Revisiting Two ’90s Compilation CDs

By on April 21st, 2017

The ’90s were known for a lot of things when it came to the music scene. The “Alternative” style slid in like a snake in the early part of the decade effectively putting an end to the “Hair Metal” scene of the ’80s. Then, well, all Hell kind of broke loose and it became a giant free-for-all as just about every other conceivable type of music weaseled its way into the ’90s and left the entire identity in question. And then, inexplicably, someone decided to sing about ’70s Television.

Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks

In 1996, Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks arrived. Those of us who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s remember when the little informational vignettes ran during Saturday morning cartoons and we all learned a little something outside of school about such things as grammar, government, and history. The tunes were great and so, a CD was released by popular alternative bands of the time singing the famous Schoolhouse Rock songs. What follows is the track listing:

  1. “Schoolhouse Rocky” – Bob Dorough and Friends
  2. “I’m Just a Bill” – Deluxx Folk Implosion
  3. “Three Is a Magic Number” – Blind Melon
  4. “Conjunction Junction” – Better Than Ezra
  5. “Electricity, Electricity!” – Goodness
  6. “No More Kings” – Pavement
  7. “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” – Ween
  8. “My Hero, Zero” – The Lemonheads
  9. “The Energy Blues” – Biz Markie
  10. “Little Twelvetoes” – Chavez
  11. “Verb: That’s What’s Happening” – Moby
  12. “Interplanet Janet” – Man or Astro-man?
  13. “Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here” – Buffalo Tom
  14. “Unpack Your Adjectives” – Daniel Johnston
  15. “The Tale of Mr. Morton” – Skee-Lo

If you liked the originals growing up, you’ll really dig this compilation. Even 20 years later it still holds up because nostalgia will never die.

Saturday Morning : Cartoons’ Greatest Hits

So what’s the other one? Why, Saturday Morning: Cartoons’ Greatest Hits, of course! Along the same vein of the previous CD, this was a compilation of well-known cartoon themes performed by popular alternative bands (because Alternative was the flavor of the decade, don’t ya know). This particular CD is just as catchy thanks to the strong performances and the excellent choices in chosen themes:

  1. “The Tra La La Song (1 Banana, 2 Banana)”- Liz Phair with Material Issue
  2. “Go Speed Racer Go” (from Speed Racer) – Sponge
  3. “Sugar, Sugar” (from The Archie Show) – Mary Lou Lord with Semisonic
  4. “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” – Matthew Sweet
  5. “Josie and the Pussycats”- Julianna Hatfield and Tonya Donnelly
  6. “The Bugaloos” (from The Bugaloos) –  Collective Soul
  7. “Underdog” (from Underdog) – Butthole Surfers
  8. “Gigantor” (from Gigantor) – Helmet
  9. “Spider-Man” (from Spider-Man) – Ramones
  10. “Jonny Quest/Stop That Pigeon” – The Reverend Horton Heat
  11. “Open Up Your Heart and Let the Sun Shine In” – Frente!
  12. “Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah (Means I Love You)” (from The Jetsons) – Violent Femmes
  13. “Fat Albert Theme” (from Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids) – Dig
  14. “I’m Popeye the Sailor Man” (from Popeye) – Face to Face
  15. “Friends/Sigmund and the Seamonsters” – Tripping Daisy
  16. “Goolie Get-Together” (from The Groovie Goolies) – Toadies
  17. “Hong Kong Phooey” (from Hong Kong Phooey) – Sublime
  18. “H.R. Pufnstuf” (from H.R. Pufnstuf) – The Murmurs
  19. “Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy” (from The Ren and Stimpy Show) – Wax

Once you give the track lists a once-over it becomes almost painfully obvious that nearly all of these bands have fallen by the musical wayside, not to mention many of them having shuffled this mortal coil. As crummy as that is, these are still a lot of fun to listen to. Sadly, unless you have a used music store handy, they’re gonna be tough to find. I turned to eBay and located both of them for less than twenty bucks. Well worth it.