My Favourite Albums of the 1990s

The 1990s gave me more money to spend - but less time (as I was working) to listen. Besides, the music that was peaking was usually more accomodated on a 12" dance record or multiple mix CD single than on an album - some dance, hip hop and house haven't lasted, but others have. Then there was the remnants of baggy ("Pills, Thrills and bellyaches" and "Screamadelica" were slow to emerge), which led into Britpop at the same time that grunge was happening. In retrospect the 90s seems, as one commentator noted, "seven years of plenty", with our pick 'n' mix approach to music showcased by the way that festivals began to have dance acts and rock acts on the same stage (and sometimes on the same song.) Its interesting how bands become attached to decades - rock and roll gives longer careers these days - so two, three or more years between Radiohead albums for instance isn't a surprise. The internet wasn't yet transforming how we listened to music (though Napster came out late in the decade, the iPod was a few years off), yet we knew it would. Out of nowhere an "indie" band became the biggest in the world - Oasis, or was that Nirvana? The split between mainstream and alternative seemed ridiculous when worldwide the biggest selling albums were by the Beastie Boys or Pearl Jam. All good stuff of course, and like the previous two decades, ample albums for a top 100. Surprised how few artists lasted from the 70s or 80s into this decade - its more since the millennium that the heritage artist (Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen) has come into their own, though there was always Neil Young, dreadful for much of the 80s, but retooled and touring with Sonic Youth in the 1990s. In retrospect, its a diverse decade, where unlikely records - Belle and Sebastian, Jeff Buckley - could gain near universal acceptance. (And I know that its a bit amazing that I've room for Lisa Lisa or Birdland rather than "Ok Computer" or "Different Class" but those are albums I never really listened to much, though I appreciate their importance!)

1	Loveless	My Bloody Valentine
2	Definitely Maybe	Oasis
3	Doggystyle	Snoop Doggy Dogg
4	Fear of a Black Planet	Public Enemy
5	Entroducing	DJ Shadow
6	To Bring Me Your Love	PJ Harvey
7	Exile in Guyville	Liz Phair
8	If you're feeling sinister	Belle and Sebastian
9	Maxinquaye	Tricky
10	Rage Against the Machine	Rage Against the Machine
11	Slanted and enchanted	Pavement
12	In Utero	Nirvana
13	Midnight Marauders	A Tribe Called Quest
14	The Soft Bulletin	Flaming Lips
15	In the airplane over the sea	Neutral Milk Hotel
16	Sound Verite	The Make Up
17	Ladies and Gentlemen we are floating in space	Spiritualized
18	Crazy Sexy Cool	TLC
19	My Life	Mary J. Blige
20	Dubnobasswithmyheadman	Underworld
21	Heaven or Las Vegas	Cocteau Twins
22	Grace	Jeff Buckley
23	Generation Terrorists	Manic Street Preachers
24	So Tonight that I might see	Mazzy Starr
25	Elastica	Elastica
26	Black Sunday	Cypress Hill
27	Whats the Story Morning Glory?	Oasis
28	Suede	Suede
29	Extricate	The Fall
30	Transmissions from the Satellite Heart	Flaming Lips
31	Nevermind	Nirvana
32	The Holy Bible	Manic Street Preachers
33	Dust	Screaming Trees
34	Cats and Dogs	Royal Trux
35	Transmissions from the Satellite Heart	Flaming Lips
36	Screamadelica	Primal Scream
37	The Infotainment Scan	The Fall
38	Quality Street	World of Twist
39	Ill Communication	Beastie Boys
40	Pills, thrills and bellyaches	Happy Mondays
41	Homogenic	Bjork
42	Tindersticks	Tindersticks
43	Mezzanine	Massive Attack
44	Efil4Zaggin	NWA
45	Achtung baby	U2
46	Ritual de la Habitual	Jane's Addiction
47	Goo	Sonic Youth
48	Time Out of Mind	Bob Dylan
49	Timeless	Goldie
50	Ray of Light	Madonna
51	Puressence	Puresessence
52	Liquid Swords	Genius/GZA
53	Siamese Dream	Smashing Pumpkins
54	Music for the Jilted Generation	Prodigy
55	Play more music	Consolidated
56	Snivilisation	Orbital
57	Homework	Daft Punk
58	Let No Live Here Rent Free In Your Head	Nicolette
59	The Predator	Ice Cube
60	Death Is not the end	Shut up and Dance
61	Urban Hymns	Verve
62	XO	Elliot Smith
63	I can hear the heart beating as one	Yo La Tengo
64	Vs	Pearl Jam
65	Californication	Red Hot Chilli Peppers
66	Park Life	Blur
67	Music has the right to children	Boards of Canada
68	Accelerator	Royal Trux
69	Dummy	Portishead
70	Bubble and Scrape	Sebadoh
71	I Wish My Brother George was here	Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
72	Maya	Banco de Gaia
73	Life with Brian	Flowered Up
74	Sketches for my Sweetheart the Drunk	Tim Buckley
75	Blood Sex Sugar Magic	Red Hot Chilli Peppers
76	Sleeps with Angels	Neil Young
77	Giant Steps	Boo Radleys
78	Crooked Rain Crooked Rain	Pavement
79	1. Outside	David Bowie
80	Debut	Bjork
81	The Bends	Radiohead
82	Enter the Wu Tang	Wu Tang Clan
83	When I was born for the 7th time	Cornershop
84	United Kingdoms	Ultramarine
85	Emperor Tomato Ketchup	Stereolab
86	The Miseducation of Lauren Hill	Lauren Hill
87	Done by the forces of nature	Jungle Brothers
88	Copper Blue	Sugar
89	Your Arsenal	Morrissey
90	Tricks of the shade	Goats
91	Back in  Denim	Denim
92	Red Medicine	Fugazi
93	The Slim Shady	Eminem
94	Happiness	The Beloved
95	The Writings on the Wall	Destinys Child
96	Adventures beyond the Ultraverse	The Orb
97	New World Order	Curtis Mayfield
98	Deadline for my Memories	Billy Ray Martin
99	LL77	Lisa Lisa
100	Birdland	Birdland