The Best Albums of the 90's - Misfit's Blog

Misfit's Blog

The Best Albums of the 90's

Posted on February 28, 2010 at 04:20 PM.

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The 90's were a turning point in music. Hip hop became fully accepted as part of the main stream, pop kind of died and then was revived, techno, electronica, dance whatever all increased in popularity and rock went through an "alternative" stage before, more or less, dying before the decade was over.

I was born in the 80's and grew up in the 90's. I listened to a lot of music in the 90's, some popular some not, and it really was the decade I formed most of my musical tastes. Therefore, this list you are about to read is some-what objective, but largely influenced by my own taste (otherwise, what would be the point in writing about this topic) and takes a rock/metal approach. I take into account impact and cultural importance as well so it isn't merely a list of my favorite albums from the 90's (that list would look noticeably different). In general, I kept the albums that appear on this list almost solely because of my taste towards the bottom.

10. Danzig II: Lucifuge
All right, this one is here almost entirely because of my love for all things Glenn Danzig related. Truth be told though, it is a truly great rock album that is a throw back in many ways to rock's formative years. It has some country and folk elements in certain places but enough catchy melodies to keep it firmly grounded in the rock genre. This blues-based approach would be the last time the band went in this direction but this record is cited by most die-hard and casual fans as Danzig's best album, Misfits or otherwise.

9. Children of Bodom: Hatebreeder
A metal record through and through, this one seemed to catch a lot of fans by surprise. The band's debut effort Something Wild was noteworthy but hardly ground breaking. For the follow-up, this Finnish quintet of teenagers brought a lot of influences from metal's past such as Iron Maiden, Scorpions, and Deep Purple and mixed it into their death metal style. The lead guitar work of Alexi Laiho was some of the best heard since the days of Randy Rhodes and the blistering keyboards of Janne Wirman were allowed to take on a starring role. The album has a melody not often found in death/black metal (at the time) and was something really fresh. Easily the band's best album, nothing the group has done since has come close to achieving this kind of success and other imitators have begun to beat them at their own game. In 1999 though, Children of Bodom were on top of the European Metal world.

8. In Flames: Colony
Not to be outdone by likes of Children of Bodom, Sweden's own In Flames released Colony in 1999. Up to this point, Bj�rn Gelotte had been the band's drummer but with the departure of guitarist Niklas Engelin he switched over to the six-string and the band brought in a new drummer, Daniel Svensson. The results were shocking as Gelotte combined with guitarst Jesper Str�mblad to create the group's signature twin guitar harmonies that drove the record. The death metal vocals of Anders Frid�n added a rawness to the pristine production and were mixed in with clean vocals in carefully selected places. Some debate over which album is the band's best, but for my money it is this one as Colony represented a perfection of the swedish melodic style that has yet to be surpassed.

7. The Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Somewhat of a hard one for me to write about as I never considered myself a Pumpkins fan, however I cannot deny its importance and genius, for lack of a better word. The Pumpkins on this record separated themselves from the rest of the alternative crowd and found their own niche, and received plenty of attention for it. The album itself was huge, and every single dominated the airwaves for years. It was a very varied and nuanced record and frontman Billy Corgan's perfectionism was obvious when one listened to the production. In this day and age its hard to get a label to approve of a double album and its too bad as the rock epic is all but dead as a result.

6. The Offspring: Smash
Perhaps no record better exemplifies 90's alternative rock radio than Smash, even more so than any Nirvana record as it seemed to hang around well past future releases from The Offspring. Of course, that could also be due to the fact that no album following this one by The Offspring was anything special. Even so, it is debatable just how good this record is at it doesn't quite stand the test of time. Still, in the mid-90's you couldn't go anywhere without hearing "Self Esteem" or "Come Out and Play." Plus, there hasn't been a better road rage song written since "Bad Habit."

5. Alice in Chains: Dirt
If Nirvana brought the whole alternative/grunge genre to the masses, Alice in Chains made people take it seriously. Their sophomore effort is largely praised as the group's defining moment. The songs were heavy and layered in themes of isolation and drug abuse that certainly mirrored the band's lifestyle (or at least, singer Layne Staley's life). Kind of like when Guns N' Roses emerged in the 80's, people had a sense that this group wasn't going to last too long because of its various vices so its good that a lot of material was recorded in a short amount of time. Dirt gave us classics such as "Down in a Hole," "Rain When I Die," and "Would?" This one is required listening for anyone wanting to get a crash course on early 90's rock as its arguable that no one was doing it better than AiC.

4. Nine Inch Nails: The Downward Spiral
We were introduced to industrial music by Trent Reznor (and others) in the 80's but it didn't break-through to the mainstream until NIN's 1994 release, The Downward Spiral. As the title suggests, there isn't anything bubbly about this one. Its dark and self-absorbed. The songs are designed to make you feel uneasy, uncomfortable, and depressed. For some reason, that worked really well in the 90's and Trent Reznor has mostly stuck to this formula ever since. Everyone likely remembers the masochistic love song "Closer" best, but the best tracks are probably "Mr. Self-Destruct," "I Do Not Want This," and "Hurt." The latter is probably more famous today by Johnny Cash than Nine Inch Nails, but the original captures the despair of the protagonist in an almost horrifying way. If this album were released today it would likely flounder in obscurity and had it been released before its time it would have been unnoticed. 1994 was definitely the right time and the right place for Mr. Reznor.

3. Opeth: Still Life
Largely ignored by western audiences, the Swedish group Opeth now reigns supreme over the extreme metal genre. Opeth is a man among boys when it comes to the metal genre and Still Life is just one of many masterpieces the band has crafted. Blending brutal death metal with folk, pop, progressive, and arena rock, Opeth is one of few bands where almost anyone can find a song they love, and also many they hate. For those that love them all, an Opeth album is an experience like no other. The concept album is something Opeth is fond of, and Still Life fits that mold as it details a story from beginning to end. I won't attempt to go into depth, but the basic premise is a man returns to a village in search of his love following an excommunication. We're given his love's name, Melinda, and the story plays out over the album's hour-plus duration. There are only seven tracks, but five of the seven eclipse the nine minute mark and contain multiple time changes and interwoven acoustic and electric passages - it's a music theorist's wet dream. Lead guitarist and vocalist Mikael �kerfeldt's vocals switch from guttural brutality to beautiful crooning mid-song and never fail to strike the perfect note for the mood of the moment. Those wishing to receive the full Opeth experience in just one song should probably go with either "The Moor" or "Godhead's Lament" as each contains death metal vocals, electric guitars, acoustic passages, and "clean" vocals.

2. Nirvana: Nevermind
It's always a bit controversial where Nirvana places on officials lists of this sort. Nirvana was the first of the alternative groups to break through and find mainstream success. As a result, their exposure was massive and following singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain's death the band became even bigger, almost mythic. Overexposure breads hostility and brings about added scrutiny resulting in experts and fans alike questioning the band's significance and importance. Truth be told, the band wasn't exceedingly talented and the members would be the first to admit as much. Nirvana took Beatles hooks and Pixies attitude to craft its sound. The band freely admitted their influences and seemed to enjoy bringing attention to overlooked artists such as The Meat Puppets. Nevermind was the band's big break-through and the album that defined Nirvana. Some argue In Utero is the superior album, but few would deny the cultural impact of Nevermind. The band's most recognizable songs came from this album including "Come as You Are," "In Bloom," "Lithium," and of course, "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Same as Nine Inch Nails, it was the right album at the right time as a generation sick of the excess and ego of 80's glam were happy to scream along with Cobain and proclaim 'life sucks.'

1. Tool: �nima
I don't know how often this album is praised as being the best of the decade, but however often it is, it surely isn't enough. Tool is the rare band where one can easily listen and hear the group evolving from record to record. Even if you don't like the way the band is going (as the subject of "Hooker With a Penis" felt) it still is mesmerizing and fascinating to watch this band grow. �nima is the band's third release, second full-length, and its best. The songs are all over the place, unpredictable, but never out of control. The subject matter is often dark, sometimes violent, and full of cynicism and the band's own special touch of humor. Tool is a remarkably tight group, but frontman Maynard James Keenan often steals the show as his voice can take on so many forms as it bounces from a terrifying scream to a soft croon. There are a couple of filler tracks, but nothing like what would come on future releases and all of them serve a purpose, either to introduce the next song or just make you laugh. The album is a stroke of genius and comes with the highest recommendation possible.

That's my list. It isn't a list of my ten favorite albums from the decade, just a mish-mash of what was good and also relevant for the period. Some near misses include: Green Day, Pearl Jam, Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Manson, and Korn. Feel free to disagree or hate me for my choices.

Comments

# 1 nolan273 @ Mar 1

Nice blog. A lot of the groups and albums on your list I'm not familiar with. I'm a hip-hop guy by nature, but I gained a love for good music growing up. (Check out my blog for a brief history.) Your #2 is truly an all-time great album. I've owned three copies since it's release (1 cassette, 2 CDs). Definitely one of my favorites. Without question a classic.