OK! OK! No accusations of racism and such....a few simple questions about your opinion the Top 100 ILM 90s Singles list.

a/ 8 are shit
b/ 11 aren't shit, but absolutely don't belong on the list
c/ 31 I haven't heard at all
d/ 17 I have heard, but not enough to pass judgement
e/ I'm more interested in checking out 15 or so because of this list

By my count, I haven't heard exactly half the list (although there's maybe a few I'd know if you played them for me). I'm interested in checking out nearly everything I haven't heard, although probably most excited about the hip-hop that I missed in the 90s (Biggie, Wu-Tang, etc.). And Aaliyah. And probably St. Etienne, to see what the fuss is all about.

And, I too am mostly Etiennignorant. I have only ever heard one St. Etienne song on a mix someone gave me - "Like the Motorway" I think. Very pretty song.

(2002 Nate recoils in horror; 2004 Nate laughs at him)

IF YOU COULD COUNT BACKWARDS FROM 100 WITHOUT FUCKING IT UP.

c) way too many, at least 30

e) i will get all of them from slsk soon

wow - i am surprised/delighted to see that included, much less that high.

I have to say, I just downloaded it tonight and wasn't that impressed. I liked "Regulate," though -- which I had heard before but probably not since the mid-90s.

b/ aren't shit, but absolutely don't belong on the list
(well, i don’t like them, anyway)
HAPPY MONDAYS - "Kinky Afro"
WHITE TOWN - "Your Woman"
WARREN G - "Regulate"
DEEE-LITE - "Groove Is In the Heart"

c/ you haven't heard at all
maybe 1/4

d/ have heard, but not enough to pass judgement
nearly 1/2

e/ are you more interested in checking out because of this list
LAMB - "Gorecki"
PET SHOP BOYS - "Can You Forgive Her?"
MASSIVE ATTACK - "Unfinished Sympathy"

actually this is more like 1/4 or 1/5
not 1/2

I'd strongly encourage everyone curious about the Et., esp. jaymc to buy this album if you've got any extra cash at the moment.

/proselytizing

I have to say, I just downloaded it tonight and wasn't that impressed. I liked "Regulate," though -- which I had heard before but probably not since the mid-90s.

"Damn it Feels Good to Be a Gangsta" >>>>> "Mind Playing Tricks on Me"

You guys are killing me here.
Seriously..."Regulate"?! "Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta"? So when you found out about the Geto Boys through Office Space was your life changed forever?

dont make judgements about people on this board that you dont know. you will just get people pissed off... well, that seems to be your thing actually.

Those two songs are both a bit corny, Regulate is nearly a novelty song with its goofy storyline and the whole "Regulators! Mount up" thing and its definitely good but its also become such a touchpoint for whitebread (not a racial thing, a cultural thing) interpretations of hip-hop, like its the version of west coast that most people see as if it really represents all of the great music that came out around that time sorta bothers me. Plus I've heard it like a million times so its almost as hard to love any more as "Hey Ya."

"Damn..." also is one of those whitebread cultural touchpoints bcuz of "Office Space" which is a good movie but its also one of those "well, i don't really like hip-hop but you know that song from Office Space? Yeah that's really cool." And its a good song but a bit corny in execution, like the whole "the president is another KIND of gangsta!" thing is just so ... cheesy. Its a cool song.

But.

I LOVE "mind playing tricks on me." The musical lick is obviously just plain beautiful, the beat to me hits a lot closer to the heart like it's just so mournful. Plus the Geto Boys voices on this track seem to reflect the lyrics in their world-weary, exhausted outlook. And the LYRICS. jesus these things are amazing versions of human experience, all existential and laden with fear and paranoia, but never falling for corny lyrical cliches like fucking "if you smoke what i smoke getting high like every day" or cheesy boasting about a "brand new era" of g-funk "step to this i dare ya" whatever.

Scarface sets the tone -
At night I can't sleep, I toss and turn
Candle sticks in the dark, visions of bodies bein burned
Four walls just starin at a nigga
I'm paranoid, sleepin with my finger on the trigger

Evocatively claustrophobic...Every time he closes his eyes he starts sweating and blood comes out of his nose! Being tailed by headlights, confusing "caine [with] gold medal flour," being in fear of "three blind crippled and crazy senior citizens." Every sunday morning Scarface prays for forgiveness, contemplates suicide. Never mind the fucking end of the song when Bushwick Bill, beating on an unnamed attacker awakens and discovers he's smashing his fingers against cold concrete. An incredibly disturbing image forever imprinted on my brain.

Its 3:30 AM and I'm overtired but to me "Mind Playing Tricks" is so much more moving and powerful, I can't begin to describe...and I'm not going to be able to write like Tim Finney or someone and perfectly communicate my own reasons for why I love it. But I often feel like a lot of the time when people react to hip-hop they seem to approach hip-hop that makes them laugh for feel more comfortable or novelty-type shit more easily than they would something like "Mind Playing Tricks on Me."

I'm not saying thats what you guys are neccessarily doing but seriously, I'm amazed that in a poll w/ 5 pulp songs and 5 st etienne songs you find the highest ranking hip-hop track to be overrated.

B) Don't belong on the list:
Beastie Boys, Blur, Eminem, Portishead, Beck, Tricky, Pulp, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Slowdive, Underworld, R.E.M.

C) Haven't heard at all:
Palace Music, Teenage Fanclub, Isolee, Arab Strap, The Magnetic Fields, Pavement, Sain Etienne, The Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, The Smashing Pumpkins, Mobb Deep, Mazzy Star, White Town, Belle and Sebastian, Ol' Dirty Bastard, New Order, The Breeders.

D) Have heard, but not enought to pass judgement:
Air, Notorious B.I.G., De La Soul, Ice Cube, Geto Boys, Slowdive.

E) Interested in checking out:
Geto Boys.

Tuomos, what don't you like about "TROY"?

But the only way I can imagine thinking that the beat for "Damn it feels good..." is better than "MPTOM" is if you simply don't like the production aesthetic (early 90s sample-based breakbeat etc.) because in my mind MPTOM is one of the most beautiful hip-hop instrumentals ever constructed.

xpost to Daavid: when i was reading your list it was "not heard, not heard, not heard, 3 ST. ETIENNE SONGS IN A ROW?! THEY ARE THE BEST EVER!!!" and I can't help but think this helps explain the voting as a whole (note: i'm exaggerating and joking around, don't take this too seriously).

Hahaha Dee you really need to shut up.

100.- PALACE MUSIC - "New Partner" ?
100.- AIR - "All I Need" OK
098.- MADONNA - "Deeper and Deeper" shouldn't be here, but one of her better 90's singles
098.- TEENAGE FANCLUB - "The Concept" Love the album
097.- WU-TANG CLAN - "Shame On A Nigga" ?
096.- BEASTIE BOYS - "Intergalactic" Beasties bore me these days ... this single was only fun for the first five listens
095.- MADONNA - "Ray of Light" fantastic
094.- CORNERSHOP - "Brimful of Asha" yum
092.- BJORK - "Human Behaviour" great but

100.- PALACE MUSIC - "New Partner" ?
100.- AIR - "All I Need" OK
098.- MADONNA - "Deeper and Deeper" shouldn't be here, but one of her better 90's singles
098.- TEENAGE FANCLUB - "The Concept" Love the album
097.- WU-TANG CLAN - "Shame On A Nigga" ?
096.- BEASTIE BOYS - "Intergalactic" Beasties bore me these days ... this single was only fun for the first five listens
095.- MADONNA - "Ray of Light" fantastic
094.- CORNERSHOP - "Brimful of Asha" yum
092.- BJORK - "Human Behaviour" great but

100.- PALACE MUSIC - "New Partner" ?
100.- AIR - "All I Need" OK
098.- MADONNA - "Deeper and Deeper" shouldn't be here, but one of her better 90's singles
098.- TEENAGE FANCLUB - "The Concept" Love the album
097.- WU-TANG CLAN - "Shame On A Nigga" ?
096.- BEASTIE BOYS - "Intergalactic" Beasties bore me these days ... this single was only fun for the first five listens
095.- MADONNA - "Ray of Light" fantastic
094.- CORNERSHOP - "Brimful of Asha" yum
092.- BJORK - "Human Behaviour" great but I prefer "Big Time Sensuality"
092.- ORBITAL - "Belfast" godlike
091.- ISOLEE - "Beau Mot Plage" ? I really want to hear this though
090.- ARAB STRAP - "The First Big Weekend" decent, not their finest
089.- NOTORIOUS B.I.G. - "Hypnotize" I like, surprised it wasn't higher
088.- THE MAGNETIC FIELDS - "The Luckiest Guy On the Lower East Side" good, but I have no idea why anyone bothered nominating anything from 69LS ... too many songs ... no chance at consensus for any one of them
087.- PAVEMENT - "Shady Lane" ?
086.- SAINT ETIENNE - "Like A Motorway" Yippie. Autechre remix -- oh HUBBA HUBBA
085.- SLOWDIVE - "Alison" gorgeous
083.- LAMB - "Gorecki" also gorgeous
083.- APHEX TWIN - "Girl/Boy Song" very good, I love Aphex but not so much for the nominated tracks
081.- BLUR - "Song 2", OK. whatever
081.- DIGITAL UNDERGROUND - "Humpty Dance" yay!
079.- DE LA SOUL - "A Rollerskating Jam Named Saturdays" I may have heard this?
079.- MASSIVE ATTACK - "Angel" fan-fucking-tastic
078.- THE PIXIES - "Alec Eiffel" ?
077.- EMINEM - "My Name Is" OK
076.- DESTINY'S CHILD - "Say My Name" eh
075.- NAUGHTY BY NATURE - "O.P.P." I'll never forget being in Jamaica at the time this was a hit and hearing this awesome reggae version of this on the radio
074.- BASEMENT JAXX - "Rendez-Vu" nice
073.- OASIS - "Live Forever" most overrated Oasis song by a healthy margin. I don't hate it though
072.- MY BLOODY VALENTINE - "When You Sleep" their best song?
071.- THE CURE - "Pictures of You" dreamy
070.- NOTORIOUS B.I.G. featuring PUFF DADDY and MASE - "Mo Money, Mo Problems" OK
069.- SAINT ETIENNE - "Avenue" most overrated StEt song by a healthy margin. But I do like
068.- SAINT ETIENNE - "You're In A Bad Way" Wait, maybe this is the most overrated StEt song
067.- SAINT ETIENNE - "Nothing Can Stop Us" or maybe this one
066.- JEFF BUCKLEY - "Hallelujah" i must have heard this at some point?
065.- PETE ROCK & CL SMOOTH - "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" ?
064.- ORBITAL - "Halcyon" hooray -- would have preferred "Lush" though
063.- LL COOL J - "Mama Said Knock You Out" fuck yes
062.- MISSY ELLIOTT - "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" alright
061.- HAPPY MONDAYS - "Kinky Afro" yep
060.- WU-TANG CLAN - "C.R.E.A.M." ?
059.- BJORK - "Joga" ?
058.- PULP - "This Is Hardcore" love it
057.- TLC - "Creep" OK
056.- THE SMASHING PUMPKINS - "Cherub Rock" fuck tha hataz
055.- UNDERWORLD - "Cowgirl" unbelievable
054.- THE KLF - "Last Train To Trancentral" awesome
053.- PORTISHEAD - "Sour Times" even more awesome
052.- MADONNA - "Vogue" less awesome than the last two, but still pretty awesome
051.- MOBB DEEP - "Shook Ones Pt. II" ?
050.- PULP - "Do You Remember the First Time?" not one of their better singles
049.- MAZZY STAR - "Fade Into You" ?
047.- AALIYAH - "One In A Million" amazing
047.- WHITE TOWN - "Your Woman" great, the album of course is HORRIFICALLY BAD
046.- MY BLOODY VALENTINE - "To Here Knows When" oh yes
045.- BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - "Stars of Track and Field" ?
044.- R.E.M. - "Losing My Religion" kinda sick of it by now
043.- THE ORB - "Little Fluffy Clouds" yessssir
042.- THE MAGNETIC FIELDS - "100,000 Fireflies" ?
040.- BLUR - "Coffee and TV" toss this off the list. Replace with decent Blur single please
040.- ICE CUBE - "It Was A Good Day" ?
039.- THE KLF (FEATURING TAMMY WYNETTE) - "Justified and Ancient" OK
038.- PULP - "Babies" good
037.- PET SHOP BOYS - "Can You Forgive Her?" I'll take "Go West"
036.- OMNI TRIO - "Renegade Snares (Foul Play VIP Mix)" woo-hah!
035.- THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. - "Juicy" great
034.- NEW RADICALS - "You Get What You Give" must have heard it?
033.- PET SHOP BOYS - "Being Boring" OK
032.- PULP - "Disco 2000" elation
030.- FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON - "Papua New Guinea" dreamy
030.- BRITNEY SPEARS - "Baby One More Time" yay
029.- OL' DIRTY BASTARD (FEATURING KELIS) - "Got Your Money" good
028.- UNDERWORLD - "Born Slippy NUXX" give me the orig. any day
027.- TRICKY - "Black Steel" toss please, Tricky can do better
026.- SAINT ETIENNE - "He's On the Phone" SENSATIONAL
025.- 2PAC - "California Love" wowza
024.- DEPECHE MODE - "Enjoy the Silence" MAYBE THE GREATEST SONG EVER
023.- DAFT PUNK - "Da Funk" quite good
022.- THE CARDIGANS - "Lovefool" can do without
021.- BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - "The State I Am In" OK
020.- JAY-Z - "Big Pimpin'" ?
019.- DAFT PUNK - "Around the World" let's have "Da Funk" again instead
018.- DR. DRE - "Nuthin' But A G Thang" fuck yes
017.- SINEAD O'CONNOR - "Nothing Compares 2 U" lovely
016.- STARDUST - "Music Sounds Better With You" quite a bit of fun
015.- MASSIVE ATTACK - "Unfinished Sympathy" nice
014.- BECK - "Loser" feh
013.- AALIYAH - "Are You That Somebody?" ?
012.- NIRVANA - "Smells Like Teen Spirit" I'm cool with this
011.- BLACKSTREET - "No Diggity" yeppers
010.- BJORK - "Hyperballad" have I heard this?
009.- RADIOHEAD - "Paranoid Android" singles on "OK Computer" are great, everything else on album is shit
008.- APHEX TWIN - "Windowlicker" why is this so high exactly?
007.- WARREN G - "Regulate" good
006.- NEW ORDER - "Regret" one of their top three singles ever
005.- GETO BOYS - "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" pretty good
004.- MY BLOODY VALENTINE - "Soon" pretty good
003.- THE BREEDERS - "Cannonball" loved it '93-'94, got sick of it for years afterward, now (given a safe temporal distance), I am convinced of its greatness once again
002.- DEEE-LITE - "Groove Is In the Heart" three words -- WHAT. IS. LOVE.
001.- PULP - "Common People" so great

Anyway yeah...I didn't mean to make it sound like I was calling you out specifically. But I have heard SO many people - particularly in college, predominantly annoyingly sheltered white ppl (not to otherize my own whiteness or anything) saying that kind of shit about "Damn it feels good..." so there is some context for my reasoning.

100.- PALACE MUSIC - "New Partner": A very sweet song but I don't even see this as the best Bonnie Prince Billy song. Strange to inspire so much love.
100.- AIR - "All I Need": Great song, but again I don't even think this is the best single on THAT ALBUM. La Femme D'Argent, anyone?
098.- MADONNA - "Deeper and Deeper": Not a Madonna I like.
098.- TEENAGE FANCLUB - "The Concept": Never Heard it.
097.- WU-TANG CLAN - "Shame On A Nigga": Brilliant, just missed my voting in lieu of other ODB love. Great song.
096.- BEASTIE BOYS - "Intergalactic": Always a favorite.
095.- MADONNA - "Ray of Light": As noted, stunningly dumb lyrics but a fun track. No arguments.
094.- CORNERSHOP - "Brimful of Asha": It's been forever since I've heard this. Need to relisten.
092.- BJORK - "Human Behaviour": Maybe my fave Bjork.
092.- ORBITAL - "Belfast": This wouldn't even make my top twenty on Orbital but I'm a Brown Album come lately heretic, so disregard my opinion.
091.- ISOLEE - "Beau Mot Plage": Never Heard It.
090.- ARAB STRAP - "The First Big Weekend": Never Heard It.
089.- NOTORIOUS B.I.G. - "Hypnotize": I love it even though I'd rather not give Puffy props for his mumbling and recycling. "Papa been smooth since days of Underoos" is a bitchin' epitaph.
088.- THE MAGNETIC FIELDS - "The Luckiest Guy On the Lower East Side": No argument.
087.- PAVEMENT - "Shady Lane": Never Heard It.
086.- SAINT ETIENNE - "Like A Motorway": Never Heard It.
085.- SLOWDIVE - "Alison": Never Heard It.
083.- LAMB - "Gorecki": Never Heard It.
083.- APHEX TWIN - "Girl/Boy Song": Beautiful. No Argument.
081.- BLUR - "Song 2": Never Heard It.
081.- DIGITAL UNDERGROUND - "Humpty Dance": Glad to see this on here.
079.- DE LA SOUL - "A Rollerskating Jam Named Saturdays": Surely, this is a fun track; but calling it the best De La of the nineties is confusing as hell to me. Can't argue, though.
079.- MASSIVE ATTACK - "Angel": No argument. Except where's "Teardrop"?
078.- THE PIXIES - "Alec Eiffel": Never Heard It.
077.- EMINEM - "My Name Is": I don't think I've ever liked this track.
076.- DESTINY'S CHILD - "Say My Name": No Argument.
075.- NAUGHTY BY NATURE - "O.P.P.": No Argument.
074.- BASEMENT JAXX - "Rendez-Vu": No Argument.
073.- OASIS - "Live Forever": Never Heard It
072.- MY BLOODY VALENTINE - "When You Sleep": Never Heard It
071.- THE CURE - "Pictures of You": Not really a nineties track except by a technicality, but _I_ voted for it and I got NO ARGUMENT.
070.- NOTORIOUS B.I.G. featuring PUFF DADDY and MASE - "Mo Money, Mo Problems": Really, the least interesting of the Biggie for me. Not a fan.
069.- SAINT ETIENNE - "Avenue": Never Heard of it.
068.- SAINT ETIENNE - "You're In A Bad Way": Never Heard It.
067.- SAINT ETIENNE - "Nothing Can Stop Us": Never Heard It.
066.- JEFF BUCKLEY - "Hallelujah": Doesn't do anything for me.
065.- PETE ROCK & CL SMOOTH - "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)": Should definitely be higher.
064.- ORBITAL - "Halcyon": Should DEFINITELY be higher.
063.- LL COOL J - "Mama Said Knock You Out": No Argument.
062.- MISSY ELLIOTT - "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)": No Argument
061.- HAPPY MONDAYS - "Kinky Afro": Never Heard It.
060.- WU-TANG CLAN - "C.R.E.A.M.": I've owned two copies of 36 chambers; the first was a tape dub with this left off and the second was a scratched CD that was fucked up for the last five tracks. I've since downloaded, but this never had the same resonance as I heard it late in the game. Can't argue though.
059.- BJORK - "Joga": No Argument.
058.- PULP - "This Is Hardcore": Never Heard It.
057.- TLC - "Creep": Should be HIGHER.
056.- THE SMASHING PUMPKINS - "Cherub Rock": Never heard it.
055.- UNDERWORLD - "Cowgirl": Was this a single in the US? No argument.
054.- THE KLF - "Last Train To Trancentral": Never Heard It
053.- PORTISHEAD - "Sour Times": Should Probably Be Higher
052.- MADONNA - "Vogue": No argument
051.- MOBB DEEP - "Shook Ones Pt. II": No Argument, should probably be higher.
050.- PULP - "Do You Remember the First Time?": No argument.
049.- MAZZY STAR - "Fade Into You": I'm really way over this song. Hasn't been interesting to me in a LONG time.
047.- AALIYAH - "One In A Million": Strangely, this never clicked for me.
047.- WHITE TOWN - "Your Woman": Never Heard It.
046.- MY BLOODY VALENTINE - "To Here Knows When": Never Heard It.
045.- BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - "Stars of Track and Field": Never Heard It.
044.- R.E.M. - "Losing My Religion": Though it pains me to say it, should probably be higher.
043.- THE ORB - "Little Fluffy Clouds": No argument.
042.- THE MAGNETIC FIELDS - "100,000 Fireflies": Never Heard It
040.- BLUR - "Coffee and TV": Never Heard It.
040.- ICE CUBE - "It Was A Good Day": Perfect Classic, No Argument.
039.- THE KLF (FEATURING TAMMY WYNETTE) - "Justified and Ancient": Never Heard It.
038.- PULP - "Babies": Never Heard It.
037.- PET SHOP BOYS - "Can You Forgive Her?": Never Heard It.
036.- OMNI TRIO - "Renegade Snares (Foul Play VIP Mix)": Never Heard It.
035.- THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. - "Juicy": No Argument.
034.- NEW RADICALS - "You Get What You Give": Never Heard It.
033.- PET SHOP BOYS - "Being Boring": Never Heard It.
032.- PULP - "Disco 2000": Never Heard It.
030.- FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON - "Papua New Guinea": No Argument, except to join in with everyone else saying how surprised to see so high, etc.
030.- BRITNEY SPEARS - "Baby One More Time": Dreadfully overrated and never liked it.
029.- OL' DIRTY BASTARD (FEATURING KELIS) - "Got Your Money": No argument, except I voted for "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" instead.
028.- UNDERWORLD - "Born Slippy NUXX": Should Be Higher
027.- TRICKY - "Black Steel": Never Heard It.
026.- SAINT ETIENNE - "He's On the Phone": Never Heard it.
025.- 2PAC - "California Love": No Argument
024.- DEPECHE MODE - "Enjoy the Silence": No Argument.
023.- DAFT PUNK - "Da Funk": No Argument.
022.- THE CARDIGANS - "Lovefool": Never Heard It.
021.- BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - "The State I Am In": Never Heard It.
020.- JAY-Z - "Big Pimpin'": No Argument.
019.- DAFT PUNK - "Around the World": No Argument.
018.- DR. DRE - "Nuthin' But A G Thang": No Argument.
017.- SINEAD O'CONNOR - "Nothing Compares 2 U": No SERIOUS argument, but I prefer the Prince Live version.
016.- STARDUST - "Music Sounds Better With You": Never Heard It.
015.- MASSIVE ATTACK - "Unfinished Sympathy": Never saw this as a huge standout track. Not sure where all this love comes from.
014.- BECK - "Loser": Seems a bit High up.
013.- AALIYAH - "Are You That Somebody?": My Number one pick, so yeah It's good.
012.- NIRVANA - "Smells Like Teen Spirit": No argument.
011.- BLACKSTREET - "No Diggity": Seems WAY too high up.
010.- BJORK - "Hyperballad": No argument.
009.- RADIOHEAD - "Paranoid Android": Not a fan and don't understand the love for OK Computer.
008.- APHEX TWIN - "Windowlicker": I found this track AFTER the poll! Totally wonderful; glad to see that everyone seems to think that it lasts so well, cuz I'm new to it and hoping that great black musical spider stays in my skull! No argument.
007.- WARREN G - "Regulate": No argument.
006.- NEW ORDER - "Regret": Never Heard It.
005.- GETO BOYS - "Mind Playing Tricks On Me": No Argument.
004.- MY BLOODY VALENTINE - "Soon": Never Heard It.
003.- THE BREEDERS - "Cannonball": Seems too high up. As has been argued, it's a good song but NOBODY'S favorite song. Then again, maybe bronze is appropriate.
002.- DEEE-LITE - "Groove Is In the Heart": No argument.
001.- PULP - "Common People": Never Heard It.

So for the most part, I either agree with or haven't heard the VAST majority of the picks.
Suffice it to say, everything I haven't heard is now of GREAT interest to me.
Incidentally: NO Prince? Really? NONE? Not even Gett Off?

it made the top 20 over here, maybe it wz that mainstream recognition.

You must be aware of the irony of pointing out that there is "one NOT TRUE path" here, right? Please be aware of the irony. Think of it.

"so there is some context for my reasoning."

I'd try to actually focus on what people are saying on this threads rather than spending a lot of time focusing on what other people you've know have said. We all know there are a lot of people out there who say, believe and do a lot of stupid things. Using them as examples to prop up your argument doesn't give your argument any weight (in fact, more often than not it detracts from it.)

Dan, "Legal Man" is almost universally considered the absolute worst B&S single, and really it sounds nothing like anything they did before or since. Try the "Lazy Line Painter Jane" ep set or "If You're Feeling Sinister" to hear why people actually like them.

And bringing up what people I've talked to say was about why I was tired of one song, simply explaining my own preference for the other. I apologize if it came across as a presumptious attack on other members of ILM.

The vote-splitting might take it's toll when the inevitable 10 songs or so of his are nominated, though. He'll definitely own the list but he might not place in the top 20 (like St. Etienne).

If "Regret" can make #6 in this poll, I have very high hopes for New Order's placing on the 80s poll, however.

Gear, are we going to be seeing the rest of the list (101 - ?) sometime? I know I'd be pretty interested in seeing that if it isn't too much work to put up.

In a week, I believe.

Actually, I only *really like* "Legal Man" and things after it. The early stuff is too by-the-numbers-c86 sonically for me (however the lyrics are always great).

-- Riot Gear!

...He'll definitely own the list....

-- The Good Dr. Bill

I'm not so sure of that. I actually think the 80's list will be "owned" by many fo the 80's giants. I expect to see at least as much New Order, Smiths, Pet Shop Boys, Madonna etc.

Tracks:

1) Grupo Niche: "Cielo de Tambores"

It starts off as a fairly average salsa song, with maybe a slightly odd feel. Something about it sounds "60s" to me, although it's actually from 1990. There's a momentary switch to a style, which seems to be a reference to a distinctively Colombian genre, maybe a folkloric one. All of this builds up to the transition which almost always makes me want to throw my head back a little and close my eyes. (Someone who knows music theory explained it to me this way: "The more 'folkloric' part in the middle corresponds to a shift from D minor to D major, and an interesting thing. . . is that it shifts back to minor, but now the key is F minor instead of D minor. In music-theory terms, D major to F minor is an instance of the most distant of all possible key relations.") The chorus begins to stretch out the world "cielo" in a way reminiscent of the Doppler effect. The timbales, which had been absent for most of the song, come back in at that point. When the lead vocalists comes back in, he attacks the lines very aggressively, which is the more striking because lots of time has been allowed to establish the trippy chorus.

There's something about that passage in this particular song conjures up the slightly altered state that results from long periods of salsa dancing.

2) Sinead O'Connor - "Nothing Compares 2 U"
3) Björk - "Human Behaviour"
4) Montell Jordan - "This is How We Do It"
5) Deee-Lite "Groove is in the Heart"
6) Bjork – “Venus As A Boy”
7) Beck - "Loser"
8) LL Cool J - "Around The Way Girl"
9) Tortoise - "Djed"
10)Boredoms - "Super Going"
11)Photek - Ni-Ten-Ichi-Ryu
12)Digital Underground – The Humpty Dance
13)OMC, "How Bizarre"
14)Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
15)Bjork "Hyperballad"
16)Cher – “Believe”
17)Jay-Z - "Big Pimpin'"

100.- PALACE MUSIC - "New Partner" - don't remember this tune, but I've heard a lot of theirs (or was it his?) and found them sort of dully pleasant.
100.- AIR - "All I Need" - I like this, but don't really care
098.- MADONNA - "Deeper and Deeper" - I love Madonna, but this one never really stayed with me
098.- TEENAGE FANCLUB - "The Concept" - never saw the appeal, never hated them either though
097.- WU-TANG CLAN - "Shame On A Nigga" - fantastic, one of the few absolute key acts of the '90s, maybe my favourite of theirs. Should have been much higher.
096.- BEASTIE BOYS - "Intergalactic" - hugely fun. I think it was on my longish shortlist.
095.- MADONNA - "Ray of Light" - I like this a lot, but it just missed out on my votes
094.- CORNERSHOP - "Brimful of Asha" - I like this too, as long as we're talking the Fatboy Slim mix - the original is a bit dreary.
092.- BJORK - "Human Behaviour" - she's someone I always like, and this might be my favourite, but 92 would be somewhere near where I'd put it, I guess.
092.- ORBITAL - "Belfast" - I was surprised this beat Chime, for which I voted, but it's wonderful too, and would have made my top, ooh, 40 or 50.
091.- ISOLEE - "Beau Mot Plage" - don't know this at all
090.- ARAB STRAP - "The First Big Weekend" - always enjoyed them, but have never bought anything.
089.- NOTORIOUS B.I.G. - "Hypnotize" - he's one of the huge figures of rap that I never really got much (also Tupac, mostly). Important, but I never connected with him much.
088.- THE MAGNETIC FIELDS - "The Luckiest Guy On the Lower East Side" - I think I may never have even heard him at all, extraordinarily. Probably not my thing at all.
087.- PAVEMENT - "Shady Lane" - I never really understood what made them better than, say, A Witness.
086.- SAINT ETIENNE - "Like A Motorway" - maybe my favourite of theirs, and I guess somewhere around the same position I'd have it.
085.- SLOWDIVE - "Alison" - oh dearie me no
083.- LAMB - "Gorecki" - even worse
083.- APHEX TWIN - "Girl/Boy Song" - tremendous! I always preferred the big dance acts I could actually dance to, and had some instinctive reaction against IDM, but I love him.
081.- BLUR - "Song 2" - my favourite ever Blur song (not saying much - I dislike virtually everything else), but I'm not sure it would make my top 100
081.- DIGITAL UNDERGROUND - "Humpty Dance" - strangely I don't really remember this, but I recall liking them.
079.- DE LA SOUL - "A Rollerskating Jam Named Saturdays" - wonderful, a really joyous track, lovely, should have been higher
079.- MASSIVE ATTACK - "Angel" - not one of my big MA faves, but I love Horace Andy's voice, and they're one of my five favourite acts of the decade
078.- THE PIXIES - "Alec Eiffel" - to be honest there wasn't much newish rock I liked in the '90s, and while the Pixies struck me as among the best, I never loved them, and don't remember this track, though I undoubtedly heard it many times.
077.- EMINEM - "My Name Is" - he got better, but I love this and was surprised it didn't do better
076.- DESTINY'S CHILD - "Say My Name" - one of the great R&B highlights of the decade, and should have been higher. A hugely potent song.
075.- NAUGHTY BY NATURE - "O.P.P." - I think their attitudes put me off them (I can't defend this, given the hip hop I love with no better attitudes) before I even heard them, and I've never heard much, and don't recall this.
074.- BASEMENT JAXX - "Rendez-Vu" - I prefer Red Alert, but they are big favourites, and this should have been higher
073.- OASIS - "Live Forever" - oh fucking hell. Hate them.
072.- MY BLOODY VALENTINE - "When You Sleep" - I quite liked them, but haven't been interested enough to go back and play them again since about the late '80s.
071.- THE CURE - "Pictures of You" - I liked Love Cats and one or two others back then, then got bored with them
070.- NOTORIOUS B.I.G. featuring PUFF DADDY and MASE - "Mo Money, Mo Problems" - don't like Puffy either, but this was a very good record
069.- SAINT ETIENNE - "Avenue" - another of my favourites of theirs. Maybe they might get two records in my top 100.
068.- SAINT ETIENNE - "You're In A Bad Way" - um, but only two. I always like them, but have never felt passionately about them.
067.- SAINT ETIENNE - "Nothing Can Stop Us" - pretty.
066.- JEFF BUCKLEY - "Hallelujah" - preferred his dad, and never got excited about Jeff
065.- PETE ROCK & CL SMOOTH - "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" - I always really liked what I have heard of them, and wish I had more, but don't recall this one in particular.
064.- ORBITAL - "Halcyon" - again, wonderful.
063.- LL COOL J - "Mama Said Knock You Out" - I sort of lost interest in him a bit by the '90s. This was excellent though.
062.- MISSY ELLIOTT - "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" - this too, though rather overshadowed for me by the magnificence since
061.- HAPPY MONDAYS - "Kinky Afro" - yeah, okay, though I never cared that much.
060.- WU-TANG CLAN - "C.R.E.A.M." - I'm pretty uncritical in my love for almost everything Wu. Should have been higher.
059.- BJORK - "Joga" - I have this, but don't particularly remember it.
058.- PULP - "This Is Hardcore" - my favourite group ever, probably, but this album was a disappointment to me. This is still terrific, but didn't make my list.
057.- TLC - "Creep" - magnificent. I used to love annoying Radiohead fans at college by insisting that their Creep wasn't remotely the best song of that title that year.
056.- THE SMASHING PUMPKINS - "Cherub Rock" - always struck me as uninteresting, but don't remember this track
055.- UNDERWORLD - "Cowgirl" - was in my top ten, I think - another of my favourite acts of the '90s (Pulp, Wu, Massive Attack would be the big ones, for me)
054.- THE KLF - "Last Train To Trancentral" - I loved them, and this is a really thrilling track
053.- PORTISHEAD - "Sour Times" - beautiful and moving.
052.- MADONNA - "Vogue" - my favourite Madonna of the decade, probably around this position for me
051.- MOBB DEEP - "Shook Ones Pt. II" - I love Mobb Deep, and this may be their strongest moment.
050.- PULP - "Do You Remember the First Time?" - maybe not in my top 5 Pulp songs, but still in my top 30 of the decade.
049.- MAZZY STAR - "Fade Into You" - they never really grabbed me, and I only vaguely recall this.
047.- AALIYAH - "One In A Million" - seems about right - there's a fair bit of female R&B I prefer from the '90s, though.
047.- WHITE TOWN - "Your Woman" - this was quite an impressive single, but I never cared.
046.- MY BLOODY VALENTINE - "To Here Knows When" - don't recall this one.
045.- BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - "Stars of Track and Field" - oh good lord no. Possibly unfairly, they symbolise much of what I dislike in indie. A lot of my friends love them.
044.- R.E.M. - "Losing My Religion" - this may be their best, but it wouldn't get near my top 100.
043.- THE ORB - "Little Fluffy Clouds" - happy enough to see this rather lovely record in the 100, though I don't love it that much really.
042.- THE MAGNETIC FIELDS - "100,000 Fireflies" - never heard
040.- BLUR - "Coffee and TV" - didn't like this at all
040.- ICE CUBE - "It Was A Good Day" - I like him a lot, and have a couple of his albums, but don't have this track. I think I heard it once and thought it was terrific, but I'm not certain.
039.- THE KLF (FEATURING TAMMY WYNETTE) - "Justified and Ancient" - a stunning combination, an hilariously great record.
038.- PULP - "Babies" - the thing that made me know I had found a band I would love enormously.
037.- PET SHOP BOYS - "Can You Forgive Her?" - their greatness started to fade in the early '90s, but this seems about right.
036.- OMNI TRIO - "Renegade Snares (Foul Play VIP Mix)" - a disappointing selection of jungle on offer. This is fantastic, a real favourite, but one of several for me. There should have been lots more here.
035.- THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. - "Juicy" - don't really recall this one.
034.- NEW RADICALS - "You Get What You Give" - they never grabbed my attention really, and I don't remember this.
033.- PET SHOP BOYS - "Being Boring" - I like this a lot, but it wouldn't have been this high for me.
032.- PULP - "Disco 2000" - their greatest riff, and it mentions a Martin in it. Good enough for me.
030.- FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON - "Papua New Guinea" - a wonderful and epochal record. The 12" sounds fucking great at 45 too, BTW.
030.- BRITNEY SPEARS - "Baby One More Time" - a fine pop record, but I am disappointed not to see Mmmbop and Back For Good high in this list.
029.- OL' DIRTY BASTARD (FEATURING KELIS) - "Got Your Money" - absolutely wonderful, and it made my list. Kelis is another big favourite of mine.
028.- UNDERWORLD - "Born Slippy NUXX" - I'm surprised this wasn't higher. It felt like a really central record of the '90s, and I still find it immensely thrilling.
027.- TRICKY - "Black Steel" - I loved this at the time, but he hasn't stayed with me hugely well. Happy enough to see it hereabouts, though.
026.- SAINT ETIENNE - "He's On the Phone" - I hadn't expected this to finish well above Avenue and Motorway. I love the 'yes' bits though.
025.- 2PAC - "California Love" - I mentioned not loving 2pac, but this is a tremendous record. Matt DC DJed just after me at the last Club FT, and his playing this made one of my best friends say it was better than anything in my set!
024.- DEPECHE MODE - "Enjoy the Silence" - I'll demur from the gag, but I never liked them at all.
023.- DAFT PUNK - "Da Funk" - terrific.
022.- THE CARDIGANS - "Lovefool" - not for me, thanks.
021.- BELLE AND SEBASTIAN - "The State I Am In" - I have already made my position clear on this lot, I believe.
020.- JAY-Z - "Big Pimpin'" - yeah, this is good, but wouldn't have been nearly as high for me
019.- DAFT PUNK - "Around the World" - my favourite of theirs still.
018.- DR. DRE - "Nuthin' But A G Thang" - solid gold, though a dangerous album for me, with my propensity to sing along to the walkman, late at night, in a mostly-black area, as a middle aged white guy in a suit - I think walking past young black people rapping 'I'm a nigga with a motherfuckin' gun' isn't wise.
017.- SINEAD O'CONNOR - "Nothing Compares 2 U" - nice, maybe perfect.
016.- STARDUST - "Music Sounds Better With You" - wonderful, belongs on any list of best or most representative '90s records.
015.- MASSIVE ATTACK - "Unfinished Sympathy" - too low! another solid gold classic, wonderful on every level.
014.- BECK - "Loser" - haha oh god why does anyone like this man's records?
013.- AALIYAH - "Are You That Somebody?" - okay, too high for me, but I like it a lot.
012.- NIRVANA - "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - yeah, I liked this, but much too high. 'They set punk back twenty years!' one friend of mine protested, which I could never quite work out.
011.- BLACKSTREET - "No Diggity" - I liked this, but it didn't tempt me to vote for it.
010.- BJORK - "Hyperballad" - okay, I like her, but top 10? Not for me.
009.- RADIOHEAD - "Paranoid Android" - much as I like Melissa, I have not managed to extend that one iota to Radiohead.
008.- APHEX TWIN - "Windowlicker" - brilliant.
007.- WARREN G - "Regulate" - I've not heard this enough. I must get it out and play it some more. Higher than I'd expected, but it had to be here.
006.- NEW ORDER - "Regret" - I find I have this track three times, and have undoubtedly heard it scores of times, but don't much remember it. My position on them was always 'good, but very overrated'
005.- GETO BOYS - "Mind Playing Tricks On Me" - I'm not sure I have ever heard this, but I want to.
004.- MY BLOODY VALENTINE - "Soon" - see above. I never saw them as anything special.
003.- THE BREEDERS - "Cannonball" - ...but better than the Breeders. I remember this being very popular in its day, and I was surprised then. I'm astonished now.
002.- DEEE-LITE - "Groove Is In the Heart" - magnificent, one of the most perfect party records ever made.
001.- PULP - "Common People" - perhaps my favourite record ever. I remember the Ivor Novello Songwriting Awards gave it Best Lyric and Best Music, but something ridiculous like Country House won Best Song, and I always wondered what the non-musical, non-lyrical failing was.

haha, has anyone actually read much of what I just wrote there?