REM - it's a free world baby, 1992

"I don’t know why “It’s A Free World, Baby” is not on Out Of Time. It just doesn’t make sense. The song is distinct, fully formed, and superior to all but maybe four of the tracks that actually appear on the record, but something compelled R.E.M. to cast it aside. I suppose that it could be an issue of thematic consistency — though the arrangement most certainly fits the chamber pop aesthetic of Out Of Time, its oblique, infantilized lyrics stray far from the album’s theme of love and romance."

Del Amitri - i won't take the blame, 1992

"Justin Currie was born in Glasgow and established the band Del Amitri in the early 1980s[1] after putting up a sign in a music shop asking for other people who could play instruments to get in contact with him."

REM - star me kitten, 1992

"Bassist-keyboardist Mike Mills wanted to achieve an effect similar to the English group’s ethereal, layered backing vocals on the ’70s hit. He told Scott Litt about his thoughts, and the producer came up with the idea of recording Mills as he sang different notes, then playing them back on a mixing board, with each fader controlling a separate note. The musician could then create a weird choral backing by positioning the faders."

REM - find the river, 1992

"Harborcoat" from Reckoning has got me and Michael and Bill all doing completely unrelated things, and yet it works together. Because of the production we insisted on from Mitch and Don, which I know must have been incredibly frustrating for them, it's hard to pick out exactly what's going on. We tried it again on "Find the River". I had the idea that Bill and I would go in and do some harmonies without listening to each other. It's great because mine is this incredibly angst-ridden emotional thing, and Bill's is this really low-key sort of ambling part. They're two opposite ends of the spectrum but they're both on there, and it's a beautiful thing."

The Lightning Seeds - sense, 1992

"There's a certain school of distinctly British pop music characterized by a reserved, dignified demeanor and pretty, fragile melodies. The Lightning Seeds is one exponent of the genre that also includes such groups as Beautiful South and Trashcan Sinatras. The Seeds, mainly the one-man project of Liverpool artist-producer Ian Brodie, have more of a groove than their peers. Many of the songs tend to fall in the New Order camp, except that the vocals are more upfront than the rhythm tracks."

REM - the sidewinder sleeps tonite, 1992

"It's about somebody that doesn't have a place to stay. Part of it is also about what man can do that machines can't. The rest of it – I don't have any idea what it's about."

The Jesus And Mary Chain - sundown, 1992

"they were using, what musical devices they were using, to build dynamics. There are subtle things that really move these songs along – extra percussion loops, or some feedback-y noise appearing halfway through a song. Again, it sounded like nothing else I’d really heard up until then – familiar, but alien too. It was perplexing in a way, because I couldn’t work out how they’d done some of it."

The Lemonheads - mrs robinson cover, 1992

"And then everything comes to the horrible “Mrs. Robinson” thing, which we did for the reissue of the movie. Someone bought the rights to the video cassette, it was the 25th Anniversary, to get the kids into The Graduate, and they released it as a single. I never would have done that song. I hate that song. I hate Paul Simon."

Del Amitri - as soon as the tide comes in, 1992

"songs like the brilliant ‘As Soon As The Tide Comes In’ still maintained that folky storytelling vibe while ‘Just Like A Man’ introduced a soulful element to the repertoire. If I wasn’t already in love with Justin Currie’s writing then this album cemented the love affair for me – in fact, it is this album that I go back to again and again."

REM - try not to breathe, 1992

"Try Not to Breathe" is a pretty bleak command. And, indeed, the second track from R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People is about death. But the song's title originated with a much more innocuous statement. During the demo stages for the album, which would come out in October 1992, guitarist Peter Buck was recording the groundwork for a possible new tune on acoustic guitar. "We were doing the demo, and I had the mic for my guitar right up against my mouth. I was kind of huffing," Buck told Melody Maker in 1992. "So John [Keane], the engineer, said, 'You're making too much noise.' So I said, 'OK, take two. I'll try not to breathe.' I just meant that I wouldn't breathe during the take. But Michael [Stipe] heard it and said, 'Oh, that’s a nice title.'"

James - protect me, 1992

"big, brash, unafraid, unashamed but also miserable, paranoid, eccentric and epically confused"

James - ring the bells, 1992

"Ring the Bells" was released as a single on 23 March 1992, with "Fight", "Once a Friend", and remixes of "Come Home"; the music video for "Ring the Bells" was directed by Scammell. In June 1992, the band performed at the Glastonbury Festival. James played their only UK headlining show of the year at an open-air concert at the Alton Towers leisure park on 4 July 1992, where they performed to a crowd of 30,000, with support from Public Image Ltd. Galliano was also due to support but had to pull out after weather conditions threatened to destroy the stage's roof."

Moby - help me to believe, 1992

"Moby's melodic sense developed much quicker than other early techno producers; despite the criticisms leveled at his later direction (or lack thereof), his first album is a masterpiece of challenging, unrepetitive, beautifully programmed rave-techno."

The House Of Love - feel, 1992

"Been playing this loads recently. I think it is something of a ‘lost classic’. Funny old band the House of Love, led by Guy Chadwick who appears a bit of a strange cat if you listen to his songs. He’d spent much of the 80s driving around London in his day job as a shop fitter whilst fronting unsuccessful bands in his spare time until he broke through into the “indie scene” with the House of Love in 1987. Two previous albums, both of them confusingly self-titled and referred to respectively by fans as ‘the German Album’ (88-on Creation) and ‘the Butterfly Album’ (90 on Fontana) had cemented a strong following and regular forays into the indie chart with songs such as ‘Shine On’, ‘Christine’ and ‘Beatles and the Stones’ progressively bringing them closer to what looked like mainstream success."

James - seven, 1992

"a record that married the ambitious scope of the lyrics with a grand, anthemic feel."

Del Amitri - the whole world is quiet, 1992

"Singing this Scottish quintet's praises is easy, but explaining why they sound so appealing isn't. No one would have raised an eyebrow if Change Everything, their third album, had slid out of Britain during the mid-'70s prepunk days. Lead singer Justin Currie sounds like the Guess Who's terminal shlub, Burton Cummings. Still, something at the core of Del Amitri -- intelligent songs, lyrical depth, nifty musical hooks -- sets the band apart."

The Charlatans - page one, 1992

"Between 10th and 11th received unfavourable reviews from music critics, many of whom criticized the band, especially Burgess, for being lazy. Burgess' lyrics and the album's artwork also drew negative comments. Retrospective reviews of the album were more favourable, and some called it an underrated release. The album peaked at number 21 in the UK and number 173 on the US Billboard 200. "Weirdo" charted at number 19 in the UK, number 22 in Ireland and number 67 in the Netherlands, while "Tremelo Song" charted at number 44 in the UK."

Saint Etienne - join our club, 1992

"Join Our Club" is a song by English musical group Saint Etienne, released by Heavenly Records in May 1992 as a double-A side with "People Get Real". Saint Etienne wrote the song after the label refused to release "People Get Real" as a single. The band deliberately tried to write the most commercial song they could, and it ultimately reached number 21 in the UK Top 40. The lyric alludes to a number of other songs, some recent hits at the time it was written (e.g. "Smells Like Teen Spirit", “Justified and Ancient,” “We Got a Love Thang”), others older favourites of the group (including Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" - coincidentally, a hit cover version for Incognito the following month - and The Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic", which like "Join Our Club" itself is a celebration of the pleasure of listening to music, and whose title is used as a recurring hook). In the UK, it was a between-album single, released between Foxbase Alpha and So Tough. "Join Our Club" appeared on the US version of So Tough (the announcer’s intro mention the “Chicken Soup Mix” with a chuckle), while "People Get Real" appeared on the US release of Foxbase Alpha. Both later were included on You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone, a b-side collection in the UK."

The Cranberries - dreams, 1992

"Dreams" is the debut single of Irish rock band the Cranberries. It was originally released in September 1992 by Island Records and later appeared on the band's debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993). The song reached the top 50 of the US Hot 100 and the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart in early 1994. A 1990 demo version was released in Ireland only in the summer of that year under their initial band name, the Cranberry Saw Us. At the end of the song, the backing vocals are sung by Mike Mahoney, ex-boyfriend of Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan."

The Charlatans - no one not even the rain, 1992

"New songs mingled with old first album favourites. I definitely got to hear the little played Chewing Gum Weekend, a track I always liked on ‘Between 10th & 11th’. Paired with ‘(No One) Not Even The Rain’ I think the two are a great outro to the album."