Oh man, that's a hard list to make

1. PJ Harvey: her first three albums are the untouchable, PJ harvey was the best songwriter of the 90s as far as I'm concerned

2. Nirvana: Changed the course of music history with one catchy riff and some anarchistic lyrics

3. Radiohead: Brought art rock back into the alt scene

4. Lauryn Hill / The Fugees: The best hip hop of the 90s right here

5. Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville, nuff said

6. Hole: My angsty obsession

7. Madonna: laid lower than usual, still created classics

8. Sonic Youth: Noise rock, you get it or you don't.

9. Aaliyah: She perfected post Timbaland R&B

10. Janet: Acheived artistic identity, produced a classic

Honorable mention:

TLC, R.E.M., Destiny's Child, Tracy Chapman, Alanis

[Edited 3/14/12 22:01pm]

BRANDY and Monica as well honorable mention

RKJCNE said:

Oh man, that's a hard list to make

1. PJ Harvey: her first three albums are the untouchable, PJ harvey was the best songwriter of the 90s as far as I'm concerned

2. Nirvana: Changed the course of music history with one catchy riff and some anarchistic lyrics

3. Radiohead: Brought art rock back into the alt scene

4. Lauryn Hill / The Fugees: The best hip hop of the 90s right here

5. Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville, nuff said

6. Hole: My angsty obsession

7. Madonna: laid lower than usual, still created classics

8. Sonic Youth: Noise rock, you get it or you don't.

9. Aaliyah: She perfected post Timbaland R&B

10. Janet: Acheived artistic identity, produced a classic

Honorable mention:

TLC, R.E.M., Destiny's Child, Tracy Chapman, Alanis

[Edited 3/14/12 22:01pm]

Great list! forgot to mention PJ girl was on fire in the 90's. Sonic Youth, Madonna, Hole & Janet made there best music in the 90's imo.

Prince

Chic

Cameo

The Barkays

War

Martha Wash

Lonnie Gordan

Lenny Kravitz

Tony Toni Tone

RuPaul

In alphabetical order based on my current music library. I disqualified anyone with less than 2 albums in the decade.

Beck

De La Soul

Ice Cube

Jamiroquai

Me'Shell Ndegeocello

Nirvana

The Notorious B.I.G.

OutKast

Prince

A Tribe Called Quest

My musical palate wasn't as broad in the 90's as it was in the decades before or after.

sextonseven said:

1. Tori Amos

2. PJ Harvey

3. Cranes

4. Type O Negative

5. Nine Inch Nails

6. Björk

7. Janet Jackson

8. Aterciopelados

9. Saint Etienne

10. Pizzicato Five

For fun, I found my 90s artists list I posted five years ago on this thread: http://prince.org/msg/8/224665

I had already known that leaving out Prince was an oversight. He should have been in the bottom half of my top ten based on quantity alone. The other differences were interesting seeing how much my tastes have changed (I was not into Saint Etienne nor Pizzicato Five as much back then) and how differently I tabulated both lists--the first off the top of my head and the second based on how the artists's albums ranked on my personal year-end charts.

damosuzuki said:

Smog

Scud Mountain Boys

Jimmie Dale Gilmore

The High Llamas

The Pooh Sticks

Luna

Plastikman

Eric Matthews

Mojave 3

American Music Club

Spring Heel Jack

I was waiting for someone to post again who posted on this old thread: http://prince.org/msg/8/224665

This is what you wrote five years ago:

1 ) Lucinda Williams
2 ) Pet Shop Boys
3 ) The Fall
4 ) High Llamas
5 ) Scott Walker
6 ) Luna
7 ) Scud Mountain Boys
8 ) Grant McLennan
9 ) Jimmie Dale Gilmore
10 ) Handsome Family

Intersting, isn't it?

random order Top55

Ice Cube

NAS

Nirvana

Pearl Jam

Soundgarden

Björk

Beck

Madonna

Radiohead

Blur

Oasis

2Pac

Shania Twain

Sheryl Crow

Spice Girls

Lenny Kravitz

Jamiroquai

Mary J B

PJ Harvey

Nine Inch Nails

TLC

Erykah Badu

Fugees / Lauryn Hill

Enya

Babyface

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Megadeth

Metallica

Sepultura

Korn

Chemical Bros

Daft Punk

Marilyn Manson

Massive Attack

Backstreet Boys

Dre / Snoop Dogg

Notorious Big

Smashing Pumpkins

U2

Prince

Michael Jackson

Janet

Black Crowes

Depeche Mode

REM

Suede
The Cranberries

Moby
Public Enemy

Kiss (glorious comeback)

Guns N' Roses

LFO

Pantera

Eric Clapton

The Rolling Stones (yeah, yeah, just ok albums, but H-U-G-E world tours...)

[Edited 3/15/12 9:58am]

JoeTyler said:

random order

Ice Cube

NAS

Nirvana

Pearl Jam

Soundgarden

Björk

Beck

Madonna

Radiohead

Blur

Oasis

2Pac

Shania Twain

Sheryl Crow

Spice Girls

Lenny Kravitz

Jamiroquai

Mary J B

PJ Harvey

Nine Inch Nails

TLC

Erykah Badu

Fugees / Lauryn Hill

Enya

Babyface

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Megadeth

Metallica

Sepultura

Korn

yeah, I know that's a top30, lol

You posted five years ago too! http://prince.org/msg/8/224665

90's
1-Beck
2-Depeche Mode
3-Suede
4-The Cranberries
5-Moby
6-Bjork
7-Pearl Jam
8-Nine inch nails
9-Marylin Manson
10-Guns and Roses

You don't like Depeche Mode anymore?

sextonseven said:

JoeTyler said:

random order

Ice Cube

NAS

Nirvana

Pearl Jam

Soundgarden

Björk

Beck

Madonna

Radiohead

Blur

Oasis

2Pac

Shania Twain

Sheryl Crow

Spice Girls

Lenny Kravitz

Jamiroquai

Mary J B

PJ Harvey

Nine Inch Nails

TLC

Erykah Badu

Fugees / Lauryn Hill

Enya

Babyface

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Megadeth

Metallica

Sepultura

Korn

yeah, I know that's a top30, lol

You posted five years ago too! http://prince.org/msg/8/224665

90's
1-Beck
2-Depeche Mode
3-Suede
4-The Cranberries
5-Moby
6-Bjork
7-Pearl Jam
8-Nine inch nails
9-Marylin Manson
10-Guns and Roses

You don't like Depeche Mode anymore?

nah, I've finally posted/edited a Top55, DM are there

sextonseven said:

damosuzuki said:

Smog

Scud Mountain Boys

Jimmie Dale Gilmore

The High Llamas

The Pooh Sticks

Luna

Plastikman

Eric Matthews

Mojave 3

American Music Club

Spring Heel Jack

I was waiting for someone to post again who posted on this old thread: http://prince.org/msg/8/224665

This is what you wrote five years ago:

1 ) Lucinda Williams
2 ) Pet Shop Boys
3 ) The Fall
4 ) High Llamas
5 ) Scott Walker
6 ) Luna
7 ) Scud Mountain Boys
8 ) Grant McLennan
9 ) Jimmie Dale Gilmore
10 ) Handsome Family

Intersting, isn't it?

That is interesting, at least to obsessives like us. That makes me wish Moonbeam or Tron would come out of hiding.

When I dashed this off last night, I had The Fall, PSB and the Handsome Family on my unedited list. The Fall are still my favourite band of course, but I'm a little wan on most of their 90s records. Scott Walker...well, I love him but he only released one album the entire decade, so putting him on a top ten is a bit of a stretch.

Lucinda Williams, number one for me five years ago, didn't make my initial draft. I actually listened to Sweet Old World & Car Wheels... for the first time in years when I was exercising two night ago. Absolutely great records, but she's definitely faded as a personal favourite.

And five years ago I was just getting warmed up with my Smog/Bill Callahan obsession, so I'm not surprised that he wasn't on my old list.

I think that's the approximate time that you started listening to St. Etienne, no? Edited comment - oof, would help if I'd actually taken the time to read your other post.

[Edited 3/16/12 4:25am]

Pearl Jam

Tricky

Red House Painters

Alice In Chains

PJ Harvey

Bjork

2Pac

U2

Palace Brothers

Blind Melon

Good topic!

To me the 90's belonged to the ladies, the big divas worked from 1990-1999. I think Mariah wins in terms of achievements, Madonna and Janet win in terms of the music, and I think Whitney wins because none of the girls were able to reach the peak she did during The Bodyguard nor have the other movie success.

1. Mariah (Mariah Carey, Emotions, Music Box, MTV Unplugged, Merry Christmas, DayDream, Butterfly, #1's, wow that is a lot)

Whitney-I'm Your Baby Tonight, Bodyguard, Waiting to Exhale, Preachers Wife, Cinderella, My Love is Your Love)

Madonna

Janet

MJ

Tupac

Toni Braxton

Mary J Blige

Garth Brooks (lets not forget how big he was)

R. Kelly

jsluva said:

Good topic!

To me the 90's belonged to the ladies, the big divas worked from 1990-1999. I think Mariah wins in terms of achievements, Madonna and Janet win in terms of the music, and I think Whitney wins because none of the girls were able to reach the peak she did during The Bodyguard nor have the other movie success.

1. Mariah (Mariah Carey, Emotions, Music Box, MTV Unplugged, Merry Christmas, DayDream, Butterfly, #1's, wow that is a lot)

Whitney-I'm Your Baby Tonight, Bodyguard, Waiting to Exhale, Preachers Wife, Cinderella, My Love is Your Love)

Madonna

Janet

MJ

Tupac

Toni Braxton

Mary J Blige

Garth Brooks (lets not forget how big he was)

R. Kelly

It's personally who's your favorite

^^^

Lol oh ok. Well in that case, my favorite, in no order.

Janet

Whitney

Mariah

Madonna

Missy Elliott

R. Kelly

Toni Braxton

Kirk Franklin

Dru Hill

En Vogue

robertlove said:

Prodigy (their music was really something else)

I saw them at an Essex nightclub around the time Jilted Generation was released, was so off my gourd that I remember really going for it with the dancing. Experience has gotta be a shoe-in as the definitve tunage of the nineties proto-chav boyracer.

Too many choices to take this too seriously but

I provide a very incomplete list:

-R. Kelly

-LL Cool J (90s stuff does not get the credit it deserves)

-Tribe Called Quest

-Brand Nubian

-Notorious B.I.G.

-Snoop

-SWV (a lot of their good mid tempo stuff gets relegated to VH1 Soul)

-Paul Hardcastle and his different and various groups

-Jody Watley

-Aaliyah

[Edited 3/17/12 17:34pm]

PM Dawn

Chage & Aska

Ice Cube

Nine Inch Nails

Front Line Assembly

Seal

Sonia Dada

The chick that did the Sweet Valley High theme song

PJ Harvey

Angelique Kidjo

musicjunky318 said:

1. Mariah Carey (6 strong studio albums, going multi-platinum with all of them, 14 #1 hits, swarmed radio...this was pretty much her decade. She owned it.)

2. Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard soundtrack & movie tearing up the charts, continued crossover-success in Waiting To Exhale & The Preacher's Wife, returning to the studio with My Love Is Your Love)

3. Madonna (released the most critically-acclaimed album of her career, Evita success, founded Maverick Records, Blond Ambition & Girlie Show Tours)

4. TLC (The obvious supreme female group of the 90s. Incredible debut, one smash of a sophmore effort, and came back strong towards the end of the decade in 99 with Fanmail.)

5. Garth Brooks (shattered sales records all throughout the 10 years. I'm not even gonna start with the #s)

6. Shania Twain (see the above. Holds the best-selling album by a female artist - in any genre)

7. Nirvana (brought alternative rock to the mainstream in a big way. The tragedy of Kurt certaintly made them even bigger.)

8. Michael Jackson (Dangerous, another hit album and my personal favorite, was released in 91. Incredibly less active during the decade compared to the 80s but there was still two tours, the Superbowl, and another greatest hits/new release with HIStory.

9. Britney Spears (The invasion of the Pop Princess began in 99. Though she only had one year, by the close of the millenium her debut was already approaching 10 million.

10. Tupac (Dominated the rap scene in a tremendous way. Similiar to Cobain, his passing only cemented his legend...not only in hip-hop circles but made him a global figure.)

[Edited 3/13/12 16:03pm]

you omit Alanis, Tori, Boyz II Men, Biggie but your list is pretty on

badujunkie said:

musicjunky318 said:

1. Mariah Carey (6 strong studio albums, going multi-platinum with all of them, 14 #1 hits, swarmed radio...this was pretty much her decade. She owned it.)

2. Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard soundtrack & movie tearing up the charts, continued crossover-success in Waiting To Exhale & The Preacher's Wife, returning to the studio with My Love Is Your Love)

3. Madonna (released the most critically-acclaimed album of her career, Evita success, founded Maverick Records, Blond Ambition & Girlie Show Tours)

4. TLC (The obvious supreme female group of the 90s. Incredible debut, one smash of a sophmore effort, and came back strong towards the end of the decade in 99 with Fanmail.)

5. Garth Brooks (shattered sales records all throughout the 10 years. I'm not even gonna start with the #s)

6. Shania Twain (see the above. Holds the best-selling album by a female artist - in any genre)

7. Nirvana (brought alternative rock to the mainstream in a big way. The tragedy of Kurt certaintly made them even bigger.)

8. Michael Jackson (Dangerous, another hit album and my personal favorite, was released in 91. Incredibly less active during the decade compared to the 80s but there was still two tours, the Superbowl, and another greatest hits/new release with HIStory.

9. Britney Spears (The invasion of the Pop Princess began in 99. Though she only had one year, by the close of the millenium her debut was already approaching 10 million.

10. Tupac (Dominated the rap scene in a tremendous way. Similiar to Cobain, his passing only cemented his legend...not only in hip-hop circles but made him a global figure.)

[Edited 3/13/12 16:03pm]

you omit Alanis, Tori, Boyz II Men, Biggie but your list is pretty on

plus i must say...how do you do 90s w/o Fiona, Brandy, Monica, Puff Daddy, Dre, Snoop...while i agree with your sentiments re: Madonna, MJ, i think Janet and Celine Dion also deserve their due commercially speaking...and how do you omit Hootie?

01. Janet

02. Madonna

03. Mariah

04. Whitney

05. Celine

06. Spice Girls

07. TLC

08. Cher

09. Tina

10. Barbra

1. Mariah Carey

2. Nirvana

3. 2Pac

4. Pearl Jam

5. Radiohead

6. Whitney Houston

7. Red Hot Chili Peppers

8. Metallica

9. Backstreet Boys

10. Biggie Smalls

BTW, I did this list partly on who I liked and partly on who made a huge impact during the decade, even though I wasn't into some of the artists I listed.