Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s
by 
Tamthebam 
This is my 2nd favourite decade after the 70's. Overall this was a great decade for all types of music great soul/RnB albums along with country/folk and indie music. I enjoy all types of music and for once in my life had the money to enable me to expand my collection.
- Chart updated: 10/01/2025 11:45
- (Created: 10/03/2013 18:27).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 9 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s has an average rating of 88 out of 100 (from 25 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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If Billie Holiday was to come back & make a record this would be it. Erykah Badu has that special voice that leaves you wanting more. This again is a debut album that is ranked in my Top10 albums of all time. I never tire listening to this amazing album, On & On is one of the best tracks but my favourite track is Next Lifetime along with 4 Leaf Clover. But the whole album is full of great tracks with a Jazzy neo-soul feel and her amazing voice adds to the atmosphere.
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,699
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The most together/cohesive Madonna album. Full of atmosphere and great songs courtesy of William Orbit. Frozen, Skin the title track and To Have & Not To Hold being my faves. A wonderful album that deserves more recognition
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,754
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A great album and still their best I listen to this every 3 or 4 months and it changes depending on how I feel I don't have a favourite track as it changes all the time. Haven't liked anything else they have done after this except In Rainbows & Moon Shaped Pool.
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
63,649
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This to me sounds like the 4th chapter in the Low, heroes, Lodger era. That's not too surprising as Brian Eno is back on board as a writer and creator. The album should be listened to as a whole and to make it more cohesive I would skip the spoken tracks (5,10,15 & 18). There is an apocalyptic feel about the album similar to the Diamond Dogs project. It has an atmosphere and needs to be listened to 3 or 4 times for it all to sink in. A classic album from the 90's.
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1995
Appears in:
Rank Score:
724
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George Michaels most moving & sad album beautifully written & sung with great emotion. The songs Jesus To A Child, You Have Been Loved & To Be Forgiven were influenced by the recent death of his lover. There are also some mid tempo songs such as Fastlove & Star People both hit singles and the title track, The Strangest Thing & Spin The Wheel are also 3 of the best songs he has written. Again Gone Too Soon.
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
792
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Follow up to Monster this is R.E.M. at their best minimum fuss just straight forward rock music with touches of Automatic/monster/Life's Rich Pageant scattered around. Recorded after the Monster tour and written on the road it has a loose live feeling and all the tracks add up to make the whole album an experimental sound. Standout tracks E-bow the Letter, New Test Leper, Leave, Binky the Doormat & Electrolite. The remainder of the album is also good.
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,046
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An amazing debut album her unusual voice and choice of instruments was a revelation in 1993, every track is unique this album deserves more recognition Venus as A Boy, Big Time Sensuality & Come To Me are so different yet so amazing.
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
5,267
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A great soul/jazz album from the amazing Anita Baker. She has a truly soulful voice that transcends genres this her 4th album is her 2nd best after Rapture. Soul's Inspiration, Fairy Tale, Lonely & No One To Blame are the best tracks but the whole album is great late night listening.
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2013]
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An almost perfect debut album Grace will go down in history as one of the greatest debut albums of all time. Who knows if he would have ever bettered this. But this is what we are left with a great album and a fantastic band backing a guy with an amazing and moving voice. Mojo Pin, Grace, So Real & Lover You Should Have Come Over are masterpieces. Not as keen on the covers - Lilac Wine, Hallelujah & Corpus Christi Carol good versions but would have liked more of his own stuff. Dream Brother is a great ending to a great album. Another great artist taken far too soon.
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,877
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A brilliant album almost like a book that you don't mind reading over & over again. This is not as immediate as J.L.P. you do have to listen to it numerous times as different tracks grow on you at different rates. The only criticism is that it could be a couple of tracks shorter maybe drop The Couch and the last track. Overall though it is an amazing journey of an album.
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2013]
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
757
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Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1991 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1992 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1993 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1994 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1995 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1996 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1997 | 17 | 17% | |
| 1998 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1999 | 9 | 9% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| R.E.M. | 4 | 4% | |
| Mariah Carey | 4 | 4% | |
| Madonna | 3 | 3% | |
| David Bowie | 3 | 3% | |
| Björk | 3 | 3% | |
| Prince & The New Power Generation | 2 | 2% | |
| Radiohead | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 1 from 37th to 36th Love Symbol by Prince & The New Power Generation |
| Up 1 from 36th to 35th Behaviour by Pet Shop Boys |
| Up 1 from 35th to 34th Music Box by Mariah Carey |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 4 from 33rd to 37th The Division Bell by Pink Floyd |
| Down 1 from 4th to 5th Older by George Michael |
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s similar charts
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | garycottier | 1990s decade chart | 2016 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s |  JR | 1990s decade chart | 2024 |  |
| Top 89 Music Albums of the 1990s | musicologist97 | 1990s decade chart | 2019 | |
| Top 90 Music Albums of the 1990s | Pretender | 1990s decade chart | 2022 | |
| Best Albums of the 1990s | Slant Magazine | 1990s decade chart | 2011 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | nf0603 | 1990s decade chart | 2014 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s |  Nowhereman1965 | 1990s decade chart | 2018 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | matterhornrider | 1990s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s |  Julelios | 1990s decade chart | 2019 |  |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | MaxStorm98 | 1990s decade chart | 2018 | |
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Other decade charts by Tamthebam
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 90 Music Albums of the 2020s | Tamthebam | 2020s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2010s | Tamthebam | 2010s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s | Tamthebam | 2000s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s | Tamthebam | 1990s decade chart | 2025 | |
| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s | Tamthebam | 1980s decade chart | 2025 | |
Tamthebam has created 4 other 1990s decade charts - click here to explore them all.
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 25 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 03/14/2025 12:19 |  SomethingSpecial | 1,104 | 85/100 |
| ! | 12/29/2022 22:04 | Johnnyo | 2,557 | 80/100 |
| ! | 02/25/2022 06:30 |  jnfbn | 310 | 96/100 |
| ! | 02/24/2022 13:14 |  Cytoma | 171 | 90/100 |
| ! | 09/07/2021 04:46 | leniad | 673 | 85/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some charts can have several thousand ratings)
This chart is rated in the top 9% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 88.1/100, a mean average of 86.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 89.0/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 16.8.
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s comments
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From Johnnyo 12/29/2022 22:05 | #292315
Love this chart.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From leniad 09/07/2021 04:46 | #273405
good
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From vancevisuals 06/10/2019 21:11 | #237389
13 in common
nice to see Flaming Pie on a list
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
ForegroundNoise 06/10/2019 12:23 | #237371
ForegroundNoise 06/10/2019 12:23 | #237371
Interesting mix of stuff of both rock and pop!! I like your notes too, makes the chart seem really personal.
That said would be nice to see some stuff outside of those spheres; no hip hop, no electronic and nothing outside of the anglophonic bubble that isn't Bjork, (who still mostly sings in English), which I find kinda surprising for someone who has rated so many albums?
Anyway, I guess each to their own, and you clearly know your stuff. Great chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
bobbyb5 02/04/2017 23:10 | #184915
bobbyb5 02/04/2017 23:10 | #184915
You are from Scotland and yet there's not one mention by you of Altered Images. EVEN I HAVE ALTETED IMAGES ON MY CHART!!! And I'm fuckin American!!! Pinky Blue is in my chart!!! Shame on you!!! Lol
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
CharlieBarley 01/04/2017 20:20 | #181741
CharlieBarley 01/04/2017 20:20 | #181741
REM, Blur, Radiohead, Bjork. These are all artists I too liked in the 90s. Also the 90s are my 2nd favourite decade for music after the 70s. I even remember there being a bit of a 70s revival during the 90s. Fashion-wise there definitely was at my college. 30 albums in common you got some good ones
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Musyahid 01/04/2017 14:09 | #181714
Intresting Woman You Are
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
buzzdainer 07/22/2016 16:40 | #171668
buzzdainer 07/22/2016 16:40 | #171668
Outstanding chart! Like you, I didn't listen to that much shoegaze music in the nineties, instead focusing on albums such as OK Computer, Grace, The Bends, and Automatic for the People. I appreciate seeing Adore in your top ten, as that's a Smashing Pumpkins album that doesn't get nearly the attention and affection that it deserves. Great work on this chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From Roal 09/21/2014 07:44 | #122357
Mariah Carey has 3 but not even a single one from the whole shoegaze scene nice.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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