One point over the weekend I heard an explosion outside of my window. I think it was Saturday night. I originally thought it was a neighbor lighting off fireworks a couple of weeks early. I was wrong, it was the sound of the heads of about 7,500 music bloggers' heads spontaneously combusting after reviewing Entertainment Weekly's 100 Greatest Albums since 1983 list.
Reading the comments from people on Stereogum, Idolator and Lineout, you'd think that EW said that Kelly Clarkson's second best record is better than Radiohead's best. Or that Britney Spears' Britney is better than anything Death Cab has ever put out.
Oh wait.
100 George Michael - Faith (1987)
99 Hole - Live Through This (1994)
98 Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticism (2003)
97 Britney Spears - Britney (2001)
96 PJ Harvey - Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000)
95 T.I. - Trap Muzik (2003)
94 The Police - Synchronicity (1983)
93 Elliott Smith - Either/Or (1997)
92 Destiny's Child - The Writing's on the Wall (1999)
91 Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream (1993)
90 System of a Down - Toxicity (2001)
89 Aimee Mann - Bachelor No. 2 (2000)
88 Peter Gabriel - So (1986)
87 2Pac - All Eyez on Me (1996)
86 My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991)
85 Dixie Chicks - Home (2002)
84 New Order - Low-Life (1985)
83 The Pretenders - Learning to Crawl (1984)
82 Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)
81 Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (1994)
80 Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics (2006)
79 The Replacements - Let It Be (1984)
78 Pearl Jam - Vs. (1993)
77 Portishead - Dummy (1994)
76 Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker (2000)
75 Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
74 Moby - Play (1999)
73 Smiths - The Queen is Dead (1986)
72 Van Halen - 1984 (1984)
71 No Doubt - Rock Steady (2001)
70 Mary J. Blige - My Life (1994)
69 The Postal Service - Give Up (2003)
68 Emmylou Harris - Wrecking Ball (1995)
67 Metallica - Metallica (1991)
66 Dr. Dre - The Chronic (1992)
65 The White Stripes - Elephant (2003)
64 Erykah Badu - Mama's Gun (2000)
63 U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)
62 Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)
61 Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full (1987)
60 Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain (1994)
59 Madonna - Ray of Light (1998)
58 The Pixies - Surfer Rosa (1988)
57 Neil Young - Harvest Moon (1992)
56 Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
55 Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions... (1988)
54 Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)
53 Elvis Costello - King of America (1986)
52 Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (2007)
51 Fugees - The Score (1996)
50 LCD Soundsystem - Sounds of Silver (2007)
49 Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
48 Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)
47 Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville (1993)
46 Björk - Homogenic (1997)
45 Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister (1996)
44 Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road (1998)
43 Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989)
42 Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
41 Bob Marley and the Wailers (1984) - Legend
40 The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die (1994)
39 Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow (1996)
38 Run-DMC - Raising Hell (1986)
37 Modest Mouse - The Moon & Antarctica (2000)
36 TLC - CrazySexyCool (1994)
35 Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill (1995)
34 The Strokes - Is This It (2001)
33 Alicia Keys - As I Am (2007)
32 R.E.M. - Life's Rich Pageant (1985)
31 Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)
30 Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction (1987)
29 Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (2004)
28 Nas - Illmatic (1994)
27 Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)
26 Bob Dylan - Time Out of Mind (1997)
25 Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights (2002)
24 Shania Twain - Come On Over (1997)
23 The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin (1999)
22 De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
21 Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)
20 Fiona Apple - Tidal (1996)
19 Beyoncé - Dangerously in Love (2003)
18 A Tribe Called Quest - People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)
17 Beck - Odelay (1996)
16 Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (1985)
15 Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
14 The Cure - Disintegration (1989)
13 Cat Power - You Are Free (2003)
12 OutKast - Stankonia (2000)
11 Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York (1994)
10 Radiohead - In Rainbows (2007)
09 Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (2007)
08 Paul Simon - Graceland (1986)
07 Jay-Z - The Blueprint (2001)
06 Green Day - American Idiot (2004)
05 Madonna - Madonna (1983)
04 Kanye West - The College Dropout (2004)
03 U2 - Achtung Baby (1991)
02 Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
01 Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain (1984)
When it adds up, I don't really have too much of a problem with the list. I certainly wouldn't have put two records from 2007 in the top 10 (neither of which made my own top 10 list). I'm scratching my head at Sheryl Crow at #39 (her s/t album wasn't a mega-hit, a critic's favorite or hugely influential - as far as I remember) and I love Cat Power more than I love people in my own family, but 13, really?? Plus, a Bob Marley greatest hits collection doesn't belong on this list (especially since his Royal Bobness died in 1981). Exile in Guyville and It Take a Nation of Millions...are also considerably lower than I'd rank them.
Still, though, the Britney and Kelly C. examples I mentioned above are too awesome (and funny!) for me to hate on the list too much. I also think EW got it exactly right at one and two.
How's your blood pressure after reading this list?
1 Imaginary Shrie said on June 23, 2008
This list is total bullshit.
IGshr*e
2 imaginary liz said on June 23, 2008
This list is totally wacked (aren't they all?) -- but I am glad someone finally pointed out that Life's Rich Pageant is one of the best albums eva.
And the fact that they accidentally got it switched with the Cat Power album at #13 (which was accidentally switched with the Mimi album at #21) is quite funny.
3 Chris Estey said on June 23, 2008
As little as this list has to do with my own record collection, I like the fact that "Purple Rain" is at number one for the time period. It really was/is that influential, and many people are forgetting that. (Even though it's not my own favorite Prince album.)
4 Imaginary Shrie said on June 23, 2008
I don't mind Prince, like him even. And I have to say I'm glad "Jagged Little Pill" and "CrazySexyCool" are on there. But overall, the list sucks.
Mariah Carey? System of a Down?
IGshr*e
5 ChrisB said on June 23, 2008
Here's the thing with Mariah Carey: sure, she's a trainwreck or whatever (and I haven't listened to her since I was a teenager - although I did a lot back then) BUT - if I give you the Beatles, you can't name another person or band, living or dead, that has more US number one hit singles. That is hardly insignificant and that should automatically qualify her for at least 1 album on this list.
6 Erik Gonzalez said on June 23, 2008
The mere fact that Jay-Z's Black Album is not on the list invalidates it for me.
7 Imaginary Shrie said on June 23, 2008
ChrisB @ 5: I get it.. but she still sucks ass. I can't help but feel that wya.
Erik @ 6: I feel ya! Where the hell is the Black Album?
IGshr*e
8 kenyon said on June 23, 2008
three questions.
1- is this list in order from least best to most best?
2- what did you expect from EW?
3- who cares what EW thinks?
and the spoon record is obviously better and more significant than public enemy's nation of millions, DUH!
9 imaginary dana said on June 23, 2008
There was obviously at least one person in the room who had a semblance of a clue and forced the group to include "Stories from the City..." and "Life's Rich Pageant" and "The Queen is Dead."
But all the other goons buried his/her picks and filled the list with a whole lotta poo.
As for the Mariah -- I'm gonna agree that her inclusion, ahem, sucks ass. No one said a record is good because it produces a lot of number one songs.
Glad to see that the honorary record of the week (Liz Phair's "Exile in Guyville," of course) made the list, however crazy the list may be.
And I agree with items 2&3 from commenter #8. ;)
10 Amie said on June 23, 2008
I don't have that much to say about the album choices, but I could go on a bit about the movie list... :)
That said, how awesome is it that Samuel L Jackson made his list of 10 New Classics about Asian films? And I've seen all but two!!!
11 Jon Harthun said on June 23, 2008
This list looks like it was compiled by 50 year-olds who browsed around the net looking at indie blog Top 10 lists and Last.FM charts, and then they filled in the blanks with albums they had lying around their mini van.
New Spoon AND Radiohead? Did baby-boomer who wrote this just look at the Starbucks rack as they were waiting for their coffee to be served?
Is Paul's Boutique really the best Beastie Boys album since 1983? Heck no, but it sure holds onto hipster and critic appeal for some reason.
Jay Z's "Reasonable Doubt" is 10 times better than "Blueprint"...but I digress.
All in all, I agree that a fair amount of the albums should be on there, but the placement is sloppy and the ones that don't belong on there definitely don't belong.
12 brian said on June 24, 2008
The albulm "Under the table and Dreaming" by Dave Matthew's Band is not on this list at all which makes the list totally irrelevant.
13 Imaginary Shrie said on June 24, 2008
Jon @ 11: I don't know... "Paul's Boutique" gets my vote. It pretty much kicks ass.
IGshr*e
14 Charlie Bucket said on June 24, 2008
This is what happens when people don't think big picture, ask their scenester friends for advice, and look no further than their record collection.
Rock criticism and lists like these in general have become obsolete.
15 john b said on June 24, 2008
The Beatles? They are talking about top 100 from 1983 to 2008, not 1963 to 2008. I understand the Beatles were a great influence but after 1983 all they released were the best of and other hits prior to 1983. Remember it's from 1983 to 2008.
16 ChrisB said on June 24, 2008
John - I assume this is directed at me since I only found my mention of the Beatles. My point was not that the Beatles should have been included in the list - I clearly agree with you that this list was from 1983-2008, the past 25 years and John Lennon wasn't even alive in 1983.
My point in mentioning them was only that they are the only act in history to have more US #1 hits than Mariah Carey (who has 18, more than Elvis or Madonna or anyone else that isn't the Beatles).
BTW, 18 #1 hits does automatically make you "good". It's like Barry Bonds, he hit 755+ home runs. I don't like him much but that doesn't mean he was without talent.
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