Rock and Reel

100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: 80-61

Previous: 100-81

See previous post for explanation of list comparisons.

80. Yo La Tengo- I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One

Paste: #21 on adjusted list

79. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- The Boatman’s Call

78. The White Stripes- The White Stripes

Paste: #44 on adjusted list

77. Erykah Badu- Baduizm

Slant: #34 on adjusted list

76. Oasis- Definitely Maybe

75. Raekwon- Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…

Slant: #42 on adjusted list

74. Pavement- Wowee Zowee

73. Uncle Tupelo- March 16-20, 1992

Paste: #42 on adjusted list

72. Tori Amos- Little Earthquakes

Slant: #55 on adjusted list

71. Uncle Tupelo- Anodyne

Paste: #23 on adjusted list

70. Jeff Buckley- Grace

Paste: #4 on adjusted list

Slant: #7 on adjusted list

69. Modest Mouse- The Lonesome Crowded West

Paste: #34 on adjusted list

68. Primus- Frizzle Fry

67. Weezer- Weezer

Paste: #9 on adjusted list

Slant: #33 on adjusted list

66. Beastie Boys- Ill Communication

Slant: #57 on adjusted list

65. OutKast- Aquemini

Paste: #39 on adjusted list

Slant: #30 on adjusted list

64. Portishead- Portishead

Slant: #48 on adjusted list

63. Lucinda Williams- Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

Paste: #28 on adjusted list

Slant: beginning of comparison; excluded

62. PJ Harvey- To Bring You My Love

Slant: +42

61. Blur- Parklife

Paste: #47 on adjusted list

Slant: +12

Next: 60-41

See Also: Favorite Movies of the 1990s (Out of Date), Top 10 Albums of 1999, Top 10 Albums of 1998, Top 10 Albums of 1997, Top 10 Albums of 1996, Top 10 Albums of 1995, Top 10 Albums of 1994, Top 10 Albums of 1993, Top 10 Albums of 1992, Top 10 Albums of 1991, Top 10 Albums of 1990

With Paul’s Boutique, the Beastie Boys went from fun frat rap backed by rock riffs to thoughtfully crafted hip hop with artfully layered sampling. In my book, it’s still the greatest rap album ever.

“You be listening to my records, a number one sound.”

We’re trashing hotels like it’s going out of style.

Mike D: Your pops caught you smoking and he said, “No way!”

MCA: That hypocrite smokes two packs a day.

I’m going to post one Beastie Boys music video each day along with an MCA quote because I’m sentimental like that.

“I come out at night ‘cause I sleep all day.”

Top 10 Albums of 1998

1. Neutral Milk Hotel- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Listen: “Two-Headed Boy”

2. AIR- Moon Safari

Listen: “Remember”

3. Black Star- Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star

Listen: “Thieves in the Night”

4. Massive Attack- Mezzanine

Listen: “Teardrop”

5. Pulp- This is Hardcore

Listen: “Glory Days”

6. Lucinda Williams- Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

Listen: “Metal Firecracker”

7. OutKast- Aquemini

8. Mercury Rev- Deserter’s Songs

Listen: “Opus 40”

9. Lauryn Hill- The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Listen: “Lost Ones”

10. Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach- Painted from Memory

Listen: “God Give Me Strength” [Non-Album Live Version]

Archival Highlight: Bob Dylan- The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Live 1966 - The “Royal Albert Hall” Concert

Listen: “Like a Rolling Stone”

Honorable Mention: Beastie Boys’ Hello Nasty

Updated: August 19, 2012

Top 10 Albums of 1994

1. Pavement- Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

Listen: “Gold Soundz”

2. The Notorious B.I.G.- Ready to Die

Listen: “Juicy”

3. Portishead- Dummy

Listen: “Glory Box”

4. Nas- Illmatic

Listen: “The World Is Yours”

5. Guided by Voices- Bee Thousand

Listen: “Smothered in Hugs”

6. Nine Inch Nails- The Downward Spiral

Listen: “March of the Pigs”

7. Built to Spill- There’s Nothing Wrong With Love

Listen: “Big Dipper”

8. Nirvana- MTV Unplugged in New York

Listen: “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”

9. Blur- Parklife

Listen: “End of a Century”

10. Beastie Boys- Ill Communication

Listen: “Sabotage”

Honorable Mention: Jeff Buckley’s Grace, Johnny Cash’s American Recordings, Oasis’ Definitely Maybe, Weezer’s Weezer

Updated: May 23, 2012

Top 10 Albums of 1992

1. Pavement- Slanted & Enchanted

Listen: “Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite At :17”

2. Rage Against the Machine- Rage Against the Machine

Listen: “Killing In the Name”

3. Dr. Dre- The Chronic

Listen: “Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’)”

4. Beastie Boys- Check Your Head

Listen: “So What’cha Want”

5. R.E.M.- Automatic for the People

Listen: “Nightswimming”

6. Tori Amos- Little Earthquakes

7. Uncle Tupelo- March 16-20, 1992

8. Tom Waits- Bone Machine

Listen: “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up”

9. Leonard Cohen- The Future

Listen: “Democracy”

10. Vigilantes of Love- Killing Floor

Listen: “Undertow”

Honorable Mention: Eric Clapton’s Unplugged, Mark Heard’s Satellite Sky

Updated: August 14, 2012

Top 10 Albums of 1989

1. Beastie Boys- Paul’s Boutique

Listen: “Shake Your Rump”

2. Pixies- Doolittle

Listen: “Monkey Gone To Heaven”

3. De La Soul- 3 Feet High and Rising

Listen: “Me Myself and I”

4. Bob Dylan- Oh Mercy

Listen: “Everything Is Broken”

5. The Stone Roses- The Stone Roses

Listen: “She Bangs The Drum”

6. The Cure- Disintegration

Listen: “Pictures of You”

7. Elvis Costello- Spike

Listen: “Veronica”

8. Neil Young- Freedom

Listen: “Rockin’ in the Free World”

9. Bonnie Raitt- Nick of Time

Listen: “Thing Called Love”

10. Madonna- Like a Prayer

Listen: “Born This Way, Part 1”

Honorable Mention: Eric Clapton’s Journeyman, King’s X’s Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, New Order’s Technique, Nirvana’s Bleach

Updated: February 20, 2012

Top 10 Albums of 1986

1. The Smiths- The Queen is Dead

Listen: “Frankly, Mr. Shankly”

2. R.E.M.- Lifes Rich Pageant

Listen: “Begin the Begin”

3. Run-D.M.C.- Raising Hell

Listen: “Walk This Way”

4. Sonic Youth- EVOL

Listen: “Shadow of a Doubt”

5. Metallica- Master of Puppets

Listen: “Master of Puppets”

6. Beastie Boys- Licensed to Ill

Listen: “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”

7. Elvis Costello- Blood & Chocolate

Listen: “I Hope You’re Happy Now”

8. Paul Simon- Graceland

Listen: “You Can Call Me Al”

9. XTC- Skylarking

Listen: “Dear God”

10. Elvis Costello- King of America

Listen: “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”

Archival Highlight: Bruce Springsteen- Live/1975-85

Listen: “Jersey Shore”

Honorable Mention: Peter Gabriel’s So, Slayer’s Reign in Blood

Updated: February 4, 2012