FREEFORM 1990's ALTERNATIVE ALBUM POLL - THE RECKONING (TOP TEN COUNTING DOWN NOW)

This album is somewhere between Gas and GC. It's not my favorite Biosphere album but it's pretty good.

82= Missy Elliott - Da Real World
36 points
4 votes
0 first-place votes
Greatest contributor: The Lex

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qEiTSJ7FhGs/SUREUe1A-9I/AAAAAAAAAYQ/-z3fw6sbzZc/s320/missyeliottmissynr5.jpg

"Da Real World" is possibly my favourite, but I reckon all the albums are quite consistent in terms of quality. "...So Addictive" has some of her most fabulous work ever - the stretch from "One Minute Man" to "Scream AKA Itchin" is absolutely astonishing - but strangely the tracks don't seem to build on eachother as well as on the previous albums.

"Da Real World" is not the place to start - too cool and stylistically consistent. I think that is its strength, but as an introduction it would be its weakness.

― Tim, Thursday, 19 July 2001 00:00 (8 years ago)

Missy's most consistent album by a long way. There are at least six tracks I'd happily vote for, I'll have to think about this. Luckily I have almost a year!

― chap, Thursday, 6 November 2008 18:33 (1 year ago)

MR DJ PLAY DAT ONE MORE TIME
SO ME AND MISSY ELLIOTT CAN MOVE WE WAISTLINE

― lex pretend, Thursday, 6 November 2008 19:32 (1 year ago)

AMAZING ALBUM.

― Tim F, Wednesday, 9 September 2009 23:15 (7 months ago)

Everyone is a bitch
But no-one comes close to
Missy, the queen B.

-a hoy hoy

thought about voting for that, didn't

glad it's here in spite

ditto

82= Mogwai - Mogwai Young Team
36 points
4 votes
0 first-place votes
Greatest contributor: Gravel Puzzleworth

http://mogwai.sandbag.uk.com/Content/58.jpg

I hadn't listened to Young Team in probably a year and a half before this morning, but this album remains an utter masterpiece of mood and tension, a collection of muted, fucked-up, drifting-to-sleep emotions. There's an unbelievable implied depth (sonic? emotional?) to the songs, something that's really hard to get at from merely describing the sound or the methodology of the record. I like to think that there's a certain place in the world -- maybe some pocket of air a few hundred feet in the air over the ocean -- where the theme from "Tracy" plays endlessly. Is anyone else still listening to Young Team?

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Sunday, 9 May 2004 14:44 (5 years ago)

Opening track. I still think 'Young Team' is basically all you need to know about this band, apart from the odd EP track. I've never really liked any of their other albums. Ever-diminishing returns and all that. This one is definitely a classic of 90s post-rock, even if it does totally rip off 'Siamese Dream' in places.

― ears are wounds, Friday, 20 March 2009 11:27 (1 year ago)

everything starts and end with Young Team,and it's hard to believe they will ever make again anything of sagnificent

― Zeno, Sunday, 16 December 2007 19:49 (2 years ago)

I was reviewing records for KALX when "Young Team" came out and wrote a sprawling two paragraph thing that proclaimed it "better than sex" -- I was wrong.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Monday, 9 December 2002 22:41 (7 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

erm... mogwai was great sexmusic. at least, young team was.

― kate, Monday, 9 December 2002 22:51 (7 years ago)

mogwai: rock.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 18 February 2005 10:59 (5 years ago)

I like about half of that album! But some of it is slightly dated! It was a great gateway drug to avant-rock for my younger self! I have another album primed to post! Maybe I'll leave it until tomorrow morning!

Substrata is still really good!

Fine, I'll do the last two!

82= 2pac - All Eyez On Me
36 points
4 votes
0 first-place votes
Greatest contributor: The Reverend

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_GhJGoTBwAPc/Sb9tEGhBH3I/AAAAAAAABCE/0fWrXxedeOk/s400/All+Eyez+On+Me+(pred).jpg

Tupac is pretty bad. This album is just like all of his cliched dross. Dud.

― paulhw (paulhw), Thursday, 11 August 2005 19:19 (4 years ago)

My favourite hip-hop album. Mainly because of the production and backing track. Might have preferred it without the rapping, but I used to love the G-funk sound, which was probably the closest the 90s ever got to 80s influenced electro.

― Geir Hongro, Thursday, 3 January 2008 12:43 (2 years ago)

yeah man, greatest drum sound ever. PSHHHHHHH.

― Alex in Baltimore, Wednesday, 5 September 2007 17:24 (2 years ago)

i like all the tracks really its just kinda different moods and shit, like when you wanna hear all about u is not the same as when you wanna hear life goes on or the weak california love remix

― and what, Wednesday, 5 September 2007 17:35 (2 years ago)

ambition az a ridah cuz i ain't mad at cha makes me want to kill myself l;

-- luriqua, Wednesday, September 5, 2007 7:52 PM (7 months ago)

wtf @ haters

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 3 January 2008 02:42 (2 years ago)

(1996)

(and Mogwai was 1997)

(and Missy was 1999)

So far, strategy is working.

LOTS OF TIES! Recap so far:

(tie) 100. Stereolab - Peng! (1992)
(tie) 100. XTC - Apple Venus, Vol. 1 (1999)
(tie) 100. De La Soul - Buhloone Mind State (1993)
(tie) 98. Fugazi - End Hits (1998)
(tie) 98. Crowded House - Woodface (1991)
97. Sonic Youth - Washing Machine (1995)
96. Björk - Debut (1993)
95. Mark Eitzel - Songs of Love (1991)
94. Elliott Smith - Either/Or (1997)
(tie) 92. The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde (1992)
(tie) 92. The Afghan Whigs - Black Love (1996)
91. Tori Amos - From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998)
90. UGK - Ridin' Dirty (1996)
89. Grifters - Crappin' You Negative (1994)
88. The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I (1999)
87. The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen (1993)
(tie) 85. Neil Young - Harvest Moon (1992)
(tie) 85. Biosphere - Substrata (1997)
(tie) 82. Missy Elliott - Da Real World (1999)
(tie) 82. Mogwai - Young Team (1997)
(tie) 82. 2pac - All Eyez On Me (1996)

Nothing from me yet. An intriguing list so far.

6 I've heard so far. (Rap albums + Bjork)

Last one for the evening coming up

81 Metallica - Metallica (The Black Album) (1991)
37 points
2 votes
1 first-place vote
Greatest contributor: RedRaymaker

http://musicmedia.ign.com/music/image/article/911/911683/metallica-20080919045507879-000.jpg

I don't understand the problem. Metallica broke up in 1989 and sold their name to some boy-band. Who cares?

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 21 January 2004 14:53 (6 years ago)

stick up yr butt rock rules.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 21 January 2004 16:47 (6 years ago)

I like how nearly everyone on this thread pretneds not to *LOVE* the black album.

― Bobby Peru (Bobby Peru), Wednesday, 2 November 2005 06:38 (4 years ago)

I thought the production was nice (especially coming off ...And Justice for All) but it didn't get the blood flowing like their earlier records. It seemed like an olive branch to the middle of the road.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 2 November 2005 14:32 (4 years ago)

The black album has some catchy tunes too, but they're too heavy for my tastes. Except of course for "Nothing Else Matters", the ultimate nineties teen disco slow tune.

― Tuomas, Tuesday, 24 July 2007 11:30 (2 years ago)

I kinda hope poseurs like me voting for the Black Album end up beating out the vote-splitting of the 80s albums just to piss off the real metalheads.

― Alex in Baltimore, Tuesday, 17 July 2007 15:21 (2 years ago)

I've heard all but Biosphere, UGK, Pharcyde and XTC so far, and of the ones I've heard I actually like most of them. Good work, ILM (though I'm not on board with Mogwai and Dismemberment).

wow i haven't listened to the black album in like 8+ years probably, maybe i should give it a spin for old times sake

none of my votes in yet (my ballot was essentially 100% corny 90s indie, not sure if this stuff will wind up at the top or out of the running)

This is great! Well done Louis.

I still remember the feeling of hearing Young Team with friends and the total certainty that this, this was the magic potion.

lol i gave the Black Album 1 point, which means the one other person gave it all 36 of its other points. totally deserves to be here, though, glad i helped it in and made sure it wasn't a 1 vote wonder.

Really enjoying this. I debated between a ballot of albums I listened to in the early 90s (high school years), and those I still listen to. The Black Album would probably have been number 1 for me if I had gone the first route.

It's a terrific album. All the songs are really strong. They didn't get anywhere near it in future years until "Death Magnetic" in 2009. Well worth a listen again if you haven't listened to it for a few years.

This poll is more brilliant and hilarious than I dared hope.

I still remember the feeling of hearing Young Team with friends and the total certainty that this, this was the magic potion.

likewise. still think MYT is a really beautiful album. they never really topped this record for me, except perhaps for 'my father,my king' and the EP version of 'xmas steps'.

never get why people vote strategically in ILX polls, btw. especially one like this. antithetical to both spirit and purpose.

should have a thread on this bizarro emotional need to justify yr love for some record

"I was worried that MC Tunes would not receive his gold statue and 2 million Euro cash prize if he failed to place on the ILX 90s Poll"

Shit, forgot to vote for MC Tunes

oh man, it all kicked off and I missed it

glad the Grifters made it as it got cut from mine - and I still voted for so many things that none of my votes have made any difference to anything, so

man if Biosphere is only #86 then I guess all the other ambient/techno went straight in the bin (I have never found him as compelling as his reputation and the fierce praise of pretty much every other electronic music listener wd suggest but good to see it place nonetheless)

but anything could happen, still

Biosphere is the only thing I voted for so far, but there's definitely more ambient/techno stuff to come I'll betcha.

i didn't think i gave an unusually high number of points to from the choirgirl hotel! well, i hope lots of people check it out now.

I have never found him as compelling as his reputation and the fierce praise of pretty much every other electronic music listener wd suggest but good to see it place nonetheless.

Well yeah, this was one reason I didn't vote for Substrata... It's a nice record, but also it sounds exactly what you would expect an ambient album inspired by trip to the Himalayas to sound, there's nothing suprising or particularly innovative about it. I guess Biosphere is just the stereotypical ambient artist (right down to his personal myth of being a dude living in semi-isolation in the middle of North Norwegian countryside), with all the good and the bad that it entails.

Lex, you gave it 30 in your original ballot, but after I'd reassigned points given to ineligible albums it had 34, which took it into the poll. Nothing wrong with any of that, though, and I hope people give it a listen! I certainly will.

you'll probably love it tbh

I'd like to say the points reassignment took Missy Elliott into the top 100 too, but I think she'd have come about 96th otherwise

I still remember the feeling of hearing Young Team with friends and the total certainty that this, this was the magic potion.

likewise. still think MYT is a really beautiful album. they never really topped this record for me, except perhaps for 'my father,my king' and the EP version of 'xmas steps'.

You guys OTM.

Mogwai themselves are critical of MYT, and I see their point. They needed an editor at that stage. Revised tracklist:

1. Yes! I Am...
2. Like Herod
3. Tracy
-
4. R U Still In 2 It
5. Like Herod

^^^^much, much better shape to the album now

you've excised summer, with portfolio, a cheery wave and fear satan! madness!

I mean, FEAR SATAN!?!?

or should that second herod be satan?

oops

yes, yes it should

never get why people vote strategically in ILX polls, btw. especially one like this. antithetical to both spirit and purpose.

I don't know... seems to me that the rules to this poll made for nothing but strategic voting.

I'm kind of surprised that "Buhloone Mindstate" placed so low, considering it seems to be pretty well-liked judging from the comments on that thread. Oh well, I'm gratified I could do my part to get it onto this list. I listened to it again last night in honor of its placing.

I think some of the low placers like Buhloone Mindstate would have done better if this had been like the other recent polls (40 for first, 39 for second, etc); I know it would have been on my ballot. I think more people were like me and decided on a shorter list with more weight for their top picks. I still don't get strategic voting in any of these polls - I vote for my favorites. If they place, cool. If not, whatever.

I think more people were like me and decided on a shorter list with more weight for their top picks

^strategy.

That's not so much strategy as trying to weigh your own liking. Not the same as fretting over some kind of tactical masterplan to ensure that the right albums get their just reward.

The strategy I was talking about is voting for stuff high on the ballot even if it isn't how one would rank it normally (that's what people do on the other polls, which aren't free form). I ranked mine the same as I would have if points were fixed.