No Spin Zone: 20 For 20
As a 20th anniversary issue thing, Spin just dished out its 100 Greatest Albums since 1985. Besides parroting Rolling Stone's intractable Listmania twitch (isn't it like once a month that they put out the "50 Greatest Rock Songs Ever" cover?), the list is full of predictably sensible choices: OK Computer gets number one; you've got a Nirvana in the top five; etc etc. It's in that sort of Music Writer Credibility mold, like having a Clash button on your denim jacket or jocking the Roots, pre-Things Fall Apart.
Anyhow, making lists is fun. So here's my top 20 of the last 20 years, in no particular order. No live albums, no greatest hits cheating, limit one per customer. An emphasis on broad quality across the course of a complete album (even as the MP3 continues to eat away at that concept), which leaves out exceptional groups like The Smiths with their incremental brilliance.
I'm not saying these 20 are the best or the most influential or that they speak to a movement or some shit. I'm just saying that when I put them in my CD player they sound the nicest, in one way or another. Which was, at one point, the most important thing about music. (Ergo, the occasionally respectable is sprinkled in here among wide, deep cesspools of shameless pleasure.)
1985 is actually a curious starting point. It's half the '80s (the lesser half), the '90s hodgepodge and whatever the hell the last five years have been. It's roughly the duration of our musical lives. (1986 is the first year I actually can remember.) It forces one to parse personal phases of musical taste: a touch of hip-hop, a bit of rock and so on. At any rate, were I to be sent to a desert island, with room for 20, here's what would come along:
Counting Crows "August and Everything After"
Daft Punk "Discovery"
Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms"
RJD2 "Deadringer"
Moby "18"
Dr. Dre "2001"
Bruce Springsteen "The Rising"
Sublime "Sublime"
U2 "The Joshua Tree"
Morcheeba "Big Calm"
Dave Matthews "Before These Crowded Streets"
Elliot Smith "XO"
Eminem "The Slim Shady LP"
Postal Service "Give Up"
Jeff Buckley "Grace"
Jurassic Five "Quality Control"
Dido "No Angel"
Kruder and Dorfmeister "The K & D Sessions"
Aimee Mann "Magnolia"
Paul Oakenfold "Another World"
Rage Against the Machine "Battle for Los Angeles"
Wyclef Jean "The Carnival"
A Tribe Called Quest "The Low End Theory"
Cake "Prolonging the Magic"
Thievery Corporation "The Cosmic Game"
Well, I guess that's 25. Fuck it. Whaddya got?
- DJ Glock
Anyhow, making lists is fun. So here's my top 20 of the last 20 years, in no particular order. No live albums, no greatest hits cheating, limit one per customer. An emphasis on broad quality across the course of a complete album (even as the MP3 continues to eat away at that concept), which leaves out exceptional groups like The Smiths with their incremental brilliance.
I'm not saying these 20 are the best or the most influential or that they speak to a movement or some shit. I'm just saying that when I put them in my CD player they sound the nicest, in one way or another. Which was, at one point, the most important thing about music. (Ergo, the occasionally respectable is sprinkled in here among wide, deep cesspools of shameless pleasure.)
1985 is actually a curious starting point. It's half the '80s (the lesser half), the '90s hodgepodge and whatever the hell the last five years have been. It's roughly the duration of our musical lives. (1986 is the first year I actually can remember.) It forces one to parse personal phases of musical taste: a touch of hip-hop, a bit of rock and so on. At any rate, were I to be sent to a desert island, with room for 20, here's what would come along:
Counting Crows "August and Everything After"
Daft Punk "Discovery"
Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms"
RJD2 "Deadringer"
Moby "18"
Dr. Dre "2001"
Bruce Springsteen "The Rising"
Sublime "Sublime"
U2 "The Joshua Tree"
Morcheeba "Big Calm"
Dave Matthews "Before These Crowded Streets"
Elliot Smith "XO"
Eminem "The Slim Shady LP"
Postal Service "Give Up"
Jeff Buckley "Grace"
Jurassic Five "Quality Control"
Dido "No Angel"
Kruder and Dorfmeister "The K & D Sessions"
Aimee Mann "Magnolia"
Paul Oakenfold "Another World"
Rage Against the Machine "Battle for Los Angeles"
Wyclef Jean "The Carnival"
A Tribe Called Quest "The Low End Theory"
Cake "Prolonging the Magic"
Thievery Corporation "The Cosmic Game"
Well, I guess that's 25. Fuck it. Whaddya got?
- DJ Glock
posted by Aden at 7:14 PM
12 Comments:
Dude, Come On! Before I launch into my top 20, I shall address the crimes that Serazio has just committed.
You put 2001 before the original Chronic? SLAP!
You don't put Pixies' Doolittle? SLAP!
You don't put Weezer's Blue Album?
SLAP!
You have the audacity to put Jurassic 5 on this list? SLAP!
You commit the most egregious form of rap blasphemy ever by putting Wyclef's "The Carnival" on this list and not The Fugees "The Score," an album so brilliant that most in the rap game agree that its the top 3 hip hop albums of all time. SLAP! SLAP!
Thievery? Eminen? Cake? DMB, but not Under the Table and Dreaming? SLAP!
You're obsession with the Counting Crows should not have appeared on this list! SLAP!
I do, however, take solace in your mention of Tribe, Postal Service and Sublime. And yes, Deadringer belongs on this list, fuck Endtroducing.
Pixies - Doolittle
Weezer - Blue Album
Fugees - The Score
Outkast - Aquemini
Postal Service - Give Up
RJD2 - Deadringer
GNR - Appetite for Destruction
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Beck - Odelay
Nirvana - Nevermind
Garageland - Last Exit to Garageland
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Modest Mouse - Lonesome Crowded West
Clinic - Internal Wrangler
Diplo/M.I.A. - Piracy Funds Terrorism (for the kids)
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Massive Attack - Mezzanine (fuck your Morcheeba)
Radiohead - OK Computer
Foreign Exchange - Connected (yeah I did it)
Can we add the entire Guitarmageddon soundtrack to this list? Bonus points if you can name all 7 albums in the collection...
Plus, if you like rap, and specifically Tribe, you should be listening to Slum Village's "Fantastic Vol. 2" right now. Want a copy? Send me a message.
Slater,
- Null
The only true crime evidenced by either one of your lists is the fact that neither of you bothered with:
Toadies-"Rubberneck"
There will be cock floggings administered generously at another time and place for this terrible gaffe. So, lets get it started in no particular order:
Toadies-"Rubberneck"
Pearl Jam-"Vs"
Pink Floyd-"Momentary Lapse of Reason"
Guns and Roses-"Use Your Illusion II"
Counting Crows-"August and Everything After"
Bush-"Sixteen Stone"
DMB-"Crash"
DMB-"Under the Table and Dreaming"
Sublime-"40oz to Freedom"
Red Hot Chili Peppers-"Californication"
Red Hot Chili Peppers-"Blood Sugar Sex Magik"
Rage Against the Machine-"Evil Empire"
Metallica-Black Album
Soundgarden-"Superunknown"
Nirvana-"Nevermind"
Natalie Merchant-"Tigerlily"
Peter Gabriel-"So"
Dire Straights-"Brothers in Arms"
Black Crowes-"Shake Your Moneymaker"
-Aden
My simple tastes should have hinted at my identity, apologies all around.
I didn't realize this forum was open to the openly gay. Ok, Dansfield, allow me to rebut (and don't get all excited cuz you heard the word "butt").
For all of Chronic's virtue, 2001 is a much, much more polished effort. Dre's greatest strength is, as Molly put it, having exceptionally good taste. And the ability to drop infectious piano samples that are crisp and beautiful for their simplicity: sort of like Sting's basslines, early Police. Chronic is like vintage NWA: an uncut diamond, fresh from the mines of Angola. 2001 is Tiffany's grade hip-hop.
Pixies Shmixies. One day I'll get it, but not yet.
I am playing Blue Album as we speak and will spend some more time with it. I missed that whole thing the first time around, but am open-minded.
J5 is exactly what so much of your obscure, underground, white-guy fan-base hip-hop sounds like: thou shalt not falt it for popularity.
I knew I was committing rap blasphemy with the inclusion of Carnival over Score. I did it anyway. First off, don't fault Clef's first masterpiece for his downward spiral into Will Smithian hip-hop irrelevance. Secondly, I was VERY close to tossing the Score in there, but there are a few missteps; a few more than what one finds on the Carnival. And there's just as much Lauryn and Pras (ok, forget that, just Lauryn) on Clef's solo than The Score.
Get off deez nuts about Eminem -- most (even some at The Source, when they're not selling industry racism beef) toss him in there with 2Pac and Nas, etc. on the short list of best MCs ever.
Under The Table was swell, yes, but narrow and flat compared to the ambition of Crowded Streets. And, shit, it was the last time DMB sounded really f'ing good.
Now, your list:
Was Appetite THAT great across the board or was it just a couple of balls-out great jams and you felt compelled to get some sort of GNR early butt-rock variant in there?
Will YOUR OBSESSION with Diplo stand the test of time? And, though I have yet to hear MIA (though her buzz remains defeaning), who wants to wade through incomprehensible East London grime patois? (see: The Streets, Dizzee)
MEZZANINE? Fucking MEZZANINE?! Go home, or better yet go to Canada with your Wilco folk-rock bed-buddies and put on the volleyball scene from Top Gun ONE MORE TIME...
OUT
-Serazio
Aden, I did indeed consider Rubberneck for a while, pacing in my cube, breaking into impromptu robot, and then pacing some more. But after careful consideration, I had to pass it over and relegate it to a sub-20 but above-25 designation.
And Serazio, how dare you accuse me of putting Appetite on there, and then drop Thievery's Cosmic game? Do yourself a favor, get blazed and listen to every Thievery disc you have and you'll realize they draw on the same 25 or so beat combinations with some indian/afro-carib backbeat. I can seriously say that there are several songs that have the same build-up structure and samples.
And you have forever fallen into the hellish heap of commercial rap cocksuckers with your rationalization of 2001. Cleaner? Polished? Go put on your bling and listen to Chingy, you good-for-nothing ambient rock bone-smuggler. Chronic brought grit, grime, and the dark tales of the LA streets in such a facetious way that it made it all right to do drive-bys and for white dudes like me in suburbia to mouth the word "niggah."
And then to spit on my rookie Lou Whittaker baseball card, you say there was TOO MUCH Lauryn Hill and Pras on the Score? Oh my god, if you were in Houston, I'd shoot you out of a cannon right now. I don't fault his first solo attempt, but in no way, shape or form is it as good as the Score. I don't think you've listened to the Score in a long time, and I think you should sit down and give it a chance and you'll realize how great it really is.
And wow, comparing J5 to ANY of the stuff I listen to is like saying me saying that Don Henley is as good as your beloved Winwood. Would you stand for that kind of insult? I wouldn't, and because of that, I'm going to list 20 underground rap groups that are better than J5 right now, including a few West Coast folks, just to humor you...
Madvillain, Little Brother, Prince Po, Ugly Duckling, Planet Asia, Defari, Time Machine, the Justus League, Field Mob, The Unspoken Heard, J-Live, Five Deez, MF Doom/Viktor Vaugh, Lone Catalysts, Slum Village, Aesop Rock, Basement Khemists, Styles of Beyond, Kev Brown, Kevikaze, Murs, Danjer Mouse & Jemini, Jedi Mind Tricks, Binary Star, Madlib, Phonte & Nicolay...
The Pixies redefined rock music, Serazio, it's science, so just accept it...
And I'm seriously sad that you reference the Source as if it has some hip hop credability. Sure, Eminem is a great lyricist, but I'm still not convinced, as a whole, that he's worth of a top 20 spot...
My obsession with Diplo will always remain, and I stand by that mixtape as one of the best albums in the past 20 years. And if you attempt to label MIA as grime, well, you're as terrible as the rest of the Pitchfork swill that virtual box-munch her all day. And the Streets? Come on dude, you're just lumping all of London together, and that's just insulting to me.
You will learn how deep this obsession runs when I visit you in Philly and we hit up the legendary Hollertronix party, and Diplo proceeds to blow your mind.
Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to drinking rum and gatorade while I'm at work.
- Have fun this weekend boys
Nulltron, the most advanced white hip hop connoisseur this world has ever seen...
Wow! Mikey puts Oakey on the list and I'm guessing it's not even for my benefit considering it's been quite a while since I've taken a look at the posts. Nice work my friend.
On the shit talking front, I always lament seeing Dave Matthews Band on any list other than the insanely overrated list (which might be an interesting list). And then when you punks toss that shit in there with the likes of Pink Floyd and the Beatles, you have the nerve to abbreviate it like we should expect them in that list.
Okay, okay, maybe Aden was the only one to DMB it and buddy, the only thing that will make me happy is if you spell them out and throw CCR on your list. Make it so.
Oh yeah, here's what I've thrown together (it would probably be different without the one per customer rule):
R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
Beatles - Abbey Road
NaS - It was Written
Michael Jackson - Thriller (you know this should be on your list too)
Paul Oakenfold - Tranceport
Mylo - Destroy Rock & Roll
Gabriel & Dresden - Bloom
Paul Van Dyk - Reflections
Pink Floyd - Division Bell
Counting Crows - August and Everything After
Sublime - Sublime
Dave's Big Deluxe - Songs from the Credenza
Moby - Play
Weezer - Blue Album
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - [Selftitled]
Soundtrack to "The Rock" (you KNOW this is money)
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Duran Duran - 2 (The Wedding Album)
Depeche Mode - Violator
The Beach Boys - Endless Summer
Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair
Cypress Hill - Black Sunday
Okay so it's 22 but I'm not sure what to take off. So here you are. Take it easy kids and Aden, we definitely need some digital wedding photos. How else are we supposed to order our album?
- Nacho
I don't even know where to begin. The rampant gayness, coupled with questionable (to say the least)album choices certainly means the 4 Horsemen are coming around the bend. And, for Mikey's sake, they're wearing feather boas and assless chaps.
First of all, Jeremy's typo of "Phink Floyd" sent me into utter, horrifying shock, as if Phish and Floyd somehow melded into some hideous hydra of shit-rock heretofore unknown to man. I enjoy the occassional Phish song, but Pink Floyd is to music as Auschwitz was to the Jews -- and not in a good way either. Like, Auschwitz at least had a cool train station. And then to include a Bad Company greatest hits collection? Christ, why not throw the Grand Funk box set in as well? And Null, you should be shot for including Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Period.
And who included Tigerlily? I got so freaked out by all these lists that I forgot who added what shit to what list, and it's probably for the best, because if I find out who thought it was a good idea to include Natalie Fucking Merchant on a list of great albums, well...you just don't want to know.
Anyway, here's some good albums. Or, as Mikey would say, "they're nice."
I tried not to repeat any of the occasional good choices, but some may have slipped through.
Rolling Stones: Let it Bleed, Exile on Mainstreet, Some Girls
BB King: Live at the Regal
Jonathan Richman&The Modern Lovers (self-titled debut)
De La Soul: Three Feet High and Rising
Red Devils: King King
Sublime: 40 oz. to Freedom
Uncle Tupelo: No Depression
Elvis Presley: Sun Sessions
Ice Cube: Death Certificate
Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville
Bob Marley: Catch a Fire
Toots&The Maytals: Funky Kingston
Van Morrison: Moondance, His Band&Street Choir
Funkadelic: Maggot Brain
Horace Silver: Song For My Father
Led Zeppelin: II, Physical Graffiti
Bob Dylan: Desire
Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks
Buena Vista Social Club (self-titled)
The Clash: London Calling
Violent Femmes (self-titled)
Rebirth Brass Band: Hot Venom
Nirvana: In Utero
Aretha Franklin: Aretha Arrives
Public Enemy: Apocalypse '91
The Beatles: White Album
John Prine: The Missing Years
Staple Singers: Be Altitude
G. Love: Yeah, It's That Easy
Taj Mahal: Natch'l Blues
Waylon Jennings: Lonesome, On'ry & Mean
Pharcyde: Bizarre Ride II
The Stooges: Raw Power
Ten Years After: A Space in Time
Old 97s: Too Far to Care
Beastie Boys: Paul's Boutique
Cake: Motorcade of Generosity
Neil Young: Harvest Moon
Johnny Thunders: So Alone
Malisow:
"Catch a Fire" is pretty good, it just seems a little... pedestrian?
Signed,
"Legend"
What the fuck is wrong with you bone guzzling cum dumpsters? 20 for 20. Top 20 of the last 20 years, shit, nothing on my list remains the same if we removed the pre-'85 barrier to entry. Moreover, in the last twenty years Natalie Merchant makes the list. I'll give you props for throwing out Ten Years After, which might make my top 20 if we dropped the post-'85 criteria. However, the fact that Malisow has the temerity to chastize anyone while tossing Liz Phair on the table is, frankly, repulsive.
What has secured Malisow's presence in the 8th ring of hell is creating a list that includes both Zepplin, Dylan, Young, Alvin Lee and...Liz Phair? You get caned in some places for that Malisow, you're lucky we live in a free and just society that frowns on most forms of corporal punishment.
Nacho!
Yes, the wedding pictures are quite touching, despite the fact that I looked like a misplaced wretch with the a confused half-drunk smile. There is no REAL excuse for having not digitized the pics other than my inexcusable laziness. The will appear here in short order my friend.
-Aden
Before I respond to anything else, I just wanted Aden, Jeremy, Null, Sigfried, and Roy to know about this fabulous place where they can enjoy each other's company: http://www.thehacienda.com
Malisow, I have to agree - tacking some Liz Phair on is pretty bad. And then you insult me for Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, but drop Uncle Tupelo - give me the logic of that, you limp-wristed dandy boy?
P.S. Serazio - well played on the "pedestrian" Legend reference - we all know its Malisow's favorite album of all time. Right after Gallagher Live in Mendecino.
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