Great 90s Albums

[Tony Bongwater]

Did we really get this far without.

Rancid- out come the wolves
Rage against the machine self titled.
Ok computer.
Bush-16 stone
Smashing pumpkins-gish
STP-core
Nirvana-incestiside
Pixies-surfer rosa
Fugazi-end hits
Tori Amos-little earthquakes,
Soundgarden-Badmotorfinger
Pearl Jam 10
The Prodigy- fat of the land
Tool- Opiate
AIC- facelift
Primus-sailing the seas of cheese
NIN-Pretty Hate Machine.
7 year bitch-el gato negro

[Tony Bongwater]

Try to dig a little deeper than "Nevermind" and "The Chronic" and post some really good start-to-finish albums that may have been overlooked from a good, but really over-exposed and over-hyped era of music. You don't need to go super-obscure for your hipster cred here, but just a reminder of something we may have forgotten.


Here's a few to kick things off:

Toadies - "Rubberneck." Obviously, this was inspired by my pick for the "never turn off the radio" thread, or whatever that was called. But this album is more than just "Possum Kingdom." It's a damn good southern-rock-meets-Seattle-grunge record, start to finish.



Highlights: "Possum Kingdom," "I Come From the Water," and "I Burn."



Spacehog - "The Chinese Album." They're more famous for their song "In the Meantime" off the previous record "Resident Alien," but "The Chinese Album is a much better record start-to-finish. It's very pop-rock with strong hooks and melody. These guys were kind of in the post-grunge wave, but owed more to David Bowie and Queen than anything from Seattle.



Highlights: "One of These Days" (samples the Talking Heads to the point where David Byrne and the rest of the band got a songwriting credit), "Mungo City," and "Almond Kisses" (with Michael Stipe from REM).


David Bowie - "Outside." Weird to put a Bowie record in a 90s music thread, but this is a seriously great album. He was working with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails at the time and was inspired by the "Industrial" scene. This was to be part one of a three part concept record series telling a story of a futuristic art-murderer (The Minotaur), a missing child (Baby Grace), and the detective trying to solve the case (Nathan Adler). The blending of Bowie's rich voice and narrative flair with the liquid guitar stylings of Reeves Gabriels and industrial-styled ryhthms created something really unique. Unfortunately, Bowie never finished the trilogy, but we are left with a great, if incomplete, album.



Highlights: "Outside," "The Heart's Filthy Lesson," and "The Motel."


Radiohead - "The Bends." This might be the perfect 90s pop/rock album. I think these guys kind of went art-rock critic-darling nuts after this record, but "The Bends" is pure catchy bliss. I love this record.



Highlights: "The Bends," "Fake Plastic Trees," and "My Iron Lung."


Sponge - "Wax Ecstatic." Kind of like Spacehog above, they are more famous for a single of their preceding album "Rotting Pinata" called "Molly (16 Candles)." Wax Ecstatic takes a darker turn from the college-rock feel of "Rotting Pinata." The result is a much more mature and sophisticated album that is a solid listen pretty much all the way through.



Highlights: "The Drag Queens of Memphis," "I Am Anastasia," and "Have You Seen Mary?"




Check 'em out. What you got?

I love sponge. Great album.

[Beef Supreme]

One of my favorite records of all-time:






Clutch's self-titled sophomore album. Unbelievable change from an angry hardcore band on their first record to a thick, bluesy, stoner-rock bar-band feel. Huge riffs and powerful vocals about Americana, conspiracy theories, and contemporary and classical mythology.


This one was a game-changer for me.

[YBBR]

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Train A Comin' from Steve Earle. 1995. His best record, IMO. Stripped down instrumentally and includes a handful of his best songs.

[cmd24]

Did we really get this far without.

Rancid- out come the wolves
Rage against the machine self titled.
Ok computer.
Bush-16 stone
Smashing pumpkins-gish
STP-core
Nirvana-incestiside
Pixies-surfer rosa
Fugazi-end hits
Tori Amos-little earthquakes,
Soundgarden-Badmotorfinger
Pearl Jam 10
The Prodigy- fat of the land
Tool- Opiate
AIC- facelift
Primus-sailing the seas of cheese
NIN-Pretty Hate Machine.
7 year bitch-el gato negro

I picked Rancid and Bush, too. That Rancid album is the only true Punk album I own. Holy hell is that album packed with jams, though!

[Tony Bongwater]

Did we really get this far without.

Rancid- out come the wolves
Rage against the machine self titled.
Ok computer.
Bush-16 stone
Smashing pumpkins-gish
STP-core
Nirvana-incestiside
Pixies-surfer rosa
Fugazi-end hits
Tori Amos-little earthquakes,
Soundgarden-Badmotorfinger
Pearl Jam 10
The Prodigy- fat of the land
Tool- Opiate
AIC- facelift
Primus-sailing the seas of cheese
NIN-Pretty Hate Machine.
7 year bitch-el gato negro

I picked Rancid and Bush, too. That Rancid album is the only true Punk album I own. Holy hell is that album packed with jams, though!

I get it and i love it, but If you don't have gish by the pumpkins, surfer rosa by the pixies, or dummy by portishead, it's not even like I think you're lame. I just feel bad you havent listened to some really awesome fuckng music. Its like the people from the previous generation telling everyone to listen to listen to Kansas, or stevie ray vaughan.

You cant explain it. It's just good.ike way fucking good.

Rhinoceros by the pumpkins is worth every second of time you spare for it. Even if you might hate on the rest of those 3 (though no one hates those 3)

https://youtu.be/DugRwycppqI

[Beef Supreme]

Sorry. I kinda hate the Smashing Pumpkins. Kinda with the fire of a thousand suns.


Like that.

[Tony Bongwater]

Sorry. I kinda hate the Smashing Pumpkins. Kinda with the fire of a thousand suns.


Like that.

Luv ya beefy. Their 1st 2 albums were elite garages band stuff, after that.. pretty much Pip farting on a snare drum. (Huge props to anyone who gets that reference).

[Tony Bongwater]

All apologies.

Tupac-makavelli
Wu-Tang 36 chambers
Fugees-the score
Outkast- southernplayilisticcadillacmusic
Outkast-atliens
Outkast-Aquemini
Snoop dogg-doggystyle
Dr Dre-teh Cronic


Off teh top.

[Slap Shot]

Did we really get this far without.

Rancid- out come the wolves
Rage against the machine self titled.
Ok computer.
Bush-16 stone
Smashing pumpkins-gish
STP-core
Nirvana-incestiside
Pixies-surfer rosa
Fugazi-end hits
Tori Amos-little earthquakes,
Soundgarden-Badmotorfinger
Pearl Jam 10
The Prodigy- fat of the land
Tool- Opiate
AIC- facelift
Primus-sailing the seas of cheese
NIN-Pretty Hate Machine.
7 year bitch-el gato negro

Um...

[Tony Bongwater]

Did we really get this far without.

Rancid- out come the wolves
Rage against the machine self titled.
Ok computer.
Bush-16 stone
Smashing pumpkins-gish
STP-core
Nirvana-incestiside
Pixies-surfer rosa
Fugazi-end hits
Tori Amos-little earthquakes,
Soundgarden-Badmotorfinger
Pearl Jam 10
The Prodigy- fat of the land
Tool- Opiate
AIC- facelift
Primus-sailing the seas of cheese
NIN-Pretty Hate Machine.
7 year bitch-el gato negro

Um...

Couple repeats. My fault.

[Moses Scurry]

Didn't realize we were supposed to just list the good albums with no context. I like Gish a lot but I'm not going to put it on my list as it can't touch Siamese dream. Facelift is great but come on, it's not in the same league as dirt as far as importance.

[Tony Bongwater]

Deftones, adrenaline, (and white pony)
Korn, korn,
Pantera vulgar display of power
Limp biscuit, 3 dollar bills y'all
The crow 2 soundtrack.
The cure, disintegration
Weezer, pinkerton.

[Beef Supreme]

Didn't realize we were supposed to just list the good albums with no context. I like Gish a lot but I'm not going to put it on my list as it can't touch Siamese dream. Facelift is great but come on, it's not in the same league as dirt as far as importance.

Well, the original point was to talk about lesser-known great albums and not decade-defining albums like "Dirt" etc. But whatever. I'm not going to play thread cop. Let's talk about the best 90s albums then. "Dirt" makes that list, for sure.

[Qman65]

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[YBBR]

"From the beginning of the first track "Dark & Long," Underworld's focus on production is clear, with songwriting coming in a distant second. The best tracks ("MMM Skyscraper I Love You," "Cowgirl") mesh Hyde's sultry songwriting with Emerson's beat-driven production, an innovative blend of classic acid house, techno, and dub that sounds different from much that preceded it. In a decade awash with stale fusion, Underworld are truly a multi-genre group."


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Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman

Also they used this shit in Hackers. Which is a classic 90's cult movie. Born Slippy was on the Trainspotting soundtrack but that was on their follow up Second Toughest in the Infants which is great too, but not quite as good as Dubnobasswithmyheadman.

[Beef Supreme]

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Okay album. Has the problem of being the follow up to “Rust in Peace” which might be the greatest metal album ever. It’s on the short list, anyway.

[Qman65]

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Okay album. Has the problem of being the follow up to “Rust in Peace” which might be the greatest metal album ever. It’s on the short list, anyway.

I thought Peace Sells was the best?

[Qman65]

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I thought Dehumanizer was an underrated album.

[Beef Supreme]

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Okay album. Has the problem of being the follow up to “Rust in Peace” which might be the greatest metal album ever. It’s on the short list, anyway.

I thought Peace Sells was the best?

I hear that sometimes, but I just can't see how it compares to "Rust in Peace."


The Onion agrees:

https://entertainment.theonion.com/huma ... 1819578062

[Qman65]

Vulgar Display Of Power by Pantera is the best.

[Beef Supreme]

Vulgar Display Of Power by Pantera is the best.

It may be the most appropriately titled album ever.

[Bull]

Sorry. I kinda hate the Smashing Pumpkins. Kinda with the fire of a thousand suns.


Like that.

I concur. Worst band of the 90s imo.

[Moses Scurry]

Didn't realize we were supposed to just list the good albums with no context. I like Gish a lot but I'm not going to put it on my list as it can't touch Siamese dream. Facelift is great but come on, it's not in the same league as dirt as far as importance.

Well, the original point was to talk about lesser-known great albums and not decade-defining albums like "Dirt" etc. But whatever. I'm not going to play thread cop. Let's talk about the best 90s albums then. "Dirt" makes that list, for sure.

Fair enough.

[Slap Shot]

If we're going with some of the more underrated 90's albums a few come to mind:

Screaming Trees – Dust
fIREHOSE – Flyin' the Flannel
Smashing Pumpkins – Adore (contrary to the stupid opinions above )
Blind Melon – Soup
White Zombie - La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1
Tripping Daisy - I am an Elastic Firecracker
The Flaming Lips - Clouds Taste Metallic
King's X - Dogman
Soul Coughing - Irresistible Bliss
REM - Automatic for the People
Faith No More – Album Of The Year
PJ Harvey – Rid of Me
Guided By Voices – Do The Collapse
Helmet - Meantime
The Afghan Whigs – Gentlemen
Morphine – Cure for Pain
Placebo – Without You I’m Nothing
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
Skunk Anansie - Stoosh
Sam Phillips - Martinis and Bikinis
Frank Black - Frank Black
Grant Lee Buffalo - Mighty Joe Moon
Babes in Toyland - Spanking Machine
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
Kula Shaker - K
L7 - Bricks Are Heavy
Tripping Daisy - Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb

[Moses Scurry]

Actually a solid album, School of Fish. A mellow rocker.


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[Moses Scurry]

Any prog fans recall this one? This was on 93x for a brief time. Solid album.


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[Lenny5160]

Most of the ones I'm going to say here have been mentioned already. When I think of a great album, I'm thinking discs I could put in and just let them play without wanting to hit skip on any of the tracks. Very few make that cut.

Weezer - Blue
Beck - Odelay
Third Eye Blind - self titled
Hole - Live Through This

Rust In Peace wouldn't normally occur to me, but I think I need to add it.

Steve Vai's Passion and Warfare was mentioned and I love that album. I remember in 7th grade, I couldn't wait to get home from school to listen to it again. I just can't listen to "The Audience is Listening" anymore. Have to skip it.

[Beef Supreme]

Mathew Sweet is a good pull.

“Girlfriend,” “100% Fun” and “Blue Sky on Mars” are all good. Not sure if they’re solid front to back, but they’re good records. Dude is still going, but got really fat.

[Moses Scurry]

Most of the ones I'm going to say here have been mentioned already. When I think of a great album, I'm thinking discs I could put in and just let them play without wanting to hit skip on any of the tracks. Very few make that cut.

Weezer - Blue
Beck - Odelay
Third Eye Blind - self titled
Hole - Live Through This

Rust In Peace wouldn't normally occur to me, but I think I need to add it.

Steve Vai's Passion and Warfare was mentioned and I love that album. I remember in 7th grade, I couldn't wait to get home from school to listen to it again. I just can't listen to "The Audience is Listening" anymore. Have to skip it.

He took Zappa, Van Halen, Beck and mixed it all together into the best guitar album ever. Surfing with the Alien is good but it wasn't the jaw dropping experience that was P&W. It has aged pretty well too.