Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s by buzzdainer

The nineties were an adventure-filled, geographically complicated decade for me. I began the decade in college, where I hosted a weekly alternative rock show on the campus radio station and worked part-time at an independent record store. After that I worked in various jobs--high school social studies teacher, naturalist, ESL instructor, food service flunkie, wilderness trip leader, outdoor program director, and (believe it or not) children's television game show host. During the nineties I lived in places as far-flung as Maine, Vermont, New York, Western Australia, Alaska, North Carolina, and South Korea. Songs about travel and displacement were especially meaningful to me.

My musical tastes from the nineties reflect what I was doing at the time. Toward the beginning of the decade I can see the way my involvement in disc jockeying and selling records affected my taste, as there's a lot of alternative rock and underground rock in my collection from that period. Once I moved to North Carolina, I started listening a lot to WNCW, a great community station out of Spindale, which plays a ton of folk, bluegrass, and Americana. A lot of the music I listened to then, and since, is a product of my love for WNCW. As a result, I didn't pay very much attention to developments in boom bap, gangsta rap, shoegaze, post-rock, math rock, metal, or TV soundtracks. I'm retrospectively expanding my tastes into some of those areas. As always, I'd love to receive your feedback on this chart, and I'd appreciate any musical recommendations you might have.

• Chart updated: 05/05/2024 02:45
• (Created: 02/16/2016 18:46).
• Chart size: 100 albums.

There are 20 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s has an average rating of 92 out of 100 (from 18 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.

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11. (=)

Keep It Like A Secret 

 Built To Spill

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Some years back a friend and I spent several summers climbing all seventeen county highpoints in Nevada. To reach all these, we had to do a lot of driving on bumpy dirt roads through the desert. Fortunately for us, we had two artists we both liked listening to: Neil Young and Built to Spill. Riding in my old Nissan Pathfinder, this was the album we listened to more than any other. These tight, intensity-building songs, which never seem to end up anywhere near the place they started, were the perfect soundtrack to hikes that followed a similar trajectory. Opening tracks, and the opening to opening tracks, don't get much better than "The Plan." [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

1999

Appears in:

442 charts

Rank Score:

4,131

Rank in 1999:

8

Rank in 1990s:

78

Overall Rank:

436

Average Rating:

 82 (500 votes)

Comments:

37

12. (=)

Sackcloth 'N' Ashes 

 16 Horsepower

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My clearest memory of listening to this album is from a cross-country road trip in 2009, when I stopped for a desperately needed break from the highway at a friend's cabin in Strawberry, Arizona. We drank whiskey and listened to this album on this amazing stereo system he'd set up--a special thing in this era in which those of us not named Neil Young seem to have forgotten entirely about the value of good sound quality. Holy crap. These are some of the spookiest reverb-heavy guitar and banjo lines you'll ever hear. The wild ravings of a madman. Great Gothic Americana. And if you want to give yourself nightmares, check out the YouTube video in which someone has overlaid a recording of the great song "Heel on the Shovel" from this album onto video clips from the bizarre and disturbing movie Reflecting Skin. Whoever did that deserves both an award for creativity and severe censure for making something so deeply unsettling. [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

1995

Appears in:

108 charts

Rank Score:

619

Rank in 1995:

53

Rank in 1990s:

453

Overall Rank:

2,539

Average Rating:

 78 (107 votes)

Comments:

9

13. (=)

Copper Blue 

 Sugar

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As much as I enjoyed Hüsker Dü back in the eighties, I personally think Bob Mould made his best music after Hüsker Dü split. In my opinion, the wall of electric guitar that became Mould's trademark contribution to Hüsker Dü's sound reached its apex on Copper Blue, the first album Mould made with his first post-Hüsker Dü band Sugar. Here that sound channels the aggression of Mould's earlier work into something gorgeous and melodic, while at the same time maintaining the dark edge that had made Hüsker Dü so great. The addition of twelve-string acoustic guitar to round out the band's sound gives this album a clean, bright feel that transcends the murkier sounds Hüsker Dü made a decade earlier. [First added to this chart: 10/14/2022]

Year of Release:

1992

Appears in:

223 charts

Rank Score:

1,632

Rank in 1992:

18

Rank in 1990s:

208

Overall Rank:

1,082

Average Rating:

 79 (221 votes)

Comments:

9

14. (=)

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Further In 

 Greg Brown

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Greg Brown is one of the all-time great Americana singer-songwriter road warriors--I cannot even fathom how many miles the man has logged on his seemingly incessant tours over the last several decades--and this is his finest moment. Further In is a collection of warm, downbeat folk tunes that are both beautifully crafted and genuinely moving. My favorite here is "Two Little Feet," a nostalgic song that seeks to reclaim some aspects of intentional living that have been pushed aside by our hectic, rushed, homogenized modern-day American experience, particularly the lost art of walking, on our own power, through the woods. I guess you could say that song is a synecdoche for all of Greg Brown's career: the search for ways to express the simple things in life that foster happiness. [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

7 charts

Rank Score:

76

Rank in 1996:

303

Rank in 1990s:

2,475

Overall Rank:

14,803

Average Rating:

 69 (11 votes)

Comments:

1

15. (=)

Car Wheels On A Gravel Road 

 Lucinda Williams

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Full of personal ruminations on relationships and precise memories of her early life moving from town to town with her poet father, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road is the high point of Lucinda Williams's long career as one of America's finest country singer-songwriters. I saw Lucinda play at the Asheville Civic Center in support of this album, and it was one of those professional, veteran performances that cemented her in my mind as one of the greats. My then-girlfriend put "Right in Time" on a mix CD she made for me at the time, and although the relationship ended long ago, I still think of the song as a sweet, sexy celebration of what romance can be. [First added to this chart: 02/17/2016]

Year of Release:

1998

Appears in:

361 charts

Rank Score:

2,346

Rank in 1998:

11

Rank in 1990s:

136

Overall Rank:

763

Average Rating:

 79 (344 votes)

Comments:

24

16. (=)

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Bakesale 

 Sebadoh

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The mid-nineties were great years for albums that brought together punk's two-minute punchiness with the earnest relationship laments that would soon become the genre we now know as emo. Unlike Sebadoh's scattershot early albums, Bakesale is one of the era's best at bridging these two strains of nineties indie rock, the tracks blending together into a memorable whole. While Lou Barlow, Jason Loewenstein, and company probably weren't explicitly trying to make a statement--the very notion of the concept album ran counter to the aesthetic within which they were working at the time--by tightening up and aiming for clarity, I think they managed one anyway. These songs feel like unpretentious, urgent, self-reproaching explosions of heartbreak, perhaps best exemplified by the brooding "Not Too Amused": "Don't make me your captive / I don't feel like talking your shit / I nod my broken head / I'm not too amused with humans." What were we all so bummed about in the nineties, anyway? [First added to this chart: 02/17/2016]

Year of Release:

1994

Appears in:

115 charts

Rank Score:

651

Rank in 1994:

57

Rank in 1990s:

441

Overall Rank:

2,439

Average Rating:

 78 (131 votes)

Comments:

8

17. (=)

Mercury 

 American Music Club

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Back when I was a DJ for my college station, some of the staff at the station pasted little reviews onto the covers of new albums as they came in. I remember when I first saw the review for this one: it was the most effusive that I ever saw during my time there (with the possible exception of the one for Galaxie 500's This Is Our Music). The review began with an observation about the perfect pathos of the opening lines to "Gratitude Walks": "Why don't you be good for something / And draw down the shade?" Much as I found some of my peers at the station condescending and pretentious, I couldn't disagree with their assessment of this record; it is gorgeous, meticulously crafted, alternately piano- and guitar-driven, with moments of sly humor. Perfection. [First added to this chart: 02/17/2016]

Year of Release:

1993

Appears in:

50 charts

Rank Score:

154

Rank in 1993:

141

Rank in 1990s:

1,345

Overall Rank:

8,013

Average Rating:

 73 (52 votes)

Comments:

2

18. (=)

Dirty 

 Sonic Youth

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I think I'm in the minority, but I like alt-rock darlings Sonic Youth best when they are at least somewhat accessible, and when they record things that sound at least a little bit like songs. Which is why I prefer Dirty to, say, Daydream Nation. Here Thurston Moore's whirling, swirling guitars layered over Steve Shelley's pounding drumming make most sense to me, since it's all in the context of songs that strain at the seams of conventional song structures but never quite fall apart completely. This is also the album where Kim Gordon's contributions ring most true, as she challenges stereotypes and expectations about women who rock in ways that are both compelling and vaguely threatening. "Wish Fulfillment" is a great song, and indicative of this album, because it depicts alienation and disaffectation in a way that is so messy and distorted that it feels quintessentially human. [First added to this chart: 02/22/2016]

Year of Release:

1992

Appears in:

375 charts

Rank Score:

2,117

Rank in 1992:

14

Rank in 1990s:

155

Overall Rank:

841

Average Rating:

 78 (548 votes)

Comments:

30

19. (=)

Reachin' (A New Refutation Of Time And Space) 

 Digable Planets

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I saw this album once at the top of a list of "hip hop albums for people who don't like hip hop." I'm not sure I quite fit that description, but it is true that I don't like a lot of the pop rap (Kanye West, Jay-Z) that dominates most of today's discussion about the genre. Reachin' is, for my money, the greatest hip hop album of all time. Digable Planets use horns and samples for maximum jazzy, danceable effect, and they can tell a great story, as on "Where I'm From," their celebration of their native Washington, D.C., and perhaps the best urban sense-of-place song I've ever heard. [First added to this chart: 02/16/2016]

Year of Release:

1993

Appears in:

102 charts

Rank Score:

478

Rank in 1993:

52

Rank in 1990s:

545

Overall Rank:

3,137

Average Rating:

 77 (97 votes)

Comments:

4

20. (=)

Massachusetts 

 Scud Mountain Boys

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It can be tough to keep track of Joe Pernice's discography, as he has released three albums with the Scud Mountain Boys, one as Joe Pernice, several as the Pernice Brothers, and a few more on side projects called Chappaquiddick Skyline and Big Tobacco. This body of work is all recognizably Pernice, as his musical style remains consistently within the space between alt-country and low-fi, and his lyrical content is reliably depressing, morbid, even a little misanthropic. But the way it's presented, rather than feeling dull and gloomy, often has a lushness and devotion to harmony that feels spacious and inviting. Of all his releases, I think Massachusetts is best. This one contains what might be his best known song, "Grudge Fuck," but my preference is for the album's closer "Knievel," a literally and metaphorically soaring exploration of the psyche of one of our greatest daredevils. [First added to this chart: 03/17/2017]

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

17 charts

Rank Score:

39

Rank in 1996:

454

Rank in 1990s:

3,886

Overall Rank:

23,957

Average Rating:

 72 (14 votes)

Comments:

1

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Total albums: 100. Page 2 of 10

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s composition

Year	Albums	%
1990	6	6%
1991	6	6%
1992	10	10%
1993	8	8%
1994	11	11%
1995	11	11%
1996	10	10%
1997	13	13%
1998	10	10%
1999	15	15%

Artist	Albums	%
Greg Brown	4	4%
Uncle Tupelo	4	4%
Blue Mountain	3	3%
Wilco	3	3%
Beastie Boys	3	3%
Son Volt	2	2%
Tom Waits	2	2%
Show all

Country	Albums	%
	89	89%
	4	4%
	4	4%
	2	2%
	1	1%

Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s chart changes

Biggest climbers
Up 16 from 46th to 30th Too Far To Care by Old 97's

Biggest fallers
Down 1 from 30th to 31st Strangers Almanac by Whiskeytown
Down 1 from 31st to 32nd Your Favorite Music by Clem Snide
Down 1 from 32nd to 33rd March 16-20, 1992 by Uncle Tupelo

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s similarity to your chart(s)

Other decade charts by buzzdainer

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s ratings

Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 18 ratings for this chart.

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Rating	Date updated	Member	Chart ratings	Avg. chart rating
95/100	05/26/2023 09:09	Johnnyo	2,017	80/100
95/100	10/17/2020 06:48	leniad	686	85/100
95/100	08/29/2020 03:28	areminder	49	78/100
100/100	08/28/2020 23:52	Lgk21	141	95/100
100/100	08/28/2020 13:25	LedZep	1,079	84/100

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 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 92.5/100, a mean average of 96.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 96.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 5.4.

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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s comments

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Rating:  

95/100

From Johnnyo 05/26/2023 09:09

Outstanding chart. One of the best ‘90’s charts on the site

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

From buzzdainer 07/28/2021 23:08

Thanks for those great suggestions, Larcx13! For some reason Blowout Comb never quite clicked for me, but I also haven't spent anywhere near as much time with it as I did with Reachin'. I agree that A Tribe Called Quest has made a bunch of great albums, and I probably need to find room for more of them in my decade charts. Phife Dawg (RIP) and I are both Type 1 diabetics, so I feel a kinship with that band that I might not feel so strongly otherwise.

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Rating:  

100/100

From Larcx13 12/05/2020 15:41

Nice to see Digable Planets all the way up there, though I prefer Blowout Comb. Of course A Tribe Called Quest! Id say check out more releases from Tribe in the 90s as well The Pharcyde, maybe even The Roots. There's also Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Guru from Gang Starr's Jazzmatazz vol. 1, as well as De La Soul for similar music.

Cheers!

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

95/100

From areminder 08/29/2020 03:31

What a interesting journey you had. Great chart and wonderful taste, really enjoyed the genuine stories and comments on the albums. Look forward to revisiting some of these albums.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From Lgk21 08/28/2020 23:52

This is a killer chart.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Rating:  

100/100

From Larcx13 08/28/2020 11:17

Great effort on here.

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From buzzdainer 11/29/2016 17:42

Thanks for that kind comment, Stover75! I really enjoyed viewing your nineties chart, as well. I definitely can't disagree with OK Computer at #1, as it's such a fantastic document of everything that went right in the nineties. A lot of people think it was the last--or at least most recent--truly great, transformative, landmark album. I can't quite agree with that (because I love lots of things that have come out since), but I do think it's deserving of the accolades it gets. Thanks for taking the time to have a look at my chart!

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Rating:  

90/100

From CharlieBarley 11/25/2016 23:07

Good 90s chart. Like you said 11 in common. Loads of albums for me to check out. Good notes too.

Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

From buzzdainer 09/09/2016 16:46

Thanks for that nice comment, sethmadsen! That's funny that you mention the skits on The Carnival. I have found the skits on a number of nineties hip hop albums to be really annoying (and unfunny). Take, for example, Fugees' breakthrough album The Score: an interesting album musically, but the Chinese restaurant skit in "The Beast" is so insipid and offensive it's enough to knock it out of my nineties decade chart (though it did make my 1996 year chart). I gravitate to hip hop artists who seem to be all about the music, hence my love of Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, and others.

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Rating:  

100/100

From RoundTheBend 09/09/2016 04:43

Your love of music shows well in your memories with it. Fantastic chart and thanks for letting us peak into your experiences with these albums. Oh and The Carnival- skip the skits your first listen - just get into the music.

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