Best Albums of the 1990s

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Listed below are the best albums of the 1990s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 58,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 4 hours ago).

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1990s decade summaryThe best artists of the 1990s were Radiohead, Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, Neutral Milk Hotel, Oasis, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, My Bloody Valentine, Nick Cave and Björk.

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28.

If You're Feeling Sinister

Belle And Sebastian

"What a brilliant piece of work, I've to say this is one of the most consistent beautiful albums I've ever heard." Reply
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meruizh | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +12 votes (12 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

1,034 charts

Rank Score:

9,940

Rank in 1996:

Rank in 1990s:

Overall Rank:

135

Average Rating:

83 (1,230 votes)

Comments:

30.

Pinkerton

Weezer

"I think the reason why Pinkerton was panned when it was released was because the feelings it evokes are almost the exact opposite of those on the Blue Album. Even some of the darker songs from the Blue Album, like "The World Has Turned", were still fun to just sing along to, and you could play it...""I think the reason why Pinkerton was panned when it was released was because the feelings it evokes are almost the exact opposite of those on the Blue Album. Even some of the darker songs from the Blue Album, like "The World Has Turned", were still fun to just sing along to, and you could play it whenever you wanted. Pinkerton, on the other hand, is supposed to be shocking; Rivers licking a fan's envelope and imagining her masturbate to him is a lot weirder than his younger self pretending to have sex with his ex in bed. With that said, people also didn't like Rivers' reactions to the rock life style. Many people would pay for all the sex he says he's tired of. They don't see why he's trying to get in his relationships, and their opinions are made even lower by the fact that he can't keep them. Of course, their's the aforementioned fan mail licking. What probably makes people's opinions of Pinkerton so low, though, is that Rivers, or at least the narrator of each song, has no confidence. Nobody likes someone who lacks confidence, and to most people it comes to no surprise that Rivers has all these failures in relationships. One could argue the mood of the album changes entirely once "The Good Life" starts playing. Yes, Rivers still has his girl troubles, but he approaches relationships with much more confidence than before; the pain he might get from a bad or broken relationship doesn't faze him. He then finally gets the girl in "Falling For You", but loses her just as quick as he got her in "Butterfly". All he can say is that he's sorry for being this guy who wants a girl's love but can't give it back, for being selfish. This song sums up the message of the album: If you're looking for true love, you can't just fantasize about it; you have to go out, find it, and give it to someone. The songs reflect the character of each half of the album. The first half is noticeably more dark than the second and the tracks are harder to get into. Even long=time listeners may not be at ease when those songs are playing. Still, this half of the album is great because Rivers managed to pull off this unsettling mood perfectly. The second half takes its character from Rivers' new found confidence, and thus it makes perfect sense that all the singles are on this side. People who listen to Pinkerton for the first time will, almost certainly, connect with this half better than the first. Personally, I'd argue this stretch of songs is the best that Rivers has ever written. I think what makes Pinkerton so amazing is that it does so many different things so well. It catches the listener off guard and talks about the keys to finding love while still having those great hooks and riffs that Weezer is known for. You can't go wrong with the pure fun of "El Scorcho", one of the best rock choruses ever in "The Good Life", the epic finale of "Falling for You", the acoustic beauty of "Butterfly", the sheer despair of "Across the Sea", the pure pop of "Why Bother?", along with whatever else these tracks have to offer. On a final note, after listening to Pinkerton I can understand why Rivers doesn't make music as good as he used to: he doesn't want to make another album about him being unable to deal with fame. You can tell by just reading his lyrics that making this album was emotionally taxing. He just wants to make his album and tour, then go back to his family. As long as I have the Blue Album, Pinkerton, and the occasional good Weezer song like "Pork and Beans", I'm okay with that." [More] Reply
-

Happy | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +23 votes (23 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

1,099 charts

Rank Score:

9,666

Rank in 1996:

Rank in 1990s:

Overall Rank:

Average Rating:

Comments:

33.

"One of the definitive albums of the 90's, a genius work of hip hop/electronic music. It samples jazz,hip hop,electronic,funk, etc and sounds like all of them and nothing like those genres. One of those records that sounds like nothing before it and nothing since. "Midnight in a Perfect World" is ..." [More] Reply
- | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

992 charts

Rank Score:

9,076

Rank in 1996:

Rank in 1990s:

Overall Rank:

156

Average Rating:

84 (1,127 votes)

Comments:

51.

Ænima

Tool

"hearing a sinister sounding man on your answering machine saying calmly, " You wanna know something? Fuck you! I want your balls smashed. Eat shit...." to the sound of a beautiful piano, priceless." Reply
- eatkhash | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

738 charts

Rank Score:

6,508

Rank in 1996:

Rank in 1990s:

Overall Rank:

247

Average Rating:

81 (1,003 votes)

Comments:

53.

Odelay

Beck

"For years, I thought the cover was a bale of hay jumping over a hurdle, an image I thought perfectly captured the dada-ist vibe of the music and lyrics. When I read on wikipedia that it is actually a dog (a Komondor) and Beck was uncertain of the cover right through pressing, it made me wonder. B..." [More] Reply
-

jhuik | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

968 charts

Rank Score:

6,096

Rank in 1996:

Rank in 1990s:

Overall Rank:

267

Average Rating:

81 (1,322 votes)

Comments:

58.

Long Season

フィッシュマンズ [Fishmans]

"I'm glad this band is starting to gain some traction here cuz they're absolutely brilliant" Reply
- | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +13 votes (13 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

427 charts

Rank Score:

5,465

Rank in 1996:

Rank in 1990s:

Overall Rank:

306

Average Rating:

85 (516 votes)

Comments:

80.

Soundtracks For The Blind

Swans

"Some albums are like being hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. This album is like being crushed by a mountain. Post-rock albums often give a sense of vast empty space and natural beauty. This album smothers you in scalding, acrid feculence until your sinuses congest and your lungs fill with bli..." [More] Reply
-

SquishypuffDave | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +24 votes (24 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

386 charts

Rank Score:

3,654

Rank in 1996:

Rank in 1990s:

Overall Rank:

460

Average Rating:

83 (512 votes)

Comments:

110.

ATLiens

OutKast

"From this album all the way to Speakerboxxx Outkast struck gold every time. ATLiens is one of my favorite Outcast song. Cooler than a polar bears toenails? Nothing beats that" Reply
- kingdomhearts678 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

370 charts

Rank Score:

2,616

Rank in 1996:

Rank in 1990s:

110

Overall Rank:

654

Average Rating:

82 (490 votes)

Comments:

111.

Everything Must Go

Manic Street Preachers

"I like everything about this album. Clear vocals, great guitars, friendly hooks and melody, orchestral infusion, upbeat sound. And yet it still manages to stay away from being mainstream." Reply
-

Freddie55 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

421 charts

Rank Score:

2,608

Rank in 1996:

Rank in 1990s:

111

Overall Rank:

657

Average Rating:

77 (527 votes)

Comments:

119.

Safe Mode: On

Tigermilk

Belle And Sebastian

"Since I started listening to music, I've found so many good albums and artists. And what I learnt is the more I love music the harder explaining the reason is(We don't need actually) So, Describing my love for this album, Tigermilk(which is currently my favourite album of all time) seems impossib..." [More] Reply
-

SingingPeasant96 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +13 votes (13 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

Year of Release:

1996

Appears in:

423 charts

Rank Score:

2,500

Rank in 1996:

Rank in 1990s:

119

Overall Rank:

691

Average Rating:

80 (571 votes)

Comments:

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Total albums: 108. Page 1 of 11

Best Albums of the 1990s composition

Year	Albums	%

1990	84	8%
1991	85	9%
1992	102	10%
1993	108	11%
1994	127	13%
1995	104	10%
1996	108	11%
1997	99	10%
1998	99	10%
1999	84	8%

Artist	Albums	%

Blur	6	1%
The Flaming Lips	6	1%
Yo La Tengo	5	1%
Sonic Youth	5	1%
Alice In Chains	5	1%
R.E.M.	5	1%
Manic Street Preachers	5	1%
Show all

Country	Albums	%

	536	54%
	270	27%
	41	4%
	24	2%
	24	2%
	16	2%
	12	1%
Show all

Compilation?	Albums	%
No	986	99%
Yes	14	1%

Live?	Albums	%
No	981	98%
Yes	19	2%

Soundtrack?	Albums	%
No	992	99%
Yes	8	1%

« View best albums of the 1980sView best albums of the 2000s »

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