Best albums of the 90s anyone ?

[bjd]

You have no idea just what an unproductive day i am having at work today.

Yep, its my attempt at a thread that will go to 22 pages and stir up lots of debate and hopefully tonnes of musically snobbery.

So, the 90s. A strange decade. Lots of good stuff. Lots of sh*te. It was hard doing this list. I really struggled - i think only 3 or 4 of these would get into my top 20 or 30 albums of all time. Apart from Depeche Mode and maybe The Pixies none list of faves most of which had a very minimal musical input during this deacde.

So heres my top 10 in no particular order. And i will try and refraid from sounding like a fancy dan cynical journalist from NME for each description but i cant help but be patronising and aloof when it comes to music im afraid.

1. Leftfield - Leftism (1995)

My first 'dance' record and by a thousand miles the best 'dance' record i own. I doubt there isnt a song that hasnt been used on an advert but dont let that put you off. Is this modern classical music ? No. Its good though.

2 - Depeche Mode - Violator (1990)

Bleak. Claustropphic. Wonderful. You can dance to it, love to it and despair to it. My Dad would say you could fall alseep to it, and trust me thats the biggest recomendation i could give you.

3 My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)

This is a very loud record. Its also brilliant. It nearly put Creation out of business (some might say that wouldve been a good thing, see number 10)

4 Ride - Nowhere (1991)

Am i allowed to put a Sixth Form floppy hair album in ? Cheers. This will do then. Ride were from Oxford. And they were better than Radiohead.

5 Happy Mondays - Pills N Thrills N Bellyaches (1990)

Was Shaun Ryder a drug sozzled layabout ? No doubt. But he sure could write a song. 'Kinky Afro' still makes me want to dance like a monkey. Or as some would say, simply dance.

6 Rufus Wainwright - ST (1998)

Id never heard anything like this before when it came out. I still havent. You cant pigeon hole this, or indeed any of his subsequent relaseses. File under : Not for everyone.

7 The Pixies - Bossanova (1992)

This is really only my 3rd favorite Pixies record (the first two are my first two) but it shows how much ive struggled with the 90s that this has made it here. Not that this isnt brilliant mind.

8 Whiskeytown - Strangers Almanac (1998)

Only really got into Whiskeytown after I got into Ryan Adams in 2000. Im now his biggest fan and try and got hold of everything he has put to tape. Which is a sh*t load of stuff. This is less countryfied than their debut and you can see where Adams was trying to go. There all hated each other by now and were always pissed as farts which adds something to it i guess.

9 Depeche Mode - Songs Of Faith & Devotion (1993)

I do not apolgise for putting two DM albums in this list. How could they follow up Violator ? An record about faith ? It sounds like a disaster. But it is i am thrilled to say a fantastic record that still sounds fresh 14 years on. This was the first time they embraced the guitar as an instrument. A legacy which lives to this day.

10 Oasis - Definitley Maybe (1994)

Sorry Mike. As ive said before in other music threads i understand how people hate Oasis. But I was 18 when this came out so it was perfect for me. An album about fags and beer and most of all living the dream. I'll have a bit of that i thought. And i did. In surburbia.

Bubbling Under :

Janes Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual

Morrissey - Your Arsenal

Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible

Angelo Badalmenti - Twin Peaks Soundtrack

Let hear the abuse then!

EDITED - I cannot believe i forgot Jeff Buckley!!!

[Liam]

psssst everyone.....no one reply

[bjd]

psssst everyone.....no one reply

[loz]

Let hear the abuse then!

Your mum slaps like a Grimsby mullet on dry land.

Now to the albums

1 & 2 Tindersticks - Tindersticks I (1993) and Tindersticks II (1995)

Both these albums deserve to be in the top 10 and in fact I have them as the top two. I have bigged this band up enough on here so will spare you doing it again (at least I will spare you huge detail)! As far as I am concerned they are the best band of the last 15 years by a country mile. Utterly unique and phenominally talented.

3. Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)

Really surprised not to see this on your list BJD - I thought this would right up your street. This album probably suffers from the fact that it is so bigged up by people that it is no longer considered credible to like it. It deserves the hype - it is stunning. His covers of Hallelujah and Lilac Wine are even better than the originals (think I forgot about them in that thread) and I loved both originals and his interpretation of Corpus Christi Carol is gorgeous. Then you get onto his own material and you realise what a loss to the world it was when he died so young.

4 & 5 The Divine Comedy - Liberation (1993) and Promenade (1994)

Neil Hannon released these two great albums before he got commercially successful -- once Casanova made him more mainstream I feel the quality of his work started to slide. These albums actually make me laugh out loud which is a rare thing for a music album to do.

6. Portishead - Dummy (1994)

Possibly one of the haunting albums to come out in the 90s and sadly an album that they could never live up to ever again.

7. Radiohead - The Bends (1995)

Radiohead's finest hour - a superb variation throughout the album and the perfect middle grounf between the under produced Pablo Honey and over produced OK Computer.

8. Morrissey - Your Arsenal (1992)

Mozzer's second best solo album after Viva Hate. What a job Mick Ronson did and what a great sound throughout, kind of a cross between glam rock and rockabilly. An album that played right into the hands of the sh*te Music journalists who were desperate to slate Morrissey by now as it tackled a number of very controversial issues and saw Morrissey accused of, amongst other things, being a racist and a sympathiser of football hooligans.

9. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Ragged Glory (1990)

For me the best piece of work Neil Young had done since Harvest (and there was a lot of good stuff inbetween as well). A harder edged, more rocky album than a lot of the stuff he has been producing and sounds a lot like a belated follow up to 'Everybody Knows this is Nowhere' which is an absolute masterpiece.

10. Pearl Jam - Vs (1993)

I'm not really much of a Pearl Jam fan (other than to acknowledge that Eddie Vedder has a superb voice) but this album stands out above everything else they have ever done. A much more enjoyable collection of songs than 'Ten' which was far too clean.

[bjd]

3. Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)

Really surprised not to see this on your list BJD - I thought this would right up your street. This album probably suffers from the fact that it is so bigged up by people that it is no longer considered credible to like it. It deserves the hype - it is stunning. His covers of Hallelujah and Lilac Wine are even better than the originals (think I forgot about them in that thread) and I loved both originals and his interpretation of Corpus Christi Carol is gorgeous. Then you get onto his own material and you realise what a loss to the world it was when he died so young.

Good lord. You know what Loz i forgot about it!!! How could I !!?

Ok i swap it with The Happy Mondays and the Mondays can replace the Manics in my bubbling under list!

What a great record.

[yorkleyblue]

BEST ALBUMS????????? NINETIES???????????????????

Hang on while I look it up but I'm fairly sure that is what you would call an OXYMORON

Kev

[yorkleyblue]

Yep - That's what it is alright!

[loz]

A rusty harmonica for the person who can spot Yorkley in his band's PR photo

[loz]

p.s.

BJD - as I take great pleasure in mocking you for the Thompson Twins I will fess up and say that in my bubbling under list for the 90s is Tori Amos' 'Little Earthquakes' album

[Gem]

Green Day - Dookie A personal favourite of mine

[Maksimov]

Faith No More - Angel Dust

This just blew my mind when I was 14. I didn't realise then how ahead of its time it was.

Sonic Youth - Dirty

Noise, catchy melodies, feedback, good songs...what else do you need?

Jane's Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual

A few fillers, but the rest...oh man do they rock!

Atomic Swing - A Car Crash in the Blue

Solid rock album. Good time tunes...brings back so many good memories.

Radiohead - The Bends

I have to agree with loz here. This is their finest hour.

22 Pistepirkko - Rumble City La La Land

Big Lupu is good, but this is where they are at their best. Well that's just my humble opinion anyway.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

What can I say about this one? Just great pop/rock songs.

Rancid - Out Come the Wolves

Way too long for a punk rock album. They should've cut it down to about 12 songs and it would've been pure class. It's still pretty darn good, though.

The Breeders - Last Splash

To me it's better than anything Frank Black ever did after Pixies. Haven't heard them all, though. Good songs and great memories anyway.

Stone Temple Pilots - Purple

This cd spent one hot summer in the cd-player rarely seeing the light of day.

---

Well those are some of my favourite 90's albums in no particular order. I'm really bad at making these kind of lists...I just can't decide which album is better than the other. Well these are ten albums from the 90's that I have enjoyed over the years. There's loads more, but these are the first ones that come to mind. Probably because they're the ones I've been listening to most recently...out of 90's albums that is.

[bjd]

Faith No More - Angel Dust

This just blew my mind when I was 14. I didn't realise then how ahead of its time it was.

Always preferred 'The Real Thing' but at the time (1993), nothing had ever been released like this before. I saw them on the subsquent tour and they were brilliant (i also saw them at Wembley Stadium supporting Guns N Roses and they got the crowd to boo instead of cheer after every song!)

Sonic Youth - Dirty

Noise, catchy melodies, feedback, good songs...what else do you need?

Yep, great stuff. This was their big time major label album wasnt it ? Still not as good as Daydream Nation but still a cracker.

Stone Temple Pilots - Purple

This cd spent one hot summer in the cd-player rarely seeing the light of day.

Now theres a man who could take some drugs! Always thought STP were somewhat over-rated im afraid! Is this the one with 'Vaseline' on ?

The Breeders - Last Splash

To me it's better than anything Frank Black ever did after Pixies. Haven't heard them all, though. Good songs and great memories anyway

Good call. 'Cannonball' is one of the songs of the 90s.

[bjd]

p.s.

BJD - as I take great pleasure in mocking you for the Thompson Twins I will fess up and say that in my bubbling under list for the 90s is Tori Amos' 'Little Earthquakes' album

Mental note taken.

[Maksimov]

I liked Real Thing as a teen, but it sounds a bit dated now that I listen to it. It's ok, but I prefer both Angel Dust and King for a Day over that one. Besides, Real Thing was released in 1989.

Daydream is good too, but Dirty's got a few songs that bring back such good memories that I prefer it more. Yes, they released it on Geffen...I think they were signed to Geffen roughly at the same time as Nirvana.

At the time they released Purple, they were definitely not over-rated. Some critics were practically spitting on their records and calling them copycats and what not. A lot of people were getting bored of the grunge sound already and it wasn't cool or hip or indie enough to like grunge at the time. And yes, it's the one with Vasoline on it.

[BlueBeard]

Not quite as bad as I thought - really expected to struggle to find any

However, here's a few worth a mention (in my humble 'old git' opinion, anyway). No particular order: -

Robert Cray - Midnight Stroll

Damn Yankees - Damn Yankees

Gary Moore - Still Got The Blues

John Lee Hooker - Mr.Lucky

Crowded House - Woodface

Lucky Dube - Captured Live

Deep Purple - In The Absence Of Pink - Knebworth '85

Buffy Sainte-Marie - Coincidence And Likely Stories

Paul Weller - Wild Wood

Pink Floyd - The Division Bell

Jimmy Page & Robert Plant - No Quarter

Johnny Cash - American Recordings

Oasis - Definitely Maybe

Gary Moore - Blues For Greeny

Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?

Steve Earle - Train A Comin'

Paul Weller - Stanley Road

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads

Marshall Tucker Band - Face Down In The Blues

Mostly Autumn - The Spirit Of Autumn Past

Santana - Supernatural

[loz]

Crowded House is a phenomenon that amazes me. Everywhere I go people talk about them as if they were this really great band yet whenever I listen to them I can't help but imagine I am in an elevator.

[BlueBeard]

Crowded House is a phenomenon that amazes me. Everywhere I go people talk about them as if they were this really great band yet whenever I listen to them I can't help but imagine I am in an elevator.

Ah, they're not too bad - just a bit of lightweight, but better than average pop. Not in the same league as Showaddywaddy, obviously

[loz]

Surely you mean

[loz]

p.s. Amiss of me to forget about American Recordings in my list.

[bjd]

p.s. Amiss of me to forget about American Recordings in my list.

And me!

They are all coming back now. I also forgot Time Out Of Mind by Bob Dylan (1997) too. Was Tom Pettys 'Full Moon Fever' 90s ? I must check.

There are some proper comedy efforts on your list BB, my personal fave being Santana closely followed by Gary Moore. However you get some 'cool' points for Nick Cave!

[loz]

I thik Full Moon Fever was late 80s - in fact I'm sure it was as a good friend of mine at school called Tommy O'Brien and I were big fans of the album and most others thought we were boring c***s for liking it!

[mad_mac]

MAN!!!! more lists.

Anyway, some that have not been mentioned, but ones that I liked were....

Nirvana In Utero and Nevermind.

Air, Moon safari

Chemical Brothers, Exit planet Dust and Dig Your own hole

Radiohead OK computer

Tribe Called Quest, Midnight marauders

Wu Tang, 36 Chambers

Buckley, Grace

Charlatans, Tellin Stories

Pavement, Westing

Scott

[BlueBeard]

There are some proper comedy efforts on your list BB, my personal fave being Santana closely followed by Gary Moore. However you get some 'cool' points for Nick Cave!

I've liked Santana since the early 70's, great band. Carlos Santana is one of the great guitarists! As is Gary Moore! Any guitarist that can play in Colosseum II and Thin Lizzy can't be bad, and his blues stuff is brilliant!

Must be honest, I haven't heard of half of the stuff you mentioned - I've been spoilt by all that great music from the 60's & 70's - when you've been brought up on that, nothing else compares

[The Moos]

Metallica - Metallica (The Black Album)

No comments needed. I love that album.

[Maksimov]

Bluebeard, I can understand listening to Santana's and Pink Floyd's albums from the 60's and the 70's, but their 90's albums? No wonder you think the music in the 90's was bad.