Best Album on OUR Favourite Albums of......1990!! by pfunkboy & Michael B

Its murder leaving stuff out Was thinking maybe mike and I doing a poll each and have them as semi finals with the top 10 in each making up the final (starting in 91)

half our selections match but it gives us a chance to add other stuff

thats a bit convoluted, no?

its not like we have anything better to do with our free time, lol

jordan: the comeback of course

sundays over mondays and the fall

oof this is a hard one. maybe the rhythm of the saints, which was a popular record in my house growing up

This will go to ATCQ, just over Pixies - I also love Goo and Fear of a Black Planet and Extricate and Behaviour. And Sinéad O'Connor's I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got! In fact, that is the one that has only grown in importance for me - I seem to like it a little better with every year.

But my favourite album of 1990 is a relative obscurity: The Trouble Tree by Freedy Johnston. New York-via-Kansas singer/songwriter who got a little more well-known with his subsequent albums, but they do little for me. It's his early stuff that finds a weird middle ground between Americana and post-punk - songs on the album vaguely recall The Fall ("Nature Boy") and Pixies ("Little Red-Haired Girl"), or sophisti-pop ("Down on the Moon I") among the more traditional Townes van Zandtian singer-songwriter fare. I remember the album getting some critical attention in '91 and Twin Peaks being mentioned as a lyrical reference - and indeed many lyrics seem to describe spooky small-town scenes, from the I-took-revenge-via-arson in "That's What You Get" to the Alex Cameron-prefiguring trailer park lit of "Tucumcari".

The album blew me away at the time and since I came to it in 1991 I ranked it over Nevermind, Bandwagonesque and Blue Lines at the time. Since reconciling myself to the fact that I was behind the times and it's a 1990 record, I've had to compare it to People's Instinctive Rhythms, Bossanova et al., but it still wins out. I could totally imagine people listening to it and thinking it too abrasive, or that its trying to be too many things at the same time, but I loved it and love it, and I've not really heard anything quite like it since.

Sounds interesting

that does sound amazing

Decent list, but two of my favourites, Lou Reed & John Cale's 'Songs for Drella' and The Beloved 'Happiness' are missing. Of those left between prefab Sprout, PE and The KLF.

Lou Reed & John Cale's 'Songs for Drella' was one of the albums cut at last min along with Sinead and Slayer

Gonna miss turrican on this thread. I think banned ilxors can still vote so hey turrican! vote!

fuck that, glad he's gone, hope he never comes back

Honourable mentions:

Lou Reed & John Cale – Songs for Drella
Lush - Gala
Manilla Road - The Courts of Chaos
Sinead O’Connor – I do not want what I have not got
Slayer – Seasons in the Abyss
Viv Akauldren – Vivian’s Fountain

there was others we had to drop but I forget which.

there was a jesus lizard EP

This is clearly Jane's. There are a bunch of fantastic albums here (including ATCQ and PE) but... Jane's.

Had Lush made the cut, that would have been my vote.

Damn, that means Front Line Assembly wont get a vote now.

Behaviour, with Heaven or Las Vegas close behind.

Mazzy Star or the Sundays. Not sure, probably the Sundays

This was easier than ’89: Jane’s. Their masterpiece.

missing Yo La Tengo’s Fakebook, I think it is their most beautiful album, I love it even more than And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out

also just given the zeitgeist of 1990 this list is missing Sinead O’Connor’s I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got and Deee-Lite’s World Clique

I loved that Jane’s Addiction album

Sun City Girls' Torch of the Mystics I think in retrospect might be considered one of the best albums of 1990

I didn’t relate to it personally, but John Zorn’s Naked City also seems like a seminal album

Going with ILX non-faves The La’s. I love it, hate all you want. Absolutely played that album to death back in the 00s.

xp good call on Torch, that would have gotten my vote

Fear of a Black Planet is an easy choice for me. It still sounds radically futuristic.

loved Fear of a Black Planet

also feels like the KLF album presaged an era

I might have voted for Naked City if it were listed.

I hadn't realized it, but this list suggests for me the fall-off from the 80s to the 90s in any sort of rock- or pop-based music was really steep. I don't think there's an album among these I'd rank with my top 25 of any year from 1967-1989. If any, the Tribe or Depeche Mode...

Behaviour, with Heaven or Las Vegas close behind.

― Gavin, Leeds

Same here. Jordan: The Comeback and Reading, Writing & Arithmetic would be close too. Four of my favourite albums ever.

That Greedy Johnson album is excellent! Cheers for the heads-up, dorsalstop

Freedy (damn autocorrect)

Ah, that's great - I was hoping I'd get at least one person to listen, and if they actually liked it it would be a bonus.

I listened back to it myself last night and realised 1) I'd mixed up "Down on the Moon #1" and "Down on the Moon #2 in my description above - I meant the latter as the loungey soft-rock/sophistipop one, and 2) my musical references were correctly prefaced with "vaguely"; like, "Nature Boy" doesn't actually sound much like The Fall (not in the way, say, "Two States" by Pavement does), although I could imagine MES singing it. What it sounded to me much more in hindsight is as if someone had gone through Neil young's entire back catalogue and tore bits and pieces from every era - cynical Neil, soft-rocker Neil, the pop ballads, the guitar noise stuff, etc- and then put it all back together again after his own vision, like those films that consist of entirely of brief clips from old movies but tell a new story.

Kerrang! Albums Of The Year 1990

1. Slayer - Seasons In The Abyss
2. Wolfsbane - All Hell's Breaking Loose Down At Little Kathy Wilson's Place
3. Love/Hate - Blackout In The Red Room
4. Black Crowes - Shake Your Money Maker
5. Warrior Soul - Last Decade, Dead Century
6. Queensrÿche - Empire
7. Thunder - Back Street Symphony
8. King's X - Faith, Hope, Love
9. Electric Boys - Funk-O-Metal Carpet Ride
10. Nelson - After The Rain
11. Megadeth - Rust In Peace
12. Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual
13. Robert Plant - Manic Nirvana
14. Judas Priest - Painkiller
15. Led Zeppelin - Remasters Boxed
16. ZZ Top - Recycler
17. Dread Zeppelin - Un-led-ed
18. Living Colour - Time's Up
19. Loud - D Generation
20. Atom Seed - Get In Line
21. The Almighty - Blood, Fire And Live
22. Quireboys - A Bit Of What You Fancy
23. Mother Love Bone - Apple
24. Burning Tree - Burning Tree
25. Prong - Beg To Differ

1990 NME Albums

1. Pills 'N' Thrills And Bellyaches - Happy Mondays
2. I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got - Sinead O'connor
3. Fear Of A Black Planet - Public Enemy
4. Ragged Glory - Neil Young & Crazy Horse
5. Gold Mother - James
6. Behaviour - Pet Shop Boys
7. People's Instinctive Travels Etc.. - A Tribe Called Quest
8. Floating - Julee Cruise
9. Songs For Drella - Lou Reed/John Cale
10. World Clique - Deee-Lite
11. Music From Twin Peaks - Angelo Badalmenti
12. Goo - Sonic Youth
13. Nowhere - Ride
14. Goodbye Jumbo - World Party
15. Extricate - The Fall
16. The Good Son - Nick Cave
17. The La's - The La's
18. Bossanova - Pixies
19. Reading, Writing & Arithmetic - The Sundays
20. She Hangs Brightly - Mazzy Star
21. Hells Ditch - The Pogues
22. Life - Inspiral Carpets
23. Jordan: The Comeback - Prefab Sprout
24. Enlightenment - Van Morrison
25. Some Friendly - The Charlatans
26. Happiness - The Beloved
27. Fontana - The House Of Love
28. Heaven Or Las Vagas - Cocteau Twins
29. 101 Damnation’s - Carter USM
30. Graffiti Bridge - Prince
31. Choke - The Beautiful South
32. Dream Letter - Tim Buckley
33. My Brothers Keeper - The Neville Brothers
34. March - Michael Penn
35. Who Cares Wins - Mega City Four
36. Gala - Lush
37. Boomania - Betty Boo
38. Done By The Forces Of Nature - The Jungle Brothers
39. Are You Okay? - Was(Not Was)
40. The Cactus Album - 3rd Bass
41. Amerikkka’s Most Wanted - Ice Cube
42. Laughing Down The Limehouse - Anastasia Screamed
43. Lloyd Cole - Same
44. Viva Dead Ponies - Fatima Mansions
45. The Comforts Of Madness - Pail Saints
46. Pigeon Hole - New Fads
47. Electribal Memories - Electribe 101
48. Killing Time - Clint Black
49. The Vegetarians Of Love - Bob Geldof
50. Violator - Depeche Mode

lol
49. The Vegetarians Of Love - Bob Geldof
50. Violator - Depeche Mode
lol

Melody Maker End Of Year Critic Lists - 1990 Albums

1. Pills 'N Thrills And Bellyaches - Happy Mondays
2. World Clique - Deee-Lite
3. Songs For Drella - Lou Reed & John Cale
4. Heaven Or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins
5. Ragged Glory - Neil Young & Crazy Horse
6. Some Friendly - The Charlatans
7. She Hangs Brightly - Mazzy Star
8. Ritual De Lo Habitual - Janes Addiction
9. Floating Into The Night - Julee Cruise
10. Behaviour - The Pet Shop Boys
11. Bossanove - The Pixies
12. Fear Of A Black Planet - Public Enemy
13. The La's - The La's
14. I Do Not Want What I Hav'nt Got - Sinead O'connor
15. The Good Son - Nick Cave
16. Cleopatra Grip - The Heart Throbs
17. All Shock Down - The Replacements
18. Reading, Writing And Arithmetic - The Sundays
19. Set The Controls .. For The Bass - Bass-O-Matic
20. Nowhere - Ride
21. Chillout - The Klf
22. Pod - The Breeders
23. Supernatural - Stereo Mc's
24. A Catholic Education - Teenage Fanclub
25. Goodbye Jumbo - World Party
26. Gold Mother - James
27. Jordan: The Comeback - Prefab Sprout
28. Spanking Machine - Babes In Toyland
29. Swagger - The Blue Aeroplanes
30. Boomania - Betty Boo

Spin Albums Of The Year 1990

1. Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
2. Sonic Youth - Goo
3. Jane's Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual
4. Alice In Chains - Facelift
5. Deee-Lite - World Clique
6. Neil Young - Ragged Glory
7. Teenage Fan Club - A Catholic Education
8. Public Enemy - Fear Of A Black Planet
9. Sinéad O'Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
10. L.L. Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out
11. Primus - Frizzle Fry
12. Bob Mould - Black Sheets Of Rain
13. The Breeders - Pod
14. Was (Not Was) - Are You OK?
15. Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting
16. Prince - Graffiti Bridge
17. Masters Of Reality - Masters Of Reality
18. Eric B. & Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em
19. Lou Reed/John Cale - Songs For Drella
20. Soul II Soul - Vol II: 1990-A New Decade

Rolling Stone 1990 Critics Albums

1. Sinéad O'Connor - I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got
2. Neil Young And Crazy Horse - Ragged Glory
3. The Replacements - All Shook Down
4. Living Colour - Time's Up
5. Rosanne Cash - Interiors

47. Electribal Memories - Electribe 101
10. L.L. Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out

A big yes to these two.

I didn't really find myself, musically, until 1989/1990 when I got into metal in quite a big way. Consequently, I know that Kerrang! list all the way down and would still happily listen to a good bunch of those records. Less happy to say that I went to my first real, all-alone, gig that year. It was the Quireboys. Eesh.

did you have a seven o'clock party?

we did this is 2007 and somebody voted bob geldof
NME/Melody Maker/Sounds/Kerrang/Vox/Spin/Rolling Stone/The Face - Best Albums of 1990 (POLL ENDS 11th May)

If My Mother Has Requested That I Render You Unconscious was on here I’d vote for that. One of my favorite albums ever!

Another almost forgotten favourite from this year: Rhythms In Me, the only album Robert Owens made for Island Records. It was one of the options in that 2007 poll Oor Neechy linked to.

Depeche Mode vs. The Fall is doing my head in at the moment. 🙃

they're no bob geldof

What a good year. But it's gotta be Violator, I think it's the only one I still play. Some of the rap might be good, but I just don't have the patience for all of that shoegazing anymore.

It's a brand new record for 1990

Happy Mondays for me, the defining album of my youth

I hope the metallers turn out to vote because bad michael wanted me to drop some of the metal albums as nobody would vote for them.
Dont let Michael win!

Helios Creed just over Royal Trux and Pixies

My friend Goo goes... PU!

The Sundays vs Depeche Mode for me. 90's me would've definitely voted Sundays, but modern me has listened to Violator more frequently since then.

Paul Simon - The Rhythm Of The Saints. A top 10 record of mine ever since I first heard it sometime mid-90s. I loved hearing four songs from that album (possibly the most special songs even) on his farewell tour.

That Poison Idea record is very very good.

Own Lard, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Prefab Sprout, Ride, The Chills, The Cocteau Twin, The Fall, The Fatima Mansions, The House of Love, The La's, They Might Be Giants, Uncle Tupelo

Going with Prefab Sprout but The Chills and The La's albums are right there with it. Also adore the Fatima Mansions, not too many of us around I expect.

poll says i voted already, pretty sure for i went for pod

In a garden in the house of love
Sitting lonely on a plastic chair

Great year, many acts peaking (Pixies on their way down though). I'd also put in a vote for Lush's Gala.

Tribe Called Quest
EPMD
Fugazi
Happy Mondays
Public Enemy
Ride
KLF

It probably should be PE, but I went with Fugazi because I saw them around this time (just after Rodney King video came out, and just before Gulf War I) and it changed my life.

Depeche Mode vs. The Fall is doing my head in at the moment. 🙃

Update: I eventually went with Extricate purely because I felt like enough people would be giving love to Violator. Y'all don't prove me wrong here.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

where's the metal fans itt?

I voted Rust in Peace.

Public Enemy or Pixies for me, can't decide right now

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

a tie!

Best Album on OUR Favourite Albums of......1991

Heh, who was the third person who voted for Redd Kross?

I thought Violator would win this didn't expect Cocteau Twins to joint win

I voted in this poll, but my favorite 1990 album is Unrest’s Kustom Karnal Backxploitation.

<3

I forgot to vote in this, probably would have gone Sundays.

Damn, missed this. Would have voted Jane's Addiction..