MARCH 1990: Sinéad O'Connor, Depeche Mode, Social Distortion, Cowboy Junkies

The playlist for March 1990 has some familiar favorites alongside, for me at least, a couple of big surprises. Social Distortion’s self-titled album contains some of their biggest hits (including “Ball and Chain” and “Story of My Life”), and thanks to a Social D-obsessed college roommate, this album became a forever soundtrack to my early twenties. Depeche Mode’s sinister, moody masterpiece Violator is another album filled with recognizable tunes (“Personal Jesus” and “Enjoy the Silence” among them), and returning to Violator this week reminded me how much Depeche Mode’s sound dominated the ‘80s and early ‘90s.For whatever reason (more about that in the episode), I’ve paid less attention to the albums of Sinéad O'Connor and Cowboy Junkies. I know that O’Connor’s version of Prince’s song “Nothing Compares 2 U,” and particularly the iconic accompanying music video, were impossible to miss in the ‘90s, but the album from which that song derives, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, is worthy of your attention. On this week’s episode, we were both sort of blown away by the album’s sound, production, lyrics, and songwriting craft. Similarly, the Cowboy Junkies’ March 1990 release The Caution Horses contains a ton of great songs and a soft, alt-country vibe that’s just really pleasant and appealing, even when their songs take darker turns. And their cover of Neil Young’s “Powderfinger” is an all-timer. Also discussed in this episode: Albums from Prong, Robert Plant, The Highwaymen, and more.Listen to the March 1990 playlist: Check out our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/120_months/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 120months.substack.com/subscribe