Spin Magazine's Top 100 Albums '85-'05

jjreason · Post by **jjreason** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 2:07 am

Priceless...... and since discussion seems to have stalled, I'll finish this off:

*25 Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
24 Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
*23 OutKast - Stankonia
22 My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
*21 Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
*20 Wu Tang Clan - Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)
*19 Hole - Live Through This
18 Guns N Roses - Apetite For Destruction
*17 Nas - Illmatic
*16 Beck - Odelay
15 Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
14 Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
13 Husker Du - New Day Rising
*12 Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
*11 U2 - Achtung Baby
10 NWA - Straight Outta Compton
9 PJ Harvey - Rid of Me
*8 Prince - Sign O The Times
*7 De La Soul - Three Feet High and Rising
*6 Pixies - Surfer Rosa
5 The Smiths - The Queen is Dead
*4 Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
*3 Nirvana - Nevermind
*2 Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
*1 Radiohead - OK Computer

Okay, where to begin? In no particular order:

I guess I'll start with one group that has meant an awful lot to me through this period - Red Hot. I'd be hard pressed to pick one album for this list, but it would have to be Blood Sugar Sex Magik edging out Californication for the spot.

Albums that I love that didn't make it - could go on for ever. Full Moon Fever has been brought up already, Joshua Tree as well. Both amazing. I'd have chosen Joshua Tree over Achtung personally, but I think Achtung Baby is an absolute gem. I saw U2 live within a few months of the release of Achtung - right when the group of guys I was living with were all really into it - and it was an extremely emotional and memorable concert. Bono said to the Toronto crowd "this feels like home, we'll be back." which meant a boatload, because the Joshua Tree show in Toronto had bombed when that album came out (and he'd said then he WOULDN'T come back. Thank God he changed his mind).

I'm really happy to see The Low End Theory by Tribe on there, just a fantastic, amazing, great hip hop record. Truly musical. So much good music came out of that group, poor old Q-Tip gave it a whirl solo but something just wasn't the same.

Boogie Down Productions is notable because KRSOne has somehow managed to stay "cool" - even though they haven't had any successful music in over 20 years. By Any Means Necessary was a better album in my mind than Criminal Minded, but the death of Scott Larock between the albums - from what I can recall the first media-worthy hip hop death - makes including his work on the list important. Very foretelling, and very sad.

I would have thought Run DMC's King of Rock would have gotten a spot, and I'll explain why. First, it's an absolutely great record. Secondly, it's greatness was very, very important in terms of creating a mainstream place for hip hop in popular music. Raising Hell was the first album to REALLY crossover. Where were budding fans going to go to see about whether or not they really liked hip hop? Back to Run DMC. If Kings of Rock had sucked, I think a lot of people that became fans of the genre (as opposed to fans of just the album Raising Hell) would have stopped there. Instead, you got even more pumped when you found King of Rock (if you're like me, anyhow). And when you go back to the self-titled first album, you find more great stuff (Rock Box, for example, absolutely brilliant) - but I think it worked very well going back album by album. No letdown at all.

Paul's Boutique is a wonderful album, which I can listen to again and again front to back. To me though, the high water mark for Beastie Boys has been Ill Communication - even though there's some filler there, most of it is right down the pipe. Another live show that I saw right when an album was brand new though, and I was still listening to it every day. Those are always the best shows, and they hammer your love for an album home. Amazingly, the only Smashing Pumpkins show I ever saw was right after the Beasties had left that same stage (Lollapalooza 93 or 94) - and they sucked. Such a letdown, that it tempered my feelings about Siamese Dream. I just couldn't get the shittiness of the live show out of my ears.

Public Enemy I'll support as having two albums on the list - and I would have picked the same 2, though I would have had Fear of Black Planet way further down. I got into them pretty early - my circle of friends was pretty rap oriented back in the day. Yo, Bum Rush the Show blew our fucking minds.... and It Takes a Nation jacked it up an entire 10 notches above that. Rebel Without a Pause is an absolute masterpiece; Public Enemy had that whole sound that could just never be duplicated.

Husker Du placed pretty highly. I have 2 of their other albums, but neither of which did I find fantastic. Bob Mould is represented in my collection by his work with Sugar, the group he was fronting in the early to mid 90's (shocker that those records are in my collction). Copper Blue is an album that pretty much scores the frustration and sadness I felt in being split up with Jodi for 9 months, I pretty much wore out that disc during our time apart.

No mention of Black Flag or Henry Rollins anywhere. A little weird, but I'm not a huge fan or anything.

The only reason I can see Speakerboxxx/Love Below not making it on there is because of the fact they're so divided - neither Andre nor Big Boi having much to do with each other's albums. Both very listenable though - literally 2 great albums for the price of one.

Okay, this last point feels like I'm admitting to something, but I'm going to go ahead and do it anyhow......

I may have listened to Price's Sign O The Times more than any other album in my whole life. I absolutely love every minute of it. I still listen to it a few times a year. When I saw it on the list I nearly fell over. I wouldn't have guessed in a million years that Prince would ever find a spot on that list, and I wouldn't have guessed that SOTT would have ever stood a chance against the soundtrack from Purple Rain. Sign O The Times would have been my number one, and I wouldn't have spent a single second mulling that over. VERY, VERY great and wonderful album. I DARE you to check it out if you've ever even come close to liking a song by Prince.... it's the absolute greatest.

Okay, sorry for all that blathering. I'm sure this thread is dead now, if it wasn't before. [:D]

kidhuman · Post by **kidhuman** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 11:37 am

Well, somew of the top 25 is good. SOme I dont like the music so I cant say much about it.

Exclusions - Tom Petty, Alice in Chains, Live. What the fuck are they thinking? How do you leave greatness off of a list? Secret Samadhi, THrowing Copper, Even Mental Jewelry. STP wasnt on there either. The exclusion of The Joshua Tree is absurd, its the best fuckin U2 album out there. Wildflowers, Into the Great Wide Open, are some of the best Petty ever. Give me a fuckin break. Spin can spin on this...

anarky · Post by **anarky** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 2:26 pm

25 Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral

Not bad, but overrated. Definitely not a top 25 album, IMHO,

20 Wu Tang Clan - Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)

Another "not bad, but overrated."

19 Hole - Live Through This

Pretty cool album, actually.

18 Guns N Roses - Apetite For Destruction

This one should be top five, at least.
jjreason, you don't have this? SHAME!!

16 Beck - Odelay

Um, Sea Change is a few thousand times better than this. They must've mixed the titles up.

15 Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville

Why do critics love this album? It's hopelessly average, yet shows up on every "best of all time" list. Go figure.

12 Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique

Eh, Licensed to Ill is better.

11 U2 - Achtung Baby

I'd actually put this at the top of my list. It's awesome.

10 NWA - Straight Outta Compton

This one sounds so dated now, but I can definitely see its inclusion.

3 Nirvana - Nevermind

I'm surprised this wasn't #1. In Utero is still better, though.

1 Radiohead - OK Computer

Odd top choice. Great album, but best of the past 20 years?

Ones I don't have:

24 Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out

Everyone I know loves these, uh, guys, girls, whatever. I know nothing about them.

8 Prince - Sign O The Times

Don't apologize for liking the Symbol Man! He's a cook, but damn he can make some fine music.

jjreason · Post by **jjreason** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 1:57 am

That is TRUE. I have a LOT of Prince albums in my closet.

Note - I only *'d the albums I currently have. There were a number of other ones on there that I have had, thought I had, had stolen, etc. GNR fits that bill, as does Dr. Dre's Chronic, Exile in Guyville (which, I'd agree, is NOT worthy of my best albums list - I think she gets more play for her stupid sexy titty photos in the album jacket than she gets for rocking, oh, and lots of naughty talk) and the BDP album.

Listened to a couple albums today in the car (been driving for hours and hours workwise lately - lots of tune time).

Fuck me, does The Battle of Los Angeles start off better than any rock record ever? How could anyone hope to top the sense (of hearing) and sensibility destroying combination of Testify and Guerilla Radio? Now THAT's bringing the fucking metal. This album could be brand new.

The first track on Weezer's Pinkerton album is also amazing. I must have listened to it about 5 times today, that weird organ in the background adds a nice tidbit of "sinister" to their all-geek -american sound. I'm going to need to get another one of their albums pretty soon.

anarky · Post by **anarky** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 2:00 pm

I got my copy of Exile in Guyville used, and I wonder if I didn't get the full booklet. I've always heard about "racy" photos, and now you've confirmed it.

Dammit.

Still, nothing on that album compares to "Supernova." That's one of the greatest 90s tracks, period.

jjreason · Post by **jjreason** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 11:15 pm

Yep. Haven't heard it in ages, but the riff comes right to mind as soon as I read "Supernova". Good song.

And the photos aren't really all that racy, it shows her flat boobies once I think. No big deal.

No Matthew Sweet on there, looking back I might have had one of his albums on. He puts on a good show, very musical fella.

Shame About Ray by the Lemonheads (yeah, I can hear you all groaning again) was another album I listened to over and over again. Can't remember the name of "that virgin rock girl" who sang backup on one of those tracks.... girlfriend of Evan Dando's at the time I believe.

Oh, and Chux - one more thing. You were wondering at the other place if Josephine Wiggs was the bassist on Last Splash by the Breeders - the albums says yes, and that both Kim and Kelly played guitars on that record. Nice work.

anarky · Post by **anarky** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:46 am

Speaking of which, Last Splash should've been on there.

I didn't even notice Matthew Sweet missing, but that's an unfortunate omission.

Tori Amos' Little Earthquakes seemed a shoo-in for the top ten.

Critics hate it, but every "normal" person I know who's heard it loves Pete Yorn's musicforthemorningafter.

And what of God? Clapton Unplugged certainly is one of the best albums of the last twenty.

kidhuman · Post by **kidhuman** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 11:41 am

If you want to count unplugged might as well throw Nirvana and Alice in Chains on there as well

jjreason · Post by **jjreason** » Thu Jul 07, 2005 11:45 pm

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by anarky
 Speaking of which, Last Splash should've been on there.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

They thought so too - hence it's inclusion at #54. [:D]

I just listened to it, Divine Hammer is a "best of 90's" track for me. So good.

Been on a Pixies kick too - if it weren't for that damned Black Francis aka Frank Black's screeching, they could have been the coolest band eva. Some fucking awesomely awesome shit, but better when he's not making any sound with his mouth. Fat freak.

Rosie · Post by **Rosie** » Mon Nov 28, 2005 11:02 pm

um excuse me but where the hell is Queen on that list and how the hell did eminem get on 2 dat list it is discraceful where is queen i ask you wher is queen?????????????

anarky · Post by **anarky** » Tue Nov 29, 2005 12:18 am

Rosie, I love Queen, but their only album from 1985-2005 that I'd say comes close to the top 100 would be Innuendo. Everything else, well, it wasn't their best work.

Rosie · Post by **Rosie** » Sat Dec 03, 2005 4:41 pm

hmm so where is innuendo then?

Dell Rusk · Post by **Dell Rusk** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 2:21 pm

what ever happened to u2, the last i heard the lead singer guy was going to jail for sleeping in beds with little boys, they were ok i guess, he sucked but the lady was a good singer especially with that kewl song about i've been afraid of changing 'cause i built my life around glue lol

anarky · Post by **anarky** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 3:02 pm

Jesus, every time I think Dell can't get any stupider, he goes and proves me wrong! Vyn, can we add an "ignore" feature? This turd is really getting on my nerves. At least Snigtad and the Cobhamites were occasionally marginally entertaining.

Anyway, since the dorkwad dug up this old fossil, I've actually added four to my collection since this thread started way back when:

95. Elastica, Elastica (DGC, 1995)

I got a cheap copy of this, pretty much entirely for "Connection" (one of the catchiest songs ever). It's quite good. I'm not sure it should break the Top 100, especially with some of the glaring omissions later on, but it's a good album.

91. XTC, Skylarking (Geffen, 1986)

"Dear God" was apparently one of Mrs Anarky's favorite songs in high school, so I picked this up for her recently. Again, a good album, but I really don't think it's as great as critics make it out to be.

85. R.E.M, Automatic for the People (Warner Bros., 1992)

Okay, I didn't recently get this, but somehow I missed it before. So sue me.

38 A Tribe Called Qwest - The Low End Theory

This one's pretty damn good. Maybe a bit high, but definitely should be on the list. Whatever happened to them? I guess when the whole "alternative rap" bubble exploded and everyone went gangsta, they vanished into thin air.

"Talkin' 'bout I left my wallet in El Seguuuuuundo." Man, I friggin' love that movie.