The Most Slept-on Rock Albums of the ’90s
Get familiar with these amazing rock albums that you probably slept on.
Image via Complex Original
Musically, the ’90s were a weird time. The first half of the decade was obsessed with the dirty, political screams of grunge, and the second half went the opposite direction with squeaky clean sugar-pop boy bands and stars like Britney Spears. Amidst all of that, there was a fleet of influential underdogs making records that would never reach that kind of dollar status but quietly meant more to the musicians of today. Some later found bigger success, while others slunk away into rehab centers and disintegrating punk-rock tours. But legacy over capital rules this list of early ’90s misfits who made some of the most iconoclastic albums in rock ’n’ roll.
Mark Lanegan, The Winding Sheet (1990)
The Winding Sheet started off as the unfulfilled project of four friends: Lanegan, Mike Pickerel on drums (of Lanegan's band Screaming Trees) with Nirvana's Krist Novoselic and Kurt Cobain. In 1989, the four men decided to record an EP of old blues songs, like Lead Belly's "Where Did You Sleep Last Night" (which actually made it on the album and was often covered live by both Nirvana and later Hole), but things got in the way—things like Nirvana's overwhelming, life-altering success and that whole era dubbed “grunge.” The Winding Sheet is by far one of the greatest examples of Lanegan's untouchable voice and abstract lyrics, pointing at some drug-induced demon inside himself. He sings in that throaty howl over barren, acoustic guitars and bottom-heavy drums. Songs like "Flowers" and "Museum" fall out of the stereo like molasses, while the dope chant "Juarez" paints a weird picture into Lanegan's imagination. Lanegan's solo catalog is extensive, but this debut album was his unsung masterpiece.
The Amps, Pacer (1995)
Kim Deal was best known as the bassist in the Pixies, but she also had a band with her twin sister, Kelly, called the Breeders. When they had to take a hiatus because Kelly went to rehab, Kim took the songs intended for the next Breeders album and started the Amps. Pacer was the band's one-off album that employed all the sugary sadness of Deal's previous songwriting. In fact, if you didn't know any better you would think this was just another Breeders record. Apparently, Pacer ended up in dollar bins not long after its release (fans had no idea who the Amps were), but had tracks like “I Am Decided,” “Tipp City,” and “Hoverin” been released under the original Deal moniker, they would have been cult hits. Pacer was a blissful rock album that never got the attention it deserved (which is possibly why some of the tracks ended up re-recorded on the Breeders easy 2000s come back Title TK).
Marilyn Manson, Smells Like Children (1995)
Smells Like Children is the EP that predated Marilyn Manson's breakout into the mainstream, but it's a creepy, spindling twist that cemented Manson as one of the biggest names in creep rock. Produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, Smells Like Children tells stories of Manson's addiction, sex life, and generally demented stage persona. Just as purposeful and shock-laden as his later work, this album is him not really caring about a massive public persona quite yet, so it lets go of any pretensions that sprouted later in his career.
Babes in Toyland, Spanking Machine (1990)
With imagery of vomiting hearts, bloody love, and shredding apart one's enemies like meat, Babes in Toyland's debut album, Spanking Machine, is punk-rock, metal, and poetry thrown in a blender and tossed out a window. The Minneapolis three-piece has forever been connected to the legacy of grunge, touring with Sonic Youth, enduring frenemy battles with the infamous Courtney Love (who claims she was once a member of the band), and performing in 1991: The Year Punk Broke. However, of all their releases, Spanking Machine is the most powerful and underrated. Although it was well received when it came out, the album did not sustain in their legacy like the band's other releases. With songs like “Dust Cake Boy,” “Vomit Heart,” “Swamp P***y,” and the hook-filled jealous woman anthem "He's My Thing,” front woman Kat Bjelland will always be one of the angriest, and scariest, women in rock.
The White Stripes, The White Stripes (1999)
Before Jack White was the powder-white, rock 'n' roll superstar we know him as today, he was just a dork in a blues-punk band with his ex-wife, Meg. The Detroit duo rose to fame with their third album, White Blood Cells, when every single was played on the radio 500 times a day, but their debut self-titled album is a raw look back at the humble beginnings of White. Meg’s simple, Moe Tucker-style drums hold everything in place as the band blow through a mess of oddly pleasing lyrics and basic country riffs that stick between your ears days later. It’s not as advanced as their later albums, but this underrated gem proves that White always knew how to execute his music with a unique vision.
Soundgarden, Badmotorfinger (1991)
Yes, Badmotorfinger was the album that broke Soundgarden into the Billboard charts. Yes, it earned them a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. And yes, it put them on tour opening for Guns N’Roses and basically turned them into superstars, but it was not as big as the albums that followed, and, therefore, we can get away with it being underrated. Badmotorfinger is the album that launched Soundgarden into this strange in-between zone that made it hard for fans and critics to categorize them. They were too metal for the grunge rockers yet too grunge for the metal heads. “Rusty Cage,” “Outshined,” “Mind Riot,”and “Jesus Christ Pose”prove that this album was Soundgarden’s kickoff into their trend of making records with not a lick of fatty meat, just hit, after hit, after hit, after hit.
Danzig, Danzig 4 (1994)
Misfits frontman Danzig is more of a dark-cult god than an actual person. The stocky, silent crooner has always done pop melodies at full speed with a demonic twist. When he broke from the Misfits and started his solo career, he emerged as the man never to mess with. Danzig 4 is a fan favorite, but it relies on slower ballads about everything satanic. "Going Down to Die" is a hedonistic love song to hell. "Can't Speak" features mellow electronics (a step outside of what Danzig had normally done) while "Until You Call on the Dark,” "Little Whip,” and "Brand New God" were banger hits that no one could ignore. Obsessive Danzig followers would never call this album underrated because they have listened to it backward, 600 times, but for casual listeners, this one is worth visiting.
Boss Hog, Boss Hog (1995)
Husband and wife team Cristina Martinez and Jon Spencer were the unsung couple-to-be of the ’90s. Forget the tabloid drama of Kurt and Courtney. Spencer and Martinez were the marriage you actually envied, and they even had a band together called Boss Hog. Their 1995 self-titled album is a blues-punk original, melting together genres into a catchy rock album that's hard to pin down. Half the songs are Spencer and Martinez singing back and forth about their own love affair and how much they dig one another's “barbecued lips.” Spencer's guitar work is dynamic, crawling up and down in line with Martinez's horse holler chugging close behind. It's music to drive through the desert to with your head hanging out the window.
Death in June, But What Ends When the Symbols Shatter (1992)
Led by British folk musician Douglas Pearce, Death in June started as a punk band in the ’80s, then later in the decade they significantly changed their sound into a neo-folk project: atmospheric, dark horns, and led by a strum of constant acoustic guitars. It's no secret allegations of Nazism, fascist symbolism, and paganism have followed this band for years, seeing as their live performances have been theatrical, controversial, and thought-provoking, even to listeners not enthralled by the Death in June cult. But What Ends When the Symbols Shatter is the darkest, most beautiful lullaby you have ever heard, fixating the listener in an endless, comforting trance. Forget about the politics and just listen to the music.