Some may consider it sacrilege that Nevermind is not in my five favourite albums of 1991. I like the album generally and it has some fantastic songs on it, it just didn’t really do it for me as an album. I found the quality of the material inconsistent, although I accept how influential they were at the time to the grunge genre. So here’s at least five albums that I personally found more impressive.
Metallica by Metallica
Metallica’s fifth studio album was self-titled but became better known as “the black album”
Metallica became the band’s best-selling album virtually overnight debuting at number one in ten countries. Although an instant success, five singles were also released from the album. It would also be the first of four albums they would record with producer Bob Rock. Some fans of the thrashier earlier style didn’t like the more radio-friendly sound of the album but for me, i found it a natural progression. I loved the whole album from start to finish right from the first listen.
Favourite track: I found it very difficult to choose but I decided on “Wherever I May Roam”
Mama Said by Lenny Kravitz
This was the first Lenny Kravitz album I purchased but it would not be the last
I had heard some of Lenny’s material from his debut album, Let Love Rule, although enjoyable it did not make me want to rush out and buy it. That all changed the instant I heard the lead single from this album, “Always On The Run”. Sure the solo from Slash contributed, but the whole thing was a smash as far as I was concerned. When I discovered he was a multi-instrumentalist and that the whole Mama Said album was of high quality, I was impressed further. I have bought every album he has released since and I went back and bought Let Love Rule too.
Favourite track: The still impressive “Always On The Run”
Holidays In Eden by Marillion
Marillion’s sixth studio album was the second to feature Steve Hogarth on lead vocals
Filling in the shoes of an iconic singer like Fish was always going to be a difficult ask. Steve Hogarth did a sterling job on his first album with the band, Season’s End, but it was on Holidays In Eden that he really cemented his place. This may be because this was his first album with the band where he was involved in the song-writing process right from the start, as opposed to coming in after the music had been written as was the case on the previous album. Steve Hogarth still performs lead vocals with Marillion today. The album reached the top ten in Germany, the Netherlands and the UK and three singles were released.
Favourite track: The album’s first single “Cover My Eyes (Pain And Heaven)” featuring Steve Hogarth’s sublime vocals
Baby Animals by Baby Animals
At the time of its release Baby Animals was the highest-selling debut Australian rock album
Debuting at number six and topping the Australian charts for six weeks, was a rather audacious start for Baby Animals. It wasn’t lead singer Size DeMarchi’s first foray into music, having moved to London in the mid-80s and released some pop singles. She missed fronting a band and returned to Perth to form Baby Animals with three fellow Perth-based musicians, including guitarist Dave Leslie. Prior to recording the album they made a name for themselves on the pub and club circuit and had a demo released as a B side of the “Dogs Are Talking” single released by the Angels in April 1990.
Favourite track: Debut single “Early Warning”
Blood Sugar Sex Magik by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Produced by Rick Rubin, Blood Sugar Sex Magik was the band’s fifth studio album
After listening to their earlier work I don’t think anyone could have predicted how successful this album would be, or how big Red Hot Chili Peppers would become after its release. For me, it remains one of my favourite albums of the decade and no one can deny its influence on scores of acts since. Five singles were released and the album topped the charts in Australia, Canada and New Zealand as well as peaking at number 3 in the US and number 2 in the Netherlands.
Favourite track: The haunting ballad “I Could Have Lied”
The Slabthrower 