a compilation of album and songs critical features, that's how the top artists are compiled. In any event, how has Steely Dan fared on best-artists-type lists? The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 (three years after first becoming eligible).

In any event, Pete- you're acting like Steely dan fares poorly via AM's methodology- ranking in the 60s is pretty darn good.

All I can say is that I am so grateful for this website. The jolt provided by this update is indeed great! I'll be sure to get the RYM links to you soon, Henrik.

Many many thanks to Henrik !

From now on I'll use the new top 3000 for comparisons in my AMF top 200 albums countdown !

Yeah, the 2000s' very top albums will be steady, but I can't wait for the huge jumps and drops in the 30-100 range. There will be many, I'm hoping, and expecting.

As for the new all-time rankings, I'm so glad Oasis is dropping. This trend will no doubt continue with future updates. The world is slowly righting itself. The economy will be fixed, and Oasis' albums will be out of the top 200.

Thanks a lot Henrik,

Seems like there had been a lot of French lists in the new update to help that many French albums reach the top 3000. I'm stunned that Tostaky is the highest entry, but really it is probably the most important French rock album of the past 30 years.

Glad to see some of my top 100 albums in the entry list (Yoyoyoyo, OK Cowboy and the Shape of Punk to Come deserved more acclaimed) but at the same time one of my top10 is out (In Case We die).

And of course, glad to see Either/Or reach at last the top 500 (and Elliott Smith the top 200), even though I was expected is self titled album to crack the AM3000.

Veneno, Joan Manule Serrat, Pata Negra, Camarón, Vainica Doble, Gabinet Caligari, Alaska y los Pegamoides, Alaska y Dinarama, Sisa, Radio Futura.


Spain has never managed to export their rock music. These great records have come into AM through lists of Spanish music magazines. It is a selection that reflects well the best thing that has made the Spanish pop-rock for the past 40 years.

Until recently, the only representation of Spanish music was Macarena: it's a horrible song.

Now everything is fine.

Thanks to Henrik: your idea to accept national music charts, entering among the best, these fantastic records.

Henrik, you’re awesome!

Obviously, it’s of major interest how releases of the last decade or so are doing. Some stuff happening with old favourites too, though:

Good to finally see what is easily Bob Dylan’s best album between 1976 and 1989 (possibly between 1976 and 1997!) enter the list.
And Graham Parker’s “Mona Lisa’s Sister” deserves to be there. Green on Red’s “Snakes” too.

And good old Lonnie Mack enters AM (for the first time?) ... ! Whooee!

Sad to say goodbye to two fine Neil Young albums, though. – And Grant Lee Buffalo’s “Mighty Joe Moon” leves too ... what the ...???

And T-Bone Burnett and Slade are now bubbling-under only, abum-wise. I’ll keep my copy of "Proof Through the Night", though ...

Fantastic work, Henrik. I hope somebody’s really paying you well for your day job!

Mostly because I don't know how possible it will be for me to update the site again next year, as we will have our second baby in the beginning of January. But also because you (and I, not least) have been waiting so long.

Just a note on the list of albums that have fallen out of the top 3000: as I noted in a previous thread prior to the update, Sonny Rollins' NIGHT AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD, VOL. 2 has been removed from the database entirely, almost certainly because the two volumes are never considered separately anymore (particularly since the combined CD reissue).

I figured as much after I wrote that. Thanks for the site and for all your work Henrik and congrats on the baby!

I totally agree .

I agree. The British press likes to sabotage their own heroes by overhyping them. "OASIS IS THE NEW BEATLES!" (They immediately stop producing hits). It's the same thing they did to Tim Henman. And The Strokes, and Coldplay.

The album I'm saddest to see vanish from the top 3000 is Crazy Ex Girlfriend. Critics ignore it cause it's country, especially outside the US. The only site I've ever seen give it props is Popmatters.

Has anyone gone through and looked for greatest gainers? I know Comme a la Radio went up like 1500 points.

Sorry if you know this already, but to "go through and look" for these things all you need to do is to re-sort the spreadsheet that is available from the AM home page. The top 20 climbers:

Miossec - Boire (climbed 1493 places - from 2811 to 1318)
Brigitte Fontaine & Art Ensemble of Chicago - Comme à la Radio (climbed 1353 places - from 2902 to 1549)
Kraftwerk - Radio-aktivität (climbed 1270 places - from 2450 to 1180)
Milton Nascimento & Lo Borges - Clube da esquina (climbed 1247 places - from 2392 to 1145)
Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds (climbed 1221 places - from 2199 to 978)
Mano Negra - Puta's Fever (climbed 1205 places - from 2388 to 1183)
Chico Buarque - Construcao (climbed 1180 places - from 2693 to 1513)
J Dilla aka Jay Dee - Donuts (climbed 1171 places - from 2183 to 1012)
Rufus Wainwright - Want One (climbed 1152 places - from 2233 to 1081)
Diana Ross - Diana (climbed 1037 places - from 2195 to 1158)
Einstürzende Neubauten - Kollaps (climbed 1018 places - from 2177 to 1159)
The National - Alligator (climbed 1018 places - from 2296 to 1278)
Propellerheads - Decksandrumsandrockandroll (climbed 953 places - from 2843 to 1890)
Kevin Ayers - Joy of a Toy (climbed 919 places - from 2554 to 1635)
Elton John - Elton John (climbed 917 places - from 2981 to 2064)
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - ACME (climbed 909 places - from 2883 to 1974)
Mogwai - Rock Action (climbed 898 places - from 2441 to 1543)
2 Many DJs - As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt. 2 (climbed 896 places - from 2739 to 1843)
Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism (climbed 856 places - from 1821 to 965)
Le Tigre - Le Tigre (climbed 849 places - from 2617 to 1768)

Other results I'm very happy about (Stuff I put in my top 200):

Tool - Aenima 1235-782
Os Mutantes - Os Mutantes 1095-799

And, the highest percentage gain:
Daft Punk - Discovery 1327-547 (58.8%)

Also in terms of percentage gain, Silent Shout comes in fourth behind Moissec and J Dilla.

The big winners seem to be France and Spain, judging by your gainer list, and the fact that Serge Gainsbourg was the highest entry into the top 500.

"As for the new all-time rankings, I'm so glad Oasis is dropping. This trend will no doubt continue with future updates. The world is slowly righting itself. The economy will be fixed, and Oasis' albums will be out of the top 200".[/quote]

The world is doing a half-arsed job of righting itself if Be Here Now has forced its flabby, cocaine addled carcass into the top 3000 albums.

The rise of Alligator has put a big smile on my face

Aw sweet, an update! I wasn't expecting one of these any time soon, this is great! Thank you so much, Henrik!

-brian

the update is much appreciated- satill taking it in. :)

Question: Were the Iguana albums lists removed from the site? I was just adding the new info for Madge in my records, and noticed the Iguana citations are not on the site for Ray of Light (No. 46), Music (No. 78) and Confessions on a Dance Floor (No. 67). Thanks, bud. :)

thanks to all others for their work.

There were some lists I wasn't even aware of, and i try to keep track of these. hehe (like some newly added ones from France, like the FNAC one)

1. RE lists that didn't have an order- why are some credited with a "1" ranking, whereas others have the regular "No Order" credit?

2. RE Le Guide du CD (France)- I take it that select albums from an act were included in this feature, and not an act's entire discography?

Thanks. :)

I discovered that the Iguana lists are from one person only, and I don't include any EOY lists from single critics.

They should have "No Order". Which ones have a "1"?

Le Guide has incomplete discographys. I don't know why.

Qouting Blur: Whoah!

What a feast!!! and feat!!! Simply superb!!! Thanx Henrik!!!

I, like a few others, am very, very glad that many of the new additions have been foreign music. It adds so much flavor to AM. The way I see it, on most movie lists and list aggregation sites like TSP, foreign films are a normal occurence among the top 200 and above. But with music, this has been sorely (though understandably, since it's hard to have "subtitles" for albums) lacking. Man I love this site.

Henrik, do you still include his ratings for albums? I.e., he gave Confessions on a Dance Floor a B+, but it's not included with the album's information. (probably are other acts' albums, as well, that he rated).

I have been a big Steely Dan fan since 1971. In terms of composition, lyrics, fusion, and instrumental achievement, Steely Dan is fantastic. Some of their more recent albums have not been as impressive for me. But, their work in the 70's was consistently excellent (with the possible exception of some tracks on the Royal Scam album - IMO)

But, there are at least two factors (IMO) that limit the breadth of Steely Dan's acclaim:

1) Fagan's (somewhat nasally) vocals are off-putting to many listeners,
2) the percussion on most Steely Dan songs is nothing special.

Really? I'm not an expert on this, as I don't play any instrument myself so I mostly enjoy music without thinking very much about what instruments I hear. However, at least Aja (the album) oozes of superb laidback (but complex) rhythms and Aja (the song) has one of my favorite drum solos ever.

Thanks for politely calling me out and pointing out where my criticism missed the point. I am confident that there are at least another 6 exceptions to the percussion critique. But, compared to the guitar and horn riffs on some of Steely Dan's songs, I generally find the percussion relatively tame.

Do you find their more recent work as interesting as what they were doing in the 1970's?

Henrik, not sure if you saw my inquiry RE Robert Christgau's ratings, a few posts up. Just mentioning it again in case you did. :)

If relative is the key word in your sentence then we agree. I don't think their new material is as good as their '70s output. However, if it was on the same level that would be astonishing.

Thanks for reminding me. All his ratings should be included, so I will look over it before the next update.

Out of the top 3000-'The Great Eastern', 'Spine Of God' and 'Transmissions From The Sattelite Heart'.
Into the top 3000-'Be Here Now', 'One Hot Minute' and 'K'.
History is bunk.

Not to mention that if you're like me and think songs should get a lot less weight than albums, Steely Dan comes out #46 of all time on the album list.

Anyone who comes out in the top 100 is a legend to me (though I find AM's effectiveness is mostly from 1965-present...thus this doesn't account for EVERY legend in music history, but I'd say the vast majority of the ones from the past 45-50 years.)