Article Response: Stylus Magazine's Top 101-200 Favourite Albums Ever

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I normally hate doing this, but fuck it, I'm pimping for hits and feedback, plus I think it's a really great concept (but then again I would).

Anyway, go here and have a look.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 22 March 2004 09:38 (twenty-two years ago)

102 The Kinks - 'brit invasion stylings'!!!!

103 HOLE!! HOLE!!!!????

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Monday, 22 March 2004 09:46 (twenty-two years ago)

You're meant to be pleased they weren't in the top 100... And I certainly didn't vote for Hole! Plus remember, most of the staff and readers are Yanks.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 22 March 2004 09:51 (twenty-two years ago)

It does show, Nick. Interesting list, with some pertinent comments too. It shows how previous critical darlings fall out of fashion quickly and slide down the list. And call me old or odd, but I much prefer "Isn't anything" to "Loveless" - it's just more visceral somehow.

Can we place bets on what was number one?

― Rob M (Rob M), Monday, 22 March 2004 10:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Cool list ... the albums on it really do seem like they're just below the cream of the crop ... I was surprised that Slint, MBV, Fleetwood Mac (among others) didn't make the top 100.

Has any other mag/website done a list such as this?

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Monday, 22 March 2004 10:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Even I don't know what was number one!

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 22 March 2004 10:31 (twenty-two years ago)

It's a fantastic idea. And yay blurbs! (not enough pop in there, obv.)

― cis (cis), Monday, 22 March 2004 10:37 (twenty-two years ago)

It's not a bad idea, but the Guardian did it first.

― Ricardo (RickyT), Monday, 22 March 2004 10:55 (twenty-two years ago)

the grauniad list was a 1-100 but certain canonical LPs were deemed ineligible

― zebedee (zebedee), Monday, 22 March 2004 11:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Pesky broadsheets!

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 22 March 2004 11:06 (twenty-two years ago)

"normally hate doing this"

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Monday, 22 March 2004 13:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Bryan Adams just above the first Ramones LP. Fuck you, Sylus!

― matulageci (matulageci), Monday, 22 March 2004 13:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Hate doing Article Response, Jess, not linking to my own stuff, obviously!

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 22 March 2004 13:18 (twenty-two years ago)

the albums are talked about in terms of why they don't get into top 100's, but surely plenty of these are regularly high in lots of non-stylus top 100's? otherwise, i enjoyed.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Monday, 22 March 2004 13:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I voted for Hole, and I'm sure Dom did, but maybe not too many others.

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Monday, 22 March 2004 16:02 (twenty-two years ago)

arrgh why did i look at that

― achilles, Monday, 22 March 2004 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I have a feeling that "Celebrity Skin" was a top 100er as well, Dr C, just to cheer you up.

"Little Earthquakes" being only 199 was a fucking crime, anyway.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Monday, 22 March 2004 17:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm listening to that Blodnie album. It's alright, innit, Dom?

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Monday, 22 March 2004 17:20 (twenty-two years ago)

"Little Earthquakes" being only 199 was a fucking crime, anyway.

As was Dusty in Memphis being only two places higher. I mean, what do women have to do to get some respect (altho' the comments about PJ Harvey next to Stories from the City...were probably apt in this regard)?

And speaking of Dusty, what was that "Anglo-Briton" comment in the writeup supposed to mean? Not a dig, I'm just genuinely perplexed.

Interesting idea, and yeah it was a lot different a concept from that Guardian thing. I like Stylus and this was good, with a few exceptions/quibbles.

(Quibbles is a very odd word.)

― David A. (Davant), Monday, 22 March 2004 20:46 (twenty-two years ago)

"call me old or odd, but I much prefer "Isn't anything" to "Loveless" -it's just more visceral somehow. "

So does Andrew Unterberger, who wrote the blurb; if it doesn't come across that way, it's because he was trying to be impartial in explaining why Isn't Anything tends not to make the Top 100s.

"the albums are talked about in terms of why they don't get into top 100's, but surely plenty of these are regularly high in lots of non-stylus top 100's?"

this is a really good point, and i think the best solution to this would probably have been a) do what the guardian did or b) compile a list of writers' 301-400th favorite albums (which would be very very annoying to count)

― Kareem Estefan (Kareem Estefan), Monday, 22 March 2004 23:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Illmatic, Cuban Linx, Liquid Swords don't make the top ONE HUNDRED?! Wow.

Yo La Tengo above Kind of Blue?!

Seriously man, weird fucking list.

― djdee2005, Monday, 22 March 2004 23:57 (twenty-two years ago)

lot o' my faves on it, though the Nirvana-mainstream/ Weezer-underground deal has me flummoxed.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

stop having lists

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 00:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Deej, you might be outraged, but are you actually surprised that the Wu-Tang soloers didn't make the top 100? Of all-time? Consider it lucky they made the 200. Although I was fairly surprised that Illmatic didn't make it, yeah.

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 01:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Popular music criticism doesn’t extend to women (which is why “Toxic” and “Crazy In Love” are great because of the strings and horns, rather than who performs them), and that’s the sole reason this album is ranked so low.

Bulla shitta.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 02:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Stylus needs more Dom Passantino, Gavin Mueller, Sick Nouthall, and Dave Queen.

― pareceque, Tuesday, 23 March 2004 02:32 (twenty-two years ago)

G-DAMN THAT WEBSITE IS FUGLY

― dean! (deangulberry), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 02:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Fun House is forgotten? Among indie rock canon pieces, only a banana keeps that album from #1.

― Maxwell von Bismarck (maxwell von bismarck), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 02:56 (twenty-two years ago)

And I have a feeling that equal numbers prefer Loveless and Isn't Anything.

― Maxwell von Bismarck (maxwell von bismarck), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 03:00 (twenty-two years ago)

It wouldn't seem that out of wack, except that there are a bunch of albums in that 101-200 that I wouldn't have in a top 500.

― djdee2005, Tuesday, 23 March 2004 06:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Can, Ege Bamyasi:
There’s nothing here as abstract as Tago Mago’s “Aumgn”,

a bit misleading with "Soup" sandwiched in between the vitamins and the lettuce, no? (ugg what bad food puns)

― xexe bum posse, Tuesday, 23 March 2004 06:30 (twenty-two years ago)

can't we all agree that without "soup," ege bamyasi would be by far Can's best album?

― Ian Johnson (orion), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 06:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Even with "Soup."

― xexe bum posse, Tuesday, 23 March 2004 06:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Ok, maybe not "by far," but even without it (with, say, "Turtles Have Short Legs" replacing it) I wouldn't love it so very much more than Tago Mago or Unlimited Edition, or even Future Days.

― xexe bum posse, Tuesday, 23 March 2004 06:39 (twenty-two years ago)

"Soup" at least has some rhythm and sounds a bit like a band (for a while), rather than sounding like someone hitting chairs with rubber elephants and spitting on television sets.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 09:30 (twenty-two years ago)

And hopefully Dave Queen will be back on the radar soon.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 09:31 (twenty-two years ago)

the problem with spoon is that it's neither a grebt SONG nor a boring piece of experimental art wank. it tries to do both and fails at both.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 09:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I assume you mean "Soup".

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 09:42 (twenty-two years ago)

yes. yes i do.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 09:50 (twenty-two years ago)

And I have a feeling that equal numbers prefer Loveless and Isn't Anything.

Not a chance. And definitely not on lists like these.

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 13:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I added up several of the ballots. It's safe to say that people preferred Loveless.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 13:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Dom OTM with Eurythmics!

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 13:54 (twenty-two years ago)

It really is a great album, huh? I love those mid 80s chartburner albums, where it feels like 9/10ths of the album was a single (probably because they were). They don't make them like they used to...

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 23 March 2004 14:58 (twenty-two years ago)

After just skimming for a second, I have to say...

This is a great list! It has the best thing: it seems real. I mean, there's tired old classics, new stuff no one will care about, everything inbetween, but it has it's own LOGIC--I get the sense that the person(s) who authored it believe in those choices, and that it's not just for show. That's my favorite kind, cos--even if your tastes are the opposite from mine--I enjoying reading and learning from the whole thing. But there's lots of overlap here with stuff I love, and, what's more, a lot of not-the-album-I'd-pick-but-I-love-the-band, which is wonderful for digging out an old LP and listening with a fresh ear.

― John 2, Tuesday, 23 March 2004 23:56 (twenty-two years ago)

G-DAMN THAT WEBSITE IS FUGLY

I agree.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 01:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Dom OTM with Eurythmics!

Ah, I suppose I can't complain, since I didn't participate, but I actually thought the Eurythmics entry sort of revealed the fallacy of this list. And I didn't even notice that Dom dissed Diva, which would've sent up an even redder flag.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 03:06 (twenty-two years ago)

we realise that Nevermind wasn’t actually a victory. It was a huge own goal. Grunge didn’t save us from this, it divorced us from it. History is written by losers.

intentional swipe at Nirvana?

― Ian Johnson (orion), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 03:44 (twenty-two years ago)

More than a swipe, Ian.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 24 March 2004 10:10 (twenty-two years ago)

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