The 25 best Classic Rock albums of 1991

12 August 2026, 15:00

We look back at 1991; the year of Use Your Illusion, Out Of Time, Innuendo and the "Black Album".

By Radio X

@RadioX

1. Sting - The Soul Cages: release date 21st January 1991

   The former Police frontman's third solo album included the singles All This Time, Mad About You and the title track.

   

2. Queen - Innuendo: release date 4th February 1991

   The final album to be released before Freddie Mercury's death in November 1991 included I'm Going Slightly Mad, The Show Must Go On, These Are The Days Of Our Lives and a UK NUnber 1 hit in the title track.

   

3. R.E.M. - Out Of Time: released 12th March 1991

   The Athens, GA band's seventh album was their biggest yet and featured Losing My Religion, Radio Song and Shiny Happy People.

   

4. Lenny Kravitz - Mama Said: release date 2nd April 1991

   The follow-up to 1989's debut Let Love Rule included the hits Always On The Run, It Ain't Over Til It's Over and Fields Of Joy.

   

5. Simple Minds - Real Life: release date 8th April 1991

   The Scottish band's ninth album included the singles Let There Be Love, See The Lights, Stand By Love and Real Life.

   

6. Skid Row - Slave To The Grind: release date 11th June 1991

   The second album from the New Jersey rockers included the singles Monkey Business, Wasted Time, Slave To The Grind and In A Darkened Room.

   

7. Van Halen - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge: release date 17th June 1991

   The band's ninth album was their third with vocalist Sammy Hagar and included the hits Right Now, Poundcake and Top Of The World.

   

8. Marillion - Holidays In Eden: release date 24th June 1991

   The second Marillion album to feature singer Steve Hogarth, the album included the singles Cover My Eyes (Pain And Heaven), No One Can and Dry Land.

   

9. Alice Cooper - Hey Stoopid: release date 2nd July 1991

   The shock rocker's twelfth solo album included hits in the shape of the title track, Feed My Frankenstein and Love's A Loaded Gun.

   

10. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Into The Great Wide Open: release date 2nd July 1991

    Petty's eighth studio alnum included the singles Learning To Fly, Too Good To Be True and Into The Great Wide Open.

    

11. Spin Doctors - Pocket Full Of Kryptonite: release date 20th August 1991

    The New York jam band had a huge international hit in Two Princes and their debut album also included Little Miss Can't Be Wrong, Jimmy Olsen's Blues and What Time Is It?

    

12. Metallica - Metallica (The Black Album): released 12th August 1991

    The metal veterans' fifth album spawned five hit singles: Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters, Wherever I May Roam and Sad but True.

    

13. Pearl Jam – Ten: released 27th August 1991

    The debut by Eddie Vedder's grunge rockers featured singles Alive, Even Flow and Jeremy.

    

14. Tin Machine - Tin Machine II: release date 2nd September 1991

    David Bowie's heavy rock project issued their second and final album, which included You Belong In Rock 'N' Roll, Baby Universal and One Shot. Bowie returned to his solo career soon after.

    

15. Rush - Roll The Bones: release date 3rd September 1991

    The Canadian prog band's fourteenth studio album was the follow up to Presto and included the tracks Dreamline, Ghost of A Chance and Roll The Bones.

    

16. Dire Straits - On Every Street: release date 9th September 1991

    Mark Knopfler called time on the British rock band after this follow-up to the higely successful Brothers In Arms. Tracks included Calling Elvis, Heavy Fuel, The Bug and You And Your Friend.

    

17. Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears: release date 17th September 1991

    The former Sabbath frontman's sixth solo album included No More Tears and Mama I'm Coming Home.

    

18. Guns N'Roses - Use Your Illusion I: release date 17th September 1991

    The first of two volumes issued on the same day by the metal titans spawned the singles Don't Cry, November Rain and a cover of Paul McCartney & Wings' Live And Let Die.

    

19. Guns N'Roses - Use Your Illusion II: release date 17th September 1991

    The second volume of GN'R's mammoth collection included the Terminator 2 tune You Could Be Mine, Yesterdays, Civil War and a cover of Bob Dylan's Knockin' On Heaven's Door.

    

20. The Cult - Ceremony: release date 23rd September 1991

    The fifth album from the alternative rockers was the follow-up to Sonic Temple and included Wild Hearted Son and Heart Of Soul.

    

21. Bryan Adams - Waking Up The Neighbours: release date 24th September 1991

    The Canadian rocker's sixth album was his biggest selling worldwide and included the record-breaking hit (Everything I Do) I Do It For You. Also on the album were the tracks Thought I'd Died And Gone To Heaven and Can't Stop This Thing We Started.

    

22. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik: released 24th September 1991

    The fifth album by the funk rockers was their most commercially successful to date and included Give It Away, Breaking The Girl and the huge hit Under The Bridge.

    

23. Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger: released 8th October 1991

    The third album from Chris Cornell's Seattle rockers featured Jesus Christ Pose and Rusty Cage.

    

24. Ugly Kid Joe - As Ugly as They Wanna Be: release date 8th October 1991

    The Californian metallers issued their first mini-album, which included the hit single from the Wayne's World soundtrack, Everything About You, plus a cover of Black Sabbath's Sweet Leaf.

    

25. U2 - Achtung Baby: released 18th November 1991

    Following the commercial success but critical indifference given to the band's Rattle And Hum project in 1988, U2 went on hiatus, shacked up in Berlin with Brian Eno and reinvented themselves. The results included The Fly, She Moves In Mysterious Ways, One and Even Better Than The Real Thing.