This Saturday represents the 25th anniversary of maybe the single greatest album release day in music history, as Nirvana's Nevermind, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magik, and A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory all crashed store record shelves on September 24, 1991. But the entire month of September also represents probably the most impressive album release month as well, a massive and varied offering of musical titans (Guns N' Roses, Garth Brooks, Bryan Adams), underground influencers (Pixies, Nitzer Ebb, Uncle Tupelo) and '90s breakthrough acts (Blues Traveler, Hole). The month is a snapshot for an incredible overall year in music, and even the albums that just missed a September release (late August delivered Leisure by Blur and Pearl Jam's Ten) add to just what was going on in record stores around the world two-and-a-half-decades ago. The albums featured here are not designed to declare any sort of definitive list, but simply salute the releases that combine to represent a long-gone heyday of the record industry. Imagine walking into a Sam Goody or Strawberries on this date in 1991 with some cash to burn.
Pixies, Trompe le Monde
September 23
The band Kurt Cobain famously admitted to ripping off on “Smells Like Teen Spirit” had one more album left in the tank before splitting up. Trompe le Monde saw the Pixies return to their abrasive guitar-rock sound with tracks like “U Mass”, “Alec Eiffel”, and a cover of Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Head On”. A monster record.
