21 1990s Albums NME Has Given 10/10

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Public Enemy – ‘Fear of a Black Planet’. This LP was given 10/10 in April, 1990. “I honestly didn’t believe that any current group could survive the slings and arrows that have rained down on Public Enemy and yet forge on at the suicidal artistic pace that they have always set themselves. I have been proved utterly and conclusively wrong.”

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The Neville Brothers – ‘Brother’s Keeper’. In August 1990, NME’s reviewer wrote: “They seem to have naturally evolved to the symbolic position once held by the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Bob Marley.”

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Dream Warriors – ‘And Now The Legacy Begins’. The first 10/10 in 1991 was awarded to Canadian hip hop duo Dream Warriors. “Now that Ivan Berry’s studio is upgrading two things could happen: either Dream Warriors will discover technique and lose their raw charm, or they’ll find deeper channels to furrow. My bet is on the latter.”

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Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine – ’30 Something’. Carter USM’s second album was released in 1991. “This brilliant, bold record will still be among the best 10 albums of the year come the end of ’91: testimony to how Carter, the unlikely lads of the past two years, have nailed down their instinctive feel for pop with a hookline and point of view.”

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Primal Scream –’Screamadelica’. The Scottish band’s third album was a blistering departure from their previous sound. “‘Screamadelica’ will be recognised as a musical benchmark for these times and all the weeboys and copycats will tremble in their pants,” said NME. “Ground control to Major Bob, you’ve really made the grade.”

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Neil Young And Crazy Horse – ‘Weld/Arc-Weld’. The ‘Arc’ portion of this double-disc consisted in its entirety of a sound collage of guitar noise and feedback, with ‘Weld’ an album of live recordings. “As the ’70s progressed and punk took a hold, Neil Young & Crazy Horse surprised the world again by embracing the ‘enemy’ at their door,” said NME.

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Manic Street Preachers – ‘Generation Terrorists’. NME were full of lavish praise for the Manics’ 1992 debut. “The first thing to acknowledge about ‘Generation Terrorists’ is that the Manics have done it, they have pulled it off, they’ve released the debut double album they’d set their black rock’n’roll hearts on all along.”

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Various – ‘DJ Pogo Presents The Breaks’. “Some of the finest music ever made, much of it available for the first time in the UK, at a fraction of the price collectors have been paying for the last decade,” said NME’s 10/10 review in August 1998. “That’s what I call a (lucky) break.”

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Help – ‘A Day In The Life’. Radiohead, Blur and loads more joined forces for this 1995 charity album. “Ultimately, of course, it doesn’t matter whether ‘Help’ is any good or not,” said NME. “It’s the thought that counts, the effort that went into making it and part of your spending plays in the process of saving lives.”

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