Wow, I don't think I've actually submited a list for this. Here goes...

1. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
2. Radiohead - OK Computer
3. Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
4. Godspeed You Black Emperor - F#A#oo
5. Weezer - s/t
6. Radiohead - The Bends
7. Elliott Smith - s/t
8. Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
9. Godspeed You Black Emperor - Slow Riot
10. Pavement - Wowee Zowee

Obviously my list is kind of limited. Three artists make multiple appearances. To be honest I enjoy music from the 90s the least out of the last five decades.

Hmm…I think I need to pound one of these out as well. I like a lot of your picks less but I do prefer the dark, brooding Pinkerton to Weezer’s first album—but that’s just me.

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
Hmm…I think I need to pound one of these out as well. I like a lot of your picks less but I do prefer the dark, brooding Pinkerton to Weezer’s first album—but that’s just me.

It's not just you

1. Radiohead - OK Computer
2. Nirvana - Nevermind
3. Primal Scream - Screamadelica
4. Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
5. Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie
6. Nirvana - In Utero
7. Lucinda Williams - Sweet Old World
8. Jeff Buckley - Grace
9. REM - Automatic For The People
10. Soundgarden - Superunknown

Honorable mention:

Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Cornershop - When I was Born For The 7th Time
Beck - Odelay
Beck - Mellow Gold
Fiona Apple - When The Pawn
Air - Moon Safari
Pulp - Different Class
Tricky - Maxinquaye
Bjork - Debut

quote:

Originally posted by Merciless Jack the Rippah!:

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
Hmm…I think I need to pound one of these out as well. I like a lot of your picks less but I do prefer the dark, brooding Pinkerton to Weezer’s first album—but that’s just me.

It's not just you

Awesome, I was just explaining to my wife this morning all the levels of humor that were involved in the song "Tired of Sex", just this morning. How it's totally the anti rock song. It just flys in the face of all the testosterone pumped buzz cut rockers that just sing about chasing woman and wanting nothing but sex, and then here come some nerds in khaki pants and glasses singing about how they have so much sex they are tired of it. It's great. And I had decided I would maybe start a topic about it this week or something, because I think it's a really under appreciated masterpiece (even by the band that made it). And then I show up this afternoon and discover you guys have already come to my same conclusion.

Definitely man, I know that you are relatively new on here but I always talk up Weezer’s Pinkerton. I truly love that album so much—so dark and rough and very, very, very good.

I've got no problem with Pinkerton. "Tired of Sex" is great song. "The Good Life" is the only song the rivals "My Name Is Jonas" for Weezer's best song in my opinion. I seem to like the album less as I get older, and my appreciation for the their debut is as strong as ever. Just a personal preference, I guess. I can hardly stand "Across the Sea" and "Butterfly" anymore for some reason.

Across the Sea is my favorite Weezer song actually. From time to time favorites changes of course, but it's right there all the time.

I think my favorite song by Weezer has always been (and always will be, if they keep coming up with dreck like "Beverly Hills") "Jamie" from the DGC Rarities CD that came out back in the day.

Overall, I think The Blue Album is a more solid album, and I also like that it seemed a little quirkier at the time of it's release. There are a few really great songs on Pinkerton, and I do like the production better than Ric Ocasek's flat production on The Blue Album.

quote:

Originally posted by EvilGhost75:
Ric Ocasek's flat production on The Blue Album.

Yeah, I think that's the rub. Every song on the Blue Album sounds similar-- this extends to the b-sides from those sessions. Great stand-alone songs, but it does get rather tiresome to listen to the whole album (unless you're drinking with all your friends from that era). That's why I think Pinkerton is superior.

You know, I heard Weezer’s eponymous album before anything else and I liked it a lot. I thought it was catchy, melodic and strong all around. I did find some of Ric Ocasek’s production to be overrated and like eric mentioned, flat. However, I figured that the album deserved the praise it received because it is pretty great.

I then got Pinkerton and heard it back when I was in middle school—so I was a few years late, kill me—and I loved it. Every single song on it is so strong and it is filled with raw, real emotion. I thought that it was one of those masterpieces that some people wouldn’t “get.” I think that Rolling Stone gave it like half a star out of five or something—they later altered it, of course.

Now, Weezer seems like a joke and they deserve it after that horrific Make Believe album, although I do like Maladroit quite a bit. But they did make, at least, two classics. And like less said, it’s really just a personal preference which album you like more because both are spectacular. I’ll take the primal, messy, haunting and yes, beautiful “black album” though.

So yeah, I guess I do like it a lot.

Weezer became a solo act after Matt Sharp left the band. Rivers can write some really nice stuff still, but he needs someone to fill it out into a song.

It's similar to Frank Blank directly after the Pixies shut down. Not that I would put Rivers anywhere near the level of Francis.

quote:

Originally posted by mark frankenstein:
Once again in no particular order (why worry?, it'd probably change tomorrow.) Magnetic Fields "69 Love Songs", The Feelies "Time for a Witness", Grant Lee Buffalo "Jubilee", Moby "Play", Bjork "Homogenic", Pavement "Slanted and Enchanted", Yo La Tengo "I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One", Radiohead "OK Computer", Beck "Mutations" and Bob Dylan "Time Out of Mind." I know I forgot many others, and I already had to trim Chris Isaak "Forever Blue", Sebadoh "bakesale", Nirvana "Nevermind" and Smashing Pumpkins "Siamese Dream." I guess I also had to leave out Jeff Buckley's "Grace", even though his version of "Hallelujah" might be the best song of the decade. Oops, better start a new thread.

Mark, I applaud your inclusion of The Magnetic Fields and The Feelies. Of course, Homogenic is also a painfully amazing album. I would venture to include PJ Harvey's To Bring You My Love, Fiona Apple's Tidal, Tori Amos' Little Earthquakes, and Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral. I wouldn't leave out Jeff Buckley. He rocks my socks off.

The Glands - The Glands.

New Wave - The Auteurs.

Two treasures that never get much of a mention.

quote:

Originally posted by Sideshow Bob:
The Glands - The Glands.

I love that record and saw them open for GbV, they were terrific-- but that album came out in the summer of 2000.

1. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
2. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
3. Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
4. Wu-Tang - 36 Chambers
5. Tom Waits - Bone Machine
6. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
7. Sonic Youth - Dirty
8. Polvo - Exploded Drawing
9. Weezer - Pinkerton
10. Ride - Nowhere
11. Boredoms - Chocolate Synthesizer
12. the Dismemberment Plan - Emergency and I
13. Nirvana - In Utero
14. Unwound - Fake Train
15. Morphine - Good
16. Modest Mouse - Lonesome Crowded West
17. Slowdive - Souvlaki
18. Royal Trux - Twin Infinitives
19. Boredoms - Super Ae
20. Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot

quote:

Originally posted by the Vitun Moomin Mangler:
5. Tom Waits - Bone Machine
13. Nirvana - In Utero
15. Morphine - Good
20. Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot

Totally with you on those. The other ones I'm not, mostly because I haven't heard most of them.

I used to listen to Hot on repeat in my bedroom and just be completely content.

OK, so after about three days of work and a lot of consideration, changes and unhappiness here are my top 80 albums of the 1990s. Why 80 you ask? Well for many reasons but I shall give you two: 1.I still have a lot of years to live (I hope) so I am sure that I will still find more music from the 90s that I haven’t heard/even heard of or own and 2.Simply because this does take a lot of work and I got burned out so I said, “Eh, 80 will do.” Plus, adding the little italics code for every single album requires a lot of discipline. I am not too satisfied with it and it will probably change (in my mind) by the end of the day but for now, it is what it is.

And yeah, I said already that it took a lot of time—I commend anyone who has made an in-depth, solid, varied list—because boy this was tough. So I better get a lot of feedback, comments and complaints or I will be an even unhappier camper than I already am.

1. Radiohead – OK Computer
2. U2 – Achtung Baby
3. Radiohead – The Bends
4. A Tribe Called Quest – The Low End Theory
5. Pavement – Crooked Rain Crooked Rain
6. Buena Vista Social Club – Buena Vista Social Club
7. Björk – Homogenic
8. Weezer – Pinkerton
9. 2Pac – All Eyez on Me
10. Yo La Tengo – I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One

11. PJ Harvey – Rid of Me
12. Black Star – Black Star
13. Nirvana – In Utero
14. Wilco – Summerteeth
15. Pavement – Wowee Zowee
16. Billy Bragg & Wilco – Mermaid Avenue
17. PJ Harvey – To Bring You My Love
18. Tom Waits – Bone Machine
19. Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
20. Beck – Odelay

21. Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York
22. Pavement – Slanted & Enchanted
23. Björk – Post
24. Nas – Illmatic
25. Modest Mouse – The Lonesome Crowded West
26. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – The Boatman’s Call
27. Beck – Mutations
28. The Notorious B.I.G. – Ready to Die
29. Uncle Tupelo – March 16-20, 1992
30. Elliott Smith – Either/Or

31. Yo La Tengo – Fakebook
32. Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
33. R.E.M. – Automatic for the People
34. Tom Waits – Mule Variations
35. Björk – Debut
36. A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders
37. Nirvana – Nevermind
38. Elliott Smith – Elliott Smith
39. Jay-Z – Reasonable Doubt
40. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Let Love In

41. Outkast – Aquemini
42. The Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin
43. Yo La Tengo – Painful
44. Wilco – Being There
45. Spoon – A Series of Sneaks
46. The Roots – Things Fall Apart
47. Beck – Midnite Vultures
48. Elliott Smith – XO
49. Uncle Tupelo – Anodyne
50. Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral

51. Aphex Twin – Richard D. James Album
52. 2Pac – Me against the World
53. Weezer – Weezer (Blue Album)
54. Cat Power – Moon Pix
55. The Flaming Lips – Transmissions from the Satellite Heart
56. PJ Harvey – Dry
57. Eminem – The Slim Shady LP
58. Pavement – Brighten the Corners
59. Bonnie “Prince” Billy – I See A Darkness
60. Outkast – ATLiens

61. Bob Dylan – Time Out of Mind
62. The Chemical Brothers – Exit Planet Dust
63. A Tribe Called Quest – People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm
64. Moby – Play
65. Uncle Tupelo – No Depression
66. Pixies – Bossanova
67. The Flaming Lips – Clouds Taste Metallic
68. The Fugees – The Score
69. Pavement – Terror Twilight
70. The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole

71. Blur – Parklife
72. Garbage – Garbage
73. Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85-92
74. The Notorious B.I.G. – Life after Death
75. Wynton Marsalis – Citi Movement
76. Outkast – Southernplayalisticcadilacmuzik
77. Modest Mouse – This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About
78. The Roots – Do You Want More ?!!!??!
79. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
80. Garbage – Version 2.0

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
79. Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Five years ago, anyone making a list of the best 90s albums would include this. Today I hardly see it mentioned. It is a fantastic record. Nice pick.