It’s 1991 - What’s In The Rotation?

One of my favorite parts of working at my college radio station (WVYC in York, Pennsylvania), was serving as music director. It was another level of discovering new music - It meant hours spent digging through new releases, contemplating what would go into our daily rotation, and chasing that rush of discovering an artist or track I knew had to be heard. I felt a real sense of responsibility in helping shape the station’s sound, but honestly, it was just fun.

So every week, the conversations I was having at the station about the new music extended beyond the student union when it came time to report our main rotation to CMJ (College Music Journal) - basically the Bible of college radio. Calling those reports into the publication felt like sending a snapshot of our station’s identity out into the wider college radio universe. Seeing our picks alongside those from other stations made it clear we were part of something bigger, a nationwide network of people all chasing the same thing: the next song that mattered.

So I did some internet digging and found an online copy of CMJ from April of 1991 and thought it would be fun to put together a playlist from what I submitted for our station. Check out my playlist What's in the Rotation - 1991.

Highlights include:

• Frazier Chorus - A pop group from England that incorporated synthesizers, trumpets, flutes and other instruments. Their second album, Ray, was released in 1991 and was a synthpop delight. Random fact: Lead singer Tim Freeman is the brother of actor Martin Freeman.

• Havana 3am - With their debut album released in 1991, the British-American supergroup (including former Clash bassist Paul Simonon) blended punk, rockabilly, and Latin influences. 

• The Godfathers - Their fourth album released a month before my list, this gritty British band combined a hard-edged blend of punk energy and classic R&B swagger. 

• The Posies - I fell in love with their second album, Dear 23. It was one of the first modern power pop albums I latched onto, filled with hooks and harmonies.

• Throwing Muses - Their fourth album, The Real Ramona, was a  huge college radio hit and continued their alt-rock sound, this time with a more melodic edge with great songwriting from Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donnelly.

• The Big Dish - The final studio album from the Scottish band finds a sharper produced, introspective album. Reminded me of bands like The Blue Nile or Prefab Sprout.

• Jesus Jones - The second album from the British rock band was massive and I loved being at the forefront of playing their music. By blending rock and techno seamlessly, the band brought us classics as “Right Here, Right Now”, “International Bright Young Thing” and “Real, Real, Real”.

Check out the full playlist* here and tell me what some of your favorites were from the rotation.

(*There were some bands that aren’t on Spotify, so I couldn’t include a song - I’m looking at you Two Nice Girls and Hypnolovewheel)