Thorneys Top Albums of the 90s - 1993 complete

[TheThorne]

13 Dinosaur Jr - Where You Been



Their fifth album and a big climb from its ranking in my Top 600 albums of the 90s. Well this is possibly their best album and the singles are just brilliant. 'Start Choppin' is arguably their finest moment. This is their commercial peak although album #6 matches it pretty close. I just can't get enough of this. The record reached #10 in the UK and #50 in the US.

4/5

[Good Old Days]

1993 year was a highlight for Saint Etienne.
"You're In A Bad Way" and "Who Do You Think You Are" were # 1 hits in my chart.

[TheThorne]

Feb 5, 2024 8:58:37 GMT 1 Good Old Days said:

1993 year was a highlight for Saint Etienne.
"You're In A Bad Way" and "Who Do You Think You Are" were # 1 hits in my chart.

The version of "You're In A Bad Way" on the album is very different from the single, be interested to see what you think of these versions

[TheThorne]

12 Belly - Star




As promised, we have the debut album from Tanya Donnelly's new project. This is one of the best indie rock albums of the early 90s and arguably the best from the female fronted artists on 4AD, possibly the best 4AD album of the 90s, well from 1992 onwards anyway. It has everything you want a perfect example of the genre, so many catchy songs and a total vibe which has influenced and been copied for the last 30 years. The record reached #2 in the UK and #59 in the US. Why not a 4.5 it's just a little long, cut off the last 4 tracks they would not be missed.


4/5

[TheThorne]

So who just misses the top 10

11 Blur - Modern Life Is Rubbish



The curse of 1993 continues and we have the only Blur album I don't own. That is even more shocking than Manic Street Preachers as I have every other album, i don't think I bought the 2nd last Manics record. Well Blur's second album at the time it felt a bit weird. I bought all the singles but at the time I was really not sure about them although 'Sunday Sunday' was a total banger. Finally in the Napster era I heard the full album and after the next three albums 'MLIR' makes a lot more sense. This is everyything that Brit Pop was based on, so many 60s influences Kinks, psychedelia, mod vibes and gone are the dance beats and rave influences. Madchester is closed. This is a crossroads album and things could have gone very different, if it wasn't for a band who released a promo single 'Columbia'/ The album reached #15 but world domination did not look on the cards.

4/5

[TheThorne]

Top 10 preview time

5 US acts
4 UK acts
1 Icelandic - oh who could that be!!??

We have four debut albums, 2 acts return to the top 10 and 4 acts crack the top 10 for the first time.

I own 9 of the albums, 5 on vinyl, 4 on CD.  My number one and number 9 I only bought in the last 10 years, although I had a lot of the singles!!

As has already been mentioned in comments 1993 is not a classic year, think this is the first year we don't have a 4.5 album outside the top 10.

[TheThorne]

Ok top 10 now

10 Levellers - Levellers



The third album from The Levellers and it finishes one place higher than their previous record. But with that this album is not as brilliant as that one. It is a curious but not shocking evolution for the band. They are a big deal now especially live so the tracks are heavier, dancier and more stadium. There is still a bit of space for their folk sound but it is more marginalised. You can really understand why they were such a divisive band. 'Belaruse' is a banger but although I loved it at the time 'This Garden' is more like Chumbawamba, 'Tubthumping' era, than what we expect from Levellers. The record reached #2 in the UK.

4/5

[TheThorne]

9 The Juliana Hatfield Three - Become What You Are



Finally, we get a 4.5 album. I was not sure if to count this as a debut as strictly it was as this is a new project for her. But I consider it the second Juliana Hatfield album as this is just a one-off. So she returns to a more band sound like her early band Blake Babies and it is her best record, well best I have heard anyway. Taking from her time in Lemonheads as well and adding a bit of grunge adjacent radio rock. The songs on this album are incredible, the mix of sweetness and innocence along with some of the best guitar work and emotional lyrics. 'My Sister' is the template that all modern 90s influenced bands try to match. 'Spin The Bottle' another classic thanks to the soundtrack to 'Reality Bites'. The fan favourite is 'For The Birds' and another deserved classic. The record reached #119 in the US.

4.5/5

[TheThorne]

8 Adorable - Against Perfection




The debut album from my second favourite new band of 1993. Oasis bah, the best new single from a band on Creation Records was 'Sunshine Smile'. Then they did it again with 'I'll Be Your Saint' both awesome songs. Neither of these songs were on the UK album release, one of many missteps with this band. Thank you US version for getting it right. But even without those songs this is a brilliant debut album. Misstep 2, Adorable are not shoegaze, yes there are influences especially on their debut single but they were so much more. They were melodic, Brit Pop, punky, angry, political and had attitude, think Echo & The Bunnymen at their best.  Creation were in turmoil after 'Loveless' and they just didn't know what to do with them and Alan McGee only cared about Oasis. It also didn't help that Pete was a gobshite, ironic that MM hated that when they embraced Liam. Oh I dunno.... I just wish I was in the dimension that "Sunshine Smile" went to #31 in its first week and 'I'll Be Your Saint' went top 10 and football crowds sing 'You're so beautiful' as 'Homeboy' goes to number one!! Really enjoying Pete's work with John Squire right now

But not to be it reached #70 in the UK.

4.5/5

[TheThorne]

7 Bjork - Debut



One of the two albums in my top 10 that I didn't own until a few years ago as my flatmate had it but i did own all the singles. This has climbed a bit never expected it to be in my top 10. It is just so good and not surprising that Madonna pretty much copied its style and production in a few years. I always hoped she would go solo Sugarcubes did seem a bit toxic and some of the stuff I heard that went on, is not the kind of stuff a teenager should put up with. Just groundbreaking electronic dance music and gorgeous chill out moments as well, all with her unique voice. The record reached #2 in the UK and #61 in the UK.

4.5/5

[TheThorne]

6 Buffalo Tom - Big Red Letter Day



The fourth album from the Boston alt/rock band and I think this is their absolute best. Buffalo Tom were a great band and they still are but no album I have heard from them is as consistently brilliant as this one. First four tracks are totally killer. One of my most played albums ever. At the time I was a huge Lemonheads fan and Buffalo Tom released this record and it just was instantly a favourite for me. Just brilliant jangly US college rock. Some may argue 'Let Me Come Over' was a better album and yes it's great but this is the one I owned! Just makes me feel happy I guess, which is a theme with the albums at the high end of the list. They either make me very happy or very sad, no in betweens. No room for mediocre now! The album reached #17 in the UK and #185 in the US.

4.5/5

[TheThorne]

Let's go top 5, been a bit busy so let's do this!!

5 The Lemonheads - Come On Feel the Lemonheads



Well I just mentioned them and here we are again, this time with their sixth album.  This record doesn't quite have the same magic as the previous record but it is still a near perfect album, this is a band at the peak of their powers. They have shifted ..'things up a bit now they are an arena band and the album is generally a bit heavier than 'It's a Shame...' but the melodies are very much the same. "Into Your Arms" actually as a strong case for their best single, it is certainly everything you need in a Lemonheads song and if somebody had never heard them, that is the one to recommend. We still have gorgeous Juliana features as well on the single 'It's About Time'. Just another brilliant album. The record reached #5 in the UK and #56 in the US.

4.5/5

[TheThorne]

4 Sheryl Crow - Tuesday Night Music Club



We have some brilliant debut album in this top 10 and this is no exception. The special time about the 90s for me, is you can remember where and when you bought things, imagine that now. Well this was something different 'What I Can Do For You?' came out and I instantly loved it, I had no idea who she was and I went out and bought the album as soon as it came out. It was not a big release I had to look for it under C in Virgin MS and I bought it on cassette as I didn't have much money, it was probably one of the last tapes I ever bought. I then played it and it was faultless, I loved every song. The first four tracks alone were all 5/5s. 'All I Wanna Do' came out and the rest was history. I don't need to say a lot you all know how good this is. The record reached #3 in the US and #8 in the UK. It has sold over 12 million worldwide.

5/5

[TheThorne]

what could beat that!!??

3 The Boo Radleys - Giant Steps



Their third album and possibly the most interesting and varied listening experience of 1993.  Boo Radleys were shoegaze, they will soon be Brit Pop, this is everything, sometimes all at once. I am not qualified to describe how amazing this album is. Even talking about the singles alone, is a major challenge.  If all you know about is 'Wake Up Boo' you will be in for a shock but not straight away 'I Hang Suspended' is probably the most like where they will go next. 'Wish I Was Skinny' is a gorgeous C86 style ballad, it is very like Belle & Sebastian. 'Barney (...and Me)' is a great shoegaze pop song it jsut makes me feel good whenever I hear it, shoegaze is an over simplification it is pastoral, it is orchestral, it is jsut a shimmering gem. Then we have their masterpiece 'Lazurus' starts of very Madchester, can even hear Gorillaz in this they must have been influenced and bursts into a wall of sound shoegaze blended with horns. This is one of the songs of the year and maybe the decade. But in the end it is such a simple indie song but the layers!!! I loved this so much I played the whole extended edition which includes one of the best shoegaze hidden gems of all time 'Lazy Day'. Anyone who loves shoegaze and you haven't heard this you must!!! Best sudden ending ever!

The record reached #17 in the UK


5/5

[TheThorne]

Now I am just going to reuse what I said about my #2 as It's pretty epic. This was my #9 of the 90s.

2 Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream



Their second studio album and 'Gish' was brilliant but this is even better. They were my Aberdeen, my Pulp, my Irn Bru. Ok I will explain that, You get asked who was the best Brit Pop band Blur or Oasis and you go Pulp, which is better Pepsi or Coca-Cola and you say Irn Bru, do you support Celtic or Rangers, I support Aberdeen. Do you like Nirvana or Pearl Jam, which is the best grunge band? Smashing Pumpkins!!

I hate binaries choices made my people who know nothing about the subject they are talking about and just leap onto the bandwagon of the two of biggest in that genre, field or market.

Smashing Pumpkins were an indie band first to me and that divide between which chart you got played on The Chart Show was very important to me at the time. They didn't look like rockers, they were not obviously metal influenced, they just had an epic grungey guitar sound and shoegaze spirit and the vocals, well like nobody else apart from maybe Kermit's nephew. 'Siamese Dream' is an epic masterpiece of quiet and loud, of grunge and space of shoegaze and lo-fi. Metal and grunge fans were a bit against Smashing Pumpkins but listen to a song like 'Quiet' does it not deserve to sit next to Soundgarden and Alice In Chains, the rare moments when metal creeps through. But then you make a song like 'Disarm' only Nirvana came close to matching them with the delicate songs. The album reached #4 in the UK, yes higher than 'Nevermind' and #10 in the US and has sold 5 million worldwide.

5/5

[TheThorne]

1 Suede - Suede



Just pipping Smashing Pumpkins for biggest album of 1993, is the debut record from Suede. Has any band released 4 such brilliant EPs as their first singles, not even Ride who come a close 2nd. I didn't buy this album at the time but I bought all the singles, well you had to as the B-sides were brilliant. I think I got 'Suede' in Poundland about 10 years ago hehe but of course I had heard it and played it long before that. I don't think there was an Indie night I DJed where I didn't play at a Suede song, in my 7 or so years.

The timing of Suede was perfect as well, as loving Suede just annoyed all those people who got into grunge with 'Nevermind', 'why do you like that 'gamer word' band?', was a common phrase to be heard at our local Rock Student Union. Yes different times. Why can't you like Suede and Nirvana, why do you have to pick a side. That was one of the reasons I think Brit Pop exploded as it really did turn into a battle, even though most Brit Pop bands were playing both sides, what else was 'Pop Scene' for example. I know I am not talking about the record but time and place are just as important as anything and these awesome songs, were the soundtrack to my best years of my lives.  I bet those guys who slagged of Suede 30 years ago, now hail them as a great band much better than the 'sh*t' in the charts today, argh!!

They never got much success in the US for many of the reasons above it just missed the top 100 but went to number one in the UK.

5/5

[smokeyb]

Feb 10, 2024 8:31:06 GMT 1 TheThorne said:

1 Suede - Suede



Just pipping Smashing Pumpkins for biggest album of 1993, is the debut record from Suede. Has any band released 4 such brilliant EPs as their first singles, not even Ride who come a close 2nd. I didn't buy this album at the time but I bought all the singles, well you had to as the B-sides were brilliant. I think I got 'Suede' in Poundland about 10 years ago hehe but of course I had heard it and played it long before that. I don't think there was an Indie night I DJed where I didn't play at a Suede song, in my 7 or so years.

The timing of Suede was perfect as well, as loving Suede just annoyed all those people who got into grunge with 'Nevermind', 'why do you like that 'gamer word' band?', was a common phrase to be heard at our local Rock Student Union. Yes different times. Why can't you like Suede and Nirvana, why do you have to pick a side. That was one of the reasons I think Brit Pop exploded as it really did turn into a battle, even though most Brit Pop bands were playing both sides, what else was 'Pop Scene' for example. I know I am not talking about the record but time and place are just as important as anything and these awesome songs, were the soundtrack to my best years of my lives.  I bet those guys who slagged of Suede 30 years ago, now hail them as a great band much better than the 'sh*t' in the charts today, argh!!

They never got much success in the US for many of the reasons above it just missed the top 100 but went to number one in the UK.

5/5

This one i have, great album, I have quite a few by them. Too many good tracks to mention. Great number one in your run down.

[raliverpool]

Feb 10, 2024 8:31:06 GMT 1 TheThorne said:

1 Suede - Suede



Just pipping Smashing Pumpkins for biggest album of 1993, is the debut record from Suede. Has any band released 4 such brilliant EPs as their first singles, not even Ride who come a close 2nd. I didn't buy this album at the time but I bought all the singles, well you had to as the B-sides were brilliant. I think I got 'Suede' in Poundland about 10 years ago hehe but of course I had heard it and played it long before that. I don't think there was an Indie night I DJed where I didn't play at a Suede song, in my 7 or so years.

The timing of Suede was perfect as well, as loving Suede just annoyed all those people who got into grunge with 'Nevermind', 'why do you like that 'gamer word' band?', was a common phrase to be heard at our local Rock Student Union. Yes different times. Why can't you like Suede and Nirvana, why do you have to pick a side. That was one of the reasons I think Brit Pop exploded as it really did turn into a battle, even though most Brit Pop bands were playing both sides, what else was 'Pop Scene' for example. I know I am not talking about the record but time and place are just as important as anything and these awesome songs, were the soundtrack to my best years of my lives.  I bet those guys who slagged of Suede 30 years ago, now hail them as a great band much better than the 'sh*t' in the charts today, argh!!

They never got much success in the US for many of the reasons above it just missed the top 100 but went to number one in the UK.

5/5

Whilst it is a very good album, I bought The Drowners CD single the first week it came out and bought all their CD singles for their 1st two albums including the stand alone single "Stay Together".

I happen to think it is their weakest of their 1st 3 albums. If you exclude Radiohead as a Britpop band, then I regard "Dog Man Star" as the greatest BritPop album.

I know from my Personal Charts at the time, I regarded Blur - Modern Life Is Rubbish as my 3rd fav album of 1993. With the Youth produced atmospheric Crowded House - Together Alone as my album of the year. But with hindsight it has been replaced by my runner up Jellyfish - Spilt Milk (a giant leap forward expansively & musically from their debut album).

You'll probably know this from McBusted's cover version:

[TheThorne]

You did the same as me bought all the singles , 1993 is a weaker year so the next two may not be number ones but they will do very very well.