The Top Ten Albums of 1992

1992 was a truly revolutionary year in music history in a way that spanned genres from rock to rap, alternative to pop, soul to dance and so much more. So in honor of this magical year celebrating its 30th anniversary, we'll send up the albums that made it such a landmark in music history by counting down the ten best LPs from that one of a kind year!

Let's get started!

#10: Erotica - Madonna (1 hour and 15 minutes, Dance-Pop)

Madonna was in the midst of a rebellious sexual renaissance when she laid down this album, a statement album that challenged mainstream preconceptions with its frank depictions of sexuality in groundbreaking ways as well as just being a damn great dance pop record. This is one of Madonna’s icier projects, but every groove packs a punch with glistening synths playing off of her sultry vocals and infectious melodies. There aren’t any classic hooky pop songs here, the album functions at a seductive slow tempo, but Madonna turns in several killer club tracks and earnest ballads that are well worth a listen. A scandalous record, but there’s no denying the music that lies within.

Key Tracks: "Deeper and Deeper" and "Rain"

#9: Love Symbol Album - Prince & The New Power Generation (1 hour and 14 minutes, Funk/R&B)

Prince was always a man who refused to be confined to any one particular genre, and this album is a testament to his wide ranging tastes, indulging in multiple eccentric genre excursions backed up by his outstanding jazzy backing band The New Power Generation, who add punch and new sparks to his sound, incorporating funk and jazz horns, soulful backing singers and even a rapper. This isn’t his first album with them, so the chemistry is even stronger leading to some of his best 90s work, working in hip hop flavors to his mix of soul, pop, funk, rock and jazz resulting in songs with flash that have dated in an endearing way. His band has rarely sounded fuller and Prince is truly inspired here. Not every track is a masterpiece, but there’s barely a skip to be found either. Prince’s creativity at a late period peak.

Key Tracks: "7" and "Sexy M.F."

#8: Diva - Annie Lennox (50 minutes, Adult Contemporary/Sophisti-Pop)

Annie Lennox had just spent the last decade as half of The Eurythmics, one of the greatest new wave and synth pop acts of all time, but her solo career saw her eschewing the icy synths and big, brassy hooks for something more graceful and mature, dropping a lovely, downtempo adult contemporary record which spotlights her one of a kind voice. Lennox has always been a soulful singer, but every track here makes her the absolute star, turning in show stopping performances all around, from the sweeping, emotional ballads to the bright sophisti-pop Lennox is in her element the whole way through. Annie Lennox would never better this electric, warm debut album in her solo career, a testament to her status as one of the great voices of her generation.

Key Tracks: "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass"

#7: Wish - The Cure (1 hour and 5 minutes, Alternative/Indie)

The Cure’s follow up to their 1989 masterpiece “Disintegration” saw the group changing their tune a bit, moving from the former album’s gothic emotionally devastating rock to something brighter, leaning on jangle pop riffs and dreamy textures to create one of their warmest, yet still very melancholic records. Robert Smith pens a few classic pop nuggets here, but the best moments are where the band is allowed to sprawl out and paint emotional pictures with lengthy instrumental passages and Smith’s wrought, haunted vocals that cut deeper than any other group is capable of. This album is evenly split between the uplifting and the devastating in a way that makes for a well balanced listen. One of the band’s most re-listenable and joyous records, and while that’s not the group’s bread and butter this album shows their versatility in a way they never really would embrace again. A Cure album for a sunnier day.

Key Tracks: "A Letter to Elise", "To Wish Impossible Things" and "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea"

#6: Daily Operation - Gang Starr (53 minutes, East Coast Hip-Hop/Rap)

Gang Starr were a duo forged in hip-hop heaven. Rarely have a producer/rapper combo ever have been so perfectly suited to each other than DJ Premier and Guru, with the latter’s effortless low-key almost spoken word flow weaving in and out of the former’s punchy, endlessly creative and jazzy beats like they were meant only for each other. This set is one of their most punchy, with the killer rhymes and wildly inventive beats coming hot and never outstaying their welcome. If brevity is the soul of wit these two might be the wittiest to ever take the mic. Each song is constructed for maximum impact, with Premier’s beats being rich and fully realized while still giving Guru’s biting rhymes the floor, drifting between socially conscious and braggadocios, doing both equally well. The duo would make a few more records, but they’d never top this set. Just like they say on the title song, they make it sound easy.

Key Tracks: "Take It Personal", "I'm the Man" and "Ex-Girl to the Next Girl"

#5: Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (52 minutes, Rap-Metal)

Rap metal is a genre that’s home to more bad than good, but the prime exception to the rule is Rage Against the Machine, who, in their time, were arguably the most vital and groundbreaking band of their generation, viscerally fusing the raw power of heavy metal and the punch and funk of hip hop all coming together with a rebellious and well-informed political consciousness that makes these songs resonate 30 years on. The band is a monstrous unit, led by Zack De La Rocha’s powerhouse performance on the mic, with his raw passionate screams and bleeding heart rhymes enlightening the populous to rise up and challenge inherently biased systems. The band’s secret weapon though is Tom Morello’s mind melting guitar heroics, where he makes his instrument into a weapon and challenging DJ turntables to make just as many unique, scratched sounds to make a sonic palette that no other metal record can touch. RATM, like the shooting star they were meant to be, burned bright for a short time, and this was the peak of their righteous aggression. Music rarely feels like it could change the world, but this has.

Key Tracks: "Killing in the Name", "Know Your Enemy" and "Bullet in the Head"

#4: Love Deluxe - Sade (45 minutes, Soul/R&B/Jazz)

Sade’s plush jazzy brand of cocktail soul has always been one of the most graceful and elegant sounds in music, and this album showcases both Sade herself and the more than capable band behind her at their absolute best and most ambitious. Every track spills out over luxurious jazzy backing with sweeping eloquence and flair, soulful saxophones adding punch to each arrangement, blending light funk with soul and jazz effortlessly. Each song is a odyssey of complexity and groove all underpinned by Sade’s silky crooning voice, richer than nearly any other, with her lyrics tackling romance and sensuality as well as politics and social justice with wit and poetry. The songs embrace and enthrall like a warm hug, such a pillowy soft sound but one that never fades into the background. Every song feels distinct and memorable, expanding on the sound they’d pioneered on their previous three records. The perfect soundtrack for an evening with someone you love. Sade is music to fall in love to.

Key Tracks: "No Ordinary Love", "Bullet Proof Soul" and "Kiss of Life"

#3: Check Your Head - Beastie Boys (53 minutes, East Coast Hip-Hop/Funk-Rock)

The Beastie Boys were both a groundbreaking hip hop act and a punk band, and on no album are those two facts as easy to see as this album, an incredibly forward thinking fusion of rap and good old fashioned punk rock into a sort of ersatz garage funk outfit that lay down loose, funky grooves over which the boys spit fiery and hilarious rhymes through vocoders. Every Beastie album is a reinvention but this might be their most radical, actually learning instruments so they could perform their own ramshackle backing tracks, which just adds to the album’s D.I.Y. charm. The album is one of their least lyrical, but every straight rap track hits even harder this way, delivering knockout punches in between the instrumental cool downs. This album feels like something three talented guys screwing around in their garage made, and that’s exactly why it’s so awesome.

Key Tracks: "Pass the Mic", "Jimmy James" and "So Whatcha Want"

#2: Fully Completely - The Tragically Hip (46 minutes, Rock/Alternative)

The Tragically Hip are a quintessentially Canadian band, but on their third album the group delivers a set of extraordinarily well-written and performed rock and roll that transcends borders. Gord Downie’s effortlessly emotive voice and wildly inventive, painterly lyrics front the band’s blustery Rolling Stones meets R.E.M. influenced style of raucous rock and eloquent, acoustic folk songs and craft a spirited set that never lets up on memorable riffs, stadium ready singalong chorus hooks or utterly unique lyrical turns of phrase. No two songs sound alike, but they all feel of a set, creating the band’s warmest, most consistently well crafted record. The band balances Gord’s weirder qualities with their most memorable set of instrumental tracks to craft a rock album with something for everyone, from spritely riff driven stomps to hazy folk songs. The Tragically Hip might be the best band you’ve never heard of and this album is a perfect introduction.

Key Tracks: "Locked in the Trunk of a Car", "Fifty Mission Cap", "Courage (For Hugh MacLenan)" and "Wheat Kings"

#1: Automatic for the People - R.E.M. (48 minutes, Alternative/Folk-Rock)

R.E.M. spent the eighties as the greatest college rock band to those in the known, beloved indie royalty that never quite crossed over and hit it big. That all changed in the 90s and this became their definitive statement for good reason, an emotionally resonant, monumentally moving elegy that grapples with mortality, depression, Bush era politics and gripping fear with grace and maturity in compact, beautiful folk rock songs. The band locks into several gorgeous melodies here, harnessing the emotional power of Michael Stipe’s keening voice for his greatest ever work with the band. The songwriting taps into deep, primal feelings and articulates them with the wisdom and warmth of generational talents. The guitar riffs are suitably jangly and the band has never sounded richer or more textured, but this more than any other R.E.M. album belongs to Michael Stipe, one of alternative music’s leading talents and here he delivers the most profound work of his career. A truly beautiful listen. It never fails to move me to tears no matter how many times I’ve heard it.

Key Tracks: "Man on the Moon", "Find the River", "Nightswimming" and "Everybody Hurts"

Thanks for going on this musical journey through 1992 with me to celebrate 30 years of these amazing albums! Look out for the Top Five Albums of 2002 very soon! A big thank you to every artist who made the list and many more who could have (honorable mentions below)! Happy 30th anniversary to all these truly classic records that have impacted my life for the better!

Honorable Mentions:

Us - Peter Gabriel (57 minutes, Art-Rock)

Don't Sweat the Technique - Eric B. & Rakim (47 minutes, East Coast Hip-Hop/Rap)

Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip - TLC (55 minutes, New Jack Swing/R&B)

Bobby - Bobby Brown (1 hour and 11 minutes, New Jack Swing/R&B)