Hear Me Out: TEN BEST Rock Records of 1991
I turned 15 years old in 1991. By this time, I was already what I'd consider a music lover, but I hadn't yet figured out my musical identity. As a devoted member of Columbia House, I was hoarding cheap cassettes and quickly becoming not just a music fan, but also a collector. My tape collection was kind of impressive in size, but was stylistically scattered beyond any real sense of logic or reason (case in point: alongside my thriving collection of hair metal were albums by such classic pop/rap superstars as Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer and Roxette).
In a moment of serendipity that mirrored what was starting to take shape in music, 1991 was also the year I got my first CD player. My CD collection started with AC/DC's The Razors Edge, an album that blew me away once I heard its crisp and clear digital sound. The wall of noise I call my CD collection began that fateful day about 25 years ago, and I haven't looked back. As my pile of discs grew, so did my appetite and, toward the end of the year I stopped into A&A and took a chance on some new band whose video I'd seen on Much a couple of times. From that moment, music didn't just change for me, but for an entire generation.
This budding sea change in rock is chronicled through the year's best records; a rag tag team of styles and genres, some sputtering out their dying breaths, some just beginning to find their voice, and some shouting their boldest statements. Here are my choices for the ten best rock records of 1991:
BloodSugarSexMagik
Released: September 24, 1991
After a trio of juvenile funk/rock records that saw them gain favour in underground circles and a fourth record that got them a modicum of mainstream attention (1989's Mother's Milk), Red Hot Chili Peppers would break down all barriers with BloodSugarSexMagik. With Rick Rubin at the helm, the album used more of a hard rock flavour to compliment the increasing maturity in the songwriting. Boasting smash hits Give It Away and Under the Bridge, BloodSugarSexMagik paved the way for the long and fruitful career the band enjoys to this day.
Out of Time
Released: March 12, 1991
Having paid their dues and built up a loyal following on the '80s college circuit, R.E.M. finally made the move to the mainstream with Out of Time. While they'd had minor hits before, nothing compared to the massive scale of lead single Losing My Religion. Even now, if you ask most people to name the first R.E.M. song that pops into their head, your answer will be Losing My Religion. It propelled the band to superstardom, and set the stage for their true artistic breakout, which would happen on Automatic for the People just 18 months later.
Achtung Baby
Released: November 19, 1991
After the enormously popular breakout album The Joshua Tree and its subsequent world tour/feature film (1988's Rattle and Hum), U2 took their time with their next move. By the time Achtung Baby neared release, anticipation reached frenzied levels. What those fans got from U2 was a seventh album that threw much of their musical identity out the window, opting for a moodier, more experimental batch of songs. They were rewarded with huge sales and widespread acclaim, which emboldened the group to go even deeper down the rabbit hole. Subsequent albums Zooropa and Pop set them on a path of sonic indulgence that nearly cost them their careers. In fact, some hail Achtung Baby as U2's last truly great album, and it's really kind of hard to argue against them when you think about it.
Slave to the Grind
Released: June 11, 1991
By the time Skid Row released their sophomore record, hair metal had overstayed its welcome in the minds of many. Feeling unfairly pigeonholed into the genre by critics and fairweather fans alike, Skid Row came out swinging on Slave to the Grind, intent on making a statement. There were no attempts to recreate the success of previous hits 18 & Life and I Remember You, choosing instead to lead with thunderous single Monkey Business. The strategy worked; Slave to the Grind holds the distinction of being the first heavy metal record to reach the top spot of Billboard's album chart. The feat would be repeated by a slightly more popular metal album a couple of short months later, but let's not sell Skid Row's great second album short.
Use Your Illusion
Released: September 17, 1991
As I outlined last week in my "let's cut some double albums down to ten songs" column (if you missed it, it's right here), Use Your Illusion responded to the star-making success of Appetite for Destruction by expanding everything; long songs, and lots of them, Use Your Illusion takes a solid 2½ hours to digest. Of its 30 songs, though, there aren't really that many truly embarrassing moments (although some of it simply does not stand the test of time). All told, it's excessively excessive, but that turns out to be one of the things that makes it great.
Road Apples
Released: February 19, 1991
They may have been on the verge (see what I did there?) of an artistic breakthrough, but Road Apples is a damn fine closing chapter of their rootsy Canadiana era. Coming off the success of Up to Here, The Hip travels much of the same ground here, albeit by turns a little harder (Little Bones), a little darker (Cordelia), a little bluesier (Long Time Running) and a little sadder (Fiddlers Green). All in all, a near masterful effort by a band approaching their prime.
Badmotorfinger
Released: October 8, 1991
Before the Seattle Scene became a thing, Soundgarden had forged a decent enough following through a couple of independent releases on fledgling label Sub Pop. However, their third record (and second for A&M) put them in a good position even without the benefit of their geographic location. Loud, hard and heavy, Badmotorfinger was the product of years of hard work rising through the ranks, and natural maturity. It's a front-to-back thrill ride, one that proved the band too talented to be ignored. Something tells me they would have broken out with or without anyone else's help.
Metallica
Released: August 12, 1991
A lot of so-called metalheads like to point to Metallica's fifth album as a low point, the moment when they threw their thrash roots aside and started down the path of mediocrity. I prefer to look at it for what it is: the album that gave metal a sense of legitimacy it hadn't received on anything approaching that kind of level previously. Spawning six hit singles and selling 30 million copies worldwide, "the black album" opened the door for a host of bands that simply wouldn't have enjoyed the careers they have without it.
Ten
Released: August 27, 1991
It seems unfathomable to me now, as Pearl Jam has been my favourite band for a very long time, but I didn't even own Ten until it had already been out for about a year. It still is, and will probably always be, their most successful album, but it didn't take hold with the masses until third single Jeremy (alongside its accompanying video) smashed. While my first impressions were only slightly favourable, once I heard Vs. and my world was changed I became much more appreciative of the group's debut.
Nevermind
Released: September 24, 1991
No one could have possibly known at the time, but Nirvana's second record would soon come to be known as The Record That Changed Everything. As the success of Smells Like Teen Spirit grew and grew, and more and more kids like me gave the record a spin, the feeling that something truly important was happening became all the more unshakable. While I don't listen to it all that often these days (and I stand by my claim that Smells Like Teen Spirit is one of the most overplayed songs ever), Nevermind's role in setting the table for rock in the '90s should not be understated. As its popularity ballooned, our horizons expanded with it. Soon, there would be a host of amazing bands making great music, and a high percentage of them owe their accomplishments to those jagged opening power chords.
What do you think? Any glaring omissions? Sound off below, and let me know what else I can cover. I've gotten a couple of suggestions that I'll work on in the future (for example, my ranking of The Tragically Hip's records should be ready to go in time for their farewell concert), and I welcome any and all feedback as to what you'd like to see me tackle. As always, thanks for reading!
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