Thursday, July 19, 2007

Best Albums of the 1990s (61-70)

Okay, these are backwards and I don't want to take the time to fix it, so just enjoy.


61. Robbie Williams - I've Been Expecting You (1998). Robbie's second album was another winner, and I liked that he played up the James Bond angle (captured by the "You Only Live Twice" sample on "Millennium") for the album photos. "She's the One" won the Brit Award for best single of 1999. His collaboration with Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys, "No Regrets," is really fantastic too. Essential track: Millennium



62. R.E.M (1994). - Monster. The Monster tour was the first rock concert I ever went to. I bought the most obnoxious lime green ("Violent Green" like the lyric) T-shirt. Essential track: What's the Frequency, Kenneth?





63. Chantal Kreviazuk - Colour Moving and Still (1999). I bought this album because the song "Eve" was featured on Dawson's Creek and I really liked it. Thankfully, the rest of the album turned out to be pretty good too. Doesn't she look like Evangeline Lilly? Must be a Canadian thing. Essential track: Blue


64. Ace of Base -The Sign (1994). Ace of Base was the big breakout of 1994, scoring several big hits, most notably the year's biggest, "The Sign." Their Swedish dance pop really cleared the way for the whole Britney/Boyband thing, which was really just Swedish pop with an American face. Essential track: The Sign



65. Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes (1992). Tori Amos was a dorm staple my freshman year in college, which was 3 years after this album, but it still got a lot of play. Essential track: Crucify





66. Erasure - Cowboy (1997). The '90s were weird for Erasure, as they did a couple of great albums and a couple of duds. This followed the overlong Erasure with a great set of fun dance songs. Essential track: Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me




67. Texas - White on Blonde (1997). "Say What You Want" was such a big hit in Britain that it was still frequently on the radio when I was there, months after this single had been released. The album has other good tracks from the Scottish group (whom, I heard say they'd never even visited Texas, but felt their music matched the mood of its landscape). Essential track: Say What You Want





68. Enrique Iglesias - Enrique (1999). Enrique Iglesias had a great debut album, which had two #1 hits, "Bailamos" and a clone of Cher's "Believe," "Be With You" (same producers). Essential track: Rhythm Divine






69. Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time (1999). Before she had two kids, two marriages, and a shaved head she had this--a bona fide smash debut. "...Baby One More Time" was a massive hit and is still credited as a classic pop song of the '90s. The album had other good cuts too, such as the UK #1 "Born to Make You Happy" and "Sometimes." Essential track: ...Baby One More Time

70. Weezer - Weezer (1994). Another staple of my senior year high school alternative phase. "Buddy Holly" was my favorite then, but now I prefer... Essential track: Undone (The Sweater Song)














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