It's time for my 14th annual Annual Annual! This is where I choose one year to focus on for two hours. I like to put this out to my music-loving friends before I make a choice. I've covered a couple years from the 90s in the past, including 1991 last year. This time around I'm going with 1994.

My memories of 1994, when I was turning 24, are murky at best. In my own life I was single, living in Redwood City, on the air at KFJC and working at a small local record label/music distributor: Tandem Records/The Remix Club (TRC). I ran the warehouse before becoming the promotions director of the label. I recall us courting The Mermen, though I'm fairly confident we didn't get much farther than a meeting with them.

That was a challenging job. Most of the music the label had was in the Pop R&B genre, and I think you know what I think about anything Pop. And my boss was dating a young singer, who was marginal in talent to say the least...not to mention at least 20 years older than her. It was my job to get her played on R&B stations around the country and to take her to events in the Bay Area. There wasn't a lot of success there, in her music or the relationship.

I also didn't appreciate how my boss liked to yell at his staff, either. Ooh, I do remember that we watched the OJ Simpson trial in the office though. HA!

It was while I ran the shipping and receiving department that I learned of Kurt Cobain's death. I can picture that moment well: working in the warehouse and the announcement came on the radio. I saw Nirvana at the Warfield Theater in October 1991 for the Nevermind tour. TAD and Sister Double Happiness opened. I was on the floor for the openers, but it was so packed (oversold?) and my shoelaces were united, that I decided to bodysurf my way out of there. I ended up on the first tier with a perfect view of the stage for the Nirvana set. I always liked that band.

Like my previous annual specials there's more to share than just the music: film, news and culture are included throughout the night, and there's never enough time to get to all the music I want to.

Though there wasn't a lot of strong releases in 1994 (I blame the major record labels), there were a number of notable debuts: Notorious BIG, Jeff Buckley, Fu Manchu to name but a few.

Let's get on with the show.

Enjoy and please share.

jh

Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell
Mondays 8-10PM
Radio Valencia in SF
https://radiovalencia.fm

Follow me on Instagram @johnhell

Miserlou: Dick Dale (Pulp Fiction Soundtrack)
Juicy: Notorious BIG (Ready to Die)
Give It Up: Public Enemy (Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age)

Get It Together: Beastie Boys (Ill Communication)
The Man Who Sold The World: Nirvana (MTV Unplugged)
Royal With Cheese (Pulp Fiction Soundtrack)
Grace: Jeff Buckley (Grace)

Revolve: Melvins (Stoner Witch)
Timeline: 1994
Ojo Rojo: Fu Manchu (No One Rides for Free)
Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop: Kyuss (Welcome to Sky Valley)
Buenas Tardes Amigo: Ween (Chocolate and Cheese)

Baddest of the Bad: Reverend Horton Heat (Liquor in the Front)
Gringo Honeymoon: Robert Earl Keen Jr. (Gringo Honeymoon)
Pendulum: Mark Lanegan (Whiskey for the Holy Ghost)

Timeline: 1994
Bull in the Heather: Sonic Youth (Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star)
Violet Eyes: Meat Puppets (Too High To Die)
Fuel My Fire: L7 (Hungry for Stink)
Do You Love Me: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Let Love In)

Free As A Bird: The Beatles (Free As A Bird)
Zed's Dead, Baby/Bullwinkle Part II: The Centurions (Pulp Fiction Soundtrack)
The Dishwasher: King Missile (S/T)

She Gave Good Sunflower: Black Crowes (Amorica)