.
But....
I have never listened to them.
Despite being aware of their existence since 1992, I don't think I have ever heard note one.
That will change tomorrow (only listening to Steve stuff today).
You've turned me on to other great bands already--Pylon would be the first--so I generally trust your taste.
As for my 1990, it was basically the same as my '89, though my retrospective choice for that year would definitely be Repeater.
1991, however, was a HUGE year.... Really curious what your pick will be.
Hope you find something to like about Carter! They always felt super aware of how low-rent some of their stuff sounded...keyboard presets, samples, etc...and just leaned into it, big-style. Theatrical brassy synth flourishes, that sort of thing! But a lot of heart, a sense of the ridiculous, a puncturing of pretense (non-stop puns will do that), whilst still going all-out for the epic flourishes. It worked for me in 1990, in a huge crowd, singing along at the top of my voice...but how well it's travelled over the years? You'll have to let me know!
Still not made a final pick for '91...getting a bit nervous, actually. Cheers, D
@@discellany I gave 101 Damnations a spin, and I dig it!
I see what you mean about their clever wordplay and overt Britishness, for sure.
Overall, my reaction was "this sounds like if Cut The Crap didn't suck".
(and I absolutely adore the Monkees sample on "A Perfect Day To Drop The Bomb").
Thanks for the recommendation!
Do you remember Wire at Reading playing Kidney Bingoes and Eardrum Buzz simultaneously or was I just overly refreshed?
Fugazi, Babes In Toyland, James Addiction, all excellent! I agree that Ride's EPs are better than the album.
Although I had Carter USM's first one or two singles, I missed 101 Damnations, probably due to lack of money. But my brother got 30 Something when it came out and we listened to that a lot.
My other choices for 1990 are Songs for Drella by Reed and Cale, Ragged Glory by Neil Young and Crazy Horse, A Catholic Education by Teenage Fanclub and Strap It On by Helmet.
Ah yes! I remember it well, and can confirm that it really happened. In fact...there's evidence...
ruclips.net/video/OMlK6MnQGjI/видео.html
A Catholic Education is a goodie, but it always felt to me like the rest of the album was kind of dwarfed by "Everything Flows"...which is easily one of the ten greatest songs of the entire decade.
Cheers, D
@@discellany thanks, I hadn't seen that clip before!