So why is Throwing Muses’ The Real Ramona on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
If I went to a make-believe supercomputer – because they often respond best to voice commands – and said, “Dial me up a great indie rock song that’s representative of the early 1990s,” you could do a lot worse than “Not Too Soon.”
It’s my favorite song on the album, with great meshing vocals from Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly (who would go on to form another great ‘90s band, Belly), jangle pop guitar, college rock vibe, with just enough edge that you’d book Throwing Muses for Lollapalooza versus Lilith Fair, had you the choice.
Points too for what it’s worth for a music video that basically just shows a band performing a song. That’s usually more successful than whatever oddball story or conceit music video directors end up coming up with.
“Graffiti” is incredibly ear pleasing, a relatively straightforward alt/indie rocker with satisfyingly chugging guitar riffs.
“Honeychain” is an intriguing song with a darker, stranger, slower vibe that rewards repeat listens. The vocals are also great.
This album also sounds like
There’s a range of influences here but generally there are touches of other 1990s female fronted alt rock and indie rock-ish bands that might include Belly, Liz Phair, PJ Harvey, Sleater-Kinney, and Veruca Salt.
Pop culture stuff that’s somehow related to Throwing Muses’ The Real Ramona
As an insane Frank Black fan, the “Ramona” in The Real Ramona immediately takes me to Black’s “I Heard Ramona Sing,” off his fantastic self-titled album (#38 of best 1,000 albums ever).
When I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. the World for the first time – which has already come up on this list by way of Plumtree, go figure! – it was already gearing way up toward being one of my favorite movies, when “I Heard Ramona Sing” kicked in with relation to lead character Scott’s crush-y obsession with Ramona Flowers. Let’s just say my feelings for the movie were on a whole other level, dude.
Later on in the movie, Scott, played by Michael Cera, strums a little (unfinished) song for Ramona, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, called… “Ramona.”
“Ramona” the song was written by Beck (who, spoiler, you’ll also be hearing a lot about on this list), and there’s a great full length (finished) version of the song on the soundtrack, and which also plays during the film’s closing credits.
Completely different topic: Lollapalooza, created by Jane’s Addiction’s Perry Farrell, debuted in Chicago in 1991, the very year that The Real Ramona was released.
Some stats & info about Throwing Muses – The Real Ramona
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Rock, Pop Rock, College Rock
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4.5 out of 5 stars
- When was The Real Ramona released? 1991
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #984 out of 1,000
Throwing Muses’ The Real Ramona on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from Throwing Muses’ The Real Ramona that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
The last time I saw you, you were standing in the dark. And with a freezing face, I watched you fall apart.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective take on what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.