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(Mazzy Star - rumored to still be together . .at least on paper)

I wouldn't exactly call Mazzy Star an obscure band of the 90s. They had a few albums out, three on a major label (one which went platinum), did solo gigs, morphed into other bands, morphed back and more or less have maintained a just-below-the-radar presence, probably more in Europe than here. But with the current state of radio and retail, you can never tell. Initially part of the California Paisley Underground (a sort of West Coast version of Madchester with heavier emphasis on the 60s), Mazzy Star evolved into one of the more interesting American alternative bands in the early-mid 90's.

Their most notable track was "Fade Into You" off their "So Tonight That I Might See" album. Was a huge hit for them and had promise for a major career, with the likes of the dreamy/mysterious Hope Sandoval fronting as vocalist.

But the promise never really materialized after "So Tonight . . ." went platinum, and after a tour in 1997 the band went separate ways. Although with the recent release of a new project, Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions, there has been confirmation the group is still together. So we'll see what's ahead.

This track, Ghost Highway, comes from an In-Store promo CD Capitol issued when they were promoting Fade Into You. It's a live version, done for MTV Europe and it is, for my ears, a much more intense and better produced version than the studio one that appeared on "So Tonight..."

If you're familiar with this band and this track, you may not be familiar with this version. You might be pleasantly surprised.

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(Madder Rose - overlooked and under-appreciated)

I don't think any decade can lay claim to the one where the most music was the least appreciated. Sometimes it's just rotten timing. I could understand a lot of 60s bands being lost in the shuffle since, let's face it, every time The Beatles or The Rolling Stones released something it overshadowed just about anything else on the charts at the time. And I can sort of understand a lot of 90s bands getting lost in the shuffle - as I said last night, radio was falling down huge flights of stairs in their commitment to break acts, or even say who they were. But the 70s and 80s had their fair share of overlooked acts (we'll get into the 80s soon, I promise)as well. So it just makes for a lot of interesting discovery, since the world is crammed full of it.

So tonight I thought I would put up a track by the New York band Madder Rose, who released a string of albums from 1993 to their breakup in 1999. Most of their material has faded from view, for absolutely no good reason. They were a good band with some great music.

This track, Roland Navigator doesn't appear on any of their albums, or their singles. It was issued on a CD Magazine in the 90s called Volume in the UK, probably one of the more adventuresome and well written publications to come and go in the fickle world of publishing, and certainly one that turned a lot of people on to some great music they would never normally know about. It wasn't widely available in the U.S. - just showing up at Tower, Virgin Records and a couple of hardcore music stores.

At any rate - Roland Navigator appeared only on this compilation in 1994 and, apart from a few spotty downloads, isn't available anywhere else.

It's a nice tribute to a band who left before their time was up.

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(Newt Gingrich 1994 - "Who's yer daddy?")

When the party is in power the talk overflows with the milk of human kindness - Bi-partisanship is on the lips of every triumphant candidate. The sentiments "Come, let us reason together" are slathered over every press conference with a spatula - we are all one big happy family and the thought of revenge never enters our minds . . . .much.

And so was the case when the Republicans gained control during the mid-season elections in 1994.

November 11, 1994 - newly designated Majority Speaker Newt Gingrich held a press conference outlining his "Contract With America" - pouring forth big plans, big ideas and big love - all the trappings only one handed a family sized bottle of Power could enjoy.

Gingrich: “It’s very important to understand, this country has sent the congress a very powerful signal for change . . this is a city which is like a sponge; it absorbs waves of change and it slows them down and softens them and one morning they cease to exist. We want to, every way we can, bias the opportunity in favor of the American people, actually getting the changes they’re asking for – and now obviously every member is going to play a major role, every member is going to participate.”

Joining him for this episode of the Love Fest were Dick Armey, Jim Nussle, Frank Wolf, and Pat Roberts. Armey went out of his way to let people know he wasn't "in it for revenge". Although the underpinnings of it were plainly visible - smiling, happy faces notwithstanding.

My, how times have changed.

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(Nelson Mandela in 1994 - putting new meaning in "Shine South Africa, Shine")

I almost let the week go by without acknowledging the recent election and swearing in of Jacob Zuma as President of South Africa on May 9th. But I was also reminded how defining that moment was for Nelson Mandela, on May 10 of 1994. How the political and social landscape of South Africa would change forever, and how apartheid was relegated to the trash heap of history and how a new era would emerge.

Fifteen years ago, this week. In some ways it feels like a hundred and in other ways it feels like a minute or two ago. How far we've come - how far there is left to go.

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(A new word entered our lexicon of shame: "Ethnic Cleansing")

Seems there's no such thing as an Average April day in history, unless its one draped in conflict and upheaval. April 22, 1994 - a ten minute capsule via The CBS World News Roundup. The stepped up violence in Bosnia, former President Nixon on his deathbed, ousters of Prime Ministers in Japan amid corruption charges and the full horror of genocide in Rwanda only starting to be realized. Just a normal day in April.

(Some people still don't know what happened, or even where Rwanda is)