4 of the Best Rock Albums from 1999

A quarter century ago, you could enter a music store and discover plenty of new releases to buy.

Apple’s digital store iTunes was still two years away—so in 1999, you’d have to drop $16 to $20 on a CD for the one or two tracks you liked. It’s hard to imagine spending that much on music now. And it’s even harder to explain to a generation of kids—unaccustomed to paying for music—why some albums are worth every penny.

But those days are gone, and a subscription and internet connection will do the trick. By 1999, rock bands were slowly losing their grip on pop culture with the rise of Britney Spears, NSYNC, and hip-hop. Also, CD sales would peak in 2000, so the closing millennium was a transformative one for the music business.

Still, a stellar year for guitar-based bands, here are four of the best rock albums from 1999.

Ding ding, dong dong, ding ding, dong dong, ding ding.

Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers

When the Red Hot Chili Peppers released One Hot Minute with Dave Navarro on guitar, they sounded like a different band. Navarro is a fine rock star, but the hole left by John Frusciante was an impossible one to fill. Frusciante and Flea share a musical language few speak. It parallels the telepathic magic once shared between Keith Richards and Charlie Watts. Californication opens with Flea’s blown-out bass, joined by Frusciante’s manic guitar and Chad Smith’s bashing drum fills, leaving singer Anthony Kiedis no alternative to releasing his demons than WHOA!!! The album is stacked with hits and remains the group’s best-seller.

Midnite Vultures by Beck

Beck’s career is one of shape-shifting and reinvention. He’s moved from indie folk to slacker rap and back again. And each move marks a significant chapter in his long career. Midnite Vultures confused people. Was it meant to be ironic? Is he a serious soul singer now? The album is part Grandmaster Flash, part Prince, and the highlight is “Debra,” a sultry number where Beck pleads in desperation, I just got to get, get with you. “Sexx Laws” explores the hyper-masculinity of soul music juxtaposed with the tender side of the genre’s romantics. The album is an absurd mix of synths, disco grooves, horns, banjo, and Dust Brothers’ genius.

There Is Nothing Left to Lose by Foo Fighters

Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, and Nate Mendel gathered in a house basement in Alexandria, Virginia, to record Foo Fighters’ third album. Grohl had slimmed the band down to three, and the remaining members made a beautiful racket in that basement. The album is famous for the hilarious MTV video “Learn to Fly.” But “Aurora” is one of Grohl’s best songs, built upon swirling guitars while the singer searches the stars for answers. Grohl’s instinct for melody equals both his drumming and shattered-glass-in-the-throat rock scream. There Is Nothing Left to Lose has 11 tracks and you won’t find a weak one in the set.

The Soft Bulletin by The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips’ ninth studio album fused their experimental art rock into more immediate songwriting. Wayne Coyne and his band found the perfect mix of the alt-pop of “She Don’t Use Jelly” with Brian Wilson-style pocket symphonies. The Soft Bulletin belongs in the OK Computer and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot masterpiece conversations. Multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd bent the spacey direction of the Oklahoma group’s evolution. Though he struggled with addiction then, his contributions were crucial to the album’s orchestral creative heights. The Soft Bulletin made many “best of” lists in 1999, but it’s also one of the best albums of the whole decade.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Photo by Anthony Pidgeon/Mediapunch/Shutterstock