Over what will likely be the next few years I’m going to be ranking and reviewing the top 5 albums - plus a fair few extras - according to users on rateyourmusic.com (think IMDB for music) from every year from 1960 to the present. If you want to know more, I wrote an introduction to the ‘challenge’ here. You can also read all the other entries I’ve written so far by heading to the lovely index page here.

1993 was the year the Maastricht Treaty took effect, creating the European Union, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was appointed to Supreme Court and River Phoenix died of a drug overdose on Halloween, aged 23.

Rateyourmusic.com’s users have these as the top five albums of the year:

#1 Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
#2 Slowdive - Souvlaki
#3 A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
#4 Nirvana - In Utero
#5 Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream

I’m also grabbing this lot from further down the list:

#7 Red House Painters - Red House Painters [Rollercoaster]
#9 De La Soul - Buhloone Mindstate
#10 Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle
#11 Yo La Tengo - Painful
#13 Björk - Debut

Finally, here’s some others, voted onto NPR’s all-time best albums by women list:

PJ Harvey - Rid of Me
Liz Phair - Exile in Guyvvile

Off we go…

“Doggystyle is the debut studio album by American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. The album was recorded and produced following Snoop's appearances on Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic (1992), to which Snoop contributed significantly. The West Coast style in hip-hop that he developed from Dre's first album continued on Doggystyle. Critics have praised Snoop Dogg for the lyrical "realism" that he delivers on the album and for his distinctive vocal flow. - Wikipedia

Snoop’s debut doesn’t hold a candle to the year’s other hip-hop releases in terms of sophistication but it does compete, and potentially beat them all, on the fun scale. I suspect that’s the only scale Snoop cares about. Snoop’s flow is unique, playful and catchy, though his lyrics are controversial (read misogynistic). It’s backloaded, which I guess is appropriate given the album’s title and cover…

Song Picks: G-Funk Intro, Serial Killa, Who I Am

7.5/10

Souvlaki is the second studio album by English rock band Slowdive. On its initial release, Souvlaki peaked at number 51 on the UK Albums Chart and was greeted with tepid reviews from critics. It has since received retrospective critical acclaim and has been hailed as a classic of the shoegaze genre. - Wikipedia

Want to be bathed in atmospheric, cathedralic, sustained guitar notes, gently strummed chords, patted drums, and wistful melodies that sound like they’ve been slowed down ten percent or so? Souvlaki is the album for you. It does all that, and it’s absolutely gorgeous to boot.

Song Picks: Alison, Dagger

7.5/10

10. Midnight Marauders

A Tribe Called Quest

“Midnight Marauders is the third studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest.Its production was mainly handled by Q-Tip, with contributions from Skeff Anselm, Large Professor and the group's DJ, Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A culmination of the group's two previous albums, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm and The Low End Theory, it features an eclectic, gritty sound based on jazz, funk, soul and R&B samples, in addition to socially conscious, positively-minded, and humorous lyrics.

The album received mostly positive reviews from critics upon release. In the following years, Midnight Marauders has acquired further acclamation from within the hip hop community for its production, chemistry and influence, with some regarding it as the group's best work, and one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. “ - Wikipedia

I’m not surprised that Q-Tip, the man in charge of the beats on this album, was also involved with the beats on Nas’ Illmatic, my favourite hip-hop album of all time. Midnight Marauders has me bopping to every track, it suffers with the repetitiveness that I think all ATCQ albums suffer from a little, and I found the greater variety in the beats and instrumentation on De la Soul’s Buhloone Mindstate more able to keep my attention, but this is another rock solid hip-hop album that excels when you really pay attention to the socially conscious lyrics.

Song Picks: Award Tour, Eye Patch

8/10

“Debut is the international debut studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was Björk's first recording following the dissolution of her previous band, the Sugarcubes. The album departed from the rock style of her previous work and drew from an eclectic variety of styles, including electronic pop, house music, jazz and trip hop.” - Wikipedia

Debut is definitely eclectic - one minute you’re listening to to pumping disco on There’s More Than This, the next the delicate harp trappings of Like Someone in Love - which wouldn’t feel out of place as a song Audrey Hepburn might play out of a window on an acoustic guitar. It’s an album that is packed with creativity, well thought out production, great vocal performances and a sense of mischief. Serious mischief.

Song Picks: Venus as a Boy, Like Someone in Love, Big Time Sensuality

8/10

8. Red House Painters (Rollercoaster)

Red House Painters

“Red House Painters is the second album by American band Red House Painters. The album is often referred to as Rollercoaster or Red House Painters I to distinguish it from the band's second eponymous album, often referred to as Bridge. A double album, Red House Painters features fourteen songs culled from bandleader Mark Kozelek's back-catalog. The album received highly positive reviews from critics upon release, with praise directed at the album's melancholic instrumentation and emotional depth.” - Wikipedia

Kozalek is the master of ‘this too will pass’ resigned sadness. His music is undoubtedly melancholy, but also glows with a warm hope. Musically, the beats per minute rarely go above ‘slow’ territory, and the instrumentation is blurry and uncommited - a slow jam. Kozalek’s melodies are effortless, wistful, and, to me, eminate a feeling of nostalgia, much like the album’s evocative cover.

Song Picks: Grace Cathedral Park, Mistress, Take Me Out

8.5/10

“Painful is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band Yo La Tengo. The album marked a creative shift from Yo La Tengo's previous work, blending atmospheric and ambient sounds with their famous noise jams. Painful features a much more melody-driven Yo La Tengo in its hazy, dream-like songwriting.” - Wikipedia

Annoyingly Wikipedia has stolen the two adjectives I mainly wanted to use to describe this album. Dreamy and hazy. The soft, often mumbled melodies blend with hypnotic synth and guitar lines that weave in and out of each other like an unpredictable strand of DNA flying through space, as it slowly expands and contracts. Something like that anyway. I love Painful, it takes me to a new place, one that is mostly a soft cloudy dreamscape, but that also throws plenty of tension at you to remind you just how comfortable that cloud you were on a minute ago was.

Song Picks: The Whole of the Law, A Worrying Thing, I Heard You Looking

9/10

“Siamese Dream is the second studio album by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. Despite the album's recording sessions being fraught with difficulties and tensions, Siamese Dream debuted at number ten on the Billboard 200, and was eventually certified 4× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), with the album selling over six million copies worldwide, cementing the Smashing Pumpkins as a significant group in alternative music.

The album received widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike, with its musical influences and lyrical material standing out compared to other releases during the alternative rock and grunge movements of its time. The album has since been considered "one of the finest alternative rock albums", and is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of the 1990s and of all time.” - Wikipedia

Smashing Pumpkins are just a bloody good band you know? The bass, drums and sawing guitar riffs go together like the finest honey and err… yoghurt. Lead singer Billy Corgan wanted the thing to sound huge, but not too reverby, and producer Butch Vigg duly complied by compressing up to 100 guitar tracks per song to create a guitar sound thicker than clotted cream. It’s a miracle that Jimmy Chamberlain’s deft drumming can be heard at all, but it’s not only audible but damn punchy too. Corgan’s hushed falsetto is one of alternative rock’s most recognisable, and sits above the comfortably warm production perfectly, inviting you in. In a decade where alternative rock really took off, Siamese Dream gave the genre a kick up the arse much like one of its punchy quiet to loud transitions.

Song Picks: Cherub Rock, Silverfuck, Quiet, Mayonaise, Today, Hummer

9/10

5. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Wu-Tang Clan

“Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is the debut studio album by the American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. The album was produced by the group's de facto leader RZA. Its title originates from the martial arts films Enter the Dragon (1973) and The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978).

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) has since been widely regarded as one of the most significant albums of the 1990s, as well as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. In 2020, the album was ranked 27th on Rolling Stone's updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” - Wikipedia

Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is a hip-hop masterpiece. Gritty beats, seamless chemistry between its multiple distinctive and talented rappers, and an influence that is obvious in oodles of subsequent releases in the genre (particularly East Coast hip-hop). 36 Chambers is both accessible as an album to switch off and bop to, and deep as a studyable piece of art. Tracks like C.R.E.A.M and Can It All Be So Simple feature some of the slickest beats ever put to tape.

Song Picks: Bring da Ruckus, Can It Be All So Simple, C.R.E.A.M, Tearz

9/10

“Buhloone Mindstate is the third studio album by American hip hop group De La Soul. It was the group's last record to be produced with Prince Paul.” - Wikipedia

A relentlessly smooth record, the beats and vocals drip with condensation like an ice cold can of your favourite beverage. As refreshing lyrically as we’ve come to expect from De la Soul, complete with the perfect amount of jazz influence (Maceo Parker’s saxophone is particularly sublime on I Be Blowin’) to nail a certain ambience. It’s hard to fault Bohloone Mindstate, and you’ll be so lost in it’s chill you’ll feel no need to.

Song Picks: Eye Patch, En Focus , I Be Blowin’

9.5/10

“Rid of Me is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter and musician PJ Harvey. It marked a departure from Harvey's previous songwriting, being more raw and aggressive than its predecessor.

Most of the songs on the album were recorded by Steve Albini. Rid of Me was met with critical acclaim, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of the 1990s and of all time, ranking at number 153 on the 2020 version of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (up from 406 on the list's previous edition).” - Wikipedia

Rid of Me is a gritty, raw masterpiece of aggressive vocals and pulverising and rotating guitar riffs. Produced in a manner where the quiet sections are actually quiet, and thus the louder sections hit like a truck, it’s one of the most cathartic albums I’ve heard on this challenge for a long time. Harvey’s vocals are unpredictable, angry, raw and brilliant, and she has an unbelievable knack of jumping from superb riff to superb riff while all the while making it sound completely spontaneous. Rid of Me is pent up energy released through shouts and distorted guitar, and you can bet if it had been recorded by a man it’d be up there in discussions with Nirvana’s finest, and as you’ll see later there’s really no higher praise I can give it.

Song Picks: Highway ‘61 Revisited, Man-Size, Rid of Me, Missed

9.5/10

“Exile in Guyville is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Liz Phair. The album received critical acclaim and in 2020, it was ranked No. 56 by Rolling Stone in its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. It was certified gold in 1998 and as of July 2010 it had sold 491,000 copies.” - Wikipedia

Exile in Guyville is a tour-de-force in stripped down punk attitude and catchy riffs and vocals. It injects a large, and much needed, dose of the female perspective into the singer-songwriter sphere with brutal honesty, plenty of swearing, and vocals that defy the ‘pretty’ ones that were expected from female solo efforts. All this would be great on its own, but what really sets this album apart is that it is so chock-full of great, memorable, and thoroughly accessible songs, which for an album nearly 60 minutes long is more than impressive.

Song Picks: 6”1”, Never Said, Dance of the Seven Veils, Explain it to Me, Johnny Sunshine

9.5/10

“In Utero is the third and final studio album by the American rock band Nirvana. After breaking into the mainstream with their second album, Nevermind (1991), Nirvana hired Steve Albini to record In Utero, seeking a more complex, abrasive sound that was also reminiscent of their debut album, Bleach (1989).

In Utero was a major commercial and critical success. Critics praised the album’s raw, unconventional sound and Cobain's lyricism. The album is certified 5x platinum in the US and has sold 15 million copies worldwide. It was the final Nirvana album before Cobain's suicide in 1994.” - Wikipedia

In Utero is quite probably the most cathartic album ever recorded. It roars and bangs with a primal rage unlike anything else. Dave Grohl drums like an ape, Cobain bashes out power chords with a similar angry simplicity as he screams and howls. This would have all been for nought though if it had then been cleaned up and sanitised in the studio, but Steve Albini made sure that didn’t happen. In Utero captures the live energy of the band perfectly, hell at some points it sounds as if you can hear Cobain’s vocal chords about to snap (e.g Scentless Apprentice) as he shouts about his inner turmoil. As the last album by the band before Cobain blew his head off with a shotgun, it serves as a masterpiece of a goodbye.

Song Picks: Serve the Servants, Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle, Heart Shaped Box

10/10

Before we get into music, here’s some world events from 1991 to set some context: the South African government repealed apartheid laws, Boris Yeltsin became the first freely elected president of the Russian Republic, and a cease fire ended the Persian Gulf War.

As for music, here’s what rateyourmusic.com users rate as the year’s top 5 albums:

#1 My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
#2 Slint - Spiderland
#3 A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory
#4 Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
#5 Nirvana - Nevermind

Here’s some I’m plucking from further down the list:

#6 Death - Human
#8 Swans - White Light from the Mouth of Infinity
#17 Slowdive - Just for a Day
#18 Pearl Jam - Ten

And I’m also adding Bonnie Raitt’s Luck of the Draw, which is the only album I can see from 1991 appearing on various ‘best albums of all time by women’ lists.

That’s 10 albums competing for a coveted best of the year title. Off we go.

“Human is the fourth studio album by American death metal band Death, released on October 22, 1991, by Relativity Records. The album marked the beginning of a major stylistic change for Death, being more technically complex and progressive than the band's previous efforts. Human was released to critical acclaim from music publications and is seen as a pivotal release in the development of the technical death metal subgenre and on extreme metal in general.” - Wikipedia

I have to say Human is a disappointing death-metal album name after Leprosy, the previous album of theirs to grace this challenge. Death remains a superb name for the band though. Chuck Schuldiner’s vocals are angry, the guitar riffs are rapid and technical, and the double-bass drum pedal consistently marches a thudding beat. There’s a refreshing human-ness to the album (no pun intended) as some of the imperfections are kept intact, unlike in a lot of modern metal recordings where everything is quantised and artificially perfected in the studio (I know I have made this point before, sorry). The instrumental skill here is remarkable, but it’s also just damn enjoyable, and has me bopping my head along to its syncopated riffs and beats in ways the doctor would not recommend.

Song Picks: Flattening of Emotions, Cosmic Sea, Suicide Machine

7.5/10

9. The Low End Theory

A Tribe Called Quest

“The Low End Theory is the second studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on September 24, 1991, by Jive Records. Recording sessions for the album were held mostly at Battery Studios in New York City, from 1990 to 1991. The album was primarily produced by group member Q-Tip, with a minimalist sound that combines bass, drum breaks, and jazz samples, in a departure from the group's debut album, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990). The album is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, appearing on many best album lists by music critics and writers. In 2020, it was ranked at number 43 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” - Wikipedia

The beats are toned back from the previous album, and I think it takes a nifty stereo or set of headphones to pick out the subtleties of the production here. The bass and drums are as laid back and groovy as you can get, but they’re also pretty similar from song to song so when they dominate the album can drag a little. Listen on a balanced system though and you’ll pick out the lovely repeated flourishes that dance on the bass and drums, such as the stuttering guitar riff on Everything Is Fair, the atmospheric synth touches on Jazz (We’ve Got), and the lovely little wah-wah riff on the closer Scenario.

The Low End Theory is a case in masterful grooves production, but it is a victim of its own easy-going nature at times, struggling to fully hold your attention for its 48 minute duration, even if it is probably one of the slickest chill-out room albums of all time.

Song Picks: Excursions, Check the Rhime

8/10

“Luck of the Draw is the eleventh studio album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1991. The album surpassed Nick of Time's commercial success, having sold seven million copies in the United States alone by 2010, and was supported by a 180-date tour from 1991 to 1993. It remains Raitt's biggest-selling recording to date.” - Wikipedia

Another rock solid country album from Raitt. Great, catchy songwriting and production that makes a genre I often find too samey varied enough to make the 50 minutes fly by. Raitt’s lovely vocal timbre helps too.

Song Picks: One Part Be My Lover, Something to Talk About

8/10

7. White Light from the Mouth of Infinity

Swans

“White Light from the Mouth of Infinity is a studio album by the American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1991, through the record label Young God.” - Wikipedia

Gone are the roars and pulverising guitars, replaced by a more gothic sound featuring Gira’s baritone vocals. There’s still not much in terms of song-structure going on, with a free-flowing style that makes the album’s 70 minutes feel like some epic musical poem.

This is definitely less aggressive than Swans’ previous albums, but it is no less dark. An underrated gem in my opinion, with a rawness to it that you might expect from a band first stepping into a new sound, something which its 70 plus minute run-length roughens up even more.

Song Picks: Power and Sacrifice, Will We Survive, Love Will Save You, Blind

9/10

“Just for a Day is the debut studio album by English rock band Slowdive. The initial reception to Just for a Day from the British music press was lukewarm, in contrast to the enthusiasm with which Slowdive's earlier releases had been met.” - Wikipedia

There’s nothing lukewarm about this album to me. It’s a long, comforting bath in the clouds, a collection of songs that bloom and bloom until they sound like a planet sadly exploding across the night sky. I could swim in its textures for days.

Song Picks: Celia’s Dream, Ballad of Sister Sue, Waves

9/10

“Spiderland is the second and final studio album by the American rock band Slint. It contains six songs played over 40 minutes, and was released by Touch and Go Records on March 27, 1991. Slint broke up shortly before the album's release due to McMahan's depression. In the US, Spiderland initially attracted little critical attention and sold poorly. However, a warm reception from UK music papers and gradually increasing sales in subsequent years helped it develop a significant cult following. Spiderland is widely regarded as foundational to the 1990s post-rock and math rock movements, and is cited by critics as a milestone of indie and experimental rock, inspiring a myriad of subsequent artists.” - Wikipedia

In its dynamic troughs the album is dominated by haunting plucked electric guitars, while the loudest peaks consist of guitars crisply fuzzed to within an inch of their lives. You can hear the birth of modern math-rock and post-rock here as it breaks out of its alt-rock egg before your very ears. This album could have come out today, and it would likely still be considered pretty singular. McMahon’s whispers and occasional gentle melodies speak of a resigned inner turmoil, complemented perfectly by complex, beautiful arrangements that are both mathematical and emotional, while having a dynamism that keeps you hooked. Spiderland is fragile, forceful, and everything in between.

Song Picks: Breadcrumb Trail; Washer; Good Morning, Captain

9/10

“Ten is the debut studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1991, through Epic Records. Following the dissolution of their previous band Mother Love Bone in 1990, bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard began rehearsing with new guitarist Mike McCready. Copies of the demo were eventually given to drummer Dave Krusen and vocalist Eddie Vedder, both of whom were invited to audition for the band in Seattle.” - Wikipedia

While the Dave Krusen and Jeff Ament rhythm section is a rock solid one, it’s the swirling guitar lines (in particular from Mike McGready) and Eddie Vedder’s unique vocal timbre, powerful melodies and passionate delivery that make Pearl Jam who they are. Though they are synonymous with the Seattle grunge movement of the early 90s, the more technical, clearly Hendrix inspired guitar work puts them in a different box to others of the time. Packed with choruses that pretty much force you to stick your hands in the air and scream to the sky (see Alive), Ten also contains what I’m pretty sure will be some of the decade’s best guitar-playing, and for someone as obsessed with guitar as I am, that was always bound to make me love it. Who said guitar solos weren’t cool anymore? McGready would like a word.

Song Picks: Alive, Even Flow, Jeremy

“Laughing Stock is the fifth and final studio album by English band Talk Talk, released in 1991. Following their previous release Spirit of Eden (1988), bassist Paul Webb left the group, which reduced Talk Talk to the duo of singer/multi-instrumentalist Mark Hollis and drummer Lee Harris. Like Spirit of Eden the album featured improvised instrumentation from a large ensemble of musicians. The demanding sessions were marked by Hollis' perfectionist tendencies and desire to create a suitable recording atmosphere. Engineer Phill Brown stated that the album, like its predecessor, was "recorded by chance, accident, and hours of trying every possible overdub idea." The band split up following its release, effectively making Laughing Stock their last official release.” - Wikipedia

Talk Talk’s albums always feel like experiences rather than sets of songs, and nowhere is that more true than in their final album. Laughing Stock is one of the most spacious albums I’ve ever heard, there’s so much quiet in between the notes, everything is laboured over, felt and given a universe in which to breathe. Even during the crashing crescendos of Ascension Day, where the soundscape is undoubtedly filled out, it feels as if every angular chord matters, before the track is ended callously without a fade, as if the band’s sensitive recording tape had just been overloaded.

Hollis has described the album as ‘arranged spontaneity’, and his vocal melodies seem to follow that pattern too. On Laughing Stock, Hollis got over 50 musicians to pour their musical hearts out, before puzzling it all together to create something more than the sum of its parts. Wonderful.

Song Picks: Ascension Day, After the Flood, Taphead

9.5/10

“Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991, by DGC Records. It was Nirvana's first release on a major label and the first to feature drummer Dave Grohl. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind features a more polished, radio-friendly sound than the band's prior work. Nevermind and its singles' success propelled Nirvana to being widely regarded as the biggest band of its time, with Cobain being dubbed by critics as the ‘voice of his generation.’” - Wikipedia

Butch Vig may have recorded the album, and deserves credit for that, but it was Andy Wallace who was drafted in to make the album’s final mix, which is still one of the best sounding albums in the genre in my books. Cobain initially had no issue with the production (according to Wallace), but later complained about it being too radio-friendly and ‘lame’, prompting him to take another direction with In Utero. Personally, I like both, but the sparkling clean production is perfect for the songs here. Nevermind is an exercise in the power of simplicity. The riffs aren’t complicated, but they hit like a truck and Dave Grohl’s drumming pounds so hard that it sounds animalistic no matter how well it’s polished in the production. The laboured quarter-beat roll down the toms and famous flans on In Bloom are integral sections to what is surely one of the most effective drum parts in history. This is all very well I hear you say, but are the songs any good? Well, yes they are, scream along choruses abound, this is surely one of the most cathartic albums ever put to tape.

Song Picks: Smells Like Teen Spirit, In Bloom, Come as You Are

9.5

“Loveless is the second studio album by the Irish-English rock band My Bloody Valentine. It was released on 4 November 1991 in the United Kingdom by Creation Records and in the United States by Sire Records. Since its release, Loveless has been widely cited by critics as one of the greatest albums of all time, a landmark work of the shoegaze subgenre, and as a significant influence on various subsequent artists.” - WIkipedia

Loveless is essentially a Kevin Shields solo project, with him playing all but a few of the instruments, including programming most of the album’s buried drums. Bilinda Butcher’s dreamy vocals are lost in the fuzzy haze of Shields’ guitar waving in and out of tune like the heartbeat of the Earth itself. There are gorgeous melodies, see only shallow and when you sleep, and even basic song structures, but they’re masked beneath a perfect wall of noise. Loveless makes it deliberately impossible to impart any ‘meaning’ from its music, and thus forces you to sit back and feel it instead. In the words of fellow Stick Around podcaster Michael Johnson, it’s a ‘swirling tornado of noise’, one that you keep wanting to turn up and up, willing to be sucked into the cover’s pink, dreamy hues and into the album’s perfect, amorphous world.

“How do you spell love” - Piglet

“You don’t spell it, you feel it” - Winnie-the-Pooh

Song Picks: only shallow, when you sleep, i only said, son

1993 - Clive's Top Albums of Every Year Challenge

1991 - Clive's Top Albums of Every Year Challenge