The Big Sell-Out
Artist: Bongwater

What turned out to be Bongwater's last album before the acrimonious end of the personal and professional Magnuson/Kramer partnership was a sellout only in the sense of the slick cover art and presentation, tongues firmly in cheek. Otherwise, the blend of folk, shadowy psych weirdness, and satiric spoken word and lyrical jabs against the state of... Read More

Some Girls Wander By Mistake
Artist: The Sisters of Mercy
Community Score: 7.40

For over a decade, the early singles of Andrew Eldritch's goth crew, the Sisters of Mercy, existed only in a limited-edition vinyl format. They also went for fairly high prices, something that led to extensive bootlegging. Thankfully, in 1992 head honcho Eldritch decided to release all of the Sisters' pre-major-label material on a single... Read More

Cracker
Artist: Cracker
Community Score: 5.33

Apart from David Lowery's tendency to slip in some smug, self-serving lyrics, Cracker's debut is a terrific rock & roll record, full of energetic three-chord bashers and surprisingly moving ballads. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read More

Uncle Anesthesia
Artist: Screaming Trees
Community Score: 8.00

After a long career with independent label SST, the Screaming Trees arrived at Epic Records with little fanfare (and would leave in much the same way) with 1991's Uncle Anesthesia. Produced by Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and metal specialist Terry Date, the album lurches to its feet on the military shuffle of "Beyond This Horizon." Despite... Read More

Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Artist: Red Hot Chili Peppers
Community Score: 8.19

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' best album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik benefits immensely from Rick Rubin's production -- John Frusciante's guitar is less overpoweringly noisy, leaving room for differing textures and clearer lines, while the band overall is more focused and less indulgent, even if some of the grooves drag on too long. Lyrically, Anthony... Read More

Tinker to Evers to Chance (Selected Highlights 1982-1989)
Artist: Game Theory

Scott Miller compiled and annotated this career-spanning retrospective of his band Game Theory, and anyone looking for a convenient introduction to the band's arch and intelligent power pop could hardly do better than to pick this up. Tinker to Evers to Chance boasts 22 songs that offer representative selections from the band's four studio... Read More

The Reality of My Surroundings
Artist: Fishbone
Community Score: 8.33

When Fishbone's The Reality of My Surroundings was released in 1991, several critics went as far as comparing its all-encompassing brilliance to that of Sgt. Pepper's. While it may have been too high of a praise, Fishbone's third full-length album is indeed exceptional. Their preceding album, Truth and Soul, had been straightforward in its... Read More

Dust
Artist: Screaming Trees
Community Score: 8.27

In many ways, the Screaming Trees missed their opportunity. They released Sweet Oblivion just as grunge began to capture national attention and they didn't tour the album extensively, which meant nearly all of their fellow Seattle bands became superstars while they stood to the side. After four years, they returned with Dust, their third... Read More