Top 98 Music Albums of 1994
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 11/23/2025 16:15
- (Created: 04/11/2012 18:14).
- Chart size: 98 albums.
There are 2 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 98 Music Albums of 1994 has an average rating of 86 out of 100 (from 7 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: 04/11/2012]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,767
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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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: 04/12/2012]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,233
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: 10/17/2012]
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: 10/17/2012]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
16,572
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: 04/11/2012]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,858
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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[First added to this chart: 08/04/2012]
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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: 09/17/2016]
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: 09/17/2016]
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1994 – EPIC
Produced By BRENDAN O’BRIEN & PEARL JAM
1. Last Exit
2. Spin The Black Circle
3. Not For You
4. Tremor Christ
5. Nothingman
6. Whipping
7. Pry, To
8. Corduroy
9. Bugs
10. Satan’s Bed
11. Better Man
12. Aye Davanita
13. Immortality
14. Hey Foxymophandlemama, Thet’s Me a.k.a. Stupid Mop
Whatever grunge had become with the dawn of the 90’s, it was beginning to dissipate as early as 1994. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain committed suicide in April, and seven months later, the genre’s other big star Pearl Jam released the very ungrunge album Vitalogy. The band took a wide left turn from their first two records (Ten and Vs.) with experiments in punk, harder rock, and strange artsy tracks that were as far from the Seattle sound as could be. Casual fans were maybe a bit lost in what they were doing, but the hardcore PJ folk were all in. Because it was Pearl Jam, Vitalogy and its strange packaging sold a gazillion copies out of the gate, and even though it was such an odd release, Pearl Jam held their hold as one of America’s most successful bands.
Vitalogy (which means the study of life) has some really great songs on it. “Better Man” and “Spin The Black Circle” are among the band’s best. “Nothingman” and “Immortality” are terrific as well. The strangeness of tracks like “Bugs” and “Hey Foxymophandlemama” is tough to explain, and it can be hard to not skip over those. But for the most part, Vitalogy is a worthwhile disc, even though it might take a bit of patience. The packaging is interesting, designed by singer Eddie Vedder and chock full of facts about health that are no longer really valid and notes that relate to the songs on the album. It’s one of the more interesting album packages in rock. Of course, they are still at it…touring, releasing an album here and there, fighting Ticketmaster. And always about their fans. Vitalogy is an odd duck, but it’s also a pretty good album. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Produced By BRENDAN O’BRIEN & PEARL JAM
1. Last Exit
2. Spin The Black Circle
3. Not For You
4. Tremor Christ
5. Nothingman
6. Whipping
7. Pry, To
8. Corduroy
9. Bugs
10. Satan’s Bed
11. Better Man
12. Aye Davanita
13. Immortality
14. Hey Foxymophandlemama, Thet’s Me a.k.a. Stupid Mop
Whatever grunge had become with the dawn of the 90’s, it was beginning to dissipate as early as 1994. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain committed suicide in April, and seven months later, the genre’s other big star Pearl Jam released the very ungrunge album Vitalogy. The band took a wide left turn from their first two records (Ten and Vs.) with experiments in punk, harder rock, and strange artsy tracks that were as far from the Seattle sound as could be. Casual fans were maybe a bit lost in what they were doing, but the hardcore PJ folk were all in. Because it was Pearl Jam, Vitalogy and its strange packaging sold a gazillion copies out of the gate, and even though it was such an odd release, Pearl Jam held their hold as one of America’s most successful bands.
Vitalogy (which means the study of life) has some really great songs on it. “Better Man” and “Spin The Black Circle” are among the band’s best. “Nothingman” and “Immortality” are terrific as well. The strangeness of tracks like “Bugs” and “Hey Foxymophandlemama” is tough to explain, and it can be hard to not skip over those. But for the most part, Vitalogy is a worthwhile disc, even though it might take a bit of patience. The packaging is interesting, designed by singer Eddie Vedder and chock full of facts about health that are no longer really valid and notes that relate to the songs on the album. It’s one of the more interesting album packages in rock. Of course, they are still at it…touring, releasing an album here and there, fighting Ticketmaster. And always about their fans. Vitalogy is an odd duck, but it’s also a pretty good album. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
2,677
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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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: 04/11/2012]
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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: 04/11/2012]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,963
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: 04/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
8,715
Rank in 1994:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 98. Page 1 of 10
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Top 98 Music Albums of 1994 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Neil Young & Crazy Horse | 1 | 1% | |
| Toni Childs | 1 | 1% | |
| Mary Chapin Carpenter | 1 | 1% | |
| Bad Religion | 1 | 1% | |
| Danzig | 1 | 1% | |
| Sebadoh | 1 | 1% | |
| Superchunk | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 98 Music Albums of 1994 chart changes
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From guigs13 01/05/2013 23:15 | #60264
Nice '94 chart!
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From davidhuret 12/11/2012 15:38 | #57537
You seem to be a big Tom Petty fan. Nothing wrong with that, he's one of the great.
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