Sound Opinions: 1991

Sound Opinions is weekly radio show hosted by two Chicago-based pop music critics, Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis. They bill it as "the world's only rock and roll talk show." Each week hey take on a different topic, and last week's show was devoted to 1991 as a watershed year for popular music. The key points were:

• Nirvana and the birth of Grunge
• My Bloody Valentine and the growth of Shoegaze
• Lollapalooza and the rise of the Alternative Nation
• N.W.A and the reign of Gangsta Rap
• Massive Attack and the “tripping” of hip-hop

They referenced lots of albums from the year, both the hugely popular and the crucially influential. Many are available in the Media Center:

• Garth Brooks, Ropin’ The Wind, Liberty, 1991, CD 396
• Spin Doctors, Pocket Full of Kryptonite, Epic, 1991, CD 4816
• Nirvana, Nevermind, DGC, 1991, CD 1333
• My Bloody Valentine, Loveless, Creation, 1991, CD 16089
• Guns N’ Roses, Use Your Illusion I, Geffen, 1991, CD 5401
• Pearl Jam, Ten, Epic, 1991, CD 4588
• N.W.A., Niggaz4Life, Ruthless, 1991, CD 15073
• De La Soul, De La Soul is Dead, Tommy Boy, 1991, CD 8260
• Massive Attack, Blue Lines, Virgin, 1991, CD 11771

The show doesn't air in Boston but is available as a podcast or via online streaming.