Best of the 1990's - Take 2

I've been thinking about the end of the year and end of the decade lists quite a bit lately. When I saw PD's last post I thought he was totally stuck in the 90's. The idea seemed irrelevant to me given all the exciting things that have happened over the last 10 years. Then I read his list and decided it was actually a worthwhile exercise, a good warm up for the other two big lists. I decided to create my own list for two reasons. First, I realized I've never actually gone back and done inventory on the 90's before. Reading through PD's list evoked memories from what will probably be the most concentrated period of change and growth I'll experience in my entire life. I entered the decade as a skinny little mullet-headed teenager and left it as a college graduate on the cusp of medical school and marriage. And I can't think of a single experience from that era without hearing an associated soundtrack. Today I can't imagine life, or even a single day, without music and it was during the 1990's that I learned how to love it. That alone is reason enough to go forward with this exercise. The other reason I created a list was because I knew I could make a better one. I'm kidding of course, however while PD's list is impressive, I felt a second perspective was warranted.

The biggest challenge for me in compiling this list was deciding what criteria to use. Many albums from the 90's are ones that I loved then and love now, rock solid efforts that defined our generation and have been a major influence for me and for many of the bands who will show up on my 00s list. Examples include most of the albums at the top of my list. Others on the list were albums I never knew existed when they were released, but only came to appreciate their brilliance years later, for instance In "An Aeroplane Over The Sea". Then finally, there were dozens of albums that were an integral part of my life when they came out, but have slowly drifted out of my rotation as the years have passed. I haven't lost interest them and they are still just as significant to me now as they were then, but, like many of the friends I shared them with, we've drifted apart. Though these albums, like "Metallica" and "Siamese Dream," are further down on my list, they are no less important. I love pulling out these CD's because they instantly bring me back to a time when life was simple and responsibilities few. So, in the end I decided I'd use a combination of all these. I tried to only choose one album from a particular group or artist to keep it diverse, however there were a few exceptions.

30. Slayer - "Seasons in the Abyss"
29. Smashing Pumpkins - "Siamese Dream"
28. Oasis - "(What's the Story) Morning Glory"
27. Butter 08 - "Butter 08"
26. Metallica - "Metallica"
25. Alice in Chains - "Jar of Flies"
24. Neutral Milk Hotel - "In An Aeroplane Over The Sea
23. Weezer - "Weezer"
22. Guns n Roses - "Use Your Illusion 1 and 2"
21. Ben Lee - "Something to Remember Me By"
20. Snoop Doggy Dogg - "Doggystyle"
19. Elliott Smith - "XO"
18. Nine Inch Nails - "The Downward Spiral"
17. Beta Band - "The Three EPs"
16. Money Mark - "Push the Button"
15. Billy Bragg and Wilco - "Mermaid Avenue"
14. Air - "Moon Safari"
13. Pavement - "Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain"
12. Janes Addiction - "Ritual de lo Habitual"
11. Pearl Jam - "Ten"
10. Beck - "Odelay"
9. Faith No More - "Angel Dust"
8. Nirvana - "Unplugged in New York"
7. Wilco - "Being There"
6. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Blood Sugar Sex Magik"
5. Mr. Bungle - "California"

4. Radiohead - "The Bends"

3. Beastie Boys - "Check Your Head"

2. Johnny Cash - "American Recordings"

1. Radiohead - "OK Computer"