I was flattered and humbled by the mostly positive comments to my response to Rolling Stone’s “The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far.” Assuming this engagement is any indication for some follow-up posts, I did promise to compile a list of top albums of the past few decades. The irony is not lost on me: Despite my gripes and reservations with this way of ranking art, I have now become a list guy. We are all slaves to online metrics, I suppose.
So next up us my top albums of the ‘90s and moving backwards each decade from there. As a preemptive full disclosure, these lists will be purely subjective, so there will be plenty of classic albums that don’t appear here—this doesn’t mean that I don’t acknowledge their cultural impact or artistic influence, they just don’t resonate with me on a subjective level (I.e., Hole’s Live Through This).
Rather than belaboring my dear readers with thousands of words with reviews of each album or bogging you down with a behemoth multi-month series, I figured the discussion format would be the optimal forum for debating or swapping album recommendations in real time.
Let’s get to it.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: 125: So Tonight that I May See - Mazzy Star (1993) 124: New Adventures in Hi-Fi - R.E.M. (1996) 123: The Natural Bridge - Silver Jews (1996) 122: To Bring You My Love - PJ Harvey (1995) 121: Mecca and the Soul Brother - Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth (1992) 120: Wish - The Cure (1992) 119: Goo - Sonic Youth (1990) 118: Check Your Head - Beastie Boys (1992) 117: Buhloone Mindstate - De La Soul (1993) 116: Uchu Nippon Setagaya (宇宙 日本 世田谷) - Fishmans (1997) 115: Painful - Yo La Tengo (1993) 114: Good Morning Spider - Sparklehorse (1998) 113: Regulate…G Funk Era - Warren G (1994) 112: This is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About - Modest Mouse (1996) 111: Mystic Stylez - Three-6 Mafia (1995) 110: Murder Ballads - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (1996) 109: Emperor Tomato Ketchup - Stereolab (1996) 108: System of a Down - System of a Down (1998) 107: Illadelph Halflife - The Roots (1996) 106: Portishead - Portishead (1997) 106: Bone Machine - Tom Waits (1992) 104: 93 ’til Infinity - Souls of Mischief (1993) 103: The Bends - Radiohead (1995) 102: Slanted and Enchanted - Pavement (1992) 101: Death Certificate - Ice Cube (1991)
100-91: 100: De La Soul is Dead - De La Soul (1991) 99: F♯A♯∞ - Godspeed You! Black Emperor (1997) 98: Around the Fur - Deftones (1997) 97: Midnite Vultures - Beck (1999) 96: Summerteeth - Wilco (1999) 95: Chocolate and Cheese - Ween (1994) 94: Ill Communication - Beastie Boys (1994) 93: Capital Punishment - Big Pun (1998) 92: Evil Empire - Rage Against the Machine (1996) 91: Blue Lines - Massive Attack (1991)
90-81: 90: One in a Million - Aaliyah (1996) 89: Tidal - Fiona Apple (1996) 88: Midnight Marauders - A Tribe Called Quest (1993) 87: Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous - Big L (1995) 86: Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind (1997) 85: Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde - The Pharcyde (1992) 84: Time Out of Mind - Bob Dylan (1997) 83: 2001 - Dr. Dre (1999) 82: Ænima - Tool (1996) 81: Selected Ambient Works 85-92 - Aphex Twin (1992)
80-71: 80: Baduizm - Erykah Badu (1997) 79: Stratosphere - Duster (1998) 78: Mule Variations - Tom Waits (1999) 77: It’s Dark and Hell is Hot - DMX (1998) 76: Either/Or - Elliot Smith (1997) 75: Ridin’ Dirty - UGK (1996) 74: I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One - Yo La Tengo (1997) 73: Soul Food - Goodie Mob (1995) 72: Dig Me Out - Sleater-Kinney (1997) 71: The Mollusk - Ween (1997)
70-61: 70: Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space - Spiritualized (1997) 69: Exile in Guyville - Liz Phair (1993) 68: Moment of Truth - Gang Starr (1998) 67: Operation: Doomsday (Complete) - MF Doom (1999) 66: Keep It Like a Secret - Built to Spill (1999) 65: Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Blackstar - Black Star (1998) 64: AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted - Ice Cube (1990) 63: Homework - Daft Punk (1997) 62: Reasonable Doubt - Jay-Z (1996) 61: The Score - Fugees (1996)
60-51: 60: Doggystyle - Snoop Dogg (1993) 59: ATLiens - OutKast (1996) 58: LONG SEASON - Fishmans (1996) 57: All Eyez on Me - 2Pac (1996) 56: American Football - American Football (1999) 55: Black on Both Sides - Mos Def (1999) 54: Entroducing..... - DJ Shadow (1996) 53: Souvlaki - Slowdive (1993) 52: Brown Sugar - D’Angelo (1995) 51: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… - Raekwon (1995)
50-41: 50: The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails (1994) 49: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - Lucinda Williams (1998) 48: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain - Pavement (1994) 47: If You’re Feeling Sinister - Belle and Sebastian (1996) 46: Moon Safari - Air (1998) 45: Things Fall Apart - The Roots (1999) 44: In Utero - Nirvana (1993) 43: 69 Love Songs - The Magnetic Fields (1999) 42: Elliot Smith - Elliot Smith (1995) 41: Music Has the Right to Children - Boards of Canada (1998)
40-31: 40: Ironman - Ghostface Killah (1996) 39: American Recordings - Johnny Cash (1994) 38: The Infamous - Mobb Deep (1995) 37: Odelay - Beck (1996) 36: Loveless - my bloody valentine (1991) 35: Homogenic - Björk (1997) 34: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Smashing Pumpkins (1995) 33: Automatic for the People - R.E.M. (1992) 32: Aquemini - OutKast (1998) 31: American Water - Silver Jews (1998)
30-21: 30: Violator - Depeche Mode (1990) 29: The Chronic - Dr. Dre (1992) 28: Ready to Die - The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)* 27: Let Love In - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (1994)* 26: E. 1999 Eternal - Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (1995)* 25: Dots and Loops - Stereolab (1997)* 24: Laughing Stock - Talk Talk (1991)* 23: The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips (1999)* 22: The Lonesome Crowded West - Modest Mouse (1997)* 21: Liquid Swords - Genius/GZA (1995)*
20-11: 20: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel (1998)* 19: Supa Dupa Fly - Missy Elliott (1997)* 18: Weezer (Blue Album) - Weezer (1994)* 17: Ágætis byrjun - Sigur Rós (1999)* 16: Richard D. James Album - Aphex Twin (1996)* 15: Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against The Machine (1992)* 14: Mezzanine - Massive Attack (1998)* 13: OK Computer - Radiohead (1997)* 12: Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins (1993)* 11: Love Deluxe - Sade (1992)*
10-1: 10: Rid of Me - PJ Harvey (1993)* 9: The Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest (1991)* 8: Dummy - Portishead (1994)* 7: When the Pawn… - Fiona Apple (1999)* 6: The Velvet Rope - Janet Jackson (1997)* 5: Heaven or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins (1990)* 4: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - Wu-Tang Clan (1993)* 3: Illmatic - Nas (1994)* 2: Nevermind - Nirvana (1991)* 1: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill (1998)*
Only 1 Radiohead entry (if I missed more, don't tell me)
Jokes aside, this is an awesome list! We were lucky to live in an era an era where there was truly something for everyone, and it felt like the releases just kept coming. ATCQ? Sure. Nirvana? Yes please. Stereolab? I'll take all of that ya got.
These are the two Radiohead albums I go back to. I love them but I’ve never warmed to any of the later stuff (and I did try In Rainbows at your suggestion, it just isn’t for me.)
It's really good. I listened to it for the first time in a while a few weeks ago and forgot how subtly devastating it is, but wrapped in this nice country-rock twee.
I love a subjective list. I’m always questioning whether I like things for the right reasons and subjectivity throws that particular concern out of the window. In the 90s my album listening was confined to albums I actually owned so there’s a lot of stuff here I don’t know. I personally rate New Adventures higher than Automatic although it’s great to see them both included. I’d also put Out Of Time in the mix. From Depeche Mode I actually prefer Songs of Faith and Devotion to Violator overall. Off the top of my head, albums not included here that I would class among my favourites are Don’t Try This At Home - Billy Bragg, Levelling the Land - The Levellers, 1977 - Ash, The It Girl - Sleeper, Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette, Let It Ride - She’d Seven.
For a really comprehensive best of list of a decade, I think it would need to be 200 albums. That comes out to 20 albums a year on average, which is about the ballpark of how many albums I enjoy each year. It’s funny when people will be like, “this album should’ve been in there” or “how is this at 100 and not 50?” At this point, we’re all just splitting hairs between albums that range from very good to classic.
4 Reasons I love this list (#3 will SHOCK you!):
Dots and Loops
Multiple YLT picks
Souls of Mischief
Only 1 Radiohead entry (if I missed more, don't tell me)
Jokes aside, this is an awesome list! We were lucky to live in an era an era where there was truly something for everyone, and it felt like the releases just kept coming. ATCQ? Sure. Nirvana? Yes please. Stereolab? I'll take all of that ya got.
There’s two Radioheads lol. Just have The Bends in the honorable mentions.
These are the two Radiohead albums I go back to. I love them but I’ve never warmed to any of the later stuff (and I did try In Rainbows at your suggestion, it just isn’t for me.)
They’re the two albums that got me into Radiohead. Nothing wrong with them being your two favorite!
There's a lot of great records on this list, but So Tonight That I Might See is my number 1.
It's really good. I listened to it for the first time in a while a few weeks ago and forgot how subtly devastating it is, but wrapped in this nice country-rock twee.
It was my desert isle record for many years, but I'm pretty sure I have it completely memorized now and can listen to it whenever I want 😌
I love a subjective list. I’m always questioning whether I like things for the right reasons and subjectivity throws that particular concern out of the window. In the 90s my album listening was confined to albums I actually owned so there’s a lot of stuff here I don’t know. I personally rate New Adventures higher than Automatic although it’s great to see them both included. I’d also put Out Of Time in the mix. From Depeche Mode I actually prefer Songs of Faith and Devotion to Violator overall. Off the top of my head, albums not included here that I would class among my favourites are Don’t Try This At Home - Billy Bragg, Levelling the Land - The Levellers, 1977 - Ash, The It Girl - Sleeper, Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette, Let It Ride - She’d Seven.
For a really comprehensive best of list of a decade, I think it would need to be 200 albums. That comes out to 20 albums a year on average, which is about the ballpark of how many albums I enjoy each year. It’s funny when people will be like, “this album should’ve been in there” or “how is this at 100 and not 50?” At this point, we’re all just splitting hairs between albums that range from very good to classic.