The George HW Bush Albums: Introduction + Honorable Mentions

So this is actually the 2nd time I've tried ranking albums from a presidential tenure. I listed the top 20 albums of the Trump era. Very awkward list and very awkward blog layout, but you can check it out here if ya want.
Fact is...These lists are way easier to make with 1-term presidents. The interesting case with George Bush Sr. is that people say nothing about his presidency. But people say a lot about the music released during his presidency. 

I mean...You ask someone, "Who was the US president in the 80s?" They'll say Ronald Reagan. You ask someone, "When did 90s culture really start?" They'll mention the emergence of Nirvana in 1991. The Bush era got overshadowed by your fake-smiley grandpa and your drug-meddled cousin.

Any artist who released music during the Reagan era gets all their lyrics over-analyzed for potential political meaning. But wait! There were people making music during Bush's presidency! They must have been politically-charged too, right? Yeah, whatever. Never mind.

The list will have 50 albums on it. But I have a lot of honorable mentions. These are all albums I genuinely like and find myself thinking about. Straight up, I've heard most of these like 1 time each. But it still counts! Also, I think Blood Sugar Sex Magik sucks. 

1989

Godflesh - Streetcleaner In my attempts to get into metal, this album really scratched my itch. Just some outright disgusting industrial metal worthy of its blazing crucifixion album art.

Too $hort - Life Is... Too $hort Hard to say how well this sound is aged. But I know Oakland. And this guy is definitely from Oakland.

Morbid Angel - Altars of Madness Of all the metal subgenres, I don't think I'll ever understand death metal. I can at least admit this album has an interesting build-up to its crushing end.  

Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever This album is a tale of 2 halves. The classic single-heavy A-side outshines the back-half. By a lot.

Steve Reich - Different Trains I think this album belongs in the top 20, but it's not official as to whether this piece was released in '88 or '89. I'm pretty sure it was '88.

Fugazi - 13 Songs I think EP compilations count as "albums." But it should be noted that side-A of this album was released in '88. So this album shouldn't make this list.

1990

Ween - GodWeenSatan: The Oneness Both the album title and the music itself comes off like a result of artistic geniuses getting totally baked. 

Codeine - Frigid Stars LP If you're into slowcore, I highly recommend this album. This was probably the best slowcore album from '90. 

Jane's Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual I'm a closet Jane's Addiction fan. Good time to bring up that you will not see Pearl Jam or Alice in Chains on this list. 

k.d. lang - Ingénue This album manages to find influence from like 10 different genres and disguise it all as adult contemporary. A misunderstood artist at her peak. 

Depeche Mode - Violator Amid my love/hate relationship with Depeche Mode, this album's really good. "Enjoy The Silence" will always sound great. 

Sinéad O'Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got Fun fact: I used to confuse Sinéad O'Connor with Sandra Day O'Connor. 

Morrissey - Bona Drag I said earlier I count EP compilations as albums. But this consists of previously released singles; some of which appeared on previous albums.

Uncle Tupelo - No Depression The early days of alternative country were a little more fun and a little more rockin'. No Depression captures these vibes.

1991

R.E.M. - Out of Time So R.E.M. is arguably my favorite band of all time, and I feel like my devoted love for this album mostly exists within that context. 

Main Source - Breaking Atoms This album is mostly known for featuring a guest verse from a teenage Nas, but it also has some impressive sampling.

Pixies - Trompe le Monde Kinda sad that Kim Deal sounds pretty much nonexistent on this album, but it's still Pixies so it's still great.

Saint Etienne - Foxbase Alpha This album is a cool find. An eclectic mix of the UK's dance scene and scratchy 60's samples, held together by some heavenly dream pop vocals.

KMD - Mr. Hood I can't think about this album title without thinking of the Robin Hood song from Shrek.

Public Enemy - Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Back This is a lot to take in. Let's just call it old-school hardcore hip-hop's last stand. Anthrax collaborations and racist politicians and all.

1992 

Red House Painters - Down Colorful Hill This is some of the saddest music you will ever hear in your freaking life.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Henry's Dream Nick Cave's career is one of the most consistently rewarding rabbit-holes to get lost in. This album itself is worth getting lost in. 

Uncle Tupelo - March 16-20, 1992 Uncle Tupelo went 100% acoustic for a sec with some beautiful production provided by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck. 

The Cure - Wish Even when The Cure go pop, The Cure go hard. "Friday I'm in Love" is a but a blip of joy in this 70-minute emotional rollercoaster. 

Sade - Love Deluxe I sincerely think "No Ordinary Love" is a candidate for best song from the Bush era. Some moments on this album sound dated, but at its best, it's futuristic.

Sonic Youth - Dirty Sonic Youth is a beautiful example of a band becoming cool on mistake. Don't call it a comeback. They've been here for years. 

The Jayhawks - Hollywood Town Hall From the uninviting cold heart of Minnesota, these alt-country old-heads heat things up with some Rolling Stones influence. 

Sleep - Sleep's Holy Mountain It's just difficult for me to rank stuff like this, ya know? A '92 album trying to feed you Black Sabbath through a thick haze of marijuana smoke. I love it.

Faith No More - Angel Dust To anybody else who's heard this album: Please feel free to talk with me about it. I've never heard anything like this. This is some sideways shit. 

L7 - Bricks Are Heavy L7 were a true sister act to Nirvana in Seattle's early grunge scene. They got themselves their own Butch Vig-produced album, and I gotta admit, it's pretty dope.