Top 99 Music Albums of 1991
by 
Romanelli 
- Chart updated: 07/28/2026 20:15
- (Created: 04/11/2012 18:41).
- Chart size: 99 albums.
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1991-DGC
Produced By BUTCH VIG
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit
2. In Bloom
3. Come As You Are
4. Breed
5. Lithium
6. Polly
7. Territorial Pissings
8. Drain You
9. Lounge Act
10. Stay Away
11. On A Plain
12. Something In The Way
Is Nevermind an unbelievably great album, or the best example of right place at the right time ever? Regardless of the answer to the former, the latter is undeniably true. The music landscape of 1991 was a wasteland of power ballads by day glow wearing long hairs with their underwear on the outside of their clothes, Michael Jackson cavorting with child actors and panthers, and the wind of change in the air (not just the Scorpions song) that would usher in a whole new sound and change what we listened to overnight…thankfully. And even though Pearl Jam’s album Ten was released a month before this, it was “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that ended the madness, made flannel cool again, and made listening to music a whole lot better. In one five minute song, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Skid Row, Poison, and everything we now know as classic rock was made irrelevant, and all of the great music that had been bubbling underneath the surface for years was set free to be heard by an entire generation that had grown weary of their parents taste in music.
Nevermind is so much more, though. The sheer energy of the band, in particular Kurt Cobain, is enormous, and shines through on every single track on the album. The use of Pixies-like dynamics and Cobain’s emotional snarl made this group of exceptionally well written, yet simple songs, the perfect music at the perfect time. So, is Nevermind an unbelieveably great album? I say yes. One track after the other, listening through this shows that they were really on to something big, that the songwriting was top notch, and that the sound was the perfect soundtrack for the new music generation. One review stated, “Anyone who hates Nevermind is just trying to be cool, and needs to be trying harder”. It’s true. And it still sounds amazing today. Nevermind is timeless, even if the band that made it wasn’t. This is the rarest of things: a perfect rock album that was released at the exact right moment in time. This is as perfect as an album can get. [First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Produced By BUTCH VIG
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit
2. In Bloom
3. Come As You Are
4. Breed
5. Lithium
6. Polly
7. Territorial Pissings
8. Drain You
9. Lounge Act
10. Stay Away
11. On A Plain
12. Something In The Way
Is Nevermind an unbelievably great album, or the best example of right place at the right time ever? Regardless of the answer to the former, the latter is undeniably true. The music landscape of 1991 was a wasteland of power ballads by day glow wearing long hairs with their underwear on the outside of their clothes, Michael Jackson cavorting with child actors and panthers, and the wind of change in the air (not just the Scorpions song) that would usher in a whole new sound and change what we listened to overnight…thankfully. And even though Pearl Jam’s album Ten was released a month before this, it was “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that ended the madness, made flannel cool again, and made listening to music a whole lot better. In one five minute song, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Skid Row, Poison, and everything we now know as classic rock was made irrelevant, and all of the great music that had been bubbling underneath the surface for years was set free to be heard by an entire generation that had grown weary of their parents taste in music.
Nevermind is so much more, though. The sheer energy of the band, in particular Kurt Cobain, is enormous, and shines through on every single track on the album. The use of Pixies-like dynamics and Cobain’s emotional snarl made this group of exceptionally well written, yet simple songs, the perfect music at the perfect time. So, is Nevermind an unbelieveably great album? I say yes. One track after the other, listening through this shows that they were really on to something big, that the songwriting was top notch, and that the sound was the perfect soundtrack for the new music generation. One review stated, “Anyone who hates Nevermind is just trying to be cool, and needs to be trying harder”. It’s true. And it still sounds amazing today. Nevermind is timeless, even if the band that made it wasn’t. This is the rarest of things: a perfect rock album that was released at the exact right moment in time. This is as perfect as an album can get. [First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
36,125
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
1991-EPIC
Produced By RICK PARASHAR & PEARL JAM
1. Once
2. Even Flow
3. Alive
4. Why Go
5. Black
6. Jeremy
7. Oceans
8. Porch
9. Garden
10. Deep
11. Release
Grunge, and in particular, Pearl Jam, didn’t happen overnight. Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament began recording together with Green River in 1985, and added members along the way until Pearl Jam was formed in 1990 with the addition of Mike McCready and Eddie Vedder. Originally known as Mookie Blaylock (the album Ten was named in honor of his uniform number), Pearl Jam had its debut album finished by April of 1991. It was released…and promptly went nowhere. It took almost a year for everyone to catch on to the fact that Ten was a pretty good album, and its sales surpassed even those of Nirvana’s Nevermind.
And while Pearl Jam continues to this day, they never improved on Ten. The album contains many memorable songs: “Alive”, “Jeremy”, “Even Flow”, “Oceans”, and “Black” are all great songs. Much of the rest is basically forgettable, and even though the album sounds great throughout, the quality of songs declines beyond those five tracks. Less here than on future albums , Pearl Jam begins what has been a constant throughout their career: consistently inconsistent albums. Their live shows keep them going, but they never bested their debut album, and Ten, while very good, had plenty of room to grow from. Classic,great in spots, but far from perfect. [First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Produced By RICK PARASHAR & PEARL JAM
1. Once
2. Even Flow
3. Alive
4. Why Go
5. Black
6. Jeremy
7. Oceans
8. Porch
9. Garden
10. Deep
11. Release
Grunge, and in particular, Pearl Jam, didn’t happen overnight. Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament began recording together with Green River in 1985, and added members along the way until Pearl Jam was formed in 1990 with the addition of Mike McCready and Eddie Vedder. Originally known as Mookie Blaylock (the album Ten was named in honor of his uniform number), Pearl Jam had its debut album finished by April of 1991. It was released…and promptly went nowhere. It took almost a year for everyone to catch on to the fact that Ten was a pretty good album, and its sales surpassed even those of Nirvana’s Nevermind.
And while Pearl Jam continues to this day, they never improved on Ten. The album contains many memorable songs: “Alive”, “Jeremy”, “Even Flow”, “Oceans”, and “Black” are all great songs. Much of the rest is basically forgettable, and even though the album sounds great throughout, the quality of songs declines beyond those five tracks. Less here than on future albums , Pearl Jam begins what has been a constant throughout their career: consistently inconsistent albums. Their live shows keep them going, but they never bested their debut album, and Ten, while very good, had plenty of room to grow from. Classic,great in spots, but far from perfect. [First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
17,982
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
1991 – ZOO ENTERTAINMENT
Produced By FRED MAHER & MATTHEW SWEET
1. Divine Intervention
2. I’ve Been Waiting
3. Girlfriend
4. Looking At The Sun
5. Winona
6. Evangeline
7. Day For Night
8. Thought I Knew You
9. You Don’t Love me
10. I Wanted To Tell You
11. Don’t Go
12. Your Sweet Voice
13. Does She Talk?
14. Holy War
15. Nothing Lasts
Matthew Sweet’s career has always been big on potential, while delivering less success. He worked early on with Michael Stipe of R.E.M., and also with Stipe’s sister Lynda. His first two albums were critically acclaimed but sold very little, leading him to sign with a new label to start off the nineties. His third album, Girlfriend, still stands as his strongest effort. With guitarists Richard Lloyd (of Television), Robert Quine and Lloyd Cole, Girlfriend, which was written following Sweet’s divorce, is loaded with pop rock gems and fine playing. The title track is a real gem, but there’s enough here to make the whole album enjoyable.
Girlfriend is special starting with the beautiful cover shot of Tuesday Weld from the late 50’s on down. “Divine Intervention” is a terrific song, as is “Winona” (written about Winona Ryder). Unfortunately, Sweet didn’t follow the path he was on at the time: his next album went for a heavier sound which had the effect of burying his songwriting skills. Nothing wrong with trying new things, which Sweet has done often, but the downside is that he’s never repeated the success he had here. Even with a few flaws, Girlfriend is the best of what Sweet has to offer. One of the true bright spots from 1991, for sure. [First added to this chart: 02/17/2021]
Produced By FRED MAHER & MATTHEW SWEET
1. Divine Intervention
2. I’ve Been Waiting
3. Girlfriend
4. Looking At The Sun
5. Winona
6. Evangeline
7. Day For Night
8. Thought I Knew You
9. You Don’t Love me
10. I Wanted To Tell You
11. Don’t Go
12. Your Sweet Voice
13. Does She Talk?
14. Holy War
15. Nothing Lasts
Matthew Sweet’s career has always been big on potential, while delivering less success. He worked early on with Michael Stipe of R.E.M., and also with Stipe’s sister Lynda. His first two albums were critically acclaimed but sold very little, leading him to sign with a new label to start off the nineties. His third album, Girlfriend, still stands as his strongest effort. With guitarists Richard Lloyd (of Television), Robert Quine and Lloyd Cole, Girlfriend, which was written following Sweet’s divorce, is loaded with pop rock gems and fine playing. The title track is a real gem, but there’s enough here to make the whole album enjoyable.
Girlfriend is special starting with the beautiful cover shot of Tuesday Weld from the late 50’s on down. “Divine Intervention” is a terrific song, as is “Winona” (written about Winona Ryder). Unfortunately, Sweet didn’t follow the path he was on at the time: his next album went for a heavier sound which had the effect of burying his songwriting skills. Nothing wrong with trying new things, which Sweet has done often, but the downside is that he’s never repeated the success he had here. Even with a few flaws, Girlfriend is the best of what Sweet has to offer. One of the true bright spots from 1991, for sure. [First added to this chart: 02/17/2021]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
602
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
1991 – JIVE
Produced By A TRIBE CALLED QUEST & SKEFF ANSELM
1. Excursions
2. Buggin’ Out
3. Rap Promoter
4. Butter
5. Verses From The Abstract
6. Show Business
7. Vibes And Stuff
8. The Infamous Date Rape
9. Check The Rhime
10. Everything Is Fair
11. Jazz (We’ve Got)
12. Skypager
13. What?
14. Scenario
The Low End Theory has been called the Sgt. Pepper’s of hip hop, and that may actually be the most accurate description of A Tribe Called Quest’s second album. Forget that the multitude of early 90’s references (pagers, Bell Biv Devoe, fades) sound painfully dated…this is one of the great hip hop masterpieces, and will always remain so. The key to this album, and the importance of it all,
is jazz. DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad expands on his use of jazz samples from their debut album to include pieces that are, at times, so subtle that they are almost invisible. This marriage of hip hop and jazz turns out to be completely natural, and it works amazingly well. Minimalism is something that hip hop has embraced, but with only a few exceptions, it has not done it well. Those few exceptions exist mostly on The Low End Theory, an album that both artists and producers should revisit much more often.
The highlights here are “Check The Rhime”, “Scenario” (with Busta Rhymes), and “Jazz (We’ve Got)”, but there are plenty of stellar moments. “Butter” flows like the title. “Excursions” features a nice sample from Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. Everything here flows like it’s supposed to, and there’s no fluff pieces (skits), and unlike pretty much every hip hop album ever made, there is not an ounce of filler. A Tribe Called Quest had one more good album in them (the mainstream Midnight Marauders) before settling for average releases…but there will always be The Low End Theory, a beautiful and vastly important album that changed the genre of hip hop forever, in very good ways. It’s not just an important album, it’s an exceptionally good album that deserves a spot in any collection. [First added to this chart: 12/25/2014]
Produced By A TRIBE CALLED QUEST & SKEFF ANSELM
1. Excursions
2. Buggin’ Out
3. Rap Promoter
4. Butter
5. Verses From The Abstract
6. Show Business
7. Vibes And Stuff
8. The Infamous Date Rape
9. Check The Rhime
10. Everything Is Fair
11. Jazz (We’ve Got)
12. Skypager
13. What?
14. Scenario
The Low End Theory has been called the Sgt. Pepper’s of hip hop, and that may actually be the most accurate description of A Tribe Called Quest’s second album. Forget that the multitude of early 90’s references (pagers, Bell Biv Devoe, fades) sound painfully dated…this is one of the great hip hop masterpieces, and will always remain so. The key to this album, and the importance of it all,
is jazz. DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad expands on his use of jazz samples from their debut album to include pieces that are, at times, so subtle that they are almost invisible. This marriage of hip hop and jazz turns out to be completely natural, and it works amazingly well. Minimalism is something that hip hop has embraced, but with only a few exceptions, it has not done it well. Those few exceptions exist mostly on The Low End Theory, an album that both artists and producers should revisit much more often.
The highlights here are “Check The Rhime”, “Scenario” (with Busta Rhymes), and “Jazz (We’ve Got)”, but there are plenty of stellar moments. “Butter” flows like the title. “Excursions” features a nice sample from Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. Everything here flows like it’s supposed to, and there’s no fluff pieces (skits), and unlike pretty much every hip hop album ever made, there is not an ounce of filler. A Tribe Called Quest had one more good album in them (the mainstream Midnight Marauders) before settling for average releases…but there will always be The Low End Theory, a beautiful and vastly important album that changed the genre of hip hop forever, in very good ways. It’s not just an important album, it’s an exceptionally good album that deserves a spot in any collection. [First added to this chart: 12/25/2014]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,749
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
1991-ELEKTRA
Produced By BOB ROCK, JAMES HETFIELD & LARS ULRICH
1. Enter Sandman
2. Sad But True
3. Holier Than Thou
4. The Unforgiven
5. Wherever I May Roam
6. Don’t Tread On Me
7. Through The Never
8. Nothing Else Matters
9. Of Wolf And Man
10. The God That Failed
11. My Friend Of Misery
12. The Struggle Within
Ah, the Black Album. Here’s the point where, if you happen to be one of those who think that Metallica “sold out” in making this album, you might want to go read something else. Metallica smartly realized that in making Kill ‘Em All Part 6 that they would be going nowhere, and that they would be purposely impeding their own growth. Fans who were outraged because this album wasn’t “thrash” enough and was a move towards pop were simply being idiots. What Metallica actually is as an album is heavier than anything they had done before (note that fast does not necessarily mean heavy), and it’s a showcase of a band that had grown up and started concentrating on the actual song over the actual speed at which you could flip your hair. Not saying that the previous five Metallica albums were bad. They were absolutely not, and I would own any of them (and do own several). The point is that Metallica dared to progress and evolve into better musicians and songwriters, and actually became heavier than they had ever been. Fan backlash over this was foolish and childish. Thank you. Rant over.
This album opens with “Enter Sandman”. Maybe the saving grace of metal in the early 90’s, this song alone is worth having the album. But the collection of great songs here, which includes “Sad But True”, “Nothing Else Matters”, “The Unforgiven” and “Holier Than Thou” justifies this as one of the greatest American hard rock albums of all time…maybe even the greatest. The move away from thrash and into a more song oriented sound suits the band extremely well, and allows each of the members to show sides of themselves that no one had ever heard before. Most impressive is that they were able to do it from one album to the next without having to struggle to find a new sound. Metallica is able to have the fury of metal, yet the beauty of the songs themselves and of the album as a whole shine through the sound of the band. To me, this makes it the best album by Metallica, by far. If you want to hate the band for taking the next step forward, then hey…you’ve always got Dave Mustaine to worship. Have fun with that one. [First added to this chart: 05/11/2012]
Produced By BOB ROCK, JAMES HETFIELD & LARS ULRICH
1. Enter Sandman
2. Sad But True
3. Holier Than Thou
4. The Unforgiven
5. Wherever I May Roam
6. Don’t Tread On Me
7. Through The Never
8. Nothing Else Matters
9. Of Wolf And Man
10. The God That Failed
11. My Friend Of Misery
12. The Struggle Within
Ah, the Black Album. Here’s the point where, if you happen to be one of those who think that Metallica “sold out” in making this album, you might want to go read something else. Metallica smartly realized that in making Kill ‘Em All Part 6 that they would be going nowhere, and that they would be purposely impeding their own growth. Fans who were outraged because this album wasn’t “thrash” enough and was a move towards pop were simply being idiots. What Metallica actually is as an album is heavier than anything they had done before (note that fast does not necessarily mean heavy), and it’s a showcase of a band that had grown up and started concentrating on the actual song over the actual speed at which you could flip your hair. Not saying that the previous five Metallica albums were bad. They were absolutely not, and I would own any of them (and do own several). The point is that Metallica dared to progress and evolve into better musicians and songwriters, and actually became heavier than they had ever been. Fan backlash over this was foolish and childish. Thank you. Rant over.
This album opens with “Enter Sandman”. Maybe the saving grace of metal in the early 90’s, this song alone is worth having the album. But the collection of great songs here, which includes “Sad But True”, “Nothing Else Matters”, “The Unforgiven” and “Holier Than Thou” justifies this as one of the greatest American hard rock albums of all time…maybe even the greatest. The move away from thrash and into a more song oriented sound suits the band extremely well, and allows each of the members to show sides of themselves that no one had ever heard before. Most impressive is that they were able to do it from one album to the next without having to struggle to find a new sound. Metallica is able to have the fury of metal, yet the beauty of the songs themselves and of the album as a whole shine through the sound of the band. To me, this makes it the best album by Metallica, by far. If you want to hate the band for taking the next step forward, then hey…you’ve always got Dave Mustaine to worship. Have fun with that one. [First added to this chart: 05/11/2012]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,068
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
1991-CREATION
Produced By KEVIN SHIELDS & COLM O CIOSOIG
1. Only Shallow
2. Loomer
3. Touched
4. To Here Knows When
5. When You Sleep
6. I Only Said
7. Come In Alone
8. Sometimes
9. Blown A Wish
10. What You Want
11. Soon
With their debut album in the books, Ireland’s My Bloody Valentine hit the studio in 1989 to begin recording their second album. Little did anyone know the events that would be set in motion by the creation of Loveless, one of the most powerful and influential indie albums of all time. Guitarist Kevin Shields had decided to move into a more avant garde direction, and the band was given a disturbing amount of leeway in the studio by their record label. The result is a record that is as far from the late 80’s (and early 90’s) mainstream as you can possibly get, and album that marks the beginning of what is known as “shoegaze”, and one of the more hauntingly beautiful works of the late 20th century. But it came with quite the pricetag. Shields insisted on constantly changing studios and engineers, and the time they were taking with what became countless overdubs, increasing eccentricities and the pursuit of perfection nearly bankrupted the label, and the band was left to find a new deal after Loveless was released. Loveless became a landmark recording, and has long been considered as one of the greatest albums in history. It also marked the end of the bands ability to exist for the next two decades.
But if you can sit yourself down for about fifty minutes with the lights out and Loveless playing, you’ll get what it’s about. Or not…if your tastes don’t allow for music that relies more on layers and textures than it does on songs, then you may not get this. The beauty of loveless is its ability to turn emotion into sound. And it’s that quality that makes it a thing of beauty. The guitars are layered on top of each other with a lot of tremolo, and the vocals of Shields and Bilinda Butcher are buried in the mix to the point of sounding more like backing instruments than singing. And the effect is haunting. “When You Sleep” and “Only Shallow” are the definitive highlights, but the album plays almost like a single track. For an encore, Shields developed writers block and the band split. They reunited and finally made the follow up to Loveless in 2013, a 22 year span between albums. But the truth is that they would probably not have been able to duplicate the magic of this album had they gone directly back to work. Loveless is a thing of beauty, and it’s actually fitting that its creators more or less walked away afterwards. [First added to this chart: 02/07/2013]
Produced By KEVIN SHIELDS & COLM O CIOSOIG
1. Only Shallow
2. Loomer
3. Touched
4. To Here Knows When
5. When You Sleep
6. I Only Said
7. Come In Alone
8. Sometimes
9. Blown A Wish
10. What You Want
11. Soon
With their debut album in the books, Ireland’s My Bloody Valentine hit the studio in 1989 to begin recording their second album. Little did anyone know the events that would be set in motion by the creation of Loveless, one of the most powerful and influential indie albums of all time. Guitarist Kevin Shields had decided to move into a more avant garde direction, and the band was given a disturbing amount of leeway in the studio by their record label. The result is a record that is as far from the late 80’s (and early 90’s) mainstream as you can possibly get, and album that marks the beginning of what is known as “shoegaze”, and one of the more hauntingly beautiful works of the late 20th century. But it came with quite the pricetag. Shields insisted on constantly changing studios and engineers, and the time they were taking with what became countless overdubs, increasing eccentricities and the pursuit of perfection nearly bankrupted the label, and the band was left to find a new deal after Loveless was released. Loveless became a landmark recording, and has long been considered as one of the greatest albums in history. It also marked the end of the bands ability to exist for the next two decades.
But if you can sit yourself down for about fifty minutes with the lights out and Loveless playing, you’ll get what it’s about. Or not…if your tastes don’t allow for music that relies more on layers and textures than it does on songs, then you may not get this. The beauty of loveless is its ability to turn emotion into sound. And it’s that quality that makes it a thing of beauty. The guitars are layered on top of each other with a lot of tremolo, and the vocals of Shields and Bilinda Butcher are buried in the mix to the point of sounding more like backing instruments than singing. And the effect is haunting. “When You Sleep” and “Only Shallow” are the definitive highlights, but the album plays almost like a single track. For an encore, Shields developed writers block and the band split. They reunited and finally made the follow up to Loveless in 2013, a 22 year span between albums. But the truth is that they would probably not have been able to duplicate the magic of this album had they gone directly back to work. Loveless is a thing of beauty, and it’s actually fitting that its creators more or less walked away afterwards. [First added to this chart: 02/07/2013]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
26,876
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 11/29/2012]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,925
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
1991-CAPITOL
Produced By MITCHELL FROOM & NEIL FINN
1. Chocolate Cake
2. It's Only Natural
3. Fall At Your Feet
4. Tall Trees
5. Weather With You
6. Whispers And Moans
7. Four Seasons In One Day
8. There Goes God
9. Fame Is
10. All I Ask
11. As Sure As I Am
12. Italian Plastic
13. She Goes On
14. How Will You Go
Some records are hard to rate...not this one. Tim Finn joins his brother Neil, and Crowded House, already a hugely underrated band, turns in one of the best albums of post Beatles pop rock ever made. Woodface is overflowing with great songs and amazing harmonies from the very beginning. If you're not hooked on this album by the end of "It's Only Natural", then I'm not sure what can be done for you. Woodface is not only the definitive Crowded House album, but it would be the masterpiece for almost every other band in existence. This is a classic, and this should be in every collection.
The Finn's have recorded together since, but they're still trying to match what they did here. Listen to this, then buy it. No need to thank me...I just try to steer y'all in the right direction. [First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Produced By MITCHELL FROOM & NEIL FINN
1. Chocolate Cake
2. It's Only Natural
3. Fall At Your Feet
4. Tall Trees
5. Weather With You
6. Whispers And Moans
7. Four Seasons In One Day
8. There Goes God
9. Fame Is
10. All I Ask
11. As Sure As I Am
12. Italian Plastic
13. She Goes On
14. How Will You Go
Some records are hard to rate...not this one. Tim Finn joins his brother Neil, and Crowded House, already a hugely underrated band, turns in one of the best albums of post Beatles pop rock ever made. Woodface is overflowing with great songs and amazing harmonies from the very beginning. If you're not hooked on this album by the end of "It's Only Natural", then I'm not sure what can be done for you. Woodface is not only the definitive Crowded House album, but it would be the masterpiece for almost every other band in existence. This is a classic, and this should be in every collection.
The Finn's have recorded together since, but they're still trying to match what they did here. Listen to this, then buy it. No need to thank me...I just try to steer y'all in the right direction. [First added to this chart: 04/11/2012]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,769
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
1991 – MCA
Produced By JEFF LYNNE, TOM PETTY & MIKE CAMPBELL
1. Learning To Fly
2. Kings Highway
3. Into The Great Wide Open
4. Two Gunslingers
5. The Dark Of The Sun
6. All Or Nothin’
7. All The Wrong Reasons
8. Too Good To Be True
9. Out In The Cold
10. You And I Will Meet Again
11. Makin’ Some Noise
12. Built To last
These days, it’s hard to remember that Tom Petty’s albums were mostly critically overlooked. His eighth album, Into The Great Wide Open, is a perfect example of that. This is the second album that Petty worked with producer Jeff Lynne, and it’s the follow up to his solo debut, the highly successful Full Moon Fever. By most accounts, this was rated as simply average to below average by most critics. But the fans know better. This is Petty & The Heartbreakers getting back to the music they did the best, and it contains some of the band’s most memorable songs. There is some filler here, but even that, given how good the band is and the job that Lynne does, is worth listening to.
“Learning To Fly” is one of the Heartbreakers biggest hits. The title track, thanks in part to its video starring Johnny Depp, ruled MTV for quite some time. “Two Gunslingers” and “Kings Highway” are both fine…but the track that really carries this album is the rocker “Out In The Cold”, which recalls the bands early days as hungry young rockers. Outside of that track, the album’s second half cools off a bit. Even so, tracks like “Too Good To Be True”, “All Or Nothin’”, and “Makin’ Some Noise” are fine reminders of just how good Petty was as a driven bandleader and as a songwriter. All of Petty’s albums are worth revisiting…there are always treasures you’d either forgotten or missed the first time around. This is a definite must hear, at least one more time. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Produced By JEFF LYNNE, TOM PETTY & MIKE CAMPBELL
1. Learning To Fly
2. Kings Highway
3. Into The Great Wide Open
4. Two Gunslingers
5. The Dark Of The Sun
6. All Or Nothin’
7. All The Wrong Reasons
8. Too Good To Be True
9. Out In The Cold
10. You And I Will Meet Again
11. Makin’ Some Noise
12. Built To last
These days, it’s hard to remember that Tom Petty’s albums were mostly critically overlooked. His eighth album, Into The Great Wide Open, is a perfect example of that. This is the second album that Petty worked with producer Jeff Lynne, and it’s the follow up to his solo debut, the highly successful Full Moon Fever. By most accounts, this was rated as simply average to below average by most critics. But the fans know better. This is Petty & The Heartbreakers getting back to the music they did the best, and it contains some of the band’s most memorable songs. There is some filler here, but even that, given how good the band is and the job that Lynne does, is worth listening to.
“Learning To Fly” is one of the Heartbreakers biggest hits. The title track, thanks in part to its video starring Johnny Depp, ruled MTV for quite some time. “Two Gunslingers” and “Kings Highway” are both fine…but the track that really carries this album is the rocker “Out In The Cold”, which recalls the bands early days as hungry young rockers. Outside of that track, the album’s second half cools off a bit. Even so, tracks like “Too Good To Be True”, “All Or Nothin’”, and “Makin’ Some Noise” are fine reminders of just how good Petty was as a driven bandleader and as a songwriter. All of Petty’s albums are worth revisiting…there are always treasures you’d either forgotten or missed the first time around. This is a definite must hear, at least one more time. [First added to this chart: 04/13/2012]
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
701
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
[First added to this chart: 05/01/2013]
Total albums: 99. Page 1 of 10
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Top 99 Music Albums of 1991 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| James Brown | 2 | 2% | |
| The Allman Brothers Band | 2 | 2% | |
| Teenage Fanclub | 1 | 1% | |
| Japan | 1 | 1% | |
| Delbert McClinton | 1 | 1% | |
| Red Hot Chili Peppers | 1 | 1% | |
| Robyn Hitchcock | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| |
64 | 65% | |
 |
20 | 20% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
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1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 8 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 02/04/2022 15:55 |  Larcx13 | 1,139 | 86/100 |
| ! | 08/09/2020 01:38 |  zwiebel | 190 | 86/100 |
| ! | 02/19/2020 02:41 | DJENNY | 4,335 | 100/100 |
| ! | 06/03/2014 09:36 | PauloPaz | 1,759 | 89/100 |
| ! | 02/15/2013 12:59 |  ffudnebbuh | 653 | 91/100 |
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From
guigs13 01/05/2013 23:16 | #60265
1991 is just overwhelming, huh? Nice list.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From
ecwashere 10/26/2012 10:54 | #53454
Good variation on this list!
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