90's Guilty Pleasures #51: Toad The Wet Sprocket "All I Want" (1992)

If you're a wuss-rock band who decides to name yourself Toad The Wet Sprocket, you should probably consider bracing yourself for a shit-storm of easy jokes from music critics. However, in the case of "All I Want," past the wussy flaccid surface lies the engaging pop-oriented spirit of R.E.M.'s "Fall On Me." And although the production is largely dated-sounding, this strangely ends up becoming one of the song's most compelling attributes, within the spirit of ballads from The Cure or Duran Duran.