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Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

I guess my 'age theory' for Springsteen backfired. I'll give him a fair chance just like I will for other super-acclaimed artists I don't care for (Prince and R.E.M. come to mind). There are tons of examples of artists I didn't like upon my first few listens (My Bloody Valentine, Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Talking Heads) that are now my favorites, so I wouldn't be surprised if Springsteen albums begin appearing on my best-albums list in the coming years.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

C'mon Nicolas.


Put here the Top 7

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Toni
Well, I bet it's time for Ziggy Stardust to show up and repeat it's 2008 position. Hey, Honorio, luckily for you I'm not participating in this '70s poll, cause the same way Swordfishtrombones got the last place on my '80s poll list, I fear Ziggy would be the one this time! Nothing against you, right?


Of course, Toni, nothing against you too. Surely our tastes overlap too.

Not a bad placement for Ziggy at all, #8 overall, 48 voters out of 68 (almost 75%) and 23 Top 20 votes. Absolutely deserved in my opinion.

Excellent comments everyone. And very interesting discussions about Springsteen and America, about Springsteen and age. It's particularly odd because aging (and the renunciation and deception that often carries) is one of the most recurrent lyrical themes of The Boss. “Now all them things that seemed so important / Well mister they vanished right into the air”

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Paul
nicolas
But show me 2 Amers that don't have overlaps in their tastes...


Moonbeam and me?


Makes me think of that chart Henrik made once classifying Amers according to their tastes from the most electro/dance oriented to the most roots/guitar

And guess who were on each ends of the spectrum ?

Paul & Moonbeam ...

Wait for the individual lists and you'll see if you 2 have an overlap !

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Otisredding
C'mon Nicolas.


Put here the Top 7


How much will you give me for putting it now ?

I can't tell you exactly when I'll post it. Now it's the week end, my family will need me and I won't have long continuous moments alone for working but I promise you it'll be done by Sunday maximum and hopefully before that.

It was long hard word (especially checkings) and I'm as eager as you to be done with it !

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Honorio

It's particularly odd because aging (and the renunciation and deception that often carries) is one of the most recurrent lyrical themes of The Boss. “Now all them things that seemed so important / Well mister they vanished right into the air”


that's just why I compared him to Clint Eastwood

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

About Springsteen and America:
You're probably dead right, VanillaFire, that his lyrics could come form nowhere else. But what makes them art, I'd say, is precisely the fact that he is able to make others, who would not be able to write those songs themselves, see what he sees and feel what he feels (or what the songs' protagonists feel or whatever ...). But I think a lot of it would be lost (on me, but not necessarily on all listeners, I suppose) without a reasonable grasp of the language he happens to sing in. If half the world happened to be semi-fluent in Spanish or Chinese, I'm sure the AM top 100 would look different.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

I don't know what to think about Springsteen. My friends who love him listen to classic rock only, I know Nicolas' tastes reach far beyond classic rock, but it would be interesting to see the lists of other Bruce fans. It does seem like it is a certain person that is a Bruce fan but that just might be a misconception because of my small sample size of friends. He's definitely not an artist that only caters to an older crowd.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

nicolas
Makes me think of that chart Henrik made once classifying Amers according to their tastes from the most electro/dance oriented to the most roots/guitar[/quote


Anyone have a link to that chart?

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Hello Nicolas,
For Springsteen and Dylan, I really think they are both typically american. If only I can write english for express all I want to say. I continue in french, sorry. Springsteen et Dylan sont donc pour moi absolument inécoutables.
J'ai essayé et essaye encore régulièrement de m'en mettre un petit dans le lecteur CD mais invariablement je ne peux finir l'écoute. Je pense que ça vient de mon incomprehension complète de ce qu'ils peuvent bien chanter. Is sont pour moi les deux grands mystères de la musique "pop/rock". De les voir toujours dans ce type de classement en tête de listes me fait halluciner à chaque fois.
Ils correspondent à mon sens à ce que l'on peut appeler de par chez nous "la chanson française", c'est à dire que le texte importe bien bien plus que la musique en elle-même, musique que je trouve barbante au possible chez les deux. Ce seraient un peu les Brassens américains selon moi.
Je ne m'explique pas cela, car, par exemple, Neil Young, que je rapproche de ces deux là, me plaît énormément et j'écoute ses disques très régulièrement avec grand plaisir, sans piper un seul mot de ce qu'il raconte...car la mélodie est là, superbe.

Je n'ai jamais trouvé les clefs pour "les deux grands" auteurs américains. Je ne désespère pas...
Quant à Dylan, sa voix et son harmonica ne m'aide vraiment pas, elle me donne des frissons, mais pas pour de bonnes raisons.
A+

In english, I want to say I don't love Springsteen and Dylan, totally incredible for me to see these two giants in the lists each time. And I think because the text must be so good writing that I must lose a lot without understanding. It's very strange, I adore Neil young for example, and I don't understand one word because the beauty of the melody are much better. Sorry again for my english(for this torture)

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Don't worry about your English, I think we all get where you're coming from.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Romain, peut-être tu as écoutés les disques incorrects. Tu as besoin de comprendre les textes pour profiter des disques comme «Nebraska» ou «The Times They Are A-Changin’», mais la musique de «Born to Run» ou «Blonde on Blonde» est complètement plaisant, même sans les textes.
Romain, maybe you’ve heard the wrong albums. You need to understand the lyrics to truly enjoy «Nebraska» or «The Times They Are A-Changin’», but the music of «Born to Run» or «Blonde on Blonde» (our #9 and 13) are completely enjoyable, even without the lyrics.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Nicolas, I should appear under Ziggy's fans, as I had him at 7th on my list.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

I try yesterday "Blood on the tracks"....and I can not listen all the album, totally impossible.
And the same schema for Springsteen..I don't know why, I don't understand Bowie, Prince, the Clash, but I always love their music so much. Why only these two guys are very boring for me, why ???? In the same style (sorry for the purist) Cash, Young, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen are much much better by the music, maybe not by the text ????

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Well, Cohen or Mitchell texts are superb too...

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

You guys are torturing me

You engage in a discussion about my favorite artists and I have to post the top 7.

I feel like when you're throwing a party and you have to care about your guests or Dj or bring the food and you can't really do what you want

In short : I love the Boss and Dylan's music, not only the words. I have a love for US traditional music (folk, blues, country, R&B) that's where they're coming from. So I really get their music and don't find it boring or bland or anything.
Dylan is a great singer even if technically he can't sing but in rock you don't have to be an opera singer (unless you're Roy Orbison).

And romain you mention Brassesn that's funny because he's part of my very favorite artists, and here again I don't find his music boring at all !

But indeed conceerning Dylan and Springsteen I always pay a lot attention to their lyrics, in fact I learnt part of my English reading the Boss lyrics. So maybe I have a different relation to music, more folk than rock, in which the core of everything is the song. As Neil Young once said a good song is one you can play with only an acoustic guitar. That's a folk conception I guess.

Springsteen, Neil, Brassens : you've named 3 of my top 4 artists (the 4th are the Beatles)

now back to the list

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

I'll probably skip or shorten the "moderator" part to post it more quickly

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

sorry SR

Your points were counted

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Henry
I have not been listening to Doolittle for long, so far I already enjoy the following songs quite a bit: Monkey Gone to Heaven, Here Comes Your Man, Debaser, and Gouge Away. The interplay between the drums and guitar in La La Love You are pretty good; but the vocals have not yet won me over. Wave of Mutilation is starting to gain on me. But, I have not yet been wowed by the other tracks on the Album yet. Perhaps you could suggest some of the aspects of Mr. Grieves and Tame that I could strive to appreciate more thoroughly.
I've never understood the idea of striving to appreciate something like music. Shouldn't the album itself make you appreciate it? Appreciating a piece of music because someone else tells you why it's wonderful just doesn't make sense to me. In a previous post you had asked for reasons the Beatles shouldn't be so high. Obviously, no one can say why an album should or should not be as high as it is. It's based on a group of people's opinions after all. But, I would argue that part of the reason albums like The Beatles' big 5 albums are so uniformly highly rated is because everyone feels they should be.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Honorio
Romain, peut-être tu as écoutés les disques incorrects. Tu as besoin de comprendre les textes pour profiter des disques comme «Nebraska» ou «The Times They Are A-Changin’», mais la musique de «Born to Run» ou «Blonde on Blonde» est complètement plaisant, même sans les textes.
Romain, maybe you’ve heard the wrong albums. You need to understand the lyrics to truly enjoy «Nebraska» or «The Times They Are A-Changin’», but the music of «Born to Run» or «Blonde on Blonde» (our #9 and 13) are completely enjoyable, even without the lyrics.

Your french is stunning (I hope this is the good word).Thanks for the answer.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

and one last thing : you can't love everything in this top 100 !

It just means that you're a normal person !

I don't like the Smiths except a couple songs I can't stand that skeletal sound but I don't feel guilty for that !

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

No problem !
Thanks.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Romain
Your french is stunning

Merci, Romain, mais Word aide beaucoup

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

#7



The Beatles – The Beatles (White Album) - 1968

4944.72 points

AM 3000 rank : 14

Appeared on 47 ballots / 68

Fans: Jonathan # 1, Mitchell Stirling # 1, Toni # 1, Honorio # 2, brose # 3, Michael P # 4, Rocky Racoon # 5, nicolas # 5, Nick # 6, Romain # 7, Miguel # 7, EdAmes # 9, Beans # 9, Jem # 10, Harold wexler # 10, Georgie # 10, pmickey # 13, Brad # 14, sonofsamian # 17, Henry # 19, Chevi # 20


Moderator:
No, it’s not number nine ... It’s even better than that !


Rocky Raccoon:
The title suggests unity, but the band was breaking apart and the music reflects the individual members at melancholy songwriting peaks.

Honorio
The “White Album” was the great leap forward for The Fab Four. In fact they went so far that planted the seeds of the band disintegration. Many songs were recorded without involvement of the other band members (“Mother Nature Son”, “Julia”, “Blackbird” or “Revolution 9” ). But this individualism and dispersion miraculously not only was no dead weight but indeed it was a virtue. They applied the perfect and precise arrangement to every song without looking for cohesiveness. If a song needed clarinets (“Honey Pie” ), distorted guitars (“Helter Skelter” ), honky-tonk pianos (“Rocky Racoon” ) or a full orchestra (“Good Night” ) that was what the song got. All for the Song. And Song for all.


nicolas:
The Beatles' attic : there's everything, it's the absolute anti-Sgt Pepper's. If it had been reduced to the first record, it could have made nb.1, although there are great moments in the 2nd, like helter Skelter

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Toni, so we have our first overlap, your #1 is my #2

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

I feel the same boredom as Romain about Bruce Srpingsteen and Bob Dylan while I enjoy Neil Young a lot.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

#6



Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

5164.14 points

AM 3000 rank : 11

Appeared on 47 ballots / 68

Fans: Paul # 1, Stephan # 1, otisredding # 1, Chevi # 2, sonofsamian # 4, BillAdama # 5, Mark # 5, Jem # 5, SR # 5, Alex D # 6, Peewee # 6, Peter # 6, Mitchell Stirling # 6, Rocky Racoon # 8, Jon Marck # 8, Jonathon # 12, Michael P # 9, pmickey # 10, Brad # 12, Jackson # 16, Michael # 17, EdAmes # 17, Nick # 20, Steven # 20


Moderator:
It has the same number of votes as the Beatles but lookat this impressive fan section : no less than 15 people had it in their top 10 ! But it looses ground compared to 2008 when it ended at # 3..;

Jon Marck:
Dylan continues in Bringing it all Back Home's ground-breaking style with a stronger emphasis on jagged blues and whacko lyrics. The album plays like a hipster tabloid. "Like A Rolling Stone" is Dylan's most uniting anthem (ironic, considering its cynicism), "Tombstone Blues" and the title track re-establish his love for nowhere poetry and loser heroes, and "Desolation Row", at the time his longest song, is a heartfelt tribute to street hooligans. This is when the folkies started calling him Judas.

Jackson:
I have nothing even close to original to say about this album, but what makes it my favorite Dylan album is, above all else, its opening and closing songs: "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Desolation Row." A novel could literally be written about either track, with the former's cultural implications and musical virtuosity and the latter's astoundingly complex lyrics. The seven tracks sandwiched in between serve as excellent complements to the album's bookending masterpieces. Has any Dylan song, besides "Subterranean Homesick Blues," ever approached the fun factor of "Tombstone Blues" or the title track? How highly rated would "Ballad of a Thin Man" be if it wasn't overshadowed by other songs? On Highway 61 Revisited, the music is top-notch, the lyrics are perhaps Dylan's most consistent across an entire album, and the entire work evokes a classic spirit.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

There's a big difference between English speaking and non-English speaking audiences : most of my friends don't care about the lyrics, they don't understand them and don't try to.

That's probably why they usually don't dig country and folk rock as much as I do.

Even I have to concentrate to understand the lyrics sometimes. So it's a completely different approach to music.

there are probably artrists that I like that wouldn't please me if I'd understand their lyrics better. It is not just the sense of words but the way they are told, the social context, etc

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Interesting comment.

Being an open-minded liberal and an analytical type who delves into epistemological aspects of my world view; I tend to search for perspectives different than my own to expand my worldview as much as possible.

I have had numerous experiences where after considering someone else's perspective, I have been able to appreciate/enjoy art, literature or performance that was not so enjoyable for me before I gained that perspective. This enhanced enjoyment is not based merely on the other person's perspective but my ability (in some instances) to use that perspective to change the effect of the art/literature/performance on myself. Admittedly, there are plenty of instances where other person's perspective fails to change the effect of the art/literature/performance on me, and for these instances my view of the piece won't change.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

It's weird, I don't consider myself a lyrics guy, I prefer a good melody over insightful lyrics. But, I have a hard time listening to music in other languages because I can't understand the lyrics and I have to read the lyrics to enjoy the songs. It's weird because I listen to english music all the time without even caring or listening to what's being sung. I suppose I can still comprehend the lyrics without really listening.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

The Evolution in AM Forums

2009-2008-2005

6 - 3 - 19 - Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited
7 - 4 - 4 - The Beatles - The Beatles ("White Album")
8 - 11 - 9 - David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
9 - 10 - 25 - Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
10 - 8 - 5 - The Beatles - Abbey Road
11 - 9 - 7 - The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
12 - 12 - 17 - Pixies - Doolittle
13 - 29 - 187 - Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
14 - 16 - 6 - The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
15 - 18 - 33 - The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St
16 - 20 - 42 - Arcade Fire - Funeral
17 - 15 - 34 - Nirvana - Nevermind
18 - 22 - 15 - Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
19 - 25 - 28 - Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
20 - 28 - 92 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

#5



The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

5164.96 points

AM 3000 rank : 4

Appeared on 51 ballots / 68

Fans: Chevi # 1, Steven # 3, lagire # 3, Michael # 4, Jonathon # 4, pmickey # 5, Jackson # 6, Stephan # 7, Chris # 7, Brad # 7, Nick # 9, Ramone666 # 9, Tim O # 9, SR # 10, Dr. Robert # 10, pop elton # 11, Brose # 12, Michel # 12, Hauke # 13, Rocky Racoon # 14, EdAmes # 15, Jem # 16, Honorio # 17, Octopus # 17, Rune # 18, Georgie # 20


Moderator:
For the first time a record gets more than 50 votes : huge ! you’ll notice there’s only a 0.82 pt difference between the Vu and Highway 61 !! After discovering and correcting a mistake (I had given nj’s points to another Vu album) Lou Reed and his friends passed the Zim. Almost a tie...

Jackson:
This is one album that can truly please virtually all critics, from Rolling Stone to Piero Scaruffi. The reason is a mix of pop, rock, and avant-garde brilliance, as well as the fact that a lack of musical talent does not denigrate the group's wealth of musical ideas. Even if you take away its influence and importance to the alternative music scene, The Velvet Underground & Nico still holds its ground as a classic due to an engaging, diverse set of songs. "Sunday Morning" and "Heroin" pack emotional punch in completely different ways, "I'm Waiting for the Man" and "Run Run Run" are excellent straight-up rock, and "Venus in Furs" and "All Tomorrow's Parties" are captivating due to hypnotic, repetitive rhythm sections. Its sound may not be for everybody, but most who like TVU&N approve of its status as one of the all-time rock milestones.

Honorio:
A series of fortunate collisions generated this masterpiece: the collision between street-wise rock & roll of Lou Reed and classical background of John Cale, between inquisitive and intuitive musicians like Reed & Cale and Andy Warhol (the pop-art Pope at the time), between heroin and pushers urban stories and the decadent glamour of The Factory transvestites and starlets, between rock & roll and art.

Moonbeam:
Rarely, if ever, has a debut album revealed an artist as fully-formed and limitless as The Velvet Underground. Over the course of 11 songs, VU would merge previously distant genres while simultaneously creating others. Ultimately, a large part of the brilliance of this album is due to the careful balance which makes the album sound more like a veritable voyage than a mere collection of amazing songs.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

see you later for the top 4

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Excellent list. So we have London Calling not only on the Top 5 but even higher. It's my guess for the #4, although in my opinion could belong to the Top 3.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

John
I don't know what to think about Springsteen. My friends who love him listen to classic rock only, I know Nicolas' tastes reach far beyond classic rock, but it would be interesting to see the lists of other Bruce fans. It does seem like it is a certain person that is a Bruce fan but that just might be a misconception because of my small sample size of friends. He's definitely not an artist that only caters to an older crowd.


bruce definitely caters to a wide variety of people. my favorite album is Loveless and bruce is one of my favorites (along with dylan)

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

I'm so glad my high school French is actually being used for a change .

Anyway, I voted for all 4 remaining albums, three of them in my Top 20. But, I hope "Pet Sounds" is the one that ends up on top (even though that's extremely unlikely).

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

I would dearly love for it to crack the top 3, but I just can't see it. Although I didn't think it would be head of the VU&Nico either.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Fantastic top 5; I voted for all of them in my top 12. I'd love to see a new number one, but I doubt it. London Calling will probably be next, though I'd love to see it higher. And yeah, having high school-level French knowledge did turn out to be an unexpected help in this thread!

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

I thought VU&N would be even higher. It seems it got a lot of votes but only 1 #1 (mine :)).
Like the comments stated: the perfect blend between raw R&R and art. A decadently beautiful album.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Ok folks, I guess this is the home stretch now. Ready ?

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

nicolas
Ok folks, I guess this is the home stretch now. Ready ?


Allez les bleus. Sorry, I was watching you guys beat South Africa in the rugby earlier on and I got a little carried away

Please dont be london Calling up next.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Jackson
Fantastic top 5; I voted for all of them in my top 12. I'd love to see a new number one, but I doubt it. London Calling will probably be next, though I'd love to see it higher. And yeah, having high school-level French knowledge did turn out to be an unexpected help in this thread!


Do you mean my english is so bad that you prefer read my french ?
Whatever, in this world, we have two type of guy, pet sound lover's and the others, I'm in the other side.
With BS and BD, it's the third (and last) thing I never understand in music list. How this album can be so hight ?

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

(answering to Beans post)

Oh did we win ? Great !!

Good omen for tomorrow !!

I'll be finished with the poll and I'll enjoy the game

If Ireland wins, I'll support them in South Africa

Without you guys I don't think the music would be just as good

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

#4



The Beatles– Revolver(1966)

5345.04 points

AM 3000 rank : 2

Appeared on 55 ballots / 68

Fans (23): Nick # 1, SR # 1, Harold # 2, pmickey # 3, Jem # 3, John # 5, Ramone666 # 6, Michael P # 6, schwah # 7, Henry # 7, Alex D # 7, Dr Robert ( ) # 8, Jonathon # 9, Brose # 11, Pewee # 11, Mitchell Stirling # 11, Jackson # 12, Chris # 13, Honorio # 13, Penguin # 13, Beans # 14, Jon Marck # 17, nicolas # 20


Moderator:
That’s where the Beatles go off. Contrary to the other artists in the top 4, the Beatles had no towering, unanimously acclaimed album, and the splitting effect between their “Fab 4” (Revolver, Sgt Pepper, White Album, Abbey Road) explains this. But not only. As you will see in otisredding statistics, the 4 Beatles albums are in recession in comparison with the previous posts . Revolver was 2nd both in 2005 and 2008. So there really is a relative decline of the Beatles domination on this forum polls. Will we witness this in the 60s polls next year ?


BillAdama:
Here's what's so amazing about the Beatles. They recorded music forty years ago, and young kids are still hearing it and loving it. They even made a video game based on their music. What other band can claim to have such trans-generational appeal? The Beatles were the second highest selling act of the 00's.


Honorio
The Fab Four expanded their musical palette with “Revolver” and doing this expanded their (our) minds. With adventurous but successful forays into classical music (“Eleanor Rigby” ), Hindu music (“Love You To” ) or avant-garde (“Tomorrow Never Knows” ). They incorporated it to its own style (a horn solo as the one in “For No One” is now a Beatles-style solo) and, even more important, took it to massive audiences.

Jon Marck:
The Beatles had one rule for newly-promoted 20-year-old head engineer Geoff Emerick: no instrument should sound like it normally does. He took the words to heart, placing microphones INSIDE the bells of horn sections, routing sounds through Leslie cabinets and pushing microphones dangerously close to Ringo's thumping bass drum. As a result "She Said She Said" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" remain the most surreal songs in the Beatles catalogue while "And Your Bird Can Sing" is straight-ahead rock 'n' roll turned psychedelic car chase.



nicolas
So much has been said about this album. Among the Fab Four albums, it is the one that sounds the most “modern”, probably because of the recording techniques (see JonMarck’s comment above). Oh yes, there is one thing : I’d like to express all my love for “Yellow Submarine”, the song that is always pointed at as Revolver’s only faux pas. The Beatles had a great sense of humor and could be really big children sometimes and write simple and funny nursery rhyme like songs. My 2-yr old son was singing “Obladi Oblada” in his bath today, my mom loves “Maxwell Silver Hammer”... sometimes the critics are too fucking serious. The Beatles never took themselves seriously, and that’s essential in my love for them. And they could make great music and appeal to everyone, every generation. I’m not an angry young man (and never really wa one) so that doesn’t bother me, on the contrary I love their childish side.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Romain
Jackson
Fantastic top 5; I voted for all of them in my top 12. I'd love to see a new number one, but I doubt it. London Calling will probably be next, though I'd love to see it higher. And yeah, having high school-level French knowledge did turn out to be an unexpected help in this thread!


Do you mean my english is so bad that you prefer read my french ?


nah, we just love to reignite our rusty french that we'd been taught in school some ages ago...

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Bon si ça continue moi je vais tout poster en Français et là vous ferez moins les malins...

Feels good to express EXACTLY what you mean..

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Thanks Nicolas, thats very gracious.
Last time we played you guys in Paris, the 30000 Irish fans who managed to get their hands on tickets all hummed along (quite loudly) to Les Marseillais before kick off, so you're probably right about the music.

Thanks for the no show with LC yet.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

sorry Beans

#3



The Clash – London Calling (1979)

5420.39 points

AM 3000 rank : 9

Appeared on 46 ballots / 68

Fans (24): Wes # 1, lagire # 1, Beans # 1, Dr Robert # 1, Tim E #1, Paul # 2, Beefsupreme # 2, Jackson # 2, Nick # 3, Honorio # 4, Michel # 5, Midaso # 5, brose # 5, pmickey # 7, Rocky Racoon # 7, Bruno # 8, Harold Wexler # 8, Jonathon # 11, BillAdama # 12, SR # 12, Ramone666 # 16, Hauke # 17, Tim O # 20, otisredding # 20


Moderator:
Wow, great and quite unexpected performance for the Clash ! They are rising as well in AM 3000, moving up with last update. Five # 1, a record. And since the first poll they never stopped moving up from 11 to 7 then a big jump to the third step of the podium.

Rocky Raccoon:
This sprawling double album contains more diversity than most bands achieve in a lifetime. Amazing coming from a punk band, but they had matured at this point. A perfect way to end the '70s and kick off the ‘80s.

Honorio
“London Calling” is the perfect document of a jailbreak, of a band breaking the bars of the cage in which they confined themselves, of a punk-rock band realizing that they can make MUSIC in capital letter. They achieved a perfect balance between rehearsed and improvised, between conscious and spontaneous. Rude boys, freedom fighters on Spanish Civil War, Monty Clift, Jimmy Jazz, Stagger Lee. Ska, rockabilly, reggae, power-pop, hard rock, soul or even jazz, anything that could scare away the old punk fan base was good enough. But not losing the apocalyptic, combative, nihilistic and furious energy of punk.

Jackson:
If aliens wanted to know what rock music sounded like, this would be the first album I would give them. The level of achievement is so ridiculous on London Calling, it's hard to know where to start. The album's musicianship puts most other punk bands to shame, its lyrics put most other rock bands to shame, and its song structure puts most pop artists to shame. There are so many great songs that if you told someone this was The Clash's greatest-hits album, they would believe you. London Calling is fun, energetic, well-performed, and very listenable, making it an unbeatable achievement among conventional rock albums.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

How can I complain with third?

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

nicolas
Bon si ça continue moi je vais tout poster en Français et là vous ferez moins les malins...

Feels good to express EXACTLY what you mean..


so was von... und bitte nicht aufhören... :)

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

#2



The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (1966)

6292.05 points

AM 3000 rank : 1

Appeared on 55 ballots / 68

Fans (33): pmickey # 1, Alex D # 1, Penguin # 2, Midaso # 2, Jem # 2, Peewee # 2, Georgie # 2, Paul # 3, VanillaFire1000 # 4, Nick # 4, Brose # 4, Jackson # 4, Greg # 5, John # 6, Stephan # 6, Tim O # 6, Octopus # 7, Michael P # 7, schaefer .tk #7, SR # 8, Miguel # 9, Honorio # 10, Jonathon # 10, Bruno # 10, Mindrocker # 12, Mitchell Stirling # 15, nicolas # 15, Peter # 17, Marc # 18, Steven # 18, Hauke # 18, Chevi # 19, Harold Wexler # 20,


Moderator:
There’s the grand canyon between the Clash and the Beach Boys : 871.66 pts !! 33 people have put it in their T20, which is almost 50 % of the voters !

Jackson:
This is the most acclaimed album of all time for a reason. Forty-plus years after its release, it still stands as the preeminent combination of beauty and melody in pop music. Appealing to emotion through incredible vocal performances, simple yet truly meaningful lyrics, and elegant arrangements that are much-imitated but never-equalled, Pet Sounds is something really special. I'm not sure why Brian Wilson wrecked his life and career over trying to out-compete The Beatles--he had already trumped any album they would ever put out with Pet Sounds. You can describe a work on this level with a spectrum of superlatives, but one hits home more than any other: life-affirming. That's what this album has been to most who hear it, and that's what it should have been to Brian Wilson.

Honorio
Brian Wilson left aside the glorification of Californian life, the beaches, cars and girls that characterized the thematic of Beach Boys till then. Wilson: “I was not trying to entertain people, I was expressing my feelings straight from the heart”. Now he talks about feelings, dreams (“Wouldn’t it Be Nice” ), maladjustment (“I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” ), spiritual love (“God Only Knows” ) or losing of innocence (“Caroline No”: “Where did your long hair go / Where is the girl I used to know / How could you lose that happy glow?” ).

nicolas
When I got this album, the first track that fascinated me was the unreleased rehersal when they sing a capella. Such a perfection set shivers down my spine. Then I discovered the rest of the album and its infinite delicacy and incredible arragements and of course, vocal performances. Not to mention songs like “God Only Knows” or “Wasn’t made For These Times” (a question I ask my self everuy now and then), and those lovely instrumentals; Unique.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

nicolas! are you accepting guesses for what will be number one? because i have a really good feeling about this one!

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

souljaboytellem.com for no.1 then?

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

nicolas
#3



The Clash – London Calling (1979)

5420.39 points


Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Not that it makes any difference in the voting but London Calling was # 15 on my list, not # 20. Thanks for all your hard work Nicolas. Its an interesting poll.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Tim O'Donovan
Not that it makes any difference in the voting but London Calling was # 15 on my list, not # 20. Thanks for all your hard work Nicolas. Its an interesting poll.

Sorry Tim, I counted it as # 15

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Great rises for London Calling and Pet Sounds! It'll be interesting to see just how far Soulja Boy outdistanced the competition.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

I'm about to announce the winner...

drum roll.... souljahboy or black eyed peas ?

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

#1



Radiohead – OK Computer (1997)

6301.27 points

AM 3000 rank : 13

Appeared on 49 ballots / 68

Fans (31): Jem # 1, Michael P # 1, Chris # 1, pop elton # 1, Harold Wexler # 1, Nick # 2, brose # 2, Jonah # 2, Dr. Robert # 2, Octopus # 2, Midaso # 3, Hauke # 3, Jacek # 3, Mitchell Stirling # 3, Marc # 4, Steven # 4, Peter # 4, Chevi # 4, lagire # 4, Jon Marck # 4, Honorio # 5, Michael # 5, Peewee # 5, SR # 6, BillAdama # 7, John # 8, Jackson # 11, Penguin # 17, Nassim # 17, Jonathon # 17, Alex D # 17


Moderator:
For once I’l tell you about myself here, cause I was the one who made Radiohead win, although I prefer “pet sounds”.Radiohead had taken the lead since the 15th voter or so, and then in the very end after a series of fantastic scores, it just collapsed, still scoring but never more than 100 points, while in the same time Pet Sounds was rising. I added my list in the end while Ok Computer was still 80 points ahead. I didn’t make any calculations, I added my list as it was, and in the end Radiohead is still leading.... by 9.22 points ! nothing (a # 200 gets 19.09 points). A short win but a deserved win for an album who won with 49 ballots against 55 for “Pet Sounds” and with 5 number ones (like the Clash). For the third year in a row, the winner is still OK Computer but the challenge was tough !


Jackson:
Why does just about any best-albums list you look at have this listed above just about everything made in the last three decades? Ask ten huge OK Computer fans and you'll get ten different answers. My enjoyment of the album comes in large part due to its immaculate production. If there's an album out there with production values this crisp, well-purposed, and well-composed, then I haven't heard it. Various elements slickly flow through the songs, and everything sounds a little different from your typical rock album, resulting in some moments where I have absolutely no idea what's going on (like the first minute of "Paranoid Android"). The songs are uniquely structured, almost all of them building up to a climax led by vocal harmonies. And, though I find Thom Yorke's lyrics to be the album's weakest link, I cannot deny that the music and his voice do a great job of communicating his feelings. Twelve years after its release, OK Computer is downright iconic in the alternative world, and I doubt that will change over the coming decades.

Nassim:
I guess lots of people will talk about this album in a better way than I could if I try but I have to say one think that nobody else will : Electioneering is one of the best song of the album, one of the greatest riff of the decade and one of the best use of cowbell ever (and God knows the only cure for my fever is more cowbell !)

Honorio
The peak for both Radiohead and indie rock. Recorded in a Victorian mansion (formerly property of actress Jane Seymour) using the natural echoes of the different rooms, working with electronic textures, adding complex rhythmic-patterns and ever-changing song structures, evolving lyrically from teenage rage to adulthood resignation and expanding notably their music palette, Radiohead created an astonishing masterpiece that deals with modern world alienation with an impressive deepness.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

and another number one : Sophie Lejeune, and my children Cyann and Basile Lejeune, who saw me stuck to my computer like a robot for more than a month !!!

Thank YOU for your lists, comments and support !

Now I'm off to bed and I'll enjoy my week end with a great football game tomorrow (play off for World Cup qualification against ireland)

I'll come back monday with more news.

I'll probably need your help for posting 68 individual lists and statistics

See ya

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Wow - unbelievably close in the end.

Great job Nicolas - cheers

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Oh wow, I expected an OK Computer blowout. So close Pet Sounds! If only I had left it off my ballot out of spite. I mean, I like it, but Pet Sounds is PET SOUNDS.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Merci beaucoup nicolas !

The fact that if I had put OK Computer but one place lower, my #1 album would have been our #1 album is truly astounding. Who'd have expected it to be so close!?

Although I do love OKC, I don't think it's worthy of a greatest-of-all-time status or even a favorite-of-all-time status. For some reason it doesn't just strike me as "classic"...

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

"Pet Sounds": number 2 on my list, number 2 on the forum list. Funny, cause I just realized that "God Only Knows" is also my number 2 song.

Too bad "Pet Sounds" couldn't have pulled off the upset (funny to say that, since in the AM3000, "Pet Sounds" is number 1). Surprised at the last few albums, actually though. Thought some would be better or worse (I guess it changes with more people).

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

I would have had OKC at 2 if I voted and Pet Sounds wouldn't have been on the list, so I guess I have to wait for 2010.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Of course, the problem with doing regular polls is, although it's the best way to get the largest group consensus, it means everybody who votes is voting against everything they haven't heard.

I wonder if there's some way to take the same data and increase the points to stuff that's gotten less exposure. I bet Henrik could think of a way.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Dividing total points by number of votes would measure the passion fans have for their favorite albums and call attention to some lesser-known albums that have inspired intense support among their few supporters/discoverers.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Beatles and Dylan are always going to finish just behind in these polls since they have so many great albums that split the votes.

Good show Nicolas!

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Great job with everything, nicolas! It's been fun seeing the list unfold. I can't wait for our very own Poll Top 3000!

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Thanks Nicolas for this huge work.
As usual, it's not the top list (1-20) the most interesting (always the same album) but the lower albums.
I don't know only one album, the Charles mingus "The black saint..."

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Great job Nicolas, thanks a lot. A nice, varied list with some startling picks in the lower sections and then typically conservative near the top (although Arcade Fire this high was definitely a surprise to me). Cheers to all who participated.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Many thanks Nicolas, excellent work!

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

And, if I’m allowed to continue with some comments about America and rock&roll. Of course that rock ‘n’ roll is an American affair. In fact all the XX Century belonged to America, economic pre-eminence was always related with cultural pre-eminence. The best music and movies (almost) of the XX Century came from America, many music styles we all love were born in America (many of them from African Americans by the way).
But this was not always like that. During the previous century (XIX) the old Europe was the preeminent cultural force (and also economic). Beethoven, Wilde, Chopin, Renoir, Wagner, Goya, Zola, Byron, Liszt, Blake,… And if we go back even further, France during the XVIII Century and Spain during the XVII were the centre of the universe then.
And who really knows about what the XXI Century will take? The economic rising of China and Asia in general maybe will displace also the cultural focus. Not still popular but the Asiatic movies are beginning to gain the critics attention (Wong Kar-Wai, Hayao Miyazaki, Jia Zhang-Ke) and monopolize some festival awards. The Asiatic music is the most unknown right now (I told this previously in the “update” thread) but maybe this situation is going to change soon…

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Honorio,

Another factor to consider: What made American music so special in the 20th century had a lot to do with the mixing of many different cultures from around the world into one geographic location. You don't see that kind of wide cultural diversity in the Asian countries like China and Japan. (Of course, that factor may be less important now that technology let's musical ideas flow so freely across physical boundaries. But my little music blog was banned in China, so who knows...)

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Just catching up on all the fascinating comments and stuff for the last 7 entries. Fantastic job, Nicolas!

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Thanks Nicolas. Great job.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Many compliments for all the work you did nicolas. It was really great pleasure. I'm looking forward to the spreadsheet to find some interesting albums on the individual lists.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

First off, excellent job to Nicolas. If I end up running the song poll, it'll be very difficult to do as well as you did here.

Second, I wish I had voted OK Computer at least two spots further down (which I had been considering anyway) so Pet Sounds (which I prefer) would have won. I guess it would be a little boring for the forum's number 1 to be the same as the AM number 1, but in that sense, it's equally boring for the same album to win three consecutive forum polls. It is a classic that certainly deserves it, but I'd love to see something different come out on top. Maybe "A Day in the Life" won't win the song poll this year...

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Ok Computer number one?: No surprises

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

I'll come up soon with the definitive list !

after the last mistake, "The Velvet Underground" is replaced at # 100 by... the Replacements' "Let It Be"

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Wonderful job Nicolas. Thank you so much for your hard work and dedication.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Merci Nicolas!!! Cela dit j'ai une question subsidiaire: quel serait ton Top 10 d'albums blues?
Thanks Nicolas! That said, what would be your definitive Top 10 Blues Albums Of All Time?

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Welcome !

now : football !

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Nicolas, what an amzing work you've done! Unfortunately I missed the top 10 countdown. That's an incredible race between OK Computer and Pet Sounds, but also an impressive distance down to London Calling (872 points!).

nicolas
and another number one : Sophie Lejeune, and my children Cyann and Basile Lejeune, who saw me stuck to my computer like a robot for more than a month !!!
Malin (my wife)'s reaction: Well, you're stuck every day, every month! Which is pretty much the truth, but I have a problem now and it's that every time I go to the computer my two-year old Hanna comes and says "titta bilder!" ("look at photos!") which has quickly become her favorite hobby.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Thank you Nicolas for running the poll; the results are really magnificent. Pet Sounds near-upset is pretty much awesome sauce.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Excellent presentation nicolas, you set the bar higher once again. I liked the moderator (yes, that works in English although I'm not sure it's exactly what it means in French) comments especially.

Just finished my yearly ritual of listening to OK Computer after the AM poll and I'm still sticking to my 7.5. I've listened to the album more often than most albums I love by now, and I still don't get it.

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Thanks, nicolas, for this brilliant poll!

I agree the best thing is seeing the 100-20 results, but, even though our top 12 was the same as last poll it reserved many surprises, especially that though race between the two front runners.

And finally I see another one who doesn't consider Electioneering one of the low points of OKC! Nassim, that bells in the intro, sticked to the end of Fitter Happier, always surprises and thrills me! I remember I was the only one to vote for it in the 97 round for the '90s poll.

Well, this time the White Album didn't achieve the top 5, but's still far ahead of its place in the AM rank. I could say its really high rated for an album about which many people complain so much. And yes, Honorio, I couldn't think of a best overlap than this, hehe!

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

nicolas
Welcome !

now : football !


ahhh, you effin lucky CESM's..(insert other fox news curse words in here)... nah, second truth is, i'd've wanted you both qualifiying for the finals... who needs either ukraine or greece participating in it anyway?? ..again, those drawings were ridicalass (ps: being polemical is one of me big ntroll funz, so no offense at all to those involved)

and belated congrats to New Zealand... 27 years, yeeesh..

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Honorio
And, if I’m allowed to continue with some comments about America and rock&roll. Of course that rock ‘n’ roll is an American affair. In fact all the XX Century belonged to America, economic pre-eminence was always related with cultural pre-eminence. The best music and movies (almost) of the XX Century came from America, many music styles we all love were born in America (many of them from African Americans by the way).
But this was not always like that. During the previous century (XIX) the old Europe was the preeminent cultural force (and also economic). Beethoven, Wilde, Chopin, Renoir, Wagner, Goya, Zola, Byron, Liszt, Blake,… And if we go back even further, France during the XVIII Century and Spain during the XVII were the centre of the universe then.
And who really knows about what the XXI Century will take? The economic rising of China and Asia in general maybe will displace also the cultural focus. Not still popular but the Asiatic movies are beginning to gain the critics attention (Wong Kar-Wai, Hayao Miyazaki, Jia Zhang-Ke) and monopolize some festival awards. The Asiatic music is the most unknown right now (I told this previously in the “update” thread) but maybe this situation is going to change soon…


the boredoms are asiatic! see #39 of Pitchfork's 500 albums of the decade

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

Paul
What made American music so special in the 20th century had a lot to do with the mixing of many different cultures from around the world into one geographic location.

Yes, Paul, you raised a very interesting point. Many of the styles that were born in the USA were due to the interaction of different cultures. Jazz for instance was in fact the afroamericans trying their luck with the instruments coming from military brass bands (an European tradition), creating a new and fresh style. And you’re right, this is not the case today in Asia.


Michael
the boredoms are asiatic! see #39 of Pitchfork's 500 albums of the decade

Yes, Michael, The Boredoms, Yoko Ono, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and a trio from India (Shivkumar Sharma, Brijbushan Kabra & Hariprasad Chaurasia) and are the only Asiatic artists with representation in the AM Top 3000 (because M.I.A., Leila or Mika are really “Occidental” artists despite their “Oriental” roots).
But I can’t blame anyone, I admit that I have listened very little Asiatic music (except Nusrat and Ryuichi Sakamoto).

Re: AMF Top 200 Album poll : the results part 4 (the top 20)

How about Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts from Blood on the Tracks. This song always makes me smile.

When I was younger (way back in the early 1970's before Blood on the Tracks was released), I was a Dylan skeptic - mainly because I found his vocals to be generally irritating (Lay Lady Lay and a few other exceptions tested this general perception). At one point, I had a rule that I would not subject myself to more than 20 minutes of Dylan in a single sitting.

But, Dylan has grown on me since, and I was able to enjoy Blood on the Tracks on my very first listen and still enjoy it a great deal today. After Blood on the Track was released, I began to enjoy Dylan's earlier work more and more.

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