My task here is to ferret out the 100 greatest albums of this generation, operationally defined as including everything released from 1985 to 2005 - the present.
Let's narrow it down some. This does not mean the most popular albums.
It also does not mean the most influential. That's ultimately judging based on someone else's opinions of what was good. Besides, being influential isn't automatically good. Madonna's influential- but her influence is the creation of Britney Spears and such.
Nor is it a democratic or egalitarian undertaking. I didn't care about making sure that I represented this or that genre, or that I got stuff from all different people.
I wanted the 100 best albums, the ones most worth listening to again and again on their own weight. Mostly that means songwriting, stuff with actual worthwhile melodies under it. Lyrics and rhythm and harmonies and fancy guitarists are great, and they count. But they're all a waste if there's no song under it. It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing, and it also don't mean a thing if it ain't got a frickin' T-U-N-E. Thus, you might frame this as the best collections of songs.
Also, you might notice multiple entries by several artists. This is not some egalitarian exercise, where we divide up the awards to make sure everybody gets a slice. Let the big dog eat, I say. Looking back to compile this listing, on the song merits it is clear that Prince and Elvis Costello are rock ruling. That is, they have written a BUNCH of classic songs over the last two decades.
Since we're looking at albums here, I resisted including records based just on one song. Otherwise, Universal Mother would be here for just the sake of the awesome power of "Fire on Babylon." I enjoyed excluding the extremely overrated REM, but if it were just for a song at a time, Out of Time would be here for the sake of "Losing My Religion," which even an REM skeptic such as myself must admit rules.
As to being "true and objective": The title here is partly a joke. Obviously there are a lot of subjective values of taste. There are plenty of good acts whose quality I recognize, but just don't turn me on. Pink Floyd comes to mind.
But this title is only partly a joke, because there are some identifiable truths. There are quantifiable examinations of skill and technique. For example, I'd say it is not merely opinion but fact that Jackie Wilson was a much better singer than, say, Kris Kristofferson.
The saying goes, "There's no accounting for taste." Well, that is precisely the job of a critic. I struggle not just to say that I like or don't like something, but to try to explain what I see in it- to give an account for my taste.
Here then are the 100 greatest collections of songs of the last 20 years:
1. The Lion and the Cobra Sinead O'Connor
Sinead has managed to make a lot of people hate her. OK fine, but she's been a visionary artist. There's no denying the skill of the crafting of these songs, nor the passion that illuminates them. Every single song from her debut album is a classic, and you've never heard another production sound like this. Personal awe inspiring favorite: "Just Like U Said It Would B." This will go head to head with any album in the rock era.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Rob
Pretty good list. Must've taken a lot of thinking and time on your part. It's probably the Canadian in me, but I would add:
Blue Rodeo - "5 Days in July". This one's a classic. The songwriting doesn't get any better then this. Cuddy and Keelor were at there peak on this one. Just brilliant.
54-40 - "Dear Dear". Filled with great hooks.
Sarah Harmer - "All of Our Names". The songs are very well written and Sarah's voice is like silk. This album is flawless.
2 - Al Barger
Thanks. This post is still under construction. Someone helpfully published it from draft before it was quite soup. I'll have it finished up by the end of the day.
3 - gonzo marx
/disagree
many of these picks don't make my own top 500
but some deserve top 100 status
you completely lost me with anything from george michael...so much for "Objective"
but your mileage may vary
Excelsior!
4 - Eric Berlin
Nice complication of one man's opinion(s), Al.
As I went through, I thought, What happened to #53... then realized it was still in progress.
Man, Sinead at #1, eh? She wouldn't even register on my Top Whatever radar. Nothing against her, of course. I think of her and I think bald head and the tearing of the pope's picture and wailing Nothing Compares.... about 788 times.
Very hard to argue with The White Stripes in the Top 10. Your take on "The Nurse" made me go back and really give it a listen... which was a pure joy, of course.
5 - Eric Berlin
Just realized... no Beck, no REM.
Oof!
I may have to compile my own One Man's...
6 - godoggo
Really, you shouldn't be permitted to quote Ellington.
7 - Al Barger
Yes Mr Berlin, do please make your own list. Beck and REM were purposeful omissions on my part.
Again, I can understand how Sinead might well alienate a lot of folks, but nonetheless she absolutely has the goods. Plus, I LIKED hearing "Nothing Compares 2 U" hundreds of times.
Still, if you got burned out on that song, go back to that first album, which was not played to death on pop radio.
Also, I'm trying to limit myself at this point to only listening to the White Stripes album once a day. Gluttony is a mortal sin, and all.
8 - Al Barger
Mr Berlin, yes the omissions of Beck and REM were purposeful. They're both WAY overrated.
Also, please DO make your own similar post. I urge all Blogcritics to do likewise.
I can understand how Sinead alienated a lot of people. Nonetheless, she absolutely has the goods. Listen to The Lion and the Cobra again. And I LIKED hearing "Nothing Compares 2U" 788 times.
9 - Lisa McKay
Al, I bow to no one in my love for Mr. Costello, but Mighty Like A Rose? If I were put in a position of having to rescue my Costello collection from some natural disaster and had to leave one album behind, that would be the one.
Nonetheless, an interesting list, and you sure have eclectic tastes in music.
10 - Rodney Welch
This ought to be called "The 100 Albums Al Bought in the Last 20 years." Or maybe "The Kind of List You'd Expect From Someone Who Thinks Prince and Elvis Costello Are Not Capable Of Making A Bad Record." How else to explain honoring the suckathon that includes Around the World in a Day, Parade, Lovesexy, Batman AND Diamonds and Pearls? What strange level of fandom do you have to reach where you fail to see that these records are nowhere as good as Sign O' The Times? The same level, I suspect, that regards Costello's Spike on par with his late masterpiece King of America. You also include the absolute lamest Talking Heads disc, Naked, and while it's nice to know someone besides me has heard Zevon's Transverse City, (which in fairness does have one of the Z-man's best songs, "Splendid Isolation") the idea that it's a great record is just silly -- especially by WZ's standards. I'll give you credit for a handful of unusual choices that show insight, but on the whole you make the Spin list look like a model of judiciousness.
11 - gonzo marx
bah...
no Tool or Pantera
but Ben fols five makes towards the top of the list
tsk tsk
nice "Subjective" piece, big Al
Excelsior!
12 - Lisa McKay
Oh, and I think you forgot Soft Bulletin by the Flaming Lips...I'm sure it was an oversight ;-)
13 - Al Barger
Miss Lisa, I will confess to not being totally up to speed on the Flaming Lips. I was considering Yoshimi- but I don't think I've heard Soft Bulletin.
If it's even better than Yoshimi, I need to be hearing it. Downloading it now. And thank you for bringing it to my attention.
14 - Tan The Man
I think A Mighty Wind Original Soundtrack should be higher on that list. No Garth Brooks?
15 - Tiffany
Yay! Some Tori made it.
16 - gonzo marx
Tori made it, but not Alanis or even more egregious an error
no Ani DiFranco
and that omission is as damning as no Tool
nuff said?
Excelsior
17 - Tan The Man
No Tool. No Garth Brooks! <--- The G-Man!
18 - Al Barger
The old man once made the mistake of so much as lightly praising Garth Brooks. As he should know better, I've punished him repeatedly by actually making him listen to Garth. After about 10 minutes, he's begging for Porter or Merle or just anything real. That'll learn him.
Yes, Gonzo, no Pantera. I'd be canonizing frickin' stupid Motley Crue before I'd do that. Hell, I'd pick a damned MARIAH CAREY album before Pantera. I'm just saying...
19 - gonzo marx
poor Al...
it seems that all yer taste is in yer mouth...
i'm just sayin'
seriously, if you cannot hear the superior musicianship of Dimebag Darryl Abbott on guitar, and his brother, Vinnie Paul on drums...
well, i guess we just speak two different languages when it comes to music
so much for "Objective"
Excelsior!
20 - Matthew T. Sussman
Why don't you just poll all Blogcritics music reviewers the way baseball gives baseball writers a ballot for MVP?
5 points for No. 1
4 points for No. 2
and so on.
21 - Norton Malcontent
How is this list possibly objective? The vast majority of your entries are tedious at best. The range of artists you listen to is obviously severely limited due to the fact that you include the same artists over and over. And you can't even get your song references right. It was The Who who sang "It's the singer, not the song" in "Join Together". All in all a pretty lame list.
22 - Al Barger
Actually Matthew, we're in the process of doing just that. It was announced in the BC authors Yahoo group. I'm taking votes from Blogcritics by email, up to 50. And definitely please write an entry like this listing and explaining your picks. We intend to have results by mid next week.
23 - Matthew T. Sussman
Thanks Al. I'll get on that.
24 - gonzo marx
bah..now yer telling me i would hafta join some kind of yahoo group?
color me unsociable
Excelsior!
25 - Eric
I don't think I could listen to this list the whole way through, much less it be the top ever.
First of all, Tears For Fears's best album was Sowing the Seeds of Love.
Second, if you're going to make a statement, just drop U2 out of this list.
Almost Finally Bad by MJ was just that - Bad. Thriller, more than being his seminal work, was a much better album.
Finally.. I get it that you like Prince and Costello... but that many albums makes me wonder if you've heard 500 in your life.