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Adam 12

These 7 Classic 90s Albums Are Summer Listening Essentials

By adam12 June 25th

Some albums are just meant to be listened to in summertime. Here’s a handful of classic 90s albums to soundtrack your summer.

I’m Adam 12, keeper of the books here at ROCK 92.9. And by that I mean I’m the guy who reminds you when your favorite album has a big anniversary or your favorite rocker has a birthday. So there’s math involved. It ain’t easy.

I’m also a proponent of seasonal listening. And by that I mean I’m a believer that some albums are meant to be listened to at certain times of the year. Sure, there are albums that should be enjoyed year-round. Then there are others.

Classic 90s Albums: That Summer Feeling

The focus of this list, as you can see, is summer albums. Some of the discs that make up the list were released in or before summertime, so they just became a natural soundtrack. Others just have that summer feeling.

I could blow through another 300 words trying to explain what I mean, but I don’t think I need to do that. Some songs, albums, and artists just have a seasonal vibe to them. Alice In Chains‘ Sap EP, for example. It just feels autumnal.

Classic 90s Albums: The Magnificent Seven

Apologies for the fall detour. Back to summer we go with a seven-pack of seasonal essentials. I almost described this short list as “underrated” or “forgotten,” but there are a couple of big releases on here, so I went with “classic.”

These are albums I go back to year after year in July and August to recapture some of that summer magic of my youth. If you’re a Gen Xer like me, you get it. And you’ll likely recognize a couple. But I bet there’s a few you forgot about as well.

Beastie Boys ‘Check Your Head’
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This one dropped in April of '92 and I bought it on cassette almost immediately. It spent a lot of time in my Walkman during the summer of '92. So did 'Ill Communication' when it dropped two years later. Another summer essential.
Failure ‘Fantastic Planet’
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Failure were one of those amazing alternative rock bands in the '90s that never made it as big as they should have. This album is massive and works as a complete work of art, front-to-back. Find a copy and spin it this summer.
Foo Fighters ‘Foo Fighters’
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4th of July, 1995. I was in Wells Beach on vacation with my family. There were no record stores nearby. So I drove my '85 Monte Carlo down Rt. 1 to Newbury Comics in Saugus to buy this tape the day it came out. Then I drove back to Maine, listening all the way.
Mad Season ‘Above’
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Another one from the summer of '95, though it was released in spring of that year. Members of Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, and Screaming Trees making Seattle supergroup sounds for the summer. If you're a Dave & Chuck listener, you know we play "Wake Up" from this album before their show airs in Boston every weekday morning at 6.
Monster Magnet ‘Dopes To Infinity’
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Summers are for stoner rock and no one does stoner rock better than Monster Magnet." Cranking "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" from my aforementioned Monte Carlo while cruising through Ogunquit to Perkins Cove is a core summer memory.
Nirvana ‘Incesticide’
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I don't know how this became a summer listen for me, but it did. It was released in December of '92, and I remember getting it for Christmas that year. But I'm guessing there were other albums that bumped it from rotation until the summer of '93. It's been a seasonal staple for me every since.
Porno For Pyros ‘Porno For Pyros’
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Perry Farrell is summer's own ringmaster. Doesn't matter if he's doing with Jane's Addiction or Porno For Pyros. This is their debut album from '93. 'Good God's Urge' from '96 is its summertime companion, so put that one in your ears, too.