1990 in music

Contents

1 Events

2 Albums released

3 Top hits on record

4 Published popular music

Events

January 21 - MTV's Unplugged premieres on cable television with musical guest, Squeeze
February 6 - Billy Idol is involved in a serious motorcycle accident, resulting in several broken bones. Idol had been scheduled to have a major role in Oliver Stone's film The Doors, but had to back out of the project due to his injuries.
February 8 - 50 year old songwriter Del Shannon dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
February 14 - 50,000 fans watch The Rolling Stones play the first of 10 concerts at Tokyo's Korakuen Dome, the beginning of the Stones' first ever tour of Japan.
February 16 - Ike Turner is sentenced to 4 years in prison for possession of cocaine.
February 17 - Aerosmith appears in the Saturday Night Live sketch Wayne's World, where they perform the Wayne's World theme song.
February 24 - The Byrds (Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman and David Crosby) reunite, for the first time in 25 years, to perform at a Los Angeles, California tribute to Roy Orbison. The three are joined unexpectedly on stage by Bob Dylan, who sings "Mr. Tambourine Man" with the band.
February 27 - In Time Magazine, Milli Vanilli "singer" Rob Pilatus states that their group is, "more talented than any Bob Dylan or Paul McCartney. Mick Jagger can't produce a sound. I'm the new Elvis."
March 03 - Freedom To Party Demonstration London, organised by Party Promoters including Genesis'88 Biology parties Sunrise/Back to the Future for later club licences and all night Music and Dance Licences for large-scale Dance Parties Staged free-party later that night in Watford UK (12,000 people).

March 20 - Gloria Estefan's tour bus is involved in an accident. Estefan suffers several broken several bones in her back.
March 25 - Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee is arrested for allegedly exposing his backside during a performance in Augusta, Georgia
April 4 - Gloria Estefan returns to Miami, Florida after undergoing back surgery in March following a tour bus accident.
April 6 - Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee suffers a mild concussion after falling off of scaffolding above his elevated drum kit during a performance in New Haven, CT.
April 7 - Neil Young, Elton John, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Guns N' Roses and Jackson Browne perform at Farm Aid IV in Indiana. John dedicates "Candle in the Wind" to AIDS patient Ryan White during his performance. White died later that evening
April 25 - Jimi Hendrix's Fender Stratocaster that he used to perform his famous version of the "Star Spangled Banner" at Woodstock, is auctioned off in London for $295,000
May 8 - In Los Angeles, California, Tom Waits wins a $2.5 million lawsuit against Frito-Lay for unlawfully using a sound alike of Waits in its Doritos television commercials.
May 26 - Gin Blossoms sign a contract with A&M Records
September - In the UK, two singles, "Groove is in the Heart" by Deee-Lite and "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band (featured in a current TV jeans commercial), are announced to have sold the same number of copies in one week and a tie-break is used to decide which should be number one. "The Joker" wins.
September 11 - After a decade of performing in the Francophone world, Céline Dion makes her formal English-language debut when she releases her album Unison.
October - Jamaaladeen Tacuma records Boss of the Bass, that will be a blockbuster in 1991
Fall - For the first time, Amy Grant and Gary Chapman hold a night of music at their Franklin, Tennessee Riverstone Farm, for local teenagers. Performers included Rich Mullins, Rick Elias, Charlie Peacock, Wes King and Michael W. Smith. The event becomes known as "The Loft".
November 27 - "Vocal" group Milli Vanilli admits to lip-synching hits such as "Girl You Know It's True." They later have their Grammy award revoked.
December - The Smashing Pumpkins begin recording Gish, which will be a blockbuster album in 1991
December 13 - Genesis'88 stage weekly Acid House night in legally acquired warehouse in Stratford London under the banner imagine

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Madonna's "Justify My Love" music video is banned by MTV. The singer appears on Nightline to defend the video.
Pennywise signs a contract to their recent label Epitaph Records
The poorly received Cop Rock premieres on television, TV's first (and last) musical police drama.
Will Smith hits primetime television with the sitcom, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
Ace of Base forms
Spin Doctors' begins performing
Pearl Jam's career begins
The Candyskins' career begins
Ricky Martin's career begins
The Prodigy's career begins
Mariah Carey's career begins
School of Fish's career begins
Ash forms
Blue Meanies forms
Kyuss forms
Leaders of the New School (including Busta Rhymes) forms
Letters To Cleo forms
Master Sound forms
Sun Dial forms
Vertical Horizon forms
Guadalcanal Diary disbands
The Vaselines disband
Garth Brooks releases his second album, "No Fences" and wins various awards across the music industry, including "best new country artist."
Del Amitri's second album, and first for five years, Waking Hours effectively relaunches their career. It provides them with the UK hit Nothing Ever Happens and the minor US hit Kiss This Thing Goodbye.
In Australia, the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival is founded by Michael Easton and Len Vorster.
Sons of Kyuss changed their named to Kyuss, add new members except guitarist Josh Homme.

Albums released

Livin' Like Hustlers - Above the Law (debut)
The Razor's Edge - AC/DC
Facelift - Alice in Chains
Persistence of Time - Anthrax
Holy Water - Bad Company
Against the Grain - Bad Religion
Hammerheart - Bathory
Megatop Phoenix - Big Audio Dynamite
Gling-Gló - Björk
Shake Your Money Maker - The Black Crowes
Ichabod and I - The Boo Radleys
Changesbowie - David Bowie
No Fences - Garth Brooks
Eaten Back To Life - Cannibal Corpse
Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey
Vanity/Nemesis - Celtic Frost
Heaven Or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins
Mixed Up - The Cure
Some Gave All - Billy Ray Cyrus
...But Seriously - Phil Collins
Pyst - Datblygu
Spiritual Healing - Death
Deicide - Deicide
Violator - Depeche Mode
Tattooed Millionaire - Bruce Dickinson (debut solo album)
Unison - Céline Dion (English-language debut)
Rising - Donovan
The Classics Live - Donovan
Blood Guts & Pussy - The Dwarves
Left Hand Path - Entombed
The Massacre - The Exploited
The Real Thing - Faith No More
Firehouse - Firehouse
1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours - Green Day
Slappy - Green Day
Iced Earth - Iced Earth (debut)
- Released in Europe only.
No Prayer for the Dying - Iron Maiden
Sudden Stop - Colin James
Ritual de lo Habitual - Jane's Addiction
Live at Hammersmith '84 - Jethro Tull
- (A recording made in 1984 and released in 1990)
Neighbourhood Threat - Johnny Crash (one and only album)
Ah Via Musicom - Eric Johnson
Painkiller - Judas Priest
Faith Hope Love - King's X
Chill Out - The KLF
Rhythm of Love - Lava
Time's Up - Living Colour
Wicked Sensation - Lynch Mob
Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em - MC Hammer
Rust In Peace - Megadeth
The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste - Ministry
Apple - Mother Love Bone
Deep - Peter Murphy
Brother's Keeper - The Neville Brothers
The Good Son - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Cause of Death - Obituary
Baghdad - The Offspring
Cowboys from Hell - Pantera
Wildcard/A Word From the Wise - Pennywise (compilation of their self-released EPs)
Frizzle Fry - Primus
Fear of a Black Planet - Public Enemy
Empire - Queensrÿche
Play - Ride
Love Is Strange - Kenny Rogers
Chronicles - Rush
Here Comes Trouble - Scatterbrain
School of Fish - School of Fish (debut)
Vision Thing - The Sisters of Mercy
Fist Sized Chunks - Skin Yard
Too Dark Park - Skinny Puppy
Seasons in the Abyss - Slayer
Stick It to Ya - Slaughter
Sons of Kyuss - Sons of Kyuss
- Originally recorded by Kyuss' original name of the same title.
Up for Grabs - Spin Doctors
Other Way Out - Sun Dial (debut)
Five Man Acoustical Jam - Tesla
Souls of Black - Testament
Flood - They Might Be Giants
No Depression - Uncle Tupelo
Passion and Warfare - Steve Vai
To The Extreme - Vanilla Ice
Best of '81-'85 - Y&T
Ten - Y&T
If There Was a Way - Dwight Yoakam
GodWeenSatan: The Oneness - Ween

Top hits on record

"Advice For The Young At Heart" - Tears For Fears
"Ball and Chain" - Social Distortion
"Blaze of Glory" - Jon Bon Jovi
"Blue Savannah" - Erasure
"Blue Sky Mine" - Midnight Oil
"Chain Reaction - John Farnham
"Close to You" - Maxi Priest
"Dangerous" - Roxette
"Downtown Train" - Rod Stewart
"Elephant Stone" - Stone Roses
"Enjoy The Silence" - Depeche Mode
"Epic" - Faith No More
"Escapade" - Janet Jackson
"Friends In Low Places" - Garth Brooks
"Hello - The Beloved
"I Don't Want To Be With Nobody But You - Absent Friends
"I Go To Extremes" - Billy Joel
"I Wish It Would Rain Down" - Phil Collins
"Ice Ice Baby" - Vanilla Ice
"It Must Have Been Love" - Roxette
"I'll Be Your Shelter" - Taylor Dayne
"Janie's Got A Gun" - Aerosmith
"Jukebox In Siberia" - Skyhooks
"Just Like Jesse James" - Cher
"Lay Down Your Guns" - Jimmy Barnes
"Loaded" - Primal Scream
"Love Shack" - B-52s
"Love Will Lead You Back" - Taylor Dayne
"Nothing Compares 2 U" - Sinéad O'Connor
"Opposites Attract" - Paula Abdul
"Step by Step" - New Kids on the Block
"That's Freedom" - John Farnham
"Three Strange Days" - School of Fish (debut single)
"The Thunder Rolls" - Garth Brooks
"U Can't Touch This" - M.C. Hammer
"Unbelievable" - EMF (debut single)
"Vision of Love" - Mariah Carey
"Vogue" - Madonna

See also: Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1990

Published popular music

"Keep It Together" w.m. S. Bray & Madonna

Classical music

Harrison Birtwistle - Gawain (opera)
Mario Davidovsky - Biblical Songs for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
Mario Davidovsky - Concertante for string quartet and orchestra
John Harbison - The Flight into Egypt (cantata)
Paul Lansky - Smalltalk
John Pickard - The Flight of Icarus
Takashi Yoshimatsu - Symphony no 1 "Kamui-Chikap"
John Zorn - The Dead Man