June 20, 2005. (from www.spinmagazine.com)
It wasn't easy arriving at the 100 Greatest Albums of Spin's first 20 years. But after months of smoke-filled meetings -- enduring a hail of verbal assaults and hurled office furniture -- our editorial junta eventually winnowed 500 candidates down to an undeniably unimpeachable elite of timeless classics.
Each album on the list finds a sweet spot between artistic brilliance, stylistic innovation, and cultural relevance. You could listen to the Smiths' The Queen Is Dead hiding under a pillow fort in your bedroom (as Morrissey would no doubt prefer), or it could blow your mind in a crowded bar. Why? Because it pushes a unique vision from the margins to the mainstream (or the margins of the mainstream), reshaping both. Until someone new (a Wu-Tang Clan or White Stripes) emerges to redraw the margins all over again. These records tell us something different with every listen; even at their tiniest, they make private epiphanies feel like public events.
This explains why we picked Radiohead's OK Computer as our No. 1 album over Nirvana's Nevermind and Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Between Thom Yorke's orange-alert worldview and the band's meld of epic guitar rock and electronic glitch, it not only forcast a decade of music but uncannily predicted our global culture of communal distress. Nevermind and Nation of Millions, while changing their moments irrevocably, seem less open-ended now, a little more "resolved." In a similar sense, some recent works of seeming genius, like M.I.A's Arular or Franz Ferdinand's self-titled debut, are too open-ended -- we wonder how they'll sound when Spin turns 30, just as we pray we won't be the ones who'll have to weigh their significance. One month of dodging furniture is enough, thanks.
For the next few weeks, we'll reveal the entire list, a few albums at a time, right here on spin.com. Too anxious? You can peruse the complete list of the 100 Greatest Albums 1985-2005, in Spin's July issue on newsstands, or click here to subscribe. The July issue has commentary on each entry in the countdown, plus interviews with many of the artists behind these essential records.
We also know lots of you have your own ideas about the best albums released during Spin's 20-year existence. Visit our message boards and post your own top 10; clicking here will take you right to that thread. Have thoughts about our own list? Express those here.
And now, the list (well part of it
100. The Strokes, Is This It (RCA, 2001)
99. Afghan Whigs, Gentlemen (Elektra, 1993)
98. Cornershop, When I Was Born for the 7th Time (Luaka Bop, 1997)
97. Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Merge, 1998)
96. The Pogues, Rum, Sodomy & the Lash (Stiff/WEA, 1985)
95. Elastica, Elastica (DGC, 1995)
94. Slint, Spiderland (Touch and Go, 1991)
93. Pearl Jam, Ten (Epic, 1991)
92. Big Black, Atomizer (Homestead, 1986)
91. XTC, Skylarking (Geffen, 1986)
90. Sonic Youth, Sister (DGC, 1987)
89. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell (Interscope, 2003)
88. Stereolab, Emperor Tomato Ketchup (Elektra, 1996)
87. Blur, Parklife (Food, 1994)
86. Meat Puppets, Up on the Sun (SST, 1985)...
...The top 11:
1. Radiohead Ok Computer
2. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of a Million to Hold Us Back
3. Nirvana Nevermind
4. Pavement Slanted & Enchanted
5. The Smiths The Queens is Dead
6. Pixies Surfer Rosa
7. De La Soul 3ft High and Rising
8. Prince Sign 'O' the Times
9. PJ Harvey Rid of Me
10. N.W.A Straight Outta Compton
11. U2 Achtung Baby
Does anyone have the full list?
It wasn't easy arriving at the 100 Greatest Albums of Spin's first 20 years. But after months of smoke-filled meetings -- enduring a hail of verbal assaults and hurled office furniture -- our editorial junta eventually winnowed 500 candidates down to an undeniably unimpeachable elite of timeless classics.
Each album on the list finds a sweet spot between artistic brilliance, stylistic innovation, and cultural relevance. You could listen to the Smiths' The Queen Is Dead hiding under a pillow fort in your bedroom (as Morrissey would no doubt prefer), or it could blow your mind in a crowded bar. Why? Because it pushes a unique vision from the margins to the mainstream (or the margins of the mainstream), reshaping both. Until someone new (a Wu-Tang Clan or White Stripes) emerges to redraw the margins all over again. These records tell us something different with every listen; even at their tiniest, they make private epiphanies feel like public events.
This explains why we picked Radiohead's OK Computer as our No. 1 album over Nirvana's Nevermind and Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Between Thom Yorke's orange-alert worldview and the band's meld of epic guitar rock and electronic glitch, it not only forcast a decade of music but uncannily predicted our global culture of communal distress. Nevermind and Nation of Millions, while changing their moments irrevocably, seem less open-ended now, a little more "resolved." In a similar sense, some recent works of seeming genius, like M.I.A's Arular or Franz Ferdinand's self-titled debut, are too open-ended -- we wonder how they'll sound when Spin turns 30, just as we pray we won't be the ones who'll have to weigh their significance. One month of dodging furniture is enough, thanks.
For the next few weeks, we'll reveal the entire list, a few albums at a time, right here on spin.com. Too anxious? You can peruse the complete list of the 100 Greatest Albums 1985-2005, in Spin's July issue on newsstands, or click here to subscribe. The July issue has commentary on each entry in the countdown, plus interviews with many of the artists behind these essential records.
We also know lots of you have your own ideas about the best albums released during Spin's 20-year existence. Visit our message boards and post your own top 10; clicking here will take you right to that thread. Have thoughts about our own list? Express those here.
And now, the list (well part of it
100. The Strokes, Is This It (RCA, 2001)
99. Afghan Whigs, Gentlemen (Elektra, 1993)
98. Cornershop, When I Was Born for the 7th Time (Luaka Bop, 1997)
97. Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (Merge, 1998)
96. The Pogues, Rum, Sodomy & the Lash (Stiff/WEA, 1985)
95. Elastica, Elastica (DGC, 1995)
94. Slint, Spiderland (Touch and Go, 1991)
93. Pearl Jam, Ten (Epic, 1991)
92. Big Black, Atomizer (Homestead, 1986)
91. XTC, Skylarking (Geffen, 1986)
90. Sonic Youth, Sister (DGC, 1987)
89. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell (Interscope, 2003)
88. Stereolab, Emperor Tomato Ketchup (Elektra, 1996)
87. Blur, Parklife (Food, 1994)
86. Meat Puppets, Up on the Sun (SST, 1985)...
...The top 11:
1. Radiohead Ok Computer
2. Public Enemy It Takes a Nation of a Million to Hold Us Back
3. Nirvana Nevermind
4. Pavement Slanted & Enchanted
5. The Smiths The Queens is Dead
6. Pixies Surfer Rosa
7. De La Soul 3ft High and Rising
8. Prince Sign 'O' the Times
9. PJ Harvey Rid of Me
10. N.W.A Straight Outta Compton
11. U2 Achtung Baby
Does anyone have the full list?
Jeff.
Liz Phair is too high as well...Public Enemy #2?! (it's good but not the second best album in 20 years)....it's impossible to make a perfect list though...not bad though i suppose.....
