By GERRY GALIPAULT

(April 1999)

Millennium this, millennium that. It's as if the whole world is supposed to stop on a dime simply because the calendar changes.

There's the Y2K doomsayers, least of whom includes film director Steven Spielberg, who's convinced Nostradamus' final prediction will come true, but in the form of rolling up 90,000 to 100,000 miles on odometers in young cars.

There are newspaper ads from the Catholic Church touting, "We're not responsible for Y2K, but we do know the Man who caused the Millennium! Come home this year to the Catholic Church."

Thankfully, there's a voice of reason, a Dear Abby reader who recently urged the syndicated columnist to get the word out that the millennium starts Jan. 1, 2001, not 2000.

Amen.

Pause & Play doesn't want to be bothered with the new millennium; it will happen when it gets here, regardless, and life will go on. There are more pressing matters at hand, namely remembering the 1990s. Every month, P&P is counting down 10 significant '90s albums in its march toward the next decade (not the new millennium!). By the end of November, you will have read synopses of 100 LPs. These are, in one column's humble opinion, the Top 100 essential albums of the 1990s.

Guitarist Jeff Phillips and singer-guitarist Chris Dye of the Los Angeles melodic-rock group Gordon and lead singer-songwriter Tim Jones of the Bloomington, Ind., rock quintet Old Pike provide a running commentary on this month's selections. Both groups are in the 550 Music camp. Gordon's self-titled debut album, produced by Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine), is due June 1 on the 550 Music-affiliated Fifty Seven Records. Old Pike's debut album, "Ten Thousand Nights," was released April 13. Both bands will be featured in upcoming P&P installments.

(The following albums are not listed alphabetically, chronologically or in order of importance. Anything that came out in the 1990s - even greatest-hits packages, box sets and compilations - is eligible for inclusion. That's right, everything's fair game.)

VS., Pearl Jam (Epic/Associated, 1993) - The monster debut album "Ten" put them over the top, and "Vs." kept them there with solid songs and near-flawless production. Along with Nirvana, Eddie Vedder and his band mates were considered pacesetters for the Seattle grunge movement. What was grunge anyway? Pearl Jam was rock 'n' roll, '90s style. Phillips: "It's an important record, a great production. Brendan (O'Brien) worked on that record, so we can't say anything bad about it." Jones: "I was way into Pearl Jam with the 'Ten' record, and on 'Vs.,' I really like that song 'Dissident.' I thought the lyrics were great, with that jammin' guitar intro." Prime cuts: "Daughter," "Dissident," "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town," "Animal."

CHECK YOUR HEAD, Beastie Boys (Grand Royal/Capitol, 1992) - The New York white rap trio got lost amid grunge, "Achy Breaky Heart" and "The Bodyguard" soundtrack in 1992, but it didn't deter the inventive crew's odd hybrids built on blistering rhythms and street-smart wit. The single, "So What'cha Want," in particular, proved they were more than a passing fancy from their 1986 anthem "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)." Dye: "That's a timeless rap record." Phillips: "It's really hard to comment on it, because it's so great. What more do you expect from them? Every record they do is pretty cool." Jones: " 'Licensed to Ill' came out when I was in the sixth grade, and it was like my rebellion record. I used to get kicked out of class for rappin' to the Beastie Boys. Then their second album ('Paul's Boutique'), we used to party and drink beers to that one, and 'Check Your Head' was a real party record when I was in college. They've done their thing, and they've hung with it. You have to admire that." Prime cuts: "So What'cha Want," "Pass the Mic," "Lighten Up," "Something's Got to Give."

JAGGED LITTLE PILL, Alanis Morissette (Maverick/Reprise, 1995) - What a transformation. The young Canadian actress parlayed her earnings from Nickelodeon's "You Can't Do That On Television" into a brief, Paula Abdul-like dance-music career. Then, after hooking up with producer Glen Ballard, she developed a more intensely personal, uninhibited and defiant songwriting and performing style. It worked in a big, big way, and it set off the ultimate compliment: a string of copycats. Phillips: "I haven't heard the whole record, just the singles, which is probably half of it. It's pretty good." Jones: "I never got into that, but I can't deny I love some of the melodies that she comes up with. I liked more the two singles from her new record - 'Thank U,' and the one from the 'City of Angels' soundtrack. On 'Jagged Little Pill,' 'Ironic' really bothered me. I can't get into her lyrical style and I can't get into the cadence, the way she spreads out her words across the beats and across measures." Prime cuts: "You Oughta Know," "Ironic," "Hand In My Pocket," "You Learn."

THE SIMPSONS: SONGS IN THE KEY OF SPRINGFIELD (TV soundtrack), various artists (Rhino, 1997) - This is the definitive show of the 1990s, not the whiny, self-absorbed "Seinfeld." Since 1990, this Fox cartoon has given new meaning to the word irreverent. No one, not even the Simpsons themselves, escapes the whimsical prose and distorted images of Matt Groening and his staff. Everything about it is brilliantly twisted, especially its campy throwbacks to overblown musicals. This CD offers such classic moments as "The Amendment Song," a parody of "Schoolhouse Rocks"; Homer's ode, "It Was a Very Good Beer," and Bart's hilarious church prank, switching hymns and gleefully watching as congregation members unwittingly sing "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida." Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart when you have this CD to satisfy your "Simpsons" craving? Phillips: "I haven't heard it. What's on there? It has to be genius." Dye: "I'm down with that." Prime cuts: "The Day the Violence Died (Medley)," "Springfield, Springfield (Parts 1 & 2)," "Two Dozen and One Greyhounds (Medley)," "Bart Sells His Soul (Medley)."

RAY OF LIGHT, Madonna (Maverick/Warner, 1998) - Never dismiss the Material Girl. Just as it appeared music was going to take a backseat to motherhood, she teamed with producer William Orbit and created one of the most critically hailed albums of her career. In return, she earned several long-overdue Grammys. Phillips: "The songs I have heard, I've liked. She's awesome." Dye: "I like Madonna. She's hot. She's very consistent and has stuck to her guns, and you have to respect Madonna." Jones: "Horrible. I never listened to it much; the songs that I heard were more like reading a teenager's journal than a woman who's had a child and suddenly has become this new person. It seemed real new-agey to me. But I do think she's a beautiful woman, and I hope she reads this." Prime cuts: "Ray of Light," "Frozen," "Nothing Really Matters," "The Power of Good-Bye."

TONI BRAXTON, Toni Braxton (LaFace/Arista, 1993) - This gospel-influenced soul singer left the Braxtons sibling vocal group in 1991 to audition for L.A. Reid and Babyface. The hot R&B producers then gave her impressive vocals a fitting glossy sheen. She doesn't go over the top like Whitney Houston, but she definitely can hold her own. Jones: "I love it. Anything she does is top-notch to me. She's a dream." Prime cuts: "Another Sad Love Song," "Breathe Again," "How Many Ways," "You Mean the World to Me."

VIOLATOR, Depeche Mode (Sire, 1990) - The English rock group augmented its pioneering synthesizer sound with layers of searing guitars while maintaining its trademark dark lyrical content and MTV-ready choruses. Now fans are wondering if the band peaked with this, its biggest-selling album (more than 3 million copies). Phillips: "That record rocks. I love it. That's the guitar Depeche Mode record." Jones: "I loved that record. I remember hearing it the summer after my freshman year in high school, I was out in California for a marching band trip, and I used to listen to it all the time." Prime cuts: "Enjoy the Silence," "Personal Jesus," "Policy of Truth," "World In My Eyes."

ACHTUNG BABY, U2 (Island, 1991) - When the rock veterans closed out the 1980s with a New Year's Eve concert in their native Dublin, Bono told fans the group planned to "go away and dream it up all again." They did, experimenting for a year with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno for their most musically adventurous album to date. Phillips: "One of my favorites. That whole record changed that whole drum sound, with a techno vibe." Dye: "They're probably one of the only groups that could pull that off." Jones: "That record, I was kind of torn. U2 was it for me from probably sixth grade until my sophomore year in high school. I saw them when 'The Joshua Tree' came out, and it was probably one of the most moving experiences of my whole life. 'Rattle and Hum' helped define for me that I needed to be a rock 'n' roll star, and when 'Achtung Baby' came out, I was kind of hoping for something a little bit more rock 'n' roll, but it was cool. I listened to it over and over again. For me, it was kind of like the beginning of the end of U2, but now I'm ready to hear the beginning again. I think they've got a lot more better records in them; it's just going to take a little while for them to find it." Prime cuts: "The Fly," "Mysterious Ways," "One," "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses," "Even Better Than the Real Thing."

SONGS OF FREEDOM (box set), Bob Marley (Tuff Gong, 1992) - For eight years, reggae fans had to make do with "Legend," the multiplatinum best-of LP, but then the box set came into vogue and they were able to lively up themselves with this vital four-CD set of studio, live and unreleased tracks spanning his career from the 1960s to his final concert in 1980. Phillips: "I've never heard a Bob Marley song I didn't like." Jones: "I can't argue with that one. Sometimes the culture surrounding Bob Marley gets tedious, but if you take his music straight for what it is, you can't deny the soul of it and the feel-good attitude. It makes me want to go to Jamaica." Prime cuts: "Is This Love," "Jamming," "One Love (medley)," "Could You Be Loved," "Get Up, Stand Up," "No Woman, No Cry," "Iron Lion Zion."

CRAZYSEXYCOOL, TLC (LaFace/Arista, 1994) - Pebbles (whatever happened to her?) discovered this vocal trio and got them signed to LaFace, the label owned by producers L.A. Reid (Pebbles' former husband) and Babyface. Their 1992 debut, "Ooooooohhh ... On the TLC Tip," was just the tip of the iceberg. "CrazySexyCool" was more confident and mature, particularly on the AIDS lament, "Waterfalls." Dye: " 'Waterfalls' was one of the best songs of that year, for sure." Jones: "Anything they do, they can't do wrong. (Lisa) 'Left Eye' (Lopes), if she's looking for another husband, I'm available. When she burned down (NFL wide receiver) Andre Rison's house, I thought, 'That girl's not to be messed with.' They've got the grooves; they can sing, and they've got the moves." Prime cuts: "Waterfalls," "Creep," "Diggin' On You," "Red Light Special."