Best Album of the 90's: The Poll
[Followup to this post from yesterday]
Unlike some of my commenters, I think the 90's was a great decade for music. Depsite the influx of those damn nu-metal (rapcore) bands towards the end of the 90's, the rest of it was good for rock and roll. If you like my kind of rock and roll, that is. Some of my favorite albums from those years will never make most people's top tens. Incubus's S.C.I.E.N.C.E, Faith No More's Angel Dust, Mr. Bungle's California, Fear Factrory's Demanufacture and Tool's Undertow - among many other fine ablbums - all helped mark the 90's as a banner decade for me. But, that's just me. Let's look at your choices.
I narrowed the albums down to ten because that what the poll machinery allows. Mostly, I chose the albums that were repeated in the comments several times. There was no formal counting. I run elections according to my whim around here.
Of the ten albums in the poll, I own...ten! That's not to say I listen to them all. I haven't listened to U2 in years. The Tori CD might not even be open. Metallica was handed down to my son. I got sick of Nevermind a long time ago. The Jane's Addiction CD has been MIA since we moved.
The remaining titles:
Portishead - Dummy:
Dummy gets taken out on dark, rainy days when I'm sitting on the couch reading and need a little headphone music. It's also known as the go-to album for when I've had too much to drink and am under the false impression that my husband would like me to serenade him.
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
SD is still to this day a pleasure from start to finish, especially Mayonaise, which - in my humble opinion - is one of the greatest songs ever written. Even the songs that got constant radio play - Cherub Rock, Disarm and Today, never suffered from the wear and tear that radio often gives to good songs. SD is a great reminder of what Billy Corgan was capable of before ego and drama ruined him.
Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape
It might not be as fast and furious as the self-titled debut, but Colour and Shape is still an amazing album. Hey, Johnny Park is always on my songs I can't live without. And Walking After You makes up for the overwrought My Hero.
Pearl Jam - Ten
One of the few albums I can listen to from start to finish without ever skipping a song. My sister says this about Pearl Jam - they started with a ten and went down a digit with each susbequent album. 'Tis true. Each PJ album after Ten left me vaguely disappointed, like they had topped out with their first effort. Best song on the CD: Porch.
Radiohead - Ok Computer
I prefer The Bends, but you guys seem to like OK. Actually both albums are works of art. While the rest of the world were scratching their heads over Paranoid Android and Karma Police, the rest of us Radiohead fans were being swept away by the beauty and sadness of Lucky, No Suprises and Exit (Music for a Film). I never, ever get tired of Ok Computer. In fact, I'm going to put it in the player right now.
So which will I vote for? I think you can figure that out. The poll is below and you can vote starting now. Comments on voting enabled.
New category in the Best of the 90's Awards coming up later today, hopefully. Category suggestions warmly welcomed.
I narrowed the albums down to ten because that what the poll machinery allows. Mostly, I chose the albums that were repeated in the comments several times. There was no formal counting. I run elections according to my whim around here.
Of the ten albums in the poll, I own...ten! That's not to say I listen to them all. I haven't listened to U2 in years. The Tori CD might not even be open. Metallica was handed down to my son. I got sick of Nevermind a long time ago. The Jane's Addiction CD has been MIA since we moved.
The remaining titles:
Portishead - Dummy:
Dummy gets taken out on dark, rainy days when I'm sitting on the couch reading and need a little headphone music. It's also known as the go-to album for when I've had too much to drink and am under the false impression that my husband would like me to serenade him.
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
SD is still to this day a pleasure from start to finish, especially Mayonaise, which - in my humble opinion - is one of the greatest songs ever written. Even the songs that got constant radio play - Cherub Rock, Disarm and Today, never suffered from the wear and tear that radio often gives to good songs. SD is a great reminder of what Billy Corgan was capable of before ego and drama ruined him.
Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape
It might not be as fast and furious as the self-titled debut, but Colour and Shape is still an amazing album. Hey, Johnny Park is always on my songs I can't live without. And Walking After You makes up for the overwrought My Hero.
Pearl Jam - Ten
One of the few albums I can listen to from start to finish without ever skipping a song. My sister says this about Pearl Jam - they started with a ten and went down a digit with each susbequent album. 'Tis true. Each PJ album after Ten left me vaguely disappointed, like they had topped out with their first effort. Best song on the CD: Porch.
Radiohead - Ok Computer
I prefer The Bends, but you guys seem to like OK. Actually both albums are works of art. While the rest of the world were scratching their heads over Paranoid Android and Karma Police, the rest of us Radiohead fans were being swept away by the beauty and sadness of Lucky, No Suprises and Exit (Music for a Film). I never, ever get tired of Ok Computer. In fact, I'm going to put it in the player right now.
So which will I vote for? I think you can figure that out. The poll is below and you can vote starting now. Comments on voting enabled.
New category in the Best of the 90's Awards coming up later today, hopefully. Category suggestions warmly welcomed.
(Poll ended. Poll gone.)
Comments
W00t! PJ is in the lead!
/me notices that I've the only one who has voted so far. D'oh!
Posted by: Zoloft | July 7, 2004 11:51 AM
That "Unlike some of my commenters" was directed at me, wasn't it?
Heh.
Posted by: Ken Summers | July 7, 2004 11:51 AM
I cannot believe in Pearl Jam. Not when there was THE Jam.
Posted by: TC-LeatherPenguin | July 7, 2004 11:58 AM
PJ10 is one of those rare 'fire & forget' albums. You put in the CD, hit play, and that's it. Not a bad song on the whole thing.
I can't say as much for their other albums, but 10 is one of my favorites.
Posted by: Sharp as a marble | July 7, 2004 12:00 PM
IMO, PJ has the best album of the 90's, but the song of the 90's was Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'.
I wonder what other "Best of teh 90's" categories Michelle will toss out at us.
"This is Lionel Richie and these are the make out songs of teh 90's..."
Posted by: Zoloft | July 7, 2004 12:02 PM
I can't believe I and, apparently, most everybody else forgot Oasis.
Posted by: Crank | July 7, 2004 12:04 PM
This was the toughest decision I've made all week. Part of me wanted to vote Nirvana on general principle, even though there are songs I skip.
Siamese Dream is an absolute joy from start to finish.
Posted by: nathan | July 7, 2004 12:34 PM
Roger Simon (www.rogerlsimon.com) will be on Iranian Satellite television (XTV) today at 11am Pacific Time (2PM EST).
http://rogerlsimon.com/archives/00001091.htm
Posted by: Freedom | July 7, 2004 01:22 PM
I must comment on the absence of Alice in Chains... esp. the Unplugged album- AIC was heads and tails above Nirvana IMHO. But then again that and a $1.25 will get me a cup of soup.
Why must Lane S. and Jerry C. sit on the sidelines of history-
Posted by: kotter | July 7, 2004 02:33 PM
Am I the only person in the world who thinks The Bends is better than OKC?
And I like Palbo Honey better than Kid A. Kinda fell out of touch with Radiohead after that one.
Posted by: Ratan | July 7, 2004 03:14 PM
Woo hoo, 2 of my 3 nominations made the top 10!
Anyway, Michele already covered the essential genius of The Colour And The Shape, but lemme add a mention for "New Way Home". Somehow the last song on every FF album to date has been a real firecracker, and "NWH" is the best of the bunch.
Posted by: Ian S. | July 7, 2004 03:52 PM
Wow. None of those would even make my top ten. But that's just me. (Now, "...And Justice For All" is another matter...)
Posted by: Sigivald | July 7, 2004 04:42 PM
As per the list, I say Pearl Jam.
But my fave is Angel Dust. Everything Tool did is high-ranking stuff, but Aenema was the best of the lot IMO. Soundgarden's BadMotorFinger is hella good.
Posted by: Vince | July 7, 2004 06:13 PM
The Black Album? What the hell is that sellout POS doing in any list? Sheesh, it's almost as bad as Load. No wait, it isn't, that's not fair - but still. House of Pain or Cypress Hill should be there instead of Metallica.
NIN should be on this list, really. Even though Pretty Hate Machine was released in November 1989, it's impact wasn't felt until at least 2 years later. (it didn't even go Gold until 1992). It's really the only other album, besides Pearl Jam's Ten, that doesn't have one bad song on it.
I wanna vote for NIN!
Posted by: IgwanaRob | July 7, 2004 08:11 PM
get that U2 out and listen to it now!
oh, and The Bends is Radiohead's best.
Posted by: p. hewson | July 7, 2004 11:28 PM
Man, this is depressing.
I spent most of the '90's listening to stuff that ain't on that list. Slint? My Dad Is Dead? Rachel's? Rodan? Jesus Lizard? Sonic Youth? John Adams? Digital Underground? Primus? Roni Size?
Why can't the stuff I like ever show up on the radio?
/stuffs iPod 'phones back into ears
Posted by: chap | July 7, 2004 11:30 PM
I gotta agree with chap. This selection is depressing. I had to hold my nose and vote for Jane's Addiction (mainly because I got stoned to that album a lot during my college days).
Where's the indie boom (that eventually busted) from people like Pavement, JSBX, and Liz Phair (just to name people on the Matador label)? Hell, even though his most popular stuff wasn't on indie labels, where's Beck?
And as for hip-hop, the closest thing we get to vote on is Portishead? What about Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers? Or Dr. Dre's The Chronic? Those albums changed both coasts' hip-hop dynamics considerably.
Posted by: Sean M. | July 8, 2004 04:24 AM
Hey, you people did the original nominating. Don't blame me.
Posted by: michele | July 8, 2004 05:37 AM
Good selections, but I think you forgot one: VIOLATOR by Depeche Mode. Never mind what you may think of the band, that CD broke BIG and foretold the coming dominance of "alternative" music.
Just a thought.
Posted by: Michael Diaz | July 8, 2004 06:25 AM
Oh, crap. Hip hop, of course. I would have to mention "The Score" by the Fugees, then, one of the most sweeping and ambitious rap albums of all time.
Can't believe I forgot to mention that in my original 3. D'oh!
Posted by: David F. | July 8, 2004 08:12 AM
You poor, poor children, never to know what truly great music is, I am so sorry your mommy's waited until they were 40 to have you, you missed 3 decades or really incredible Rock and Roll, stuck with Radiohead, Jizz Jam, and ohhh the world sux I blew my brains out Nirvana, oooh we of the last 2 generations are truly sorry...
Posted by: Clash City Rocker | July 8, 2004 09:07 AM
Wow, you people are a bunch of miserable types aren't you? Most of the stuff that is best in the 90s is miserable navel-gazing dross...and there is the ultimate in excrement...REM. (BTW despite the fact that I think Michael Stipe is a total prick, their first few albums were rather good.)
Posted by: Andrew Ian Dodge | July 8, 2004 09:27 AM
Wow, you people are a bunch of miserable types aren't you? Most of the stuff that is best in the 90s is miserable navel-gazing dross...and there is the ultimate in excrement...REM. (BTW despite the fact that I think Michael Stipe is a total prick, their first few albums were rather good.)
The reason Metallica is winning is because the other choices are so cack.
Posted by: Andrew Ian Dodge | July 8, 2004 09:27 AM
My vote goes to Siamese Dream. To me the best 90's album.
Posted by: Chris | July 11, 2004 06:56 PM