I would like to make a rule regarding this loophole round for me. If I haven’t been able to come across several acclaimed songs by a top 100 artist during my normal music listening habits, I shouldn’t have to listen to several of their songs before voting them out. I would conclude that the lack of their presence in my musical memory (26 years strong) makes them unworthy of inclusion in Survivor, unless of course the lack of songs I’ve personally heard is made up for by general respected reputation.

I would probably enjoy digging up songs by the several artists I haven’t heard, but I’m busy making sure I’ve listened to all 100 of the 90s poll songs. The actual Survivor show isn’t very fair, and little personal hangups determine a great deal of voting. This game will be fun because it will see which artists goes in under the radar, and could possibly have the most universal appeal. The survivor will have no massive backlash against their ‘hype’. They will just be pure talent.

Yadda Yadda Yadda, here’s mine.

Vote out:

1. Oasis – Sorry fans, but given the quality of artists below 100 I can’t find enough general respect for a band who I can’t listen to. This is not likely to be voted out anyway, so I’ll make this a symoblic vote to maybe try to get people to highlight less irritating brit-pop.
2. AC/DC – So, Back in Black was this super-acclaimed legendary album, so I had to pick it up when it was on sale. This is one of those albums I have only listened to once. I must have forgotten, when I decided on my purchase, how You Shook Me All Night Long is one of the most annoying overplayed dingy bar songs ever. After Back in Black, can I think of anything that they have done that isn’t automatically filler music on my local classic rock station? Nope.
3. The Jam – This band gets the “Never heard of them” award for having zero songs that I can recall listening to. I think there are too many bands that almost have the exact same presentation, if not sound, from about the same era such as the Fall, Wire, Gang of Four, etc. If this band is something special compared to all I’ve listed please feel free to berate me for my ignorance.
4. Pet Shop Boys – Perhaps they have a little more artistic integrity beyond the one-hit-wonder of most 80s bands, but I’ve only heard glimpses of their music on and off, and it sounds dated and shallow. Bands like New Order had more depth and intrigue while not sacrificing interesting synth-beats.
5. Nick Cave – I have given his music a chance during some of the voting for the 90s poll, but he doesn’t really stand out as an artist of distinction to me.

Vote in:

1. Smashing Pumpkins – The band of my 90s youth and for teenagers who appreciated Nirvana but liked a little beauty and comfort with their ‘alternative’ tastes. Siamese Dream put 90s music back up in the hazy clouds of past psychedelica… I picked up Mellon Collie on the first day it came out before the clerk even put it on the shelves, and to this date it is very satisfying. I was so glad Corgan and Co. could be capable of making a sprawling, epic, and diverse musical statement, that harkened back to the best and most human of 70s progressive rock and was lyrically gorgeous as well. Gems from the rest of their weaker catalog (NOT counting anything this century) also help their case.
2. Flaming Lips – A band even more consistently exciting than the Pumpkins, I retroactively caught up with their 90s output over the past several years, so they have less of an immediate impact as I grew up. They deserve credit just for longevity and reinvention, turning themselves to a noisy outfit, to true alternative rock gods, to pop masters, and then who knows what after At War With the Mystics.
3. Roy Orbison – I tried to make a playlist once, tracing representative songs of each year, every year, as far as I could go back. Suprsingly, most years pre-Beatles were empty without Roy Orbison, and its fitting. While rock n’ roll was still getting its legs beyond little rollicking pop tunes, Orbison, as early as 1956 (when Only the Lonely came out) was adding a haunting operatic voice to make even the most conventional melodies light years beyond anything that might have been on the radio at the time. His voice remained consistently unique throughout the years and singles that he released which were really amazing in their diverse musical ranges. Running Scared, Leah, In Dreams, and Oh! Pretty Woman… it’s remarkable how the element of Orbison’s voice remains the constant throughout.
4. Nine Inch Nails – I’ll round up the rest of this with 90s essentials. It was beginning to get old and tired by 1999(how angst-ridden and depressing can you be as a huge rock star anyway) but without nin, I wouldn’t think that music had the ability to scare me. Downward Spiral is one of the most complexly sounding records ever. Trent Reznor still has fits of musical brilliance, but the long periods between his albums made for innovation and unexpected suprises.
5. Pearl Jam – Stopped buying albums after Yield, but Pearl Jam’s Ten was one of the very first non-juvenielle albums I ever purchased and the rock anthems on that disc plus the more subtle ballads and experimental tracks of later albums have made them a timeless nineties band, even though they are an irrelevant 00s band.

Cheers Slush - that Captain Beefheart spiel was priceless

Slush, I also have to give you credit--so far, you're the ONLY person to cast a vote for Wilco, despite the fact that they're just sitting at #101 like a stationary target. They'reone of the 3 or 4 best bands of this decade, and yes I know I didn't vote for them.

Slush - you may dislike Eminem, but it's factually inaccurate to say that he was talentless. When he first appeared on the scene in the late 90s, he was admired by rappers like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg (and later Jay-Z) not because it had suddenly become in vogue for high-profile black rap artists to be associated with white rappers, but because he was a true talent.

This might go without saying but I'd take Eminem over Elvis.

OK - that might be taking it a bit far jonmarck...

You've got a good point Anthony. I've heard a couple of his things from way back and actually kinda liked them (same with 50 Cent, who I'm not a huge fan of now). In the end, though, I've never felt like I needed one of his albums after I heard a song of his on the radio/MTV and his persona just bugs me on top of all that.

Schleuse, thanks for the bit of support; I'm always glad to know there's another Wilco fan.

The top 100 (vote five out):
1. Public Enemy, I dislike this a lot. Guess it's not my cup of tea.
2. Grateful Dead, I don't dislike them like no.1. but I don't think it's that great.
3. Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Like Zappa, I don't know a lot about this, because it is too difficult, or maybe it's just arty crap. Or maybe I don't get it.
4. The Eagles, besides Hotel California they brought us crap.
5. Frank Zappa, I tried to listen to Zappa some times, but (he or me) failed.

101-200 (vote five in):
1. The Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin is a kind of album that half of the now top 100 didn't achieve.
2. My Bloody Valentine, Lets not be loveless and count them in.
3. Wilco, By the song 'Jesus, etc' alone they should be included.
4. Belle and Sebastian, I always liked them a lot. Making fun music and very enjoyable to listen to.
5. Coldplay, A couple of nice albums they made.

The following 5 artists from 101-200 are among my favorite 40 artists and could be voted in:

1. Wilco - Slush, here's another Wilco fan for you. Being There and Summer Teeth are my favorites, but Jeff Tweedy & Co. have consistently been releasing fine quality albums for over a decade now.
2. Coldplay - A rush of blood to the top 100.
3. Lucinda Williams - The 100 can use some more strong female performers
4. Belle and Sebastian - Let's not feel sinister and add this nice Scotch band.
5. XTC - New wave band, that has made a couple of good albums.

And the following 5 artists may leave the island and get a vote-off from me:

1. Frank Zappa/The Mothers of Invention - No Zappa fan.
2. Pet Shop Boys - Dislike the singer's voice and don't unserstand why they get so much acclaim.
3. Missy Misdemeanor Elliott - Have to repeat some comments already made: A few nice songs, but her albums are not that great.
4. Metallica - Not my cup of tea, this kind of hard rock. I would then prefer Quotsa.
5. Grateful Dead - Cult band, that got quite famous back then, but should be in the 101-200 range.

OK, I can't stand this Zappa bashing. He's an acquired taste, for sure, but I think his reputation as a goofy, obnoxious, novelty-type artist has shaped a lot of perceptions about his music.

As a Zappa fanatic who is just as intrigued about his personality as much as his music I would of course say that you have to take the "unlistenable" or "unapproachable" of his output as much as the other stuff to appreciate him fully. He really is an artist to appreciate the more you delve into his very prolific catalog and see how much different songs reference eachother. If you dip your toe with just one or two albums, you are likely to run into some irritating stuff, to be honest, if you don't know his musical personality, which I still only get hints off even though I had dozens of his albums.

Anyway, it might be a fool's errand to get him saved from this game, but I would like to suggest the following FZ albums that I think even the least adventurous listener would find "listenable".

1. Burnt Weeny Sandwich - This is one of only 4 albums of any artist that I rank a perfect 10.0. Its gorgeous and mostly instrumental. It's best to think of this as one continuous piece of music. It's never really discussed as a key Zappa album, but you won't be sorry if you sample this.

2. Chunga's Revenge - I think more Zappa-haters would become fans if they steered clear of albums prominently featuring Zappa's voice, which admitedly contains a little too much silly singing styles. This album featuring Flo + Eddie, professional vocalists formerly from the Turtles, plus a variety of instrumental workouts. Weasels Ripped My Flesh is similar, but contains some more "unlistenable" weirdness that might scare some of you off.

3. One Size Fits All - Inca Roads (the 1st track) is a beautiful song, and the rest of the album has a full sound with a lot of energy and variety. Be prepared for some weirdness though, as the last song contains alternating German and English lyrics. It's still pretty though.

4. Make a Jazz Noise Here - Fast forward to Zappa's final tour of 1988, this is a stunning live album with a big horn section. While it's fun to hear jazzed up versions of Zappa classics, for the non-fan I think it's a very high quality mostly-instrumental record with lots to appreciate.

I was purposely strict with myself and didn't suggest great records that sound too much like the Zappa that's prominently in AM that some of you might have sampled. I can understand Captain Beefheart hatred a little more, but Zappa just has more depth and I really think has something for everybody... you just have to be patient and ignore some difficult records that somehow became the "essential" Zappa albums.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

I haven't seen Moonbeam around here, and I feel like this needs to be done, so let me offer a (tepid) defense of the Pet Shop Boys.

No, they're not really top 100 material, but there are still probably 15-20 acts I would vote out ahead of them. They've got some very good songs (I think their best is "What Have I Done to Deserve This," followed closely by their ironic covers of "Always on My Mind" and "Where the Streets Have No Name").

A month or so ago, somebody posted a list of gay musical icons--none of whom were actually gay. I don't remember exactly who was on the list, but it was something like Cher, Madonna, Streisand, Garland--that kind of stuff, which, stereotypically, is a part of gay culture.

Most gay or bi artists on the AM lists don't actually make music that really marks itself as "gay," in the sense of music which is embraced by gay culture (if there is such a thing). Think Little Richard, Michael Stipe, Joan Jett, Dusty Springfield. I give PSB credit for being, well, gay men making good gay music (and Neil Tennant's bored-seeming vocals are integral to that). They're more fun than Bronski Beat and smarter than the Village People (smart enough to improve on "Go West," anyway).

Now, identity politics is no reason to give an artist credit. But doing something well is--even if it's disco--and I think PSB meets that standard. As do 100 or so other artists...

Thank you for your comments, Jonah and schleuse. Since I voted both Zappa and Pet Shop Boys out, here's a reaction:

I had selected 15 potential artists to vote out and decided to listen to them before making the final 5.

As to Pet Shop Boys, nothing against them personally or against gay people. My vote is purely based on my personal music taste.

Jonah, I do have to admit I have none of the 4 albums you've recommended! My personal decision is based on listening to Freak Out and part of We're only in it for the money again. And I know him from a few concerts I saw on TV, that's as far as my Zappa awareness goes. If you only know a part of an artist's long album history record, is it then legitimate to vote him/her off?

Hey DrDre, whatever rules for yourself are fine. If you look at my entry where I offer all of my votes, I decided to kick some artists out because I hadn't heard anything significant from them prior to this game.

All the Zappa in everyone's top 5 pushed me to the breaking point, because I'm sure if you're not a fan you have only heard what the critics say you should hear, and albums such as Freak Out, We're Only In it For the Money, and his biggest seller Apostrophe' only give you a tiny picture and in some cases could be unapproachable, as one earlier poster said.

Apostrophe' and Money were my first FZ purchases over a decade ago (ahh, memories) and they didn't really overwhelm me with their greatness, but there was just enough really unique elements to it that I was intrigued and sought out more albums.

I merely am offering some other obscure zappa suggestions in case you're interested. Your votes in Survivor are as good as anybody else's. If you get your hands on some of my suggestions, let me know what you think.

OK Jonah, I'm gonna see if can get a hold on one of your recommendations and I'll get back to you on that. Assuming Zappa survives this round, I even might be in time to change my vote.

I've made a stupid mistake with the voting in. I simply looked at my Excel list of favorite artists, which is purely based on albums . So, even though I did not vote for him, I sincerely hope Hank Williams is gonna make it!

FIVE OUT:
1. Pavement: so is it groundbreaking hitting purposely the wrong note on the guitar? Is it genial to make badly constructed and erratically mixed songs? And is it innovative singing out of tune (or out of mic) not-so-clever lyrics? Well, no, it isn’t.
2. Black Sabbath: so these guys are responsible for the association between heavy metal and satanic cult? Well, get out of the island please…
3. Beastie Boys: I’ve own two albums (“Check My Head” and “Hello Nasty” and are equally divided in enervating rap-metal bullets and derivative and boring instrumental jams. Maybe I’ve got the wrong ones? Should I try with “Paul’s Boutique”?
4. Missy Misdemeanor Elliott: Missy at #88 and Lauryn Hill at #240? Missy’s not bad, but Lauryn’s far better (although maybe Lauryn’s suffering some punishment due to her scattered production, with barely two albums in ten years).
5. Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band: I would quote Nicolas (if he doesn’t mind): “I think this guy really brought new things but listening to his album is like eating a plate of peppers. Peppers are good when added in small quantity to some food but you wouldn't eat the whole jar”. Well said, Nic.

FIVE IN:
1. King Crimson: one of my first musical loves. Back in 1979 (when I was fourteen) I came into a record store and asked the attendant to play a record with a funny cover I’ve never heard of. It was “In the Wake of Poseidon”. I was listening with the headphones at a considerable volume (ugh, talking about listening music from a vinyl with headphones in a record store seems talking about the Jurassic period) and I got shocked. Well, for the people who haven’t heard the album it begins with an almost inaudible distant chant called “Peace – A Beginning” followed by the hard-rock-meets-free-jazz attack of “Pictures of a City” whose beginning seems a buffalo stampede. The abrupt beginning made me jump in fright producing a hilarious response of the attendant. Obviously I bought the album and play it to a lot of friends to repeat the joke. Even it’s not the best Crimson album I became an addict and bought the entire discography (second-handed vinyl, didn’t have enough money at the time). While my friends were listening to the crap on the radio I was enjoying the bizarre Crimson world. Well, I was a kinda weird teenager, was I?
2. The Flaming Lips: only own three albums, from “Zaireeka” to “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” but that’s enough to fully appreciate the bizarre and imaginative universe of Wayne Coyne et al.
3. Depeche Mode: the absolute masters of techno-pop that survived to the abandon of Vince Clarke thanks to the vocal abilities of Dave Gahan and the song-writing skills of Martin Gore, with a impressive set of singles during the 80s and early 90s.
4. XTC: for his interesting evolution from new wave iconoclasts to pop masters despite its undeserved lack of success.
5. Wilco: the most interesting and innovative band of the alternative country, with a string of awesome albums with “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” as its pinnacle.


Sorry, schleuse, but maybe I won’t be able to participate every week in this (excellent) Survivor game. Like Neoptolemos said, the work in the forum is beginning to be overwhelming and I’m preparing two “projects” for AM forum (one about the Fab Four and the other about Spanish music) that demands time that I need to share with my (exhausting) daily work and my family. But I’ll try to participate as much as I can.

Fair enough, Honorio. I can't wait to see what you've been working on, and I look forward to seeing you here on the island from time to time.

This is definitely the easiest to keep up with though since you don't have to change anything from week to week unless one of your five gets the boot. I'm guessing a few of mine are going to last awhile but I might rotate the 4 and 5 spot because there are a couple others that deserve the boot as much as my 4 and 5 right now. I'll probably stick exclusively to my bottom 3 though.

OUT
It’s hard to eliminate bands, because, apart from a certain number of acts that I really don’t like, the ones I want out are the ones I know the less

1. Missy Elliott 5 pts: I only know one track (Get Ur Freak On) but it pissed me off so much I don’t hesitate.
2. Madonna 4 pts : I was a teenager during the eighties, so I can’t say I don’t know Madonna. Apart from Music, I can say there isn’t a song by her that I like.
3. The Ramones 3 pts : Sorry but I don’t get them. I know they are liked because the music is dumb, but I guess I find it too dumb.
4. Black Sabbath : I put them out because I have to acknoweledge I don’t know their work, except of course Paranoid, which is to me nothing else but another hard rock tune.
5. Elton John : I want him out today cause I know he’s got to go sooner or later. He puts too much sugar in his songs, except maybe in that great album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

IN

1. Muddy Waters, 5 : Muddy and blues in general are absolutely ignored by most people today as an influence which is a crime against history. Muddy’s not my favorite bluesman but hell he sang half the repertoire of Led Zep and just nearly simply invented the classic rock band : lead guitar, vocals, drums, piano, harmonica and (sometimes) bass (in the eraly Chicago blues of the 40’s 50’s electric bass was not populer so you had 2 guitars.
He just created the blues rock sound that the British bands used during the60’s;
2. Roy Orbison, 4 points : I would love him on the island, although I don’t think he will be (I bet I’ll be among the rare people who will put him in the “in” list). Roy has the most beautiful voice in rock history. He wrote absolute gems in the early 60’s like In Dreams, and brilliant come-back albums at the end of the 80’s. For me, young and romantic, it was a revelation when those records came out in 1989. Along with Jacques Brel, he’s the archetypal romantic singer you love when you’re 20 and not so gifted with girls.
3. Country is represented by Johnny Cash in the top 100 artists, but Hank Williams was a great man. Move it on Over from 1947 is nothing but Rock around the clock’s melody with a hinky tonk drive but it’s already rock’n roll
4. Curtis Mayfield : Just love his voice and his musicianship and arragements. Superfly is a masterpiece.
5. Sam Cooke : What a voice ! It’s a pity he’s not in the top 100. The question is : will any of these representants of the old American music be in the final round ? I doubt that, but I don’t feel angry about that. I don’t know why I fell in love with this music, at the risk of living musically in another time. Like your good friend say I Guess I wasn’t made for these times (well it’s not true I love 1990’s and nowadays music too but I have this secret garden I keep : the old music)

OUT:The Eagles
Missy Elliott
Fleetwood Mac
Eminem
The Police

IN: Flaming Lips
Can
The Specials
Love
Husker Du

Can't believe any of those top five-especially The Police!?Hard to pick from the 101-200 group-lots of fantastic acts(Big Star,MBV,Wire,YLT,Stone Roses etc.)but these five are truly great.Hard to believe my fave Flaming lips album(Transmissions...)barely grazes the AM top 3000.
Obviously this thing is intrinsically personal and hugely subjective, but it astonishes me to see Honorio choose Pavement as the band least deserving of a top 100 position.The criticisms raised read like an amalgam of every ill-informed assessment of the band I've ever heard.I was going to say give 'em another go and I'll do likewise for The Police, but objectivety is generally overrated.

Well, EdAmes, maybe I’ve exaggerated a lot my dislike for Pavement music. In fact I like some songs from that band (look at my 90s lists, I’ve included “Summer Babe”, “Here” and “Rage Life”). And I’ve listened enough the albums. The first album I bought was “Crooked Rain Crooked Rain” and I felt like not understanding a joke while everyone’s laughing. Thinking bout I’ve chosen the wrong album I bought “Slanted and Enchanted” only to find it even worse. I’ve listened to “Woowee Zowee” too and hadn’t changed my opinion. . If you think I need to give it another listen I’ll do it but… no, not again!! (only joking).
Of course there’s some things I’ve like of Pavement: some occasional country flavour (like pedal steel), some inspired melodic line or some fragment of lyrics (“I was dressed for success / but success it never comes”). But these are the things that make Pavement similar to other bands. The things that characterize its style, the fractured structure, the lazy singing (and, yes, out of tune), the lo-fi recording and the loose playing that is perceived by the critics as innovative and groundbreaking and blah blah is what fails to impress me. I’ve get impressed often by good lyrics, by passionate vocals, by imaginative arrangements, by crafted song-writing, by the feelings that music generates. However, the attitude, the look, the trend, the hype, … always fails to impress me.
And, since you mention The Police, even it’s not by far my favourite band, they were as innovative as Pavement at the time. The incorporation of reggae rhythms in Copeland unique drumming style, the use of delays and chorus effects on Summer guitar and the interesting song-writing (at least on the first two albums) of Sting were notable features.
Anyway, it’s only my opinion, and if you like Pavement a lot, that’s fine with me. Simply I don’t.
By the way, EdAmes, welcome aboard.

Out
Nirvana- One great album not around long enough like them also.
Velvet Undeground- atonal music
Frank Zappa- not listenable.
Captain Beefhart- Piero Scaruffi darling but another one who did not learn melody or how to apply weirdness.
Guns N Roses- Like them but were not around long enough

In

Everly Brothers- one of the rock and roll pioneers
Deep Purple- one of the heavy metal pioneers.
Red Hot Chilli Peppers- great band that combines funk, melody and hard rock. Great albums.
Jefferson Airplane- One of the most underrated bands of the 60's
King Crimson- the greatest progressive rock band ever?

Many thanks to Honorio for his warm welcome to the forum, especially after re-reading my previous comments which sound a bit more abrasive than intended.I'd just come in and was obviously a little bit pissed-I certainly didn't mean to sound like some rabid Manic Street Preachers fan(ie.completely unable to accept any criticism of my fave band).
My thing with Pavement was that I always found the music immediate,organic,soulful and effotlessly catchy-the complete opposite of a commonly held notion of them as being cold,ironic and atonal.
Slanted and Enchanted is to me at once so obviouly a masterpiece that its 122 AM ranking seems outrageously low, and so personal to me emotionally that I almost can't imagine anyone else liking it.

Anyway, cheers Honorio-appreciate the feedback.I'm sticking to my guns on The Police though, if only because of the laughable faux-Jamaican accent.

FIVE TO GO:
1. Primal Scream – Yes, I was one of the people who voted for “Come Together”. But that’s the only track that, for me, really lives up to this band’s high ranking. As you could probably guess from my comments in the “More fun with the list” thread, I own all of the top 1000 albums, and then some. They can be divided into three categories: the ones I listen to frequently, for pleasure, whether they’re longstanding favorites or albums I’ve purchased because of this site that have -become- favorites; the ones I don’t know that well yet that I return to as often as I can to get more familiar with them; and the ones I listen to once in a great, great while to try to figure out how, exactly, they made the list. SCREAMADELICA is probably the highest-ranked album that falls into that third category for me. I can’t say that VANISHING POINT or XTRMNTR (the one I like most) do much for me, either. This was an easy choice.
2. Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott – Henrik said it best, I think – her singles are great, her albums not so much. I respect Timbo’s production skills and her cleverness as a writer, but I almost never feel like actually listening to her.
3. The Jam – From this American’s perspective, a lot of the British artists in the top 100 are severely overrated. Maybe it’s just that I need to listen to them more (their top 1000 albums definitely fall into my second tier, as described above), but compared to a great deal of the “second 100” artists, they seem outclassed.
4. T. Rex – I love ELECTRIC WARRIOR as much as anyone, but top 100 artists of all time? Sorry. Bolan’s mix of mystic-sprite airiness and ear-candy guitar crunch is engaging, but he’s a minor artist.
5. Guns N’Roses – APPETITE fully deserves its high ranking; it is one of the defining hard-rock albums. And ILLUSION I and II certainly have their moments. But they’ve become such a sad joke (well, Axl has, anyway) that they just don’t belong in this company.

FIVE TO MOVE UP:
1. Charles Mingus – As I’ve stated in other threads, no jazz artist gives me more pleasure, because of the palpable joy he and his musicians convey. His music can be fiendishly complex, but that joy is so infectious that it’s never forbidding or inaccessible.
2. Big Star – Yeah, I know they only made three albums. But I play those three albums more than almost anyone else’s. To paraphrase Paul Westerberg, no one should ever travel far without a little Big Star.
3. Husker Du – The most exciting American band of the postpunk era. It’s thrilling to listen to them progress across their catalog from noisecore dotted with unexpectedly strong melodies to near-power pop glistening with hooks. The song was always paramount with these guys, and their body of work holds up exceptionally well.
4. Elliott Smith – Another artist who moved from noise to songcraft, but he made the transition early and went all the way with it. His melodies are effortless and instantly memorable, and he was the most efficient one-man band this side of Prince. His early exit will go down as one of rock’s greatest tragedies.
5. Wire – There are so many brilliant artists in the second 100 that picking only five was incredibly difficult. But personal favorites carry the day in this loophole round, and Wire get my last slot here on the strength of those first three extraordinary albums.

Five to kick out:

1. Missy Misdemeanor Elliott
2. The Eagles
3. Creedence Clearwater Revival
4. Pavement
5. Madonna

Missy is a straight-up disgrace to the list. I love rap music, but she's just a boring, pedestrian MC... freaking nails down the chalkboard bad.

I was craving easy-listening the other day, so in between Fleetwood Mac and the Electric Light Orchestra, I stuck Hotel California on for the first time in an age. Boy does that album go downhill pretty darn quickly. And I can't say their others fare any better.

I have about half a dozen CCR albums. I've given them all a few spins, but they just fail to resonate with me. In the same way dishwater fails to resonate with me.

Pavement similarly just haven't quite cracked me, and Madonna I'm actually quite fond of - Confessions On A Dance Floor I particularly thought was a triumph, and she's got a good dozen winners to her name. But I'm taking a stand. She's just not Top 100 material, for a freaking minute.

Five to ship in:

1. Manic Street Preachers
2. The Verve
3. The Stone Roses
4. Morrissey
5. Queen

Jay-Z, Kanye West and N.W.A. were all a pain to have to leave, but these five are ultimately closer to my heart.

The Manics - posited on an axis of Guns N' Roses, The Clash and U2 - were like a British Nirvana that went the distance. Their unstoppable run of classics from '92s Generation Terrorists to '98s This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours are as essential as anything of the era.

The Verve had a shorter career, but with Urban Hymns and the less-mentioned but even-finer A Northern Soul, they crafted poignantly beautiful yet fuck-off ballsy tunes that have never been bettered.

The Stone Roses deserve the place largely for that note-perfect debut - probably the finest album of the '80s, if not the last 25 years - though follow-up Second Coming and several non-album singles shine brightly, too.

Morrissey is Morrissey. No-one does Morrissey like Morrissey (though plenty have tried), and 20+ years into his career he's still knocking them out of the park (both Ringleader Of The Tormentors and You Are The Quarry rank among the decade's great albums, for me).

Queen tend to falter over the course of a full-length LP (Night At The Opera being a glorious exception), but there's no denying their string of classic singles - "We Are The Champions", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Fat Bottomed Girls" - let's be honest, if Queen's greatest hits were sucked out of our collective conciouses - we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves. And we wouldn't know how to do the fandango.

Out:
1.AC/DC - AC/DC made a career out of virtually making the same song over and over again. A pattern they continued when their singer died. They should not be well into the Top 100.
2.Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band - As a person that actually likes Trout Mask Replica, I have to say that "no", he just shouldn't be here.
3.The Eagles - You know what's not a good song? "Hotel California". Without this song, The Eagles wouldn't be in the Top 100, so out they should go
4.Pet Shop Boys - Q: Who were The Pet Shop Boys? A: A synth-pop band. Q: Oh! Okay, well, er... did they do anything groudbreaking with it? A:Um.... No.
5.Missy Misdemeanor Elliott - She has two way overhyped singles that launch her to this level. Now don't get me wrong, I think her songs are alright, but how did "Get Ur Freak On" become the 59th most acclaimed song??

In:
1.Pearl Jam - My third favorite band, and the only in my top five that isn't in the AM Top 25 Artists, let alone Top 100. They have always made great music, although not always consistant (Binaural, Riot Act), but they should definitely be in the Top 100
2.Wilco - Wilco are currently at 101, and it's because of The Pet Shop Boys they are not in the Top 100 yet. Considering how YHF is one of the unquestionably best albums of this decade, and how all their other albums set new standards for themselves, these guys have to go in,
3.Smashing Pumpkins - Alright, I'm basically putting them in for Siamese Dream alone. Mellon Collie is also very good but if that were the only album I had heard by them, they wouldn't even be in the Top 10 or 15 I'd put in.
4.My Bloody Valentine - Most definitely these guys should go in. They made an album that created a genre ("Isn't Anything") and later made one that defined it ("Loveless"), leaving every other Shoegaze album to pale in comparison ever since.
5.A Tribe Called Quest - My favorite rap group. Defined Alternative Rap much better than De La Soul in my opinion.