20 Awesome Albums Turning 20 This Year - BBSM

by **Tanja** 4th April 2011, 05:41

If anyone tries to tell you the music industry is better than it was two decades ago, show them this list - and hand them some kleenex.

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 for good, 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 This Year. How many do you own? How many can you remember?

5. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS – Blood Sugar Sex Magik

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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.

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