50 Best Rock Albums of the ’90s
40. Stone Temple Pilots – Purple (1994)
STP were darlings of rock radio in the ‘90s, while alternative-leaning stations tended to think of them as cheap Pearl Jam/Alice in Chains knockoffs. Stone Temple Pilots had far more originality and ferocity than some gave them credit for. When he is at this best, Scott Wieland is a terrific frontman. Their second album Purple was their commercial and artistic apex, with ‘90s rock standards like the vastly epic “Big Empty,” the brutal rocker “Vasoline,” “Unglued,” “Pretty Penny,” and of course the almost country-rock of “Interstate Love Song,” a track that was impossible to avoid on rock radio for much of ’94 and ‘95. Their singles generally performed better on the Mainstream Rock Track than Modern Rock, and STP inarguably smashed their imprint on rock in the ‘90s – with Purple being the peak of their power in the decade.
39. The Wallflowers – Bringing Down the Horse
Jakob Dylan’s easy-going brand of roots rock with The Wallflowers brings The Band to mind first and foremost. Bringing Down the Horse is The Wallflowers’ second album, and it’s one great track after another. He has a gift for melody, on ballads like “6th Avenue Heartache,” “Three Marlenas,” and the slow-burning heartbreaker “Josephine.” Dylan can also amp up The Wallflowers’ rock side on tracks like “The Difference.” The elephant in the room here is the opening track and far and away the finest moment on the album, “One Headlight.” Dylan delivers the incisive lyrics with a dry matter-of-factness that makes the track feel personal and a little bit harrowing. “One Headlight” is easily one of the greatest rock singles of the ‘90s.
38. Uncle Tupelo – No Depression (1990)
If you put out an album and it becomes the informal name of a new musical movement (and of a periodical), you’ve gotta be doing something right. Of course this country-with-an-attitudeis not something new at all – ever listened to Gram Parsons or several of Neil Young’s more obscure ‘70s albums (“On the Beach,” “Tonight’s the Night,” “Zuma”??) To be fair, Uncle Tupelo presumably didn’t record No Depression for any reason other than to put out a great debut record – and that, they conclusively, did. It’s edgy and punk where it needs to be like on “”Train,” “Before I Break” and “Graveyard Shift,” and then aches on acoustic numbers like “Whiskey Bottle,” “Life Worth Livin’” and “Screen Door.” No Depression has real feeling and depth, and is another chapter in the decades-long flirtation between country and rock.
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37. Big Country – The Buffalo Skinners (1993)
Scottish rockers Big Country are mostly known for “In a Big Country,” their 1983 hit from their debut album The Crossing. Many Americans don’t realize that Big Country has enjoyed an impressive career and they’ve put out a long string of great records, like 1993’s The Buffalo Skinners. If you love “In a Big Country” you’ll appreciate The Buffalo Skinners, for it’s the same walloping rock and roll with earnest vocals and big, sweeping melodies. Standouts include “Alone,” “Seven Waves,” “The Selling of America,” “Ships” and “We’re Not in Kansas.” Big Country produced the album themselves, and vocalist Stuart Adamson never sounded better. Adamson tragically committed suicide in December 2001 at age 43. In recent years Big Country have toured and recorded with former Alarm vocalist Mike Scott.
36. Eleven – Thunk (1995)
Eleven has a garage-rock vibe with a bit of a sinister element. They have a unique sound thanks to their dual vocals by Alain Johannes and Natasha Schneider (with often brutally direct drumming by future Pearl Jam mainstay Jack Irons). Eleven’s brand of melodic hard rock is highly rhythmic, unpredictable and compelling. The tracks are loaded with drama, like “Why” for instance. Other standouts include “Nature Wants to Kill Me,” “Kneeling on One Knee,” and “Seasick of You.” Schneider’s off-kilter vocal on “You Will Know” gives it an ominous, cinemeatic vibe. Eleven stayed around and have put out 5 albums and an EP since 1991, but they could never seem to get the promotional break they needed to reach a wider audience. A shame, as Thunk is evidence of what a cool band they were.
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