Same rules as last time. Vote for your top ten, votes close next Tuesday at midnight board time (Unless I'm behind in the counting, in which case they go until I'm done counting). Scoring is 20-17-15-13-11-10-9-8-7-6, top five go to next round, top ten below 5th place point getters get another chance for the three wild card spots.

My ballot:
Sleater-Kinney - The Woods (Top 100 all time)
Tangerine Dream - Phaedra
REM - New Adventures In Hifi
Grace Jones - Nightclubbing
The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
Spoon - Kill The Moonlight
The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Session
Feist - The Reminder
The The - Soul Mining

I'm starting to see a bit of a dropoff in number of albums I like, but there's still a lot of albums that would at least make my top 200-300.

1. Paul Simon - There Goes Rhymin' Simon
2. Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years
3. Ella Fitzgerald - Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook
4. John Coltrane - Live at the Village Vanguard
5. Smokey Robinson and The Miracles - Going to a Go-Go
6. Eric B. & Rakim - Follow The Leader
7. The Strokes - Room on Fire
8. Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
9. Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
10. Big Black - Songs About Fucking

1. The Strokes- Room on Fire
2. Grace Jones- Nightclubbing
3. Aerosmith- Pump
4. Sparks- Kimono My House
5. Cyndi Lauper- She's So Unusual
6. Roxy Music- Country Life
7. Siouxsie and the Banshees- The Scream
8. Interpol- Antics
9. Stevie Wonder- Fulfillingness' First Finale
10. Beastie Boys- Hello Nasty

12 albums I can choose from in this tier.

1. The Beta Band - The Three EPs
2. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas Unto Heaven
3. The Strokes - Room On Fire
4. Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
5. The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed
6. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
7. R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi
8. Roxy Music - Country Life
9. Interpol - Antics
10. Youssou N'Dour - Immigres

1. Beastie Boys- Hello Nasty
2. Elastica- Elastica
3. Lemonheads- It's A Shame About Ray
4. Beta Band- 3 EP's
5. Replacements- Pleased To Meet Me
6. Bob Dylan- The Times They Are A Changin
7. Warren Zevon- Warren Zevon
8. Sonics- Here Are the Sonics
9. Ramones- Leave Home
10. Spoon- Kill the Moonlight

1. Ramones – Leave Home
2. Elliott Smith – From a Basement on the Hill
3. The Strokes – Room on Fire
4. The Replacements – Pleased to Meet Me
5. Elvis Costello – King of America
6. Spoon – Kill the Moonlight
7. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven
8. The New Pornographers – Twin Cinema
9. The The – Soul Mining
10. Feist – The Reminder

01. ELVIS COSTELLO “King of America” (#14 of all time).
02. BOB DYLAN “The Times They Are A-Changin’” (#49).
03. THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND “The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter”
04. IKE AND TINA TURNER “River Deep Mountain High”
05. PAUL SIMON “There Goes Rhymin’ Simon”
06. THE NEVILLE BROTHERS “Yellow Moon”
07. SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES “The Scream”
08. THE THE “Soul Mining”
09. SALIF KEITA “Soro”
10. THE STROKES “Room on Fire”

1) Ryan Adams - Gold
2) Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changing
3) The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
4) Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual
5) Van Halen - 1984
6) R.E.M. - New Adventures In Hi-Fi
7) Elvis Presley - Elvis (TV Special)
8) The Beta Band - The Three EP's
9) Paul Simon - There Goes Rhymin' Simon
10) The Costello Show - King Of America

01. Ascension. John Coltrane
02. Madvillainy. Madvillain
03. Portishead
04. Fulfillingness’ First Finale. Stevie Wonder
05. Gris-Gris. Dr. John
06. Nightclubbing. Grace Jones
07. Follow The Leader. Eric B & Rakim
08. In It For The Money. Supergrass
09. Charles Mingus Presents. Charles Mingus
10. Oar. Skip Spence

1. Warren Zevon - Warren Zevon
2. R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi
3. The Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray
4. Gene Clark - No Other
5. Ryan Adams - Gold
6. Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley
7. Van Halen - 1984
8. Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion II
9. Ice Cube - Amerikkka's Most Wanted
10. Black Sabbath - Vol. 4

1. Yes: The Yes Album, 1971
2. Otis Redding: Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul, 1966
3. Paul Simon: There Goes Rhymin' Simon, 1973
4. Ryan Adams: Gold, 2001
5. Portishead: Portishead, 1997
6. Paul Simon: Still Crazy After All These Years, 1975
7. Scissor Sisters: Scissor Sisters, 2004
8. Tom Waits: Real Gone, 2004
9. R.E.M.: New Adventures in Hi-Fi, 1996
10. Otis Redding: The Dock of the Bay, 1968

1. Genesis - Foxtrot
2. Elastica - Elastica
3. Stevie Wonder - Fulfillingness First Finale
4. Supergrass - I Should Coco
5. Dr. John - Gris-Gris
6. Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
7. Tangerine Dream - Phaedra
8. Spoon - Kill the Moonlight
9. The Neville Brothers - Yellow Moon
10. Portishead - Portishead

1 - The The - Soul Mining
2 - The Lemonheads - It's A Shame About Ray
3 - Los Lobos - How Will The Wolf Survive?
4 - Interpol - Antics
5 - R.E.M. - New Adventures In Hi-Fi
6 - Salif Keita - Soro
7 - Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Session
8 - Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin'
9 - Otis Redding - The Dock Of The Bay
10 - Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Kate & Anna McGarrigle

Bubbling under : The Beat - I Just Can't Stop It

1. The Replacements, Pleased to Meet Me
2. Elastica, s/t
3. R.E.M., New Adventures in Hi-Fi
4. Willie Nelson, Stardust
5. Pet Shop Boys, Actually
6. Los Lobos, How Will the Wolf Survive?
7. Warren Zevon, s/t
8. Van Halen, 1984
9. The Beta Band, The Three EP’s
10. The New Pornographers, Twin Cinema

I love all of the top three—you’ve got the last great album by one of the eighties’ best bands, a kickass (mostly) female version of Wire, and the last great album by one of the eighties’ best bands.

HONORABLE MENTION: Big Black, Songs About Fucking; The Cramps, Songs the Lord Taught Us; Otis Redding, Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul; Sparks, Kimono My House; Ella Fitzgerald, Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook; Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A-Changing; Blur, 13; The Jam, Setting Sons; The Sonics, Here Are the Sonics!!

1. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
2. The Replacements - Pleased To Meet Me
3. The Cramps - Songs The Lord Taught Us
4. The Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
5. Big Black - Songs About Fucking
6. Foo Fighters
7. Spoon - Kill the Moonlight
8. The Strokes - Room on Fire
9. R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hifi
10. The Lemonheads - Its A Shame About Ray

This one will be tough...I'm starting with 29 "possibles" to try and whittle down.

1. Yes - The Yes Album
2. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
3. The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
4. Feist - The Reminder
5. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
6. The Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
7. Aerosmith - Pump
8. Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle
9. The Strokes - Room On Fire
10. Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears

The Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed
Interpol - Antics
Ryan Adams - Gold
Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changing
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven
The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
Alexander Skip Spence - Oar
John Coltrane - Live at the Village Vanguard
R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion II

1 - Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed
2 - Clark, Gene - No Other
3 - Cowboy Junkies - The Trinity Session
4 - Costello Show - King of America
5 - Neville Brothers - Yellow Moon
6 - Wonder, Stevie - Fulfillingness First Finale
7 - Elastica - Elastica
8 - Los Lobos - How Will the Wolf Survive?
9 - Adams, Ryan - Gold
10 - R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi

1 Youssou N'Dour - Immigres
2 The Neville Brothers - Yellow Moon
3 The Jungle Brothers - Done by the Forces of Nature
4 Ramones - Leave Home
5 Eric B. & Rakim - Follow the Leader
6 Otis Redding - Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul
7 Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
8 Salif Keita - Soro
9 Sepultura - Roots
10 The Jam - Setting Sons

1. Cyndi Lauper “She’s So Unusual”- Laugh if you must but I think this album is perennially underrated because of her "Betty Boop" image. Very solid album that I still love all this time later.
2. Blood, Sweat and Tears “Blood, Sweat and Tears”- Love how the Satie piece bookends the album. Though my favorite of theirs is still Kooper era, CHILD IS FATHER TO THE MAN, this is still quite good.
3. LL Cool J “Mama Said Knock You Out”- The defiant title tune is the head-and-shoulders above classic but there really is next to no filler on this one.
4. Lemonheads “It’s a Shame about Ray”- One of the first "alternative" albums I remember liking. "Confetti" is the great forgotten shoulda-been hit of the 90s.
5. Willie Nelson “Stardust”- I never would have thought Nelson and Booker T. would be a match but this standards album is magical. Fave cuts "Blue Skies", "Sunny Side of the Street" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore". Note to Rod Stewart: THIS is how you sing the Great American Songbook.
6. Steve Miller Band “Fly Like an Eagle”- Reminded how much I like him this year by winning tickets to see him live.
7. Paul Simon “There Goes Rhymin’ Simon”- Probably my favorite 70s era Simon album.
8. Yes “The Yes Album”- Gets over on the strength of "I've Seen All Good People/Your Move".
9. Van Halen “1984”- I wouldn't call myself a fan of the Van but I like this album.
10. Aerosmith “Pump”- Again, not really an Aerosmith fan but I come back to this one a lot.

NEAR MISSES

Paul Simon “Still Crazy After All These Years”
Scissor Sisters “Scissor Sisters”
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles “Going to a Go-Go”
Madonna “Like a Virgin”
R.E.M. “New Adventures in Hi-Fi”

FINALLY hearing The Replacements PLEASED TO MEET ME. It's too "new to me" for me to redo my list but I like it a lot. It may turn up on future lists from me.

1. Godspeed You Black Emperor - Lift Your Skinny Fists
2. Interpol - Antics
3. Pet Shop Boys - Actually
4. Eric B & Rakim - Follow the Leader
5. Otis Redding - The Dock of the Bay
6. Madvillain - Madvillainy
7. Sepultura - Roots
8. Ryan Adams - Gold
9. Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
10. The Sparks - Kimono My House

1. Roxy Music, COUNTRY LIFE
2. New York Dolls, TOO MUCH TOO SOON
3. Spoon, KILL THE MOONLIGHT
4. Sleater-Kinney, THE WOODS
5. Ramones, LEAVE HOME
6. Elvis Costello (The Costello Show), KING OF AMERICA
7. Elliott Smith, FROM A BASEMENT ON THE HILL
8. The New Pornographers, TWIN CINEMA
9. R.E.M., NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-FI
10. Los Lobos, HOW WILL THE WOLF SURVIVE?

None in my top 50, so I will start at number 4.
4 Neville Brothers Yellow Moon
5 Willie Nelson Stardust
6 Selif Keita Soro
7 R.E.M New Adventures in Hi Fi.
That's it for me, the others don't rank in my list so I won't skew with albums I don't really enjoy.

David: So, you want those to be scored 13-11-10-9, not 20-17-15-13?

This group may well be better than 701-800...

01. Gene Clark | No Other
02. John Coltrane | Ascension
03. The Sparks | Kimono My House
04. Black Sabbath | Vol. 4
05. Madvillain | Madvillainy
06. Youssou N'Dour | Immigres
07. Supergrass | In It for the Money
08. Sleater-Kinney | The Woods
09. The Sonics | Here Are the Sonics!!!
10. Stevie Wonder | Fulfillingness First Finale

***

11. Eric B. & Rakim | Follow the Leader
12. James Brown | Live at the Apollo, Volume II
13. Ella Fitzgerald | Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook
14. Genesis | Foxtrot
15. Smokey Robinson and The Miracles | Going to a Go-Go
16. Otis Redding | Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul
17. Blur | 13
18. Yes | The Yes Album
19. Van Halen | 1984
20. Roxy Music | Country Life

Didn't think I'd hit 10 with this group...and yet:

1. Spoon - Kill the Moonlight
2. Madvaillain - Madvillainy
3. Blur - 13
4. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
5. Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
6. Ice Cube - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
7. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
8. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
9. The Strokes - Room on Fire
10. Willie Nelson - Stardust

Honorable Mention
Pet Shop Boys - Pet Shop Boys, Actually

I think that David's proposal is not acceptable. If the albums that are more like those, then have 20, 17, 15 and 13 points.

If we allow each voter to make their rules we will score crazy.

Someone will say: I have a number one, but the following is not the number 2, but the 4, and the following is the number 8, tied with two other records ...

That can not be done. There is a very simple test score and we all need to connect.

1. Interpol - Antics
2. The Rapture - Echoes
3. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Yr. Skinny Fists like Antennas to Heaven
4. Supergrass - In It for the Money
5. Supergrass - I Should Coco
6. Feist - The Reminder
7. Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion II
8. Aerosmith - Pump
9. Scissor Sisters - Scissor Sisters
10. Portishead - Portishead

Otis: I think it's fine. If I said 'No, you can't do that', he could just fill in 1-3 with albums nobody else has voted for, and it'd be effectively the same thing.

I also like this as a way to give people a choice between the original scoring pattern and the new one. It lets people control the way their vote affects the totals.

I disagree. It is a mistake. This is the first time, in AM polls, you can do that. Nonsense.

This is starting to feel like an argument on Seinfeld. NO POINTS FOR YOU!

Counting up the 26 votes cast so far, there is...wait for it...another fifth place tie!

This time there's only one album absolutely running away with it, the other four of the current top five are vulnerable, and there's nine albums a single first place vote away from the top five. If there are still people yet to vote, they can still drastically change the outcome. (Only the #1 album is 33 points ahead, so they probably can't change that.)

Unless more people have serious objections to letting people leave out positions, I'm going to say it's fine to give *fewer* points than you would be able to otherwise.

One other argument for this is that, as we get lower on the charts, there will be more and more people who can't find ten they like. If we don't give people some control over point distribution it's just going to turn into a 'Most owned album' contest.

1. Supergrass - I Should Coco
2. Genesis - Foxtrot
3. Otis Redding - The Dock of the Bay
4. The Neville Brothers - Yellow Moon
5. Stevie Wonder - Fulfillingness First Finale
6. Los Lobos - How Will the Wolf Survive?
7. Eric B. & Rakim - Follow the Leader
8. Supergrass - In It for the Money
9. Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
10.Salif Keita - Soro

I actually found this one to be a tough group, a lot of records with something to them.

1) Kill The Moonlight - Spoon
2) From A Basement On The Hill - Elliot Smith
3) The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul - Otis Redding
4) Elastica - Elastica
5) Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook - Ella Fitzgerald
6) Stardust - Willie Nelson
7) Portishead - Portishead
8) In It For The Money - Supergrass
9) Three EP's - The Beta Band
10) Still Crazy After All These Years - Paul Simon

Honorable Mention (in no order) - The Times They Are A-Changin'; There Goes Rhymin' Simon; Hello Nasty; Zenyatta Mondata; Room On Fire; Under Construction; Midnight Marauders; Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook; Foo Fighters; Fullfilingness First Finale; Blood Sweat & Tears; Days of Future Passed

No change to the top 5, but one album was pushed 1 point away, and another was pushed 3 points away.

1. Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
2. Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
3. Elliott Smith - From a Basement on the Hill
4. The Sonics - Here Are the Sonics!!!
5. Supergrass - I Should Coco
6. The Rapture - Echoes
7. The Strokes - Room On Fire
8. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
9. A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders
10. Elastica - Elastica

Results:

Hello Nasty was one of the albums tied for 5th place (With Gold), so Nassim's final vote pushed it into the top 5.

Qualified:

1. REM - New Adventures In Hifi (118/12/0)
2. Spoon - Kill The Moonlight (98/8/2)
3. The Strokes - Room On Fire (96/9/1)
4. Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty (94/8/2)
5. Interpol - Antics (82/6/1)

Falling short:

Elastica - Elastica (79/6/0)
Ryan Adams - Gold (74/6/1)
Godspeed You Black Emperor - Lift Yr... (72/5/1)
Neville Brothers - Yellow Moon (71/6/1)
Lemonheads - It's A Shame About Ray (66/5/1)

No change to the wild card top ten. It seems votes are getting more spread out as we get lower on the list. REM's on a two block winning streak.

Obviously too late to vote.

I just want to go on record that more people should spend time with Pleased to Meet Me - just seems to outclass this field by a mile in my book. Then again, the Replacements don't seem to get their just dues from the critics.