The most beautiful Ballads from the nineties

[Blazer]

In the nineties the alt-rock boom changed not only the music scene but also the overall sound of records in general. The music itself got a lot more raw energy, the polished eighties sound was rejected and true song craftsmanship was re-instated. That was not just the case with the rocking tunes. The slow tunes of premier bands in those days got a really eerie haunting sound, which made for chillingly beautiful songs with just that hint of angst.

Let's name the most beautiful ballads of that time, the ones that have that haunting tone and make your hair raise up but in a good way.

I'll start off with Kristin Hersh' duet with R.E.M's Michael Stipe "Your Ghost"


Then I'll push forwards The Foo Fighters with "Walking after you"

A live version because I like that one way better. Nate Mendell has such a beautiful tone on his Fretless Ampeg scroll bass.

Gaven Rossdale might currently be known as Gwen Stephani's husband and the father of her children but in the mid nineties, he was a rockstar in his own right. With his band Bush he scored a hit with the haunting song "Glycerine"


The Cranberries "Linger"

Well what do you want me to say about such a beautiful song?

Then there's a little national pride as I push forwards the Claw Boys Claw with what was their only real chart topping hit: "Rosie"


And to top it all off here are the odd men (and woman) out from the Britpop era. Pulp with "Something changed"

[uwe]

Anything by Air Supply, really.

[uwe]

Seriously? Is REM's Man on the Moon a ballad? I liked that though I continue to regard REM - like U2 - with suspicion. I loved Queensryche's Silent Lucidity for all its Beatles and Floyd connotations, but that was late eighties. Admittedly (and scarcely Nirvana influenced) I also liked Meatloaf's Objects in the Rear View Mirror, one of Steinman's masterpieces. Oh, and I'm a sucker for Neil Young's Harvest Moon. And now that I've embarassed myself sufficiently, I can also say that even Glenn Frey's most muzaky early nineties stuff strikes a major chord with me like Part of me, part of you.  Struggling for credibility, I loved Iggy's ballads on American Cesar and the follow up with that song "My little Nazi girlfriend". Yes, I'm a whimp, I like Herr Pop better on ballads than on the harder stuff where his voice is much more one-dimensional.

Uwe

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

First of all I gotta say the 90s SUCKED for music except for Coverdale/Page & Plant's Fate of Nations---Best CDs of '93!!
Ok, there were some other good albums, but the 80s KICKED the 90s ass for ballads.
WHITESNAKE's The Deeper The Love & Is This Love are gorgeous!!
Every Rose Has It's Thorn by Poison
Don't Know What You've Got (Til It's Gone) by Cinderella
To name a few...

Ok, back to the 90s:

Temple of the Dog has my FAV song EVER on it--REACH DOWN!!
That ain't a ballad tho, I know. It's got Stone Gossard & Mike McCready & Chris Cornell all 3 goin' WILD with blistering VOODOO Guitar Tone & Vibe with AWESOME lyrics set to a Spiritual BOOGIE!!!!

So I vote for this song--Best of your Grunge ballads:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=HRc-HZDC3EE