Albums that came out in 1991 that are better than “Nevermind”

[yesno]

http://bergmayer.info/post/76548266069


Periodically music people will mention, in a sneering way, that Spin rated Teenage Fanclub's _Bandwagonesque_ as the best album of 1991, beating out Nirvana's _Nevermind,_ which they ranked third (after second-place REM's _Out of Time_).

However, Spin was correct.  Both _Bandwagonesque_ and _Out of Time_ were better albums than _Nevermind_ and, I would argue, they hold up much better today.  Nirvana is fascinating culturally and from a business perspective, musically, not as much. _Nevermind_ is very weak, and is not even the best Nirvana album:  Both _Bleach_ and _Unplugged_ are much better. 

1991 was an extremely strong year for music so, in another sense, Spin was wrong.  The best album of 1991 was probably _Loveless_ by My Bloody Valentine.  Of course, exact rankings of this sort are subject to endless argument.  Maybe _Steady Diet of Nothing_ is better.  Therefore, I have a_rranged the following list of albums that came out in 1991 that are better than _Nevermind_ in alphabetical order, to avoid controversies of this kind.

808 State: Ex:el
AFX: Analogue Bubblebath Vol I
Atheist: Unquestionable Presence
Bats: Fear of God
Beat Happening: Dreamy
Big Audio Dynamite: The Globe
Billy Bragg: Don't Try This at Home
Blur: Leisure
Bolt Thrower: War Master
Bonnie Rait: Luck of the Draw
Cannibal Corpse: Butchered at Birth
Carcass: Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious
Coil: Love's Secret Domain
Consolidated: Friendly Fa$cism
Daniel Johnston: Artistic Vice
De La Soul: De La Soul Is Dead
Death: Human
Dinosaur Jr.: Green Mind
Earth: Extra-Capsular Extraction
Electronic: Electronic
Feelies: Time for a Witness
fIREHOSE: Flyin' the Flannel
Front 242: Tyranny (For You)
Fugazi: Steady Diet of Nothing
Gavin Bryars: After the Requiem
G&R: Use Your Illusion I / Use Your Illusion II
His Name is Alive: Home Is in Your Head
KLF: The White Room
Lassigue Bendthaus: Matter
LFO: Frequencies
Liz Phair: Girly Sound
Massive Attack: Blue Lines
MBV: Loveless
Meat Puppets: Forbidden Places
Melvins: Bullhead
Mercury Rev: Yerself Is Steam
Momus: Hippopotamomus
Morbid Angel: Blessed Are the Sick
Morrissey: Kill Uncle
Mudhoney: Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
Nation of Ulysses: 13-Point Program to Destroy America
Ned's Atomic Dustbin: God Fodder
Ocean Blue: Cerulean
Orb: The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld
Pet Shop Boys: Discography
Pixies: Trompe le Monde
Plaid: Mbuki Mvuki
Pooh Sticks: The Great White Wonder
Primal Scream: Screamadelica
Prince: Diamonds and Pearls
REM: Out of Time
Screaming Trees:  Uncle Anesthesia
Screeching Weasel: My Brain Hurts
Sebadoh: Sebadoh III
Sepultura: Arise
Slayer: Decade of Aggression
Slowdive: Just for a Day
Smashing Pumpkins: Gish
St Etienne: Foxbase Alpha
Superchunk: No Pocky for Kitty
Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque
Thee Headcoatees: Girlsville
Thee Headcoats: Headcoatitude
This Mortal Coil: Blood
Throwing Muses: Real Ramona
Tribe Called Quest: Low End theory
Wedding Present: Seamonsters
Ween: The Pod
Wonder Stuff: Never Loved Elvis

[mostlymeat]

http://bergmayer.info/post/76548266069


Periodically music people will mention, in a sneering way, that Spin rated Teenage Fanclub's _Bandwagonesque_ as the best album of 1991, beating out Nirvana's _Nevermind,_ which they ranked third (after second-place REM's _Out of Time_).

However, Spin was correct.  Both _Bandwagonesque_ and _Out of Time_ were better albums than _Nevermind_ and, I would argue, they hold up much better today.  Nirvana is fascinating culturally and from a business perspective, musically, not as much. _Nevermind_ is very weak, and is not even the best Nirvana album:  Both _Bleach_ and _Unplugged_ are much better. 

1991 was an extremely strong year for music so, in another sense, Spin was wrong.  The best album of 1991 was probably _Loveless_ by My Bloody Valentine.  Of course, exact rankings of this sort are subject to endless argument.  Maybe _Steady Diet of Nothing_ is better.  Therefore, I have a_rranged the following list of albums that came out in 1991 that are better than _Nevermind_ in alphabetical order, to avoid controversies of this kind.

Great job, but I can't imagine why you didn't put them in order. "To avoid controversies"? You could be the ultimate argument settler on 1991. Why not take the plunge?

What would Clontle do?

[yesno]

I don't want people to be sidetracked into arguing about which album is better than which we we should all agree that each one is better than "Nevermind."

[Omar]

Please delete this thread due to the lack of Skid Row's Slave to the Grind on the list.  Then again, there's something pretty glorious about declaring Ned's Atomic Dustbin's God Fodder to be superior to Nevermind, and it's always nice to see a Death* mention. (For the record, I prefer Nevermind to just about every album on that list).

This type of list could be easily compiled for any year in which music was recorded and released.  Take x album that was incredibly praised and successful and compile a list of other albums from that year that in x person's opinion are superior.

Is "Nevermind isn't very good and Bleach is their best album" a trademarked phrase yet?  I expect to hear Michael Buffer use it at the next Floyd Merriweather fight.




*"The Florida metal band, not those creeps from Detroit." -- Timmy von Trimble.

[fonpr]

(For the record, I prefer Nevermind to just about every album on that list).





The Florida metal band,

Check.

[BadGuyZero]

Fudge Tunnel's Hate Songs in E Minor and Pixies' Trompe le Monde are probably my favorite albums of 1991. I love MBV but I think Loveless is highly overrated. FOT punching bags Mr. Bungle released their debut album in 1991 and Frank Zappa released two live albums [Make a Jazz Noise Here and The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life] that were exceptional.

Other albums [in no particular order] that deserve to be on this list:
Slint - Spiderland
Cranes - Wings of Joy
The Young Gods - Play Kurt Weill
Doubting Thomas - The Infidel
Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
Neil Young & Crazy Hose - Weld and Arc
Monster Magnet - Spine of God
Ice Cube - Death Certificate
The Jesus Lizard - Goat
Voivod - Angel Rat
Dead Horse - Peaceful Death & Pretty Flowers

[Joe Rogaine]

Geto Boys We Can't Be Stopped
   
Del tha Funkeé Homosapien I Wish My Brother George Was Here

   
Black Sheep A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

[yesno]

This type of list could be easily compiled for any year in which music was recorded and released.  Take x album that was incredibly praised and successful and compile a list of other albums from that year that in x person's opinion are superior.

Yes, but 1991 is different for me in that I still hear about the Bandwagonesque "controversy," and also, because I was 13 in 1991, music (and BMX) were my only concerns, and therefore 1991 is a universally important year.

Thanks all for the additions to the list, including Skid Row.

God Fodder is a great album, though arguably Ned's Atomic Dustbin have contributed more to hairstyles and t-shirts than to music.

[Omar]

God Fodder is a great album, though arguably Ned's Atomic Dustbin have contributed more to hairstyles and t-shirts than to music.

For the record, I have all 3 NAD albums, although I'm not sure if I've ever actually listened to Are Your Normal? or Bloodbrainvolumesugarsexmagicks in full.

[gravy boat]

It was a strong year for alt-country too. Uncle Tupelo's "Still Feel Gone" may not be better than Nevermind but it was very good.  Vic Chesnutt's masterpiece (my opinion) "West of Rome" came out in 1991  though I didn't discover it until well past that.  A beautiful, very sad album by a dude (now deceased) with a unique voice and view on the world. 

[yesno]

I considered that Uncle Tupelo record but I don't remember it as being that strong, maybe I'm wrong.  Another rejected contender was "Schubert Dip" by EMF.

[Kormodd]

I haven't heard all of 2Pacalypse Now, but I like "Violent" more than any song on Nevermind. And I haven't even heard of 90% of the albums listed in the OP. Shows how little I know about music.

[Joe Rogaine]

Mista Dobalina is better than anything on Nevermind.