The Fifty Greatest Rock Albums of the 1990s: Part Three: 30-21
Nov 22 '03 (Updated Nov 29 '03)
The Bottom Line F*ck Rolling Stone's predictable 500 albums list...
Well, I promised a surprise for #30, and while it's a well known album among most people who have thrown themselves into rock music, I have a feeling I'm gonna get a lot of head scratching with it as well...but hell, even the title is classic...
30. Primus- Sailing the Seas of Cheese: Upon the announcement of their current reunion tour (where they are playing this album in full as one of the two sets every night), I listened to this album for the first time in 3-4 years and I remembered why I loved it. Definitely an acquired taste, but one worth acquiring, Primus (arguably) never made a finer album. Sorry Shelly, me and you disagree about this album. Key Cuts: Jerry Was a Race Car Driver, Tommy the Cat
29. Temple of the Dog- Temple of the Dog: When Andrew Wood died on March 19, 1990, who would know that the greatest tribute album of all time would come from it? Rather than a masturbatory collection of Andy's songs sung by other people, Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell got together with Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament and wrote a bunch of songs that helped them all deal with the loss of a great friend. Oh yeah, some new dude named Eddie helped out a bit too. Key Cuts: Hunger Strike, Say Hello 2 Heaven
28. Tool- Undertow: Pity poor Undertow. It seemingly gets lost in all the praise for the two full length records that followed it, and yet, there it is, a five star album. Maybe it's the fact that some of the songs kick some major a*s without sounding like anything more than regular driving rock songs. Or maybe the two follow ups were just that damn good. Key Cuts: Prison Sex, Sober
27. Soundgarden- Badmotorfinger: You know what? F*ck Superunknown. You know why? Because this album is better. Basically, the band lost their metal roots on all releases post this disc (to be fair, they would pop up occasionally), instead opting for a more mainlined hard rock sound. Besides, this has Jesus Christ Pose on it. Key Cuts: Jesus Christ Pose, Outshined
26. Mad Season- Above: Part of the reason the 90s was so damn good was because the side projects of major bands from the decade are about 3 notches above Nickelback, and they don't even need to break a sweat. I always thought this was the late Layne Staley's best album, as well as including one of his best ever vocal performances (River of Deceit). If you don't own this, you don't know what you're missing. Key Cuts: River of Deceit, Lifeless Dead
25. Weezer- Pinkerton: I am not one of those people who thinks Pinkerton is Weezer's best disc, but it's not far off. Much more dark lyrically than the self titled debut (aka "The Blue Album"), and more challenging musically than most of the power pop found on said album, it's a much more difficult listen, not to mention a depressing one. It still stands though as their second best disc by far. Key Cuts: El Scorcho, Pink Triangle
24. Red Hot Chili Peppers- Blood Sugar Sex Magic: I find myself bored with the Peppers lately. I thought Californication was over-rated, and I'm almost embarrassed I gave By The Way 4 stars. But is there any doubt that this album will forever enshrine the Peppers as one of the most exceptional acts of the 1990s? In ways, it's the last true bringer of the funk for the band who once was the funkiest thing out there. Key Cuts: Under the Bridge, Give It Away
23. R.E.M.- Automatic For the People: Some may question this album even being called "rock," but whatever. Probably their most focused record (if not ever, then definitely of the 90s), and their most haunting, Automatic was not just an album: it was a statement of everything R.E.M. was about. Key cuts: Everybody Hurts, Nightswimming, Man on the Moon
22. Pearl Jam- Vitalogy: The closest the band has come to a concept album, most people diss Vitalogy for it's odd "songs." Once you get past that crap though, you get an album that is crafted masterfully and is more punk rock than Simple Plan could ever hope to be. Key cuts: Better Man, Corduroy, Immortality
21. Stone Temple Pilots- Purple: Considered by most to be their best album, Purple is a solid effort to be sure, but in many ways, this is to them as Vs. is to Pearl Jam...an expansion of the sound on their debut, with better songwriting, and a weak point or two. But how can anyone listen to Still Remains and not fall in love with that song? Key Cuts: Still Remains, Lounge Fly
That's it for installment three, 30 down, 20 to go. Any guesses on what's to come?
THE LIST:
The Fifty Greatest Rock Albums of the 1990s Part One: #'s 50-41
The Fifty Greatest Rock Albums of the 1990s Part Two: #'s 40-31
The Fifty Greatest Rock Albums of the 1990s Part Three: #'s 30-21
The Fifty Greatest Rock Albums of the 1990s Part Four: #'s 20-11
The Fifty Greatest Rock Albums of the 1990s Part Five: #'s 10-1
Related Reviews:
The 100 Greatest Rock Songs Ever #'s 100-81
The 100 Greatest Rock Songs Ever #'s 80-61
The 100 Greatest Rock Songs Ever #'s 60-41
The 100 Greatest Rock Songs Ever #'s 40-21
The 100 Greatest Rock Songs Ever #'s 20-1
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