10 Underrated 90’s Albums That Don’t Get The Credit They Deserve | Talking About Records
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- Опубліковано 7 чер 2024
- The 90's were ripe with artists creating timeless albums that still sound fresh to this day. Many topped the charts, but others flew under the radar. In this episode of Talking About Records we highlight a few of our favorite 1990's albums that still don't get the credit they deserve.
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Amazing picks, agree with every single one! I'd only add one: Scott Weiland's 12 Bar Blues. So underrated, and ahead of its time I think.
The Bends is in my Top 5 of the 90’s for sure and Live Through This is very close. Great list!
Thanks!
Word, "Cut You In" was a SOLID track that they played on 107.7 the End here in the PNW.
A few of my favorite underrated/forgotten 90's albums:
Mad Season-Above, 1995
Ned's Atomic Dustbin-God Fodder, 1991
Swervedriver-Rise, 1991
Spacehog-Resident Alien, 1995
The Cult-the Cult, 1994
Peter Murphy-Cascade, 1995
Filter-Short Bus, 1995
Dinosaur Jr-Where You Been?, 1993
Bad Religion-Stranger than Fiction, 1994
Faith No More-Album of the Year, 1997
YES!
Really solid list. Soup is one of my all time favorites.
Cry of Love - Brother is a straight up rock n roll record from 93 that doesn’t get its due.
Fake plastic trees is one of my favorite songs from Radiohead
Great video man. So many memories. So hard to accept its been 30 F'n years..
Tell me about it
Guitarist of Blind Melon lives a mile away from me in the suburbs of Philly and is now a lawyer
Fantastic picks. One of my favorite not-talked-about 90’s records is “Pony Express Record” by Shudder To Think.
Great shout - tho I'm more of a fan of their record Funeral At The Movies. But yeah Shudder To Think is very underrated.
Yes! Kerosine Hat is amazing
Love “Soup” by Blind Melon!! Definitely in my top 5 albums of all time. Such an underrated album
Ah wow, and now One Hot Minute!!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Yes! Soup is a perfect album, that most people are not even vaguely familiar with
Blind Melon - Soup is a KILLER record. Criminally ignored!
Agreed
Yes it was .the first album I consider one of my top 50 albums of all time
I saw them at Woodstock 94 about 30 feet from the stage ,didn’t know that would be one of the bands that we would lose.
The God Machine and their epic nearly 80 minute album "Scenes From A Second Storey" is a criminally underrated 90s record. Used Vinyl of this album goes for insane amounts of money on discogs.
Killer record!
Totally agree - bought the CD when it was released, wish I bought the vinyl too
Solid picks.
Fantastic list
Boggy depot is incredible and has some of the most unique songs Jerry wrote, such as 'Cold Piece'. - a Jazzy slick and dark-ass song. Hurt a Long Time is another one, a country tune on that album, a unique song that stands out on it as well. Settling Down and My Song are also fantastic standout songs. Truly an excellent record, and honestly, I kind of wished Jerry continued along that trajectory. I was not crazy on brighten.
Love seeing Screaming Trees on this list, and The Bends has always been my favorite Radiohead album. Two I would add from my own list: Mudhoney's "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge" (which came out July '91 I believe--terrible timing?), Afghan Whigs "Congregation," and Heatmiser's "Cop and Speeder."
I thought One Hot Minute got no love. Dave came into the band with a lot of songs already written and flea being the major writing force, and for a first album it rocks. Dave's octaves stuff and experimentation doesn't get enough credit. I much more would have liked to have seen them explore this group and where the music would have taken them.
I own the 30th anniversary deluxe edition on CD that includes the remastered version of the album and a second disc that includes B sides from the singles. Sweet Oblivion is a masterpiece
Agreed. Such an underrated band.
Loud guitars big suspicion from Shannon Curfman is the ultimate under the radar Album.
Great picks GI! I would add Hum You’d Prefer an Astronaut to my list.
Totally! I just don’t own it on vinyl - needs a repress badly
@@NTXVinyl it heard it’s a coming in the next few months.
Great suggestions! I have been wanting that Cracker record.
Live Secret Samadhi and The Distance to Here. We’re Great albums also.
Agreed! Really like ALL Live albums except their debut, which didn't click with me, melodically speaking. Great musicianship and Ed's voice is unique and memorable.
I always feel like The Lemonheads don’t get enough attention
Here's a few more you might want to consider:
Superchunk - Foolish
Kostars - Classics With a "K"
Pond - Rock Collection
Magic Hour - No Excess Is Absurd
Money Mark - Mark's Keyboard Repair
Bogdan Raczynski - Samurai Math Beats
nice! Recognize a few of those, but not all that familiar.
I feel like Danzig didn't get the hype they should have. They only got a little more recognition after that Mother 93 Live video, but by that time the classic line-up were going to their last album in 94. So for me Danzig II: Lucifuge (90) or especially Danzig III: How the Gods Kill (92) would make my on my list. It was such a great and unique "hard jazzy blues rock/metal" band.
I'm a big fan of I and II. Not sure why I didn't get into III. I saw Danzig last year in Denver. Going to see them again this fall in Detroit. They're playing the first album start to finish so that'll be cool. His voice sounded great last year so should be a good show.
the first Danzig record is epic
@@d3one3 interesting, for me Danzig III is my favorite and Danzig 4p is my second one. After the classic line-up broke up the band had highs and lows. I still hope Glenn release live video material from their peak.
@@NTXVinyl even though is my least favorite one of the first 4 albums, it's still a masterpiece and their most succesful that's for sure.
@@Qliphirot Which Danzig album did you hear first? Often times the first album that I'm exposed to an artist is my favorite. Definitely not always but a good percentage of the time
Fun list -- thanks! I'm a Seattleite who was in my early '30s and living in LA as the '80s turned into the '90s -- then moved back to Seattle in 1994. So, I always thought of Cracker as singer-songwriter David Lowery's next band after Camper Van Beethoven. If you like Cracker, check out Camper's stuff, from "Telephone Free Landslide Victory" (1985) to "Key Lime Pie" (1989). (Favorite song title: "Take the Skinheads Bowling.")
You're absolutely right about "Live Through This." I saw Hole and Nirvana (sometimes in the same line-up) a number of times in the late '80s and early '90s, and the Cobain influence (loud/quiet/loud) on it is definitely real. But that doesn't lessen Love's contributions. Whatever the reason, "Live Through This" sounds more like "Nevermind" than Hole's previous album, "Pretty On the Inside." I think that's one reason "Live Through This" didn't sell better, because everyone was blaming Courtney for her husband's death and assuming she didn't have any talent of her own. Which she did. (And, by the way, watch her in the criminally underrated 1996 Milos Forman movie, "The People vs. Larry Flynt" with Woody Harrelson. She's really good in that, too.)
I'm not a plastic record sleeve kinda guy too. Rock on!
Great video.
I don't want to be that guy but Betty is Helmet's third album. There was also a (barley, but still) full length compilation of early tracks that came out before it. If you're a fan and haven't heard the recently released Live And Rare, which was recorded in the 90s it's worth hunting down.
I agree with your comments about Jerry Cantrell's contribution to Alice In Chains be undervalued. You didn't mention that he even sang around a third of the lead vocals, including on some of the singles. No disrespect to Layne by any means, he was great, but Jerry deserves more recognition.
I have to disagree with Live Though This being underappreciated. I don't want to slag it too much because I do like it and it gets some truly tiresome haters but I have to say it's a bit over hyped IMO. It was in Pitchfork's top 10 albums of the decade and it was a huge album (it sold platinum). I like it but I think it's pretty front loaded. Hole's first album and several albums by bands they are often compared to like L7, Babes In Toyland, 7 Year Bitch, The Red Aunts, and PJ Harvey are much stronger IMO.
Some 90s Rock albums I think deserve more love:
The Flaming Lips - In A Priest Driven Ambulance
TAD - 8 Way Santa
Monster Magnet - Dopes To Infinity
New Bomb Turks - Destroy Oh Boy
Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
Morphine - Cure For Pain
Neil Young - Broken Arrow
Pearl Jam - No Code
Thank you
Yeah I totally spaced on Helmet. I always forget because Meantime was the breakthrough album...but not the first
Agree with euphoria morning and boggy depot!
Both so good
Screaming Trees - Dust
1996
100%
Another one that flies way under the radar is The Gun Club - Lucky Jim, try the title track and Idiot Waltz, I'd put this album up there with most of the era. It most likely got buried under the crush of all the other great albums coming out around then. Also, don't forget Sebadoh's Bakesale and Harmacy. Both "critically acclaimed" if you happen to be into that, but both great albums nonetheless. Seriously though, listen to that Gun Club record.
Yes ! Cracker🎉 David Lowery Genius Johnny Hickman one of my favorite lead guitar/singer/song writers. Cracker formed from a bunch of bands in Northern California. Camper aVan Beethoven Lowery’s previous band were students at UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs and have me of Grateful Dead archive. Camper broke Uncategorized around 1990. The Song Big Dipper id a reference to the Wooden Roller Coaster on the Beach Boardwalk. Basically smart punks making fun of the world and it’s hypocritical absurdity. Lowery was a regular guest on Bill Maher’s ABC Politically Incorrect l. Like most bands and artists the Bay Area became too expensive due too Silicone Valleys Dot Com Boom of the Nineties. Seattle San Diego Portland were budget artist friendly alternative to the Bay Area and Music scene that dominated the 70’s 80’s in that we claim Lowery the thoughtful Virginian a our own Johnny too. The track 89 on Kerosene Hat unavailable on vinyl. Their first 3 albums are as good as any grunge or invasion bands. Yeah I said it. Check it Nirvana/ Led Zepplin fans 😇
I feel like this decade is ripe for finding hidden gems... so much interesting music at this time. I certainly concur with The Bends, it's my favorite Radiohead album and if it weren't for the lackluster production, it would be a an all-time great.
Other underrated gems from the 90s:
Both Jellyfish albums (but at this point that's almost a cliche)
The Grays - Ro Sham Bo (Jellyfish adjacent)
Toy Matinee - Toy Matinee
Better Than Ezra - How Does Your Garden Grow?
Crowded House - Woodface
Pyschefunkapus - Skin
Velvet Crush - Teenage Symphonies to God
Boggy depot is a gem
Another Seattle grunge side project which was sorely underrated: Soundgarden members Ben Shepherd and Matt Cameron formed a side-project band, called Hater. They were joined by former Monster Magnet guitarist John McBain and other grunge luminaries for their “2nd” album
Totally forgot about that band. Need to revisit
Hum - You’d Prefer an Astronaut
ßo when you saw Soundgarden at Lollapalooza '96 what did you think? Did they play a mostly acoustic set? I saw that show also and was just curious. Just to be sure, Rage Against the Machine was there also
RATM was not on the dallas date. SG was certainly not acoustic. Set was good, but messy. They were done by that point and it showed
Tin Machine 2
Great choices but not sure any of these were particularly underrated (maybe only in the context of the individual bands back catalogues). I could easily give you ten that would shock you. I'd probably put my favourite band the Church in there then Catherine Wheel debut, Primitives 'Galore', Stone Roses 2nd (I hated when it came out too), King Missile 'the way to salvation', Manic Street Preachers 'Gold against the soul' well there's a few to be getting along with for now anyway......
Yes...within a certain context of their catalogs and amongst their peers. Certainly plenty of artists/albums that were less mainstream and undiscovered as a whole.
All of these albums are from bands who were mainstream artists and part of the Grunge scene with the exception of Jeff Buckley, Chili Peppers and Radiohead. If you want underrated then THE album to choose is Priest=Aura by The Church. That album is a downright masterpiece that needs major attention in the world. But then again you can say that about their whole career.
@@musicalchurch Very true, it is probably one of my favourite albums by them top three I reckon.
Which blind melon books would you recommend?
A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other
MUST READ
Some I know about , a few I have , a couple unknown to me and one I will not have anything to do with. For some reason I absolutely can not stand Hole. I can’t put my finger on it either. It simply isn’t my jam. We all have a couple of those.
Mercury rev.
Good video but that hole album was a top ten in pitchforks 90’s albums. Not very underrated anymore
Grace is not "underrated"
Grace won appreciation from a host of revered musicians and artists, including members of Buckley's biggest influence, Led Zeppelin.[27] Jimmy Page considered Grace close to being his "favorite album of the decade".
Others who had influenced Buckley's music lauded him:[31] Bob Dylan named Buckley "one of the great songwriters of this decade",[29] and David Bowie considered Grace to be the best album ever made, and had said it would be one of his ten "Desert Island Records."
On 2 April 2014 it was announced that Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" would be inducted into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry (the entire album hasn't yet been inducted).
In July 2014, Guitar World ranked Grace at number 26 in their "Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994" list.
Based on Grace's appearances in professional rankings and listings, the aggregate website Acclaimed Music lists it as the most acclaimed album of 1994, the 7th most acclaimed album of the 1990s and the 58th most acclaimed album in history.
Sure. But ask most people and they’ve still never heard of it, or him for that matter.
@@NTXVinylwell I write songs and you've never heard of me either....so by your logic I'm "underrated" to you (even though you've never heard my songs to rate me one way or another)
Grace is one of the most highly rated albums of the nineties, it just wasn't a massive mainstream commercial hit. These are two separate things.
Listed below are the best albums of 1994 as calculated from their overall rankings in over 50,000 greatest album charts.
Best Albums of 1994
1. Grace by Jeff Buckley
2. Illmatic by Nas
3. Weezer (The Blue Album) by Weezer
4. Dummy by Portishead
5. Definitely Maybe by Oasis
6. The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails
7. MTV Unplugged In New York by Nirvana (US)
8. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain by Pavement
9. Superunknown by Soundgarden
10. Parklife by Blur
@@NTXVinyl Sorry, but i have to agree with the guy. One hot minute is a perfect example of an album being underrated, and a lot of songs are still well known. Jeff´s album on the other hand, is very highly rated by everyone who knows it, its just not that well known as it should be.
No Radiohead album is underrated:)
Depends who you ask :)
Hole>Nirvana
I think you are going to have a tough time convincing anyone that you are correct.