I will just put it out there: I severely miss the '90s. During this decade, we saw the emergence of countless music subgenres, such as grunge and nu-metal, to add to a smorgasboard of new electronic dance music.
Here is a list of 25 amazing albums from the '90s in chronological and alphabetical order. If you wish to contest my choices, I will hear your challenges!
1. Depeche Mode: Violator (1990)
“Enjoy The Silence” is one of my favorite songs ever, drawing impressed raised eyebrows from DJs when they hear the request. This album defined British pop music and was an antidote to the synthetic new-romantic boldness of the previous decade.
2. Cypress Hill: Cypress Hill (1991)
The Latino-Californian rap collective deserves Credit for recording one of the coolest Anglo-Spanish fusion albums of the decade. Using imagery and references from East Los Angeles, their tales of blunts, run-ins with the cops, and girlfriends are as creative as they are hilarious.
3. Metallica: Black Album (1991)
No list of '90s greats would be complete with Bay Area thrash metallers Metallica. Their Black Album smashed records as they slowed down their beats, bringing commercial fame unheard of in the genre.
4. Rage Against The Machine: Rage Against The Machine (1991)
No band has ever peaked so early but in such a meaningful way. Even today, “Killing in the Name of” makes me clench my teeth in a flashback of teenage angst. This album's mix of Tom Morello's supersonic guitars and Zack de la Rocha's cathartic lyricism is amazing.
5. Faith No More: Angel Dust (1992)
The album with the ridiculously good “Midlife Crisis.” That is all you need to know about Faith No More's Angel Dust. Mike Patton's insane vocals are the perfect foil for the band's jagged funk metal foundation.
6. Nas: Illmatic (1994)
Nas burst onto the New York hip-hop scene like a storm, with hip-hip magazines and producers falling over in awe of the low-key Queensbridge MC. Nas's velvet wordsmithery flows effort-free with the old New York jazz licks and rude East Coast beats.
7. Nirvana: Unplugged (1994)
Ironically, Nirvana's softest recording garnered much of their mainstream success when they performed during MTV Unplugged's peak years. However, Kurt Cobain stripped down to raw vocals, and acoustic guitar captured his angst more than any heavy guitar tracks.
8. Radiohead: The Bends (1995)
There isn't a weak track or a dry eye on this incredible post-punk indie rock album by Oxford Leviathans, Radiohead — all the tracks are memorable. From “Planet Telex” to “Bones” to the epic “Street Spirit: Fade Out,” the three-guitar attack is flawless — and peerless.
9. Liquid Swords: Gza (1995)
In my opinion, this is one of the greatest hip-hop albums. The product of Wu-Tang Clan alum GZA, Liquid Swords, is like a concept album featuring cameos from various other Wu-Tang alumni. Stand-out tracks include “Shadowboxin'” and “4th Chamber.”
10. Alanis Morrisette: Jagged Little Pill (1995)
Canadian solo singer Alanis Morissette did a cannonball into the music industry pool with one of the '90s' smash-hits. This album sneezed, and hit singles flew out: the misnomered “Ironic” and “You Oughta Know” became so played on MTV one got quite sick of them.
11. The Pharcyde: LabCabinCalifornia (1995)
Californian hip-hop four-piece The Pharcyde broke the mold with their brand of nerd-hop, with zany time signatures and vocals, jazz-funk roots, and plenty of saxophone licks. Stand-out tracks include “She Said,” “Runnin',” and “Drop.”
12. Portishead: Dummy (1995)
English city Bristol is a musical location with talented alumni, including Sneaker Pimps and Massive Attack. A few miles down the road is Weston-Super-Mare, where you will find Portishead's Beth Gibbons and her buddies. Dummy swells with dark melancholy as Gibbons' ethereal voice floats over experimental, indie-electro euphony.
13. DJ Shadow: Entroducing (1996)
Winning the Guinness World Record for being the first record made entirely from sampled material, Bay Area mixologist DJ Shadow became the soundtrack of my later teenage years. I still listen to this gem of a record with all its fantastical, sample-heavy soundscapes.
14. Fugees: The Score (1996)
1996 gave us Lauryn Hill and The Fugees; we never looked back. Wyclef Jean's Haitian roots gave their blend of hip-hop a distinctive sound, backed up by Hill's piercing vocals. The Score is a hip-hop Hall-of-Famer.
15. Bjork: Homegenic (1997)
If skeptics can bypass Bjork's mid-decade MTV awards antics, they will find a musical performance genius. Homegenic is Bjork's magnum opus, with the stand-out track “Pagan Poetry” fusing Icelandic folk strings with furious electro beats. This album is Bjork at her musical best.
16. Eryka Badu: Baduizm (1997)
1997 features a lot on this list. I am unsure what was in the water then, but it helped Eryka Badu record an R&B masterpiece. “Tyrone” and “Next Lifetime” are my favorites among many inspiring love songs.
17. Buena Vista Social Club: Buena Vista Social Club (1997)
Anyone alive in the '90s must have heard this beautiful piece of Cuban jazz heritage. Featuring a collaboration with world music stalwart Ry Cooder and Cuban musician's club members, this album defied all odds and became a cult classic.
18. Prodigy: The Fat of The Land (1997)
Essex punk dance collective the Prodigy captured a huge part of the '90s MTV generation with their nihilistic videos and nightclub-shaking brand of breakbeat punk. This band was something else. R.I.P. Keith Flint.
19. Jeff Buckley: Grace (1997)
Sadly, Grace was Buckley's last complete studio album before his early death at 30 years old in Memphis. The album is mostly composed of original songs, though his covers of Nina Simone's “Lilac Wine” and Leonard Cohen's “Hallelujah” are sublime.
20. Madonna: Ray of Light (1997)
Produced by William Orbit, Madonna's greatest record has no average songs. Her first child's birth inspired her rawest, most honest music to date. Ray of Light caught America at its most powerful, confident zenith.
21. Air: Moon Safari (1998)
This album was a groundbreaker, coming from French electro-romantics Air. The warm, spangly overtures meld into a seductive, sun-washed, musical massage. I suspect many children were conceived when listening to “All I Need” in 1998.
22. The Chemical Brothers: Dig Your Own Hole (1998)
British duo Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons were able to meld samples with high-fidelity funk breaks to produce a game-changing dance album. Stand-out songs “Block-Rocking Beats” and “Setting Sun” are dance hall classics.
23. Destiny's Child: Destiny's Child (1998)
The '90s gave us Beyonce, and we will all be eternally grateful! However, you wouldn't know she has been with us for so long — she has hardly aged a day. Her debut album with the talented Texas quartet is still my favorite.
24. Massive Attack: Mezzanine (1998)
Most critics cite their prior album, Protection, as their favorite. However, with its seething trip-hop brilliance, the darker-edged Mezzanine wins my vote. I love “Teardrop,” but the desolate romance of “Black Milk” is transformative.
25. Pearl Jam: Yield (1998)
There are more mainstream choices in Pearl Jam's catalog, but their under-the-radar masterpiece, Yield, is a must-listen for Pearl Jammers everywhere. “Do the Evolution” and “Given to Fly” are Pearl Jam at their emotive greatest.
