Full disclosure: This is a mix of artists I know next-to-nothing about and artists I've been listening to for years. You may have forgotten George HW Bush was ever president. But the music released during his presidency was unforgettable.
Here's a list of popular music and weird crap!
50
Queen Latifah - All Hail the Queen 1989
Anybody my age remembers Queen Latifah as a daytime talk show host and kinda bad Hollywood actress. But lo and behold, she began her career as a really good 80's rapper.
49
Beastie Boys - Check Your Head 1992
Who mastered rap-rock? Beastie Boys. Who killed rap-rock? Also Beastie Boys. Fully aware of the aging genre, these guys stayed true to their strengths and morphed into a new alt-rock image.
48
The Breeders - Pod 1990
It's documented that the band recorded some of this while in their pajamas, so surely this must be the definitive 90's rock album.
47
Brian Eno / John Cale - Wrong Way Up 1990
I'm a bad hipster. I don't fully understand Brian Eno's songwriting. But team him up with the right folks, and the result is always magical.
46
Spiritualized - Lazer Guided Melodies 1992
I can't come up with a good blurb for this album. Um..."Space rock" is a genre. Jason Pierce is the best at it. Yeah.
45
The Jesus Lizard - Liar 1992
I kinda regret not putting R.E.M.'s Out of Time on this list. But there are no "Shiny Happy People" in the world of The Jesus Lizard. Every track is an unrelenting punch to the face.
44
Sebadoh - III 1991
While Dinosaur Jr. were indisputably one of the most influential bands in noise rock, a lot of 90's bands would also come to sound like Lou Barlow's Sebadoh.
43
The Orb - The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld 1991
The last time I made an albums list, I made the mistake of pretending like I know shit about electronic music. But hear me out on this. This is a 110-minute outpour of creativity.
42
New Order - Technique 1989
The New Order catalog is impeccable. On Technique, the songs are hotter than ever. The synths sound ahead of the curve, and the tempo is often hard to keep up with.
41
The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde 1992
I'm pretty sure every rap-head likes this album more than I do. Kanye West has even said this was his favorite album of all time. But hey. It made my list. I think it's great. Let's not argue.
40
Sonic Youth - Goo 1990
While some saw Sonic Youth's major label debut as a sellout move, Rolling Stone's David Fricke praised how Goo showcased their hidden gift of sounding accessible and melodic. He's not wrong.
39
Pixies - Bossanova 1990
Pixies aren't the first band that comes to mind when I think of "stadium rock." But those guitars sure sound like they're reaching for the nosebleed seats on Bossanova.
38
The KLF - Chill Out 1990
Only recently gave this album my first listen. I would dare say it sounds relaxing, if it wasn't so eerie. I swear to god those sheep are looking at me.
37
Ice Cube - Death Certificate 1991
The N.W.A. split-up was not pretty. Ice Cube spends much of this album straight killing the American myth, but his beef with his former rap group was still very much alive.
36
Kate Bush - The Sensual World 1989
Kate Bush already previewed her quirky sensual side on previous albums, but I think this is where we hear her at her most intimate.
35
PJ Harvey - Dry 1992
PJ Harvey would follow this up 1 year later with her instant classic Rid of Me. But that album would not have had all the hype without its equally raw and crunchy predecessor.
34
Fugazi - Repeater 1990
The Fugazi name is considered holy in some places. Which is ironic, because I think sanctity was the exact opposite of what they were aiming for.
33
Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes 1992
Tori's songwriting abilities exceed every expectation for a baroque-pop songwriter. And the strings on here sound AMAZING.
32
Tom Waits - Bone Machine 1992
Tom Waits refuses to lack originality. I personally find the lowkey ballads on here lyrically interesting. And somehow, this also shows him at his most experimental, maniacal and zany.
31
Spacemen 3 - Playing with Fire 1989
Equally inspired by garage rock, soul, hard drugs and the Milky Way, this might be Spacemen 3's most dynamic and expansive work.
30
De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead 1991
I'm under the impression De La Soul felt some pressure to release another multicolor masterpiece, but decided to test their fanbase instead. A personal favorite artistic career move.
29
Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine 1992
Rage are a divisive band in the hipster-sphere. Some angsty political rapping over basic guitar riffs. Is that good? People. Have you freaking heard this? This is the most badass music of all time.
28
Ride- Nowhere 1990
I'm of the opinion that shoegaze was a genre meant to be short-lived, and there were only like 5 bands that could match My Bloody Valentine without ripping them off. That's where Ride comes in.
27
Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted 1990
With production assistance from The Bomb Squad, this album built a bridge between the sharpest minds of West Coast and East Coat hip-hop. That wouldn't last long.
26
A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm 1990
If you're familiar with the work of 80's pop art icon Keith Haring, I think this album puts his images to music. All people are active and colorful.
25
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine 1989
This album is a beautiful mess. Some of it can be classified as synth-pop. And damn good synth-pop at that. But it's the bleeding industrial ruckus and dark destructive tones that draw me in.
24
Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 1989
New jack swing. Now there's a genre that was meant to be short-lived. But nobody did it better than Janet. This album's practically a greatest hits comp for the genre.
23
The Blue Nile - Hats 1989
By all means, this is ranked pretty high. But when you need a soundtrack for a brooding walk around the empty city streets, this will do it.
22
The Jesus Lizard - Goat 1991
I'm a recent convert to The Jesus Lizard fanbase, thanks to Goat. A mind-blowing rock album. Loud. Fiery. Abrasive. Unforgiving. And of course produced by the G.O.A.T. himself: Steve Albini.
21
John Zorn - Naked City 1990
This album kicks off with some harmless rockabilly, only to progress into a nightshift adventure; hitting you with bold, unpredictable genre twists, ultimately leading to the dead body on the album cover.
20
Primal Scream - Screamadelica 1991
This album promises good times all the time. Made for taking ecstasy tablets on UK dancefloors, it even appropriately finishes off with ethereal comedown tracks.
19
U2 - Achtung Baby 1991
As high-profile or overrated you may think U2 is, it's pretty hard to argue against Achtung Baby. I think the production still sounds cool 30 years later, and the tracklist's full of classics.
18
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses 1989
This is the #1 most British album of all time. Made somewhere between the fall of The Smiths and the rise of Oasis, this album churns out the rest of the UK's most beloved anthems.
17
Galaxie 500 - On Fire 1989
The atmosphere of Galaxie 500 is an acquired taste. Extremely slow 3-chord songs smothered in reverb. By meager indie means, these folks were leagues ahead of their time.
16
Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas 1990
If there was ever a peak standard for dream pop, it's this album, and it's not even close. Every musical element is delivered in a heavenly haze, yet shines with a neon brightness.
15
Talk Talk - Laughing Stock 1991
Something I've learned to appreciate over the years is mystery. This album is a premium case of me wondering what in god's name was going on--internally, externally--when they made these songs.
14
Massive Attack - Blue Lines 1991
I go back-and-forth between this and Portishead's Dummy (1994) being the greatest trip-hop album of all time. Anyways. At its best, Blue Lines still sounds fresh and dope as hell.
13
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 1992
Anybody who knows electronic music knows Aphex Twin is a generational talent. As for where to start? I personally think this his best LP, or at least his most identifiable.
12
Slint - Spiderland 1991
I'd say this is on the same tier of mystery as that Talk Talk album. And yet, this spawns solely from rock instrumentation. So what is this? Post-rock? Math rock? Post-hardcore? It's Spiderland.
11
R.E.M. - Automatic for the People 1992
If you feel like reading, I'm giving this album a long and personal blurb. Or scroll on.
I've owned a CD copy of this since I was 17. I've listened to this album more than anything else on this list. Everything ranked higher than this are albums I feel were game-changers in the music world; "reinventing the wheel" so to speak. But this? This is an album I've turned to frequently for the last 13 years. A damn good band writing damn good songs. A perfect listen when lying awake at night. Any song with an organ or a string section sounds gorgeous. I'd recommend this album to anyone. This will always sound good. Even the awkwardly-placed "Ignoreland" at least serves an anti-Reaganomics mic drop. The rest of the album? Death and introspection. Life and love. And "Nightswimming."
10
A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory 1991
Jazz rap existed before Tribe. But did it really? Does anybody even think about jazz rap without hearing Q-Tip's voice? This album will always sound smooth like butter.
9
Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet 1990
With their signature non-stop energy, Public Enemy expresses concern for the world's immanent politically-driven apocalypse, while touching on the world's fear of a black-dominant society.
8
De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising 1989
Rap was made for new voices to be heard. Yet like all genres, even the established voice of rap needed an alternative. De La Soul were the first to dismantle rap's norms, while remaining sincere.
7
Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted 1992
Hailing from my hometown of Stockton CA, these wahoo's unintentionally became the voice of America in the 90's. "There's no culture!"
6
Nirvana - Nevermind 1991
This is probably the most culturally detrimental album of all time. I love the cocaine-drenched production and Cobain's "irritated Buddhist" attitude. Then why isn't this #1? It's a fine rock album.
5
Pixies - Doolittle 1989
Just playing the chronological game when it comes to fine rock albums. Nirvana is not Nirvana, Pavement is not Pavement, without some Pixies influence. Do some google searches.
4
Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique 1989
I often appreciate albums that provide impressive pallets of musical diversity. Paul's Boutique is like that on acid. And it's not refined. It's just as laughable as it is mind-blowing.
3
The Cure - Disintegration 1989
Disintegration is on an elite list of albums. I listen to a lot of music. The more stuff I hear, the more I realize: "Oh my god. Nothing else sounds like this." Disintegration is one of those albums.
2
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless 1991
I'll never forget my first whole listen to this album. These songs do not sound good on playlists. You need to start from the top and let the vacuums suck you in. Those vacuums are actually guitars btw.
1
Dr. Dre - The Chronic 1992
In an attempt to diss Dre's rapping skills, Ice Cube scoffs that Dre should just "stick to producing." So he did. And holy hell. Dre cemented the sonic groundwork for West Coast hip-hop forever. And introduced us to Snoop Dogg. And gave us arguably the most cinematic rap album of all time.
