707. Metallica (The Black Album)

Metallica (The Black Album)

Metallica

1991

Tracks

1. Enter Sandman
2. Sad But True
3. Holier Than Thou
4. The Unforgiven
5. Wherever I May Roam
6. Don't Tread On Me
7. Through The Never
8. Nothing Else Matters
9. Of Wolf And Man
10. The God That Failed
11. My Friend Of Misery
12. The Struggle Within

Yet another Metallica offering. I never feel like there is an evolution of sound; to me this feels exactly like the previous Metallica album on this List and I hated that as well.

It's no secret now that I am not a heavy metal fan. I think the lyrics are at best dull and at worst, childish. "Wherever I May Roam" was fairly catchy, but not enough to redeem the rest of this album.

I can't believe Metallica has four entries on this List. I feel like if you listen to one Metallica album you've listened to all of them.

RATING: 1/5

706. Bandwagonesque

Bandwagonesque

Teenage Fanclub

1991

Tracks

1. The Concept
2. Satan
3. December
4. What You Do to Me
5. I Don't Know
6. Star Sign
7. Metal Baby
8. Pet Rock
9. Sidewinder
10. Alcoholiday
11. Guiding Star
12. Is This Music?

I haven't fallen behind with listening to albums, but I have fallen a bit behind with writing about them. This makes writing about the so-so albums much harder, because they don't leave much of an impression.

I suppose this one was a little better than so-so and it's clear this had a heavy influence on 90s music to come. I was pleased that they seemed to be pulling styles from earlier bands, like the Beatles and The Byrds.

Still, it wasn't the most distinctive sound and didn't leave much of an impression after listening.

RATING: 3/5

705. Screamadelica

Screamadelica
Primal Scream
1991

Tracks
1. Movin' on Up
2. Slip Inside This House
3. Don't Fight It, Feel It
4. Higher Than the Sun
5. Inner Flight
6. Come Together
7. Loaded
8. Damaged
9. I'm Comin' Down
10. Higher Than the Sun [A Dub Symphony in Two Parts]
11. Shine Like Stars

Well, that was surprising. This List has jaded me to the extent that I thought it was actually just going to be people screaming. 

Fortunately, I was wrong and they actually pull in a lot of different genres here. They don't necessarily excel at all those genres, but it was still interesting. It sort of reminded me of the Happy Mondays, but I enjoyed the Happy Mondays more.

Also, how cool is that cover art?

RATING: 3/5

704. Blue Lines

Blue Lines
Massive Attack
1991

Tracks
1. Safe From Harm
2. One Love
3. Blue Lines
4. Be Thankful For What You've Got
5. Five Man Army
6. Unfinished Sympathy
7. Daydreaming
8. Lately
9. Hymn Of The Big Wheel

I have a hard time connecting to the electronica and hip hop genres separately, and so I wasn't exactly clamoring for somebody to fuse the two. 

Not that I don't like albums that make me think "was that a humpback whale?" but this album was more an oddity than an enjoyable listen for me. It just felt very dated and not very interesting. 

Next up Primal Scream! Something tells me our fortunes will not improve with an album called Screamadelica.

RATING: 3/5

703. The White Room

The White Room
KLF
1991

Tracks
1. What Time Is Love?
2. Make It Rain
3. 3 A.M Eternal (Live at the S.S.L)
4. Church of the KLF
5. Last Train to Transcentral (Live From The Lost Continent)
6. Build A Fire
7. The White Room
8. No More Tears
9. Justified and Ancient

I took a break from listening to albums yesterday because it was my birthday, and I cannot tolerate any electronica on that day. I am doubling up on albums today though, which I might actually start doing anyway so I can finish this project by the end of the year. It would be a satisfying way to end a year remarkably devoid of satisfaction.

I have a feeling this is one of those albums that you were supposed to listen to on drugs. Soberly, it wasn't very interesting. "What Time is Love?" was very obnoxious, and none of the other tracks really stuck.

Definitely not a birthday worthy album. 

RATING: 2/5

702. Achtung Baby

Achtung Baby
U2
1991

Tracks
1. Zoo Station
2. Even Better Than The Real Thing
3. One
4. Until The End Of The World
5. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
6. So Cruel
7. The Fly
8. Mysterious Ways
9. Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World
10. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
11. Acrobat

I know we have bigger things going on in the world, but I am still not over when U2 added an album to everybody's iTunes library without permission. The audacity! The arrogance! 

Which is really what is annoying about this band, or at least, its members. Some U2 haters grudgingly admit to finding some of their songs catchy, but I've never really taken a shine to any of their tracks. Although I do love the line, "I was drowning my sorrows but my sorrows, they learned to swim."

Brian Eno always boosts the production quality of an album, but I still found it a little boring.

RATING: 3/5

701. Spiderland

Spiderland

Slint

1991

Tracks

1. Breadcrumb Trail
2. Nosferatu Man
3. Don Aman
4. Washer
5. For Dinner...
6. Good Morning Captain

300 albums to go! This was a strange entry and really like nothing I had ever heard before.

I wasn't familiar with the genre math rock, but I will definitely need to explore it more after listening to this. I particularly enjoyed the song "Don Aman" which some have interpreted as a track about an autistic person. I think it perfectly captures the feeling of isolation mental illness can cause. This would still be a relevant track even if we weren't in the scary times.

It was also a surprisingly short album, which I think worked in its favor. Always leave them wanting more. Other entries on this List should take notes.

RATING: 3/5

700. Arise

Arise
Sepultra
1991

Tracks
1. Arise
2. Dead Embryonic Cells
3. Desperate Cry
4. Murder
5. Subtraction
6. Altered State
7. Under Siege (Regnum Irae)
8. Meaningless Movements
9. Infected Voice
10. Orgasmatron

700! I wasn't looking forward to listening to an album with a track called "Orgasmatron," but I was looking forward to hitting this milestone. 700 feels like a big one. We can do this people!

Unfortunately, it will take listening to albums like this to reach our goal, with its overly long tracks and boring attempts at being offensive. The thrash metal genre is not my cup of tea. At least the cover art is kind of cool.

Only 301 albums to go!

RATING: 1/5

699. Foxbase Alpha

Foxbase Alpha
Saint Etienne
1991

Tracks
1. This Is Radio Etienne
2. Only Love Can Break Your Heart
3. Wilson
4. Carnt Sleep
5. Girl VII
6. Spring
7. She's the One
8. People Get Real
9. Stoned to Say the Least
10. Nothing Can Stop Us
11. Etienne Gonna Die
12. London Belongs to Me
13. Kiss and Make Up
14. Like the Swallow
15. Dilworth's Theme

Well, that was odd. This album is very much a product of its time, which I suppose all albums are, but this one sounded much more dated than our other entries on the List.

Still, it can be viewed as a curiosity, a weird mix between French swing music and 90s dance music. That wasn't exactly a concoction I was hankering for, but it was still interesting. 

A little cheesy and dated but at least it felt unique.

RATING: 3/5

698. Ten

Ten
Pearl Jam
1991

Tracks
1. Once
2. Even Flow
3. Alive
4. Why Go
5. Black
6. Jeremy
7. Oceans
8. Porch
9. Garden
10. Deep
11. Release

I think this is one of those albums that serious music aficionados have great disdain for; those are always the albums I want to love the most. Unfortunately, I didn't take to this one as much as I wanted to.

So it's grunge music, but it's a bit watered down for the masses. That doesn't earn my contempt, but it does make this a rather forgettable album. Enjoyable in the moment, but not too rewarding.

An inoffensive but skippable album.

RATING; 3/5 

697. Low End Theory

Low End Theory
A Tribe Called Quest
1991

Tracks
1. Excursions
2. Buggin' Out
3. Rap Promoter
4. Butter
5. Verses From The Abstract
6. Showbusiness
7. Vibes And Stuff
8. Infamous Date Rape
9. Check The Rhyme
10. Everything Is Fair
11. Jazz (We've Got)
12. Sky Pager
13. What
14. Scenario

Women who "try to cry out rape." Oh give me a break already...

Nausea inducing lyrics aside, this was actually a pretty good album, with a great vibe. There isn't the anger of West Coast rap, and I enjoyed the chilled out, jazzier style a lot more. 

I think we are finally getting a break from hip hop for awhile, so maybe absence will make the heart grow fonder. Although I should mention my experience has always been the opposite.

RATING: 3/5

696. Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black

Apocalypse 91...The Enemy Strikes Black
Public Enemy
1991

Tracks
1. Lost At Birth
2. Rebirth
3. Nighttrain
4. Can't Truss It
5. I Don't Wanna Be Called Yo Niga
6. How To Kill A Radio Consultant
7. By The Time I Get To Arizona
8. Move!
9. 1 Million Bottlebags
10. More News At 11
11. Shut Em Down
12. A Letter To The New York Post
13. Get The F... Outta Dodge
14. Bring Tha Noize

I am falling a little behind with posting these and the only album that I actually want to listen to right now is Taylor Swift's Folklore. So freaking amazing. But the beat goes on, and I have to listen to my quota of 900 hip hop albums a week.

I think even Public Enemy fans might note a decline in quality for this album, but not every artist can improve with age (my girl Taylor Swift makes it look easy). Still, if you enjoyed their previous work I am sure this will tickle your fancy as well. 

Now I can go listen to Cardigan in peace.

RATING: 2/5

695. Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
Mudhoney
1991

Tracks
1. Generation Genocide
2. Let It Slide
3. Good Enough
4. Something So Clear
5. Thorn
6. Into The Drink
7. Broken Hands
8. Who You Drivin' Now
9. Move Out
10. Shoot The Moon
11. Fuzzgun 91
12. Pokin' Around
13. Don't Fade IV
14. Check Out Time

This is more along the lines of what I thought early 90s music would be: pure grunge, and I actually really enjoyed it. It sounds very rough and unpolished, but I greatly prefer that to the overproduction of modern music.

Did anybody else get serious Neil Young vibes from this album? I like it when bands pull influences outside of their chosen genre. I guess there was a heavy Stooges influence as well.

So a great improvement from their previous EP on the list, Superfuzz Bigmuff. I actually get the title this time, though I learned it as Every Good Boy Does Fine. I guess deserving fudge is now considered too "blue."

RATING: 4/5

694. OG Original Gangster

OG Original Gangster
Ice T
1991

Tracks
1. Home of the Bodybag
2. First Impression
3. Ziplock
4. Mic Contract
5. Mind Over Matter
6. New Jack Hustler
7. Ed
8. Bitches 2
9. Straight Up Nigga
10. O.G. Original Gangster
11. The House
12. Evil E-What About Sex?
13. Fly By
14. Midnight
15. Fried Chicken
16. M.V.P.s
17. Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous
18. Body Count
19. Prepared to Die
20. Escape from the Killing Fields
21. Street Killer
22. Pulse of the Rhyme
23. The Tower
24. Ya Shoulda Killed Me Last Year

So we get yet another explosion of ego in the form of a gangsta rap album, where the word "woman" is synonymous with "ho" and "bitch" (it's even a track title this time!). "First Impression" is a fifty second interlude featuring a woman who sounds like the lady from the London Underground. She outlines some of the issues with Ice T's music only to reveal that she is actually on his dick, perhaps literally. What a twist.

But I'm always interested in the tracks that reference police brutality. "Street Killer" was a highlight for me, but it is so mired in other tripe that it's easy to miss.

"So ladies, we aren't just talking about you, because some of your niggas are bitches too." Wow, I feel much better now. 

RATING: 2/5

693. Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
1991

Tracks
1. Power Of Equality
2. If You Have To Ask
3. Breaking The Girl
4. Funky Monks
5. Suck My Kiss
6. I Could Have Lied
7. Mellowship Slinky In B Major
8. Righteous And The Wicked
9. Give It Away
10. Blood Sugar Sex Magik
11. Under The Bridge
12. Naked In The Rain
13. Apache Rose Peacock
14. Greeting Song
15. My Lovely Man
16. Sir Psycho Sexy
17. They're Red Hot

I feel like you would be hard pressed to find somebody who couldn't find at least one thing to like about this album. It seems like an album composed for the masses, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

It's pretty standard rock fare, complete with suggestive lyrics and good beats. It's like they took the hard rock sounds of Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones and put a 90s stamp on it. It's maybe not something I want to revisit over and over again, but it still feels like the quintessential American rock album.

So obviously not as interesting as your Bjork or Kate Bush albums, but a very good album nonetheless. 

RATING: 4/5

692. Rising Above Bedlam

Rising Above Bedlam
Jah Wooble's Invaders of the Heart
1991

Tracks
1. Visions of You
2. Relight the Flame
3. Bomba
4. Ungodly Kingdom
5. Rising Above Bedlam
6. Erzulie
7. Everyman's an Island
8. Soledad
9. Sweet Divinity
10. Wonderful World

I don't think anybody can ever be as successful at blending world and rock music together as Paul Simon was; nevertheless, it's interesting to see somebody try. Naturally, the results aren't quite as good.

I guess this is one of those instances where the album has been copied so often that the original quality of it is somewhat diluted. Still, an interesting experiment and a nice break from the onslaught of hip hop albums.


RATING: 3/5

691. Qui Seme le Vent Recolte le Tempo

Qui Seme le Vent Recolte le Tempo
MC Solaar
1991

Tracks
1. Intro
2. Qui Seme Le Vent Recolte Le Tempo
3. Matiere Grasse Contre Matiere Grise
4. Victime De La Mode
5. L'Histoire De L'Art
6. Armand Est Mort
7. Quartier Nord
8. Interlude
9. A Temps Partiel
10. Caroline
11. La Musique Adoucit Les Moeurs
12. Bouge De La
13. Bouge De La (2)
14. Ragga Jam
15. La Devise
16. Funky Dreamer

I don't have much experience with French hip hop, although in high school a French rapper named Etienne would occasionally visit our class to drop sick beats like "etre is to be, not not to be." The boys in my class would paint their chests and scream for him like he was a rockstar. 

Fortunately, this was a slightly different experience. I only caught snatches of meaning based on my rusty French, but thankfully, you don't need to understand the lyrics to enjoy the music. This was slower and much less angry than American hip hop. 

So a nice and laid back album that for all I know is just as offensive as N.W.A., only in French.

RATING: 3/5

690. Step in the Arena

Step in the Arena
Gang Starr
1991

Tracks
1. Name Tag (Premier And The Guru)
2. Step In The Arena
3. Form Of Intellect
4. Execution Of A Chump No More Mr Nice Guy
5. Who's Gonna Take The Weight
6. Beyond Comprehension
7. Check The Technique
8. Lovesick
9. Here Today Gone Tomorrow
10. Game Plan
11. Take A Rest
12. What You Want This Time
13. Street Ministry
14. Just To Get A Rep
15. Say Your Prayers
16. As I Read My S A
17. Precisely The Right Rhymes
18. Meaning Of The Name

I know I have been bitching about hip hop a lot lately, but I actually enjoyed this quite a bit. It was much quieter than I was expecting. As a rule, I am much more interested in hearing what you have to say if you say it softly, and aren't, say, simply shouting profanities.

It's still wasn't particular memorable, even though I did enjoy their use of sampling. It was jazzier than previous hip hop albums on this List, but it wasn't as cheerful or distinct as De La Soul. 

Next up, we have French hip hop. Who knows, maybe that's the thing I've been missing in my life. 

RATING: 3/5

689. Peggy Suicide

Peggy Suicide
Julian Cope
1991

Tracks
1. Pristeen
2. Double Vegetation
3. East Easy Rider
4. Promised Land
5. Hanging Out And Hung Up On The Line
6. Safesurfer
7. If You Loved Me At All
8. Drive, She Said
9. Soldier Blue
10. You...
11. Not Raving But Drowning
12. Head
13. Leperskin
14. Beautiful Love
15. Western Front 1992 C.E.
16. Hung Up And Hanging Out To Dry
17. The American Lite
18. Las Vegas Basement

I initially rolled my eyes at the album at the 75 minute length of this album (it's pure reflex at this point; I would control it if I could). But I actually enjoyed this immensely and was quite disappointed when it ended.

It's rare to listen to an artist who has such a distinct sound, it was almost like he was his own genre. Cope pulls in a variety of styles, but still manages to make a cohesive album. We have certainly seen many attempt it on this blog, and few are as successful as Cope.

So a pleasant surprise and I hope to see him featured on the List more. 

RATING: 4/5

688. Cypress Hill

Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill

1991

Tracks

1. Pigs
2. How I Could Just Kill A Man
3. Hand On The Pump
4. Hole In The Head
5. Ultraviolet Dreams
6. Light Another
7. Phuncky Feel One
8. Break It Up
9. Real Estate
10. Stoned Is The Way Of The Walk
11. Psychobetabuckdown
12. Something For The Blunted
13. Latin Lingo
14. Funky Cypress Hill Shit
15. Tres Equis
16. Born To Get Busy

So yet another West Coast hip hop album, but this one is (thankfully) a little different. For one thing, it's Latino hip hop, and the Latin influence makes it much better than other hip hop albums of the time. 

For another thing, the lyrics were also weren't the typical self-aggrandizing, hate speech fare I've come to know and despise. They actually covered interesting social issues in a unique way. It's still not my favorite style of music, but this album was much more enjoyable to me than the previous entries on the List.

I also got the sense they were more influenced by Public Enemy than N.W.A....always a good thing.

RATING: 3/5