Rating System Best Albums Since 1965 Best of the 00s Best of the 90s Best of the 20th Century Best Kosmische Albums Best Metal Albums Best Heavy Rock Albums Best Reggae Albums Best Soul Albums Other Lists 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1949-1964

Think I'm obsessive? Go here and catch the list bug yourself, mwa ha ha haaaa:

The Best Artists of the 90s

My criteria for ranking the bands was based partly on how high they ranked on my lists over the years. I would put them in order of average ranking of the albums. Tie breakers would be determined by which artist had more great albums, and whether they kept improving as the years progressed, or got worse. Then, of course, there is the purely subjective, emotional gut feeling, which is how they were all ranked to begin with pretty much. No artists who released only one album in the 90s made the list. Here one has to establish some sort of pattern of consistent greatness, or at least show they won't completely suck on their sophomore effort. Plenty of artists ended up at the bottom of the list because they started out strong and then dropped some real clunkers, like Ministry or The Jesus Lizard. Others came out with their best work in the 80s and fared much better in the 20th century list.

1. PJ Harvey
2. Bjork
3. Beck
4. The Flaming Lips
5. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
6. Tom Waits
7. Cornershop/Clinton
8. Arto Lindsay
9. Asian Dub Foundation
10. Walt Mink
11. Natacha Atlas & Transglobal Underground
12. Dog Faced Hermans
13. Massive Attack
14. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
15. Tortoise
16. Amon Tobin
17. Spiritualized
18. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
19. Mercury Rev
20. Magnetic Fields
21. Tricky
22. Afghan Whigs
23. Yo La Tengo
24. Royal Trux
25. Stereolab
26. Laika
27. Godspeed You Black Emperor!
28. Black Heart Procession
29. Beastie Boys
30. Radiohead
31. Nirvana
32. Built To Spill
33. God
34. The Wedding Present
35. Pram
36. Portishead
37. Swervedriver
38. Seam
39. Flying Saucer Attack
40. Uncle Tupelo
41. Fugazi
42. Mark Lanegan & Screaming Trees
43. Pavement
44. Talk Talk/Orang
45. Eleventh Dream Day
46. Wilco
47. Nitin Sawhney
48. The Eels
49. Dirty Three
50. Sixteen Horsepower
51. Radio Tarifa
52. Sheila Chandra
53. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
54. Los Lobos/Latin Playboys
55. Sleater-Kinney
56. Sparklehorse
57. Jeremy Enigk & Sunny Day Real Estate
58. Labradford
59. Cafe Tacuba
60. Rocket From The Crypt
61. Th' Faith Healers
62. Mouse On Mars
63. Khaled
64. Super Furry Animals
65. Cul De Sac
66. Einsturzende Neubauten
67. Orbital
68. Jim O'Rourke/Gastr Del Sol
69. Neutral Milk Hotel
70. Kool Keith
71. Prince Paul
72. Cibo Matto
73. Social Distortion
74. Oval
75. Outkast
76. Talving Singh
77. Lamb
78. Lucinda Williams
79. Quasi
80. Baaba Maal
81. Low
82. Helium
83. The Roots
84. Goodie Mob
85. Squarepusher
86. Pulp
87. Jessamine
88. Patti Smith
89. The Orb
90. Modest Mouse
91. At The Drive-In
92. Ui
93. Mu-Ziq
94. The Grifters/Those Bastard Souls
95. The Sea And Cake (& Sam Prekop, Archer Prewitt)
96. Howie B
97. Vinicius Cantuaria
98. Paul Schutze
99. Red Red Meat
100. Buffalo Tom
101. Unwound
102. Mule
103. Moby
104. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
105. Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
106. R.E.M.
107. Sloan
108. The Beta Band
109. Monster Magnet
110. Sonic Youth
111. Soundgarden
112. Fun-Da-Mental
113. Teenage Fanclub
114. Peter Murphy
115. Blur
116. Autechre
117. The Jesus Lizard
118. Shellac
119. The Apples In Stereo
120. Aluminum Group
121. Yungchen Lhamo
122. Dinosaur Jr.
123. Trans Am
124. Guided By Voices
125. Missy Elliott
126. The Fugees
127. Seefeel
128. Everything But the Girl
129. Belle & Sebastion
130. The Walkabouts
131. Souled American
132. Buddy Miller
133. Cesaria Evora
134. Freakwater
135. Giant Sand
136. The Gun Club
137. Luna
138. Gaunt
139. Ministry
140. Ani DiFranco
141. Arcwelder
142. Aphex Twin
143. Hole

Best Albums of the 90s

1. Tricky - Maxinquaye (Island) 95
2. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing (Mo Wax) 96
3. Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet (Def Jam) 90
4. Disco Inferno - DI Go Pop (Rough Trade) 94
5. Slint - Spiderland (Touch & Go) 91
6. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (Sire) 91
7. Tom Waits - Bone Machine (Island) 92
8. Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die (Thrill Jockey) 96
9. Massive Attack - Blue Lines (Virgin) 91
10. Talk Talk - Laughing Stock (Polydor) 91
11. Public Enemy - Apocalypse '91...The Enemy Strikes Black (Columbia) 91
12. Björk - Homogenic (Elektra) 97
13. Portishead - Dummy (Go! Discs) 94
14. Radiohead - OK Computer (Capitol) 97
15. PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love (Island) 95
16. Björk - Post (Elektra) 95
17. Laika - Silver Apples Of The Moon (Too Pure) 94
18. Tom Waits - The Black Rider (Island) 93
19. Tortoise (Thrill Jockey) 94
20. Chico Science & Nação Zumbí - Afrociberdelia (Chaos) 96
21. PJ Harvey - Rid Of Me (Island) 93
22. Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (Arista) 97
23. Arto Lindsay - Noon Chill (Bar/None) 98
24. PJ Harvey - Is This Desire? (Island) 98
25. Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (Merge) 98
26. Asian Dub Foundation - Facts And Fictions (Nation) 95
27. Radiohead - The Bends (Capitol) 95
28. Dirty Three (Touch & Go) 95
29. The Breeders - Pod (4AD) 90
30. Asian Dub Foundation - Rafi's Revenge (London) 98
31. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst (75 Ark) 96
32. Labradford - A Stable Reference (Kranky) 95
33. Dirty Three - Horse Stories (Touch & Go) 96
34. Labradford (Kranky) 96
35. Tom Zé - Fabrication Defect (Luaka Bop) 98
36. Fugazi - Repeater (Dischord) 90
37. De La Soul - Three Feet And Rising (Tommy Boy) 90
38. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs (Merge) 99
39. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin (WB) 99
40. Souled American - Around The Horn (Rough Trade) 90
41. The Jungle Brothers - Straight Out The Jungle (Warlock) 93
42. Arto Lindsay - Prize (Righteous Babe) 99
43. Baaba Maal - Lam Toro (Island/Palm Pictures) 93
44. Björk - Debut (Elektra) 93
45. PJ Harvey - Dry (Island) 92
46. Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville (Matador)
47. Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen (Elektra) 93
48. Beastie Boys - Check Your Head (Capitol) 92
49. Seam - The Problem With Me (Touch & Go) 93
50. Dog Faced Hermans - Hum Of Life (Project A Bomb) 93
51. Nirvana - In Utero (Geffen) 93
52. The Jesus Lizard - Goat (Touch & Go) 91
53. Laika - Sounds of the Satellites (Too Pure) 97
54. Arto Lindsay - Mundo Civilizado (Bar/None) 97
55. Walt Mink - Miss Happiness (Caroline) 92
56. God - Possession (Virgin) 92
57. The Jesus Lizard - Liar (Touch & Go) 92
58. Nirvana - Nevermind (Geffen) 91
59. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (Jive) 91
60. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Devotional & Love Songs (Real World) 92
61. Walt Mink - Colossus (Deep Elm) 97
62. The Jungle Brothers - J. Beez Wit The Remedy (WB) 93
63. The Young Gods - Only Heaven (Interscope) 95
64. Cornelius - 69/96 (Trattoria) 95
65. Chico Science & Nação Zumbí - De Lama Ao Caos (Chaos) 95
66. Cornelius - Fantasma (Matador) 98
67. Finley Quaye - Maverick A Strike (550 Music) 97
68. Oval - 94 Diskont (Mille Plateaux) 95
69. Massive Attack - Protection (Circa) 94
70. Amon Tobin - Bricolage (Ninja Tune) 97
71. Pavement - Slanted And Enchanted (Matador) 92
72. God - The Anatomy of Addiction (Big Cat) 94
73. `O'rang - Herd of Instinct (Echo) 94
74. Seam - Headsparks (Homestead) 92
75. Spiritualized - Lazer Guided Melodies (Dedicated) 92
76. The Flaming Lips - Clouds Taste Metallic (WB) 95
77. Fugazi - Red Medicine (Dischord) 95
78. Gallon Drunk - In The Long Still Night (City Slang UK) 96
79. Sheila Chandra - ABoneCroneDrone (Real World) 96
80. Beck - Odelay (Geffen) 96
81. Natacha Atlas - Diaspora (Mantra/Beggars Banquet) 95
82. Cornershop - When I Was Born For the 7th Time (Luaka Bop/WB) 97
83. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs - Fabulosos Calavera (BMG) 97
84. Richard Horowitz & Susan Deyhim - Majoun (Sony Classical) 97
85. Outkast - Aquemini (LaFace) 98
86. Dog Faced Hermans - Those Deep Buds (Alternative Tentacles) 94
87. Mano Negra - Casa Babylon (Virgin) 94
88. Café Tacuba - Re (WEA) 94
89. Bark Psychosis - Hex (Caroline) 94
90. Son Of Bazerk - Bazerk Bazerk Bazerk (Soul/MCA) 91
91. Clinton [Cornershop] - Disco & The Half Way To Discontent (Hut) 99
92. The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I (De Soto) 99
93. Café Tacuba - Reves/Yosoy (WB) 99
94. Yo La Tengo - Painful (Matador/Atlantic) 93
95. The Orb - Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld (Mercury) 91
96. The Jesus Lizard - Head (Touch & Go) 90
97. Mano Negra - In The Hell Of Patchinko (Virgin) 92
98. Einsturzende Neubauten - Tabula Rasa (Mute) 93
99. Kyuss - Blues For The Red Sun (Dali) 92
100. Uncle Tupelo - No Depression (Rockville) 90

The Best Artists of the 00s
The Best Artists of the 20th Century

-- A.S. Van Dorston

1986: One Boy's Quest to Avoid Bon Jovi and Find Cooler Bands | Aug 19

The Best Heavy Rock Albums | Aug 4

Revisiting music after 20+ years | Jun 28

Most Anticipated Releases | Jun 28

The Runaways | Mar 29

2010 Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony | Mar 16

Storytime With Dr. Fester | Feb 22

40 years ago, metal was born like a demon-alien out of the festering guts of rock 'n' roll | Feb 12

Favorite Albums Growin' Up | Feb 10

The Soft Pack (Kemado) | Jan 24

2009 Year-End Summary | Dec 23

Best Of The 00s | Dec 19

Between The Cracks | Dec 13

Lost Classics: Sweet, Sweet Fanny Adams (RCA) 1974 | Jul 26

Stoner Rock Primer | Jul 23

Garry Mulholland, Fear Of Music: The 261 Greatest Albums Since Punk And Disco (2006) | Mar 9

15 Albums That Changed Your Life | Mar 3

2008 Year-End Summary & Fester's Lucky 13s | Dec 31

Nursery Rhymes for Demon Children: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Live at the Riviera | Sep 30

TV On The Radio, Dear Science, | Sep 22

Pirates + Metal = Awesome | Sep 19

Finnish Folk Metal | Sep 8

"Roadrunner" & Other Drivin' Tunes | Jun 25

You can buy some of the albums reviewed/listed in Fast 'n' Bulbous, particularly imports and reissues, at The Ideal Copy. Since Amazon inhaled CDNow and Djangos lied and cheated me out of my affiliate credit, I'm banning corporate affiliates. Shop indie! If you can't find what you're looking for at The Ideal Copy, check Insound, Alldirect, Dustygroove, and Siren Disc for imports.

---

Since October 1995, Fast 'n' Bulbous has been a one man operation, a labor of love rather than profit venture. I maintain an editorial policy of publishing mainly positive reviews, with the idea that people should be turned on to the best music. I only review what I feel like because I don't get paid for it. If you think I should review something I don't like, feel free to pay me. I will happily (or begrudgingly, depending on my mood) review crappy albums for $.50 a word. Don't think this buys you a positive review, this ain't Rolling Stone. Most likely I'll attack it like a rabid dog on a captured squirrel.

What with the fame, drugs, groupies and celebrity girlfriends, the only drawback to this site is the drain on my resources. I only receive promos for a fraction of the albums I review (email me at the address below and I'll send the address where promos can be sent). The cost of this obsession has set back my paying off student loans over a decade. And while I only review the cream of the crop, I have listened to thousand s upon thousands of albums ranging from average to vomit-inducing, so that you don't have to. While you spend your valuable time having a life, furthering your education, raising a family, making a real living, having fun, I take the bullet, sacrificing my time suffering through the pabulum to unearth the gems. Feel free to express your appreciation for this service with a donation!

Your donation will not be ungraciously declined.

Spread the word of Fast 'n' Bulbous to friends, and sign up for semi-monthly updates, or just say hi: