Following a fairly subdued thread considering the music of 1972 (earning it 19th place, on 7.53) HGWTY returns to a decade more relevant to the musical memory of many of us here, as we revisit the music of 1995.
A reminder of the premise of the thread
After a number of days of posting and reminiscing, we’ll be rating the music of the year out of ten, based on the albums, singles, gigs, whatever that stand out for you that year, and voting for our favourite nominated albums and songs.
Everyone can nominate one album and one song from the year which will then be collated into side-polls two days before the thread closes - please make it clear when you post a nomination for the poll (as opposed to just posting clips or lists of songs and albums you like, which are very welcome).
Leaderboard
Rank | Year | Rating | Top Album | Top Song |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1991 | 8.98 | Slint - Spiderland | Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy |
2 | 1997 | 8.6 | Radiohead - OK Computer | The Beta Band - Dry The Rain |
3 | 1967 | 8.48 | Love - Forever Changes | Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Some Velvet Morning |
4 | 1977 | 8.41 | Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express | Donna Summer - I Feel Love |
5 | 1992 | 8.29 | Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted | Pulp - Babies |
5 | 2013 | 8.29 | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Jubilee Street |
7 | 2019 | 8.14 | Self Esteem - Compliments Please | Big Thief - Not |
8 | 1975 | 8.13 | Neil Young - Tonight’s the Night / Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks | Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Cortez the Killer |
8 | 2007 | 8.13 | LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver / Radiohead - In Rainbows | LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends / M.I.A. - Paper Planes |
10 | 2004 | 8.1 | Madvillain - Madvillainy / Arcade Fire - Funeral | The Walkmen - The Rat |
10 | 2001 | 8.1 | The Strokes - Is This It | Roots Manuva - Witness (1 Hope) / Mogwai - My Father My King |
12 | 1981 | 8.06 | The Cure - Faith | New Order - Ceremony |
12 | 2002 | 8.06 | Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights | LCD Soundsystem - Losing My Edge |
14 | 1979 | 7.96 | Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures | Joy Division - Transmission |
15 | 1982 | 7.76 | The Cure - Pornography / Kate Bush - The Dreaming | Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding / The Associates - Party Fears Two |
16 | 2014 | 7.69 | FKA Twigs - LP1 | FKA Twigs - Two Weeks |
17 | 2010 | 7.66 | Kanye West - MBDTF / Joanna Newsom - Have One One Me / Beach House - Teen Dream | Robyn - Dancing On My Own |
18 | 1970 | 7.61 | Neil Young - After the Goldrush | Curtis Mayfield - Move on Up |
19 | 1970 | 7.53 | Can - Ege Bamyasi | Stevie Wonder - Superstition |
20 | 1990 | 7.47 | Sonic Youth - Goo | The Cure - Pictures of You |
20 | 1976 | 7.47 | David Bowie - Station to Station | Bob Dylan - Hurricane |
22 | 1986 | 7.42 | Talk Talk - The Colour of Spring | New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle |
23 | 2005 | 7.39 | Sufjan Stevens - Illinois | Amerie - 1 Thing |
24 | 1965 | 7.38 | The Beatles - Rubber Soul | Frank Wilson - Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) |
25 | 2017 | 7.36 | Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent | Kendrick Lamar - Humble |
26 | 1999 | 7.3 | Mogwai - Come On Die Young | Björk - All Is Full Of Love |
27 | 2009 | 7.1 | Fever Ray - Fever Ray | Animal Collective - My Girls |
28 | 1974 | 6.95 | Neil Young - On The Beach | Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - The Bottle |
29 | 1985 | 6.53 | Tom Waits - Rain Dogs | Prince and the Revolution - Raspberry Beret |
30 | 1962 | 6 | Howlin’ Wolf - Howlin’ Wolf | Dick Dale - Misirlou |
31 | 1961 | 5.16 | John Coltrane - My Favourite Things | Roy Orbison - Crying |
1995 was the year of OJ Simpson’s trial for the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson, the disappearance of Manic Street Preachers’ Richey Edwards, the collapse of Barings Bank, the Doomsday cult sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, the Oklahoma bombing, Robbie Williams leaving Take That, Sony launched the Playstation games console, the assassination of Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, the premieres of Toy Story and Goldeneye, Princess Diana’s interview with Martin Bashir and the murder of singer Selena Quintanilla Pérez by the president of her own fan club.
We said goodbye to Dean Martin, Selena, Bob Ross, Easy-E, Ginger Rogers, Jerry Garcia, Peter Cook, Don Cherry and Fred Perry, and hello to Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, Jack Grealish and Denzel Curry.
But how good was the music?
You have roughly ten days to nominate one album and one song which will then go into a poll along with a number rating poll for year overall out of 10, which will close a few days later.
Some lists for inspiration:
Best Albums of 1995 : Best Ever Albums
https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/1995/
100 Greatest Albums of 1995
https://www.albumoftheyear.org/ratings/6-highest-rated/1995/1
NME's best albums and tracks of 1995
100 Greatest Songs From 1995
Nominations will be tallied here as the week goes on:
Album Nominations
Song Nominations