Music N' Other Drugs

The verdict in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson was announced on Oct. 3, 1995, but what I remember even more vividly than that day is looking out the window of my elementary school on April 20 to see the American flag flying at half-staff following the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. A rare moment of fragility in what had otherwise been an idyllic childhood up to that point, I think the fact that 19 children were killed combined with the realization that the perpetrator grew up less than 30 minutes from where I did is why that day lingers well into my thirties.

1995 also marked my final year as an only child, the beginning of my CD collection, and the only time I ever met my paternal grandfather, so many of the records I’ll be mentioning here can spark specific memories of those moments at the drop of the needle.

Like my previous lists, this one is a hybrid of albums I was obsessed with in real time as well as works that I grew into with age, maturity, and the inevitable tsunami called life. I looked to music to lift me up as a seven-year-old and continue to do so as a 37-year-old, so the more things change, the more they stay the same.

The Smashing Pumpkins – “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Corgan and Co.’s third release is a double album whose execution matches its ambition as well as any project of this sort could. If you ever feel like plugging in your guitar and reminding your neighbors that you still live there, this is the perfect collection to jam along to.

Oasis – “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?”

I suppose this is an example of a “You had to be there” album, because there’s a forgotten beauty behind everyone being into the same thing at same time given how disjointed the cultural experience has become in 2025. I’ve loved it since the day I heard it, and, if you don’t want to take my word for it, I’m sure that Noel Gallagher himself would have no issue telling you how great it is.

Fear Factory – “Demanufacture”

Seven-year-old me would have been frightened of Fear Factory’s masterpiece at the time, but I’ve grown to adore metal in all of its forms through the years.

Green Day – “Insomniac”

The most punk rock thing that Green Day could have done is make such a snotty album right after breaking through with “Dookie” and I’ll take this one over the 20 million albums sold by “Dookie” any day of the week.

King Crimson – “Thrak”

If you thought the ’80s incarnation of Crimson tested boundaries, Fripp and Belew reinvented themselves yet again with a ferocious take on prog in the ’90s.

Mad Season – “Above”

There’s a part of me that wishes a follow-up could have been made, but there’s a larger part of me that knows the one-off quality only enhances its mystique.

Jethro Tull – “Roots to Branches”

So-called critics appear to have had no use for Tull in ’95 or any other year for that matter, but they’re one of my 10 favorite bands for a reason.

KRS-One – “KRS-One”

Whether he’s solo or with Boogie Down Productions, the man also known as Lawrence “Kris” Parker is tied with Chuck D as my favorite emcee in the history of the game.

Ani DiFranco – “Not a Pretty Girl”

She’s put out plenty of material in the last 30 years, but nothing has topped this one in my mind.

Radiohead – “The Bends”

Who’s become more pretentious in the past 30 years? The band itself or the journalists tasked with covering them objectively? Regardless, give me “The Bends” over “OK Computer” or “Kid A” and I’ll get along just fine.

Honorable Mentions – Gza – “Liquid Swords,” The Tea Party – “The Edges of Twilight,” Tracy Chapman – “New Beginnings,” Everclear – “Sparkle and Fade,” and Goo Goo Dolls – “A Boy Named Goo”