Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 4 days ago
- (Created: 12/04/2011 20:30).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 22 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s has an average rating of 87 out of 100 (from 45 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Produced By Rick Rubin, Tom Petty & Mike Campbell. Tom Petty is a guy whose music sounds very simple, but it's really not...and I know, having played in a Petty tribute band. It's more complex than it sounds. Petty has a reall passion for what he does, and that comes through strongly on Wildflowers. The first half of this is as strong as you'll find, but when the second half grows on you as well, you'll never want to be without this album. If I could have a theme song, it would be "It's Good To Be King".
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2011]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,793
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
23
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Produced by Nirvana & Scott Litt. "Oh, Nirvana is so overrated". "Oh, Kurt Cobain wasn't what everyone says he was". Cut the damn whining and listen to MTV Unplugged. There's no hiding behind Marshall stacks here. This is a band with cool songs playing them without the noise and with as much heart as anyone ever could. When the unplugged format was good, it was amazing, and nobody ever topped what Nirvana did with it. If they had never made another album, this alone would make them a legend.
[First added to this chart: 02/09/2012]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,525
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1994 – GO! BEAT
Produced BY PORTISHEAD
1. Mysterons
2. Sour Times
3. Strangers
4. It Could Be Sweet
5. Wandering Star
6. It’s A Fire
7. Numb
8. Roads
9. Pedestal
10. Biscuit
11. Glory Box
If you’re not familiar with trip hop, you should be. If you want to really love trip hop, you should start with Dummy by Portishead. The debut album from this British combo is one of the finest examples of the genre, and in 1994 this was pretty much new musical territory for us all. Mixing drizzling lounge music, electronica, spacey atmospheres and the sweet, overpoweringly sad voice of Beth Gibbons, Dummy has been described as Gothic hip hop…a label that actually works. There is a deep sadness in the tracks of Dummy, matching Gibbons’ voice with deep and layered, yet never overdone beats and atmospheres. This is, for lack of a better term, a blues album. Slow yet not sleepy beats and tracks filled with sadness and longing and the feeling of being in a basement level poorly lit smoke filled half empty lounge. Or something like that.
Dummy created a buzz in the States well before Portishead ever toured here, and for good reason. Three singles, “Sour Times”, “Numb”, and “Glory Box” gave a great indication of what Dummy was all about. And ultimately, it’s an almost masterpiece of an album. It truly is a beautiful work, filled with songs that are smart, deeply moving and even catchy. Portishead has been sporadic in the years since Dummy, releasing only two other studio albums since 1994. And while Portishead from 1997 and Third from 2008 are fine works, the balance of what makes this group work the best is here on Dummy. The only possible negative about this is that it may be too dark and sad of an album for a lot of people, but if you are in that kind of mood, you’ll never do better than to listen to this. Save it for a rainy day…you’ll be glad you did. [First added to this chart: 02/19/2024]
Produced BY PORTISHEAD
1. Mysterons
2. Sour Times
3. Strangers
4. It Could Be Sweet
5. Wandering Star
6. It’s A Fire
7. Numb
8. Roads
9. Pedestal
10. Biscuit
11. Glory Box
If you’re not familiar with trip hop, you should be. If you want to really love trip hop, you should start with Dummy by Portishead. The debut album from this British combo is one of the finest examples of the genre, and in 1994 this was pretty much new musical territory for us all. Mixing drizzling lounge music, electronica, spacey atmospheres and the sweet, overpoweringly sad voice of Beth Gibbons, Dummy has been described as Gothic hip hop…a label that actually works. There is a deep sadness in the tracks of Dummy, matching Gibbons’ voice with deep and layered, yet never overdone beats and atmospheres. This is, for lack of a better term, a blues album. Slow yet not sleepy beats and tracks filled with sadness and longing and the feeling of being in a basement level poorly lit smoke filled half empty lounge. Or something like that.
Dummy created a buzz in the States well before Portishead ever toured here, and for good reason. Three singles, “Sour Times”, “Numb”, and “Glory Box” gave a great indication of what Dummy was all about. And ultimately, it’s an almost masterpiece of an album. It truly is a beautiful work, filled with songs that are smart, deeply moving and even catchy. Portishead has been sporadic in the years since Dummy, releasing only two other studio albums since 1994. And while Portishead from 1997 and Third from 2008 are fine works, the balance of what makes this group work the best is here on Dummy. The only possible negative about this is that it may be too dark and sad of an album for a lot of people, but if you are in that kind of mood, you’ll never do better than to listen to this. Save it for a rainy day…you’ll be glad you did. [First added to this chart: 02/19/2024]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,866
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Produced by Ric Ocasek. Just wow. I knew when I first saw the opening seconds of the "Buddy Holly" interview that I was going to love this band. This blue monster is a masterpiece of pop songwriting. Every track is as catchy as the next, and every one has a multitude of rewards. Great sound, atmosphere, vocals, songs, this album has everything you could want. And, in 1994, it was NOT grunge. Simply one of the greatest albums of the nineties, and of all time. Will likely move higher.
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2011]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
15,230
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1995-RYKO
Produced By MARTIN ZELLAR & STEVE MCKINSTRY
1. Lie To Me
2. Something's Gotta Happen
3. East Side Boys
4. Falling Sky
5. Problem Solved
6. Cross My Heart
7. Lay This Down Gently
8. Summer Kind Of Sad
9. Force A Smile
10. Let Go
A quick look at your Smog Story posters will show that Martin Zellar played a minor yet important role in the formation of Golden Smog. Zellar was the leader of the Gear Daddies, a highly regarded Minneapolis band. Zellar went solo, and also played in a band called Take It To The Limit (Eagles covers with panchos!) with Gary Louris & Kraig Johnson, a group that later mutated into Golden Smog. ANYWAY. Born Under is the solo debut of Zellar, and it's very good, although it's also almost completely unknown. Dan Murphy helps out with "Lie To Me", and the rest is Zellar's alt-country storytelling that made the Gear Daddies favorites. Born Under is a solid effort, well played, well written, and more country than any of the bands Zellar has been compared to in his career, mostly for geographical than sound reasons (Husker Du, The Replacements, Soul Asylum).
Zellar's stint with Ryko was unsuccessful (sales & promotion), but he continues on. As country as Minneapolis gets. And good, underrated stuff. Well worth listening to. [First added to this chart: 01/20/2024]
Produced By MARTIN ZELLAR & STEVE MCKINSTRY
1. Lie To Me
2. Something's Gotta Happen
3. East Side Boys
4. Falling Sky
5. Problem Solved
6. Cross My Heart
7. Lay This Down Gently
8. Summer Kind Of Sad
9. Force A Smile
10. Let Go
A quick look at your Smog Story posters will show that Martin Zellar played a minor yet important role in the formation of Golden Smog. Zellar was the leader of the Gear Daddies, a highly regarded Minneapolis band. Zellar went solo, and also played in a band called Take It To The Limit (Eagles covers with panchos!) with Gary Louris & Kraig Johnson, a group that later mutated into Golden Smog. ANYWAY. Born Under is the solo debut of Zellar, and it's very good, although it's also almost completely unknown. Dan Murphy helps out with "Lie To Me", and the rest is Zellar's alt-country storytelling that made the Gear Daddies favorites. Born Under is a solid effort, well played, well written, and more country than any of the bands Zellar has been compared to in his career, mostly for geographical than sound reasons (Husker Du, The Replacements, Soul Asylum).
Zellar's stint with Ryko was unsuccessful (sales & promotion), but he continues on. As country as Minneapolis gets. And good, underrated stuff. Well worth listening to. [First added to this chart: 01/20/2024]
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1994 – MERGE
Produced By BRIAN PAULSON
1. Like A Fool
2. The First Part
3. Water Wings
4. Driveway To Driveway
5. Saving My Ticket
6. Kicked In
7. Why Do You Have To Put A Date On Everything
8. Without Blinking
9. Keeping Track
10. Revelations
11. Stretched Out
12. In A Stage Whisper
Not the most attractive of album covers to be sure…but Foolish gets better after that. Superchunk is a fine rock band from North Carolina that has made a nice ten albums so far career for themselves. They’ve never been really big, maybe because they’ve tried to stay away from the big labels. And they always seem to follow up whatever big steps forward that they take with an equal step backwards. They’ve never made a truly great album…and they’ve never made a truly bad one, either. Foolish is one of those equal step backwards efforts. Coming on the heels of the greatly improved On The Mouth, Foolish is, in comparison, a disappointment. They slow down the tempo, and the end of the relationship between singer Mac McCaughan and bassist Laura Ballance takes the band from a whole lot of fun to a bit uncomfortable. McCaughan sounds strained here, and the overall songwriting is just not as sharp.
There are some great moments here. “Like A Fool” is simply terrific, and “Driveway To Driveway” could have been a hit for a more outgoing band. The rest of Foolish is well played, but never really rises much above the level of average. At their best, Superchunk has been described as a “happy Nirvana”, but there isn’t enough of that going on here. If it’s possible for this band to make a downer album, then Foolish would be that album. They have since had their ups and downs, never quite reaching the top while never falling off the planet. They continue to tour and record, although Ballance no longer tours with them because of a medical condition that affects her hearing. Foolish is not as memorable or as good as some of their other works: to hear the best of what Superchunk has to offer, go with either On The Mouth, No Pocky For Kitty, or Come Pick Me Up. As for Foolish…never bad, never great. [First added to this chart: 07/07/2024]
Produced By BRIAN PAULSON
1. Like A Fool
2. The First Part
3. Water Wings
4. Driveway To Driveway
5. Saving My Ticket
6. Kicked In
7. Why Do You Have To Put A Date On Everything
8. Without Blinking
9. Keeping Track
10. Revelations
11. Stretched Out
12. In A Stage Whisper
Not the most attractive of album covers to be sure…but Foolish gets better after that. Superchunk is a fine rock band from North Carolina that has made a nice ten albums so far career for themselves. They’ve never been really big, maybe because they’ve tried to stay away from the big labels. And they always seem to follow up whatever big steps forward that they take with an equal step backwards. They’ve never made a truly great album…and they’ve never made a truly bad one, either. Foolish is one of those equal step backwards efforts. Coming on the heels of the greatly improved On The Mouth, Foolish is, in comparison, a disappointment. They slow down the tempo, and the end of the relationship between singer Mac McCaughan and bassist Laura Ballance takes the band from a whole lot of fun to a bit uncomfortable. McCaughan sounds strained here, and the overall songwriting is just not as sharp.
There are some great moments here. “Like A Fool” is simply terrific, and “Driveway To Driveway” could have been a hit for a more outgoing band. The rest of Foolish is well played, but never really rises much above the level of average. At their best, Superchunk has been described as a “happy Nirvana”, but there isn’t enough of that going on here. If it’s possible for this band to make a downer album, then Foolish would be that album. They have since had their ups and downs, never quite reaching the top while never falling off the planet. They continue to tour and record, although Ballance no longer tours with them because of a medical condition that affects her hearing. Foolish is not as memorable or as good as some of their other works: to hear the best of what Superchunk has to offer, go with either On The Mouth, No Pocky For Kitty, or Come Pick Me Up. As for Foolish…never bad, never great. [First added to this chart: 07/07/2024]
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Produced by Jimmy Page & Robert Plant. The two guys at the front of Led Zeppelin make a comeback, but not without controversy. Despite the snubbing of John-Paul Jones, this live collection of mostly Zeppelin songs works very well, giving new interpretations to classics like "Kashmir", "Thank You", and "The Battle Of Evermore". Being UnLEDded meant unplugged, so you get a lot of acoustic here, and the music (and Page and Plant) sounds refreshed. This is, after so many years, surprisingly good.
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2011]
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Produced by Jeff Buckley & Andy Wallace. For one moment, Jeff Buckley was amazing. "Hallelujah" is not just a great performance, it's a glimpse into what could have been an amazing career. It's not so much the sound of Buckley's voice...it's the raw emotion it carries, and the way he was completely unafraid to bare his soul vocally. There may or may not have been more amazing music in Buckley's future...we'll never know. But Grace is masterful. (Avoid the Legacy Edition: disc two is mostly awful.)
[First added to this chart: 12/04/2011]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
18,242
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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Produced by Pavement. If you think that grunge was the only new thing that came out of the first half of the 1990's, then you've never heard Pavement. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is their second of three consecutive exceptional releases, and this may be the finest. Imperfect music that comes out...perfect. A band that doesn't seem at all concerned with pleasing the masses, songs that rock in the strangest and most satisfying ways, an album that, once discovered, will never leave your side.
[First added to this chart: 03/26/2012]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,896
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 08/27/2014]
Total albums: 13. Page 1 of 2
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1990 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1991 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1992 | 15 | 15% | |
| 1993 | 17 | 17% | |
| 1994 | 13 | 13% | |
| 1995 | 11 | 11% | |
| 1996 | 6 | 6% | |
| 1997 | 9 | 9% | |
| 1998 | 7 | 7% | |
| 1999 | 2 | 2% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| Uncle Tupelo | 4 | 4% | |
| Pearl Jam | 3 | 3% | |
| Nirvana | 3 | 3% | |
| A Tribe Called Quest | 2 | 2% | |
| Yo La Tengo | 2 | 2% | |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | 2 | 2% | |
| Pavement | 2 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
78 | 78% | |
 |
11 | 11% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
2 | 2% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s chart changes
There have been no changes to this chart.Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s similar charts
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| Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s |  StefanR10 | 1990s decade chart | 2020 |  |
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 1990s ratings
87/100 (from 45 votes)
where:
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 45 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 50/100  | 02/09/2023 22:04 |  pedro1976 | | 85/100 |
| 65/100 | 02/06/2023 02:26 | jonatascv1990 | | 78/100 |
| 100/100 | 02/10/2022 00:40 |  Larcx13 | | 86/100 |
| 90/100 | 06/26/2021 23:01 |  zwiebel | | 86/100 |
| 100/100 | 05/03/2021 09:53 |  jnfbn | | 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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65/100
From jonatascv1990 02/06/2023 02:27
Good chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Larcx13 02/10/2022 00:44
Larcx13 02/10/2022 00:44
Good descriptions and a bunch of new records for me to check out. Favorited.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
95/100
From henrygreen0203 05/04/2021 18:49
This is an excellent list. Lots of "alt-country" here, which is much more Replacements-Meets-Bruce Springsteen than traditional folk or country.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 
seb7 05/03/2021 18:04
seb7 05/03/2021 18:04
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
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From Johnnyo 05/03/2021 09:28
Great chart
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
ExTeaSea 01/18/2020 16:05
ExTeaSea 01/18/2020 16:05
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.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From 
ForegroundNoise 05/30/2019 07:36
ForegroundNoise 05/30/2019 07:36
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!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
RoundTheBend 05/30/2019 02:57
RoundTheBend 05/30/2019 02:57
23 albums in common. Solid other picks!
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100/100
From edubs 05/29/2019 20:20
awesome chart!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From 
HoldenM 10/01/2017 05:52
HoldenM 10/01/2017 05:52
Ahhh... That's a great chart right there.
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