Another Point of View

Since the Spin list struck me as so editorially driven and narrowly casted, I thought I'd see what albums Rolling Stone picked as the best of the last twenty years, by going through their list from last year of the 500 greatest albums ever and pulling out the first 100 post-1985 candidates. The RS list struck me as at least more fair, given that it wasn't a single editorial staff making decisions but a poll of hundreds of relatively diverse artists, producers, critics, and others. I've interspersed my own random comments throughout on the relatively few I own. So:

1. Nevermind -- Nirvana
Don't have, oddly enough.

2. The Joshua Tree -- U2
Probably my favorite album ever.

3. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy
4. Appetite for Destruction - Guns 'N Roses
Best debut album ever.

5. Achtung Baby - U2
Almost the equal of The Joshua Tree

6. Purple Rain - Prince
7. Graceland - Paul Simon
Great, but I prefer Rhythm of the Saints.

8. Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
The first album I ever opened. I hated it at first, not liking music at all, but several years later got into it.

9. Sign o' the Times - Prince

(note: as an indication of what those polled think of the last twenty tears, this is all that was in the top 100)

10. The Bends - Radiohead
Good, but I do prefer OK Computer.

11. Raising Hell - Run DMC
12. Ready to Die - The Notorious B.I.G.
13. Slanted and Enchanted - Pavement
14. Tim - The Replacements
15. The Chronic - Dr. Dre
16. All that You Can't Leave Behind - U2
This album is perceived as lightweight in some quarters, but I think its depths are easily missed.

17. Straight Outta Compton - N.W.A.
18. The Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest
19. Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys
20. OK Computer - Radiohead
#1 on one list and only 20 on this one!

21. Master of Puppets - Metallica
22. So - Peter Gabriel
I actually prefer Us.

23. Dookie - Green Day
24. The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails
25. Bad - Michael Jackson
26. Dirty Mind - Prince
27. Ten - Pearl Jam
28. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain - Pavement
29. The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths
30. Licensed to Ill - Beastie Boys
31. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine
32. Doolittle - Pixies
33. Paid in Full - Erik B. and Rakim
34. Nick of Time - Bonnie Raitt
35. Like a Prayer - Madonna
36. Freak Out - Mothers of Invention
37. Automatic for the People - REM
Gorgeous songs.

38. Reasonable Doubt - Jay-Z
39. Metallica - Metallica
40. Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston
41. The Velvet Rope - Janet Jackson
42. Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club
43. Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
I love this album--some great acoustic gems.

44. Psycho Candy - The Jesus and Mary Chain
45. The Slim Shady LP - Eminem
46. Rhythm Nation 1814 - Janet Jackson
47. The Immaculate Collection - Madonna
48. My Life - Mary J. Blige
49. Meat Is Murder - The Smiths
50. Weezer (Blue Album) - Weezer
51. Fear of a Black Planet - Public Enemy
52. The Marshall Mathers LP -Eminem
53. Grace - Jeff Buckley
54. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - Lucinda Williams
55. Odelay - Beck
56. Nothing's Shocking - Jane's Addiction
57. BloodSugarSexMagik - Red Hot Chili Peppers
58. Unplugged in New York - Nirvana
59. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
60. Surfer Rosa - Pixies
61. Rock Steady - No Doubt
62. The Eminem Show - Eminem
63. Disintegration - The Cure
64. Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morrisette
65. Exile in Guyville - Liz Phair
66. Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth
67. Superunknown - Soundgarden
68. Play - Moby
69. Violator - Depeche Mode
70. 3 Feet High and Rising - De La Soul
71. Stankonia - Outkast
72. Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumkins
My roommate in college listened to this non-stop. I hated it at the time, but have grown to like it.

73. Substance - New Order
74. Ray of Light - Madonna
75. American Recordings - Johnny Cash
76. Louder than Bombs - The Smiths
77. Is this It - The Strokes
78. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
79. Post - Bjork
80. (What's the Story) Morning Glory? - Oasis
81. CrazySexyCool - TLC
82. Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers - Wu-Tang Clan
83. The End of Innocence - Don Henley
84. Elephant - The White Stripes
85. Blue Lines - Massive Attack
86. Rain Dogs - Tom Waits
87. Californication - The Red Hot Chili Peppers
88. Illmatic - Nas
89. Rid of Me - PJ Harvey
90. I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got - Sinead O'Connor
91. Time Out of Mind - Bob Dylan
Brilliant, but I preger the equally brilliant flow-up, Love & Theft.

92. Mule Variations - Tom Wait
93. Dummy -Portishead
94. The Battle of Los Angeles - Rage Against the Machine
95. Kid A - Radiohead
Great stuff, but I prefer the live versions of some of these songs.

96. To Bring You My Love - PJ Harvey
97. In Utero - Nirvana
98. Sea Change - Beck
99. Tragic Kingdom - No Doubt
100. Rum Sodomy and the Lash - The Pogues

Until Whenever