Death of the Monster
Remember the monster album? It blasted out of the studio, or it crept up from under the charts. It came winged with anticipation, or it slithered into the playlists. Either way, it defined pop music. It was, for a time, inevitable, shooting out hit after hit like a Roman candle. Certain summers of my life are defined by certain albums, even if I never bought them or liked them. "The Wall." "Rumours." "Born in the USA." "The Joshua Tree." "Parallel Lines." "Tapestry." "Thriller." "Nevermind." "Frampton Comes Alive."
When did it die? And which hook-fest was the last? Off the top of my head I thought mid-1990s: Live (1994), Hootie and the Blowfish (1994), Alanis Morissette (1996). After that? Late '90s: Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, were they monsters? There was that one Linkin Park album.
Anything since 2000? Is it safe to say the monster rock album died with the millennium?
When did it die? And which hook-fest was the last? Off the top of my head I thought mid-1990s: Live (1994), Hootie and the Blowfish (1994), Alanis Morissette (1996). After that? Late '90s: Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, were they monsters? There was that one Linkin Park album.
Anything since 2000? Is it safe to say the monster rock album died with the millennium?
Labels: music
