My 10 Favorite Rock Albums of 1994
It’s been 30 years, but 1994 rocked! I was just a high school kid, but every bit of my allowance went to buying CDs. Here are my favorites that have stood the test of time.
#10: Weezer, Weezer (LISTEN: “Say It Ain’t So”)
The cornucopia of hits on the record commonly known as the Blue Album is massive and memorable, from the slow burn of “Undone (the sweater song)” to the upbeat “My Name is Jonas” and “Say it Ain’t So.” Yet I only saw Rivers Cuomo and his band for the first time in 2021, when they co-headlined the Hella Mega Tour with Green Day.
#9: Soundgarden, Superunknown (LISTEN: “Black Hole Sun”)
Few male rock singers can belt it out like Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell could in this grunge heyday, which brought us the Seattle band’s very best song, “Black Hole Sun” and other rockin’ ones like “Head Down.”
#8: Nirvana, MTV Unplugged in New York (LISTEN: “Come As You Are”)
Possibly one of the best live albums ever recorded in 1993 (or ever), this record, released in late 1994 on the heels of Kurt Cobain’s tragic passing, is iconic. While there isn’t a bad Nirvana, this record transcends genre, time, and space. It’s raw, vulnerable, and a pleasure to listen to in coffeehouses and cars.
#7: Korn, Korn (LISTEN: “Blind”)
The minute lead Korn vocalist Jonathan Davis growls, “Are You Ready” I was! After seeing Korn open for Rage Against The Machine in early ’94 (somehow convincing my parents I was going to see The Cranberries, probably), I fell hard for this intense, original American nu-metal band’s debut.
#6: Liz Phair, Whipsmart (LISTEN: “Supernova”)
I fell for Liz Phair after hearing Exile in Guyville, a frank album that was revolutionary at the time, brutally honest and refreshingly sexual. Whipsmart continues along the same vein, between the blunt opener “Chopsticks,” to the sizzling, high-energy “Supernova” and the sexy “X Ray Man.”
#5: Tori Amos, Under the Pink (LISTEN: “Cornflake Girl”)
I didn’t think it was possible for Tori Amos to follow Little Earthquakes with a record just as impactful and big, yet she did with Under the Pink in January 1994. Amos’ sophomore album is loaded with introspective and wildly unique tunes, from the melancholy “Pretty Good Year” to the sensual “God” and (of course) “Cornflake Girl.” [SEE RELATED: My Favorite Tori Amos Songs of the 1990s]
#4: Portishead, Dummy (LISTEN: “Glorybox”)
A sensual, dark cabaret record with sirenesque vocals that could lure in any listener, Portishead’s Dummy is a mainstay of ‘90s trip-hop, oozing with slow burners, romantic odes, and the desire to just be a woman. It’s symphonic yet electrifying and perfect.
#3: The Cranberries, No Need to Argue (LISTEN: “Ode to My Family”)
The sequel to the brilliant 1993 record, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, The Cranberries’ second studio album No Need to Argue is a breath of fresh air from the Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries. It’s the record that gave us “Zombie” – one of the most epic ‘90s anthems of all time – and a number of other memorable hits.
#2: Nine Inch Nails, The Downward Spiral (LISTEN: “Closer”)
As Rolling Stone noted, Gen X’s “shock rock icon” was undeniably Trent Reznor. “Nine Inch Nails are theater,” Reznor told Rolling Stone in 1994. This sexy, hard-hitting follow-up to “Pretty Hate Machine” was my go-to for Thursday nights (goth/industrial night) at Tracks in Washington, D.C. Thirty years later, it stands the test of time.
#1: Hole, Live Through This (LISTEN: “Violet”)
As Pitchfork aptly noted in a 2018 review, “This woman doesn’t let out sing-screams or tinny emo yelps, but raw, diaphragmatic bellows. As I noted in a blog post dedicated to this album, it’s impossible to pick a favorite song on LTT because they are all incredible. The album flows so well, between the anthemic “Violet” and the scream-laced “Olympia” (aka “Rock Star”), with memorable radio hits like “Doll Parts” at the record’s gooey, emotional center.
Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the founder and editor of Rockmommy.
