MY COMMENTS ABOUT ROLLING STONE’S 150 ESSENTIAL ALBUMS OF THE '90S LIST


I just happened to look at my bookcase the other day and saw the cover of this magazine, and I thought it might be fun to analyze their choices for the “150 most essential albums of the ‘90s,” which they organized according to genre.

Alternative
Sinead O'Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got - A solid choice I guess, though I prefer her debut (which was in the '80s).
Jane’s Addiction. - Ritual de lo Habitual - good choice. A minor classic.
R.E.M. - Out of Time - good choice. A minor classic.
Metallica - Metallica - good choice. A minor classic.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Personally I think it’s overrated, so it wouldn’t be on mine. Californication would be, though.
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend - This is a good album. I need to listen to it again, though.
Nirvana - Nevermind - good choice. A classic.
My Blood Valentine - Loveless - good choice. A classic.
U2 - Achtung Baby - good choice. A classic.
Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted - good choice. A classic. Crooked Rain Crooked Rain should've been listed as well.
L7 - Bricks are Heavy - a pleasant surprise.
Los Lobos - Kiko - a pleasant surprise.
R.E.M. - Automatic For The People - good choice. A classic.
Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine - I’m not a big fan, but I can see why it’s here.
The Cranberries - Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? - a very pleasant surprise. Possibly my favorite mellow female singer-fronted album of the ‘90s. Don’t laugh.
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream - good choice. A classic.
Nirvana - In Utero - good choice. Somewhat inconsistent but a classic nevertheless.
PJ Harvey - Rid Of Me - Need to listen to it again; it’s been awhile.
Pearl Jam - Vs. - a pleasant surprise. Somewhat overlooked, this is one of the best albums of the ‘90s.
Green Day - Dookie - good choice. A fun album that opened up a lot of doors for other commercially viable “punk” bands.
Tori Amos - Under The Pink - Little Earthquakes would’ve been a better choice.
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral - good choice. A classic, though it took me several years before I grew to love it.
Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville - one of the ‘90s more overrated albums. Still, I can see why this is here given its lofty reputation.
Soundgarden - Superunknown - good choice. A classic. Would’ve liked to have seen Badmotorfinger and maybe even Temple Of The Dog too.
Hole - Live Through This - good choice, though it's slightly overrated.
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication - good choice, overrated though the Beasties may be.
Jeff Buckley - Grace - good choice. Such a tragic demise, such a beautiful album.
Oasis - Definitely Maybe - good choice, and a pleasant surprise over (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, which also could have been included with no complaints from me.
Nirvana - MTV Unplugged In New York - good choice, but 3 Nirvana albums may be pushing it.
Pearl Jam - Vitalogy - poor choice given its inconsistency. Ten is better and was far more influential and important.
PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love - Need to listen to it again; it’s been awhile.
Radiohead - The Bends - good choice. A classic that’s somewhat undervalued given the greatness of its follow up.
Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill - good choice, and a surprising one considering that she’s frequently a target of critics. Most of these catchy songs were big hits for good reason.
Bjork - Post - good choice. Could’ve been Debut or Homogenic just as easily, though.
Garbage - Garbage - good album. Doubt it would make my top 150, but I haven’t listened to it in awhile.
Luna - Penthouse - a pleasant surprise.
The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - good choice. A classic. Glad to see this, as it was missing from far too many of these types of lists.
Sleater-Kinney - Call The Doctor - good choice, as would've been Dig Me Out.
Beck - Odelay - good choice, overrated though it may be.
Sublime - Sublime - good album, but it wouldn't make my top 150.
Fiona Apple - Tidal - poor choice. Her second album was much better. It might’ve come out after this list, though.
Marilyn Manson - Antichrist Superstar - can’t really comment here.
Pulp - Different Class - good choice, and a surprising one given how many other British artists (Elastica, Blur, Primal Scream, The Verve, Spiritualized, Gomez, etc.) were given the shaft when they probably shouldn’t have been. The lack of British artists is one of the primary failings of this list.
Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister - a good, mildly surprising selection. Should’ve been more indie artists on this list.
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One - good choice. Several of their other albums could’ve been contenders as well.
Radiohead - OK Computer - good choice. A classic.
Cornershop - When I Was Born For The 7th Time - a grossly overrated album. Not sure why the critics like this one so much.
Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty - one Beasties album is enough for me.
Korn - Follow The Leader - too inconsistent to belong here. Other metal albums (the lack of which is another prime failing of this list, not surprising given Rolling Stone's long time aversion to that genre) were more deserving, such as Alice In Chains’ mighty Dirt.

Rock & Roll

The Black Crowes - Shake Your Money Maker - good choice, but I prefer their second album.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Ragged Glory - good choice. A minor classic that’s probably his best ‘90s album.
Lenny Kravitz - Mama Said - I’ve always considered him a singles artist, so disagree here.
Jimmie Dale Gilmore - After Awhile - can’t comment.
Van Morrison - Hymns To The Silence - good album, but overly long. Not really rock n’ roll, either - wouldn’t make my cut.
k.d. lang - Ingenue - Haven’t heard it in awhile so will reserve judgement.
Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I and II - II definitely. Could’ve been a great single album. I has its high points as well.
Annie Lennox - Diva - can’t comment.
Peter Gabriel - Us - not one of my favorite Gabriel albums, though it is good. Wouldn’t make my list.
The Jayhawks - Hollywood Town Hall - a very pleasant surprise. Great choice from an overlooked and underrated band.
Counting Crows - August and Everything After - good choice. A minor classic.
Van Morrison - Too Long In Exile - will get to this one eventually. Can’t comment.
Billy Joel - River Of Dreams - one of his weaker albums. Pass.
Mick Jagger - Wandering Spirit - Is there no limit to how much Jann Wenner will kiss Mick Jagger’s ass? (See his fawning, embarrassing 5 star review of Jagger’s mediocre at best 2001 album for further proof).
Johnny Cash - American Recordings - good choice. An instant classic from an old legend.
Iris DeMent - My Life - Heard this and it bored me.
Hootie and the Blowfish - Cracked Rear View - OK, this is when things start to go horribly wrong.
Eric Clapton - From The Cradle - a decent choice.
Tom Petty – Wildflowers - a good choice, his best '90s album.
Jewel - Pieces Of You - zzzzzz
The Wallflowers - Bringing Down The Horse - A few solid but unremarkable singles does not an essential album make.
Patti Smith - Gone Again - can’t comment
Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow - a good album, probably her best of the '90s. Don’t have a major problem with this.
Bruce Springsteen - The Ghost of Tom Joad - Possibly his worst album if you ask me. Boring.
Ani DiFranco - Living In Clip - can’t comment.
John Fogerty - Blue Moon Swamp - can’t comment.
The Rolling Stones - Bridges To Babylon - have this. Will get to it eventually. Can’t comment, though I doubt it belongs here. More likely it’s another case of the “let’s suck up to Mick” rule being in effect.
Billy Bragg and Wilco - Mermaid Avenue - good choice. No better than Wilco’s other 3 ‘90s albums, though.
Lucinda Williams – Car Wheels On A Gravel Road - good choice. A classic.
Willie Nelson - Teatro - can’t comment.
Peter Wolf - Fool's Parade - can’t comment. Doubt it, though.
Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind - a good choice, though it’s a bit overrated.
The Rolling Stones - No Security - no way is more like it. Another pointless live exercise from the Glimmer Twins.

Hip-Hop & R&B

I haven’t heard many of the albums listed in this section in their entirely, so let’s skip it and move on to the Dance & Pop section. Definitely agree with D’Angelo and Lauryn Hill, though.

Dance & Pop

The Orb – The Orb’s Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld - haven’t heard this enough. Seems inconsistent but impressive nevertheless. Will reserve judgement.
Pet Shop Boys – Very - a very deserving selection.
Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works, Volume II - can’t comment, though I should be able to soon.
Massive Attack – Protection - Blue Lines or Mezzanine would’ve been better choices.
Portishead – Dummy - a good choice. A classic.
Moby – Everything Is Wrong - Play probably would’ve been a better choice. It might’ve come out after this list, though.
Tricky – Maxinquaye - a good choice. Will likely always be his best album.
Stereolab – Emperor Tomato Ketchup - a good choice. Some of their other albums could’ve made it as well.
DJ Shadow – Endtroducing… - a good choice. A unique achievement.
Spice Girls – Spice - Scary. And I’m not talking about Scary Spice.
The Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole - numbingly repetitive album doesn’t live up to the hype.
Hanson – Middle Of Nowhere - MMMno.
Prodigy – The Fat Of The Land - I’ve been meaning to check this out for years. They were sickeningly over hyped way back in ’97 when everyone (i.e. Rolling Stone and SPIN) predicted a major electronica “movement” that never happened.
Roni Size/Reprazent – New Forms - don’t have it. Heard it’s too long, though.
Madonna – Ray Of Light - been meaning to get to this. The title track’s cool enough.

Conclusion: They got most of the “major” albums of the ‘90s, but many of their selections are debatable and several of them are flat out ludicrous. That said, I will grudgingly admit that some of the captions within the issue are well written. I’m too lazy to make a list myself, but I probably would’ve had at least one album (maybe more in some cases) from the following artists:

Tindersticks
Sugar
Crowded House
Blur
Primal Scream
Gomez
Flaming Lips - they may be one-hit wonders to Rob Sheffield, but not to anyone with a clue.
Alice In Chains
Tool
Wilco
Neutral Milk Hotel
Sunny Day Real Estate
Catherine Wheel
Spiritualized
Elastica
Elliott Smith
Built To Spill
Faith No More
Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci
Super Furry Animals
The Verve
Fugazi
The Sundays
The Las
Screaming Trees
Pooh Sticks
Weezer
Live
Belly
Dave Matthews Band
Emmylou Harris
Sloan


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