The 25 best Classic Rock albums of 1992

3 October 2024, 16:40 | Updated: 3 October 2024, 16:44

Cast your mind back to the year of The Black Crowes, Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Bon Jovi and not one but two albums from Bruce Springsteen.

By Radio X

@RadioX

1. Lou Reed - Magic & Loss: release date 14th January 1992

   Reed's highest charting album in the UK was a tribute to the late songwriter Doc Pomus, plus some other friends of the songwriter who had died. Tracks included Sword Of Damocles and What's Good.

   

2. Def Leppard - Adrenalize: release date 31st March 1992

   The follow-up to the hugely successful Hysteria and the first Leppard album not to feature guitarist Phil Clark, who died in January 1991 aged just 30, this was still a massive hit for the Sheffield rockers, featuring the singles Let's Get Rocked, Heaven Is, Make Love Like A Man and Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad.

   

3. Bruce Springsteen - Human Touch: release date 31st March 1992

   The Boss did a "Use Your Illusion" by issuing two separate albums on the same day: Human Touch included the singles Roll Of The Dice, 57 Channels (And Nothin' On) and the title track.

   

4. Bruce Springsteen - Lucky Town: release date 31st March 1992

   Springsteen's other 1992 album included Leap Of Faith, Better Days and If I Should Fall Behind.

   

5. L7 - Bricks Are Heavy: released 14th April 1992

   The LA female rockers released their third album, which contained their biggest hit, Pretend We're Dead.

   

6. Iron Maiden – Fear Of The Dark: release date 11th May 1992

   The ninth studio album from the British metallers included the singles Be Quick Or Be Dead, From Here To Eternty and Wasting Love.

   

7. The Black Crowes - The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion: released 12th May 1992

   The Alanta blues-rockers released their second album, which featured the track Remedy.

   

8. Faith No More - Angel Dust: released 8th June 1992

   The band's fourth LP includes Be Aggressive, A Small Victory and Midlife Crisis.

   

9. Megadeth - Countdown to Extinction: release date 14th July 1992

   The fifth outing for Dave Mustaine's thrash metal pioneers included the singles Symphony Of Destruction, Sweating Bullets, Foreclosure Of A Dream and Skin O' My Teeth.

   

10. Sonic Youth - Dirty: released 21st July 1992

    The legendary NYC band released their seventh album, which featured the tracks Youths Against Fascism and 100%.

    

11. INXS - Welcome to Wherever You Are: released 3rd August 1992

    The Aussie band's eighth studio album was a No 1 hit in the UK and included the single Beautiful Girl and Taste It.

    

12. Eric Clapton - Unplugged: release date 25th August 1992

    The legendary guitarist performed on the MTV Unplugged show, which included versions of Tears In Heaven and his signature tune Layla.

    

13. Extreme – III Sides to Every Story: release date 14th September 1992

    The third (geddit) album from the Boston rock band included the singles Rest In Peace, Stop The World and Tragic Comic. It made Number 2 in the UK album charts.

    

14. Blind Melon – Blind Melon: release date 22nd September 1992

    The debut album from Shannon Hoon's LA-based band included their best-known song, No Rain. Also included were Tones Of Home, I Wonder and Change. Hoon would die three years later from a drug overdose after the relese of second album Soup. He was just 28.

    

15. Nine Inch Nails - Broken EP: release date 22nd September 1992

    This eight track mini LP spanned the gap between 1989's Pretty Hate Machine and 1994's The Downward Spiral. Tracks include Wish and Happiness In Slavery.

    

16. Brian May - Back To The Light: release date 28th September 1992

    The Queen guitarist's first proper solo album (after 1983's Star Fleet Project EP), which was issued just under a year after the death of his colleague Freddie Mercury. Songs included Driven By You, Too Much Love Will Kill You and Resurrection.

    

17. Peter Gabriel - Us: release date 28th September 1992

    The follow-up to 1986's huge hit So - if you ignore Gabriel's soundtrack for The Last Temptation Of Christ in 1989 - the former Genesis man's sixth solo album included the sigles Diggin In The Dirt, Steam and Kiss That Frog.

    

18. Alice In Chains - Dirt: release date 29th September 1992

    The follow-up to the 1990 debut Facelift came a few months after the Sap EP and included the singles Them Bones, Angry Chair, Down In A Hole, Rooster and Would?

    

19. Stone Temple Pilots - Core: release date 29th September 1992

    The debut album from Scott Weiland's Californian rockers included the singles Sex Type Thing, Plush and Creep.

    

20. R.E.M. - Automatic For The People: released 5th October 1992

    The band's eighth album went on to sell 18 million copies and features the tracks Drive, The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite, Nightswimming and Man On The Moon.

    

21. Soul Asylum - Grave Dancers Union: release date 6th October 1992

    The sixth album from the American alternative rockers was their biggest hit, spawning the moving single Runwaway Train and Somebody To Shove.

    

22. Neil Young - Harvest Moon: release date 2nd November 1992

    Young's 21st solo album was a sequel to 1972's Harvest and had a hit in the nostalic title track.

    

23. Bon Jovi - Keep The Faith: release date 3rd November 1992

    The follow-up to 1989's hit New Jersey was just as successful, spawning the singles In These Arms, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead and Bed Of Roses.

    

24. Bob Dylan - Good As I Been To You: release date 3rd November 1992

    Album number 28 for Dylan, which was a collection of folk covers, including Sittin' On Top Of The World, Hard Times, Diamon Joe and - incredibly - the traditional song Froggie Went A-Courtin'.

    

25. Rage Against The Machine – Rage Against The Machine: release date 6th November 1992

    The ferocious debut from the Los Angeles rap metal band included their greatest song Killing In The Name, plus Bullet In The Head, Bombtrack and Freedom.