Best Album of the ‘90s — Winner Takes All

Edouble said:
Biggest selling album of the 90s is The Bodyguard soundtrack from Whitney Houston.

Number two is Backstreet Boys.

I won't rehash the top 50 biggest selling albums here, but the majority have not been mentioned (think Spice Girls, Brittney Spears).

Sounds like this group prefers rock and some hip hop. Perhaps the contest title should be adjusted accordingly?
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Considering the demo here it shouldn't be shocking. The board skews toward males that are Gen X to later Boomers. Those musical tastes are going to be overly represented.
 
Great topic. I’m gonna give my list which happens to apply to top albums of the 90’s. I like to ask the question (which I actually got from a JJ Redick podcast years ago) “what are your top 5 albums of all time that were released since you’ve been alive?” As I’m a 90’s kid, these all happened to be from the 90’s. Here goes:

Weezer-Blue Album
Beastie Boys- Hello Nasty
Sublime-Sublime
Snoop Dogg-Doggystyle
Reel Big Fish-Turn the Radio Off
 
here’s my initial list. I’m surprised none except Endtroducing have been mentioned yet. Late 90s > early 90s for me. (Early 00s were incredible too.)

Built to Spill - Perfect From Now On

Built to Spill - Keep it Like a Secret

Elliot Smith - Either/Or

Palace Music (Will Oldham) - Viva Last Blues

Bonnie Prince Billy - I See a Darkness

Will Oldham - Joya

Cake - Motorcade of Generosity

Smog - Knock Knock

Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted; Brighten the Corners

Silver Jews - American Water

GBV - Bee Thousand

My Bloody Valentine - Lovelace

Beck - Odelay

John Prine - In Spite of Ourselves

Radiohead - OK Computer

Morphine - Cure for Pain

Iris Dement - Infamous Angel; My Life

Blind Melon - Nico

DJ Shadow - Endtroducing

Tony Rice - River Suite for Two Guitars

Built to Spill - There’s Nothing Wrong with Love
 
My top 5 albums from the 90s, in an order for today that will change tomorrow.
Green Day-I really thought I could beat the Wankerizer. I'm a real wanker for saying this.
Pearl Jam-Ten
Fugees-The Score
Soundgarden-Superunknown
Smashing Pumpkins-Siamese Dream
 
wilson said:
The Chronic is indeed an all-time classic in its genre, but the Black Album has sold literally 10 times as many copies.
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McDonald’s sells more cheeseburgers than anyone else but that doesn’t make it the best burger in America
 
Here's my top 15. It's a very commercial list, but dang, I don't care.

  • Metallica – Black
  • Nirvana – MTV Unplugged
  • Notorious B.I.G – Life After Death
  • Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory
  • Dr. Dre – The Chronic
  • Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
  • Sublime – Sublime
  • No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom
  • Snoop – Doggy Style
  • Green Day – Xookie
  • Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion Volume 1
  • Backstreet Boys – Millennium (don’t judge me, “I want it that way” is one of my all-time favorites)
  • Garth Brooks – No Fences
  • Weezer – Blue
  • Fugees – The Score
This list would be different tomorrow, I'm sure. Probably would have gotten some DMB, Nas and Boyz II Men in there somewhere.
 
cato said:
It is a riddle wrapped in a conundrum: How can Ten be the best album of the 90s when it may not ever been better than Vs? I don’t know! But just like Ten starts off an astounding three songs (Once —> Even Flow —> Alive), Pearl Jam kicked off their career with an astounding three albums.

ETA: my plan is an international football style tourney with a group stage and then knockout bracket. I make no promise on when I get to the draw for the group stage, but we’ve got time. It’s already been 25 years.
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I like this idea. Your original post so we go with your take.
 
nmduke2001 said:
Here's my top 15. It's a very commercial list, but dang, I don't care.

  • Metallica – Black
  • Nirvana – MTV Unplugged
  • Notorious B.I.G – Life After Death
  • Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory
  • Dr. Dre – The Chronic
  • Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
  • Sublime – Sublime
  • No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom
  • Snoop – Doggy Style
  • Green Day – Xookie
  • Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion Volume 1
  • Backstreet Boys – Millennium (don’t judge me, “I want it that way” is one of my all-time favorites)
  • Garth Brooks – No Fences
  • Weezer – Blue
  • Fugees – The Score
This list would be different tomorrow, I'm sure. Probably would have gotten some DMB, Nas and Boyz II Men in there somewhere.
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This brings up a question - are greatest hits/compilation albums allowed? I think Nirvana unplugged is great, but shouldn’t be eligible.
 
acdevil said:
This brings up a question - are greatest hits/compilation albums allowed? I think Nirvana unplugged is great, but shouldn’t be eligible.
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When thinking about this idea, I thought “no,” since a greatest hits album is not really an album in the sense of a band/artist putting out a single piece of art consisting of various songs they have put together in a deliberate fashion.

But MTV Unplugged *might* be a different story. Yes, the songs are taken from other albums. But they were performed as a coherent set with the goal of putting together both an album and a TV performance.

It’s a great question.
 
Here goes:
U2 - Achtung Baby
The Cranberries - To the Faithful Departed
Crowded House - Woodface and Together Alone
Peter Gabriel - Us
James - Gold Mother
Oasis - What's the Story Morning Glory
Tears for Fears - Elemental
XTC - Nonsuch
Sigur Ros - Agaetis byrjun
Garbage - Garbage and Version 2.0
 
acdevil said:
This brings up a question - are greatest hits/compilation albums allowed? I think Nirvana unplugged is great, but shouldn’t be eligible.
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker's Greatest Hit's was the debut of Mary Jane's Last Dance.
cato said:
But MTV Unplugged *might* be a different story. Yes, the songs are taken from other albums. But they were performed as a coherent set with the goal of putting together both an album and a TV performance.

It’s a great question.
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Now available on Paramount+.
 
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