Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 is a dramatic and stuuning conclusion to the man's life's work, passing away just days after its first performance. I can't believe you didn't mention it as it's easily one of the finest albums of the 1890's
@aloevv𖤐 lmao how am I spammer? I just comment on videos I'm interested in. Even if I have million subs doesnt mean im not watching other youtubers & regularly commenting on their vids.
Jeff Buckleys Grace was a masterpiece too and it was extremely influential for quite a handful of renowned artists like Radiohead, Damien Rice, James Blake, Muse...
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is low-key one of the most influential albums of the 90s for rock and indie, up there with Spiderland and Soundtracks for the Blind
Thanks for this. I scrolled through a lot of comments looking for mention of Pavement. They mean the 90s to me. Now I have to find some love for Guided by Voices.
grace by jeff buckley, exceptional blend of alt rock / 90s signer songwriter blessed with arguably the greatest singing voice of all time. great great great record
Outkast's Aquemini absolutely deserves a mention here. Its innovative genre fusions, thematic explorations, second-to-none lyricism, and forward-thinking production laid some serious groundwork and foreshadowed the epic hip hop odysseys that would eventually be further explored and perfected by the likes of Kendrick and Kanye.
Absolutely. I was surprised to see not even a single OutKast album mentioned. ATLiens is up there with Aquemini as one of the best albums of the 90s in my opinion.
Outkast and the dungeon crew are influental like very few have ever been. But id put stankonia over Aq and aq has some weak moments imo (mamacita :D) so it just seems so hard to put it in like top 5-10 of the 90s. Catalogue wise pretty much goat rap act but wouldnt pick aquemini among best of 90s
Thank you! Whats funny is that kendrick has an interview where he mentions his top 5 favoriye rappers and I was surprised he didn't mention outkast. Outkast were kendrick before kendrick was kendrick lol
I’m surprised NIN - The Downward Spiral isn’t being spoken about, I think the production is exceptional even by todays standards and Trent Reznor really pioneered into a gray area of topics such as depression, suicide, and sexual desire that inspired many other industrial or non-industrial bands to venture into the field. The tracks, especially Hurt, the title track, or Mr Self Destruct gave so many people outlets to deal with personal issues that they struggled with facing, and if Johnny Cash felt a song was worthy enough for him to cover it it is a testament to Trent’s brilliant work on the record.
Most significantly The Downward Spiral, and Nevermind before it, by delving into people's vulnerabilities and issues, provided music with a welcome and long-overdue from the godawful, tedious hard-man school bully culture that 80s metal was full of.
This decade is utterly diverse, in hindsight, in regards to how many great albums there were across all genres. There's should be a part 2 or even part 3. There is so, so much more to unpack.
It really was such a wildly diverse period that doesn’t get enough credit these days. People are so reductive in their retrospective analyses, it’s criminal. In a time where people are now obsessed with genre-blending and diversity, I find it odd people look past bands of the era like Mr. Bungle and Ween, who frankly still put current bands striving for that kind of versatility to shame. I mean, Ween was basically the band that The 1979 desperately wants to be. And Mr. Bungle, I mean good god. California is maybe one of the most underrated albums, period.
Rage against the machine- one of the greatest rock albums of all time, heavy groovy riffs and using rap-rock effectively. Also inspires the whole nu metal genre for better or worse Nine inch nails - the downward spiral, when i think 90s this album comes to mind first. Infusing triphop, industrial, grunge, synthpop incredibly well
I prefer Battle of Los Angeles as a more complete album, but both could really fit here. I come back to those and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx more than any of those other albums.
Nas “Illmatic” As far as a “complete album” Illmatic is the crown jewel of a golden era of hip hop. A time when hip hop was not common place at award shows or in the conversation concerning top albums of the year. Also “ready to die” By Notorious B.I.G. Puffy is not my fav producer by any stretch but this album put him and Biggie on the map and their influence on the 90’s landscape can’t be overlooked. “The Chronic” by Dre Because Snoop, and funk driven west coast gangster rap that had an enormous impact on popular culture.
Albums mentioned and times: 00:35 - Nirvana - Nevermind 01:37 - Cibo Matto - Stereo Type A 02:59 - Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 03:20 - Europop - Eifel 65 03:47 - Death - Symbolic 05:12 - Pearl Jam - Ten 05:50 - Smashing Pumpkings - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness 06:25 - D’angelo - Brown Sugar 07:15 - Massive Attack - Mezzanine 08:22 - Silver Jews - American Water 09:12 - Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children 09:49 - MBV - Loveless 10:58 - Chef Aid 11:00 - Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 12:12 - Radiohead - OK Computer 13:20 - Bjork - Homogenic 14:42 - Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
Really gotta give it to OK Computer on this one. A truly enduring piece of music, and _still_ feels futuristic to this very day. Completely catapulted Radiohead to mountainous heights, and is what I'd consider *the linchpin* for how the genre would progress.
A few other important albums should be part of this conversation if we're getting a part 2: - Souvlaki by Slowdive - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 by Aphex Twin - Spiderland by Slint - Endtroducing by DJ Shadow - Violator by Depeche Mode
All Of Them ⬆️ & Manic Street Preachers ~ The Holy Bible The Prodigy ~ Fat Of The Land Spiritualized ~ Ladies And Gentlemen Ride ~ Nowhere The Whipping Boy ~ Wormheart Sonic Youth ~ Goo .
I know Green Day gets a lot of hate these days, but Dookie definitely deserved a shoutout here. Not only is that my favorite album of all time but it's pretty much responsible for bringing pop punk into the mainstream so I suppose it's influential in one way or another. In my opinion nothing screams the 1990s more than Dookie. Really drives home the idea for me that sometimes old music can make for some pretty killer time capsules.
While not as monumental as Dookie, Insomniac and Nimrod both deserve some shoutouts here because they are amazing follow ups that kept their sound unique and innovative.
Siamese Dream is ultimately more consistent and focused, but there is just so much to admire and respect about Mellon Collie (the fact that it’s so wildly diverse but still unified by its Pumpkins-ness, the sense of pacing so that it doesn’t exhaust you any more than such a long album has to) that I’m always happy to see it mentioned on 90’s lists.
@@davidyurch4446 Siamese Dream & Mellon Collie are both very different takes on how to approach an album, and the Pumpkins managed to nail both. They're a lot less fashionable today than some other 90's alt-rock artists (probably in part due to Billy Corgan's alt-right arc) but at their peak they really were a great band.
@@powerslave0606 If I can just put forth a possibility, I feel that certain gripes that some people have with Mellon Collie are weaknesses that double albums just tend to have. Specifically, the fact that the album keeps going for several songs after "X.Y.U." (which I more or less consider to be the emotional climax of the album) is, I think, a point of contention for some, especially since the songs that come after are more whimsical, experimental fare ("We Only Come Out At Night," etc.). At the same time, though, I feel that this is true of double albums like Exile on Main Street, which for me climaxes with "Let It Loose" but still has to keep going with a run of lesser songs (in my humble opinion) on the fourth side. I would somewhat argue the same of Physical Graffiti. For me, The Beatles' White Album ends exactly when it needs to, with "Revolution 9" being the second to last song (and even then, there are plenty of people who hate that song). Q Magazine's review of the album stated "it could easily, of course, have been whittled down to a superb, 14-song, single CD. But the point would have been lost, for this is Smashing Pumpkins’ intended equivalent of the bombastic, hubristic double-albums of the 1970s". I think Billy Corgan knew that perfection was not really in the cards for a double album, and on those terms (and again, considering what I feel are similar problems in some of the classic double albums that came before it) it's personally easier for me to excuse. I know that's a lot of word vomit. XD
Pavement “Slanted and Enchanted”. It legitimized lo-fi indie rock with intelligence, amorphous lyrics that painted pictures, not narrate a story, and jangly nonchalant slacker hooks. It was a mystery that took years to resolve. Pixies - pick one - “Come On Pilgrim”, “Surfer Rosa”, “Bossanova”. Surrealism and extreme dynamic shifts was unsettling until you were awashed in beauty. Both bands are significant due to what they were and what they spawned.
Damn. That's a good point. Sometimes I think of bands like Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine & Pixies as 80s/late 80s bands. But then some of their best albums kicked down the doors of the 90s. Letting Nirvana to come in smash guitars around, stealing the limelight.
Can we all agree that the 90s was an amazing decade for music? A lot of interesting changes in rock music, hip hop and electronic music were on their best moment, the neo soul movement, etc.
It was incredibly diverse, and a lot of really exciting break-down between genres (Massive Attack's Mezzanine is case and point). Also a lot of great music that's not typically considered "90s" like Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Neutral Milk Hotel.
Yes, so many great albums that didn’t even get mentioned in this video…Rakim’s Don’t Sweat The Technique, Helmet’s Meantime and Betty, Sepultura’s Arise, Ice Cube’s The Predator, Type O Negative’s Bloody Kisses, Life Of Agony’s River Runs Red, Soundgarden’s BadMotorFinger, Big Pun’s Capital Punishment, Brand Nubian’s In God We Trust, Public Enemy’s Fear Of A Black Planet
Pulp - Different Class Ash - 1977 Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five Blur - Blur The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole Daft Punk - Homework DJ Shadow - Entroducing Jeff Buckley - Grace Leftfield - Leftism Orbital - Insides Placebo - Placebo The Prodigy - Music For The Gilted Generation Radiohead - Ok Computer Super Furry Animals - Radiator Unkle - Psyence Fiction The Verve - Urban Hymns Oasis - Morning Glory Bjork - Post Not saying these are the best, but these are the album's that have stuck with me through the years.
Motorpsycho - Timothy's Monster Biosphere - Substrata Seigmen - Total Slowdive - Souvlaki Jeff Buckley - Grace Underworld - Second toughest in the infants Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes Sonic Youth - Dirty NIN - The Fragile Kyuss - Welcome to sky valley Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas The God Machine - Scenes from the second storey Stereolab - Dots and Loops Type O Negative - World coming down Nils Petter Molvær - Khmer Turbonegro - Apocalypse Dudes And most of all.. totally ahead of it's time and completely misunderstood among hipsters purely because of it's mainstream success: Tool - Ænima
Depeche Mode’s Violator would be my pick, maybe not very 90s again after all it was released in March 1990 but still a record that is all killer no filler, pretty much set the bar for all of synthpop to come, tight track listing that somehow features some of the best pop songs of all time, just immensely enjoyable all around. Mezzanine is also a based pick though
Depeche Mode were fantastic in 90s! They really made synth-pop something else, completely destroying any competition in the genre. Also gotta love their Songs Of Faith & Devotion, which is more of a pop-rock & synth tho. It's impressive how they progressed their sound back then.
Violator is one of my favorite albums of all time, but it is in an awkward place kind of being like the climax of The '80s where the encore is the best part.
Imo the best Depeche albums are Some Great Reward, Black Celebration, Masses, with a crescendo to Violator. There's a handful of other great ones, but that streak is impeccable. The concerts were fantastic, too. BC is a lengthy LP that delivers EVERY chock full note. Imo the best synth 80s band.
PJ Harvey’s To Bring You My Love is definitely up there for me, the blends of trip hop, blues and folk on that album are still so haunting and captivating, and that’s not to mention Harvey’s stellar vocal ability and lyrics.
Out of the albums in the Grunge catagory, i personally Believe Dirt by Alice in Chains brought something to the table , from the smooth Guitar work by Jerry Cantrell to the groovy baselines of Mike starr to the (of course) Haunting and dark vocals of Layne Staley , i believe it's one of those records in the 90s that would influence a monument of future Metal Bands and Alt Rock bands , such as Code Orange , Stone Sour and even Deftones.
I would put it ahead of Nevermind or In Utero in terms of just objectively being a better record (even though Nirvana was obviously more influential/impactful) but there was nothing else in rock that was as harrowing as Layne Staley's lyricism on Dirt, and as you noted its influence was felt well beyond the 90's, thirty years later.
I know it's a weird thing to say but AIC have always been underrated/sort of the underdog of the mainstream Seattle "grunge" bands. Musically probably the most talented, great fucked up lyrics, tonally unique.
Megadeth - Rust in Peace Death - Human Tool - Ænima At The Gates - Slaughter of the Soul Pantera - The Great Southern Trendkill Alice in Chains - Dirt Judas Priest - Painkiller Sepultura - Arise Type O Negative - October Rust Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss Soundgarden - Superunknown White Zombie - La Sexorcisto
RATM- self titled album is still one of my favorite albums of all time, it literally never fails to get me hype. It's heavier than deathcore imo you could literally feel the anger on every track and it was sonically unique +also one of the best sounding albums (iirc it's very often used to test speakers)
I wholeheartedly agree. It's the album I've listened to the most times. The rage is unreal, especially on Settle for Nothing, Bullet in the Head and Freedom.
That’s one of those albums I wasn’t able to appreciate when I was really young. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is another. Not just because of “adult” content but because I didn’t appreciate them. Now those two are some of my favorites. Of course there are more “accessible” albums by those bands that came out from 99-on which I “got” sooner.
@@sundogsun Another interesting fact: with the exception of 2016’s “The Getaway” all Red Hots albums since “Blood Sugar” are produced by Rick Rubin, including their new release.
I think Outkast's "ATLiens" and ATCQ's "Low End Theory" and "Midnight Marauders" are all worthy contenders for how distinctly they stood out in the context of rap at the time and how their sounds had a timeless influence on succeeding generations of underground, jazz, sample-based, experimental, and Atlanta rap.
Live Through This by Hole. One of the few Non Nirvana grunge albums where every song hits hard. The lyrics are beautiful, the production is really solid for an album of its kind and instrumentation is basically flawless. The only reason people don't talk about it as much as albums like Ten by Pearl Jam or Facelift by Alice in Chains is because of Courtney Love's bad reputation. (also Anthony should totally do a classics review of it)
@MisterMooCow I mean it certainly fits the time and also the content. I guess it depicts the ugly bigotry in beauty standarts and such. It just kind of disgusts me but I guess thats just personal preference.
@MisterMooCow yeah totally. There's just something really ugly about it (and I dont mean her) I'm not eager to see in my collection on a daily basis. But that's just preference I guess.
Even though it was released at the end of the 90s, MF DOOM's Operation Doomsday is one of the best, most ESSENTIAL Hip Hop releases of the decade. It is mind blowing to consider that that album came out back in 1999 and it still sounds fresh and interesting. Not to mention that what he's doing lyrically, flow wise etc has been unmatched, even 20 years later. I won't even quote any bars because there's just too many great ones to list. And to call it influential is a massive understatement. There was never anyone else in Hip Hop, or music in general, that was exactly like Daniel Dumile, and there will never be another like him. Definitely my favorite rapper ever. And I really believe that Operation Doomsday could stand up against many of the other classic Hip Hop releases of the 90s and be considered at least equally as good if not better. Best Hip Hop Album of the 90s, other than maybe Biggie's Ready to Die.
It'd be cool a second part of this list there are some other pretty good albums such as: Illmatic by Nas The low end theory and Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest Moon Safari by Air Selected ambient works 85-92 by Aphex Twin When the pawn... by Fiona Apple Post by Björk Bossanova by Pixies 13 by blur Definitely Maybe by oasis In utero by nirvana Entroducing.... by DJ shadow Baduizm by Erykah Badu Janet by Janet Jackson Dummy by Portishead 36 Chambers by Wu-tang clan The downward spiral by Nine inch nails Grace by Jeff Buckley Achtung baby by U2 Love deluxe by Sade Maxwell's urban hang suite by Maxwell Aquemini by Outkast Either/or by Elliott Smith In the aeroplane over the sea by neutral milk hotel Dots and Loops by Stereolab Bocanada by Gustavo Cerati Dynamo by Soda stereo The bends by radiohead
Love this album. The mixing on it is fantastic as well. I think most people pigeon-holed her after the "Criminal" video as a pop waif but she is a steamroller.
I was hoping for If You're Feeling Sinister to make it on here cause that is a perfect comfort album and despite being critically acclaimed I don't see enough people talk about it. Was a bit surprised that ITAOTS didn't show up ik it has a infamous reputation on the internet which sadly causes some people to not take the record to seriously but that album is musical perfection.
Oddly missing: Skinny Puppy - Too Dark Park Curve - Doppelgänger Faith No More - Angel Dust NIN - The Downward Spiral (and The Fragile) KMFDM - Nihil Tool - Aenima Dir en grey - Gauze Madonna - Ray of Light The Prodigy - The Fat of the Land Korn - Self Titled Malice Mizer - Merveilles Sneaker Pimps - Becoming X
SKINNY PUPPY. Jesus Christ I feel like this band pretty much never gets the cred they deserve, never even heard Fantano mention em once although maybe he did somewhere and I missed it. In the context of 90s music they got waaaay overshadowed by NIN despite laying the groundwork for NIN's sound and electroindustrial in general. Too Dark Park fucking slays, easily one of their greatest.
Mezzanine is arguably my favorite album ever, and when I first heard "Teardrop" in 1999 (a year after the album's release), it hit me at a very vulnerable time in my life as a 12-year-old recovering from my mother's death, and it opened me up to not only getting interested in music again, but to try to actively search it out. Even outside of those personal leanings, I'm still blown away at how ageless it sounds and how masterful the production is. This could come out today and still make a splash.
I agree, and strangely enough I can also relate to being moved by Teardrop a shortwhile after my mom died. I probably heard Mezzanine for the first time when I was 13 in 2006, though. My mom died when I was 20, and either that or the next year at Electric Forest an artist named Alison Wonderland played a mashup of Teardrop and Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers. That day also happened to be my mom's birthday. Man, I ugly cried in the middle of that crowd. May you be peaceful and well.
Portishead Dummy, Massive Attack Protection and Tricky Maxinquaye all released within a few months of each other. I loved them all but Tricky Maxinquaye was and still is my favourite from that early trip hop era.
I salute you 🫡! Maxinquaye is my #1 through all the genres I adore. Tricky’s whole discography is interesting and surprising though not always consistently good. But experimenting always wins in my book
Beck's Odelay is my favorite album of the 90's. It's such an inventive, fun and thrilling listen, I just can't get enough. Another pick would be Pulp's Different Class.
Even though it might not be the most influential but Acid Bath's When the Kite String Pops is basically a amalgamation of a wide variety of Metal and Rock sounds of the 90s and just an all around amazing Sludge album.
See, you get it! I'm an industrial person, I have listened to a lot of heavy, dark shit over the years, and none of it was as hard as either acid bath record.
Man I adore When the Kite string pops. It's good to know their are other people who also like this album. There's just something about it. I mean the album is animalistic and aggressive while being but also so creepy, but somehow worm, nostalgic and fuzy at the same time. Kinda like some tainted childhood memory (at least for me personally). I'm not even a big sludge guy and I love it.
Stereolab's dot and loops is an easy win for me. Stereolabs discography in general is solid but this ablum in particular is just amazing in every sense of the world. Not one bad track on it and its easy blend of all these different genre's just make it pure gold imo. Sigur rós - Ágætis byrjun is up there as well
Thank you so much for pointing the way to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. I had never listened to that album before I watched this, but their sound, similar to Smashing Pumpkin's Gish, is wonderful and surreal in a way. Almost like living through the early nineties all over again in a brief moment. I don't know about the entire 90s but for 91 though 95, That's the sound. That's the feel. Only those who lived it, know it. Thank you.
Hell yeah, respect to the guy who suggested Symbolic Such a badass album with great riffs, solos, pummeling drums… I’m not a big fan of death metal but that album speaks to me in a way no other does
The 90s was such a crazy time for metal with progressive and psychedelic influences getting applied to these pretty extreme and heavy genres for the first time. Cynics focus being another great "extreme" metal album with big time pop, psychedelic and prog elements.
Probably their best album, it developed the technical prog aspect of Human & Individual Thought Patterns while laying the groundwork for Sound Of Perseverance. Chuck Schuldiner was a genius
My guitar teacher, Bobby Koelble, was a member of Death and was the other guitarist on Symbolic, along with Chuck(duh). Even though I'm not huge on death metal, Symbolic is definitely an important album in its evolution, the guitar playing and musicianship is stellar and the songs definitely hit hard.
Legimitely surprised nobody mentioned The Mollusk by Ween , in my opinion their best album and also one of the best of the 90's and arguably one of the most influential albums of all time because it inspired the creation of one of the most impotant cartoons of all time. The production on The Mollusk is absolutely immaculate, everything sounds so crisp, clean, pristine, colorful and vibrant. From the gorgeous sound of "The Mollusk", to the heavy waltz rhythms and submarine guitar tones of "Polka Dot Tail", to the psychedelic acoustic ambience of "Mutilated Lips" and so on. The songwriting on this thing is also peak Ween. The Mollusk, Polka Dot Tail, Mutilated Lips, The Blarney Stone, Its Gonna Be (Alright), The Golden Eel, Cold Blows The Wind, Buckingham Green and of course Ocean Man, all of these songs present such strong and catchy motifs, so many colorful and beautiful instrumental arrangements and fantastic peformances, specially Gener who brings some of his most charismatic perfomances. One of the many gems of 90's Ween and imo one of the best albums of that decade.
Mellon Collie and Nevermind hold a very special place in my heart from basically being the albums that opened my eyes to the grunge rock genre of music. Me being a 17 year old that didn’t get to experience that era, I’m glad that these albums and many more 90s rock albums I have since listened to have been able to give me a taste of what the 90s era had to offer. Great video Anthony.
Well, as someone who was about your age when Mellon Collie came out, I just have to say enjoy the exploration, it will be amazing. Also, listen to "Gish" if you haven't already
Color and shape - foo fighters Facelift- Alice In Chains Dirt- Alice In Chains The black album- metallica Superunknown- sound garden All these albums def deserve recognition for the best of the 90s
pixies’ bossanova should also be held in consideration. the album is straight to the point, all killer no filler, and holds nothing back. it’s simultaneously beautiful, heavy, thrashy, and weird. just a rock-solid record. it’s in my top 10 all-time
Yes. Their most underrated album. I love the blend of space rock and surf music, and while a couple of the songs are a bit weaker in quality, the highs are ridiculous. “Ana” might be my favorite Pixies song.
Best Albums of the 90’s Hands Down: Massive Attack- Mezzanine Nick Cave- Let Love In SOM- Some Girls Wander By Mistake Rage Against The Machine debut Prodigy- The Fat Of The Land Portishead- Dummy Sonic Youth- Goo Nirvana- Nevermind Manu Chao- Clandestino No Doubt- Tragic Kingdom
@@miguelrosado6348 I think you can make a case regardless of genre honestly. It is time piece of the decade. It actually has aged much better than most of so called "grunge" bands but AiC is not really "Grunge" album anyway. Grunge has more do with geographical location of where bands came out of than actual true genre style.
@@robertheaney1685 That is not true at all. You just need to hear the rock music that existed before the 90s and grunge to see that it is a style characterised by specific elements like the combination of heavy metal and punk riffs with melodies that only existed in pop music until then. The guitars have a very specific dirty sound influenced by punk but so unique that has been parodied in shitloads of youtube videos. Of course that some bands sounded more grungy than others: Pearl Jam sounded more rock-pop, Nirvana more punk, Soundgarden more psychedelic, but they all have a grunge aesthetic and thematic that united them.
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Vol 1. One of the most original debut records of all time. No one sounded like this before him, and no one has managed to sound like him since.
Ones I actually heard in the 90s and still enjoy today: Suede -Dog Man Star Mazzy Star-Among my Swan Pulp - A Different Class Portishead - Dummy Massive Attack - Mezanine Manic Street Preachers - Holy Bible Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzy PJ Harvey - To bring you my love Deftones - Adrenaline Bjork - Debut Prodigy - Music for the jilted generation NIN - Downward Spiral Nirvana - In Utero Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion Breeders - Last splash
For Hip-hop, Illmatic & The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill are some of the most impactful projects of the 90's. I don't know where would Hip-hop be if it wasn't for both of those albums.
In the same place. Lauryn Hill influenced R&B artists more so than Hip Hop. Hip Hop went in the direction of Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Trina and Missy Elliott.
And The Chronic started a whole new fucking subgenre (g-funk) that mostly ruled Hip Hop for around 15 years after that and is still relevant today. It launched Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and Dr. Dre's solo careers
my pick would have to be grace by jeff buckley. the emotive vocals, grandiose arrangements that blend psychedelic, jazz, and hard rock, and heartfelt lyrics sang over gorgeous melodies, all culminate to make a near perfect album.
For me it's Olivia Tremor Control's "Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One". I know it's psychedelic and rooted in the sounds of times long past but in terms of what album meant the most to be, it's that one, and a statement of uconditional love, positivity and wholesomeness.
Ayyy didn't expect Olivia Tremor to get a shoutout but hell yeah. I prefer Dusk at Cubist Castle but I'll take what I can get hahaha If E6 gets brought up at all though, NMH would be the more obvious point of reference. Not that the two are even comparable but yknow
My top 10 of the 90s: 1. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea 2. Radiohead - OK Computer 3. Slint - Spiderland 4. Slowdive - Souvlaki 5. Low - I Could Live in Hope 6. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F♯ A♯ ∞ 7. Alice in Chains - Dirt 8. Codeine - The White Birch 9. Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West 10. Bowery Electric - Beat
Blur's 13 definitely deserves a mention - i feel like it's overshadowed by their earlier britpop-y stuff but this album is packed full of noise and experimentation and still comes out the other side as an enjoyable and thought-provoking record
"No Distance Left to Run" gets me every time. That album has a special place in my heart. "1992" is another favorite. Maybe I'm biased because that's my birth year, lol.
The amount of electronic albums mentioned is criminally low. Here's just a small sample of the earthshattering brilliance that came out of the various 90's electronic scenes: • Homework by Daft Punk • SAW 85-92 by Aphex Twin • Substrata by Biosphere • 94diskont by Oval • Tri Repetae by Autechre • Violator by Depeche Mode • Endtroducing by DJ Shadow • Orbital 2 by Orbital And that's just scratching the surface!
This is probably recency bias since I only got into it a couple weeks ago, but Mazzy Stars So Tonight That I May See is up there for me. Such a beautiful album with an interesting blend of styles and genres that I hadn't heard before
Either/Or is a devastating and gut punching thesis of sadness and despair. Elliott really displays his vocal and guitar chops while making you feel things you'll never forget.
Oh my GOD, I used to listen to Boards of Canada in high school but I completely forgot about their existence for like ten years until just now. I LOVE Music Has the Right to Children. My mind is blown right now. Wondering what other amazing music I have forgotten about. That album had so much significance at the time. What an incredible rediscovery.
Lonesome Crowded West absolutely blew my mind when I was 16 and it is still one of those albums that I listen to at least once a month and each listen I have a new favorite track. Especially if you grew up in a smaller city and watched it all grow into a big city
@@channelname5345 oh man I remember being in high school and my friends and I just driving throughout Colorado over the weekends and just listen to both albums and everything just feeling alright haha.
I have an incredibly hard time picking between Long Drive and Lonesome. Both are phenomenal albums and have been strong mainstays in my music collection for years. (I'd put The Moon & Antarctica above both of them but of course it was released in 2000 so not relevant to the 90s)
Man i cant believe Jeff Buckley singlehandedly influenced the indie rock track 'Dance Monkey' by the incredible vocalist Tones and I, that way too many people sleep on
I'm not a huge fan of the post rock genre they would go onto influence a decade later but I regard talk talk spirit of Eden one of my all time favourites! Maybe 2nd to bjork homogenic ! So many surprises on both those albums, you always discover something new with each listen
My pick would be Blood Sugar Sex Magik, mabye some of that is nostalgia but I do think its a really good album, very funky catchy with great production
Grace by Jeff Buckley is my overall pick. It's a nigh-perfect album and still holds up incredibly well. I would also say Dirt by Alice in Chains is the best Grunge album of the 90s and not Nevermind. Tidal by Fiona Apple is also one of my favorites from the 90s. Rid of Me by PJ Harvey. Dummy by Portishead. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel. Silver Apples of the Moon by Laika. Things Fall Apart by The Roots. Soundtracks for the Blind by Swans. Either/Or by Elliott Smith. Focus by Cynic. Spooky by Lush...
Agreed on Jeff Buckley. It's a phenomenal album. There are other 90s albums that I'd prefer to listen to and listen to more frequently, but the all-around skill and range on that one album is incredible. Not sure any other album in the 90s can top it in that regard.
@@All5Horizons as someone who hasn’t really listened to Jeff Buckley, what do you think separates him as an artist? I’ve seen a lot of praise for him online so I’d love to know!
I implore everyone to go listen to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The Smashing Pumpkins are not the most relevant band anymore, but this album is really them at their peak. A 28-song double album that doesn't get boring or feels too long is a rarity.
Violator by Depeche Mode would be my sleeper pick. Even though it didn't have as much influence as other albums throughout the 90's, I think the album represented the peak of 80's new wave/synth pop, and sort of acted as a grand finale for those genres, while still sounding incredibly fresh and innovative by combining DM's signature production style with elements of alt-rock and even hip-hop.
I feel like Depeche Mode did the most influence on electronic & dance music in their 85-90s era. They've also reached the top of synth-pop. Some acts like New Order & Pet Shop Boys were quite great but they never had body of work like Depeche Mode. I feel like a lot of techno, dark-wave & synthwave acts simply wouldn't exist if not Depeche Mode. They were also one of the only who had success on Indie label in 80s, and managed to break through the commercial wall surrouned by some not good 80s dance pop. They didn't necessarily created genres, but they've provided a sound that's unreplacable, and you can instantly recognize their influence.
I'll take Ultra over Violator, both because I think it's a better album and because Violator still has a significantly 80s synthpop sound where Ultra leans heavily on triphop and alternative rock noises for its overall tone.
@@MikoSquiz Ultra is my second favorite DM record behind SOFAD. The dark yet eclectic sounds on SOFAD and the dark yet beautiful sounds on Ultra is a mark of amazing production. And the songwriting and singing was no joke either; Gahan's best performances are easily on those two albums alone
Violator is definitely my favorite DM album and probably my favorite album of all time, but It really is an 80’s record since it was practically written between 1988 and 1989.
My personal AOTD for the 90's has got to be Spiderland by Slint. This is one of those albums (like Kid A, TPAB, just to name a few) where I don't think there will ever be another album like this ever made. The five spoken word story REALLY get you thinking, and they fit perfectly with the drawn out songs that perfectly build up into chilling climaxes. The best way I can describe the emotion of this album is "cold". It is the sound of pure apathy
is there even any singing on Spiderland?? i’ve tried getting into the album, but i can’t just listen to spoken word even if it’s backed by the greatest instrumentals to grace my ears
Young Team by Mogwai, it feels like it set the template for every post-rock album to come, whilst also encapsulating everything from ambient to heavy metal and art rock. An absolute banger of an album.
I do have to say that most bands coming after Mogwai, which adopted that sorta post-rocky, tremolo picky, reverby, slowly building up in to something epic kinda style, were a lot better than Mogwai ever was. I personally prefer Explosions in the sky, This will destroy you, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, etc. Just for the fact that it just feels more thought out and less like a jam. And jeez the loud sections on Young Team are unforgiving. Like Herod still scares the shit out of me sometimes
@@gi5089 I second this. I’ve never liked Mogwai, but have enjoyed bands that put their own spin on that post-rock sound (Anathema’s album The Optimist springs to mind). Similarly, I personally much prefer “post-Radiohead” acts to Radiohead themselves.
I've discovered Talk Talk in the last three years and have become somewhat obsessed with them; their final two records and the Mark Hollis solo record are masterworks in restraint, beautiful and melancholic songwriting and amazing production value. Love seeing Laughing Stock getting a mention here.
_The Color of Spring_ is another great Talk Talk album. If you’re into albums like Laughing Stock/Spirit of Eden, check out: Bark Psychosis - _Hex_ Dirty Three - _Horse Stories_ Dirty Three - _Whatever You Love, You Are_ Dirty Three - _Ocean Songs_
@@CipherSerpico Oh yeah I adore The Colour of Spring, the opening half of the album is some of the best Talk Talk material but I’m not as excited about the last few tracks. Thank you I’ll be check them out, been on the prowl for more good music in that spirit.
@@deanbarrett5953 No problem. I’ve always wanted to find other great albums that have a similar style to Laughing Stock/Spirit of Eden-but I’ve never really been able to find a whole lot. Apart from some of the albums I named, the closest thing I can think of-is something like _Godspeed You Black Emperor._ But Godspeed doesn’t really sound anything like Talk Talk. There are just so few great albums that sound like Talk Talk’s. Are you familiar with The Verve’s albums?
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic by the Sundays is by far my favorite album of the ‘90s and one of my favorite albums of all time. They’re one of those rare bands where their first record was their best. They had such a beautiful and unique sound and no one song was the same. Harriet Wheeler’s lyricism is witty, frank, darkly observant, and compassionate and hopeful all the same. I will always thank my mother for introducing them to me.
Nine Inch Nails - Downward Spiral Anyone? Maybe not as “iconic” as other albums like Nevermind, but if we’re talking just from a perspective of raw emotional power and effective craftsmanship, I’d say it’s a good a contender as any. I think it’s pretty underrated in the discussion of “90s” music usually
Air - Moon Safari MBV - Loveless Beck - Odelay Cibo Matto - Stereotype A Ween - The Mollusk Beastie Boys - Ill Communication Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient works 85-92 Pharcyde -Bizarre Ride II Blur - Parklife Bjork - Post Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape The Prodigy - Fat of the Land Pearl Jam - Vitalogy Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness NIN - Downward Spiral Massive Attack - Mezzanine Moby - Play
Very happy to see the love for Stereotype A!! Definitely in my top 5 albums of all time, I absolutely love the vibe and energy of it and never get tired no matter how much I come back to it, a classic review of a Cibo Matto project would be amazing, I think they deserve it, the side project collaboration with members of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Skeleton Key called Butter under the name Butter 08 is an amazing punk gem thats really worth checking it out
Was hoping to see any of the first three RATM albums. Mindblowing groove, killer riffs and breakdowns, very emotional vocals filled with rage and lyricism that was waaaaay ahead of the curve.
Grace by Jeff Buckley is a masterful showcase of angelic vocal ability and genius song writing. Jeff Buckley has a unique way of grabbing the heart of the listener and holding on to it until the end of the emotional journey that each of Grace's songs embarks on. I am convinced that if he had not passed away so soon, he could have given us the second best album of the 90s too.
@@lockyp204 Nope. It’s objectively great, if not better than the 90’s. Post Punk gave us a lot of fantastic albums. Bauhaus-In the flat field/Mask SOM- First & Last & Always The Cure-Faith, Pornography, Head On The Door Siouxsie- Juju, Kaleidoscope The Cult- Love, Electric Nick Cave- Tender Prey Violent Femmes Ramones- Brain Drain DK- Fresh fruit for rotting vegetables Joy Division- Closer The Clash- Combat Rock Minimal Compact, any album Public Image Ltd The list goes on…
@@TripsX There will always be great albums in every decade. There were plenty in the 80s. The albums you’ve mentioned are mainly in the post punk/goth rock genre. Sure. That was that genre’ time. The 90s had trip hop.. Massive Attack, Portishead- a genre which wasn’t even really around in the 80s. There’s a lot more variation in output in the 90s. Nirvana, Radiohead, Soundgarden, NIN, Tool, Alice in Chains, My Bloody Valentine, Ministry, Metallica, Pantera, Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Underworld, Prodigy, Bjork, PJ Harvey, Air, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, RATM, Beck, The Chemical Brothers, Blur, Faith no more, Sonic Youth…And that’s not even really going in to Rap and Hip Hop. Sorry, nope from me, I’m 52 and listen to all the artists you mention. No doubt those artists helped inspire what happened in the 90s. And those artists and albums you mention are important. But there was a much wider scope beyond post punk, and goth rock in the 90s
"Automatic For The People" by R.E.M. deserves to be on this list. A fantastic album that still sounds as unique today as it did back in 1992. Probably my favorite album by them and one of their best records overall.
Primal Scream's Screamadelica. The way it combines elements of dance and rock music feels very forward-thinking and probably inspired several genres that had risen in the 2000s, not to mention the fact that it still sounds great after 30 years.
Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 is a dramatic and stuuning conclusion to the man's life's work, passing away just days after its first performance. I can't believe you didn't mention it as it's easily one of the finest albums of the 1890's
Can you even call yourself an “old head” if you don’t even listen to the chants of the Socii during their opposition of Rome during the 90 BCE?
Not a record.
@@anthonymusto3537 was it not released on cylinder?
@@shimmyshazmart1130 based
@@anthonymusto3537 isn't being the best of anything setting a record? Therefore best record of the 90s.
We need part 2 in this case since theres much more albums to mention.
@aloevv𖤐 lmao how am I spammer? I just comment on videos I'm interested in. Even if I have million subs doesnt mean im not watching other youtubers & regularly commenting on their vids.
@aloevv𖤐 go away
@aloevv𖤐 Why the hostility? He didn't say anything wrong, you just seem salty he's verified. Now shoo, go back to your room!
@aloevv𖤐 bruh you got more comments than him on this channel so its a little ironic don’t you think
So many*
NIN - The Downward Spiral -
It's still sounds ahead of its time, and such a complete journey from top to bottom.
The Fragile is also a classic.
I would throw The Fragile in there as well.
Yes! This is my pick as well
@@dylanarthur5526 for sure. Both god tier
I don't have one, single answer for this particular question, but TDS & 'The Fragile' are definitely essential contenders.
The downward spiral for sure. A mad mans masterpiece
Jeff Buckleys Grace was a masterpiece too and it was extremely influential for quite a handful of renowned artists like Radiohead, Damien Rice, James Blake, Muse...
Well, you don't want too much grace, or you won't be able to stand.
Myles Kennedy (mayfield four, alter bridge, slash, solo) hugely influenced by Buckley.
I think Selected Ambient Works 85-92 is another strong case as it definitely paved the way for electronic music to come
Agreed!
Defo.. my favourite
Went to the coment section to see exactly this
legit went looking for this comment
@@georgehudson9451 same
“Now That’s What I Call Music 90’s”
Should definitely get it’s props. It’s criminally underrated.
Confirmed, everything on there is music.
@@danmiller5869 It doesn’t lie to you
Facts
No "Blood Suger Sex Magic" shout breaks my heart.
I think all of Pavement’s discography was released within the 90s, absolutely slaps and perfectly encapsulates the more niche side of 90s indie.
I was hoping he would mention them. I got excited when he mentioned Silver Jews.
Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is low-key one of the most influential albums of the 90s for rock and indie, up there with Spiderland and Soundtracks for the Blind
I actually think Malkmus first solo record is as good as anything Pavement put out, and has aged better. But yeah not 90s
@@lockyp204 I agree. For me most of Malkmus's solo albums are a consistent joy. But only Pavement takes me back to the 90s.
Thanks for this. I scrolled through a lot of comments looking for mention of Pavement. They mean the 90s to me. Now I have to find some love for Guided by Voices.
grace by jeff buckley, exceptional blend of alt rock / 90s signer songwriter blessed with arguably the greatest singing voice of all time. great great great record
Most chad take I’ve seen yet
@@larskerkhof8835 liking Grace is a chad opinion? What world we do we live in where that makes any sense lol
@@123rockfan I think they mean chad in the best way. And yeah grace is flawless right the way through
I thought the production was kinda boiler plate sounding tbh
@@max_435 ok I feel old lol. Not up on my slang I guess
Outkast's Aquemini absolutely deserves a mention here. Its innovative genre fusions, thematic explorations, second-to-none lyricism, and forward-thinking production laid some serious groundwork and foreshadowed the epic hip hop odysseys that would eventually be further explored and perfected by the likes of Kendrick and Kanye.
Absolutely. I was surprised to see not even a single OutKast album mentioned. ATLiens is up there with Aquemini as one of the best albums of the 90s in my opinion.
Neverminddd
I AGREEEEEEE
Outkast and the dungeon crew are influental like very few have ever been. But id put stankonia over Aq and aq has some weak moments imo (mamacita :D) so it just seems so hard to put it in like top 5-10 of the 90s. Catalogue wise pretty much goat rap act but wouldnt pick aquemini among best of 90s
Thank you! Whats funny is that kendrick has an interview where he mentions his top 5 favoriye rappers and I was surprised he didn't mention outkast. Outkast were kendrick before kendrick was kendrick lol
I’m surprised NIN - The Downward Spiral isn’t being spoken about, I think the production is exceptional even by todays standards and Trent Reznor really pioneered into a gray area of topics such as depression, suicide, and sexual desire that inspired many other industrial or non-industrial bands to venture into the field. The tracks, especially Hurt, the title track, or Mr Self Destruct gave so many people outlets to deal with personal issues that they struggled with facing, and if Johnny Cash felt a song was worthy enough for him to cover it it is a testament to Trent’s brilliant work on the record.
Even The fragile, which is my favourite album ever
@@luke9947 nin and onizuka, based
@@luke9947fragile is a 1 hour and 47 minutes of perfection
@@untermensch731 ahahhaah thanks
Most significantly The Downward Spiral, and Nevermind before it, by delving into people's vulnerabilities and issues, provided music with a welcome and long-overdue from the godawful, tedious hard-man school bully culture that 80s metal was full of.
I think it would be cool if Anthony got around to eventually doing a top 50 or 100 albums of each decade
Top ten each year
This decade is utterly diverse, in hindsight, in regards to how many great albums there were across all genres. There's should be a part 2 or even part 3. There is so, so much more to unpack.
Best decade for music.
It really was such a wildly diverse period that doesn’t get enough credit these days. People are so reductive in their retrospective analyses, it’s criminal. In a time where people are now obsessed with genre-blending and diversity, I find it odd people look past bands of the era like Mr. Bungle and Ween, who frankly still put current bands striving for that kind of versatility to shame. I mean, Ween was basically the band that The 1979 desperately wants to be. And Mr. Bungle, I mean good god. California is maybe one of the most underrated albums, period.
@@BareBandSubscription Mr. Bungle and Ween are both 2 GOATs.
Rage against the machine- one of the greatest rock albums of all time, heavy groovy riffs and using rap-rock effectively. Also inspires the whole nu metal genre for better or worse
Nine inch nails - the downward spiral, when i think 90s this album comes to mind first. Infusing triphop, industrial, grunge, synthpop incredibly well
I prefer Battle of Los Angeles as a more complete album, but both could really fit here. I come back to those and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx more than any of those other albums.
where do you hear triphop in tds tho
@Todd Bowling I think they're great. Definitely one of my favourite bands.
Melon loves RATM, so I bet he'd agree if he did a top 25
Yes Trent Reznor is amazing. Closer is one of my favorite songs of all time.
Nas “Illmatic”
As far as a “complete album” Illmatic is the crown jewel of a golden era of hip hop. A time when hip hop was not common place at award shows or in the conversation concerning top albums of the year.
Also “ready to die” By Notorious B.I.G. Puffy is not my fav producer by any stretch but this album put him and Biggie on the map and their influence on the 90’s landscape can’t be overlooked.
“The Chronic” by Dre
Because Snoop, and funk driven west coast gangster rap that had an enormous impact on popular culture.
Some good picks there, but for me the best hip hop album of the 90's was Enter the Wu Tang
Good picks for a hip hop list but 90s overall its shortsighted to only mention hip hop acts
For hip hop, I’d say it’s a tossup between Illmatic, Midnight Marauders, The Predator, and 36 Chambers.
Those albums are def 10/10, but the best hip hop is the obscure stuff you ain’t never heard.
Have you heard of Tupac?
Can’t believe he didn’t mention The Downward Spiral, the most suicidal record to ever grace the top 40
Corny
The fact that as song a dark and vulgar as "Closer" got such regular airplay on mainstream radio and music television is certainly a testament.
@@SuzakuX
Hearing “Closer” played in between “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Girls, Girls, Girls,” at a strip club is a head-trip!
yeah, either of the Rez's full lengths from this decade belong in the conversation
@@aaravgaba7655 you corny
Albums mentioned and times:
00:35 - Nirvana - Nevermind
01:37 - Cibo Matto - Stereo Type A
02:59 - Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
03:20 - Europop - Eifel 65
03:47 - Death - Symbolic
05:12 - Pearl Jam - Ten
05:50 - Smashing Pumpkings - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
06:25 - D’angelo - Brown Sugar
07:15 - Massive Attack - Mezzanine
08:22 - Silver Jews - American Water
09:12 - Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children
09:49 - MBV - Loveless
10:58 - Chef Aid
11:00 - Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
12:12 - Radiohead - OK Computer
13:20 - Bjork - Homogenic
14:42 - Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
Album at 07:15 is Mezzanine by massive attack and 08:22 is by Silver Jews not named silver Jews
@@atomicwarlord8 just listening to Silver Jews now for the first time and came back to edit thanks for the spots 👌
So predictable
Edit: except for whomever picked the Silver Jews lp
Since Chef Aid is included, Illmatic ( 05:08 ) should probably be there as well.
@@perlundgren7797 But Chef Aid is way more influential
Dirt by Alice in Chains definitely deserves a shoutout, that album is a fucking masterpiece
hell yeah
Agreed
Rain When I Die is such a good song....
Them bones is such a fucking killer opening
My favourite band of all time 🤘🏾
Really gotta give it to OK Computer on this one. A truly enduring piece of music, and _still_ feels futuristic to this very day. Completely catapulted Radiohead to mountainous heights, and is what I'd consider *the linchpin* for how the genre would progress.
Radiohead are so brilliant that they released several albums I enjoy more than OK computer.
Futuristic?
That album is fucking boring
@@ospr88n21 lol
Why are Radiohead fans all this delusional
A few other important albums should be part of this conversation if we're getting a part 2:
- Souvlaki by Slowdive
- Selected Ambient Works 85-92 by Aphex Twin
- Spiderland by Slint
- Endtroducing by DJ Shadow
- Violator by Depeche Mode
All Of Them ⬆️
&
Manic Street Preachers ~ The Holy Bible
The Prodigy ~ Fat Of The Land
Spiritualized ~ Ladies And Gentlemen
Ride ~ Nowhere
The Whipping Boy ~ Wormheart
Sonic Youth ~ Goo
.
I feel like you’re my exact clone. I would’ve said all of those almost to a T, maybe replacing Violator with Moby’s Play or something
Hot take maybe: Selected Ambient Works 2 is better than 1
All of those records are classics
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
I don't get how "low end theory" didn't get mentioned on here, that album is an absolute masterpiece👌
100% agree
Low End Theory, Midnight Marauders, 36 Chambers... All up there.
This exact same thing
100 percent agree.
@@elijahfernandez2002 Liquid Swords and Illmatic as well.
I know Green Day gets a lot of hate these days, but Dookie definitely deserved a shoutout here. Not only is that my favorite album of all time but it's pretty much responsible for bringing pop punk into the mainstream so I suppose it's influential in one way or another. In my opinion nothing screams the 1990s more than Dookie.
Really drives home the idea for me that sometimes old music can make for some pretty killer time capsules.
Dookie is 90s classic for sure. And it's aged really well, I still love jamming to that album.
While not as monumental as Dookie, Insomniac and Nimrod both deserve some shoutouts here because they are amazing follow ups that kept their sound unique and innovative.
Lol
Dookie is still amazing. I've grown out of relating to its lyrical subjects a bit, but it's aged surprisingly well.
@@julianholland4009 90s green day is best green day and those albums are the reasons why
Was hoping for a Siamese Dream shoutout, thank you based Melon
I think melon should review your version of OKC.it's obviously a 10/10
Siamese Dream is ultimately more consistent and focused, but there is just so much to admire and respect about Mellon Collie (the fact that it’s so wildly diverse but still unified by its Pumpkins-ness, the sense of pacing so that it doesn’t exhaust you any more than such a long album has to) that I’m always happy to see it mentioned on 90’s lists.
@@davidyurch4446 Siamese Dream & Mellon Collie are both very different takes on how to approach an album, and the Pumpkins managed to nail both. They're a lot less fashionable today than some other 90's alt-rock artists (probably in part due to Billy Corgan's alt-right arc) but at their peak they really were a great band.
In terms of cohesiveness and integrity, I think Siamese Dream wins this. Disc 2 of Mellon Collie is quite weak in contrast to the first one.
@@powerslave0606 If I can just put forth a possibility, I feel that certain gripes that some people have with Mellon Collie are weaknesses that double albums just tend to have.
Specifically, the fact that the album keeps going for several songs after "X.Y.U." (which I more or less consider to be the emotional climax of the album) is, I think, a point of contention for some, especially since the songs that come after are more whimsical, experimental fare ("We Only Come Out At Night," etc.).
At the same time, though, I feel that this is true of double albums like Exile on Main Street, which for me climaxes with "Let It Loose" but still has to keep going with a run of lesser songs (in my humble opinion) on the fourth side. I would somewhat argue the same of Physical Graffiti. For me, The Beatles' White Album ends exactly when it needs to, with "Revolution 9" being the second to last song (and even then, there are plenty of people who hate that song).
Q Magazine's review of the album stated "it could easily, of course, have been whittled down to a superb, 14-song, single CD. But the point would have been lost, for this is Smashing Pumpkins’ intended equivalent of the bombastic, hubristic double-albums of the 1970s". I think Billy Corgan knew that perfection was not really in the cards for a double album, and on those terms (and again, considering what I feel are similar problems in some of the classic double albums that came before it) it's personally easier for me to excuse.
I know that's a lot of word vomit. XD
Pavement “Slanted and Enchanted”. It legitimized lo-fi indie rock with intelligence, amorphous lyrics that painted pictures, not narrate a story, and jangly nonchalant slacker hooks. It was a mystery that took years to resolve. Pixies - pick one - “Come On Pilgrim”, “Surfer Rosa”, “Bossanova”. Surrealism and extreme dynamic shifts was unsettling until you were awashed in beauty. Both bands are significant due to what they were and what they spawned.
I've listened to it several times and I just don't get the hype.
Silver Jews
Both great bands! Personally prefer crooked rain but slanted is also excellent
Damn. That's a good point. Sometimes I think of bands like Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine & Pixies as 80s/late 80s bands. But then some of their best albums kicked down the doors of the 90s. Letting Nirvana to come in smash guitars around, stealing the limelight.
Can we all agree that the 90s was an amazing decade for music? A lot of interesting changes in rock music, hip hop and electronic music were on their best moment, the neo soul movement, etc.
It was incredibly diverse, and a lot of really exciting break-down between genres (Massive Attack's Mezzanine is case and point). Also a lot of great music that's not typically considered "90s" like Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Neutral Milk Hotel.
Only really topped by the 60s
Best decade for music, imo.
@@mehmed6529 I'd say 1965 to 1975 is arguably better than the 90s (or 1995 to 2005), but for me 1990 - 2000 is better than 1960 - 1970.
Yes, so many great albums that didn’t even get mentioned in this video…Rakim’s Don’t Sweat The Technique, Helmet’s Meantime and Betty, Sepultura’s Arise, Ice Cube’s The Predator, Type O Negative’s Bloody Kisses, Life Of Agony’s River Runs Red, Soundgarden’s BadMotorFinger, Big Pun’s Capital Punishment, Brand Nubian’s In God We Trust, Public Enemy’s Fear Of A Black Planet
Pulp - Different Class
Ash - 1977
Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five
Blur - Blur
The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole
Daft Punk - Homework
DJ Shadow - Entroducing
Jeff Buckley - Grace
Leftfield - Leftism
Orbital - Insides
Placebo - Placebo
The Prodigy - Music For The Gilted Generation
Radiohead - Ok Computer
Super Furry Animals - Radiator
Unkle - Psyence Fiction
The Verve - Urban Hymns
Oasis - Morning Glory
Bjork - Post
Not saying these are the best, but these are the album's that have stuck with me through the years.
Celestial annihilation is still one of my favourite tracks ever
Decent list
Nice List, I would add Mansun's first album and it would be perfect for me hahaha
Post over Homogenic. Jilted Generation over Fat of the Land.
My personal preference too.
listen to Brian jonestown massacre
I’ve long felt the Batman Forever soundtrack is the best 90s album.
Both great options but The Crow was heads and shoulders the best soundtrack of the 90’s
Nah dawg, only the Seal song & The Smashing Pumpkins song that isn’t available on Spotify for some reason; are the only bangers.
Yeah. Still remember the Seal song from the soundtrack all these years later
It featured seal - “Kiss of a rose” right
Honestly, hit after hit. Batman makes fire mixes
Motorpsycho - Timothy's Monster
Biosphere - Substrata
Seigmen - Total
Slowdive - Souvlaki
Jeff Buckley - Grace
Underworld - Second toughest in the infants
Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
Sonic Youth - Dirty
NIN - The Fragile
Kyuss - Welcome to sky valley
Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
The God Machine - Scenes from the second storey
Stereolab - Dots and Loops
Type O Negative - World coming down
Nils Petter Molvær - Khmer
Turbonegro - Apocalypse Dudes
And most of all.. totally ahead of it's time and completely misunderstood among hipsters purely because of it's mainstream success:
Tool - Ænima
Dots and Loops ❤️❤️❤️I’m gonna listen to the ones I don’t know
Depeche Mode’s Violator would be my pick, maybe not very 90s again after all it was released in March 1990 but still a record that is all killer no filler, pretty much set the bar for all of synthpop to come, tight track listing that somehow features some of the best pop songs of all time, just immensely enjoyable all around.
Mezzanine is also a based pick though
Depeche Mode were fantastic in 90s! They really made synth-pop something else, completely destroying any competition in the genre. Also gotta love their Songs Of Faith & Devotion, which is more of a pop-rock & synth tho. It's impressive how they progressed their sound back then.
Violator is one of my favorite albums of all time, but it is in an awkward place kind of being like the climax of The '80s where the encore is the best part.
@@DaFuqBoom I'm going to have to go ahead and agree with you on that one.
Songs of Faith and Devotion is a masterpiece too
Imo the best Depeche albums are Some Great Reward, Black Celebration, Masses, with a crescendo to Violator. There's a handful of other great ones, but that streak is impeccable. The concerts were fantastic, too. BC is a lengthy LP that delivers EVERY chock full note. Imo the best synth 80s band.
PJ Harvey’s To Bring You My Love is definitely up there for me, the blends of trip hop, blues and folk on that album are still so haunting and captivating, and that’s not to mention Harvey’s stellar vocal ability and lyrics.
Couldn't agree more
I also love the borderline industrial feel of "Meet Ze Monsta" and "Long Snake Moan."
Excellent pick!
Agreed. Excellent pick. Love that she's releasing all the demos versions of her albums recently. It's been lovely revisiting all her records again.
I prefer Is this desire
Out of the albums in the Grunge catagory, i personally Believe Dirt by Alice in Chains brought something to the table , from the smooth Guitar work by Jerry Cantrell to the groovy baselines of Mike starr to the (of course) Haunting and dark vocals of Layne Staley , i believe it's one of those records in the 90s that would influence a monument of future Metal Bands and Alt Rock bands , such as Code Orange , Stone Sour and even Deftones.
I’d mention badmotorfinger too
AiC is the best grunge band but their self titled is their best, imo. Frogs, Head Creeps, Nothin Song. So many killer tracks.
Dirt is great too though. Hate to Feel and Angry Chair are fucking amazing songs.
I would put it ahead of Nevermind or In Utero in terms of just objectively being a better record (even though Nirvana was obviously more influential/impactful) but there was nothing else in rock that was as harrowing as Layne Staley's lyricism on Dirt, and as you noted its influence was felt well beyond the 90's, thirty years later.
I know it's a weird thing to say but AIC have always been underrated/sort of the underdog of the mainstream Seattle "grunge" bands. Musically probably the most talented, great fucked up lyrics, tonally unique.
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Death - Human
Tool - Ænima
At The Gates - Slaughter of the Soul
Pantera - The Great Southern Trendkill
Alice in Chains - Dirt
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Sepultura - Arise
Type O Negative - October Rust
Emperor - In the Nightside Eclipse
Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss
Soundgarden - Superunknown
White Zombie - La Sexorcisto
RATM- self titled album is still one of my favorite albums of all time, it literally never fails to get me hype. It's heavier than deathcore imo you could literally feel the anger on every track and it was sonically unique +also one of the best sounding albums (iirc it's very often used to test speakers)
I wholeheartedly agree. It's the album I've listened to the most times. The rage is unreal, especially on Settle for Nothing, Bullet in the Head and Freedom.
That’s one of those albums I wasn’t able to appreciate when I was really young. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is another. Not just because of “adult” content but because I didn’t appreciate them. Now those two are some of my favorites. Of course there are more “accessible” albums by those bands that came out from 99-on which I “got” sooner.
Their best album, and one of the best 90’s albums.
@@ecoRfan BSSM is so good! i’m not invested in the RHCP department, but it’s one of my faves from them.
@@sundogsun Another interesting fact: with the exception of 2016’s “The Getaway” all Red Hots albums since “Blood Sugar” are produced by Rick Rubin, including their new release.
If Corey Feldman did anything in the '90s, that was the best of the '90s.
Boy do I have a funky surprise for you
You out to lunch yo.
Love Left (1994) & Still Searching for Soul (1999). Both are absolutely terribl… I mean terrific records!
I think Outkast's "ATLiens" and ATCQ's "Low End Theory" and "Midnight Marauders" are all worthy contenders for how distinctly they stood out in the context of rap at the time and how their sounds had a timeless influence on succeeding generations of underground, jazz, sample-based, experimental, and Atlanta rap.
ATLiens is 🔥
ATLiens is really experimental and different for the 90s, nobody was doing that type of sound...
In terms of creative and definitive sound 100%!
Tribe has to be on this list. Pick any of their 1st 3 albums
@@chrisfuoco5474 Hell yeah! I don't know how it's viewed among general audience, but I actually really love the first album, too.
Live Through This by Hole.
One of the few Non Nirvana grunge albums where every song hits hard. The lyrics are beautiful, the production is really solid for an album of its kind and instrumentation is basically flawless. The only reason people don't talk about it as much as albums like Ten by Pearl Jam or Facelift by Alice in Chains is because of Courtney Love's bad reputation.
(also Anthony should totally do a classics review of it)
I agree. I remember this album being quite impressive. Should give it another listen.
1 MILLION PERCENT !!!
terrible cover art, great music
@MisterMooCow I mean it certainly fits the time and also the content. I guess it depicts the ugly bigotry in beauty standarts and such. It just kind of disgusts me but I guess thats just personal preference.
@MisterMooCow yeah totally. There's just something really ugly about it (and I dont mean her) I'm not eager to see in my collection on a daily basis. But that's just preference I guess.
Even though it was released at the end of the 90s, MF DOOM's Operation Doomsday is one of the best, most ESSENTIAL Hip Hop releases of the decade. It is mind blowing to consider that that album came out back in 1999 and it still sounds fresh and interesting. Not to mention that what he's doing lyrically, flow wise etc has been unmatched, even 20 years later. I won't even quote any bars because there's just too many great ones to list. And to call it influential is a massive understatement. There was never anyone else in Hip Hop, or music in general, that was exactly like Daniel Dumile, and there will never be another like him. Definitely my favorite rapper ever. And I really believe that Operation Doomsday could stand up against many of the other classic Hip Hop releases of the 90s and be considered at least equally as good if not better. Best Hip Hop Album of the 90s, other than maybe Biggie's Ready to Die.
Modest Mouse’s Long Drive epitomizes a lot of the 90s to me, the roughness especially brings me back to the era of all ages venues
Great pick!
I was hoping this album would pop up somewhere in the video but alas
Long Drive over LCW? interesting
It'd be cool a second part of this list there are some other pretty good albums such as:
Illmatic by Nas
The low end theory and Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest
Moon Safari by Air
Selected ambient works 85-92 by Aphex Twin
When the pawn... by Fiona Apple
Post by Björk
Bossanova by Pixies
13 by blur
Definitely Maybe by oasis
In utero by nirvana
Entroducing.... by DJ shadow
Baduizm by Erykah Badu
Janet by Janet Jackson
Dummy by Portishead
36 Chambers by Wu-tang clan
The downward spiral by Nine inch nails
Grace by Jeff Buckley
Achtung baby by U2
Love deluxe by Sade
Maxwell's urban hang suite by Maxwell
Aquemini by Outkast
Either/or by Elliott Smith
In the aeroplane over the sea by neutral milk hotel
Dots and Loops by Stereolab
Bocanada by Gustavo Cerati
Dynamo by Soda stereo
The bends by radiohead
Rage?
Ritual De Lo Habitual.
Yeah! Nice Bocanada shout-out!!!
The Bends gets overlooked.
anything by oasis and soda it's perfect
I would say Fiona Apple "Tidal" is a contender.
It's such a beautiful, sad honest approach to contemporary jazz with pop and alt rock sensibility.
Love this album. The mixing on it is fantastic as well. I think most people pigeon-holed her after the "Criminal" video as a pop waif but she is a steamroller.
I would go with When the Pawn over Tidal, but I love them both!
I was hoping for If You're Feeling Sinister to make it on here cause that is a perfect comfort album and despite being critically acclaimed I don't see enough people talk about it. Was a bit surprised that ITAOTS didn't show up ik it has a infamous reputation on the internet which sadly causes some people to not take the record to seriously but that album is musical perfection.
Both of those albums would be in my top 5 for just lyrics alone
Oddly missing:
Skinny Puppy - Too Dark Park
Curve - Doppelgänger
Faith No More - Angel Dust
NIN - The Downward Spiral (and The Fragile)
KMFDM - Nihil
Tool - Aenima
Dir en grey - Gauze
Madonna - Ray of Light
The Prodigy - The Fat of the Land
Korn - Self Titled
Malice Mizer - Merveilles
Sneaker Pimps - Becoming X
SKINNY PUPPY. Jesus Christ I feel like this band pretty much never gets the cred they deserve, never even heard Fantano mention em once although maybe he did somewhere and I missed it. In the context of 90s music they got waaaay overshadowed by NIN despite laying the groundwork for NIN's sound and electroindustrial in general. Too Dark Park fucking slays, easily one of their greatest.
Shout out to Sneaker Pimps!
KMDFM is fucking incredible, would also include Symbols
Becoming X goes so fucking hard. Infinite replay value on that one
Becoming X is easily one of the best records from the 90s. So underrated .
Mezzanine is arguably my favorite album ever, and when I first heard "Teardrop" in 1999 (a year after the album's release), it hit me at a very vulnerable time in my life as a 12-year-old recovering from my mother's death, and it opened me up to not only getting interested in music again, but to try to actively search it out. Even outside of those personal leanings, I'm still blown away at how ageless it sounds and how masterful the production is. This could come out today and still make a splash.
I agree, and strangely enough I can also relate to being moved by Teardrop a shortwhile after my mom died. I probably heard Mezzanine for the first time when I was 13 in 2006, though. My mom died when I was 20, and either that or the next year at Electric Forest an artist named Alison Wonderland played a mashup of Teardrop and Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers. That day also happened to be my mom's birthday. Man, I ugly cried in the middle of that crowd. May you be peaceful and well.
who is going to argue with you that its not your favorite album
Teardrop is an amazing song 👏
Mazzanine is the greatest album of all time
It is a great album, still listen to it often. Angel is one of my favorite intro songs of any album, the build up is awesome.
Portishead Dummy, Massive Attack Protection and Tricky Maxinquaye all released within a few months of each other. I loved them all but Tricky Maxinquaye was and still is my favourite from that early trip hop era.
I salute you 🫡! Maxinquaye is my #1 through all the genres I adore. Tricky’s whole discography is interesting and surprising though not always consistently good. But experimenting always wins in my book
Beck's Odelay is my favorite album of the 90's. It's such an inventive, fun and thrilling listen, I just can't get enough. Another pick would be Pulp's Different Class.
Nice pick
Yeah great call, Odelay definitely a top 90's album no doubt.
It’s sad that Loser is the only song from Odelay that anyone knows
@@treyebillups8602 that’s off Mellow Gold. Where It’s At is the famous Odelay song.
@@treyebillups8602 Wipe away those tears. It's not even on Odelay.
Even though it might not be the most influential but Acid Bath's When the Kite String Pops is basically a amalgamation of a wide variety of Metal and Rock sounds of the 90s and just an all around amazing Sludge album.
that's exactly what I said once to my friends and I got a lot of shit for it. this is the essential guitar music of the 90s, no doubt
See, you get it! I'm an industrial person, I have listened to a lot of heavy, dark shit over the years, and none of it was as hard as either acid bath record.
Man I adore When the Kite string pops.
It's good to know their are other people who also like this album. There's just something about it. I mean the album is animalistic and aggressive while being but also so creepy, but somehow worm, nostalgic and fuzy at the same time. Kinda like some tainted childhood memory (at least for me personally). I'm not even a big sludge guy and I love it.
Stereolab's dot and loops is an easy win for me. Stereolabs discography in general is solid but this ablum in particular is just amazing in every sense of the world. Not one bad track on it and its easy blend of all these different genre's just make it pure gold imo. Sigur rós - Ágætis byrjun is up there as well
stereolab should be talked about more. d&l is gorgeous
God that album is so good.
I would give some love for “Emperor Tomato Ketchup” as well.
Shoehaze fan for life
I think _Byrjun_ tends to be considered a 2000 album because it was released right at the end of the decade.
Thank you so much for pointing the way to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. I had never listened to that album before I watched this, but their sound, similar to Smashing Pumpkin's Gish, is wonderful and surreal in a way. Almost like living through the early nineties all over again in a brief moment. I don't know about the entire 90s but for 91 though 95, That's the sound. That's the feel. Only those who lived it, know it. Thank you.
The Prodigy - Fat Of The Land comes to mind. That album is still so unique and energizes me to this day.
FIRESTARTER
The experience and music for the jilted generation too
@@Jazzfunkmaster well to be fair, Always Outnumbered and Invaders Must Die are also excellent. Every single one of those albums are great.
MFTJG was slightly better
The two before that were better.
Hell yeah, respect to the guy who suggested Symbolic
Such a badass album with great riffs, solos, pummeling drums… I’m not a big fan of death metal but that album speaks to me in a way no other does
Death are so fucking good and Symbolic is definitely one of, if not, their best
I actually prefer everything before that album, but it's definitely more accessible for people who aren't really into death metal.
The 90s was such a crazy time for metal with progressive and psychedelic influences getting applied to these pretty extreme and heavy genres for the first time. Cynics focus being another great "extreme" metal album with big time pop, psychedelic and prog elements.
Probably their best album, it developed the technical prog aspect of Human & Individual Thought Patterns while laying the groundwork for Sound Of Perseverance. Chuck Schuldiner was a genius
@@scoobyyubidoo9700 I love all of Human and ITP but scream bloody gore and spiritual healing just doesn’t do much for me…
My guitar teacher, Bobby Koelble, was a member of Death and was the other guitarist on Symbolic, along with Chuck(duh). Even though I'm not huge on death metal, Symbolic is definitely an important album in its evolution, the guitar playing and musicianship is stellar and the songs definitely hit hard.
dude that’s amazing
That's awesome! He's got some really cool and unique leads on that album
Bobby did a couple of guitar solos on my bands upcoming full length album! They sound incredible. He’s an awesome dude
Legimitely surprised nobody mentioned The Mollusk by Ween , in my opinion their best album and also one of the best of the 90's and arguably one of the most influential albums of all time because it inspired the creation of one of the most impotant cartoons of all time.
The production on The Mollusk is absolutely immaculate, everything sounds so crisp, clean, pristine, colorful and vibrant. From the gorgeous sound of "The Mollusk", to the heavy waltz rhythms and submarine guitar tones of "Polka Dot Tail", to the psychedelic acoustic ambience of "Mutilated Lips" and so on.
The songwriting on this thing is also peak Ween. The Mollusk, Polka Dot Tail, Mutilated Lips, The Blarney Stone, Its Gonna Be (Alright), The Golden Eel, Cold Blows The Wind, Buckingham Green and of course Ocean Man, all of these songs present such strong and catchy motifs, so many colorful and beautiful instrumental arrangements and fantastic peformances, specially Gener who brings some of his most charismatic perfomances.
One of the many gems of 90's Ween and imo one of the best albums of that decade.
No love for Cocteau Twins' "Heaven or Las Vegas"?
Goat album . Best album of the dreampop / Shoegaze scene . Yes , even better than loveless.
I mean, he did a CLASSIC Review for the album earlier this month. What more could he say about it here?
I was feanin so hard to see it in this video, one of the best albums of the decade even if it was out the first year
Gonna need some Alice In Chains love up in here. Layne Staley's vocals were immense, haunting and captivating.
Ikr where is Dirt or Jar Of Flies
@@StatesEdge Both great. But Dirt is a masterpiece to me
Dirt definitely deserved a shout out😭
@@shannonbayley3684 agreed
Mellon Collie and Nevermind hold a very special place in my heart from basically being the albums that opened my eyes to the grunge rock genre of music. Me being a 17 year old that didn’t get to experience that era, I’m glad that these albums and many more 90s rock albums I have since listened to have been able to give me a taste of what the 90s era had to offer. Great video Anthony.
Well, as someone who was about your age when Mellon Collie came out, I just have to say enjoy the exploration, it will be amazing. Also, listen to "Gish" if you haven't already
You should listen to Melvins - Houdini if you haven't already
Color and shape - foo fighters
Facelift- Alice In Chains
Dirt- Alice In Chains
The black album- metallica
Superunknown- sound garden
All these albums def deserve recognition for the best of the 90s
C&S yes
Facelift ehh
Dirt yes
TBA meh
Superunknown yes
I needed at least one person to say color and the shape
Pavement’s _Slanted & Enchanted_ is a strong contender. One of the most charming albums of the 90s.
that and/or CRCR
I was waiting for Crooked rain to show up !!!
Ice, Baby.. I saw your girlfriend
She was eating her fingers like they were just another meal
pixies’ bossanova should also be held in consideration. the album is straight to the point, all killer no filler, and holds nothing back. it’s simultaneously beautiful, heavy, thrashy, and weird. just a rock-solid record. it’s in my top 10 all-time
Yasss. Good pick.
Yes. Their most underrated album. I love the blend of space rock and surf music, and while a couple of the songs are a bit weaker in quality, the highs are ridiculous. “Ana” might be my favorite Pixies song.
Great album. The Happening is one of their best songs.
Was looking for this comment
Mostly agree, but I'd include Trompe Le Monde (also 90s). To my ears it's a bit stronger.
The Lonesome Crowded West deserves a place for sure. Very few albums have came close to the quality that Isaac Brock and the band bring in TLCW
Yes. The Modest Mouse shout outs are great.
Best Albums of the 90’s Hands Down:
Massive Attack- Mezzanine
Nick Cave- Let Love In
SOM- Some Girls Wander By Mistake
Rage Against The Machine debut
Prodigy- The Fat Of The Land
Portishead- Dummy
Sonic Youth- Goo
Nirvana- Nevermind
Manu Chao- Clandestino
No Doubt- Tragic Kingdom
Alice in Chains "Dirt" should be mentioned. Start to finish, it is easily one of top 10 albums of 90's.
It's obvious this guy is a "Nerd" wannabe.
100% true
If you are exclusively into grunge, yes, otherwise, no!
@@miguelrosado6348 I think you can make a case regardless of genre honestly. It is time piece of the decade. It actually has aged much better than most of so called "grunge" bands but AiC is not really "Grunge" album anyway. Grunge has more do with geographical location of where bands came out of than actual true genre style.
@@robertheaney1685 That is not true at all. You just need to hear the rock music that existed before the 90s and grunge to see that it is a style characterised by specific elements like the combination of heavy metal and punk riffs with melodies that only existed in pop music until then.
The guitars have a very specific dirty sound influenced by punk but so unique that has been parodied in shitloads of youtube videos. Of course that some bands sounded more grungy than others: Pearl Jam sounded more rock-pop, Nirvana more punk, Soundgarden more psychedelic, but they all have a grunge aesthetic and thematic that united them.
Illmatic is one of the greatest rap albums of all time, absolutely deserves to be on here.
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Vol 1. One of the most original debut records of all time. No one sounded like this before him, and no one has managed to sound like him since.
Ones I actually heard in the 90s and still enjoy today:
Suede -Dog Man Star
Mazzy Star-Among my Swan
Pulp - A Different Class
Portishead - Dummy
Massive Attack - Mezanine
Manic Street Preachers - Holy Bible
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzy
PJ Harvey - To bring you my love
Deftones - Adrenaline
Bjork - Debut
Prodigy - Music for the jilted generation
NIN - Downward Spiral
Nirvana - In Utero
Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion
Breeders - Last splash
Good call on The Breeders. I'd forgotten that one.
Id add the first Veruca Salt album
EXCELLENTCHOICE ON FUZZY. MASSIVELY UNDERRATED
Fuzzy is excellent
Fugazi released, like, five of the best albums of the 90s. Arguably the top five, actually.
Sad that Red Machine not recognized in the chat
My pick would have been: Ween - Chocolate & Cheese. Great, eclectic songs that also reflect this weird Nickelodeon-Style-Quirkiness the 90s had.
good choice but the mollusk is better
Mollusk better I fear…
You're all wrong... its The Pod
@@rossprior It's definitely The Pod
No mollusk no SpongeBob, no SpongeBob no fantano cuz his mom would have never met hasseloff and squirted out this melon
For me it will always be: The Verve - Urban Hymns
It was THE sound of the 90's
For Hip-hop, Illmatic & The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill are some of the most impactful projects of the 90's. I don't know where would Hip-hop be if it wasn't for both of those albums.
In the same place. Lauryn Hill influenced R&B artists more so than Hip Hop. Hip Hop went in the direction of Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Trina and Missy Elliott.
@@davidb5205 most female rappers of today quota lauryn as a huge inspiration
And Fugees the score.
Souls of Mischief
And The Chronic started a whole new fucking subgenre (g-funk) that mostly ruled Hip Hop for around 15 years after that and is still relevant today. It launched Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and Dr. Dre's solo careers
my pick would have to be grace by jeff buckley. the emotive vocals, grandiose arrangements that blend psychedelic, jazz, and hard rock, and heartfelt lyrics sang over gorgeous melodies, all culminate to make a near perfect album.
My pick too!
For me it's Olivia Tremor Control's "Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One". I know it's psychedelic and rooted in the sounds of times long past but in terms of what album meant the most to be, it's that one, and a statement of uconditional love, positivity and wholesomeness.
Underrated.
Ayyy didn't expect Olivia Tremor to get a shoutout but hell yeah. I prefer Dusk at Cubist Castle but I'll take what I can get hahaha
If E6 gets brought up at all though, NMH would be the more obvious point of reference. Not that the two are even comparable but yknow
My top 10 of the 90s:
1. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
2. Radiohead - OK Computer
3. Slint - Spiderland
4. Slowdive - Souvlaki
5. Low - I Could Live in Hope
6. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F♯ A♯ ∞
7. Alice in Chains - Dirt
8. Codeine - The White Birch
9. Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
10. Bowery Electric - Beat
Slint is super underrated
Blur's 13 definitely deserves a mention - i feel like it's overshadowed by their earlier britpop-y stuff but this album is packed full of noise and experimentation and still comes out the other side as an enjoyable and thought-provoking record
Was waiting for this comment. Total facts.
Really like Trimm Trabb and Caramel from that record
"No Distance Left to Run" gets me every time. That album has a special place in my heart. "1992" is another favorite. Maybe I'm biased because that's my birth year, lol.
Agreed.
Battle still gets me every time
The amount of electronic albums mentioned is criminally low. Here's just a small sample of the earthshattering brilliance that came out of the various 90's electronic scenes:
• Homework by Daft Punk
• SAW 85-92 by Aphex Twin
• Substrata by Biosphere
• 94diskont by Oval
• Tri Repetae by Autechre
• Violator by Depeche Mode
• Endtroducing by DJ Shadow
• Orbital 2 by Orbital
And that's just scratching the surface!
orbital yes THANK YOU
@@quickestscoped7603 IT'S SO GOOD
Orbital! Yes thank you
Love the Orbital mention. 99's Middle of Nowhere is one of my all-time favourite albums too.
All mediocre EDM is in its prime now it was garbage in the 90s.
This is probably recency bias since I only got into it a couple weeks ago, but Mazzy Stars So Tonight That I May See is up there for me. Such a beautiful album with an interesting blend of styles and genres that I hadn't heard before
That album was so important to me when it came out
Either/Or is a devastating and gut punching thesis of sadness and despair. Elliott really displays his vocal and guitar chops while making you feel things you'll never forget.
IMO.. XO > Either/Or
@PoodleTartare XO is excellent, but Either/Or just occupies a very special place in my heart.
So based. Honestly any of his 90's albums could be mentioned
Oh my GOD, I used to listen to Boards of Canada in high school but I completely forgot about their existence for like ten years until just now. I LOVE Music Has the Right to Children. My mind is blown right now. Wondering what other amazing music I have forgotten about. That album had so much significance at the time. What an incredible rediscovery.
What exactly does the name of that album mean?
music has the right to children is SO GOOD.
@@ShinyFlakesShinyFlakes orange
@@Descro382 orange
Lonesome Crowded West absolutely blew my mind when I was 16 and it is still one of those albums that I listen to at least once a month and each listen I have a new favorite track. Especially if you grew up in a smaller city and watched it all grow into a big city
its one of my obligatory roadtrip albums, along with This is a Long Drive. both also among my favs of all time. MM is the best
@@channelname5345 oh man I remember being in high school and my friends and I just driving throughout Colorado over the weekends and just listen to both albums and everything just feeling alright haha.
I completely agree, it’s certainly made for a very certain archetype, but for us who fit into said archetype this is an absolute 10/10 album
Easily would be my pick for favorite from the 90’s
I have an incredibly hard time picking between Long Drive and Lonesome. Both are phenomenal albums and have been strong mainstays in my music collection for years. (I'd put The Moon & Antarctica above both of them but of course it was released in 2000 so not relevant to the 90s)
Coming from Australia; I feel Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' has really shaped the Australian Indie Rock scene since it came out in 1994
'Grace' deserved a mention.
Facts
Stupidly influential on Aussie music this one. Great call.
Man i cant believe Jeff Buckley singlehandedly influenced the indie rock track 'Dance Monkey' by the incredible vocalist Tones and I, that way too many people sleep on
@@samuelc.vanlalthlana8690 Hahahaha!!! Tones & I is an accident that no Australian understands 🤣
Talk Talk Laughing Stock is a good one as well. Forgot it came out in the 90s. A big influence on Radiohead and a great example of how to use space.
Gd dude good choice 👌
I'm not a huge fan of the post rock genre they would go onto influence a decade later but I regard talk talk spirit of Eden one of my all time favourites! Maybe 2nd to bjork homogenic ! So many surprises on both those albums, you always discover something new with each listen
My pick would be Blood Sugar Sex Magik, mabye some of that is nostalgia but I do think its a really good album, very funky catchy with great production
Californication
BSSM is good, but far from the best of the 90s.
@@jugularstab top 25 for sure
@@jugularstab its at least 25 imo
@@jugularstab I personally think jts up there but again, I grew up listening to them so
Love seeing Melon actively avoid talking about In The Aeroplane Over the Sea for 16 minutes straight
He avoided talking about it but it's the correct answer
one of the worst albums of all time
@@medievaldad9537 L
I LOVE YOU JESUS CHRIST JESUS CHRIST I LOVE YOU YES I DO
Semen stains the mountaintops
No Grace by Jeff Buckley crushed my soul that’s easily one of the best albums of the 90s and ever tbh rip Jeff
def in my top 5
The Pixies helped changed music for me in the 80's the way Nirvana apparently did for everyone else in the 90's.
completely agree, big fan of the pixies.
Yes the pixies and stone roses got things started into the 90s
Grace by Jeff Buckley is my overall pick. It's a nigh-perfect album and still holds up incredibly well.
I would also say Dirt by Alice in Chains is the best Grunge album of the 90s and not Nevermind.
Tidal by Fiona Apple is also one of my favorites from the 90s. Rid of Me by PJ Harvey. Dummy by Portishead. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel. Silver Apples of the Moon by Laika. Things Fall Apart by The Roots. Soundtracks for the Blind by Swans. Either/Or by Elliott Smith. Focus by Cynic. Spooky by Lush...
you're the first I've seen to mention itaots. For sure deserves to be on the list
Agreed on Jeff Buckley. It's a phenomenal album. There are other 90s albums that I'd prefer to listen to and listen to more frequently, but the all-around skill and range on that one album is incredible. Not sure any other album in the 90s can top it in that regard.
@@All5Horizons as someone who hasn’t really listened to Jeff Buckley, what do you think separates him as an artist? I’ve seen a lot of praise for him online so I’d love to know!
solid album choices
Jeff Buckley owned 'In Utero' by Nirvana in his collection. AIC were great as well too.
I implore everyone to go listen to Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. The Smashing Pumpkins are not the most relevant band anymore, but this album is really them at their peak. A 28-song double album that doesn't get boring or feels too long is a rarity.
couldnt agree more
The bsides for Mellon Collie are also extremely good. The Aeroplane Flies High and Pennies are awesome songs.
It's a great album. So many favourites. I do prefer Siamese dream tho but they're both solid records.
hi, just correcting a little error in your comment - it does get boring at times
@@mutate34 It's not an error, it's my opinion. You can disagree with it if you want to, though.
Violator by Depeche Mode would be my sleeper pick. Even though it didn't have as much influence as other albums throughout the 90's, I think the album represented the peak of 80's new wave/synth pop, and sort of acted as a grand finale for those genres, while still sounding incredibly fresh and innovative by combining DM's signature production style with elements of alt-rock and even hip-hop.
I feel like Depeche Mode did the most influence on electronic & dance music in their 85-90s era. They've also reached the top of synth-pop. Some acts like New Order & Pet Shop Boys were quite great but they never had body of work like Depeche Mode. I feel like a lot of techno, dark-wave & synthwave acts simply wouldn't exist if not Depeche Mode. They were also one of the only who had success on Indie label in 80s, and managed to break through the commercial wall surrouned by some not good 80s dance pop. They didn't necessarily created genres, but they've provided a sound that's unreplacable, and you can instantly recognize their influence.
I'll take Ultra over Violator, both because I think it's a better album and because Violator still has a significantly 80s synthpop sound where Ultra leans heavily on triphop and alternative rock noises for its overall tone.
@@MikoSquiz Ultra is my second favorite DM record behind SOFAD. The dark yet eclectic sounds on SOFAD and the dark yet beautiful sounds on Ultra is a mark of amazing production. And the songwriting and singing was no joke either; Gahan's best performances are easily on those two albums alone
Violator is definitely my favorite DM album and probably my favorite album of all time, but It really is an 80’s record since it was practically written between 1988 and 1989.
My personal AOTD for the 90's has got to be Spiderland by Slint. This is one of those albums (like Kid A, TPAB, just to name a few) where I don't think there will ever be another album like this ever made. The five spoken word story REALLY get you thinking, and they fit perfectly with the drawn out songs that perfectly build up into chilling climaxes. The best way I can describe the emotion of this album is "cold". It is the sound of pure apathy
is there even any singing on Spiderland?? i’ve tried getting into the album, but i can’t just listen to spoken word even if it’s backed by the greatest instrumentals to grace my ears
@@undergroundkingz7969 It alternates between singing and spoken word
Young Team by Mogwai, it feels like it set the template for every post-rock album to come, whilst also encapsulating everything from ambient to heavy metal and art rock. An absolute banger of an album.
I do have to say that most bands coming after Mogwai, which adopted that sorta post-rocky, tremolo picky, reverby, slowly building up in to something epic kinda style, were a lot better than Mogwai ever was. I personally prefer Explosions in the sky, This will destroy you, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, etc. Just for the fact that it just feels more thought out and less like a jam. And jeez the loud sections on Young Team are unforgiving. Like Herod still scares the shit out of me sometimes
@@gi5089 I second this. I’ve never liked Mogwai, but have enjoyed bands that put their own spin on that post-rock sound (Anathema’s album The Optimist springs to mind). Similarly, I personally much prefer “post-Radiohead” acts to Radiohead themselves.
@@MaxBennie i should add that I do heavily RESPECT Mogwai, since they sounded like every postrock band ever, before postrock was even a thing, really
@@MaxBennie You like Muse over Radiohead? Coldplay? Travis? What are we talking here
@@Dehangus Steven Wilson, Anathema, The Pineapple Thief, that sort of thing. Post-progressive stuff.
The way Spiderland plays with tension and pulls you around in a bunch of different directions is truly awe-inspiring
I've discovered Talk Talk in the last three years and have become somewhat obsessed with them; their final two records and the Mark Hollis solo record are masterworks in restraint, beautiful and melancholic songwriting and amazing production value. Love seeing Laughing Stock getting a mention here.
_The Color of Spring_ is another great Talk Talk album.
If you’re into albums like Laughing Stock/Spirit of Eden, check out:
Bark Psychosis - _Hex_
Dirty Three - _Horse Stories_
Dirty Three - _Whatever You Love, You Are_
Dirty Three - _Ocean Songs_
@@CipherSerpico Oh yeah I adore The Colour of Spring, the opening half of the album is some of the best Talk Talk material but I’m not as excited about the last few tracks. Thank you I’ll be check them out, been on the prowl for more good music in that spirit.
@@deanbarrett5953 No problem.
I’ve always wanted to find other great albums that have a similar style to Laughing Stock/Spirit of Eden-but I’ve never really been able to find a whole lot.
Apart from some of the albums I named, the closest thing I can think of-is something like _Godspeed You Black Emperor._
But Godspeed doesn’t really sound anything like Talk Talk. There are just so few great albums that sound like Talk Talk’s.
Are you familiar with The Verve’s albums?
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic by the Sundays is by far my favorite album of the ‘90s and one of my favorite albums of all time. They’re one of those rare bands where their first record was their best. They had such a beautiful and unique sound and no one song was the same. Harriet Wheeler’s lyricism is witty, frank, darkly observant, and compassionate and hopeful all the same. I will always thank my mother for introducing them to me.
Nine Inch Nails - Downward Spiral
Anyone?
Maybe not as “iconic” as other albums like Nevermind, but if we’re talking just from a perspective of raw emotional power and effective craftsmanship, I’d say it’s a good a contender as any. I think it’s pretty underrated in the discussion of “90s” music usually
Air - Moon Safari
MBV - Loveless
Beck - Odelay
Cibo Matto - Stereotype A
Ween - The Mollusk
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient works 85-92
Pharcyde -Bizarre Ride II
Blur - Parklife
Bjork - Post
Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape
The Prodigy - Fat of the Land
Pearl Jam - Vitalogy
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
NIN - Downward Spiral
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Moby - Play
@@jd1800 Sick burn!
LET’S AGREE: We were all sad not hearing a bass intro
Very happy to see the love for Stereotype A!! Definitely in my top 5 albums of all time, I absolutely love the vibe and energy of it and never get tired no matter how much I come back to it, a classic review of a Cibo Matto project would be amazing, I think they deserve it, the side project collaboration with members of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Skeleton Key called Butter under the name Butter 08 is an amazing punk gem thats really worth checking it out
I would k i l l to see Fantano review Stereotype A or even Hotel Valentine
Was hoping to see any of the first three RATM albums. Mindblowing groove, killer riffs and breakdowns, very emotional vocals filled with rage and lyricism that was waaaaay ahead of the curve.
The first and second are 10s
All 3 are excellent but I'd go with Evil Empire as the one that stands above the rest.
@@Splifftone really hope they one day release another album. Especially of the same calibre
Unfortunately it’s impossible, with the bullshit that Tom Morello is doing now
Grace by Jeff Buckley is a masterful showcase of angelic vocal ability and genius song writing. Jeff Buckley has a unique way of grabbing the heart of the listener and holding on to it until the end of the emotional journey that each of Grace's songs embarks on. I am convinced that if he had not passed away so soon, he could have given us the second best album of the 90s too.
Doesn’t matter what genre. The 90s was epic. Reading through everybody’s suggestions, there’s seriously at least 50 astonishing albums. What a decade
The 80’s was just as good
@@TripsX Yeah not really. But that’s your opinion.
@@lockyp204
Nope. It’s objectively great, if not better than the 90’s. Post Punk gave us a lot of fantastic albums.
Bauhaus-In the flat field/Mask
SOM- First & Last & Always
The Cure-Faith, Pornography, Head On The Door
Siouxsie- Juju, Kaleidoscope
The Cult- Love, Electric
Nick Cave- Tender Prey
Violent Femmes
Ramones- Brain Drain
DK- Fresh fruit for rotting vegetables
Joy Division- Closer
The Clash- Combat Rock
Minimal Compact, any album
Public Image Ltd
The list goes on…
@@TripsX There will always be great albums in every decade. There were plenty in the 80s. The albums you’ve mentioned are mainly in the post punk/goth rock genre. Sure. That was that genre’ time. The 90s had trip hop.. Massive Attack, Portishead- a genre which wasn’t even really around in the 80s. There’s a lot more variation in output in the 90s. Nirvana, Radiohead, Soundgarden, NIN, Tool, Alice in Chains, My Bloody Valentine, Ministry, Metallica, Pantera, Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Underworld, Prodigy, Bjork, PJ Harvey, Air, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, RATM, Beck, The Chemical Brothers, Blur, Faith no more, Sonic Youth…And that’s not even really going in to Rap and Hip Hop. Sorry, nope from me, I’m 52 and listen to all the artists you mention. No doubt those artists helped inspire what happened in the 90s. And those artists and albums you mention are important. But there was a much wider scope beyond post punk, and goth rock in the 90s
"Automatic For The People" by R.E.M. deserves to be on this list.
A fantastic album that still sounds as unique today as it did back in 1992. Probably my favorite album by them and one of their best records overall.
1000% YES!
very much agree
I agree, and I would also mention Out of Time among 90s classics
@@rocketimpossible5196 Out of Time definitely has some classics on it!
And New Adventures on Hi-Fi
Primal Scream's Screamadelica. The way it combines elements of dance and rock music feels very forward-thinking and probably inspired several genres that had risen in the 2000s, not to mention the fact that it still sounds great after 30 years.
Also that album cover is so good.