1991 - Rock and Roll's Greatest Year?

[u2popmofo]

I was just thinking the other day about how much ABSOLUTELY AMAZING music came out in 1991.

I thought of a lot of great albums that came out that year, but I thought of 3 that absolutely shook the world and rocked the pants off of us all. 3 albums that honestly are considered classics in their own respective genres. Those 3 are:

U2 - Actung Baby
Nirvana - Nevermind
Metallica - Black

Honestly, think about how insanely huge of albums all 3 of these were for rock and roll and the music industry in general. These 3 albums really did shape the face of music in their respective genre's for the years that followed. All 3 are virtually flawless in their their own respective rights. What a freaking amazing year that was!!!

Please pay tribute to this wonderful year, share memories, stories, thoughts, etc.

 

[cujo]

Hammer Time

Other than that... a great year for progressive music. Do I smell a VH1 special?

But, then things changed... (syndicated copyright of the distributors of Behind the Music).

 

[u2popmofo]

Honorable Mentions of 1991: (Influential, but not quite as much as the aforementioned)

REM - Out of Time
Pearl Jam - Ten
Public Enemy - Apocalypse '91 (not rock, but still awesome)
Tom Petty - Into the Great Wide Open
Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
Guns and Roses - Use Your Illusion I & II
Smashing Pumpkins - Gish

Please feel free to share any other fantastic albums from '91 you can think of!!!

 

[Popmartijn]

Hello,

I still have a Dutch music magazine from fall 1991. At that time I bought it because it had a background story on the history of Mark Knopfler and the Dire Straits (then my favourite group, although it would be U2 a few weeks later). The cover story is about Prince, who was going to release Diamond & Pearls. The review section of the issue has new albums by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Guns 'N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Urban Dance Squad. I have to look if there were more remarkable albums reviewed in that issue.

Yeah, 1991 was a great music year. I got some serious musical experience that year (bought my first U2 album, so that's certainly a good thing), making my first steps away from the middle of the mainstream. The year started with Innuendo by Queen (a very good swansong of Freddie and, in hindsight, with many prophetic lyrics). Crowded House's Woodface was also released in 1991 (IIRC).

An absolute stellar year in music.

C ya!

Marty (who thinks that 1997 was also a high point)

 

[brettig]

Greatest year? hmmm

1965 or 66 would be my nominations, simply because

65: Rubber Soul, Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited
66: Revolver, Blonde on Blonde

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Greatest year for the 1990's, then yes, I'll agree with that.

 

[JOFO]

probably 1968 historically would be considered rock's greatest year when you think about who was on the charts:
the beatles
led zeppelin
rolling stones
jimi hendrix
the who
cream
many more I'm forgetting

 

[theSoulfulMofo]

1991
1995+

 

[Salome]

plenty of great albums have been released since 1995

2003:
Bonnie Prince Billy - Master And Everyone
Calexico - Feast Of Wire
Mariza - Fado Curvo

2002:
Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up On Me
Lambchop - Is A Woman
Los Lobos - Good Morning Aztlan
Mariza - Fado Em Mim
Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way
DJ Shadow - The Private Press
Sonic Youth - Murray Street
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Plastic Fang
The Streets - Original Pirate Material

2001:
Aphex Twin - Drukqs
Bonnie Prince Billy - Ease Down The Road
Natalie Merchant - Motherland
R.E.M. - Reveal
Tortoise - Standards

2000:
AC/DC - Stiff Upper Lip
Will Oldham - Guarapero: Lost Blues 2
U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind

1999:
Steve Earle - The Mountain
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Stereolab - Cobra & Phases Group Play ...
Sting - Brand New Day

1998:
16 Horsepower - Low Estate
Air - Moon Safari
Beck - Mutations
Boards Of Canada - Music Has The Right To Children
Bonnie Prince Billy - I See A Darkness
Mark Hollis - Mark Hollis
Natalie Merchant Ophelia
R.E.M. - Up
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Acme
Tortoise - TNT

1997:
Aphex Twin - Classics
Aphex Twin - Richard D. James Album
Atari Teenage Riot - The Future Of War
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Boatman's Call
The Oblivians - Play 9 Songs With Mr. Quintron
Will Oldham - Joya
Pavement - Brighten The Corners
Supergrass - In It For The Money
U2 - Pop

1996:
Beck - Odelay
Guided By Voices - Under The Bushes Under The Stars
Lambchop - How I Quit Smoking
Los Lobos - Colossal Head
The Oblivians - Popular Favorites
Orbital - In Sides
Palace Music - Arise Therefore
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Now I Got Worry
Underworld - Second Toughest In The Infants

1995:
Guided By Voices - Alien Lanes
The Jayhawks - Tomorrow The Green Grass
Natalie Merchant - Tigerlily
The Orb - Orbus Terrarum
Passengers - Original Soundtracks 1
PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love
Sonic Youth - Washing Machine

 

[Salome]

66: Revolver, Blonde on Blonde

you forgot Pet Sounds

 

[u2popmofo]

So far none of you have even read anything I've posted other than the thread title. You all suck.

 

[MrBrau1]

Hi, I'm looking for the thread about sewing socks for my cat. Is this it?

 

[Jack In The Box]

the last great year of music

in 1991 you're forgetting
The Cure - Desintegration

 

[u2popmofo]

in 1991 you're forgetting
The Cure - Desintegration

That was 1989.

And no, I would never forget my favorite album of one of my favorite bands.

 

[Jack In The Box]

really? :S ok, I trust you

 

[brettig]

I didn't mean to I swear!

you forgot Pet Sounds

 

[Danospano]

You all seem to be forgetting 1988.

George Michael: Faith
Michael Jackson: Bad
Soundtrack: Dirty Dancing
Scorpions: Savage Amusement
Soundtrack: More Dirty Dancing
Hall and Oates: Ooh! Yeah!
David Lee Roth: Skyscraper
AC/DC: Blow up Your Video
Steve Winwood: Roll With It
and....
Robert Plant: (lol) Now and Zen

Zen? Oh, I get it..."Zen" sounds like "Then"........(sigh)

 

[theSoulfulMofo]

1995+

my only lament about 1995+ was that there was no decent artists that broke out on U.S. modern rock radio or MTV... other than Oasis and a few others...

I think things really went down hill with Limp Bizkit and Linkin... everything else in between was more or less hazy memories.

 

[u2popmofo]

Ok, I dont want to hear about any years other than 1991. This wasnt supposed to be a discussion on what years are good, this is a discussion on how good '91 was.

 

[brettig]

Don't say it was Rock's greatest year then!

I'm quite fond of 1991 really, my footy team was created!

 

[JOFO]

man, 1993 was such a good year for music.
for instance, "zooropa" was released.

 

[IWasBored]

1991 apprecation thread...

let's see...i was 7, so i really didn't care about music much back then

live--mental jewelry

that's the only one i can come up with...i want to say barenaked ladies--gordon, but i think that was 1992...

 

[cujo]

You all seem to be forgetting 1988.

George Michael: Faith
Michael Jackson: Bad
Soundtrack: Dirty Dancing
Scorpions: Savage Amusement
Soundtrack: More Dirty Dancing
Hall and Oates: Ooh! Yeah!
David Lee Roth: Skyscraper
AC/DC: Blow up Your Video
Steve Winwood: Roll With It
and....
Robert Plant: (lol) Now and Zen

Zen? Oh, I get it..."Zen" sounds like "Then"........(sigh)

This list has actually left me speechless... Hall and Oates?... Scorpions? I think I've actually developed a tick, which is impeding my motor functions... I can't even breath... Scorpions?

I'm sorry if this offends you... but really... Scorpions?
If this is a joke, it is the best joke ever.

With a dying breath, I salute in your general direction

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

Always fun when that 'appens, no, mofo?

I only remember Ten and Achtung from 1991. I was three then, but U2 and Pearl Jam were the first bands I've ever loved since the onset of my teenage years (I've only been seriously liking music for two years, wow), and I was only about three in 1991.

I remember buying a copy of Ten, I cycled to the music store in the bookshop and cycled back. I was so stoked with the album cover (featuring the basketball pullout) and everything. For months and months it was my favourite album ever...then I discovered Yield and later U2.

U2 I'd always seen a bit on MTV but it wasn't until Sunday Bloody Sunday (which I heard at Borders) that I began seriously getting into their music. I think Achtung was the second thing I got by them after the Best of 1980-1990 because I figured I might as well hear their post 90s work. Needless to say I was blown away.

Not quite stories about 1991, but stories about albums from 1991.

 

[MrBrau1]

I was a freshman in college in 91. Every dorm room was blasting:REM-Out of Time or U2-Achtung Baby or GnR-Illusion Albums or Metallica-Black Album. Eventually you could ad Pearl Jam-Ten and SP-Gish and RHCP-BSSM and Nirvana to that list. Really great year. I'll say the best year ever for rock.

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

1991 i was finishing up my soph year in high school and starting my jr year that fall. indeed a good year for music. that was time my high school class went grunge and never looked backed.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

did somebody seriously say that Up and Reveal were great albums?

 

[STING2]

While many of these great albums were released in 1991, they did not get their full exposure until 1992 because most of them were released in late 1991. In fact, for the first 8 months of 1991, most people were lamenting how bad a year it was for rock music because there had been very few releases up to that point. Most of these popular albums released at the end of 1991, sold the bulk of the albums and recieved the bulk of their airplay in 1992, not 1991.

But to play along, my favorite albums released in 1991 are:

Achtung Baby: U2
Metallica: Metallica
Nevermind: Nirvana
Soul Cages: STING
Ten: Pearl Jam
Out Of Time: REM
Temple Of The Dog: Temple Of The Dog
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge: Van Halen
Waking Up The Neighbours: Bryan Adams
No Place Like Home: Big Country

 

[cujo]

What about Green Jelly

uh-oh, did I mention them... I'm a bad dog.

 

[hiphop]

Massive Attack was released in 91? too.