Go to the NEW FORUM
I'm pretty sure the "forum" doesn't exist at all.
Try to find it when the morphine wears off.
Alright, we're back on track after adding VF1000's list. A few somewhat significant changes but nothing crazy happened. Here's the revised 94-500:
[94] Elvis Costello | My Aim Is True | 1977
[95] The Cure | Disintegration | 1989
[96] TV on the Radio | Dear Science | 2008
[97] Arcade Fire | The Suburbs | 2010
[98] The White Stripes | Elephant | 2003
[99] Beck | Odelay | 1996
[100] Beck | Sea Change | 2002
[101] Nirvana | In Utero | 1993
[102] Kanye West | The College Dropout | 2004
[103] Björk | Homogenic | 1997
[104] Charles Mingus | The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady | 1963
[105] Animal Collective | Merriweather Post Pavillion | 2009
[106] Stevie Wonder | Talking Book | 1972
[107] The National | Boxer | 2007
[108] Pixies | Surfer Rosa | 1988
[109] Curtis Mayfield | Superfly | 1972
[110] The White Stripes | White Blood Cells | 2001
[111] Beastie Boys | Paul's Boutique | 1989
[112] Bruce Springsteen | Darkness on the Edge of Town | 1978
[113] Joni Mitchell | Court and Spark | 1974
[114] PJ Harvey | To Bring You My Love | 1995
[115] Neil Young | Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere | 1969
[116] Neil Young | Harvest | 1972
[117] Carole King | Tapestry | 1971
[118] Vampire Weekend | Vampire Weekend | 2008
[119] OutKast | Stankonia | 2000
[120] Pavement | Slanted and Enchanted | 1992
[121] Arcade Fire | Neon Bible | 2007
[122] Creedence Clearwater Revival | Cosmo's Factory | 1970
[123] Otis Redding | Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul | 1965
[124] Lou Reed | Berlin | 1973
[125] De La Soul | 3 Feet High and Rising | 1989
[126] Sufjan Stevens | The Age of Adz | 2010
[127] Blur | Parklife | 1994
[128] The Knife | Silent Shout | 2006
[129] The Replacements | Let It Be | 1984
[130] Sly and the Family Stone | Stand! | 1969
[131] Steely Dan | Aja | 1977
[132] Bruce Springsteen | Nebraska | 1982
[133] Robert Wyatt | Rock Bottom | 1974
[134] Bruce Springsteen | Born in the U.S.A. | 1984
[135] Sex Pistols | Never Mind the Bollocks - Here's the Sex Pistols | 1977
[136] The Flaming Lips | Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots | 2002
[137] Sly and the Family Stone | There's a Riot Goin' On | 1971
[138] The Velvet Underground | Loaded | 1970
[139] R.E.M. | Reckoning | 1984
[140] The Velvet Underground | White Light/White Heat | 1968
[141] The Magnetic Fields | 69 Love Songs | 1999
[142] The Beatles | Help! | 1965
[143] Kraftwerk | Trans-Europa Express | 1977
[144] The Jesus and Mary Chain | Psychocandy | 1985
[145] Bob Dylan | The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan | 1963
[146] Brian Eno | Another Green World | 1975
[147] Nick Drake | Bryter Layter | 1970
[148] Daft Punk | Discovery | 2001
[149] The Band | The Band | 1969
[150] Smashing Pumpkins | Siamese Dream | 1993
[151] Bob Marley | Exodus | 1977
[152] Neil Young | On the Beach | 1974
[153] Talking Heads | Fear of Music | 1979
[154] Interpol | Turn On the Bright Lights | 2002
[155] King Crimson | In the Court of the Crimson King | 1969
[156] Roxy Music | For Your Pleasure | 1973
[157] The Smiths | The Smiths | 1984
[158] Antony and The Johnsons | I Am a Bird Now | 2005
[159] Guns N' Roses | Appetite for Destruction | 1987
[160] Janelle Monae | The ArchAndroid | 2010
[161] The Clash | The Clash | 1977
[162] Mercury Rev | Deserter's Songs | 1998
[163] Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin II | 1969
[164] Neil Young | Rust Never Sleeps | 1979
[165] Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin | 1969
[166] The Who | Tommy | 1969
[167] The Avalanches | Since I Left You | 2000
[168] Ramones | Ramones | 1976
[169] PJ Harvey | Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea | 2000
[170] The Beatles | Let It Be | 1970
[171] PJ Harvey | Let England Shake | 2011
[172] TV on the Radio | Return to Cookie Mountain | 2006
[173] Oasis | Definitely Maybe | 1994
[174] Sigur Rós | Agaetis Byrjun | 1999
[175] The Beach Boys | Surf's Up | 1971
[176] Serge Gainsbourg | Histoire de Melody Nelson | 1971
[177] Wilco | Summerteeth | 1999
[178] Blondie | Parallel Lines | 1978
[179] Led Zeppelin | Physical Graffiti | 1975
[180] Björk | Debut | 1993
[181] John Lennon | Imagine | 1971
[182] Portishead | Third | 2008
[183] The Verve | Urban Hymns | 1997
[184] The Kinks | Something Else by the Kinks | 1967
[185] The National | High Violet | 2010
[186] Primal Scream | Screamadelica | 1991
[187] The United States of America | The United States of America | 1968
[188] Depeche Mode | Violator | 1990
[189] Dave Brubeck Quartet | Time Out | 1959
[190] Weezer | Weezer (The Blue Album) | 1994
[191] Pink Floyd | The Wall | 1979
[192] U2 | War | 1983
[193] Massive Attack | Mezzanine | 1998
[194] Air | Moon Safari | 1998
[195] The Rolling Stones | Aftermath | 1966
[196] Kraftwerk | Die Mensch Maschine | 1978
[197] Wu-Tang Clan | Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) | 1993
[198] The Byrds | The Notorious Byrd Brothers | 1968
[199] The Smiths | Strangeways, Here We Come | 1987
[200] Prince and The Revolution | 1999 | 1982
[201] Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young | Deja Vu | 1970
[202] Kate Bush | Hounds of Love | 1985
[203] The Cure | Seventeen Seconds | 1980
[204] The National | Alligator | 2005
[205] Led Zeppelin | Houses of the Holy | 1973
[206] Coldplay | A Rush of Blood to the Head | 2002
[207] Big Star | #1 Record | 1972
[208] Derek and The Dominos | Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs | 1970
[209] Bruce Springsteen | The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle | 1973
[210] Big Star | Radio City | 1974
[211] Miles Davis | Bitches Brew | 1970
[212] The Beatles | A Hard Day's Night | 1964
[213] Massive Attack | Blue Lines | 1991
[214] DJ Shadow | Endtroducing... | 1996
[215] Joni Mitchell | The Hissing of Summer Lawns | 1975
[216] Bon Iver | For Emma, Forever Ago | 2007
[217] R.E.M. | Document | 1987
[218] Franz Ferdinand | Franz Ferdinand | 2004
[219] Michael Jackson | Off the Wall | 1979
[220] Joanna Newsom | Ys | 2006
[221] Weezer | Pinkerton | 1996
[222] LCD Soundsystem | This Is Happening | 2010
[223] King Crimson | Red | 1974
[224] Radiohead | Amnesiac | 2001
[225] The Shins | Chutes Too Narrow | 2003
[226] Scott Walker | Scott 4 | 1969
[227] Tom Waits | Bone Machine | 1992
[228] Neil Young | Tonight's the Night | 1975
[229] Buena Vista Social Club | Buena Vista Social Club | 1997
[230] Hüsker Dü | Zen Arcade | 1984
[231] Iggy and The Stooges | Raw Power | 1973
[232] Spiritualized | Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space | 1997
[233] Björk | Post | 1995
[234] Slint | Spiderland | 1991
[235] Funkadelic | Maggot Brain | 1971
[236] Aretha Franklin | I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You | 1967
[237] M.I.A. | Kala | 2007
[238] Wire | Pink Flag | 1977
[239] Charles Mingus | Mingus Ah Um | 1959
[240] Nas | Illmatic | 1994
[241] David Bowie | Station to Station | 1976
[242] The XX | XX | 2009
[243] Pearl Jam | Ten | 1991
[244] Kraftwerk | Computerwelt | 1981
[245] Violent Femmes | Violent Femmes | 1982
[246] A Tribe Called Quest | The Low End Theory | 1991
[247] Björk | Vespertine | 2001
[248] Pink Floyd | The Piper at the Gates of Dawn | 1967
[249] George Harrison | All Things Must Pass | 1970
[250] R.E.M. | Life's Rich Pageant | 1986
[251] The Millennium | Begin | 1968
[252] Fever Ray | Fever Ray | 2009
[253] Jay-Z | The Blueprint | 2001
[254] The Who | The Who Sell Out | 1967
[255] Can | Tago Mago | 1971
[256] Gang of Four | Entertainment! | 1979
[257] Kanye West | Late Registration | 2005
[258] Bill Evans | Sunday at the Village Vanguard | 1961
[259] Guided by Voices | Bee Thousand | 1994
[260] Beck | Mutations | 1998
[261] The Mothers of Invention | We're Only in It for the Money | 1968
[262] James Brown | 'Live' at the Apollo | 1963
[263] Scott Walker | Scott 3 | 1969
[264] Leonard Cohen | Songs of Love and Hate | 1971
[265] The Jimi Hendrix Experience | Axis: Bold as Love | 1967
[266] LCD Soundsystem | LCD Soundsystem | 2005
[267] OutKast | Speakerboxxx/The Love Below | 2003
[268] Richard and Linda Thompson | I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight | 1974
[269] Queens of the Stone Age | Songs for the Deaf | 2002
[270] Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band | Trout Mask Replica | 1969
[271] Bruce Springsteen | The River | 1980
[272] The Streets | Original Pirate Material | 2002
[273] The Smashing Pumpkins | Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness | 1995
[274] Eagles | Hotel California | 1976
[275] Public Enemy | Fear of a Black Planet | 1990
[276] New Order | Technique | 1989
[277] Madonna | Like a Prayer | 1989
[278] The Beatles | Beatles for Sale | 1964
[279] Joni Mitchell | Hejira | 1976
[280] Miles Davis | In a Silent Way | 1969
[281] Simon and Garfunkel | Bookends | 1968
[282] Prince and The Revolution | Parade | 1986
[283] Elton John | Goodbye Yellow Brick Road | 1973
[284] The Cure | The Head on the Door | 1985
[285] Todd Rundgren | Something/Anything? | 1972
[286] Moby | Play | 1999
[287] The Wrens | The Meadowlands | 2003
[288] Elvis Costello | Armed Forces | 1979
[289] T. Rex | Electric Warrior | 1971
[290] XTC | Skylarking | 1986
[291] Minutemen | Double Nickels on the Dime | 1984
[292] Prefab Sprout | Steve McQueen/Two Wheels Good | 1985
[293] Rod Stewart | Every Picture Tells a Story | 1971
[294] The Go-Betweens | 16 Lovers Lane | 1988
[295] Tim Buckley | Starsailor | 1970
[296] Deerhunter | Halcyon Digest | 2010
[297] Curtis Mayfield | Curtis | 1970
[298] Talking Heads | Talking Heads: 77 | 1977
[299] The Beach Boys | Sunflower | 1970
[300] Paul McCartney and Wings | Band on the Run | 1973
[301] Paul Simon | There Goes Rhymin' Simon | 1973
[302] Pere Ubu | The Modern Dance | 1978
[303] Sufjan Stevens | Michigan | 2003
[304] Tindersticks | Tindersticks | 1993
[305] Liz Phair | Exile in Guyville | 1993
[306] Bob Dylan | Desire | 1976
[307] Dusty Springfield | Dusty in Memphis | 1969
[308] Suicide | Suicide | 1977
[309] Elliott Smith | From a Basement on the Hill | 2004
[310] Van Morrison | Veedon Fleece | 1974
[311] Steely Dan | Pretzel Logic | 1974
[312] The Band | Music from Big Pink | 1968
[313] Peter Gabriel | So | 1986
[314] Super Furry Animals | Rings Around the World | 2001
[315] Coldplay | Parachutes | 2000
[316] Queen | A Night at the Opera | 1975
[317] David Bowie | "Heroes" | 1977
[318] Cat Stevens | Tea for the Tillerman | 1970
[319] Leonard Cohen | I'm Your Man | 1988
[320] Yo La Tengo | I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One | 1997
[321] Grateful Dead | American Beauty | 1970
[322] Modest Mouse | The Moon & Antarctica | 2000
[323] Nirvana | MTV Unplugged in New York | 1994
[324] Radiohead | Hail to the Thief | 2003
[325] Simon and Garfunkel | Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme | 1966
[326] Talk Talk | Spirit of Eden | 1988
[327] Black Sabbath | Paranoid | 1970
[328] Primal Scream | XTRMNTR | 2000
[329] The Modern Lovers | The Modern Lovers | 1976
[330] Belle and Sebastian | Tigermilk | 1996
[331] Damien Rice | O | 2002
[332] Gorillaz | Demon Days | 2005
[333] Big Star | Third/Sister Lovers | 1978
[334] Talking Heads | More Songs About Buildings and Food | 1978
[335] Bob Marley | Catch a Fire | 1973
[336] Arctic Monkeys | Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not | 2006
[337] Prince | Dirty Mind | 1980
[338] Vampire Weekend | Contra | 2010
[339] The Antlers | Hospice | 2009
[340] Os Mutantes | Os Mutantes | 1968
[341] Sleater-Kinney | The Woods | 2005
[342] Elvis Costello and The Attractions | Imperial Bedroom | 1982
[343] New York Dolls | New York Dolls | 1973
[344] Billy Joel | The Stranger | 1977
[345] Pavement | Wowee Zowee | 1995
[346] Eric Dolphy | Out to Lunch! | 1964
[347] R.E.M. | Out of Time | 1991
[348] AC/DC | Back in Black | 1980
[349] The La's | The La's | 1990
[350] The Original Soundtrack | The Harder They Come | 1972
[351] PJ Harvey | Rid of Me | 1993
[352] The Beach Boys | The Beach Boys Today! | 1965
[353] Tricky | Maxinquaye | 1995
[354] Tracy Chapman | Tracy Chapman | 1988
[355] Sigur Rós | Takk... | 2005
[356] Belle and Sebastian | The Life Pursuit | 2006
[357] Animal Collective | Strawberry Jam | 2007
[358] N.W.A | Straight Outta Compton | 1988
[359] Johnny Cash | At Folsom Prison | 1968
[360] Sleater-Kinney | One Beat | 2002
[361] The Byrds | Sweetheart of the Rodeo | 1968
[362] David Bowie | Scary Monsters | 1980
[363] Miles Davis | Sketches of Spain | 1960
[364] The Cars | The Cars | 1978
[365] John Cale | Paris 1919 | 1973
[366] Sigur Rós | ( ) | 2002
[367] Fleet Foxes | Helplessness Blues | 2011
[368] Modest Mouse | The Lonesome Crowded West | 1997
[369] The Beatles | Please Please Me | 1963
[370] Richard and Linda Thompson | Shoot Out the Lights | 1982
[371] Roxy Music | Roxy Music | 1972
[372] Genius/GZA | Liquid Swords | 1995
[373] The Beatles | With the Beatles/Meet the Beatles! | 1963
[374] The B-52's | The B-52's | 1979
[375] Wire | Chairs Missing | 1978
[376] Sonic Youth | Sister | 1987
[377] Jacques Brel | Ces gens-la | 1966
[378] Dinosaur Jr. | You're Living All Over Me | 1987
[379] The Feelies | Crazy Rhythms | 1980
[380] Beach House | Teen Dream | 2010
[381] Brian Eno | Here Come the Warm Jets | 1973
[382] The Police | Synchronicity | 1983
[383] Big Boi | Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty | 2010
[384] The Original Soundtrack | Saturday Night Fever | 1977
[385] Lou Reed | New York | 1989
[386] Dire Straits | Brothers in Arms | 1985
[387] Tom Waits | Closing Time | 1973
[388] Al Green | Call Me | 1973
[389] The Doors | L.A. Woman | 1971
[390] Herbie Hancock | Maiden Voyage | 1965
[391] Can | Ege Bamyasi | 1972
[392] Cannibal Ox | The Cold Vein | 2001
[393] Morrissey | You Are the Quarry | 2004
[394] Brian Wilson | SMiLE | 2004
[395] Madonna | Ray of Light | 1998
[396] New Order | Power, Corruption & Lies | 1983
[397] Pharoah Sanders | Karma | 1969
[398] The Allman Brothers Band | At Fillmore East | 1971
[399] Animal Collective | Sung Tongs | 2004
[400] Joanna Newsom | The Milk-Eyed Mender | 2004
[401] Howlin' Wolf | Moanin' in the Moonlight | 1959
[402] My Bloody Valentine | Isn't Anything | 1988
[403] Eminem | The Marshall Mathers LP | 2000
[404] Joe Jackson | Look Sharp! | 1979
[405] Bob Marley and The Wailers | Natty Dread | 1974
[406] Burial | Untrue | 2007
[407] Wilco | Sky Blue Sky | 2007
[408] Ramones | Rocket to Russia | 1977
[409] Sinéad O'Connor | I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got | 1990
[410] Laura Nyro | New York Tendaberry | 1969
[411] John Coltrane | Ascension | 1966
[412] Paul Simon | Paul Simon | 1972
[413] Coldplay | Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends | 2008
[414] Chet Baker | Chet Baker Sings | 1954
[415] Metallica | Ride the Lightning | 1984
[416] The Tallest Man on Earth | The Wild Hunt | 2010
[417] Parliament | Mothership Connection | 1975
[418] Built to Spill | Perfect from Now On | 1997
[419] The Divine Comedy | Promenade | 1994
[420] Cults | Cults | 2011
[421] Boards of Canada | Geogaddi | 2002
[422] Stevie Wonder | Fulfillingness' First Finale | 1974
[423] Leonard Cohen | Songs from a Room | 1969
[424] Wilco | Being There | 1996
[425] Deerhunter | Microcastle / Weird Era Cont. | 2008
[426] Johnny Cash | American III: Solitary Man | 2000
[427] Stereolab | Emperor Tomato Ketchup | 1996
[428] Randy Newman | Sail Away | 1972
[429] Elvis Presley | Elvis Presley | 1956
[430] Frank Sinatra | In the Wee Small Hours | 1955
[431] Lauryn Hill | The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | 1998
[432] The Who | Quadrophenia | 1973
[433] Godspeed You Black Emperor! | Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven | 2000
[434] Madvillain | Madvillainy | 2004
[435] The Shins | Oh, Inverted World | 2001
[436] Supergrass | I Should Coco | 1995
[437] Roxy Music | Avalon | 1982
[438] Van Dyke Parks | Song Cycle | 1968
[439] Portishead | Portishead | 1997
[440] Wire | 154 | 1979
[441] Fairport Convention | Liege and Lief | 1969
[442] Prefab Sprout | Jordan: The Comeback | 1990
[443] PJ Harvey | White Chalk | 2007
[444] Aretha Franklin | Lady Soul | 1968
[445] Bob Marley and The Wailers | Live! | 1975
[446] Red Hot Chili Peppers | Blood Sugar Sex Magik | 1991
[447] Radiohead | The King of Limbs | 2011
[448] Tindersticks | Tindersticks (II) | 1995
[449] Spoon | Kill the Moonlight | 2002
[450] Boston | Boston | 1976
[451] The Tallest Man on Earth | Shallow Grave | 2008
[452] Gram Parsons | Grievous Angel | 1974
[453] Pink Floyd | Meddle | 1971
[454] Patti Smith Group | Easter | 1978
[455] John Coltrane | My Favorite Things | 1961
[456] Van Halen | Van Halen | 1978
[457] Fela and Africa 70 | Zombie | 1977
[458] Bonnie "Prince" Billy | I See a Darkness | 1999
[459] Michael Jackson | Bad | 1987
[460] Tortoise | Millions Now Living Will Never Die | 1996
[461] Dexys Midnight Runners | Searching for the Young Soul Rebels | 1980
[462] The Byrds | Mr. Tambourine Man | 1965
[463] OutKast | Aquemini | 1998
[464] Sleigh Bells | Treats | 2010
[465] The Byrds | Younger Than Yesterday | 1967
[466] Pavement | Brighten the Corners | 1997
[467] Herbie Hancock | Head Hunters | 1973
[468] The Pains of Being Pure at Heart | The Pains of Being Pure at Heart | 2009
[469] Kurt Vile | Smoke Ring For My Halo | 2011
[470] Jorge Ben | A Tábua de Esmeralda | 1974
[471] Joanna Newsom | Have One on Me | 2010
[472] The Chemical Brothers | Dig Your Own Hole | 1997
[473] Animal Collective | Feels | 2005
[474] Bob Dylan | John Wesley Harding | 1967
[475] The Crickets | The "Chirping" Crickets | 1957
[476] Nine Inch Nails | Pretty Hate Machine | 1989
[477] Stan Getz and João Gilberto | Getz/Gilberto | 1964
[478] Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band | Safe as Milk | 1967
[479] Frank Zappa | Hot Rats | 1969
[480] White Noise | An Electric Storm | 1968
[481] The Boo Radleys | Giant Steps | 1993
[482] Gene Clark | No Other | 1974
[483] Pretenders | Pretenders | 1980
[484] Cream | Disraeli Gears | 1967
[485] Bloc Party | Silent Alarm | 2005
[486] Pere Ubu | Dub Housing | 1978
[487] Yes | Close to the Edge | 1972
[488] The Streets | A Grand Don't Come for Free | 2004
[489] Metallica | Master of Puppets | 1986
[490] Kraftwerk | Autobahn | 1974
[491] Neu! | Neu! | 1972
[492] Paul and Linda McCartney | Ram | 1971
[493] Creedence Clearwater Revival | Green River | 1969
[494] Camera Obscura | Let's Get Out Of This Country | 2006
[495] This Heat | Deceit | 1981
[496] Elvis Costello and The Attractions | Get Happy!! | 1980
[497] The Smiths | Meat Is Murder | 1985
[498] Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares | Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares | 1975
[499] Hüsker Dü | New Day Rising | 1985
[500] Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin III | 1970
I wouldn't consider myself a Beck fan, but I absolutely adore Sea Changes, however contradictory that may sound. I just haven't been able to get into his other albums. Sea Changes is just a completely different direction in comparison to his previous works.
The revised version is really much better! "Let It Be", "Help!", and even "Please Plase Me" rose astoundingly in more deserving positions representing their quality according to me "Lady Soul" is finally included, with two Aretha Franklin albums now representing this fabulous singer in the Top 500, even in such low rankings. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Straight Outta Compton" also took serious benefit from this "update" especially the first one. And "Document" is above "Life's Rich Pageant" as well. Whoah, even the Sex Pistols are higher, even not to a rudicilously big rate which should ! Anyway, awesome!
OK, "In Utero" going out for the sake of "Sea Change" is so totally not my cup of tea but it's VanillaFire's preferences, not mine. Some others sadly fell too ("The Clash", "Screamadelica", "Definitely Maybe", "Imagine") but thankfully not much.
There are some fantastic albums in there!
Let me add to the earlier set that I totally agree that Unknown Pleasures is definitely better than Closer.
I'm sad to see Songs in the Key of Life fall so much, and to see it behind (What's the Story) Morning Glory? makes me very, very sad.
Hooray for Transformer's boost. nicolas is right - it captures a scene so well, and there are great songs beyond the big 3. My picks are "Vicious", "Wagon Wheel" and "I'm So Free".
Viva Pubilc Enemy, #1 rap album! Much deserved.
Yeah! Fleet Foxes keep their position in the top 80. It's really good to see that gem of an album ranking among stablished classics like Daydream Nation, Soft Bulletin, Transformer and Morning Glory. The most impressive thing of their music is that they make it seem so easy for everyone to compose and perform those tracks. The first time I heard it in 2008, my first active year on AM, I thought to myself: great to know good albums like this are things that appear every now and then. But no, since then nothing with the same flow and effortless musicality has appeared anymore, even though there are a few more recent albums above it in my own list. And, nicolas, I don't consider that their "jam" moments hurt the album, in fact, it makes for the audition always turning into a pleasing travel. I consider "He Doesn't Know Why" my favorite song of last decade.
Time to make some comments about the top 200-101:
- I don't remember where Fear of Music placed last times, but it was an awesome surprise to see it near the top 150. For me it's one of the most underrated albums ever, topping even the unique Remain In Light. The Heads appear there at their most urgent, creating a threatening climate that I have never found in another album. Sometimes it really seems the music is persecuting you (Cities, Memories Can't Wait, Air), while Heaven must be their most poignant song.
- Didn't expect to see Reckoning so high. I also consider it R.E.M's best album after their 2 big ones.
- Well, even if I had a little hope of seeing Parklife back to top 100, I accept it's rank. At least it looks to have stablished a position among the classic ones, in the contrary of other Britpop acts that seem to be fading as time passes. It has been my all time #2 for half a decade (I began listening to "music" in 2005) and can't see it going down.
- Of course the hugest surprise of it all is Vampire Weekend at #118. I always thought I was a bit alone in liking that album so much. Like VanillaFire1000 has said, much of it's appeal comes from it's way of combining afropop melodies and textures to their new wave influences, creating a beautiful musical landscape as well as a fresh and clean sound. Now get this style and with it create perfect pop tracks like "Boston", the synthy "One", the running "Walcott", the soaring-savannah-feel "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance", not to mention the 5 leading and almost equally acclaimed tracks, and then you have one of the masterpieces of last decade. Many may consider I'm exagerating for such a recent album, but it has been slowly rising in my all time list since it's discovery until surprisingly reaching the top 10 this time.
- Glad to see Paul's Boutique as the 2nd best '80s rap album. Another one I didn't expect to see this high.
- Last, another of my deceptions was the fall of Surfer Rosa, which had been near number 50 in the last two polls. I consider it a much better and more cohesive piece than Doolittle.
"We shine like a burning star"
[60] U2 | Achtung Baby | 1991
Points: 2144 | Votes: 22 | AM Rank: 82 | 2009 Poll Rank: 52 (-8)
Biggest Fan: Penguin (10)
"You know the day destroys the night"
[59] The Doors | The Doors | 1967
Points: 2149 | Votes: 26 | AM Rank: 24 | 2009 Poll Rank: 71 (+12)
Biggest Fan: Listyguy (13)
"In another world, in another time"
[58] Van Morrison | Astral Weeks | 1968
Points: 2213 | Votes: 23 | AM Rank: 15 | 2009 Poll Rank: 35 (-23)
Biggest Fan: Antonius (1)
"I want a shot at redemption"
[57] Paul Simon | Graceland | 1986
Points: 2228 | Votes: 20 | AM Rank: 76 | 2009 Poll Rank: 69 (+12)
Biggest Fans: Marc, VanillaFire1000 (1)
"You were right about the stars
Each one is a setting sun"
[56] Wilco | Yankee Hotel Foxtrot | 2002
Points: 2231 | Votes: 22 | AM Rank: 71 | 2009 Poll Rank: 70 (+14)
Biggest Fan: Jonathan (6)
"Not everyone can carry the weight of the world"
[55] R.E.M. | Murmur | 1983
Points: 2258 | Votes: 21 | AM Rank: 65 | 2009 Poll Rank: 46 (-9)
Biggest Fan: Andre (3)
"I will sit right down, waiting for the gift of sound and vision"
[54] David Bowie | Low | 1977
Points: 2258 | Votes: 24 | AM Rank: 89 | 2009 Poll Rank: 39 (-15)
Biggest Fan: Stephen (7)
"Give me a reason to love you"
[53] Portishead | Dummy | 1994
Points: 2258 | Votes: 25 | AM Rank: 70 | 2009 Poll Rank: 60 (+7)
Biggest Fan: Henrik (2)
"She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene"
[52] Michael Jackson | Thriller | 1982
Points: 2264 | Votes: 23 | AM Rank: 27 | 2009 Poll Rank: 62 (+10)
Biggest Fan: Georgie (9)
"I want to belong to the living"
[51] Joni Mitchell | Blue | 1971
Points: 2292 | Votes: 21 | AM Rank: 48 | 2009 Poll Rank: 61 (+10)
Biggest Fan: Stephen (1)
My two cents on the last bunch:
Achtung Baby: Listening to it for the first time now. The presence of "One" had turned me off to it, but thankfully there are much better songs on here. I definitely like it more than The Joshua Tree.
The Doors: This album is a classic in every sense of the word. Sublimely psychedelic at times.
Astral Weeks: In what world is this worse than Moondance? This should be a universal classic that finishes in the top 20. "Sweet Thing" and the title track are just ridiculously good. I'd like to hear why anyone doesn't like this album.
Graceland: Not my cup of tea, but I definitely see why people like it.
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: This towers over the rest of their output IMO. One Beat passed it recently as my favorite of 2002, but this album still finished as my number 70.
Murmur: Never gotten into it. I've always like R.E.M.'s big songs but never their albums. More on that later in the poll.
Low: Bowie's best IMO. One of the few albums that successfully pulls off having two completely different sounding sides.
Dummy: This album will only rise with time. The perfect nighttime listen.
Thriller: No one else will say it, so I'm going to: this is an important, massive album, but not a great one in this kind of company. The singles are great of course, but too many songs are just unlistenable.
Blue: Jury's still out on this one, only heard it for the first time recently.
Low:
This is a bit of a meh bunch. Low is fantastic and I also really like The Doors, although it is slipping a bit in my esteem. I agree that Thriller is out of its depth here. MJ has at 3 albums better than it, I think. Dummy is a funny one. I enjoy it more than I expect when it's on, but I never get the urge to play it. Achtung Baby is good and better than The Joshua Tree, but I like Zooropa even better.
61-70 is a great bunch. I'm surprised how high both the big Waits albums finished, but they're both in my top 20. Wish You Were Here is easily my favorite Floyd.
51-60 isn't as strong. I love Blue, but generally that group, IMO, are 'Most acclaimed albums' by groups who have much better albums.
60-51
I stopped paying attention to U2 after The Joshua Tree. I don't really know why. I have no memory of Achtung Baby except for One a great song I re-discovered through JOhnny Cah's cover.
I have nothing to add to Jackson's comment on The Doors (my #32). You summed it up.
Astral Weeks : to add to Jackson's pertinent comment, I will say that this album is very unique and special (Van's vocals, the arrangements), and like Tom Waits, can also repel. But like on Wait's albums, just take away the vocals and the musical setting and the album loses its appeal. The first seconds of "Beside You" always send a shiver down my spine. And the title track...
Graceland (#173) : a heart choice. I remember when it came out, in the climax of the anti-apartheid movement. I like how Paul Simon mixes Africa and America (great Louisiana influence too) here, without being too head-on politically. The music speaks for itself. that's why I could get over those beatboxes (why not using a real drummer ? or is it a real drummer with tons of effects and reverb on the drum sound? at last in 1995 they gave up putting reverb on the drums). And the invention of Vampire Weekend.
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot : Wilco second best album (Jonathon, I'm invoking you )
Murmur not my kind of R.E.M. album. I prefer the early 90s REM.
Low : Hipsters
Dummy I love the songs but Beth Gibbons is too depressed for me. Nah, it's beautiful.
Thriller : Hey, I like "The Girl Is mIne", even if it is a stupid song. This album is very difficult to rank. My criteria are usually 90 % pleasure and 10 % musical importance. THriller is more 50-50. Some songs are dated ("The Lady in My Life"), and Off the Wall is musically superior IMO but it was so huge when it came out that it symbolises the 80s to me. And "Billie Jean" is one of my very very favorite songs. The only record I remember being so huge was Nevermind. Everybody was talking about it. So it ended up at #114 in my list (behind Off the Wall)
Blue / Hipst.. (no, the best jokes are the shorter). I don't get that woman's music, but I recognize her trmendous influence. That said, Blue is my favorite Joni album (and all-time #441). Some great songs there ("Little Green" is a splendor). I'm a little irritated by her voice and her egocentrism, but I owe that record a new chance.
Wow Portishead's self-titled is good. I can see why Dummy and Third are ranked higher, but the gap shouldn't be nearly as wide. Anyone who likes Dummy should like the s/t. Can't believe it took me this long to hear it.
I'm pretty pleased with where Blue was placed in this list. I firmly believe it's my favourite record of all time.
There has never been such a geniune album like Blue. It's deeply personal and depicts Joni at her most fragile state. Joni says "The Blue album, there's hardly a dishonest note in the vocals. At that period of my life, I had no personal defenses. I felt like a cellophane wrapper on a pack of cigarettes. I felt like I had absolutely no secrets from the world and I couldn't pretend in my life to be strong. Or to be happy. But the advantage of it in the music was that there were no defenses there either."
I can understand why Joni would be irritated being compared to the likes of Bob Dylan as legendary as he may be - as Joni would put it: "We are like day and night, he and I". I love Bob Dylan's work but his career has been built on deception and numerous personas. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but if anything it's the complete opposite to Joni's music.
The lyric from "All My Friends" is definitely "I wouldn't trade one stupid decision for another five years of life."
70-61
I like Pink Floyd ("The Wall" is their most mature and spellbinding work if you ask me) but all that bucketload talk from critics citing them among the greatest bands ever just isn't for me. Their early work hasn't aged that well and their latest (meaning everything they made after "The Wall") is too boring and unimaginative to be described. "Wish You Were Here" is very fine but yet not anything groundbreaking or shockingly perfect.
I dislike Belle and Sebastian but I won't expand this issue...
Though I should be happy for two of my all-time favorites making the 100 I am having a bitter aftertaste. "It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back" ultimately, finally, extraordinaringly defined the very standards of the hip-hop/rap sound. That of course wouldn't be much if it wasn't such an astounding explosion in terms of innovation in the structure of music itself. Never before has an album been so much centered to its lyrics. Few other albums have been so edgy in terms of views about politics and social issues, furthermore combined with the ingenious, full of rage and ready-to-attack-and-swipe-it-all tunes. And the gigantic amount of sampling works greatly as a touch of pop-culture referencial trivia, revealing not only their very own influences and roots but also blinking the eye to an older crowd. Since then, no Dr. Dre, Eminem or Kanye West has surpassed or will ever surpass this. Nor will anyone from any other music genre at least for a very long time.
Now about "This Year's Model", it's just so damn addictive. OK, far from being the only one reason it's in such a high place in my heart, it does contain the most creative, "songy", catchy, playful, exciting and energetic sum of songs than every other record I have ever listened to. 33 years on, it still sounds very ahead of its time. Aside the fact that Costello himself seems like he was born to do those vocals played on this music. From the very first seconds "No Action" plays, it drags me immediately down to a very special, almost outlandish music universe. "Radio Radio" personally is my favorite from this big collection of fabulous tunes, the most rebellious one, with absolutely perfect songwriting and being in general among my all time favorite songs (not that I have made a list or something, but I would include it if I had one anyway ).
To the rest, I'm far from being a Waits fanboy (with "Swordfishtrombones" able to be in my Top 20 "I don't get the love it gets" list, also if I had one ) but "Rain Dogs" is rightfully above the forementioned album, an atmospherical and very enjoayble piece of work, even to a person not very familiar with this singer.
Happy for the emotional and astounding "Sound Of Silver" being in such a high rank (though not the finest of the LCD Soundsystem's fantastic discography) and for "Bridge Over Troubled Water" of course, the magnus opus of a band which somehow belongs to the '60s mostly. "Loveless" is absolutely amazing too, although it could be somewhat lower.
60-51
OK, "Achtung Baby" touches a great amount of epicness especially at some moments ("Even Better Than The Real Thing", "The Fly") but it somewhat sounds too self-conscious like "Oh, come on babe, I'm a masterpiece" and therefore not as accomplished or balances as "War" and, obviously, "The Joshua Tree".
All hail "The Doors"! The ultimate listen to gain experience in pure psychedelic music and probably the best of its genre. Very dark but not depressive, totally ambitious but not overblown, it might just be also one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) album debuts of all time. So much that in fact no other of their works touched such levels of quality-though I have to admit I liked "L.A. Woman" a lot.
Well, now about "Thriller", what needs to be said that it hasn't been mentioned before? Just repeating the obvious: endless appreciation to Jackson's absolute killer tunes, not ignoring his soul past ("Human Nature") or the era's rise of the hard rock genre ("Beat It"). But "Thriller" is not an element combination work: at the end, what remains is a highly refreshing, very exhilarating pop sound that, unfortunately, had the bad luck to be copy-pasted a hundred-thousand times from very poor artists of the mainstream MTV kind in terms of "homage". Whatever, this one will remain a classic for the ages, those brats whoever their names are not. And no, this goes way back, a long time ago before Justin Bieber, just to mention.
"Graceland" to me is the classical case of lyrics being so mind-blowingly well written but the music being not as much epic. Anyway it's really great and admittedly Simon's best solo work. "Astral Weeks" is very melodical and beautiful too, but just not exactly my kind of preference.
Actually, I would have expected Pacific Ocean Blue to land somewhere in the 300-400 range, based on it's success in the first Moderate.
I'm surprised to see Village Green Preservation Society as high as it is.
Oasis has lots of great singles, but in my opinion, no complete great albums.
The problem with Britpop is that whenever there's a great Britpop band, the British recording industry decides that every Britpop album must copy it. Meanwhile the British press is putting so much pressure on them to carry the Beatles flag that anything the record industry will let them record is automatically a disappointment.
@Nicolas
You know The Bends hasn't come out yet, right?
I was hoping NMH would crack the T30, I guess it wasn't meant to be. I'm also surprised by drops from Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones. The high finish by Village Green Preservation Society is nice though.
50-45
Prince at his most mature and contemplative moment, with an impressively minimalistic use of beats ("Sign 'O' The Times" itself as the greatest example of that, awesome lyrics too) and yet it's 50? OK it's not like the Sex Pistols thing but I expected it just a lil' bit higher. I think Moonbeam agrees too
Moondance>Astral Weeks glad to see it in the poll too.
"Electric Ladyland" to me is a monument to rock 'n' roll music. A masterpiece. Not only it is witness to Hendrix at the absolute perfection of his guitar technique, there are a lot of songs that test the very barrier between mainstream, commercial guitar sound and highly experimental, difficult-to-get additions that are so harmonically combined they can be hardly imagined as separate ("1983... A Merman I Should Turn To Be", "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)". I would rank it into a Top 20 without a doubt.
"Let It Bleed" is also exceptional and the Stones' record with the most authentic rock'n'roll feeling of them all (despite the elements of country and soul in "You Can't Always Get What You Want" which of course are not unwelcome at all). Better to me than "Exile In Main St.".
...In Rainbows? Really? Ahead of albums like Sign O The Times? Wow.
And there's three more to come...
I'm guessing the Bends will come out in the next batch, Kid A in the 25-30 batch, and Ok Computer in the last batch.
So Let It Bleed is considered the worst of the 1968-1972 Stones albums? Very interesting, because I utterly love Let it Bleed (Midnight Rambler is as close to perfect as you can get, epitomising everything I love about the Stones), and I've yet to really listen to Sticky Fingers and Exile.
I've bitched about it before, and I'll probably bitch about it again:
Radiohead is soooo overrated.
In Rainbows coming close to beating The Dark Side of the Moon, and Beating some great album (In utero, Grace, The Doors, ect.) is sickening.
And the Bends and Kid A are both unworthy of the top 50.
And Ok Computer shouldn't be number 1.
My guess is that Ok Computer will probably take the top spot *Roll of the eyes*. I like Radiohead, but I think we have a little bit of unbalance here.
@BIllAdama : No, I didn't realize that The Bends were in the top 40. that's even more ridiculous IMO. But not surprising. Thank you for telling me I won't be shocked
That just means that like the Beatles, the Stones or Dylan, Radiohead has become a solid reference and common ground for a lot of us (I only had OK Computer in the 70-80 section, especially the youngest (I wish there were age/country statistics). And that they released a sufficient number of acclaimed albums to place 4 of them in the top 50.
I'm really happy that the 4 great Rollling Stones albums of the 68-72 tetralogy are in the top 50 (or 60 I don't remember).
@Jackson : I'd love to have the spreadshett when this will be over. You can send it to Henrik and he'll post it on the site.
I think I had never listened to Astral Weeks, because Moondance made a weak impression of me. Obviously it was a mistake, the best songs on Astral Weeks sound like uplifted Nick Drake tracks. I guess this could become a strong grower (and become the 11th 60s album in my top 200 ?)
By the way, there would be 2 new entries if I did my list today : Pieces of a Man by Gil-Scott Heron and Computer World by Kraftwerk.
Another thing : with Björk kicked out after the Vanillafire update, there is no album from outside the Anglo-saxon world in the top 100.
That doesn't feel right.
"I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside"
[40] U2 | The Joshua Tree | 1987
Points: 2668 | Votes: 25 | AM Rank: 38 | 2009 Poll Rank: 36 (-4)
Biggest Fan: Chris K, Marc (5)
"Please allow me to introduce myself"
[39] The Rolling Stones | Beggars Banquet | 1968
Points: 2704 | Votes: 25 | AM Rank: 30 | 2009 Poll Rank: 49 (+10)
Biggest Fan: Gillingham (3)
"I won't forget to put roses on your grave"
[38] The Rolling Stones | Sticky Fingers | 1971
Points: 2762 | Votes: 25 | AM Rank: 43 | 2009 Poll Rank: 47 (+9)
Biggest Fan: Listyguy (7)
"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows"
[37] Bob Dylan | Bringing It All Back Home | 1965
Points: 2808 | Votes: 29 | AM Rank: 73 | 2009 Poll Rank: 41 (+4)
Biggest Fan: DavidM (2)
"If I could be who you wanted all the time"
[36] Radiohead | The Bends | 1995
Points: 2812 | Votes: 25 | AM Rank: 86 | 2009 Poll Rank: 44 (+8)
Biggest Fan: Dr. Robert (1)
great to see The Joshua Tree in the top 40! it's #8 on my all time list and has grown on me a lot! i still haven't heard The Unforgettable Fire, but i guess it's pretty damn close to it.
I was happy to see two album in my top 10 (Bringing it All Back Home and Sticky Fingers) until I saw The Bends right ahead of them.
At least Sticky Fingers took 2 for the Stones albums.
[40] U2 | The Joshua Tree | 1987
My number 187. The first side is impressing. I'm happpy it beat Achtung. nj, are you all right ?
[39] The Rolling Stones | Beggars Banquet | 1968
My number 27 and favorite Stones album, not only for the hits (Sympathy, Street Fighting) but for the fantastic acoustic blues songs (Dear Dr and Prodigal Son)
[38] The Rolling Stones | Sticky Fingers | 1971
My number 108. Great album, more produced than the others of the tetralogy. More electric.
[37] Bob Dylan | Bringing It All Back Home | 1965
my number 137 and the 5th of 6 Dylan albums in my list.
[36] Radiohead | The Bends | 1995
This is too much.
#37... well, i don't mind Beat musicians at all. i truly love Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich and The Paintermen.
But this Dylan guy really stretches it with his "demanding" voice and his cold lyrics... well, i guess, i'm not underground enough after all to get his "grooves"
I'm not getting the high placement of In Rainbows either. I'm warming up to Radiohead somewhat (although I feel that Björk does their kind of thing far, far better) and OK Computer and Amnesiac are slowly inching their way up my list. I gave In Rainbows a spin, and while it's decent, it would perhaps just make my top 500. Maybe with time my perception of it will grow, but it's got a fair way to go to even catch up with those 2 other albums of theirs for me.
On Oasis:
begin{troll}
My musical history seems to follow somewhat of a different path to most. While many people cite their teenage years as the pinnacle of music, the 1990s proved to be a rather barren wasteland for me. Before the Internet provided universal access, MTV and the radio were my only sources for new music, and I largely tuned out from both early in the decade. Of course, the biggest successes were unavoidable. Oasis, and particularly "Wonderwall", were one such example, and their ubiquity did nothing but confirm my disdain for contemporary pop music. I eventually came around to appreciate some of what was popular during the 1990s, but listening to (What's the Story) Morning Glory? in its entirety merely reminded me that I was by and large correct in my original assessment.
There are many things I dislike about Oasis' sound, but foremost is undoubtedly the vocals. I imagine I may have to consult a thesaurus to fill out the rest of this review in describing their particular combination of "bratty" and "jarring", but needless to say that Liam Gallagher's vocals are incredibly irritating. From the way that he replaces the consonant "t" with "ch", to the way he sometimes tacks on a "z" at the end of "d" sounds, to the general slurring of the lyrics that creates a tone best described as snotty repugnance (no thesaurus yet!), the result is a delivery that is positively horrifying. Consider, for instance, the opening line of the aforementioned abomination "Wonderwall": "Choodayyy iz gunna Bee tha dayy that they're gunna throw it Back choo yeewww. Byyy nowww you shoulda somehowww realiiized what ya gotta dzoo." And that's before he painfully extends the vowels in the chorus! Sheer horror. Add to that the unrelenting loudness of the production, pretentious aspirations to revive the sound of The Beatles and lyrics that sound like an endless whiny diatribe and the result is one giant, drunken mass of smug obnoxiousness. The band seems to garner most of its acclaim from its sense of melody that should theoretically permit them to stretch the songs into the mini-epics that they aspire to be, but with such abhorrent delivery and production, my hatred for these songs only grows with the runtime. Softer moments such as "Cast No Shadow" and the beginning of "Hello" are tainted by that annoying acoustic strumming that was so prevalent in the latter half of the 90s, and the opportunity for a reprieve when Noel Gallagher steps in to mercifully provide some more palatable lead vocals on "Don't Step Back in Anger" is ruined by the most hamfisted send-up of limp Beatles anthemizing on the record. The least offensive tracks here such as "She's Electric" and "Morning Glory" are nonetheless at least mildly churlish.
As expected, then, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? is a titanic catastrophe of an experience. Fellow Britpop ambassadors Blur and Pulp thankfully fare much better, and this album is so aggravating that it gives me a sick sort of pleasure knowing how much such a statement would infuriate the incendiary Gallagher boys. I alluded to referring to a thesaurus in this review, so I'll close with an entry for "snotty", as "bratty" was not available:
Main Entry: snotty
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: arrogant
Synonyms: cheeky, cocky, conceited, fresh, haughty, high and mighty, highfalutin', impertinent, know-it-all, la-de-da, pompous, pretentious, puffed up, sassy, self-important, smart-alecky, smug, snippy, snobby, snooty, stuck-up, uppity
Right on.
end{troll}
We've reached the point of the list where very few of my favorites remain (I think only #40 and #41 remain from my top 50), so I'll seize the moment and say hooray for The Kinks Are Village Green Preservation Society! Hooray for Sign o' the Times in the top 50!
This top 100 has been much more surprising than I expected.
- The Suburbs: After Jackson's statement about how mouth-opening was its position to come, I assume 99 was less than I was expecting, although before reading that I think any position in the top 150 would be satisfying. And, Moonbeam, I don't think it's pretentious. On the contrary, it's their lightiest album; I agree with what was written on Pitchfork at the time of it's release, claiming that "for the first time in their carreer, Arcade Fire didn't sound like they had to carry the weighs of the world". Although I also like Funeral and love Neon Bible with their spiritual and heartfelt climate, I guess this is how I prefer Arcade Fire, when they sound prosaic.
- Dear Science: Great to see it in the top 100!!! One of my best surprises so far. I don't agree with it being looked as a funky album, come on. It's of course impregnated by a lot of afro-american influence, but I go for it when I feel like hearing some multi-layered, futuristic but insanely cathcy indie music. Lover's Day, in spite of its intense lyric is the only bad song of the album, with it's monotonous drive and specially those annoying metals all over it, but since it's the last track, the listening as a hole isn't hurt. DLZ, Golden Age, Dancing Choose and Shout Me Out are thrilling in every audition, not to mention the apocalyptic begining with Halfway Home. I'm amazed that 2008 managed to crack 4 albums in my top 25, being one of them this masterpiece (beside Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes and Viva La Vida).
- My Aim Is True: My #4. I love this album since the first time I heard it. The catchyness of it's songs is impressive. They all sound sofisticated, refined in spite of the simple, almost primary production. And I love albums that sound homogeneous like this.
- Either/Or: Nobody expected Elliott Smith to appear this high. It has fallen in my concept lately, but it's begining continues to get me everytime. Alameda is one of my very favorite songs ever.
- Kanye: Although I don't like it that much and it was far from making my list, it's always good to presenciate classics being born. It will surely go gradually up this list on the next polls. Don't worry, BillAdama, I think already in the next poll it will have passed Nation of Millions, .
- This Year's Model: I agree with Particle Analist on this, not with the same enthusiasm, though. The best thing was seeing it so proportionally high, right above milestones like Loveless, LCD, Public Enemy, and both Tom Waits records.
- Achtung, Baby: Three years since the last time I listened to it. Great album, must have been a shock ( ) at it's time, specially for U2 fans. One of the most refreshing records I know.
- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot: Wilco (the album) and Being There are more pleasing to me (I still haven't heard A Ghost Is Born and Sky Blue Sky), but this album is also wonderful.
- Graceland: Contains some flaws near the end, but is still a record I visit every now and then. The title track and "I Know What I Know" are the peak of the disc. I like these albums that flirt a little with African music, I think I should check out that continent's native music that's being recommended by some people here lately.
Well, tired of writing. Top 50 latter.
How can you call a band overrated if this is a fan poll? I'd understand if we were talking about critical ranking but an album in a fan poll is rated exactly where it should be.
@Toni
I'm sure it'll fall down as soon as people get bored of his pre-planned 'spontaneous' media stunts. Remember, this is the album that people declared a classic before they even heard it, and that critics give 10/10 reviews to without once referencing the music. If we took this poll the week before it came out it would have finished thirty places higher.
Really, I'm not mad about College Dropout doing well. Soon people will remember it's much better than MBDTF.
A lot of hard rock 60's albums are finishing lower than I would have expected.
The thing about this particular fan poll is that a lot of people explored this music by starting at the top of the AM list and working down.
"Excuse me while I kiss the sky"
[35] The Jimi Hendrix Experience | Are You Experienced? | 1967
Points: 2922 | Votes: 25 | AM Rank: 12 | 2009 Poll Rank: 20 (-15)
Biggest Fan: BillAdama: (1)
"Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss"
[34] The Who | Who's Next | 1971
Points: 2953 | Votes: 26 | AM Rank: 33 | 2009 Poll Rank: 27 (-7)
Biggest Fan: Henry (2)
"This is the time and life that I am living"
[33] Love | Forever Changes | 1967
Points: 2967 | Votes: 29 | AM Rank: 49 | 2009 Poll Rank: 23 (-10)
Biggest Fan: Fred (2)
"We're not enemies
We just disagree"
[32] The Strokes | Is This It? | 2001
Points: 2973 | Votes: 31 | AM Rank: 45 | 2009 Poll Rank: 42 (+10)
Biggest Fan: Nick (8)
"I recall lightning stuck itself"
[31] Television | Marquee Moon | 1977
Points: 2984 | Votes: 25 | AM Rank: 25 | 2009 Poll Rank: 29 (-2)
Biggest Fan: Fred: (1)
Is it just me or do the Strokes look WAY out of place among the other albums in that group? Still,more people voted for Is This It than any of those other 4...
Is This It is also the only one of the five that's moving up -- new blood. Maybe won't stay this high over time, but I personally enjoy seeing it so high (although not above Are You Experienced? -- not sure what's up with that one falling so far). I think Is This It is the most important album of the 21st century, especially in Britain, so it's justified in its position.
Are You Experienced is one of the more surprising falls of the poll. No idea why, it seems like its standing is as good as it ever was here. Then again I didn't vote for it...
To me Who's Next is the worst album here; I don't get why that's the most-acclaimed Who album here. Besides "Baba O'Riley" I don't care to listen to any of its songs. They were much better in the 60s.
Forever Changes is a psychedelic masterpiece. I voted it 16th. Love the lyrics, personality, and creativity displayed here.
Now, my two (Euro) cents about the new group of 5
[35] The Jimi Hendrix Experience | Are You Experienced? | 1967
My number 62. One of the most stunning debuts ever ( The Doors, Fleet Foxes, La Mauvaise réputation, Five Leaves Left, the VU & Nico, Rufus Wainwright ranked better in my list).
[34] The Who | Who's Next | 1971
My #42. It went down in my list since 2009, but it's still a brilliant album. No throwaway here.
[33] Love | Forever Changes | 1967
my #155. Here unlike "Who's Next" I don't like every song but there are pure masterpieces. The first 3 songs are stunning but the whole is better than the sum of its parts. It has to do with this unique sound, mixing folk, Spanish influences, strings. Very
[32] The Strokes | Is This It? | 2001
My #125. A classic. IMO they succeded to make a lasting effort where Oasis failed. Their sound is more focus. But that's my opinion. Not really innovative but this album, just like "Dark side of the moon " to me is part of the scene. It's just like a piece of furniture that you can't remove. Or the room wouldn't be the same anymore.
[31] Television | Marquee Moon | 1977
My #259. Great album, especially for its guitar parts. Television was a punk band in attitude but no Attila : they played those loong and amazing guitar solos. But I'm not a huge fan of Verlaine's vocals that tend to irritate me. ANyway top 300 stuff is stil very good stuff in my list. In Marquee Moon's intensity there is something of LCD Soundsystem.
"Crying won't help you, praying won't do you no good"
[30] Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV | 1971
Points: 3024 | Votes: 26 | AM Rank: 31 | 2009 Poll Rank: 38 (+8)
Biggest Fan: Listyguy (1)
"The sunshine bores the daylights out of me"
[29] The Rolling Stones | Exile on Main St. | 1972
Points: 3027 | Votes: 28 | AM Rank: 8 | 2009 Poll Rank: 15 (-14)
Biggest Fan: Jonathan (5)
"This is really happening"
[28] Radiohead | Kid A | 2000
Points: 3036 | Votes: 28 | AM Rank: 52 | 2009 Poll Rank: 24 (-4)
Biggest Fan: Petri (3)
"We are gathered here today to get through this thing called life"
[27] Prince and The Revolution | Purple Rain | 1984
Points: 3065 | Votes: 26 | AM Rank: 50 | 2009 Poll Rank: 30 (+3)
Biggest Fan: Stone (2)
[26] Miles Davis | Kind of Blue | 1959
Points: 3076 | Votes: 26 | AM Rank: 39 | 2009 Poll Rank: 32 (+6)
Biggest Fan: DavidM (1)
Kid A behind Illnois is quite a shocker.
[30] Led Zeppelin | Led Zeppelin IV | 1971
My number 14. This is the ultimate early 70s album (with What's Going On). I love everything on IV, even the Dungeons & Dragons lyrics (I'm a heroic fantasy fan). Let alone the "bloody wedding song" (dixit Plant) I love "Rock and Roll", "Going To California" and the great "When The Levee Breaks" inspired by an old Delta blues song from the 20s. While I can see why people can love some of the albums I hate, I can clearly see why people can hate that one. I love turn-the-other-cheek albums.
[29] The Rolling Stones | Exile on Main St. | 1972
My number 46. I should do a list of garage sell double albums, from the White one to this one. I love big books, big films, big meals... every now and then. I bet this album will be even higher in my next list.
[28] Radiohead | Kid A | 2000
My number 491. I think I prefer In Rainbows to that one. A little too cold and experimental. But beautiful at times. Maybe it will grow on me. I can understand its appeal. But I'm also happy it's not in the top 20.
[27] Prince and The Revolution | Purple Rain | 1984
Prince was such a good news in the 80s. I remember when I heard my first Pince song, "When Doves Cry". I was camping with my cousin in the garden of my parents' country house. I love everything in Purple Rain. It's like a Thriller with much better taste.
[26] Miles Davis | Kind of Blue | 1959
my #168 and the oldest record of the top 100. It's not my favorite Miles album (Sketches Of Spain has my preference).
So, what are our favourite albums from outside the non-anglo-saxon world? I don't know if it should be called anglo-saxon or not, but I decided to include the (ridiculously low) Jamaican albums as well.
There are about 10 albums in each section of 100 except the top 100 which has zero albums. Even though most of these artists are well-known here in this forum, I think this has to do with that these albums have not been canonized over the years by UK and US media.
I'm not saying that all these albums are underrated, but they are probably heard by fewer people, so for many there are probably a number great discoveries to be made from this list.
[103] Björk | Homogenic | 1997
[128] The Knife | Silent Shout | 2006
[143] Kraftwerk | Trans-Europa Express | 1977
[148] Daft Punk | Discovery | 2001
[151] Bob Marley | Exodus | 1977
[174] Sigur Rós | Agaetis Byrjun | 1999
[176] Serge Gainsbourg | Histoire de Melody Nelson | 1971
[180] Björk | Debut | 1993
[194] Air | Moon Safari | 1998
[196] Kraftwerk | Die Mensch Maschine | 1978
[229] Buena Vista Social Club | Buena Vista Social Club | 1997
[233] Björk | Post | 1995
[244] Kraftwerk | Computerwelt | 1981
[247] Björk | Vespertine | 2001
[252] Fever Ray | Fever Ray | 2009
[255] Can | Tago Mago | 1971
[335] Bob Marley | Catch a Fire | 1973
[340] Os Mutantes | Os Mutantes | 1968
[350] The Original Soundtrack | The Harder They Come | 1972
[355] Sigur Rós | Takk... | 2005
[366] Sigur Rós | ( ) | 2002
[377] Jacques Brel | Ces gens-la | 1966
[391] Can | Ege Bamyasi | 1972
[405] Bob Marley and The Wailers | Natty Dread | 1974
[416] The Tallest Man on Earth | The Wild Hunt | 2010
[445] Bob Marley and The Wailers | Live! | 1975
[451] The Tallest Man on Earth | Shallow Grave | 2008
[457] Fela and Africa 70 | Zombie | 1977
[470] Jorge Ben | A Tábua de Esmeralda | 1974
[477] Stan Getz and João Gilberto | Getz/Gilberto | 1964
[490] Kraftwerk | Autobahn | 1974
[491] Neu! | Neu! | 1972
[498] Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares | Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares | 1975
Good to see Purple Rain in the top 30! And it also compensates a bit for the unfairly low placement of Sign O' the Times.
And, wow, I can't believe "THAT" album still hasn't appeared. I was hoping it could appear in the top 40 and it's still to come.
THAT album won't be controversial to most of the forum. While I personally don't understand its appeal, it's definitely not coming out of nowhere.
@Henry I think the high rankings for Forever Changes and Marquee Moon suggest that they won't decline. Albums that are more popular now than when they were released seem like the least likely candidates to decline. I agree about the Stone Roses and the Strokes; those might strike future generations as 'you had to be there' albums to some extent, though both feature great timeless pop songwriting.
Marquee Moon (my #2) is a absolutely wonderful album, and I don't envision it going down in future polls - indeed I think it will go up as its importance in shaping modern music will be more recognised. Aside from the amazing guitars, what I love about the album is its sheer attitude. Yes, even Tom Verlaine's vocals are part of it, so I can really apprectiate that, even if he can't hold a note to save his life. The most important things to me in determining whether an album comes high to me is personality and heart - while Marquee Moon doesn't have much heart, it certainly has bagloads of personality. Truly great.
And I'm really stuck about THAT album...I never have the memory for things...someone care to spoiler me (unless it's Illinois, but that really can't finish in the top 15, can it)?
Please no spoliers
Some people (like me) would still like to be shocked
or open another thread
Consider the list deleted, all apologies.