Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s
by
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 17 hours ago
- (Created: 12/04/2011 20:30).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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Produced By GEORGE DRAKOULIAS
1. Twice As Hard
2. Jealous Again
3. Sister Luck
4. Could I've Been So Blind
5. Seeing Things
6. Hard To Handle
7. Thick N' Thin
8. She Talks To Angels
9. Struttin' Blues
10. Stare It Cold
The debut album from The Black Crowes came from almost nowhere...The Georgia Satellites had already come from that place four years earlier. But The Black Crowes had more swagger, and they had better songs. And on this album, they reached a commercial peak that they would never again get close to, but they would become more adventerous and improve on the blueprint they drew up here. The big single was a smart Otis Redding cover ("Hard To Handle), and they also scored with "Jealous Again" and "She Talks To Angels".
"Stare It Cold" and "Seeing Things" are standouts, giving a glimpse at how much better they would become after this album,. and after replacing guitarist Jeff Cease with Marc Ford. This is a fine debut album that would be quickly overshadowed by their next two albums. It's the real return of Southern rock, years after the Skynyrd plane crash effectively ended it. [First added to this chart: 12/04/2011]
Produced By DEPECHE MODE & FLOOD
1. World In My Eyes
2. Sweetest Perfection
3. Personal Jesus
4. Halo
5. Waiting For The Night
6. Enjoy The Silence
7. Policy Of Truth
8. Blue Dress
9. Clean
During the 1980’s, I never quite got Depeche Mode. After all, it was cheesy synth dance music, and the younger me was all about guitars, dammit. Then, at the dawn of the 90’s, came Violator, and a whole new understanding of what Depeche Mode was really all about. There was nothing soft or cheesy about what was happening on this album, and it was immediately apparent that this band had grown a lot from the days of lite pop songs like “Just Can’t Get Enough” that had ruled the waves of KROQ. THIS Depeche Mode was serious, could really play, was growing fast, and more than anything else, had real and powerful songwriting at their disposal. A band that had featured very little to no guitars during the 80’s now had guitarist Martin Gore as their principal songwriter, adding a depth to their music that had been sorely missed in their early days. For me, Violator changed the way I saw Depeche Mode forever…both for future and for past releases. From afterthought to a seriously great band in one album for me. Sometimes things just work out for the best.
Not to say that Violator isn’t a dance record. And the fact is, it was the album that put them on the charts in the United States. It’s a pop record. It’s a pop gem. From the opening synth of “World In My Eyes”, you get right away that it’s also a pretty dark record. Before you know it, you’re rocking to the exceptional “Personal Jesus”, and basking in the glory of great songs like “Enjoy The Silence”, “Halo”, and “Policy Of Truth”. Together with Black Celebration and Music For The Masses, Violator marks the end of a great trilogy of albums that was the peak of Depeche Mode. And despite the critical mixed bag of reviews it got (some dismissed it as a straight pop album, which is absurd), this is the one album by this band you should definitely end up with. Violator is as close to perfection as they ever got, and it’s one that you should definitely own. Dismiss this as pop if you must…but I say it would be a much better world if all pop aspired to be like Violator. [First added to this chart: 06/03/2013]
Produced By GEOFF WORKMAN
1. Around The Block Again
2. Chain Reaction
3. Fly Me Courageous
4. Look What You've Done To Your Brother
5. For You
6. Let's Go Dancing
7. The Innocent
8. Together
9. Lost In The Shuffle
10. Build A Fire
11. Rush Hour
This is what the lower echelon of bands from Georgia sounded like. Drivin-N-Cryin even had a minor pedigree (drummer Jeff Sullivan played with the Robinson brothers before they were the Black Crowes), but although they survived a long time, they never really amounted to much. In fact, guitarist and singer Kevn Kinney's solo albums are all much better than anything he recorded with this band. And while Fly Me Courageous is by no means its worst album, there really isn't much to recommend it. The title track was a semi-hit because of the timing with the Gulf War, but not much else stuck.
Although still a band, they have recorded only one full length album since 1997. Not that many have noticed. The country pop-metal-rock whatever it is that they play has not endured well. Look for Kinney's solo albums instead. [First added to this chart: 01/15/2012]
Produced By TIM PALMER
1. Burning Tree
2. Wigs, Blues And High Heeled Shoes
3. Fly On
4. Mistreated Lover
5. Masquerade
6. Playing In The Wind
7. Last Laugh
8. Crush
9. Same Old Story
10. Baker's Song
11. Baby Blue
12. Turtle
The more I listen to this, the more I like it. Burning Tree’s debut (and only) album was released at the height of hair glam, which may be why it didn’t sell much. This album is more late 60’s rock than it is Motley Crue and Poison. The album became lost in the shuffle and they split before making another one. Guitarist Marc Ford shows his brilliance throughout, and the songs grow on you, particularly “Masquerade”, “Fly On”, and “Same Old Story”. Unfortunately, not a hit in the bunch, but it all sounds pretty good. A good, cohesive energy is here, and who knows what they could have done with another chance. The critics loved it…the public never heard it. There are some lyrical question marks…”She’s got a crush on one of us/But she don’t know which one it is” on “Crush” is just silly, and maybe I’m not cool, but I have no idea what “She makes me do the turtle” (from “Turtle”) means.
Ford joined the Black Crowes in 1992. The other members, Doni Gray and Mark Dutton, went on to play on side projects with members of Guns ‘N Roses. [First added to this chart: 12/08/2011]
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Produced By DAVE JERDEN & PERRY FERRELL
1. Stop!
2. No One's Leaving
3. Ain't No Right
4. Obvious
5. Been Caught Stealing
6. Three Days
7. Then She Did...
8. Of Course
9. Classic Girl
You have to give Jane's Addiction credit...in 1990, no one was doing this. In the midst of hair metal, Jane's was pulling out funky heavy rock in 5 to 10 minute chunks at a time. They rocked as hard as anyone, and even better: there wasn't a freaking power ballad in sight. Ritual De Lo Habitual houses the band's big hit, "Been Caught Stealing", as well as the excellent "Three Days" and "Stop!". Thre are, instrumentally, some really great moments on this record.
But here's the problem. Lead singer Perry Ferrell, as difficult as it is to look at him, has a voice that's just as unattractive. He sings very high, and he rarely sings a melody, which means that he's mainly shreiking. I know that a lot of people like his singing, but to me, high does not mean good. And to me, all he has going for him is high. Ferrell drags this, and everything else he's ever "sang" on, way below what it could have been. With a better singer, this album would rate much higher. But I'm not buying into Ferrell. Never have, never will. Otherwise, great job to Dave Navarro & the rest of the band. [First added to this chart: 02/27/2022]
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| 1990 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1991 | 10 | 10% | |
| 1992 | 15 | 15% | |
| 1993 | 17 | 17% | |
| 1994 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1995 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1996 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1997 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1998 | 8 | 8% | |
| 1999 | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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|
| Uncle Tupelo | 4 | 4% | |
| Nirvana | 3 | 3% | |
| Pearl Jam | 3 | 3% | |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | 2 | 2% | |
| The Black Crowes | 2 | 2% | |
| Golden Smog | 2 | 2% | |
| Son Volt | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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|
|
79 | 79% | |
|
11 | 11% | |
|
3 | 3% | |
|
3 | 3% | |
|
1 | 1% | |
|
1 | 1% | |
|
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
Up 7 from 66th to 59thFoolish by Superchunk |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 1 from 59th to 60thGet A Grip by Aerosmith |
Down 1 from 60th to 61stCore by Stone Temple Pilots |
Down 1 from 61st to 62ndI Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell |
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s ratings

where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 45 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
50/100 | 02/09/2023 22:04 | ![]() | 85/100 | |
65/100 | 02/06/2023 02:26 | jonatascv1990 | ![]() | 78/100 |
100/100 | 02/10/2022 00:40 | ![]() | 86/100 | |
90/100 | 06/26/2021 23:01 | ![]() | 86/100 | |
100/100 | 05/03/2021 09:53 | ![]() | 96/100 |
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 has a Bayesian average rating of 86.8/100, a mean average of 85.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 87.1/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 17.1.
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s comments
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Good chart!
Good descriptions and a bunch of new records for me to check out. Favorited.
This is an excellent list. Lots of "alt-country" here, which is much more Replacements-Meets-Bruce Springsteen than traditional folk or country.
I can't really give a good rating because I haven't listened to 96 of these albums, but I just want to say that I am convinced that Romanelli and AM are the same person
Great chart
I really appreciate some of the more personal picks. This is a really good chart. 14 albums in common is pretty good. Perhaps one day I'll check out Uncle Tupelo.
Really love the detailed notes and careful selections!! I still feel it's a little too focused on American alt-rock for my liking however, would be nice to see some electronic releases/more hip hop besides Public Enemy at no.73!
23 albums in common. Solid other picks!
awesome chart!
Ahhh... That's a great chart right there.
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