It's hard to believe that a full 20 years have passed since the year 1991, a calendar milestone that saw the roaring, flannel-clad birth of grunge and the toppling of cheese-pop from the charts for the first time in a generation.
Those of us old enough to remember each have our own stories from the incredible year in music, a period that completely transformed the landscape of pop-culture sonic consumption. From "Smells Like Teen Spirit" reshaping rock in one fell swoop, to Guns N' Roses delivering the staggeringly massive two-part rock opus Use Your Illusion I and II, to the introduction of bands that would go on to shape the next decade as superstars in their own right, 1991 was the turning point that put artistry back on the charts. Industry products like Natalie Cole and Whitney Houston were summarily ejected from the top of the charts, replaced by newcomers Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers and, of course, Nirvana.
Though a thoroughly dominant force through the year and beyond, grunge wasn't the only high point of 1991 by a long shot. It also marked the year that Metallica went mainstream, finding staggering success with the masses-friendly release of their self-titled "Black Album," where U2 hit a new career high with Achtung Baby and N.W.A. would release their blazing final studio album. Additionally, Cypress Hill hit the scene with their self-titled debut, establishing themselves as a musical Cheech & Chongs with Southsider-gangster flavor, while an unknown rapper named Tupac Shakur released his first album, setting the stage for a complete overhaul of the world of hip-hop.
To remind us all of how far we've come (and to make you feel older than dirt), we're running down a list of 20 Awesome Albums Turning 20 in 2011. How many do you own? How many can you remember?
1. NIRVANA – Nevermind
Selling over 26 million copies worldwide, Nevermind was responsible for breaking the dam of the pop-devoted mainstream and ushering in the grunge era. When "Smells Like Teen Spirit" first hit radio, there was an excitement in the air that hadn't been felt in generations. An unstoppable force of change had arrived, change our parents hated and the straight-laced feared. 20 years later, you're still hearing the iconic single on the radio.
2 & 3. GUNS N’ ROSES – Use Your Illusion I & II
GNR's ego-driven downfall came on the heels of this sprawling double-album masterpiece, a rock opera of a magnitude and depth of prowess the world hadn't seen since Queen, and hasn't seen since (sorry, Green Day doesn't count, kids). With orchestral arrangements and larger-than-life ambition bursting from the seams, Axl Rose, Slash and the rest of the GNR crew took the blistering momentum of their astonishing Sunset-Strip-grit debut Appetite For Destruction and leaped farther than anyone could've possibly imagined.
4. METALLICA – Metallica (The Black Album)
Metallica's fifth album was their most accessible, successful and polarizing recording of their careers. The thrash-metal champions shifted gears to a far more commercial sound with their self-titled "Black Album," resulting in tens of millions of new fans around the world, fawning adoration from MTV and legions of jaded metalheads who felt alienated by the band's ambitions. With over 15 million copies sold in the United States, it's the best-selling album of the SoundScan era, and was certified 15x platinum (diamond) by the RIAA.
5. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS – Blood Sugar Sex Magik
When Rick Rubin and RHCP emerged from Harry Houdini's mansion in the Spring of '91, what they brought out with them would rewrite the often tumultuous marriage of fun and rock forever more. Blood Sugar Sex Magik was a funk-lust overload of boundless energy, beauty and positivity, catapulting the Chili Peppers to staggering success & stardom, which remains stronger than ever today. Numerous smash singles, including the iconic "Give It Away" and "Under The Bridge," keep the album in rotation even today.
