Not much is remembered of 1991, except its massive music releases, which now celebrate their triumphant 25th anniversaries. Although many of them arrived in the fall, the grunge scene took off with a number of debut hits, as well as a few albums that can never be topped. If you’re not slow head-banging by the end of this read, you’re doing it wrong.
So prepare to feel old, folks, and that’s mainly because anytime you hit back at the nostalgia you are bound to feel reminded of just how quickly time flies ad leaves you behind. But for now, while you’re taking a bite out of nostalgia, remember to enjoy these tunes today, 25 years from now and 25 years from then. You know, if you don’t die before.
Here’s hoping you now go out and check out these tunes!
Now double it: These Classic Albums Are Now 50 Years Old
25th Anniversary Albums
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The Smashing Pumpkins “Gish” (May 28)
Amongst the living musicians we haven’t heard from in awhile, Billy Corgan and his Pumpkins are included, and this here is their debut album. “Gish” gave us a taste of Corgan’s skinny, spiritual side as we took down their first singles: “Siva,” “Rhinoceros,” and “I Am One.” It wouldn't be long before they became a staple ‘90s sound. Their second album, “Siamese Dream” is hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time.
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Metallica "Metallica" (August 12)
The self-titled fifth studio album led off with “Enter Sandman,” a track that set the pace for one of Metallica’s most likable albums. With four additional singles, the record managed to climb to number one on Billboards Top 200, though it would quickly be met by two of the ‘90s best albums in the following month.
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Pearl Jam "Ten" (August 27)
It was their debut album, and now as they celebrate its 25th anniversary, it’s quite possible Pearl Jam peaked in their first try with “Ten” in August of ’91. With classic singles “Even Flow,” “Once,” “Alive” and “Jeremy” all lining the track list, it’s been difficult for Eddie Vedder and the gents to top their early hits, despite several impressive less-grunge albums in comparison.
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Guns N Roses “Use Your Illusion” (September 17)
Parts I and II of the Guns N’ Roses double album came in the middle of September, the first of which was nominated for a Grammy. Featuring the classic “Live and Let Die,” Part I was actually outsold by Part II in its first week. Part II held fives singles, including “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” and “You Could Be Mine.”
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Hole “Pretty on the Inside” (September 17)
The debut album from Courtney Love a week before Kurt’s debut album with Nirvana, Hole gave us a powerful female-driven flavor with its single single, “Teenage Whore.” The single performed a bit higher than the album altogether, their first of four records, only overshadowed easily by 1998’s “Celebrity Skin.”
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Nirvana “Nevermind” (September 24)
Another debut album that changed the landscape of music for the entire ‘90s, and music in general, was the grunge trio led by the wild boy, Cobain. With four of the first five songs being chart-topping singles, Kurt Cobain laid out a blueprint for grunge and a footprint in rock ’n roll with Nirvana, a band that wouldn't survive more than three years but still is hailed as the grandfather of grunge.
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Red Hot Chili Peppers "Blood Sugar Sex Magik” (September 24)
That same week, Anthony Kiedis, Flea and the other red hot boys gave us their first majorly coherent collection of songs that would not only shoot them off into the stratosphere, it would be the impetus for their next three decades of music making. Though riddled with drugs, sex and addiction to both and more, “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” is arguably their most prolific album to date with five mammoth singles including “Under the Bridge,” “Breaking the Girl” and, the big one, “Give It Away.”
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Soundgarden “Badmotorfinger” (October 8)
Another grunge gang great arose just a bit later in the fall of 1991 with Soundgarden’s third album, “Badmotorfinger,” a Seattle soundtrack that brought on a heavier sound for Chris Cornell and the band. With songs like “Rusty Cage” and “Jesus Christ Pose,” fans got a taste of new bassist, Ben Shepherd, and some more thoughtfully written songs for the band in general.
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U2 "Achtung Baby" (November 18)
Considered one of the top five albums of the year, U2’s “Achtung Baby” was, believe it or not, the seventh album by the Irish rockers already. But both the introduction of Brian Eno to their producing chair and the bar set by 1988’s “Rattle & Hum” forced the band into a corner. Although the album did respectably well, the band lost a lot of its core following, which ultimately led to their commercially adored sound.
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Michael Jackson "Dangerous" (November 26)
With nine singles (count ‘em, nine!) including the famous “Black or White” track, it was almost impossible for Michael to not kill it with his first album since 1987’s “Bad” (which I own two cassette tapes of, for some reason) and his first time producing himself. Quincy Jones produced “Bad” and “Thriller,” existing after the former, which might have something to do with decline in album reception from then on.
