Best Music of the Decade: 1990s

For anyone out there that has debated what is the top music of the decade, this blog series was created for you. I am going to take a look at each decade from the 60s to the 00s, and pick out the top one (or three) rock albums from each year of that decade. This is obviously only my opinion, and holds no weight in an argument, but I am posting it just the same. All of these albums are 5 star albums that significantly impacted music history in small ways (Sum 41) and massive ways (The Beatles). Feel free to comment, and remind me of someone I left out, or recommend a comment addition and I will do my best to edit the post. Now sit back and enjoy the best albums of the decade, and be sure to click on the albums to hear a sample:

1990s: Metal Out, Alternative In

1990: The last hurrah for Metal

The Black Crowes: Shake your Money Maker (Even before Nirvana changed the face of music, an album came out that showed a much different style then the decade of metal that had dominated the scene. Hits like Hard to Handle, Twice as Hard, and She Talks to Angels, had a significant impact on the future course of music, though they are often overlooked. They followed up this album with two more solid productions, but unfortunately for them, the competition would get much more stiff in coming years. Probably at the top of this years class)

(click on album to listen to clip)




Jane's Addiction: Ritual de lo Hatitual (Another of those groundbreaking albums that helped to stir the wind's of change in the rock world, Ritual gained the band instant fame with such mega hits as Been Caught Stealing. This is undoubtedly the strongest album by a very strong band, and one which also probably deserves some credit for dethroning metal and bringing in an alternative)
(click album to listen to clip)




Cinderella: Heartbreak Station (This is one of the most underappreciated albums of the hair band decade, probably due to the fact that this was a hair band that didn't act like other hair bands. While some say the sound on this album was due to the changing music weather of the times, I believe it sounds so different because Cinderella was made of a different substance than those other bands. They were much more rooted in the Rock created by the Aerosmith and Stones of the 70s, and therefore sounded more gritty than their contemporaries. You may have never heard of this album, but you should give it a try)
(click album to listen to clip)

Pantera: Cowboys from Hell (Most will not put this album as high, but two things influenced this. One was 1990 was a time of change, and little in the way of competition was out there. Two is I listened to this tape in High School till it was worn out, and to me it was at the top. Very interesting album in the fact that you can hear the last days of the Metal high pitched vocals, and the intro of the heavier grunge vocals, on the same album)

(click on album to listen to clip)


Megadeth: Rust in Peace (Good album, but one that takes an ear for Metal to listen to even once. Megadeth never lived up to their rivalry with Metallica, as Mustaines voice is not quite Hetfield, and his guitar is not quite Hammett. But still the last days of Metal were putting out some good chunk. If you don't like this album, you won't like Megadeth))
(click album to listen to clip)


1991: Very difficult year to pick as there were so many great albums. Two stand out among the crowed, however, as they changed the direction music was heading, from Metal to Alternative.

Pearl Jam: Ten (Difficult placing this on top of Nevermind, as Nirvana did so much to change music. But musically this album is just a tiny bit better than their Seattle counterparts. Best effort by Pearl Jam, that wouldn't be duplicated by them for 15 years)
(click album to listen to clip)

Tie 1st: Nirvana: Nevermind (Along with Ten, this album sounded the death knell of metal as we knew it for so long. The first time we heard 'Smells like Teen Spirit' you could almost hears bells chiming as metal was forced out. Tremendous album, however, with the impact felt by few other artists. Ranks as important for the 90s as The Beatles (60s), Zeppelin (70s), or Metallica (80s) were to their decades.

(click album to listen to clip)

Guns n' Roses: Use your Illusion I (Incredibly complex double album set, that went a long way towards showing that GnR was at the top of the pile. Too bad the habits and attitude of Axle Rose would lead them plunging down after this terrific release. Oh what could have been...)

(click album to listen to clip)

Guns n' Roses: Use your Illusion II
(click album to listen to clip)



Red Hot Chili Peppers: Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic (any other year would have been a No 1, but not when albums like ten and nevermind are playing. Still this is hands down the Chilis best album ever, and one that still deserves its Ipod airtime)
(click album to listen to clip)

Primus: Sailing the Seas of Cheese (Good for them: these Georgia boys, with Les Claypool as the insane singing basist, released a string of seriously good and seriously overlooked albums. Very unique sound, that has never been recreated)

(click album to listen to clip)

1992: Another difficult year with two standout albums

Rage Against the Machine: Rage against the machine (To rank first in 1992 you better have a monumental album, and that is just what Rage had in their debut. This album sounds as powerful and fresh today as it did then. They built upon the rap-rock foundation created by bands like Anthrax, to create one of the most devastating albums of all time)

(click album to listen to clip)

Tie 1st: Pantera: Vulgar Display of Power (While this album is too heavy for many people who are reading this, you can not imagine the feeling of hearing this for the first time in 1992. My senior year in high school, and we were metal junkies from the 80s, and were simply floored by the Strength of this album. I spent many a night, and probably damaged a few vertebrae, head banging to this album in the passenger seat of my buddies mustang)
(click album to listen to clip)


Alice in Chains: Dirt (Often forgot in the insanely awesome time to listen to music that was 1992. Still they went a long way towards blending Rock and Alternative)
(click album to listen to clip)


Blind Melon: Blind Melon (At the time, I listened to this album as much as any of the above. Simply an awesome voice in Shannon Hoontz, and a great listen. Like Nirvana, this band could not live up to its potential, because Shannon would die soon from an overdose)

(click album to listen to clip)




1993:


Nirvana: In Utero (How do you follow up one of the most historical albums of all time. If you are Nirvana you put out one that is nearly as good. Too bad Cobain would die shortly after, as this band could have been the defining band of the 90s)


(click album to listen to clip)


Cypress Hill: Black Sunday (Rap was less mainstream in the early 90s and Cypress Hill went a long way towards changing that, as songs like 'Hits from the Bong' and 'Insane in the Brain' were played in dorm rooms across the country, regardless of race)
(click album to listen to clip)

Crash Test Dummies: God Shuffled His Feet (One of the most unique voices in all of Rock, and one of the most unique albums. This still gets airtime on my Ipod today)

(click album to listen to clip)


Primus: Pork Soda (excellent follow up the the Cheese album, that gained them an instant following. Best song on the album is My name is Mud, with the memorable line I kissed em upside the cranium with an aluminum baseball bat my name is mud...)
(click album to listen to clip)

1994
HUGE year with so many hits, its hard to list them all

Hootie & the Blowfish: Cracked Rear View Mirror (What can you say about this album. At its time there was nothing bigger, and what made it better was that they are from my home town of Columbia, SC. Problem is, with an album this big, you will never measure up no matter how good your sophomore effort is)
(click album to listen to link)


Green Day: Dookie (The album that really put Green Day on the map)
(click album to listen to clip)


Oasis: Definitely Maybe (The freshest sounding british band since the sex pistols, this album sounds like a greatest hits album, with every song sounding like an instant classic. Easily could be moved to the top of this years picks, but every author has a little bit o' bias)
(click album to listen to clip)

The Offspring: Smash (A teenagers dream in the mid 90s, having just enough of their older brothers heavy rock mixed with young punk. Hits like Come out and Play were staples on the radio, which helped catipult them to fame. Still a good listen today, for a unique blend of hard punk with enough fun mixed in that you don't get annoyed with them. Their best album hands down)
(click album to listen to clip)


Weezer: The Blue Album (1994 was a good year if you were into the type of music that blended punk and rock, as Weezer did very well. This debut album would start off a string of strong releases by the band that would continue through 2008, never once scoring an album that received less that 4/5 stars. Fun music that keeps things upbeat, in an era when it was more popular to sing about dark, despairing subjects)
(click link to listen to album)


Dave Matthews: Under the Table and Dreaming (If you listen to Dave much you know he has a tendency to meander a bit while playing. While this may endear him to you, it wasn't so radio friendly, which kept much of his music out of the rankings. Wait, I thought you liked to list bands that were possibly unknown gems? Well I do, but only those I know well, and for the others I have to go by the experts opinions. Whatever the opinions this is the most popular album by Dave of all time, at least according to every list I could find)

(click album to listen to clip)

Live: Throwing Copper (Being this far down on the list may make you think this band is just an afterthought, but the fact is, this year produced so many stellar albums, that any of them could top the list. This album certainly could, as it simply rocks. I probably put it down lower, as my brother is married to a girl that used to date one of the band members, and he still harbors a little animosity, so to please him I will mention them towards the end. Still, you can't help but crank the music up when one of the songs from this album come on today. A fantastic album, certainly a must for your ipod collection)
(click on album to listen to clip)

Beck: Mellow Gold (This stunning album introduced a very unique musician to the rock scene. He plays music like there is no dividing lines between genres, constantly changing with parts of rap, country, folk, and punk mixed in. This album needs to be heard, as it truly is a variety of music that was very unique in the age of punk and grunge)

(click album to listen to clip)

Cinderella: Still Climbing (Though most didn't notice, there was still one hair band cranking out good music in the mid 90s, and that was the gritty rockers Cinderella. Another very underappreciated album, that produced some fantastic music. But MTv was changing and didn't give the band any playtime, choosing the more hip bands of the day like the Offspring, Nirvana, and Weezer, instead of your older brothers band's like Cinderella. Still, one of the hidden gems you would probably really enjoy)
(click album to listen to clip)


1995:

Oasis: (Whats the Story) Morning Glory (Oasis went a different way with this record, but still ended up with a true classic. Instead of the high amp sounds of their previous album, they concentrated on presenting more musical ability and it works. And there is more to this album then the oft heard Wonderwall...a solid play from start to finish, and since I cheated them out of first last year, they deserve it here)
(click album to listen to clip)


The Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (It is too bad they released Gish and Siamese Dream the years that they did, as those albums are both probably better than this one, however those years were too competitive to include the Pumpkins)
(click album to listen to clip)

Ben Harper: Fight for your Mind (The first real hit album by one of the most popular underground rockers of the next decade. Harper brings all sorts of influences to bear, including Marley, Phish, Dylan, and Hendrix, to make his own style of music that is a refreshing change from most of the harder music being put out in the mid 90s)

(click album to listen to clip)

Bon Jovi: Blaze of Glory (Its not often that a movie soundtrack gets into the countdown, but this one from Young Guns II makes the grade)
(click album to listen to clip)

Everclear: Sparkle and Fade (In the tradition of Nirvana, but probably with more in common with a lesser known band named Screaming Trees, Everclear's first album was their rocking best, and produced a hugely popular single named Santa Monica. Probably one of the bands with the most edge to their music of any in their genre)

(click album to listen to clip)

1996

Beck: Odelay (Another winner from one of the more unique musicians of the decade, this album follows up on the success of the 'Loser', and the result is Becks' single best album. Call it complete, creative, innovative, whatever...But the end result is an album of the highest quality, and one that deserves to be heard, as here is one of those rare records with no genre boundaries)

(click album to listen to clip)

Rage against the Machine: Evil Empire (While not quite the album that preceded this one, or even the one to follow, Rage was still able to put out a solid album with songs such as People of the Sun and Bulls on Parade. A solid album for any fan of Rage's sound)
(click album to listen to clip)

Sublime: Sublime (A band that proved the AC/DC theory, Its a Long way to the Top if you wanna Rock n' Roll. Sublime worked the trenches since the late 80s trying to make a name for themselves, finally finding it with their self titled 3rd major label album. But the glory which should accompany such a long struggle was snatched away, as lead singer Brad Nowell, succumbed to a long addiction with heroine, dying of an overdose 2 months before the albums scheduled release. Like Blind Melon and Nirvana, yet another future star blinked out before his band could become legendary. Such is the sad story that often accompanies being a Rock n Roll star; If you don't know Sublime, this is the album to listen to for a good introduction)

(click album to listen to clip)

Sponge: Wax Ecstatic (One of the more unheralded bands in the post grunge mid 90s, Sponge reverted back to a 70s era hard rock sound on their second and probably best album. If you were not familiar with this band a decade ago, it is not to late to give them a listen, and this album is your best place to start)

(click album to listen to clip)

Tool: Aenema (A decade behind it seems, as this band would have been huge in the metal filled 80s. Still they bring heavy riffs with every song, so if that is what you are into you will get your fill with them)
(click album to listen to clip)


1997:

Blink 182: Dude Ranch (A chip off the Anthrax family tree, Blink has developed into a very solid band, with very solid albums, but this one still ranks at the top of their pile)
(click album to listen to clip)

Smash Mouth: Fush Yu Mang (1997 was a hard year. For those bands that were still rocking, this just seemed to be a leap year, as most didn't do much except tour. Of the bands that did release something new this year, one has to be mentioned as they made their biggest impact this year. The oddest named album in Smash Mouth's catalogue, is also their biggest hit, producing such songs as Walkin' on the Sun, Padrino, and Why Can't we be Friends. Never a huge mainstream artist, they seemed to prefer to stick to their surf and garage influences instead of making music for the masses. One hit, the aforementioned Walkin', did however reach the masses and make their name known to most)

(click album to listen to clip)

1998:

Metallica: Garage Inc. (excellent album mostly consisting of cover songs. Metallica does a wide range from Queen and Bob Seger, to Diamondhead and Motorhead; Their best album in a decade; Its Stoned Cold Crazy, Yo!)
(click on album to listen to clip)


1999:

Rage Against the Machine: The Battle of Los Angeles (Some consider their finest album, at least since their debut, if not their entire career...i don't agree, their debut in '92 was one of the best albums ever, thought this album still rocks)
(click album to listen to clip)


The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Californication (Probably the Chilis second best effort after there early 90s monster smash BSSM. The title track alone is incredible, and the rest of the album doesn't disappoint either)
(click album to listen to clip)

Ben Harper: Burn to Shine (An extremely solid example of blues-rock, that may one day prove to be a masterpiece of its time. Harper sounds exceptional on this recording and the instruments are incorporated flawlessly. A timeless piece to end this decade)

(click album to listen to clip)