Rock and Reel

100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: The Top 20

Previous: 40-21

See first post for explanation of list comparisons.

20. Dr. Dre- The Chronic

Paste: excluded

Slant: -11

19. Nas- Illmatic

Paste: -34

Slant: +6

18. Portishead- Dummy

Paste: -17

Slant: +10

17. Wu-Tang Clan- Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Paste: -29

Slant: tie

16. Rage Against the Machine- Rage Against the Machine

Paste: -40

Slant: excluded

15. Wilco- Summerteeth

Paste: -3

Slant: excluded

14. U2- Achtung Baby

Paste: +9

Slant: -32

13. Teenage Fanclub- Bandwagonesque

Paste and Slant: excluded

12. Nirvana- Nevermind

Paste: +9

Slant: +8

11. The Notorious B.I.G.- Ready to Die

Paste: -38

Slant: -12

10. Nirvana- In Utero

Paste: excluded

Slant: -2

9. Pixies- Bossanova

Paste and Slant: excluded

8. Pavement- Slanted & Enchanted

Paste: -29

Slant: -28

7. Pulp- Different Class

Paste: -47

Slant: -53

6. Radiohead- The Bends

Paste: -5

Slant: -15

5. Pavement- Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

Paste: -7

Slant: -40

4. Weezer- Pinkerton

Paste: -37

Slant: -43

3. Neutral Milk Hotel- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Paste: +1

Slant: -36

2. Radiohead- OK Computer

Paste: +1

Slant: -1

1. My Bloody Valentine- Loveless

Paste: -7

Slant: -10

100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: 40-21

Previous: 60-41

See first post for explanation of list comparisons.

40. Guided by Voices- Bee Thousand

Paste: +13

Slant: excluded

39. Neil Young- Ragged Glory

Paste and Slant: excluded

38. Tom Waits- Mule Variations

Paste and Slant: excluded

37. Massive Attack- Mezzanine

Paste: -14

Slant: -3

36. Black Star- Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star

Paste and Slant: excluded

35. Jay-Z- Reasonable Doubt

Paste and Slant: excluded

34. Primus- Sailing the Seas of Cheese

Paste and Slant: excluded

33. Bjork- Post

Paste: -17

Slant: +31

32. AIR- Moon Safari

Paste: excluded

Slant: -12

31. Eminem- The Slim Shady LP

Paste: excluded

Slant: -28

30. Public Enemy- Fear of a Black Planet

Paste: -22

Slant: +21

29. Ice Cube- AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted

Paste and Slant: excluded

28. PJ Harvey- Rid of Me

Paste: excluded

Slant: +3

27. A Tribe Called Quest- Midnight Marauders

Paste: excluded

Slant: -11

26. Spiritualized- Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space

Paste and Slant: excluded

25. DJ Shadow- Endtroducing…

Paste: +6

Slant: +15

24. Fugees- The Score

Paste: -34

Slant: +6

23. Depeche Mode- Violator

Paste: excluded

Slant: -12

22. A Tribe Called Quest- The Low End Theory

Paste: -11

Slant: +7

21. Bjork- Homogenic

Paste: excluded

Slant: +20

Next: The Top 20

100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: 60-41

Previous: 80-61

See first post for explanation of list comparisons.

60. The Smashing Pumpkins- Siamese Dream

Paste: #22 on adjusted list

Slant: +33

59. Liz Phair- Exile in Guyville

Paste: #38 on adjusted list

Slant: +37

58. Nirvana- MTV Unplugged in New York

Paste: beginning of comparison; excluded

Slant: +4

57. U2- Zooropa

Paste and Slant: excluded

56. Snoop Dogg- Doggystyle

Paste: excluded

Slant: tie

55. Ice-T- O.G. Original Gangster

Paste and Slant: excluded

54. Pixies- Trompe le monde

Paste and Slant: excluded

53. Built to Spill- There’s Nothing Wrong With Love

Paste: +13

Slant: excluded

52. Rage Against the Machine- The Battle of Los Angeles

Paste: excluded

Slant: -6

51. The Flaming Lips- The Soft Bulletin

Paste: +41

Slant: -2

50. Teenage Fanclub- Songs From Northern Britain

Paste and Slant: excluded

49. Matthew Sweet- Girlfriend

Paste: +1

Slant: excluded

48. R.E.M.- Automatic for the People

Paste: +41

Slant: +42

47. Massive Attack- Blue Lines

Paste: excluded

Slant: +33

46. Beastie Boys- Check Your Head

Paste: excluded

Slant: -16

45. Oasis- (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

Paste: +25

Slant: excluded

44. Nine Inch Nails- The Downward Spiral

Paste: excluded

Slant: +3

43. Pulp- This is Hardcore

Paste and Slant: excluded

42. Beck- Odelay

Paste: +36

Slant: +37

41. Belle and Sebastian- If You’re Feeling Sinister

Paste: +27

Slant: -2

Next: 40-21

100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: 80-61

Previous: 100-81

See previous post for explanation of list comparisons.

80. Yo La Tengo- I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One

Paste: #21 on adjusted list

79. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- The Boatman’s Call

78. The White Stripes- The White Stripes

Paste: #44 on adjusted list

77. Erykah Badu- Baduizm

Slant: #34 on adjusted list

76. Oasis- Definitely Maybe

75. Raekwon- Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…

Slant: #42 on adjusted list

74. Pavement- Wowee Zowee

73. Uncle Tupelo- March 16-20, 1992

Paste: #42 on adjusted list

72. Tori Amos- Little Earthquakes

Slant: #55 on adjusted list

71. Uncle Tupelo- Anodyne

Paste: #23 on adjusted list

70. Jeff Buckley- Grace

Paste: #4 on adjusted list

Slant: #7 on adjusted list

69. Modest Mouse- The Lonesome Crowded West

Paste: #34 on adjusted list

68. Primus- Frizzle Fry

67. Weezer- Weezer

Paste: #9 on adjusted list

Slant: #33 on adjusted list

66. Beastie Boys- Ill Communication

Slant: #57 on adjusted list

65. OutKast- Aquemini

Paste: #39 on adjusted list

Slant: #30 on adjusted list

64. Portishead- Portishead

Slant: #48 on adjusted list

63. Lucinda Williams- Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

Paste: #28 on adjusted list

Slant: beginning of comparison; excluded

62. PJ Harvey- To Bring You My Love

Slant: +42

61. Blur- Parklife

Paste: #47 on adjusted list

Slant: +12

Next: 60-41

100 Favorite Albums of the 1990s: 100-81

I’ve done this for the ’70s and ’80s. How about a decade I was alive for in its entirety? Though to be fair, I wasn’t banging my head to “Smells Like Teen Spirit” when I was 2 years old.

I will compare my list with those of Paste and Slant because their ’80s lists started this madness in the first place.

As I did last time, I quantified the differences between my list and those of the two online magazines. I controlled for albums I have not heard, resulting in 58 albums I had heard on Paste’s list and 63 on Slant’s. A “+” indicates the album was higher on their list, and a “-“ indicates the album was higher on mine. I only used my top 58 and my top 63 to compare with the respective lists, but I posted all of my picks anyway.

100. Bruce Springsteen- The Ghost of Tom Joad

99. Leonard Cohen- The Future

98. Tom Waits- Bone Machine

Paste: #25 on adjusted list

Slant: #50 on adjusted list

97. Wilco- A.M.

96. Moby- Play

Paste: #32 on adjusted list

Slant: #29 on adjusted list

95. Lauryn Hill- The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

Paste: #15 on adjusted list

Slant: #24 on adjusted list

94. Aimee Mann- Magnolia

93. Missy Elliott- Supa Dupa Fly

Slant: #19 on adjusted list

92. Daft Punk- Homework

Paste: #55 on adjusted list

Slant: #16 on adjusted list

91. Green Day- Dookie

Paste: #45 on adjusted list

90. Wilco- Being There

Paste: #24 on adjusted list

89. Bob Dylan- Time Out of Mind

Paste: #43 on adjusted list

Slant: #63 on adjusted list

88. Jane’s Addiction- Ritual de lo Habitual

87. Cypress Hill- Cypress Hill

86. Basement Jaxx- Remedy

Slant: #37 on adjusted list

85. Stereolab- Emperor Tomato Ketchup

84. Nas- It Was Written

83. Mercury Rev- Deserter’s Songs

82. Johnny Cash- American Recordings

Paste: #36 on adjusted list

81. Elliott Smith- Elliott Smith

Next: 80-61

100 Favorite Albums of the 1970s: The Top 20

Previous: 40-21

20. Aretha Franklin- Young, Gifted and Black

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

19. Jackson Browne- Late for the Sky

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

18. Neil Young- Tonight’s the Night

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by Paste

Pitchfork: excluded

17. Michael Jackson- Off the Wall

Paste: -15

Pitchfork: -15

16. The Who- Live at Leeds

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

15. Bruce Springsteen- Darkness on the Edge of Town

Paste: -15

Pitchfork: excluded

14. The Rolling Stones- Sticky Fingers

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by Paste

Pitchfork: excluded

13. Sex Pistols- Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols

Paste: +2

Pitchfork: -24

12. Elvis Costello- This Year’s Model

Paste: -22

Pitchfork: -26

11. Stevie Wonder- Innervisions

Paste: -4

Pitchfork: -10

10. The Stooges- Raw Power

Paste: -27

Pitchfork: -47

9. Al Green- Call Me

Paste: excluded

Pitchfork: -26

8. Neil Young- Rust Never Sleeps

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by Paste

Pitchfork: excluded

7. Elvis Costello- My Aim is True

Paste: -14

Pitchfork: -21

6. David Bowie- Hunky Dory

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by Paste

Pitchfork: -48

5. Joni Mitchell- Blue

Paste: -17

Pitchfork: -54

4. The Clash- London Calling

Paste: included in 80 Best Albums of the 1980s list

Pitchfork: +2

3. The Rolling Stones- Exile on Main St.

Paste: tie

Pitchfork: -8

2. Bob Dylan- Blood on the Tracks

Paste: +1

Pitchfork: -3

1. Bruce Springsteen- Born to Run

Paste: -4

Pitchfork: excluded

100 Favorite Albums of the 1970s: 40-21

Previous: 60-41

40. The Velvet Underground- Loaded

Paste: -1

Pitchfork: +27

39. Derek and the Dominos- Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs

Paste: -22

Pitchfork: excluded

38. Big Star- Radio City

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

37. Neil Young- On the Beach

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by me and Paste

Pitchfork: -8

36. Leonard Cohen- Death of a Ladies’ Man

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

35. Black Sabbath- Black Sabbath

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

34. Sly and the Family Stone- Fresh

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

33. John Lennon- Plastic Ono Band

Paste: excluded

Pitchfork: -10

32. Stevie Wonder- Songs in the Key of Life

Paste: +6

Pitchfork: excluded

31. Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin IV

Paste: +23

Pitchfork: +24

30. The Who- Who’s Next

Paste: +15

Pitchfork: +16

29. Leonard Cohen- Songs of Love and Hate

Paste: excluded

Pitchfork: -20

28. Ramones- Ramones

Paste: +18

Pitchfork: +9

27. Pink Floyd- The Dark Side of the Moon

Paste: +21

Pitchfork: -20

26. Ramones- Rocket to Russia

Paste: excluded

Pitchfork: -16

25. Television- Marquee Moon

Paste: +14

Pitchfork: +22

24. David Bowie- Low

Paste: -10

Pitchfork: +23

23. Neil Young- After the Gold Rush

Paste: #23 on adjusted list; two-album rule exclusion by me

Pitchfork: -42

22. The Clash- The Clash

Paste: -1

Pitchfork: -11

21. Joy Division- Unknown Pleasures

Paste: -27

Pitchfork: +12

Next: The Top 20

100 Favorite Albums of the 1970s: 60-41

Previous: 80-61

60. Fleetwood Mac- Rumours

Paste: +37

Pitchfork: +30

59. Miles Davis- Bitches Brew

Paste: +44

Pitchfork: +43

58. John Imagine- Imagine

Paste: +16

Pitchfork: excluded

57. David Bowie- Station to Station

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by me and Paste

Pitchfork: excluded

56. The Harder They Come

Paste: -12

Pitchfork: -8

55. Rod Stewart- Never a Dull Moment

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

54. Neil Young- Zuma

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by me and Paste

Pitchfork: excluded

53. David Bowie- “Heroes”

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by me and Paste

Pitchfork: excluded

52. The Jam- In the City

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

51. Black Sabbath- Paranoid

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

50. Jimi Hendrix- Band of Gypsys

Paste: excluded

Pitchfork: -12

49. Funkadelic- One Nation Under a Groove

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

48. Stevie Wonder- Talking Book

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by me and Paste

Pitchfork: excluded

47. Grateful Dead- American Beauty

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

46. Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by Paste

Pitchfork: +19

45. Parliament- Mothership Connection

Paste and Pitchfork: excluded

44. The Stooges- Fun House

Paste: -16

Pitchfork: +32

43. David Bowie- The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Paste: #12 on adjusted list; two-album rule exclusion by me

Pitchfork: -12

42. Funkadelic- Maggot Brain

Paste: +21

Pitchfork: +27

41. Van Morrison- Moondance

Paste: +21

Pitchfork: excluded

Next: 40-21

100 Favorite Albums of the 1970s: 80-61

Previous: 100-81

80. ABBA- Arrival

79. MC5- Back in the USA

78. Roxy Music- Roxy Music

77. Talking Heads- More Songs About Buildings and Food

Paste: #26 on adjusted list

Pitchfork: #34 on adjusted list

76. Bruce Springsteen- The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle

75. Neil Young- Time Fades Away

74. Sly and the Family Stone- There’s a Riot Goin’ On

Paste: #16 on adjusted list

Pitchfork: #4 on adjusted list

73. Gang of Four- Entertainment!

Paste: #50 on adjusted list

Pitchfork: #8 on adjusted list

72. Van Halen- Van Halen

Pitchfork: #48 on adjusted list

71. Neil Young- Comes a Time

70. Janis Joplin- Pearl

69. Iggy Pop- Lust for Life

Paste: beginning of comparison; excluded

Pitchfork: #44 on adjusted list

68. Bob Marley- Exodus

Paste: excluded

67. B.B. King- Live at Cook County Jail

Paste: excluded

66. Marvin Gaye- What’s Going On

Paste: +56

Pitchfork: #36 on adjusted list

65. Miles Davis- A Tribute to Jack Johnson

Paste: excluded

Pitchfork: beginning of comparison; +24

64. George Harrison- All Things Must Pass

Paste: +29

Pitchfork: +8

63. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young- Deja vu

Paste: +15

Pitchfork: excluded

62. Led Zeppelin- Led Zeppelin III

Paste: two-album rule exclusion by Paste

Pitchfork: +40

61. The Specials- Specials

Paste: excluded

Pitchfork: +30

Next: 60-41

100 Favorite Albums of the 1970s: 100-81

About three months ago, I posted my 100 Favorite Albums of the 1980s in five installments. In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be posting my top 100 of the ’70s.

With the ’80s, I compared my list with those of Paste and Slant. Because Slant hasn’t ranked the LPs for this particular decade, I decided to use Pitchfork’s list in addition to Paste’s recent picks.

As I did last time, I quantified the differences between my list and those of the two online magazines. I controlled for albums I have not heard (and took into consideration Paste’s two-album limit). This resulted in 61 albums I had heard on Paste’s lists and 65 on Pitchfork’s. A “+” indicates the album was higher on their list, and a “-“ indicates the album was higher on mine. I only used my top 61 and my top 65 to compare with the respective lists, but I posted all of my picks anyway.

100. Van Morrison- Tupelo Honey