1991 in music.

Slight delay but we're back. Depeche Mode's Violator pulled off the upset for 1990. Let's see who wins 1991. Jesus christ, this year.

Billboard chart-topping albums of 1991:
Vanilla Ice - To the Extreme (cont. from 1990)
Mariah Carey - Mariah Carey (cont. from 1990)
R.E.M. - Out of Time
Michael Bolton - Time, Love and Tenderness
Paula Abdul - Spellbound
NWA - N*****4Life
Skid Row - Slave to the Grind
Van Halen - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
Natalie Cole - Unforgettable With Love
Metallica - Metallica
Garth Brooks - Ropin' the Wind
Guns n Roses - Use Your Illusion II
U2 - Achtung Baby
Michael Jackson - Dangerous

Billboard chart-topping singles of 1991:
Madonna - Justify My Love (cont. from 1990)
Janet Jackson - Love Will Never Do Without You (cont. from 1990)
Surface - The First Time
C+C Music Factory - Gonna Make You Sweat (cont. from 1990)
Whitney Houston - All the Man That I Need (cont. from 1990)
Mariah Carey - Someday (cont. from 1990)
Timmy T - One More Try
Gloria Estefan - Coming Out of the Dark
Londonbeat - I've Been Thinking About You (cont. from 1990)
Wilson Phillips - You're in Love (cont. from 1990)
Amy Grant - Baby Baby
Roxette - Joy Ride
Hi-Five - The Kissing Game
Mariah Carey - I Don't Want to Cry (cont. from 1990)
Extreme - More Than Words (cont. from 1990)
Paula Abdul - Rush Rush
EMF - Unbelievable
Bryan Adams - Everything I Do
Paula Abdul - The Promise of a New Day
Color Me Badd - I Adore Mi Amor
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch - Good Vibrations
Mariah Carey - Emotions
Karyn White - Romantic
Prince - Cream
Michael Bolton - When a Man Loves a Woman
PM Dawn - Set Adrift on Memory Bliss
Michael Jackson - Black or White

What are your top three albums for 1991? We will keep a running tally and eventually have some sort of bracket. For me it would be:
1. Nirvana - Nevermind
2. Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
3. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

What are some of the forgotten gems from the year? What is overrated? What did you discover at a young age and what did you discover later?

YEARS IN MUSIC • forum.chorus.fm

 

gonna blow it up to 20 this year bc wow, some insanely good albums. feels like our best crop since the early 70s.

remainder of the top 20:
4. Primal Scream - Screamadelica
5. Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
6. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
7. Pearl Jam - Ten
8. Fugazi - Steady Diet of Nothing
9. U2 - Achtung Baby
10. Slint - Spiderland
11. Tom Petty - Into the Great Wide Open
12. Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
13. R.E.M. - Out of Time
14. Metallica - Metallica
15. Dinosaur Jr. - Green Mind
16. Garth Brooks - Ropin' the Wind
17. Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears
18. Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog
19. Sebadoh - III
20. Superchunk - No Pocky for Kitty

other honorable mentions:
George Strait - Chill of an Early Fall
Kyuss - Wretch
Nation of Ulysses - 13-Point Program to Destroy America
Pixies - Trompe Le Monde
Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese
Queen - Innuendo
Sarah McLachlan - Solace
Spacemen 3 - Recurring
Swervedriver - Raise
Uncle Tupelo - Still Feel Gone

stuff to check out:
2pac - 2pacalypse Now
Alanis Morissette - Alanis
Bolt Thrower - War Master
Boyz II Men - Cooleyhighharmony
De La Soul - Is Dead
Entombed - Clandestine
Fishbone - The Reality of My Surroundings
Hole - Pretty on the Inside
Ice Cube - Death Certificate
Ice T - OG
Jawbox - Grippe
The Jesus Lizard - Goat
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
Mercury Rev - Yerself is Steam
Morbid Angel - Blessed Are the Sick
Public Enemy - Apocalypse 91
Ric Ocasek - Fireball Zone
Seal - Seal
Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
Vince Gill - Pocket Full of Gold

 

Yeah, this year is a heavyweight.

 

1. Marc Cohn - Marc Cohn
2. Hal Ketchum - Past the Point of Rescue
3. Bonnie Raitt - Luck of the Draw

Excruciating cuts:
Metallica - Metallica

Others I love:
Michael Jackson - Dangerous
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open
Warren Zevon - Mr. Bad Example
A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory
Prince and The New Power Generation - Diamonds and Pearls

Good ones:
U2 - Achtung Baby
Pearl Jam - Ten
Brooks and Dunn - Brand New Man
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
Nirvana - Nevermind
Crowded House - Woodface
Lenny Kravitz - Mama Said
Rush - Roll the Bones
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
Suzy Bogguss - Aces
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Bloodsugarsexmagik
Seal - Seal [1991]
R.E.M. - Out of Time
Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
Boyz II Men - Cooleyhighharmony
Ice Cube - Death Certificate
Tevin Campbell - T.E.V.I.N.
John Mellencamp - Whenever We Wanted
Joao Gilberto - Joao
Natalie Cole - Unforgettable...with Love
Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma - Rachmaninov/Prokofiev Cello Sonatas
Luther Vandross - Power of Love
Martika - Martika's Kitchen

Not a fan:
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
Black Sheep - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Targets for listening:
2pac - 2pacalypse Now
ABC - Abracadabra
Joe Cocker - Night Calls
Color Me Badd - C.M.B.
Genesis - We Can't Dance
Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog
Julian Cope - Peggy Suicide
Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill
Gang Starr - Step in the Arena
Ice-T - O.G. the Original Gangster
KLF - White Room
MC Solaar - Qui Seme Le Vent Recolte Le Tempo
Mudhoney - Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
Primal Scream - Screamadelica
Public Enemy - Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Back
Saint Etienne - Foxbase Alpha
Sepultura - Arise
Slint - Spiderland
Jah Wobble and The Invaders of the Heart - Rising Above Bedlam
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - The Sky Is Crying
Joe Walsh - Ordinary Average Guy
Amy Grant - Heart in Motion
Original Soundtrack - Beauty and the Beast
P.M. Dawn - Of the Heart, Of the Soul, and of the Cross
Richard Thompson - Rumour and Sigh
Matthew Sweet - Girilfriend
Chris Whitley - Living with the Law
Guns 'n' Roses - Use Your Illusion I
De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead
Dave Alvin - Blue Blvd
Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
Sting - The Soul Cages
Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears
Buddy Guy - Damn Right I've Got the Blues
Supechunk - No Pocky for Kitty
Van Halen - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
Garth Brooks - Ropin' the Wind
Trisha Yearwood - Trisha Yearwood

 

gotta be honest, i don't know any of those three and have never heard of the top two

 

I missed out on lots of the previous ones like a dummy.

1. Guns N Roses- Illusions 2
2. Pearl Jam- Ten
3. Soundgarden- BadMotorfinger
4. Ice Cube- Death Certificate
5. Tom Petty- Into the Great Wide Open

 

yeah i figured a lot of people forgot about these but now that we’re getting into people’s lifetimes here on the site, i figured i’d blast it again

 

You’d absolutely know “Walking in Memphis” from the Marc Cohn album.

Ketchum is country.

 

oh, yes, my mom loved that song

 

I'll jump in here

1. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
2. Nirvana - Nevermind
3. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory

Every time I listen to Loveless im still in awe of what was created and im still finding new things to enjoy in it.

 

1. U2 - Achtung Baby
2. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open
3. R.E.M. - Out of Time

Achtung Baby is a brilliant album that only grows in my estimation over time. A big, bold swing from a band that could have easily just coasted in the wake of The Joshua Tree. I started writing something about it for the 30th anniversary two weeks ago, which I didn't finish, but I'll share that incomplete piece here:

Into the Great Wide Open was, for a time, my favorite Petty album. Over time, I've come to appreciate the messier feel of the earlier Heartbreakers albums, the sprawl of Wildflowers, or the songcraft of Full Moon Fever more. I'm guessing this album would land fifth or sixth for me in a catalog rank at this point. But I still love that bright, warm, welcoming, radio-ready sound that Jeff Lynne gets out of Petty. "Learning to Fly" is my favorite Tom Petty song ever, and this album has some terrific deep cuts as well (I'm particularly taken with "All the Wrong Reasons"). The back half isn't as strong as I'd like it to be, hence this album falling a bit in my Petty rankings over time, but I still love it.

Out of Time would probably be my number 2 for this year if it didn't open with "Radio Song," which makes these guys sound like huge doofuses. After that, though, this album really soars, from the big single ("Losing My Religion," an all-timer despite all the radio overplay) to the goldmine of fan favorites ("Near Wild Heaven," "Belong," "Country Feedback"). Kicks off my favorite R.E.M. decade.

Shouts to the Marc Cohn album, which, while not quite on the level of these three for me, is still just beautiful stuff. "True Companion" is one of the great album closers of the '90s for me.

 

Great picks. You nailed the pluses and the flaws of the Petty one especially.

I know your dance card is always very full with listening but I’d really recommend the Ketchum record to you if you haven’t heard it. The Isbell co-sign alone I feel like will help sell it

 

Will post my shit tomorrow, but spoiler alert grunge is my top 2

 

talk talk - laughing stock
mbv - loveless
death - human

 

God damn what a year

 

I was born this year, great year.

Anyway Loveless is my favorite album of all time, so that's #1

 

1. Queen - Innuendo
2. Marc Almond - Tenement Symphony
3. Talk Talk - Laughing Stock

 

I am already surprised by and loving the variety of the picks in here. @phaynes12 nice job blasting this thread in another thread, getting some more votes in this time !

 

1. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
2. Nirvana - Nevermind
3. Pearl Jam - Ten

 

Lol "grunge" will take up most of my top 5-10 likely.

If asked yesterday, I would've said Nevermind was a lock for this year, but based on just this first page of results, not so sure anymore. Love the variety - I hope to find some new gems.

 

1. Nirvana - Nevermind
2. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
3. Pearl Jam - Ten

 

Ice Cube - Death Certificate
Main Source - Breaking Atoms
Bolt Thrower - War Master

 

Also Metallica stole the riff for enter sandman this year. Never forget.

 

1. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
2. Nirvana - Nevermind
3. Smashing Pumpkins - Gish

Loveless is pretty much the greatest album of all time in my opinion. It would be noteworthy if it just sounded cool, but underneath the most impressive array of textures the songs are just as fantastic. Was a dream come true to see so much of it live in 2013 and have the songs completely hold up in that format.

Also has the timeless but of its time thing in spades - some of it still feels like the future and yet you get to Soon, a song I almost certainly didn’t hear til I was in my teens, and I’m sucked right back into my early 90s childhood.

Nevermind I think is interesting because I really never bothered until about 8 months ago. I always thought the singles were solid but as someone a few years too young to experience grunge as it happened, loving Nirvana in the 2000s felt like a cop out for kids who liked music but not enough to explore it (bad 16 year old take alert). I finally dove into the catalog this spring and it’s obviously amazing. I think Nevermind is probably the best collection of Nirvana songs overall and I don’t really agree with Kurt on the production. To me the sheen of it all compliments these songs perfectly at an equal level to how the ragged, more raw sound of In Utero compliments those.

I’m a smashing pumpkins fanboy and there’s more on my to listen list than have listened list for the rest of this year so I’ll throw it a vote. I think it’s a little overrated by the media (where it seems like a lot of people consider it top 2 SP), but is a ridiculously great debut and hint of what was to come.

 

1. Massive Attack - Blue Lines
2. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
3. Fugazi - Steady Diet of Nothing

Blue Lines is basically the birth of trip-hop, blending hip-hop, electronica and dub into a wonderful mixture. The production and construction of these songs are wonderful, a fantastic atmosphere is built and maintained in this album.

Loveless is just an all time classic, one of the best sounding records and a huge influence on any distorted guitar rock music that came after.

Steady Diet of Nothing is just another brilliant Fugazi record. Hard to ever leave them out of the top three.

Honourable mentions;

Nirvana - Nevermind: One of those records where I felt like (to me anyway), I went from overrating it to underrating it. It's great.

Billy Bragg - Accidents Waiting to Happen: A full band, poppy Billy Bragg record, with the title track and Sexuality being some of his most sing-along able songs.

De La Soul - De La Soul is Dead: Ultimately too long and too many skits, but when it hits, songs like "Oodles of O's" or "A Rolling Skater Jam Named Saturday" are absolutely top tier golden age hip hop.

A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory: Similar to De La Soul (or at least to me anyway), just absolutely brilliant soulful and jazzy hip hop.

Green Day - 1039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours: An early compilation / collection including their first album (which I probably should have included in 1990, but hadn't tagged it properly), and early EPs. Even with these rudimentary recordings, you can hear that they're doing more than just scrappy pop-punk.

Jawbreaker - Bivouac: A big step up from Jawbreaker's debut, fantastic songwriting and lyricism, can really hear why they were tipped for big things.

The KLF - The White Room: Almost inexplicably, the KLF were the biggest selling singles act in the world in 1991 (!?), and this is their best release, a great bit of acid / house music. Also they were famous for burning a million quid of their own money on an island off the coast of Scotland as some sort of art project.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Shahbaazz & The Day, The Night, The Dawn, The Dusk: For those who enjoyed his 1990 album Mustt Mustt, this is a bit more "traditional" records from him, but truly extraordinary vocals.