Pitchfork's top 100 albums of the 90s.

[notchreturns]

Here's the link... http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/

I think it's quite the nice list, better than say.... RollingSone. Very diverse and surprising, with some interesting choices along the way. Ya got a nice amount of hip-hop, indie, singer/songwriters, rock, some country, techno, the ladies... the number 1 spot is quite predictable, yet utterly deserving if I say so myself. Yeehaw!

Nice to see some Neutral Milk Hotel crack the top ten! Yesssssss sir!

[areyoubeingserved]

Oh good, I wanted to talk about this.

I read Pitchfork quite regularly, and it was cool to see them update the list. A few major revisions, - including a new trend to include a bit more hip hop proving that tastes have changed. A big thumbs up for Will Oldham (or Bonnie Prince Billy, or Palace Music or Palace Brothers or so on), as well as Boards of Canada, and Kool Keith's Dr. Octagon project.

Pitchfork have the best writing staff, and this was such a well researched and written list - big cheers to William Morris, who wrote some very expert chunks of the compilation (although he was reviewing most of my favourite albums). Each piece accompanying the albums were richly executed - all except for one, which unfortunately was No.1 - and it was Brent DiCrescenzo, who for some reason can't help but gush about Radiohead (see his Kid A review, were I think he relates that album to the rebirth of the entire universe) and subsequently spent the whole mini-review justifying why OK Computer pipped My Bloody Valentine's Loveless (which topped the last list). I was shaking my fist and yelling "DiCrescenzooooooooh!!!"

Anyway, check it out... Pitchfork are pretty definitive.

[notchreturns]

Yeah, I know where you're coming from. I'm a HUGE Radiohead fan, but his overly symbolic metaphors and whacked-out ramblings kinda... scare me. Ah well. Some of us like jerking the chicken, he enjoys scaring readers with his Radiohead reviews...

[bowieee]

Woah Scott Walkers Tilt was on there............



Definetly one of the best lists I've ever seen!


Thanks Notch..... When I had lost all hope in quality list making this one threw me a life line.

[quoth_the_raven]

I can't understand why the album that, for me, killed radiohead, is at number one.

how odd.

:confused:


other than that, its a pretty good list.

[Annie Hall]

Radiohead, Nirvana and Neutral Milk Hotel in the top bloody 10? Belle & Sebastian clocking in at 14? I do think, after a mighty long time of terrible lists...we have reached deliverance.

Great list!

[BadCoverVersion]

Jesus, I'm SHOCKED...Scott Walker's TILT!?

That's a turn-up for the books.

Squarepusher, Mercury Rev, Aphex Twin, Neutral Milk Hotel, Bjork...and Pulp at #61 with their WEAKEST 90's effort.

I like this list...a lot.

[bowieee]

Originally posted by BadCoverVersion
and Pulp at #61 with their WEAKEST 90's effort.




Why do you consider it their weakest? I've heard a bunch of pulp over the year and I still find that cd my fave by far. Common People is just one of the best songs around.

[SteveSzyk]

Björk, Massive Attack and Tricky... any list with all of them is a great list.

[BadCoverVersion]

Originally posted by bowieee
Why do you consider it their weakest? I've heard a bunch of pulp over the year and I still find that cd my fave by far. Common People is just one of the best songs around.

Common People is definitely an anthem, and Sorted For E's and Wizz is a CRACKING track...but I still reckon His 'N' Hers to be their BEST album by many miles (swiftly followed by This Is Hardcore)...with the marvellous Babies, Do You Remember The First Time, Acrylic Afternoons, Lipgloss and more...it still blows me away to this day.

Different Class is great and all, don't get me wrong...I DO love it, that's a GIVEN...still, Mishapes is a bit pants, hasn't aged well.

[areyoubeingserved]

Originally posted by BadCoverVersion
Jesus, I'm SHOCKED...Scott Walker's TILT!?



I knew that would be knocking some people's socks off.

[areyoubeingserved]

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/top/90s/lists.shtml

that's a link to the individual writer's lists... there's a few more there. Find your favourite writer. Find more obscure indie stuff.

Note that DiCrescenzo puts Blur above Radiohead's OK Computer anyway... "DiCrescenzooooooooh!!!"

[BadCoverVersion]

Originally posted by areyoubeingserved
Find your favourite writer.

This bloke appeals to me for some BIZARRO reason...;)

SCOTT PLAGENHOEF

1. Pulp: Different Class
52. Pulp: His 'N' Hers
71. Pulp: This Is Hardcore

Erm...he's on my kewl list.

[bowieee]

Originally posted by BadCoverVersion
This bloke appeals to me for some BIZARRO reason...;)

SCOTT PLAGENHOEF

1. Pulp: Different Class
52. Pulp: His 'N' Hers
71. Pulp: This Is Hardcore

Erm...he's on my kewl list.

Notice DIFFERENT CLASS is number one.

*Ahem*..... :D



My favorite for the following reasons...

Mr. William Bowers...
1. Pavement: Slanted & Enchanted [Matador]
3. Bonnie Prince Billy- I See a Darkness
5. Smoke- Another Reason To Fast
6. Modest Mouse- The Lonesome Crowded West
8. Radiohead- OK You Zany Computer You
9. Neutral Milk Hotel- In The Aeroplane Over the Sea
10. Cat Power- Moon Pix
11. Flaming Lips- Soft Bulletin
15. Palace Music- Viva Last Blues
17. Morrissey- Bona Drag
18. Pavement- Crooked Rain
23. Will Oldham- Arise Therefore
25. PJ Harvey- 4 Track Demos
26. Vic Chesnutt- West Of Rome
27. Tom Waits- Bone Machine
30 Pulp- Different Class
34 Belle & Sebastian- If Youre Feeling..
36 Pixies- Trompe Le Monde
37 Magnetic Fields- 69 Love Songs
40 Halo Benders- God Don't Make No Junk
42 Built To Spill- Keep It Like A Secret
49 Portishead- Dummy
50 Weezer- Pinkerton
51 Low- When the Curtain Hits the Cast
52 Smog- Red Apple Falls
53 Blonde Redhead- Fake Can Be Just As Good
54 Morrissey- Your Arsenal
60 Mercury Rev- See You on the Other Side
62 Belle & S- Tigermilk
65 James- Laid
66 Billy Bragg and Wilco- Mermaid Ave Vol 2
68 Elliot Smith Either/Or
73 Dinosaur Jr- Bug
79 Nick Cave- Boatman's Call
81 Smoke- Heaven On A Popsicle Stick
92 Morphine- Cure For Pain
94 94 Peter Gabreil- Us
96 U2- Achtung Baby

[BadCoverVersion]

Originally posted by bowieee
Notice DIFFERENT CLASS is number one.

*Ahem*..... :D



My favorite for the following reasons...

Mr. William Bowers...
1. Pavement: Slanted & Enchanted [Matador]
3. Bonnie Prince Billy- I See a Darkness
5. Smoke- Another Reason To Fast
6. Modest Mouse- The Lonesome Crowded West
8. Radiohead- OK You Zany Computer You
9. Neutral Milk Hotel- In The Aeroplane Over the Sea
10. Cat Power- Moon Pix
11. Flaming Lips- Soft Bulletin
15. Palace Music- Viva Last Blues
17. Morrissey- Bona Drag
18. Pavement- Crooked Rain
23. Will Oldham- Arise Therefore
25. PJ Harvey- 4 Track Demos
26. Vic Chesnutt- West Of Rome
27. Tom Waits- Bone Machine
30 Pulp- Different Class
34 Belle & Sebastian- If Youre Feeling..
36 Pixies- Trompe Le Monde
37 Magnetic Fields- 69 Love Songs
40 Halo Benders- God Don't Make No Junk
42 Built To Spill- Keep It Like A Secret
49 Portishead- Dummy
50 Weezer- Pinkerton
51 Low- When the Curtain Hits the Cast
52 Smog- Red Apple Falls
53 Blonde Redhead- Fake Can Be Just As Good
54 Morrissey- Your Arsenal
60 Mercury Rev- See You on the Other Side
62 Belle & S- Tigermilk
65 James- Laid
66 Billy Bragg and Wilco- Mermaid Ave Vol 2
68 Elliot Smith Either/Or
73 Dinosaur Jr- Bug
79 Nick Cave- Boatman's Call
81 Smoke- Heaven On A Popsicle Stick
92 Morphine- Cure For Pain
94 94 Peter Gabreil- Us
96 U2- Achtung Baby

He knows not what he talks about...His 'N' Hers was meant to top that list, 'tis clearly an error...;)

Nice list there from Mr. Bowers...eclectic, but he's not afraid to go with the flow and choose a commercial great at the end there.

[bowieee]

What really really sold me was the inclusion of both Smoke albums. I owe Romero and Juliet BIG TIME for introducing me to that band.

[Grebdron]

I must be cool.

I am the proud owner of exactly ONE album from their entire top 100. (Bjork: Homogenic.)

And I don't even listen to that one.

Seriously...people dog the 80's constantly. They say nothing of substance came out of that decade.

If those 100 albums were the best to come out of the nineties...well, no wonder I don't remember much music from then.

I'll take the 80's.

[BadCoverVersion]

Originally posted by Grebdron
If those 100 albums were the best to come out of the nineties...well, no wonder I don't remember much music from then.

I'll take the 80's.

BACK OFF GRANDAD...;)

Erm...have you listened to any of 'em Greb?

Seriously, this is a brilliant list...possibly the best to grace these very forums.

The 80's delivered Pulp, Joy Division, The Smiths, Cabaret Voltaire and more...so I'm partial myself, but I'd say the 90's was a better decade OVERALL.

FAR better actually.

[BakeTheMooCow]

Very nice list. Apart from the striking lack of Tool and Pearl Jam's respective best albums, a top 100 of the 90s from me would be similar. My favorite picks:

Radiohead (1,15)
My Bloody Valentine (2)
Nirvana (6,13)
Smashing Pumpkins (18)
Beck (19)
Bjork (20,21)
Weezer (26,53)
Pixies (28,83)
R.E.M. (43)
Godspeed You Black Emperor! (45)
Portishead (48)
Outkast (50)
Elliott Smith (59,68)
Daft Punk (65)
Jeff Buckley (69)
Dr. Octagon (71)
Sonic Youth (82)
Massive Attack (85,95)

I'd put Pinkerton before Blue, In Utero before Nevermind and The Bends before OK Computer - but that's me.

I skimmed through the individual lists (way too many).. and some of the stuff there I hadn't even heard of, let alone recognized as a great album. Pitchfork's staff strike me as being a bit elitist; they are the equivalent of those snooty movie critics who, while having some solid choices in their top 100, will throw in some obscure Bulgarian films from the 1960s to show how they're ohsocool and oldschool. Down with that!

[BadCoverVersion]

Bloody Hell...glaring OMISSION!

NO SIGN of The Holy Bible - Manic Street Preachers.

Tsk, tsk.

Oh, and I found a list amongst the 2001 individual fave's that made me larf like the proverbial drain for a few minutes...

John Dark [Contributing Reviewer]
40 Mountain Goats: The Coroner's Gambit [Absolutely Kosher]
39 Of Montreal: Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse [Kindercore]
38 Sparklehorse: It's a Wonderful Life [Capitol]
37 Radiohead: Amnesiac [Capitol]
36 Mouse on Mars: Idiology [Thrill Jockey]
35 Manishevitz: Rollover [Jagjaguwar]
34 Summer Hymns: A Celebratory Arm Gesture [Misra]
33 Gorky's Zygotic Mynci: How I Long to Feel That Summer in My Heart [Beggars Banquet]
32 Built to Spill: Ancient Melodies of the Future [Warner Bros.]
31 Rufus Wainwright: Poses [Dreamworks]
30 Fugazi: The Argument [Dischord]
29 Cannibal Ox: The Cold Vein [Def Jux]
28 Kristin Hersh: Sunny Border Blue [4AD]
27 Handsome Family: Twilight [Carrot Top]
26 Friends of Sound: Rock-ola [Hidden Agenda/Parasol]
25 Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire: The Swimming Hour [Ryko]
24 Super Furry Animals: Rings Around the World [Epic]
23 Bob Dylan: Love and Theft [Columbia]
22 Beulah: The Coast Is Never Clear [Velocette]
21 Múm: Yesterday Was Dramatic, Today Is OK [Thule Iceland]
20 Califone: Roomsound [Perishable]
19 Marumari: Supermogadon [Carpark]
18 Destroyer: Streethawk: A Seduction [Misra]
17 Shins: Oh, Inverted World [Sub Pop]
16 Aesop Rock: Labor Days [Def Jux]
15 Ted Leo/Pharmacists: The Tyranny of Distance [Lookout!]
14 Avalanches: Since I Left You [XL]
13 Strokes: Is This It [RCA]
12 Avey Tare & Panda Bear: Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished [Animal]
11 Edith Frost: Wonder Wonder [Drag City]
10 Circulatory System: Circulatory System [Cloud]
09 New Year: Newness Ends [Touch & Go]
08 Denver Gentlemen: Introducing... [Absalom]
07 Tanya Donelly: Sleepwalk EP [4AD]
06 White Stripes: White Blood Cells [Sympathy for the Record Industry]
05 Migala: Arde [Sub Pop]
04 Microphones: The Glow, Pt. 2 [K]
03 New Pornographers: Mass Romantic [Mint]
02 Spiritualized: Let It Come Down [Arista]
01 Les Savy Fav: Go Forth [Frenchkiss]

Why, it's ONLY our good ex-schmoe pal...Mr. John Dark. That patronising swine had pretty excellent taste all the same...;)

[BakeTheMooCow]

John Dark is the biggest elitist snob of them all.

Who in the holy fuck are:

Mountain Goats
Of Montreal
Mouse on Mars
Manishevitz
Summer Hymns
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
Cannibal Ox
Kristin Hersh
Handsome Family
Friends of Sound
Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire
Beulah
Múm
Califone
Marumari
Destroyer
Shins
Aesop Rock
Ted Leo/Pharmacists
Avey Tare & Panda Bear
Edith Frost
Circulatory System
New Year
Denver Gentlemen
Tanya Donelly
Migala
Les Savy Fav

??????

Apart from bands with the WORST names you could possibly imagine.

[BadCoverVersion]

Originally posted by BakeTheMooCow
Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

Apart from bands with the WORST names you could possibly imagine.

Don't diss Gorky's Zygotic Mynci ;)...they're TOPS. The Dark-boy did GOOD squeezing them on the list.

Kirsten Hersh is pretty decent too...try downloading Your Ghost, a fab' mid-90's duet with Michael Stipe.

I do believe Psychocandy/Submethod/Romero&Juliet are fond of The Shins, Mountain Goats, The Handsome Family, Tanya Donnelly (Of Throwing Muses/Belly)...erm, if memory serves me correct.

[Annie Hall]

I know of Mountain Goats, The Handsome Family, Tanya Donnelly, Edith Frost and Circulatory System...

...and have heard QUITE a bit of Of Montreal and The Shins.


I'm not really the most well-versed person, but, they're pretty cool.

[notchreturns]

The new Shins album RAWKS. It could be my favorite of the year.

[SubMethod]

The Shins and Mountain Goats are two great bands. Like notch just said The Shins newest album is one of the best of the year. I also know a few other bands on Darks list, but not as many as I'd like. I've also heard that Les Savy Fav puts on one of the greatest live shows you can see.

[bowieee]

John Dark :) That's a blast from the past. He did know his music though....

[FeverDog420]

Any list that's wise enough to put The Soft Bulletin near the top is okay by me, even if I have never heard of several of the bands on it.

070: Jawbox, For Your Own Special Sweetheart
069: Jeff Buckley, Grace
068: Elliott Smith, XO
064: The Breeders, Last Splash
059: Elliott Smith, Either/Or
048: Portishead, Dummy
043: R.E.M., Automatic for the People
030: Liz Phair, Exile in Guyville
026: Weezer, Weezer
023: The Beta Band, The Three EPs
019: Beck, Odelay
018: Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream
015: Radiohead, The Bends
013: Nirvana, In Utero
006: Nirvana, Nevermind
003: The Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin
001: Radiohead, OK Computer

Sure, OK Computer is a great album, but nothing could convince me The Soft Bulletin ain't the best album of the decade.

[The Heart Collector]

Top 100 Albums of the 90s excluding any sort of metal, unfortunately.

And excluding "Angel Dust", too. Tsk, tsk.

[Rated R]

I know you're all high on this list, but truth be told, my fave cd's of the 90's aren't there. Now I can understand why Foo Fighters are left off, they may be too commercial for the snobs tastes despite making fantastic music. Sadly Faith No More is absent, and I think they had some of the best music of the 90's in their albums Angel Dust and Album of The Year. Let's not forget Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyuss, Fu Manchu...but that's my musical taste. Also I notice that Canadian music is pretty much unnoticed. Oh well, just my two cents.

[Dr Martin Luther Loomis]

Originally posted by Grebdron
Seriously...people dog the 80's constantly. They say nothing of substance came out of that decade.

If those 100 albums were the best to come out of the nineties...well, no wonder I don't remember much music from then.

I'll take the 80's.

At least they mentioned Talk Talk.

And people that dog the 80s, are people that have absolutely no idea what came out in the 80s (other than fuckin' Madonna).

[Rated R]

Originally posted by Dr Martin Luther Loomis
At least they mentioned Talk Talk.

And people that dog the 80s, are people that have absolutely no idea what came out in the 80s (other than fuckin' Madonna).

The 80's has their fair share of greatness along with it's fair share of crap, just like any decade. METALLICA came out in the 80's fer chrissakes, and it was their best time. Nowadays, Metallica's new work is just like all the other angst ridden nu-metal fuckwit bands, sorry if you like it, just how I feel about em.

Faith No More started in the 80's!
Nirvana started in the 80's!

And these are only the obvious choices, Christ, the 80's kick ass(never thought I'd say that)

[bowieee]

Originally posted by Rated R
The 80's has their fair share of greatness along with it's fair share of crap, just like any decade. METALLICA came out in the 80's fer chrissakes, and it was their best time. Nowadays, Metallica's new work is just like all the other angst ridden nu-metal fuckwit bands, sorry if you like it, just how I feel about em.

Faith No More started in the 80's!
Nirvana started in the 80's!

And these are only the obvious choices, Christ, the 80's kick ass(never thought I'd say that)

*cough* Sonic Youth *cough Cough*

[Rated R]

I am feeling the sudden urge to add to what I was saying about the 80's...uh a band...Youth, uh, hold on it's coming to me. SONIC YOUTH! Yeah, I wonder why that came to me all of a sudden.

[notchreturns]

80s had their share of crap with greatness... can't forget R.E.M., U2, Jesus and Mary Chain and The Pixies, whom both Nirvana and Radiohead have stated as a huge influence.

But yeah... still can't stand Madonna.

:eek: :rolleyes: :p