I’ve recently been going through every year in music for my thorough retrospectives, and as such I’ve been exposed to some fantastic albums. I wanted to talk about some of my favourites – this time looking at the 1990’s.
I reviewed fifty albums as part of that decade’s retrospectives (five per year), all of which were voted online as the best of their respective years. I’m picking my top 10 based on those original fifty. It’s possible I’ll miss out on some great albums, so I think these top 10’s should be viewed as companion pieces to those original retrospectives.
Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:
Top 10 Albums of the 1980’s
Top 10 Albums of the 1970’s
Top 10 Albums of the 1960’s
“Nevermind” – Songs Ranked
Honourable Mentions
I listened to fifty great albums from the 1990’s during my retrospectives, so it was almost impossible to pick the ten best. Here are 3 (with a bonus 4th) albums that almost made the cut:
I didn’t understand a single lyric on Heaven Or Las Vegas (Cocteau Twins), but that didn’t make the music any less compelling. The title track and “Cherry-coloured Funk” in particular feel so ethereal and nostalgic.
I almost included Californication (Red Hot Chili Peppers) just because I love the album and some of its songs so much, but if I’m being objective I don’t think it compares to the albums in the Top 10.
Agaetis Bryjun (Sigur Ros) was a pleasant surprise. I went into it expecting to hate the slow and drawn-out style, but I found the music really moving.
And finally, even though it’s cheating to mention it because it didn’t make the original shortlist of 50 (for some crazy reason), I wanted to shout-out The Downward Spiral (Nine Inch Nails). It’s an extraordinary experience and it would have finished comfortably in my top three … if it was eligible.
10 – Automatic For The People (R.E.M.)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Everybody Hurts
- Man On The Moon
- Drive
R.E.M. occupy such a strange space in music history – they shot to fame with “Losing My Religion”, but a lot of their work is quite Indie and underground.
Their best album is “Automatic For The People”, an opinion I don’t think many would disagree with. It has one of their classic tracks with “Everybody Hurts”, and other songs like “Man On The Moon” and “Drive” deserve more love too.
9 – Homogenic (Bjork)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Jóga
- Unravel
- Bachelorette
Bjork is such a weird songwriter. That’s the only way I can describe the style. Her songs are so off-kilter and zany that it’s sometimes hard to believe it was written by a human being. Damn compelling, though.
She bends her voice and the production to their extremes on “Homogenic”. I think “Jóga” is the clear stand-out here, but I also find “Unravel” to be an absolutely gorgeous song.
8 – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (Oasis)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Champagne Supernova
- Don’t Look Back In Anger
- Wonderwall
I’m going to let my personal bias take over for this entry. I don’t think many would consider “(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?” to be one of the critical darlings of the 90’s, but as an Englishman it has become an extremely important album to me. Oasis were one of our finest bands of that era.
I played it to death as a teenager – especially songs like “Champagne Supernova” and “Don’t Look Back In Anger”. On top of that, it’s hard to downplay the cultural significance of “Wonderwall” (even if I think it’s a little overplayed by now …)
7 – The Bends (Radiohead)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Street Spirit (Fade Out)
- Just
- Fake Plastic Trees
To put into perspective just how dominant Radiohead are as a creative force, “The Bends” is either my fourth or fifth favourite album of theirs (depending on my mood) … and it’s still good enough to make a decade’s top ten.
Radiohead floundered a little on their debut album “Pablo Honey”, but follow-up “The Bends” proved them to be a musical tour de force. The sheer number of bangers here is staggering – “Just” and “Street Spirit (Fade Out)” in particular are two of my favourite Radiohead songs ever.
6 – The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill (Lauryn Hill)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Doo Wop (That Thing)
- Ex-Factor
- Nothing Even Matters
Rap in the 90’s wasn’t yet the dominant force it would grow to be, but one artist at the forefront of the medium was Lauryn Hill.
Her iconic album “The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill” is undoubtedly one of the great Rap / RnB albums. These tracks are packed with so much intricacy and soul, and songs like “Doo Wop (That Thing)” and “Ex-Factor” have been mainstays on my playlist for years.
5 – Rage Against The Machine (Rage Against The Machine)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Killing In the Name
- Take the Power Back
- Bombtrack
I don’t think I’ve ever heard such an angry album. Even today, Rage Against The Machine’s eponymous debut has political themes which are sadly still relevant and infuriating.
The band spits venomous bars over some of the nastiest riffs you’ll ever hear. “Bombtrack” and “Take the Power Back” are two songs which get the blood pumping, and “Killing In the Name” became the rebellious anthem for a generation.
The only thing holding this album back is that it ushered in a wave of NuMetal wannabes. Zach de la Rocha can pull off the Rapping over heavy riffs … but most other bands can’t.
4 – Grace (Jeff Buckley)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Hallelujah
- Grace
- Lover, You Should’ve Come Over
Jeff Buckley was gone from the world far too soon. Even in his twenties he was a fully-formed, intensely emotive songwriter – and “Grace” is his magnum opus.
People have sung the praises of “Hallelujah” since its release, but there are so many other amazing tracks. The title track “Grace” is a personal favourite, “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” is heart-breaking, and “Forget Her” is an incredible closer.
3 – Violator (Depeche Mode)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Enjoy the Silence
- Personal Jesus
- Policy of Truth
The decade got off to a strong start in 1990 with Depeche Mode’s “Violator”. If any album definitively bridged the gap between the 80’s and 90’s, it was this one.
It’s a synth-soaked production with the kind of quality we’d rarely seen before. “World In My Eyes”, “Policy of Truth” and “Personal Jesus” are fantastic listens, and it’s not an exaggeration to call “Enjoy the Silence” one of the greatest songs of all time.
Albums like “Violator” would go on to influence “The Downward Spiral”, an album which should’ve been eligible for this list. But it’s not like I’m salty about that or anything.
2 – Nevermind (Nirvana)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Smells Like Teen Spirit
- Come As You Are
- Lithium
The 80’s was notorious for its cheesy Pop and ridiculous style, so along came Nirvana and the Grunge movement to drag the music industry back down to earth.
People point to “In Utero” as their best album, and while I do like it I think there’s no comparing it to the cultural juggernaut “Nevermind”. This is the album with “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, for crying out loud!
Even if you don’t include that song (which has a shout at being the best song of the decade), this is also the album which gave us “Come As You Are”, “In Bloom”, “Lithium”, “Something In The Way”, “Breed”, “Lounge Act” … The whole album is a head-banger from start to finish.
1 – OK Computer (Radiohead)
TOP THREE SONGS:
- Karma Police
- Paranoid Android
- No Surprises
“Nevermind” was indicative of the early 90’s Grunge / Alternative scene, but “OK Computer” shot the musical world into a new era.
Radiohead fully evolved their style and production, and the result is some of my favourite music I’ve ever heard. “No Surprises” and “Let Down” are gorgeous, “Climbing Up The Walls” is underrated as hell, “Paranoid Android” is a journey and a half, and “Karma Police” is my favourite Radiohead song of all time.
What’s even more exciting, I feel, is that “OK Computer” isn’t my favourite Radiohead album. They still had so much more to give in the following decade … but this album in particular is their greatest contribution to the 90’s.
Aaaand that’s my list! If you liked this post and want to support me, please consider giving me a one-time donation. Even a few pence (or whatever currency you use) is fantastic! I’ve never monetized this blog before, but it would be great if I could do this comfortably and not have to worry about the yearly website domain costs. Thank you so much!
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