Thorneys Top Albums of the 90s - 1990-1992

[TheThorne]

Top 40 time

40  Lloyd Cole -  Lloyd Cole



His debut solo album and so far it is no great departure from his previous albums with the band. 'No Blue Skies' is as brilliant as the best songs he has released/ The whole album though is superb, maybe not on the same level as his 80s records but it is by far from a disappointment as well. The record reached '11 in the UK.

4/5

[TheThorne]

39 World Party - Goodbye Jumbo



The second album from the UK band and this may surprise you but this is a Brit Ppp album, in the true sense of the word. The 60s are all over this album Rolling Stones especially but of course Beatles, Dylan, Van Morrison so many influences. But like Brit Pop it is down with a modern twist. It maybe doesn't have the indie disco in mind but 'Way Down Now' especially the 12" version is a real banger, with its 'Sympathy For The Devil' hook. Such an underrated band. The record reached #36 in the UK and #73 in the UK.

4/5

[TheThorne]

38 Jude Cole - A View From 3rd Street



I have talked about him before, he is a US singer/songwriter who makes AOR/pop rock. I have mentioned before that he seemed to come out of a different time. This was his 2nd album and it seemed a little out of time.Luckily, US radio has not left this sound behind quite yet and his single "Baby It's Tonight" was a top 20 hit in the US.  That song just gave me goosebumps whenever it came on Atlantic 252 and when I went back to Edinburgh, I managed to find the 7". It is still one of my favourite songs ever. I love it so much I will just play it again now. Finally, I got round to listening to the album and I was glad to hear it was excellent. For anyone who loves Bryan Adams especially his 80s stuff, you will adore this record. He went on to be a songwriter for post grunge band Lifehouse and they have some great songs as well. The record reached #138 in the US

4/5

[TheThorne]

37 Horse - The Same Sky



The record company frenzy for Scottish bands has not ended yet. And now we have the debut album from Horse Macdonald, very much a unique and influential figure and voice of the Scottish music scene. In 1990 there really was nobody like her. To me at the time I thought of her as the inverse of Billy Mackenzie. I really can't think of anyone who sung like her at that time, I am not even sure how you describe it, I am not great at music theory. You just need to hear it for yourself, will add a clip. Anyway Horse is still making music but this was their debut album and it did very well especially in Scotland and you felt she was on the verge of breaking the charts. 'Careful' should have been that song, that send her into the top 10 but had to settle for #52. Like many acts at the time, they were affected by how the chart was compiled, sales weighting in particular areas counted against you so selling hundreds more in Glasgow than other cities, was treated like chart hyping   The record reached #44 in the UK. 'Careful' isn't my favourite song, that is "The Speed of the Beat of My Heart" but it shows off her talent better than any other song.

[smokeyb]

sorry for not posting in this one, but to be honest in this time period I stopped buying records, partly because I didn't like most stuff, and I had a young family so lost interest in the current music.

Good news, it will return in a few years.

[ManicKangaroo]

Sept 14, 2023 8:07:07 GMT 1 TheThorne said:

37 Horse - The Same Sky

'Careful' isn't my favourite song, that is "The Speed of the Beat of My Heart"

Me too, love it

[TheThorne]

Sept 15, 2023 21:39:33 GMT 1 smokeyb said:

sorry for not posting in this one, but to be honest in this time period I stopped buying records, partly because I didn't like most stuff, and I had a young family so lost interest in the
current music.

Good news, it will return in a few years.

I would say that happens but never to me lol, 40 years of buying music and I can always find stuff I love. Also my first kid came during my 2nd teenage years, the 00s my 2nd fave decade for music.

[TheThorne]

36 Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine - 101 Damnations



I had to leave this one yesterday as I ran out of time and I thought it might be a long one. This was their debut album, which I heard after their follow-up '30 Something'. This album is famous for 'Sheriff Fatman'; of course, but overall I think it is so much better than the next record. It is so clever and funny and different from anything else around, and somehow they get proper big. Where they excel is albums right now, I will say more in 1991 but their singles tend to be their worst songs. This will change with their third album though. My flatmate was a huge Carter fan, and I really liked them as well. I am not as into them now but this album still really stands up. The record reached #29 in the UK.

4/5

[TheThorne]

35 The Railway Children - Native Place



Now on their third album and I don't think we expected them to actually get a hit but in 1991, the re-issue of  "Every Beat of the Heart" smashed it reaching #24 and topping the Alternative charts in the US. That single though was a monster, one of my favourite songs of the year, if not my favourite! This is still the same indie rock band but they have, like most acts right now, danced it up a bit. The whole album is really great though so many super strong singles like "Something So Good". The record reached #59 in the UK.

4/5

[TheThorne]

34 Pale Saints - The Comforts of Madness



The debut album from the 4AD Indie shoegaze band. This record is very influential, you can still hear shoegaze music that sounds like this today see the new Explosions Of The Sky album. Lighter than MBV, less melody driven than Ride, it is the dreamer side to the genre, I must admit I do prefer their next album which is more song based but it is still gorgeous. The record reached #40 in the UK.

4/5

[TheThorne]

33 Cud - Leggy Mambo



The second album from the alternative band and this is their masterpiece. Still on a tiny label and very low sales but this record is just banger after banger. Again like Carter, they are like nobody else and somehow they go mainstream with their third album, just insane times. A shame those days are long gone. Best songs "Hey, Boots", "Love In a Hollow Tree","Robinson Crusoe" and the song that finally got them on Radio 1, well apart from John Peel, "Magic".

4/5

[TheThorne]

32 Teenage Fanclub - A Catholic Education



The debut album from the Scottish alt-rock band. It is by no  means their best apart from  "Everything Flows" which is just an incredible track, the rest is quite samey, it is a great samey but I feel they needed to spend a bit more time on it, even if they waited and added 'God Knows It's True' and a couple of the EP tracks, it would be a top 20 album. But I know what is coming, their next album is next level. This one is great but would not make my top 5 TF albums.

4/5

[TheThorne]

31 Alias - Alias



The debut album from the Canadian rock band. This is AOR/hair metal but it is top quality. These guys did not come from nowhere though as most of the band were in the group Sheriff, who just had an old single reach number one in the US "When I'm with You" in 1989. The rest of the band are ex Heart members so we have some real pedigree here. So coming of the back of that Alias were instantly huge in the Is with the first single "More Than Words Can Say" which peaked #2. My favourite song though is "Waiting for Love" which is just perfect AOR. The whole album though is top quality. The record reached #114 in the US.

4/5

[TheThorne]

30 Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting



A band and album I was introduced to in 1991, my wife's flatmate at the time, played this record like crazy. The standout for me was always the ballad 'Joey' but now I pretty love all of it. It is a mix of alt-rock and goth tinged rock and it really deserved to get them into the big league rather than a cult band. This was their third album and a top 10 hit in Canda and Australia but only reached #48 in their native US.

4/5

[TheThorne]

29 INXS - X



Their seventh album and it is a tall order following such a classic record as 'Kick'. I think if this album had came first it would have been better received."Suicide Blonde" is just 'Need You Tonight' 2.0 but the other singles are different enough and just as good as 'Kick' singles  "Disappear" and  "By My Side". Unlike 'Kick' though most of the album tracks are pretty average. I still really like this album though but if i want an hour of INXS why would I play it over 'Kick'. The record reached #2 in the UK and #5 in the US.

4/5

[TheThorne]

28 Sonic Youth - Goo



The sixth album from the alternative band and their run continues, this is another brilliant record from them, the first four tracks the best start on any of their albums, it does drop off as it gets to the end but when you have songs, yes real songs, like 'Dirty Boots' and 'Kool Thing' I can live with that. Their next album I know is a change of style although hopeful it will keep up this run. The record reached #32 in the UK and #96 in the US thanks to the hit 'Kool Thing'.

4/5

[TheThorne]

27 Bruce Hornsby & The Range - A Night on the Town



Their third album and it is not a massive departure from the first two records although it is a bit more diverse in sound, and feels bigger. Saying all that though the songs are just not quite as strong. Plenty I love with a lot of pleasant good stuff. The title track and  "Across the River"are probably my favourites. call me boring but I just want Bruce Hornsby playing pretty piano all the time. The record reached #20 in the US and #23 in the UK.

4/5

[Good Old Days]

Sept 17, 2023 8:45:58 GMT 1 TheThorne said:

30 Concrete Blonde - Bloodletting

But a lead singer is not blonde.

[TheThorne]

26 The Beloved - Happiness



Finally, we have another new band. Well I say they are new, this is actually their 2nd album and they have been going since 1985!! What!!?? I need to hear that incarnation. Anyway I loved this band from the first song I heard, which was  "Your Love Takes Me Higher", a great pop rave track. They then of course broke big with the Balearic sounding "The Sun Rising" which along with their future hit "Sweet Harmony" the only songs you hear still now. But the one that broke them huge was the indie pop list track "Hello". I could not understand where this came from based on their two previous dance tracks but knowing now they were a new wave band since 1985, it all makes sense now. Anyway the whole album is pretty gorgeous and stands up very well today. It reached #14 in the UK and #154 in the US.

4/5

[TheThorne]

25  The Blue Aeroplanes - Swagger



The fourth album from the longest running band from Bristol, who just released a new record just a month or two ago. This is their first for a major label and it is a step up in quality as well. The English R.E.M comparisons are no more prominent than on this record with the brilliant 'Jacket Hangs' and they even made a Indie Dance banger in the form of 'And Stones' check out the remix on YouTube, it is still a dance anthem. Their most accomplished and consistent album yet and I assume it will be my favourite. The record reached #54 in the UK.

4/5