When the early '90s shoegazer/wall-of-sound phenomenon came out of Manchester, England, I was working in a little shop called B-Side Records in Madison, WI. This list, while not all-inclusive, features the acts and the tracks I saw as epitomizing the movement — the ones everyone came in to look for.
• Buy these songs as an iMix
The Stone Roses, "Waterfall"
The Stone Roses were probably the first shoegazer band I'd heard of. This groundbreaking debut album blew everyone away.
|
 |
from The Stone Roses (1989, Jive)
Listen (preview via iTunes)  |
Buy the song
 |
Buy The Stone Roses
|
The Charlatans (UK), "The Only One I Know"
On their first album, the Charlatans used Hammond organ to create their version of the shoegazer sound.
|
 |
from Some Friendly (1990, RCA)
Listen (preview via MySpace) |
| |
Buy Some Friendly
|
Lush, "Thoughtforms"
When Lush's dreamy debut Gala first came out, it was compared to Cocteau Twins — not entirely surprising, since they were labelmates on 4AD.
|
 |
from Gala (1990, 4AD/Warner Bros)
Listen (preview via iTunes) |
Buy the song
|
Buy Gala
|
The Happy Mondays, "Kinky Afro"
The Happy Mondays were more of a rave/party type of shoegazer band, but I think it would be a mistake to leave them off this list.
|
 |
from Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches (1990, Elektra)
Listen (preview via iTunes) |
Buy the song
|
Buy Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
|
Ride, "Vapour Trail"
Ride is still considered one of the best bands of the shoegazer genre. They were a bit more straightforward in their songwriting, and less swirling and hypnotic than some bands, which increased their appeal to the mainstream.
|
 |
from Nowhere (1990, Reprise/WEA)
Listen (preview via MySpace) |
Buy the song
|
Buy Nowhere
|
Chapterhouse, "Autosleeper"
In the US probably the least successful band on this list, Chapterhouse was nonetheless firmly in the shoegazer/wall-of-sound movement with their incredible waves of reverb and melodic vocals.
|
 |
from Whirlpool (1991, RCA)
Listen (preview via MySpace) |
| |
Buy Whirlpool
|
Blur, "She's So High"
Blur blended the shoegazer trend with psychedelic rock on their debut album, but quickly grew away from this sound in later releases.
|
 |
from Leisure (1991, Virgin)
Listen (preview via iTunes) |
Buy the song
|
Buy Leisure
|
My Bloody Valentine, "Only Shallow"
When Kevin Shields finally finished recording Loveless after many reworkings and considerable expense, it was hailed by both critics and fans for its layers and complexity; it's widely
considered to be the shoegazer album. This record still sounds amazing fifteen years after its release.
|
 |
from Loveless (1991, Sire/London/Rhino)
Listen (preview via iTunes) |
Buy the song
|
Buy Loveless
|
Slowdive, "Celia's Dream"
Catching the end of the shoegazer trend, and perhaps labeled by some as "shoegazer fallout," Slowdive's dreamy Just For a Day epitomizes the ethereal sound many of the shoegazer bands aimed for.
|
 |
from Just For a Day (1992, Capitol)
Listen (preview via iTunes) |
Buy the song
|
Buy Just For a Day
|
Pale Saints, "Throwing Back the Apple"
Along with Lush and the Cocteau Twins, the Pale Saints belonged to the 4AD shoegazer subspecies. With their second release, In Ribbons, the Pale Saints started moving away from the shoegazer sound to a darker, even more ethereal place.
|
 |
from In Ribbons (4AD, 1992)
Listen (preview via MySpace) |
| |
Buy In Ribbons
|
– Compiled by Elise Nordling
Posted October 2006
Send to del.icio.us |
|
