4 Outstanding Rock Albums From the 1990s That Weren’t Grunge

Rock and roll in the 1990s, especially the early part of the decade, was dominated by grunge music. Occasionally, other albums that certainly could be classified in the rock genre peeked out and did some major damage. This list obviously could have been longer. But here are four outstanding records that showed that there was more than one way to captivate rock audiences in the 1990s.

‘Achtung Baby’ by U2 (1991)

U2 wasn’t really in a slump, per se, as they entered the 90s. But many people thought that their previous album, the bloated Rattle And Hum, came off as a bit too self-serious. (An accompanying documentary didn’t help.) They course-corrected with Achtung Baby. The album introduced electronic textures that slightly blurred their previously crystalline sonic picture. Bono also took the opportunity to lighten up a bit with his lyrics, even while still pleasing the faithful with the earnest ballad “One”. Gritty rock songs like “Until The End Of The World” and “Acrobat” melded perfectly with mesmerizing slow ones like “So Cruel” and “Love Is Blindness”. A stunning reinvention by a band that everybody thought was out of surprises.

‘What’s The Story (Morning Glory)?’ by Oasis

The Mancunian troublemakers had already signaled their intent to reinvent rock and roll in their own bratty image on the 1994 album Definitely Maybe. What’s The Story (Morning Glory)? took the frenzy to another level. It helped that they broadened their audience with the moving ballad “Wonderwall”. And that’s kind of what separates the band’s sophomore album. Yes, there were still snotty rockers aplenty, led by “Hello” and “Morning Glory”. But Noel Gallagher’s decision to bring his melodic songwriting side to the fore made all the difference in the well-balanced record. You can still rock out if you want, but you can also get the lighters waving with “Don’t Look Back In Anger” and “Champagne Supernova”.

‘Bringing Down The Horse’ by The Wallflowers (1996)

While grunge certainly delivered a necessary shock to the staid music scene in the 1990s, it sort of muscled out rock and roll that hearkened back to the melodic but still muscular strains that dominated the 1970s and 1980s. At least until The Wallflowers came along and staked their claim on that ground for a new generation. After they failed with their first album, lead singer and songwriter Jakob Dylan circled the wagons, gigging and writing for a few years until everything was airtight. He hired T Bone Burnett to give the album a modern sheen without overwhelming the songcraft. Hits like “6th Avenue Heartache” and “One Headlight” brought fans to the album. There, they also discovered killer deep tracks like “The Difference” and “I Wish I Felt Nothing”.

‘OK Computer’ by Radiohead (1997)

We could easily have placed The Bends, released by Radiohead in 1995, on this list, and not too many fans would have flinched. But OK Computer stood out not just because of its excellence, but also because it separated in tone and approach from everything else on the scene. This British quintet, with their producing partner in ambition, Nigel Godrich, didn’t shy away from trying the unorthodox. Here, that includes the rollercoaster of a song suite “Paranoid Android” and the harrowing spoken-word piece “Fitter Happier”. All the pops and buzzes on the edges of the recordings can’t distract from the clarity of vision delivered by classics like “Let Down”, “Karma Police”, and “No Surprises”.

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