Photo: Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
1995’s Best Rock Albums list takes a look at a year of album releases that saw rock music turn towards middle ground crossing the genres of pop and rock into some very successful releases. Out of nowhere came a Canadian singer named Alanis Morissette who released one of the most successful major label debut albums in years. Alanis Morissette had released two small independent CDs earlier but they were nothing like her major label debut album Jagged Little Pill. It was a record in which she found a voice that captivated audiences with her huge hit “You Outta Know.” Another powerful female voice released her major debut album along with Alanis Morissette in 1995. Singer Joan Osborne’s major label debut album entitled Relish was fueled by the massive commercial success of her song “One Of Us.” Continuing 1995’s trend towards the success of powerful female voices were the debut albums of Garbage featuring the killer vocals of Shirley Manson and the post punk British rock band Elastica featuring the snarling vocals of Justine Frischmann.
1995 also saw debut albums by Jewel, Blessed Union Of Souls, Silverchair, Wilco, Sugar Ray, Foo Fighters, Merril Bainbridge, Ben Folds Five, Rammstein, Six Feet Under, The Coors, Deftones, Bif Naked, Incubus, and so many more. Oasis followed up their 1994 debut album with another spectacular released entitled (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Bruce Springsteen released his strongest album since 1987’s Tunnel of Love entitled The Ghost Of Tom Joad. An album that reflected the same style he utilized on 1980’s Nebraska in which he discovered his folk music troubadour voice. Van Morrison, who Springsteen often cited as being an artist that influenced him greatly also released a strong album called Day Like This.
1995’s year in rock not only celebrated the emergence of powerful female voices and the return of classic troubadours, it also enjoyed the debut album of a great new progressive rock band called Spock’s Beard. Steven Wilson’s progressive rock group Porcupine Tree also contributed another great progressive rock album in 1995 with their CD titled The Sky Moves Sideways. Dream Theater continued to blend the styles of metal and progressive rock with their very cool EP titled A Change of Seasons.
There were so many albums released in 1995. Many of them did not make this lists because there were just so many. We also decided for the first time to include live albums on the list because there were some really good ones released in 1995.
# 100 – Vibrator – Terence Trent D’Arby
# 99 – Spirit of the Wild – Ted Nugent
# 98 – We Care – Whale
# 97 – Your Little Secret – Melissa Etheridge
# 96 – Bif Naked – Bif Naked
# 95 – Nemesisters – Babes In Toyland
# 94 – Orchid – Opeth
# 93 –Stomp 442 – Anthrax
# 92 – I‘m with Stupid – Aimee Mann
# 91 – The Isle of View – The Pretenders
# 90 – The Inevitable – Squirrel Nut Zippers
# 89 – Sparkle and Fade – Everclear
# 88 – Red Medicine – Fugazi
# 87 – A Very Fine Love – Dusty Springfield
# 86 – Clouds Taste Metallic – The Flaming Lips
# 85 – The Road Home – Heart
# 84 – Methadone – The Brian Jonestown Massacre
# 83 – Deep Dead Blue – Elvis Costello and Bill Frisell
# 82 – ¡Adios Amigos! – Ramones
# 81 – Afraid of Sunlight – Marillion
# 80 – Adrenaline – Deftones
# 79 – F-Punk – Big Audio Dynamite
# 78 – Love and Money – Eddie Money
# 77 – A Spanner in the Works – Rod Stewart
# 76 – God Of Love – Bad Brains
# 75 – Welcome to the Neighborhood – Meat Loaf
# 74 – A.M. – Wilco
# 73 – Time – Fleetwood Mac
# 72 – Frampton Comes Alive II – Peter Frampton
# 71 – Tambu – Toto
# 70 – Everything Is Wrong – Moby
# 69 – Pieces of You – Jewel
# 68 – The Light – Spock’s Beard
# 67 – Divinities: Twelve Dances with God – Ian Anderson
# 66 – Wowee Zowee – Pavement
# 65 – Tigerlilly – Natalie Merchant
# 64 – New Beginning – Tracy Chapman
# 63 – 100% Fun – Matthew Sweet
# 62 – Washing Machine – Sonic Youth
# 61 – These Days – Bon Jovi
# 60 – Fear No Evil – Slaughter
# 59 – Ledbetter Heights – Kenny Wayne Shepherd
# 58 – A Northern Soul – The Verve
# 57 – Made In Heaven – Queen
# 56 – Above – Mad Season
# 55 – Presidents of the United States of America –Presidents of the United States of America
# 54 – Collective Soul – Collective Soul
# 53 – Astro-Creep 2000 – White Zombie
# 52 – A Change of Seasons EP – Dream Theater
# 51 – The Great Escape – Blur
# 50 – Different Class – Pulp
# 49 – Fight for Your Mind – Ben Harper
# 48 – Short Bus – Filter
# 47 – Ain’t Had Enough Fun – Little Feat
# 46 – It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere – Slash’s Snakepit
# 45 – To Bring You My Love – PJ Harvey
# 44 – Tales from the Punchbowl – Primus
# 43 – Days Like This – Van Morrison
# 42 – Post – Björk
# 41 – Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters
# 40 – Cheshire Cat – Blink-182
# 39 – Mirror Mirror – 10cc
# 38 – The Individualist – Todd Rundgren
# 37 – Roots to Branches – Jethro Tull
# 36 – Dysfunctional – Dokken
# 35 – Fungus Amongus – Incubus
# 34 – I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times – Brian Wilson
# 33 – The X Factor – Iron Maiden
# 32 – Not a Pretty Girl – Ani DiFranco
# 31 – Alive in America – Steely Dan
# 30 – Insomniac – Green Day
# 29 – Wrecking Ball – Emmylou Harris
# 28 – It’s a Mystery – Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
# 27 – Mirror Ball – Neil Young
# 26 – Made in England – Elton John
# 25 – The Rapture – Siouxsie and the Banshees
# 24 – Stripped (Live) – The Rolling Stones
# 23 – Ballbreaker – AC/DC
# 22 – Outside – David Bowie
# 21 – Tragic Kingdom – No Doubt
# 20 – Stranger in Us All – Rainbow
# 19 – Sleater-Kinney – Sleater-Kinney
# 18 – Freaks of Nature – Kansas
# 17 – THRAK – King Crimson
# 16 – Balance – Van Halen
# 15 – The Sky Moves Sideways – Porcupine Tree
# 14 – The Bends – Radiohead
# 13 – Gov’t Mule – Gov’t Mule
# 12 – Pulse (Live album) – Pink Floyd
# 11 – The Gold Experience – Prince
# 10 – Elastica – Elastica
# 9 – Alice In Chains – Alice In Chains
# 8 – One Hit Minute – Red Hot Chili Peppers
# 7 – Relish – Joan Osborne
# 6 – Ozzmosis – Ozzy Osbourne
# 5 –Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness – Smashing Pumpkins
# 4 – Garbage – Garbage
# 3 – The Ghost Of Tom Joad – Bruce Springsteen
# 2 – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – Oasis
# 1 – Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette
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UPDATED MAY 1, 2023
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