Best Albums of the 1990s

MUSIC LIST

With four albums, Beck is the artist with the most entries on our list. [Photo: Geffen Records] Best Albums of the 1990s

by Slant Staff on February 14, 2011 Jump to Comments (45) or Add Your Own

"Good music was popular by mistake," Tanya Donelly, lead singer of Belly and co-founder of Throwing Muses and the Breeders, once said of the early 1990s. "Then the crap took over again." It's a meme that has become increasingly pervasive over the last decade or so, an idealized vision of a time when Bill Clinton was the fresh, young Democrat on the block, beepers were the hottest new tech items, and every major record label and Top 40 radio station was scrambling to discover the next big alternative to run-of-the-mill pop. It's human nature to look back on things with irrational fondness and nostalgia, overlooking the bad and romanticizing the good. But while the '90s had its fair share of "crap," it's hard to deny that the "good" was exceptionally good.

One-album wonders weren't in short supply in the '90s, but many were far from disposable. And countless artists displayed an impressive ability to adapt, even as the industry swiftly reverted to the status quo by the turn of the millennium: Radiohead, who started the '90s as a bunch of Oxfordshire creeps destined for one-hit wonderdom, wound up becoming the most important band in the world by the end of the decade; self-proclaimed "loser" Beck evolved from slacker punk to pop-music hero; R.E.M., a band for which the tag "alternative" was practically invented, released one (or two) of the best pop albums of all time; the jokey, bratty Beastie Boys reinvented themselves as guitar-wielding rap gods; even Madonna, whose chameleonic shifts are now a given, was able to trascend an inevitable sales decline by staying ahead of trends and subverting societal norms. And, of course, Mariah Carey, the decade's reigning diva, went from Whitney clone to R&B chaneteuse to hip-hop skank all in the span of 10 short years!

The '90s was a time when socially conscious hip-hip (Arrested Development, Lauryn Hill, the Roots) stood toe to toe with gangsta rap (Dr. Dre, Nas, Wu-Tang) and actually competed. In hindsight, hip-hop, which continues to dominate today, was the clear commercial winner. But the more interesting battle was between alternative and electronica, the two most buzzed-about movements of the decade. Grunge—the bastard stepchild of punk rock and metal, and half-sibling of the Pixies and Sonic Youth—gave rise to Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but it was electronica that ostensibly won the war, heard today in successful works by Radiohead, Kanye West, Timbaland, and others.

This list is as pure and unadulterated as music lists come these days. In the mid '90s, the act in our #2 spot recorded the best album of the decade…and then two years later, that same act recorded an even better album. That's how the numbers unambiguously shook out, and we've left them that way. Not all of the artists I've just mentioned made the final cut—even on our singles list. There simply wasn't enough room. The music was that good. Or maybe I'm just looking back with irrational fondness and nostalgia. Sal Cinquemani

100. Leftfield, Leftism. It took an uncomfortably long time for Leftism to be released, with house purists fearing that the sullen trip-hop sound was taking over. Leftfield had silently been perceived as the saviors of dance-floor chaos, and with these 11 tracks, they ensured that the world's pill-popping ravers could enjoy some sweaty euphoria for a few more years at least. Leftism dabbles in tribal, trance, dub, and ambient influences without ever wholeheartedly embracing any one style, which helped forge a more intelligent breed of dance music, an all-encompassing sound that everyone wanted to make and everyone wanted to hear. Huw Jones

99. The Pharcyde, Bizarre Ride II: The Pharcyde. "Too black, too strong." The Malcolm X mantra opens Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise," but it applies in spades (as Maude Findley said, no racial connotation intended) to the Pharcyde's debut album, a raucous house party with enough lyrical verve and scruffy jazz sampling to match the South Central posse's straight-outta-the-gate flair for boastful good times ("Niggas on my Snoopy like the bird Woodstock/Getcha hands off my dick because I hold this cock") and heartrending pathos (the tearjerker "Passin' Me By," a threnody for a childhood love evaporated which reveals the likes of Arrested Development's "Mr. Wendel" for the clumsy Sunday-school parable it is). Eric Henderson

98. Vanessa Daou, Zipless. It's a small victory that Vanessa Daou was able to sneak "Near the Black Forest," writer Eric Jong's ode to her untended bush, onto VH1's playlist for a short spell. Daou's is a whisper of a singing voice, and her husband's jazz-house compositions would have been a challenge for any pop radio programmer, but more importantly, the content of Zipless, Daou's interpretations of Jong's poetry, was far too sophisticated for general audiences. The lyrical and musical centerpiece of the album is the entirely spoken-word "Alcestis on the Poetry Circuit"; in her understanding of how restraint, imposed both from within and from without ("The very fact of her gift should cause her such pain/That she will take her own life rather than best us"), is countered by the discovery or renewal of one's sense of self, Daou empowers both herself and her listeners. SC

97. Pet Shop Boys, Very. For most of Very, Neil Tennant is as scabrous and arch as fans had come to expect, saying a lot and insinuating more on tracks like "Can You Forgive Her?," where he baits a man by toying with his fragile masculinity ("She's made you some kind of laughing stock," he quips, "because you dance to disco and you don't like rock") before offering him a choice between crawling back to his tormentor or engaging in a bit of bi-curious revenge sex. The pompous disco din is perfectly suited to Tennant's campy character, and serves just as well for the surprisingly sincere rendition of the Village People's "Go West" that closes the album—a song of longing for freedom and belonging that only a songwriter as fearlessly queer as Tennant could have created. Matthew Cole

96. Bob Dylan, Time Out of Mind. In hindsight, it's incredible to think that Bob Dylan's stock was ever wavering, but this is the context unto which he released Time Out of Mind. The '80s were a tumultuous decade for Dylan, and in the first half of the '90s he was suffering from a distinct creative drought, with the underwhelming Under the Red Sky earning a middling reception at best. Time Out of Mind introduced us to a new Bob Dylan, his world-weathered lungs revelling in this raw sound. "Love Sick" feels like it's sung from some dusty, eerie blues bar, while "Not Dark Yet" sounds like the dying words that his detractors had erroneously predicted. HJ

95. Janet Jackson, The Velvet Rope. The strength of janet.'s singles gives that album a slight edge on our list, but there's no getting around the fact that Jackson's follow-up, The Velvet Rope, is handily the artist's most personal effort and, Rhythm Nation excepted, one of her most important creative statements, diving headlong into the politics of personal and sexual self-actualization. But unlike other topical pop records, and despite its sadomasochistic overtones, The Velvet Rope's textures are warm and inviting, striking a balance between soft and gritty that's reflected right in the album's title. Jackson's breathless dirty talk has since grown tired, but Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's expert use of her looped whimpers and moans—and, of course, those luscious harmonies—on standout cuts like "My Need" and "Rope Burn" is nothing short of orgasmic. SC

94. Prince and the New Power Generation, Love Symbol Album. He may be a tiny man, but Prince has the biggest balls in pop music. Consider the unpronounceable symbol he used to title his "Love Symbol" album, the fact that he later changed his name to said symbol, that he declared the album to be a "rock soap opera," and that it includes spoken-word interludes from Kirstie Alley. Putting every bit of that business aside, it's still damn near impossible to believe that Prince and the New Power Generation, easily the finest of his backing bands, were able to get away with an album of such deep funk and such a filthy take on contemporary pop and R&B. The Love Symbol Album was the decade's most unabashedly slutty-sounding record. JK

93. The Orb, Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld. What a wonderful world, but what kind of world is it? It begins in what really could pass for the English countryside, with a rooster crowing at the break of dawn, before the Orb proceeds upward, into the sky and beyond, on a space odyssey of sorts. Gods, or aliens, contemplate vineyards and Minnie Riperton gets her mousey voice pulverized to a point that it suggests a ghost in a machine, and then the rooster crows again, as if to remind us that there's a way out of this sonic mindmelt. And just as you think you've landed back on Earth (the awesome warbling sound on "Perpetual Dawn" suggests someone jiggling their cheeks as if to stay awake), you're drawn into a fourth dimension. Where other groups jump across continents, the Orb bops across galaxies, creating supernovas of dubby, sometimes trip-hoppy ambient techno loaded with nooks and crannies from which heretofore unidentified surprises continue to emerge. Ed Gonzalez

92. Beastie Boys, Check Your Head. Having already released one of hip-hop's greatest party records with Licensed to Ill, revolutionized the art of sample-based hip-hop with Paul's Boutique, and, in doing so, seamlessly introduced the white Jewish MC into the cultural lexicon of East Coast rap, it would have made sense for the Beastie Boys to take a breather. Instead, the clown-princes of New York City went lo-fi, infusing and sometimes overpowering their rap roots with barreling post-punk drums, metal riffs, and sweaty funk grooves. At that, it's tempting to lay blame for the endless cultural embarrassment of rap-metal at their feet. I'd ask that we give props instead, because contained in that accusation is an acknowledgment that the Beastie Boys succeeded where pretty much every imitator, including our reigning rap-savant, Lil Wayne, has failed. MC

91. Aphex Twin, The Richard D. James Album. Simultaneously too hot to handle and too cold to hold, Richard D. James's eponymous album is more fascinated by textures than almost any other electronic album ever crafted. Aphex Twin's beats aren't really beats at all, but rather more like cultivated mini organisms colliding clumsily atop a luminescent Petri-dish dance floor. If Kraftwerk once claimed "We are the robots," Aphex Twin pulls back his android skin to show you the pulsating, quicksilver-pumping meat underneath. The album's occasional penchant for schoolyard grossout effects on the order of Ween (i.e. the punchline of "Milkman": "I would like some milk from the milkman's wife's tits") only proves he's human after all. EH

Page 1 of 10

Page: 12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 next »

Comments

JRHG1 on February 14, 2011, 12:14 AM

Nice to see The Velvet Rope make the cut. Janet J. had a nice four-album arc there, from Control-Velvet Rope, before the albums took a mediocre turn. The last couple of albums, on the whole, just did not register with me. That whispery voice she started using more also doesn't help the cause.

trotchky on February 14, 2011, 01:08 AM

the richard d. james is album is top 10 material, EZ

JRHG1 on February 15, 2011, 12:16 AM

Wow at Bedtime Stories. Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty good album. But, it's been so under-rated with critics compared to some of her other albums. It's nice to see it get a shout-out in a list like this.

Three of Beck's albums have appeared, leaving Odelay. A few acts have two albums a piece. Maybe Madonna will snare three, if Erotica makes the cut.

Gila on February 15, 2011, 02:50 AM

The early placement of Talk Talk's "Laughing Stock" pains me. "Bedtime Stories" is a better album, really?

adamant_cocoon on February 15, 2011, 05:10 AM

Even when Erotica snagged all the ballyhooing, song for song, it's Madonna's most underrated album, and probably her best. It should appear high on the list (Top 30 at least). I'll leave it along with Live Through This,Loveless,Brick Are Heavy, Rid of Me, Call The Doctor, whitechocolatespaceegg, Maxinquaye, I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One, some Sebadoh, all of Pavement's, a Sonic Youth album or two, M People, Belly, P.M. Dawn, Built To Spill, The Breeders, Belle & Sebastian, Sugar,Imperial Teen, perhaps Arto Lindsay and especially Bjork.

Do I also wish for Foo Fighters, Soundgarden, Smash Mouth, Archers of Loaf, Sublime, Veruca Salt, Le Tigre, Green Day, Fugees and DJ Shadow? Not as much. But I'm loving the look of this list, in spite of Beck's MG (Top 10? I groove to it better than Odelay) and DiFranco's Dilate being put so low.

Andrew Schenker on February 15, 2011, 07:21 AM

Curse of the Mekons please.

Billy on February 15, 2011, 09:28 AM

Let me guess who the victim will once again be: given that "Butterfly" hasn't appeared already, I doubt Slant has included it at all. It's pretty clear in the intro of the list after all.

JRHG1 on February 15, 2011, 02:16 PM

adamant- it's likely that Ray of Light will place higher than Erotica. As one of Madonna's two seminal albums, how can it not?

Billy- I would not necessarily count out Butterfly yet. I'm guessing that "R&B chaneteuse" is meant to describe that album, and "hip-hop skank" is directed at Rainbow? Nonetheless, if Mimi were going to appear on an all-inclusive Best of the 90s list, it would be this one.

JRHG1 on February 16, 2011, 12:30 AM

Surprised Ray of Light is "only" at No. 47. Will that be it for her Madgesty, or will Erotica pull an upset?

In terms of acxts with multiple appearances, I'm thinking that Blur will have 1-2 more albums appear. Nirvana and Radiohead, of course And we have yet to get to Bjork, who may have three albums.

adamant_cocoon on February 16, 2011, 02:08 AM

I wager for an upset with Erotica (please!). But this is an early sign that it's an impasse for Madge. Fineâ€”I'm looking to Yo La Tengo, Hole, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, the quintessential Pavement, two or three more Harvey's, any of Liz's and the indefatigible Bjork finishing nicely in the rest of this list.

I no longer warm to the thought of Nirvana although their inclusion will be obvious enough. Radiohead, ditto. Err...how about The Dismemberment Plan and Modest Mouse?

JRHG1 on February 16, 2011, 10:26 AM

The only Liz Phair album I'd expect is Exile in Guyville, which is one of those usual 90s suspects.

ogqozo on February 16, 2011, 06:24 PM

There are some differences between this list and the one of Pitchfork's: Slant likes Pavement less. And there's less rock on the list, so it seems we're not gonna be seing Breeders, Pixies, Alice in Chains or more Sleater-Kinney. Nevermind's gonna be ahead of In Utero, Bjork high, some Jeff Buckley love, Radiohead on the top, probably Nas somewhere in top 5? I'm just wandering what the few positions unique for this certain list are gonna be. I hope there'll be some.

roco133 on February 16, 2011, 06:54 PM

"In the mid '90s, the act in our #2 spot recorded the best album of the decade?and then two years later, that same act recorded an even better album."

So obviously that's Bjork and Bjork?if you guessed Radiohead, you don't know Slant.

Can I still be pretty darn heartbroken that 'Car Wheels On a Gravel Road' won't be making this list? Anyone? I bet Keefe's got my back on this one...

adamant_cocoon on February 17, 2011, 06:12 AM

Erotica barely one-upping Debut, the least (imo) of all Bjork records, and a few notches below PJ's and Liz's? Phew. It's a close call, but I am still grateful it's in the Top 30 (that's almost bliss, I tell you). Placing Hole above Pavement is slightly confounding but I have to admit I couldn't resist Live Through This's riot grrl tempest better than I'd stay away from Slanted's alt-cornucopia.

I still pine for Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine in the Top 20. I echo roco133â€”totally forgot about Lucinda's. It's probable that a lot of what I've cited in my first post should elude, too.

alexbwolf on February 17, 2011, 06:59 AM

I think Nirvana is a better guess for the top 2 list.

I really like this list, although I would replace 'Bedtime Stories' or 'Ray of Light' with 'I'm Breathless.' I would also replace any Radiohead albums with albums that are actually good.

JRHG1 on February 17, 2011, 09:55 AM

Erotica's high placement is refreshing (even if it's not my favorite Madonna album). Outside of this, it's barely gotten any all-time/best-of love; same for Bedtime Stories. I'm Breathless is a fun concept album, and shows her range, but I would not place it in a Best Albums of the 90s list.

No-Personality on February 17, 2011, 11:40 AM

Erotica is my favorite Madonna album.

ogqozo on February 17, 2011, 01:51 PM

Alexbwolf, I'm sure 1991 is not "mid 90's" as they've written, so no Nirvana at top. I don't suppose it's even possible to like both In Utero and Madonna. Considering how warm Slant always is towards Bjork, I guess she's the act they're writing about.

Mingy Jongo on February 17, 2011, 07:47 PM

I'm hoping Slint (Spiderland), MBV (Loveless), Tortoise (Millions Now Living Will Never Die), and Amon Tobin (Bricolage) make the list.

No-Personality on February 17, 2011, 08:10 PM

I actually prefer Debut to Homogenic. Never much took to Sleater Kinney myself. I was too partial to Heavens to Betsy ("Waitress Hell" being a personal anthem for a few years, even though I'm a guy and have never waited tables) and Cadallaca (especially "Night Vandals"). I'm shocked as hell to see Midnite Vultures on the list. But hell, it gives me a chance to mention how much I love "Pressure Zone," absolutely one of my favorite Beck songs. I'm also almost shocked Tidal made the list, but every song on it is unbelievably beautiful. I haven't been able to find out who yet, but I vividly remember reading some scumball online (surprisingly: not a random Amazon.com'er) 3-out-of-5 that album.

You know something? Sal's dig at the Lilith Fair artists has come up in my mind almost every single day since I watched that vid on Slant, but Joan Osborne's Relish has always been one of my top 10 favorite albums, and even if their albums weren't great- I have untold love for Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories' "Do You Sleep?" and Paula Cole's "Feelin' Love." I'm really glad to see Siamese Dream in the top 30. As for the "hip hop skank" (ha), I still adore "Heartbreaker." And, though I enjoyed Eric's jokes (which wrote themselves) at Moby, he belongs on this list (was "Inside" ever released as a single?). If The Downward Spiral comes in at #45, I do expect something heavier than it to rank somewhere higher. (And no, pre-'97 Radiohead doesn't quite do the trick. I've always felt The Bends was a little overrated, and I can't stand "Creep"- call me a Stone Temple Pilots guy if you must; though the reason I stress "a little" is that I do have some love for "My Iron Lung").

Ogpozoâ€”if Nirvana is in the top 5, aren't they still at top somehow?

adamant_cocoonâ€”some excellent mentions there (though there's no way Imperial Teen could make the top 20- sucks that their 90's albums are out of print now, I still haven't replaced my lost copy of What is Not to Love yet). Although, even though most critics wouldn't agree, I prefer The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum over Bricks Are Heavy. Music criticism is a mystery to me- I know most serious critics feel Bricks is a masterpiece, but I never much took to "Slide," "This Ain't Pleasure," or "Monster." They always seemed like duds to me. While, "Me, Myself & I" was the only dud on Process. And it was more like a half-dud. Another great riot-grrrl classic: Fontanelle ("Bluebell," "Bruise Violet," "Handsome & Gretel," "Jungle Train," "Pearl," "Won't Tell," "Gone," "Blood"â€”killer album). And Bratmobile's Pottymouth.

jim emerson on February 17, 2011, 11:52 PM

From the moment I heard it I thought Hole's "Live Through This" was a terrific album. But if you can't hear Nirvana (loud-quiet-loud) in it, you're not really listening. I have no idea if Kurt Cobain co-wrote some songs, but comparisons are obvious in the music, if not the lyrics. The record obviously sounds more like any Nirvana record ("Bleach," "Nevermind," "In Utero") than it does like Hole. Listen to "Live Through This" (1994) side by side with Hole's "Pretty On the Inside," and then with Nirvana's "Nevermind"â€”both of which were released in September, 1991. Even if you didn't know the songwriters became personally and professionally intertwined after the release of the earlier records, you'd hear the connections. (I saw Hole and Nirvana a number of times before Cobain and Love hitched up, and her band went through a major pop transformation in 1992-1993.) Anyway, I understand where charges of misogyny might come inâ€”but I don't think they apply in this particular case. The evidenceâ€”which is audible but circumstantialâ€”is in the music. (BTW, the "Carrie"-esque album cover is one of the greatest of the '90s, too.)

JRHG1 on February 18, 2011, 12:51 AM

Here's the breakdown of acts with 2+ entries. Together, these 20 acts account for 46% of the top 100. (I think I got them all covered)

4 Albums

Beck

3 Albums

Bjork

Madonna

Nirvana

PJ Harvey

2 Albums

Tori Amos

Fiona Apple

Beastie Boys

The Chemical Brothers

Deee-Lite

Janet Jackson

Massive Attack

Outkast

Pavement

Portishead

Radiohead

R.E.M.

Smashing Pumpkins

A Tribe Called Quest

Weezer

adamant_cocoon on February 18, 2011, 05:28 AM

@ No-Personality: The only other L7 records I've heard are Smell The Magic and Slap-Happy. I'm not too fond of either, but Bricks Are Heavy, irrespective of the critics that may have overestimated it, is superb (same gripe about "Monster" though). And I love Sleater-Kinney to bits. Imperial Teen makes inexhaustible tunes, too.

So it's a Bjork one-two? Hear, hear! (Too bad for Yo La Tengo and Sonic Youth, then?) Although if I were to make a Top 10 right now, she wouldn't make it easily w/o a fight from the alt/indie demographic. This is how "definitive" I'd get:

1. Arto Lindsay, Mundo Civilizado

2. Sonic Youth, Dirty

3. Yo La Tengo, I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One

4. Beck, Mellow Gold

5. Madonna, Erotica

6. Built To Spill, Perfect from Now On

7. Sebadoh, Bakesale

8. Tricky, Maxinquaye

9. Imperial Teen, What Is Not to Love

10. Sleater-Kinney, Call The Doctor

Had to let the rest populate my Top 100. Good list to go, Slant! But also, why the Alanis omission?

Ed Gonzalez on February 18, 2011, 09:44 AM

Bjork should star in David Lynch's next movie.

JRHG1 on February 18, 2011, 10:06 AM

I overlooked Nine Inch Nails when tallying the acts with multiple entries. So, it's 21 acts with at least two albums on the list- they account for 48% of the titles.

Alanis probably was in the 120-100 range. hehe

No-Personality on February 18, 2011, 10:32 AM

^ "Don't say that, Tina."

(- to Ed.)

adamant_cocoonâ€”Slap-Happy is actually my favorite L7 album. I would say that album is to that band what Midnite Vultures is to Beck: just silliness and experimentation, beautifully trashy and raunchy, a whole album full of funky, grindy "Gas Chamber"s. "Stick to the Plan" is the only song I don't love on it. I've only owned one Sonic Youth, Washing Machine. It was lost with my Imperial Teen's (though, I have since re-bought Seasick).

I seriously expected Jagged Little Pill to make the top 20. Alanis's omission from the 100 is just plain wrong. I could never do a fair Top 10, but ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down and Imani Coppola's Chupacabra (also tragically out of print) would definitely make my Top 100. While, Odelay just might be my vote for #1 of the decade. I'm not much of an album person (probably the reason I think Blue Lines is inferior to Mezzanine and that I could actually find duds on Bricks, Lines, Automatic for the People, and several on Dummy), but I'm quite proud to say I have 4 out of the top 5 here (the one I'm missing is Nevermind).

Yabels on February 18, 2011, 05:20 PM

So TWO Bjork records take the top two spots?! Wow. This website continues to crack me up. Also, good job stacking all your rap choices in #'s 20-11.

vocalism on February 18, 2011, 05:39 PM

By my count there are 20 "rap" albums on the list. Six of them are in the top 20. Not sure what point you're making, Yabels.

DunkinDan on February 20, 2011, 02:05 AM

A remarkable list overall, but here are some that I for one think deserve a spot:

Pearl Jamâ€”Ten (one of the most beautiful rock albums ever assembled, from the tragic nature that engulfs "Black", the devastating blow "Jeremy" packs, or the victorious fist-pumping guitar solo that is featured in "Alive", this is one of my favorite albums)

Rage Against the Machineâ€”Rage Against the Machine (raw, emotional power. Every track on this album is perfect. "Take the Power Back" has a great little tirade on the public school system, while "Wake Up"'s conclusion packs a visceral blow)

Black Starâ€”Black Star (Rap at its finest. A record calling for the end of violence in the rap genre and one that does not contain an overbearing sense or narcissism or pretentiousness. This is the best rap record I have heard)

Soundgardenâ€”Badmotorfinger (the psychedelic grooves to some of these songs, as well as the darkness that some possess, most notably "Room A Thousand Years Wide", definitely makes this album deserving a spot here. Say what you want about Chris Cornell's failed attempt at a solo career, "Soundgarden" might be the most under-rated band of all-time thanks mostly to his shrilling vocal screams. I'm serious)

System of a Downâ€”System of a Down (while imperfect on more than one front, still an incredible debut album. "Spiders" continues to haunt me with its opening, while "P.L.U.C.K." is an unforgettable bash to the face of those governments still failing to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide)

Incubusâ€”S.C.I.E.N.C.E (funky, flashy, beautifully orchestrated album before the band abandoned these things for a more alternative route. "Redefine" has one of the sickest bass break-downs I've ever heard near the end of the song)

Alice in Chainsâ€”Dirt ("Junkhead" remains one of the best drug-addict songs I can recall, mainly due to Layne Staley's unabashed honesty to the subject, and "Down in a Hole" and "Them Bones" contain such a dark, disturbing nature)

No-Personality on February 20, 2011, 12:10 PM

I could go for some Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains on the list (and enthusiastically agree on Dirt- but I gave my copy of Ten away because I got bored with it after a week). Although, I also feel that Nirvana were better grunge than Jam and Smashing Pumpkins were better (more poetic and emotionally affecting) alternative-metal than Chains. So, perhaps the genres were well served after all. I think if there was a genre/sub-genre that got a bit screwed (other than riot-grrrl)- it's industrial. Which to me, your suggestion of System, Rage, and Incubus represents. Think what you will, but I'd go with Marilyn Manson over all 3 in a heartbeat. And just because Incubus were the better, more pure (and...melodic, even?) version of all the nu-metal crap that was polluting rock at the time (KoRn, Disturbed, Staind, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit) doesn't exactly mean they deserve a place on a best albums of the 90's list or were really all that meaningful / revolutionary to music. I've warmed a little bit to them over the years (because I know people who tuned out of 90's pop-metal just because they thought it completely lacked quality, also "Stellar" is an amazing song) but I used to hate them with a passion. Until Three Doors Down and Nickelback came along- then I learned what "hate with a passion" really meant.

adamant_cocoon on February 20, 2011, 11:44 PM

Largely prefer Superunknown to Badmotorfinger because the former has better hooks (riffs? flow? oomph?) and Chris's vocals are more emphatic (beguiling? direct? humane?).

@No-Personality: Marilyn Manson is worthy of investment?? To me, he's simply repugnant energy incarnate. Because of his ungodly exaggeration of his anti- shtick, I feel strongly about his illegitimacy as an artist. The nadir of the entire industry, if you may (I have better enjoyment of Insane Clown Posse..and they're well-disliked). But humor me if I sound lopsided.

joehay2 on February 21, 2011, 12:25 AM

the never ending lists, never complete, but you have to fill in things that are great anyway and always worth new listens:

Slint(Spiderland) Shellac (Terraform) Uncle Tupelo (No Depression) RL Burnside (A Asspocket Full of Whiskey) Clockhammer (Kleinfelter) Superchunk (No Pocky for Kitty) Jon Spencer Blues Exlosion (Extra Width)

Jesus Lizard (Goat) Butter 08 (08) Scrawl (Nature Film) and any personal faves from bands like Sonic Youth, Guided By Voices, June of 44, Supersuckers, Yo La Tango, Screaming Trees, Poster Children......

No-Personality on February 22, 2011, 10:04 AM

^ YAY! (Someone mentioned Butter 08. "Butter of 69" is one my favorite songs of the decade!)

adamant_cocoonâ€”First, I don't take back anything I say. Ever. Just in case any part of you is expecting me to hide my head in shame a little bit (ya sounded shocked). Godliness, or un-godliness, never entered my mind. I just really appreciate the uncompromising darkness of the band's music- which meant a great deal to me in the 90's and I still much enjoy today. In fact, it's about the only serious metal I listen to. The sound of many of the band's songs has a remarkably full body to it, compared to so much of the hollow, trashcan-banging stuff KoRn produced. Repugnant energy? What does that even mean? It is angry music after all. That's, as I understand it, part of the selling point. Anti- ...what? Please don't tell me this has anything to do with the rumors that he's some kind of satanist. I get how image affects people being able to listen to certain musicians / bands, but damn, man. There really are some things that aren't anyone's business. If that segment of the world's population weren't always on a crusade against something harmless (let alone the more serious issues- who's more faithful to what deity and how far do they have to go to prove it?), Manson wouldn't have done songs like "The Reflecting God." And if Manson makes one person in the world more religiously uptight...Job well done, I say (isn't the job of music like this to raise folks' ire?).

However, if you just meant you feel the music was made to skim money off of the crowds of sad teens who hate themselves and people who are always in a bad mood...I think the music speaks for itself. A lot of people found it downright inspirational, and Manson himself highly intelligent, thoughtful, and compassionate. To those who were willing to give him benefit of a doubt. I don't mean to suggest he's a hero- just that the music was incredible.

Anyway, on both fronts (spirituality and self esteem)- I believe there are far more troublesome trends that have ridden the pop culture wave. As for the Clowns...If you think I lack discernment in my taste on metal / hard rock music, you should have had a look at my rap collection in the 90's (I was especially proud of my No Limit Records discs). I can understand the appeal of cheap, silly acts like ICP. Though, the only one of their tracks that made an impression on me was "Riddlebox."

adamant_cocoon on February 23, 2011, 03:00 AM

I'm with the latter, No-Personality (he's a self-promoter pre-Gaga). I can safely say I'm not religiously uptight (I feel I have to confess to my conformist Christian parents someday...that I'm settled with being agnostic!). I don't consider metal music to be "repugnant energy" (maybe not yet, I've only been truly attentive to sludge metal; besides, I appreciate catharsis when it's due, and isn't grunge and punk which I love angry music, too?) when I meant it to describe something much harder to bespeak. Is it blatant pandering to our collective amorality with the iffiest of rock talents? Yes, among many others. Though I cut "anti" short because I'm not altogether sure about what word to fill in there...heck, Marilyn could be "post"-anything after all. You can therefore call my argument weak for his illegitimacy to me is barely beyond reaction. But like you said, there ARE far more troublesome trends in pop culture. And I haven't been reacting much to them.

Btw, happy to know we both love Erotica.

No-Personality on February 23, 2011, 01:51 PM

AD_COâ€”I have to find your argument weak because I don't agree with it. But, in general, all music criticism to me is a matter of taste. You are how you are, I am how I am. I'm a genre sampler at best, pick and mix. There are very few groups or artists I feel I can commit to. I usually just take a few songs and throw 'em in the bowl (how I started, in fact, with Lady Gagaâ€”mixing her with a few Rihanna, Katy Perry, Santogold, etcâ€”then later decided I had to have her on a whole CD). I got into a little punk (Bikini Kill, Bratmobile), a little grunge (L7, Babes in Toyland), a little alternative (Beckâ€”angriest song? "Mutherfuker"; Smashing Pumpkins), and a little industrial (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson). I'm a whore, I admit it. But I bought the act. Even as another side of him, one that doesn't come out in interviews- I still believe he meant what he was saying (the messages behind the gruesome imagery and made-up martyr poses, which he never put on except in music videos). If Manson's quiet demeanor as he sits back and discusses his bad reputation strikes you as disingenuous, all I can say is I don't see it that way. Besides, he also had a lot of other interests that he wanted to talk about when they gave him a microphone.

Antichrist Superstar: Wore out 1 copy. Need a 2nd.

Erotica: Wore out 2 copies. Need a 3rd.

adamant_cocoon on February 23, 2011, 09:03 PM

I think it's obvious whose music criticism matters to me the most (Christgau's, the most lucid voice in the industry), but your point is very well taken. Though any interest in Manson will never take flight (seriously, I can take the No Limit Records roster). I'm a whore for female acts.

No-Personality on March 6, 2011, 08:50 AM

You can? I didn't even know you rapped.

I window-shop enough female acts and have committed to BjÃ¶rk, Goldfrapp, Madonna, Courtney Love, Cibo Matto, Lady Gaga, and a few others. But I'm always on the lookout.

So, Slant Staff...I can imagine the idea of doing another one of these is either tiring (and I understand you do have to pace yourselves) or the dog that won't bite. Someone in the Best Singles article suggested the 80's and yeah, they've been done to death. But you've got a winner here. Are the 70's making a(nother) comeback anytime soon?

verytallperson on April 18, 2011, 07:15 PM

This list doesn't have The Holy Bible by Manic Street Preachers. It is therefore invalid.

kcbomber on April 20, 2011, 07:06 PM

I stopped paying too much attention to this list when I noted that Beastie Boys "Check Your Head" ranked lower than Dee-Lite's SECOND album. WHAT!?!? Come on, that's just ridiculous. I'm not even that big a Beasties fan, but even I have to admit that record sort of got the shaft by being stuck in the lower 10. No Sonic Youth or (hello!) Stereolab on this list solidifies my waving it off.

candyhugger on April 29, 2011, 04:36 PM

I am extremely, extremely impressed with this. Critics usually acknowledge BjÃ¶rk as being eclectic and weird 'n' all, but they rarely ever admit to her brilliance. They usually stick to the safe options, but not Slant! I was especially shocked that BjÃ¶rk was in both of the top two! They were in the exact right order as well. Would've been nice to have seen a few of Johnny Cash's American Recordings, especially III (A Solitary Man), as well as a bit more Tom Waits (how did Mule Variations not even get a look-in??!!) But still, one of the best best-of lists I've ever seen. Oh, would've also been nice to have seen Kate Bush's 'The Red Shoes'. Was also nice to see 'Bedtime Stories,' people always forget about that one.

No-Personality on May 2, 2011, 03:42 PM

Is it a shame that I have no idea who the Manic Street Preachers are?

I also think it's kind of sad Stereolab couldn't find a place on either 90's Best list. But then, the only 90's album I have of theirs is Mars Audiac Quintet, and I thought it was just okay.

Billy on May 12, 2011, 01:36 PM

I would also like to point out thatâ€”as much as I love me some Princeâ€”the "Love Symbol" album was a far-fetched choice, especially placing it higher than "The Velvet Rope." Yes, it's funky as hell, and conceptually ambitious, but lyrically it falls short, not to mention that it sounds sexistâ€”hence not sexyâ€”at times. I'm repeating myself, but that place should have been saved for "Butterfly." Grand mistake Slant. That, and the Alanis omission(s).

musicrev on July 13, 2011, 02:03 PM

I'd put Hanson's Middle of Nowhere in this list. They were definitely a big breakthrough band. The cool thing is they wrote/co-wrote and composed every song on that album-making it truly their own. I believe Mmmbop made a Guiness record and Hanson's success also made "POP" music rise in popularity. Hence, the onslaught of boy bands and pop singers in that decade. Hanson stands out because they are true-blue musicians that also write their own songs and compose their own melodies. They were so young and damn capable. They were genuine, heartfelt and sincere- and that's what music and art is about. This album is full of magic. I'd say Hanson is definitely a legend of their own.

Best songs in the MON album: Mmmbop, Madeline, Weird, A Minute Without You and I Will Come to You. Actually, all the songs rock. I know people have played it over and over again. Kids that grew up in the '90s- a whole lot of 'em- have been introduced to music and MTV because of Hanson. And Hanson inspired young kids to pick up instruments and learn the craft too.

Hanson's Middle of Nowhere is definitely in the list of many a '90's kid (AND parent!).

Eisenhower on March 31, 2012, 04:10 PM

Well done, once again!

My top: Portishead, Bjork, Tricky, and Massive Attack. When I think of the 90s that's my reality.

Turuncan on April 23, 2012, 08:28 AM

No Mariah? No Michael? No Celine? No Whitney? "Mariah Carey", "Daydream", "Butterfly", "Dangerous", "HIStory", "Falling into You", "Let's Talk about Love", "The Bodyguard", "My Love Is Your Love" were the milestone albums of this decade and all you glorify are BjÃ¶rk, Beck, Radiohead, and Madonna?? Pure bulls***!

When it comes to Janet, it's gratifying that you -miraculously!- included "janet." and "The Velvet Rope"; but no "Older", no "Listen without Prejudice Volume 1", no "Brand New Day", no Sade, no Metallica, no "Tuesday Night Music Club", no "Jagged Little Pill", no Tina Turner, no Savage Garden, no "Believe", no "Tragic Kingdom"? Sorry but this list seriously lacks credibility!

Add Your Own

Features

Thomas Vinterberg

We spoke with the director about The Hunt's making and our society's changing values.
by Anna Tatarska

Giveaway

Slant Magazine