I don’t think post-Barrett pre-Meddle Floyd belongs on that list.
My only regret is that The Madcap Laughs doesn’t quite make it as 1969 (it was recorded then but released in Jan 1970 after all sorts of delays).
1885-1894
Bruckner symphony #8
Tchiakovsky #6
Brahams #4
Mahler #2
Verdi’s Falstaff
Verdi’s Otello
2 Likes
'57 to '65 were good Verdi years: Boccanegra, Un Ballo, La Forza and Don Carlos.
I think 1994 is the year to do this for hip hop, but it’s tough to pick one.
1 Like
You still get the Black Album and Fear of the Dark in the 90s plus Machine Head, Pantera, Sepultura, Testament, Kreator, Sodom. That’s just sticking to trash metal without considering all the other genres that came of age in the 90s.
I don’t even like Metallica, but Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning, Kill em All and And Justice for All are all their highest regarded albums, no?. Reign in Blood, Number of the Beast. Not my genre, but I know those are all considered classics.
True. Those are all classics. Every decade has its stand out albums. When it comes to metal the 90s just had so many more than the 80s did.
1 Like
Fair enough. I think most of the albums I listed earlier are better than anything in the 90s that wasn’t Radiohead.
In the metal department, you just barely get Megadeth’s Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction in the 90’s. Then they started sucking. I think the 80’s were better for metal, but the 90’s were decent.
I am not a fan of 80s Megadeth but many are. I prefer Countdown to Extinction and Youthanasia and that’s probably a minority opinion. So for the sake of argument I’ll grant you Megadeth. Let’s also add Motörhead, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath and solo Ozzy to the 80s column. What else is there? The 80s simply don‘t have the depth you can find in the 90s.
If I had to choose, I would pick the 90’s for metal for the reasons you mention, but it is also true that the quintessential metal bands that everyone thinks of when they think of heavy metal were in their peak in the 80’s.
All the great Metallica albums are '80s. All the great Sabbath stuff was '70s.
Any top Springsteen album list that doesn’t have Born to Run as #1 is objectively wrong.
I’d have no issues giving up the 80s when it comes to music. Not saying that the 80s sucked but new wave, synth pop and hair metal can take a hike.
Use Your Illusion I+II are 90s. Let‘s call it a tie?
I think hip hop is easily better in the 90s. Same with anything electronic. Metal is more debatable, but the overall sound quality with these bands just got better. Some of those early albums are good but the recording quality was quite rough.
2 Likes
I am excited to see if we start a massive slapfight over whether The Black Album was one of the good Metallica Albums (it was not).
I think 85-95 is probably a pretty sweet ten-year window for metal.
2 Likes
It’s his first album I got into, so I probably can’t be unbiased. But yea, I love BTR, Darkness, The River, Nebraska and BITUSA.
80s alt and pop is miles ahead of similar 90s stuff. Prince, MJ and Madonna are infinitely better than any pop music from the latter. Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, The Cure, Joy Division / New Order. I just like that stuff more than Pavement, Neutral Milk Hotel and The Flaming Lips (although I’m from OKC and Wayne sucks now so I can’t be impartial).
I think that‘s a case that can be made keeping in mind that AfD has 12 tracks and UYI has 30. Of course, the latter will have some fillers.
The thing here is that the difference between the 80s and 90s was the best stuff from the 80s was from the biggest bands. It was the stuff on the radio. Then you have the 90s and the “best” stuff is pavement, neutral milk hotel, slint, my bloody valentine, modest mouse, the flaming lips etc? Much harder stuff accessibility wise! I prefer the latter, but it’s a seismic shift!
I don’t care enough about Metallica to fight about it. But if somebody wants to include The Black Album I’m ok with it. I prefer the first 2 over anything else, but I like songs on The Black Album. (I would never listen to any Metallica album these days though. My music needs more twangy slidey sounds imo. )