Rolling Stone argues that 1994 was "mainstream alternative's greatest year." We suppose this is a significant compliment, but the more adjectives you add to an accolade, the more watered down it becomes. We're quite the children of the '90s at Music Times, so we might go as far as to say 1994 was the greatest year for rock music, period. Rolling Stone celebrated the monumental 365 that went down 20 years ago, and we've got to hand it to them: They did a pretty solid job. We frequently feel that Stone gives certain legendary acts an unfair advantage when any list is made, but the 40 albums listed here demonstrate a fine balance between musicianship and hipness (hipness tends to overshadow musicianship on any music publication list). Check out the full list below:
40) Throwing Copper by Live
39) Sixteen Stone by Bush
38) No Need To Argue by The Cranberries
37) The Crow Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
36) Under The Pink by Tori Amos
35) Rubberneck by The Toadies
34) Sleeps With Angels by Neil Young and Crazy Horse
33) Ruby Vroom by Soul Coughing
32) Without A Sound by Dinosaur Jr.
31) Deliverance by Corrosion of Conformity
30) Reality Bites Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
29) Pisces Iscariot by The Smashing Pumpkins
28) Stranger Than Fiction by Bad Religion
27) File Under Easy Listening by Sugar
26) Teenager of The Year by Frank Black
25) Weight by The Rollins Band
24) Let's Go by Rancid
23) Korn by Korn
22) Purple by Stone Temple Pilots
21) American Thighs by Veruca Salt
20) Betty by Helmet
19) Definitely Maybe by Oasis
18) Whip-Smart by Liz Phair
17) Smash by The Offspring
16) Parklife by Blur
15) Monster by R.E.M.
14) Youth by Sonic Youth
13) Too High To Die by The Meat Puppets
12) Jar of Flies by Alice in Chains
11) Mellow Gold by Beck
10) Ill Communication by The Beastie Boys
09) Vitalogy by Pearl Jam
08) Live Through This by Hole
07) American Recordings by Johnny Cash
06) Superunknown by Soundgarden
05) MTV Unplugged in New York by Nirvana
04) Grace by Jeff Buckley
03) Weezer by Weezer
02) The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails
01) Dookie by Green Day
