Spin’s Top 125 Albums since 1985

To celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary, the popular rock magazine SPIN has issued a list of the one hundred and twenty-five greatest albums since 1985, when it first was published. teh full list is:

125: Moby; Play (1999)
124: Prince Paul; A Prince Among Thieves (1999)
123: The Hives; Veni Vidi Vicious (2002)
122: LCD Soundsystem; Sound of Silver (2007)
121: Queens of the Stone Age; Rated R (2000)
120: Lil Wayne; Tha Carter III (2008)
119: Green Day; American Idiot (2004)
118: Yeah Yeah Yeahs; It's Blitz! (2009)
117: The Flaming Lips; Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
116: Against Me!; New Wave (2007)
115: OutKast; Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
114: Animal Collective; Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009)
113: Danger Mouse; The Grey Album (2004)
112: Interpol; Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)
111: Teenage Fanclub; Bandwagonesque (1991)
110: Spiritualized; Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space (1997)
109: The Chills; Submarine Bells (1990)
108: Fugees; The Score (1996)
107: Coldplay; A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
106: Fiona Apple; When the Pawn Hits... (1999)
105: Massive Attack; Mezzanine (1998)
104: The Magnetic Fields; 69 Love Songs (1999)
103: M.I.A.; Arular (2005)
102: Queen Latifah; All Hail the Queen (1989)
101: Blur; Parklife (1994)
100: Kanye West; Late Registration (2005)
99: PJ Harvey; Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000)
98: Johnny Cash; American Recordings (1994)
97: Arcade Fire; Neon Bible (2007)
96: The Roots; Things Fall Apart (1999)
95: Soundgarden; Superunknown (1994)
94: Jane's Addiction; Ritual de lo Habitual (1990)
93: Chemical Brothers; Dig Your Own Hole (1997)
92: Jay-Z; The Black Album (2003)
91: The Smiths; Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)
90: Elliott Smith; XO (1998)
89: Basement Jaxx; Remedy (1999)
88: Jeff Buckley; Grace (1994)
87: The White Stripes; White Blood Cells (2002)
86: TV on the Radio; Return to Cookie Mountain (2006)
85: Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott; Supa Dupa Fly (1997)
84: LL Cool J; Radio (1985)
83: Steve Earle; Guitar Town (1986)
82: Dr. Dre; The Chronic (1992)
81: Wilco; Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
80: The Fall; This Nation’s Saving Grace (1985)
79: The Breeders; Last Splash (1993)
78: Lauryn Hill; The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
77: Boogie Down Productions; Criminal Minded (1987)
76: OutKast; Aquemini (1998)
75: Björk; Post (1995)
74: Sleater-Kinney; Dig Me Out (1997)
73: The Pogues; Rum Sodomy & the Lash (1985)
72: Lucinda Williams; Lucinda Williams (1988)
71: Oasis; Definitely Maybe (1994)
70: Pearl Jam; Ten (1991)
69: The Stone Roses; The Stone Roses (1991)
68: Raekwon; Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (1995)
67: Tom Waits; Rain Dogs (1985)
66: Arcade Fire; Funeral (2004)
65: Eminem; The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
64: The Flaming Lips; The Soft Bulletin (1999)
63: R.E.M.; Fables of the Reconstruction (1985)
62: U2; The Joshua Tree (1987)
61: Smashing Pumpkins; Siamese Dream (1993)
60: Fugazi; 13 Songs (1989)
59: Belle and Sebastian; If You're Feeling Sinister (1998)
58: DJ Shadow; Endtroducing (1996)
57: White Stripes; Elephant (2003)
56: Aphex Twin; Selected Ambient Works 1985-1992 (1999)
55: Hole; Live Through This (1994)
54: Dinosaur Jr.; You’re Living All Over Me (1987)
53: The Cure; The Head on the Door (1985)
52: Kanye West; The College Dropout (2004)
51: Rage Against the Machine; The Battle of Los Angeles (1999)
50: Jay-Z; Reasonable Doubt (1996)
49: D'Angelo; Voodoo (2000)
48: Elliott Smith; Either/Or (1997)
47: Portishead; Dummy (1994)
46: N.W.A; Straight Outta Compton (1988)
45: Pixies; Surfer Rosa (1988)
44: Beastie Boys; Licensed to Ill (1986)
43: The Notorious B.I.G.; Ready to Die (1994)
42: Green Day; Dookie (1994)
41: Pulp; Different Class (1995)
40: Tricky; Maxinquaye (1995)
39: Public Enemy; Fear of a Black Planet (1990)
38: Run-DMC; Raising Hell (1986)
37: Liz Phair; Exile in Guyville (1993)
36: The Jesus and Mary Chain; Psychocandy (1985)
35: R.E.M.; Automatic for the People (1992)
34: Beck; Odelay (1996)
33: Björk; Debut (1993)
32: Wu-Tang Clan; Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993)
31: Massive Attack; Blue Lines (1991)
30: A Tribe Called Quest; The Low End Theory (1991)
29: Pavement; Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
28: Radiohead; The Bends (1995)
27: Nirvana; In Utero (1993)
26: Guided by Voices; Bee Thousand (1994)
25: Nas; Illmatic (1994)
24: Metallica; Master of Puppets (1986)
23: Daft Punk; Discovery (2001)
22: Eric B. & Rakim; Paid in Full (1987)
21: Oasis; (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
20: My Bloody Valentine; Loveless (1991)
19: Jay-Z; The Blueprint (2001)
18: The Strokes; Is This It (2001)
17: De La Soul; 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
16: The Pixies; Doolittle (1989)
15: Hüsker Dü; New Day Rising (1985)
14: Beastie Boys; Paul’s Boutique (1989)
13: Sonic Youth; Daydream Nation (1988)
12: OutKast; Stankonia (2000)
11: The Replacements; Tim (1985)
10: Nine Inch Nails; The Downward Spiral (1994)
9: Pavement; Slanted and Enchanted (1992)
8: PJ Harvey; Rid of Me (1993)
7: Guns N' Roses; Appetite for Destruction (1987)
6: Public Enemy; It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988)
5: Radiohead; OK Computer (1997)
4: Nirvana; Nevermind (1991)
3: The Smiths; The Queen Is Dead (1986)
2: Prince; Sign O’ the Times (1987)
1: U2; Achtung Baby (1991)

All in all, the list seems to me like a slight mess. There are representatives from almost all major genres, and it is difficult to say that SPIN is favouring any one in particular.

In many cases, not favouring a single genre must be seen as a good thing, because it allows readers to recognise that the critic has a reasonably wide knowledge of music. It was this facet that allowed me to give so much praise to Joe S. Harrington and David Keenan at the beginning of the 2000s. The trouble with SPIN’s list is that, in complete contrast to Harrington and Keenan, it appears as if the list has been far too much “cobbled together” so that the magazine’s thinking appears rather dis-united. This is a complete contrast with Harrington or Keenan, both of whom were very good at making hugely diverse music seem united.

If we exclude really obscure music, it is nonetheless not easy to fault most of SPIN’s selections. There are few obvious and popular omissions to be found. With the text added, it is quite a good read if not life-changing like Harrington proved for me over the years.