Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 70s

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There shoulda been a singles list too, dammit!

― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 08:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Dark Side at #70!?!?!?? Ziggy Stardust #81!?!?!? Don't they like rock and roll????

― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I am still predicting: Television - Marquee Moon - as their Number 1

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:08 (twenty-two years ago)

it is quite telling about 2004, rather than the 70s, electro/krautrock more represented then it might have been a few years ago, though that might just be Dominiques doing, cluster et al.

i like these lists, i think they are interesting to compare, from year to year, because they tell us about that year. a top 100 of the 70s in 1989, 1996, 2000, how they differ

― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I predict RAMONES will be their numero uno.

― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I predict Wham will not make it into the top 100.

― scottontharox (scottkundla), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Lists that deal with specific decades are much more interesting than one's that attempt to define the 'greatest ever'.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I predict 27 Fela Kuti albums in the top 100

― artdamages (artdamages), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:26 (twenty-two years ago)

and every Bowie album that fits the criteria will be on there \\

― artdamages (artdamages), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:27 (twenty-two years ago)

i think the #1 album will be Pet Sounds

― artdamages (artdamages), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I predict that I don't have a fucking clue who Fela Kuti is.

― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:39 (twenty-two years ago)

hes from Africa dude.

― artdamages (artdamages), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay, any guesses on what Miles Davis album will be the token jazz LP in the top 50? On the Corner? Jack Johnson? Do you think there'll be any more jazz besides Miles and Herbie?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:46 (twenty-two years ago)

i always enjoy the sex pistols vs the clash in these lists. glad to see the Devo album getting in though.

― mark e (mark e), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:49 (twenty-two years ago)

yes the clash and sex pistols are best enjoyed in lists

― artdamages (artdamages), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:51 (twenty-two years ago)

no dub albums yet. thinking about it i've never seen any dub stuff on pitchfork - have i missed it, or is dub a blindness in proportion to their ..um.. insight on other musics?

― dave amos, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:52 (twenty-two years ago)

earch results for "perry,lee"; you found 3 matches, viewing 1-3

(63%) Lee 'Scratch' Perry: The Wonderman Years
[Trojan; 2002] Rating: 6.8 - Review by: Chris Dahlen

(36%) Lee "Scratch" Perry: Battle of Armagideon (Millionaire Liquidator)
[Trojan/Sanctuary; 1986; r:2001] Rating: 9.0 - Review by: Luke Buckman

(36%) Lee "Scratch" Perry: Techno Party!
[Beatville] Rating: 3.7 - Review by: Mark Richard-San

Search results for "professor,mad"; you found 2 matches, viewing 1-2

(63%) Massive Attack vs. Mad Professor: No Protection
[Gyroscope; 1996] Rating: 7.1 - Review by: Jason Josephes

(63%) Mad Professor: Dubtronic
[Ras/Ariwa] Rating: 6.1 - Review by: Shan Fowler

Search results for "tubby,king"; you found 1 matches, viewing 1-1

(63%) Thinking Fellers Union Local 282: Bob Dinners and Larry Noodles Present Tubby Turdner's Celebrity Avalanche
[Communion] Rating: 8.6 - Review by: Joe Tangari

Search results for "soul,jazz,dub"; you found 1 matches, viewing 1-1

(63%) Various Artists: Studio One Dub
[Soul Jazz; 2004] Rating: 8.0 - Review by: Andy Beta

etc.

― artdamages (artdamages), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 09:56 (twenty-two years ago)

i think they are an indie site, though, i wouldnt expect that much dub. i wouldnt expect any argentinian music either, althuogh i suspect that will provoke less unrest. i think its ok for them to be tokenistic about other styles, i dont think its necessarily their remit to be broad, or to cover certain styles

― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 10:00 (twenty-two years ago)

well i obviously missed the dub stuff. i'll expect "king tubby meets rockers uptown" at no. 49.

i think they are an indie site, though, i wouldnt expect that much dub

why not? indie hipsters usually like dub. as much as they like giorgio moroder, fela kuti etc.

― dave amos, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 10:06 (twenty-two years ago)

no one's having a go at them for being tokenistic either. i'm not bothered one way or the other. was just vaguely and non-snobbishly interested in whether dub is going out of fashion with the 'other music' shoppers.

― dave amos, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 10:09 (twenty-two years ago)

(of which i would undoubtedly be one if i lived in new york.)

― dave amos, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 10:11 (twenty-two years ago)

good to see 'rock bottom' make the list. i guess they went back on their (now removed) 4/10 rating

― Michael Dubsky, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 10:19 (twenty-two years ago)

i would assume dub is not at a high point for that audience right now. we are in a cold/teutonic/prog/electro/kraut rather than rootsy cycle at the moment, though possibly towards the tail end of that,

― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 10:37 (twenty-two years ago)

ah so that's the way the wind's blowing.

― dave amos, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:19 (twenty-two years ago)

i think so, but i read somewhere, recently, questioning talk about whether folk is the new electroclash, in which case, all switches places when i ring the bell

― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:21 (twenty-two years ago)

should I start listening to dub now or be like, way double ahead of the curve and continue listening to my cold/teutonic/prog/electro/kraut records?

― artdamages (artdamages), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:22 (twenty-two years ago)

its a personal choice. you should do what is right for you, what you think best. either way, i'm sure it will all work out fine

― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:22 (twenty-two years ago)

it's a difficult one to be honest. for me it's whether to go for the argentinian tango angle now or later: to be precisely on the vanguard or, disastrously, a little too soon, causing the delicate renaissance to collapse before it flowers fully. this is why we study things like the pitchfork top twenty jostling frat records of the 1940s.

― dave amos, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:29 (twenty-two years ago)

so Wilco then?

― artdamages (artdamages), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:30 (twenty-two years ago)

i am, however, simultaneously faux-outraged, and sneeringly vindicated that pitchfork hasn't seen fit to include any tango records in their top 100. I mean, hello, Anibal Troilo Pichuco ?

― dave amos, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:38 (twenty-two years ago)

As soon as I scrolled far enough down to see Before and After Science at #100, I knew I was going to have problems with how "safe" this list is. Looking at the rest, I find I was absolutely right.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:48 (twenty-two years ago)

already i can see they put way too many multiple album artists on this

― Shake Your Halo Down! (ex machina), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, that's what my thinking was.

"If B&AS is already on there at #100, that means Eno's got to appear three or four other times."

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 11:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Throbbing Gristle tokenism.

"154 is on there, Pink Flag is going to be in the top 20...."

Two Iggy albums already.

Only one Jazz album I think in the top 50.

I'll kill them if Joy Division gets put in the top 20. They were a singles band.

― Shake Your Halo Down! (ex machina), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:09 (twenty-two years ago)

but eno should appear three or four times! from #100 up till #61 only once btw.

bowie on the other hand has already appeared three times. without any album from the berlin trilogy! low is the only bowie i'd ever need in my life!

iggy (with or without stooges) as well has had already 3 entries.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Take every album released by anyone in the entire decade, cut the list down to 100 choices, and you'd still include Eno three or four times?

I'd put Another Green World somewhere in the 50's or 40's and be done with him...not that I don't like that first wave of his solo work, but goddamn, there's only 100 slots to fill.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:17 (twenty-two years ago)

there definitely will be some more neil young albums (2 by now), led zeppelin albums (2 as well) and roxy music (1). probably also another king crimson (2) and another pink floyd (2). no dylan yet!

concerning eno i'd put before and after science, another green world and music for films. three totally different albums.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Guys, this is a POLL, not a list. So OF COURSE there's gonna be tons of popular stuff.

― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I don't mean to pick on Eno. I know those records are all very different, and I was only using him as a reference because his is the first record you see on the list.

As far as Dylan goes, Blood on the Tracks will show up somewhere in Friday's installment, with Desire possibly showing up tomorrow (although, I wouldn't include it at all). The '70s weren't good to Dylan and Dylan wasn't good to the '70s (BotT excepted).

x-post

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Guys, this is a POLL, not a list. So OF COURSE there's gonna be tons of popular stuff.

I know, I know. I sort of wish it was a list, though, or more specifically, the top 10s of every one of the contributing writers. That would make much more interesting reading.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I sort of wish it was a list, though, or more specifically, the top 10s of every one of the contributing writers. That would make much more interesting reading.

Yeah, but only if they included all the nice little paragraph reviews that go along with each album.

― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:39 (twenty-two years ago)

It's fine that they want to do a piece of this scope about great albums of the seventies, but the numbering of this list is totally flippant and psuedo-authoritative.

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:43 (twenty-two years ago)

The fact that this is actually a poll also means that the #1 album isn't necessarly their favorite, it's just the one that showed up the most.

― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:44 (twenty-two years ago)

re: dub, heart of the congos will definitely be there.

theyre running a little low on soul so far, though im sure parliament/funkadelic and stevie wonder and "off the wall" and possibly prince - s/t will show up tomorrow or friday...

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:45 (twenty-two years ago)

i mean, the list is only pseudo-authoritative if you want it to be; its not MY top 100 of the 70's, but i think its nice to see the rankings of this interesting if flawed website...

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:47 (twenty-two years ago)

i would be fucking shocked if the prince s/t showed up.

― vahid (vahid), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:47 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah - i mean, i guess it wouldve been today...

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:49 (twenty-two years ago)

The numbering was only determined by polling stats? I didn't see that stated on there.

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Anyway, my point is that doing a piece on great albums of the seventies is fine, but the numbering makes tons of jugements--this is better than this, not as good as this--that aren't backed up IN ANY WAY.

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:52 (twenty-two years ago)

the amount of bowie so far on the list indicates it's worthlessness.

― jack cole (jackcole), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:53 (twenty-two years ago)

i bet three more bowie albums.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:56 (twenty-two years ago)

maybe 4 - lodger COULD be there.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:57 (twenty-two years ago)

except that the whole thing is called Pitchfork's Top 100 albums of the 70s, not "the 100 Best albums of the 70s" or anything of the sort. If you read the header paragraph and can't figure out that it's a collective poll of their writers, then any further argument will probably be lost on you anyway.

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 12:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I predict there'll be no Isaac Hayes OR Barry White OR Curtis Mayfield, so to hell with it. Also, that Jimmy Cliff review is bullshit.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Talk to me Johnny...

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Gimme a break. There's nothing about the numbering having been determined by statistics from polling their writers on there.

x-post

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Tim, you're insane.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Mark are you responsible for that Jimmy Cliff thing? My problem with it is this:

You can hear the weariness even on the party tracks, making The Harder They Come one of the saddest albums of the decade.

I think the "weariness" you hear is just the cheap production - you sound like you're scratching for an new take on the record, as though it wouldn't be enough to say "The title track alone makes this required playing at all pool parties ever." I think you're bringing a fair amount of baggage to what's actually a kickass party record - where is there any "weariness" at all in a Desmond Dekker track? Much less in "Pressure Drop." Political, yes; "sad," only if you're forcing yourself.

Not meaning to cause offense, just sayin' what I think, etc

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Some of those I've yet to sell.

― Ds (ikue mori), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:15 (twenty-two years ago)

"Tim, you're insane."

Thanks, Chris. No, really, I love the numbering. And it's clearly explained on there that it was only determined by polling statistics and not flippant judgements that aren't backed up in any way.

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:19 (twenty-two years ago)

flippancy can be useful

― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:20 (twenty-two years ago)

further predictions: neither Late for the Sky nor Saturate Before Using nor The Pretender will be on the list, though at least one of these belongs; Steely Dan will be represented by Katy Lied or Aja but the ruthless and merciless Countdown to Ecstasy won't make the list; Sabbath will be represented by Paranoid or Master of Reality, but Machine Head won't be anywhere to be seen; there'll be a Funkadelic record in there someplace, Dirk Wears White Sox will go missing, and the entire top five will be from the years '77-'79

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:22 (twenty-two years ago)

No offense taken, John, no sweat. I think you're correct to a degree re trying to get a new take. Some of these records have drawn so much ink it just seemed pointless to reiterate what has been said many times before, so I tried to get a more subjective reaction out there. But even the songs you mention seem sad to me! I think I was pretty out of it when I first heard Harder They Come in the 80s.

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:22 (twenty-two years ago)

(re: the Machine Head bit - Deep Purple has yet to enjoy the "I've always liked them!" rehab that Sabbath got a couple years back)

xpost - I do hear a complexity in so many of the songs on that soundtrack, but I'd hardly call it the record's defining characteristic - more worth mentioning in a long piece about it than in a one-paragraph overview, imo

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

oh and Phoebe Snow's brilliant debut will be ignored

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:26 (twenty-two years ago)

"Flippancy can be useful."

I guess, but:

Surf's Up >> The Cars >> Zuckerzeit >> Lust for Life >> On the Beach >> etc.

This is just meaningless.

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Barry Manilow II? Don't look for it on this list, even though the bitch has both "Mandy" and "It's a Miracle" on it

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:36 (twenty-two years ago)

it's pitchforks top 100 albums of the 70s! of course it's meaningless!

― dave amos, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:39 (twenty-two years ago)

why is it meaningless?

or, to put it another way, is there an order in which the records you cite could be placed, that was more meaningful? and, if so, why?

what, exactly, is the meaning, or context, you are looking for, that is missing?

― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Barry Manilow II

i'm thinking i'd be both frightened and amused by your list, J0hn

(and i mean that in the nicest way)

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:39 (twenty-two years ago)

the lou reed record will be transformer, won't it? will it crack the top 20 or even top 10? probably not i guess.

abba must get an album in there. though they shouldn't really.

concerning curtis mayfield, i think superfly will make it.

will there be stevie wonder? probably innervisions, i guess.

i hope nick drake will make it into the top 10.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Top Ten Puns on Barry Manilow's Name

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd like a mixtape culled from J0hn's list.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Pitchfork writers own every Dinosaur Jr., Stereolab and Pavement album. They only like the Promise Ring's early stuff though!

― Shake Your Halo Down! (ex machina), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:42 (twenty-two years ago)

abba must get an album in there. though they shouldn't really.

This is one of the rare instances where I'd overlook my no-compilations rule to put in Greatest Hits Vol. I.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:43 (twenty-two years ago)

oh and re: singles list

i think a 100 favorite/best singles of the 70s would be an impossibly difficult endeavour (much as i'd like to see someone try it)

just among punk, disco, dub, roots, rock, pop, soul, funk, fusion, metal and post-punk you would only get roughly 10 records in each genre.

talk about impossible choices

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Charltonlido, I would ask you how, exactly, the numbering of this list is thought to be meaning-ful?

My point is that they are ranking these albums and you have no idea why they are claiming that Surf's Up is better than The Cars, which is better than Zuckerzeit, which is better than Lust for Life, etc.

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Physical Graffiti is not the hardest or most influential Zeppelin album. It's not even their best.
ok so far.
But it's arguably the most essential.
um, what?

― common_person (common_person), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:49 (twenty-two years ago)

there should be no distinction between singles and albums on such lists. an album does not convey the music of a time better than a single.

― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

except they're not claiming that at all

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

I see. Then, the numbering has no meaning at all?

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:52 (twenty-two years ago)

The numbering is just so they know when they've hit 100 records?

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Charltonlido, I would ask you how, exactly, the numbering of this list is thought to be meaning-ful?

it is not meaningful per se, i do not make such a claim. i was unsure whether you thuoght it was meaningless becauser of the order, or because there is an order.

there has to be some order, or there would be no point. if it is, as suggested, a poll, then that is the reason for the order.

the list tells us about the opinions of a large webzine in 2004, concerning the albums of the 1970s. in that context, it is meaningful, as it shows us the thoughts of a particular group of people at a certain time, concering a certain era. big star may come lower or higher than can, depending on the fashions of the time. so, this can show us the relative importance they attribute to different albums

of course, this doesn't make it meaningful in a wider sense, but i am unsure as to how else they would construct it. even if they were to just list 100 in no particular order, they would still have ranked them above the records that didnt get in, (#101, 102 etc in the voting)

― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Queen's Jazz will not be in the top 10, where it belongs; either News of the World or A Night at the Opera will be the Queen album that makes the cut if in fact there's any Queen at all

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:58 (twenty-two years ago)

some albums from south america that should but probably won't:

jorge ben 1976 africa brasil
jorge ben 1973 tabua de esmeralda
caetano veloso transa or emponymous (fur coat) from 1971
pescado rabioso desatormentandonos
moris 30 minutos
gilberto gil 1971 eponymous exile album (the one with the great picture of him sporting an afro)
1 by invisible - i pick "el jardin de los presentes"

― serge, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 13:59 (twenty-two years ago)

or, in other words, they are choosing surfs up as a better album than the cars, as a subjective opinion. the meaning in this is that pitchfork, as a collective entity, consider surfs up to be a better 70s album than the cars. it would take a longer piece, than a top 100 for them to go into why, it is implicit thuogh. that is the way rankings work

― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:00 (twenty-two years ago)

my point is that they're listing a fairly small group of their writers' favorite picks of the decade. it's inherently skewed by the small number of votes compared to the large number of albums released in the decade, and the fact that there is no single pervading taste at pitchfork - it's a bunch of dissimilar individuals. the points of their common likes is what "floats" to the top.

if you want to get angry that ten or twelve or twenty online writers' favorites didn't match your own (or your perceived notion of what is "objectively the best" ) then I guess none of us can stop you. But it seems like a bunch of wasted energy to me

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

will ELO be left out entirely? i would have expected them to get their one slot today, in the 80s or 90s

― common_person (common_person), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

that was an xpost to Tim, obv

and for what it's worth, i've enjoyed reading and discussing their list today

xpost again, grrr

― rentboy (rentboy), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

In The Wire's "The State of Song" feature from May, it was clear that it was just a group of writers who chose to write about a few songs. They didn't make it a psuedo-authoritative "Top 60 Experimental Songs of All Time."

And it doesn't seem like Pitchfork was even MAKING much of a subjective judgement about Surf's Up being genuinely better than the 39 albums that rank lower than it on the list. It seems more flippant than that to me.

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

The Saturday Night Fever soundtrack won't be there; you can forget about Al Stewart's Time Passages; the absence of the Bay City Rollers' Rock and Roll Love Letter will result in my wife losing yet another night's sleep while I scream at God for His terrible indifference to all the bad shit goin' on down here

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

(NB I'd actually give SNF a 50-50 chance of making the top 50, though it deserves the top 20 at least)

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

And rentboy, I'm not angry and it has nothing to do with my own tastes.

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:05 (twenty-two years ago)

there is scant Jamaican representation on the list. don't hold your breath. beyond the search above, i personally have written about Augustus Pablo and Keith Hudson, as well as Nice Up the Dance and studio one:Dub. of course, i get yelled at for it because: "no one cares about this stuff."

― Beta (abeta), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Re. appearance of Zuckerzeit on list: No fair using discography in Krautrocksampler and not using discography in The Accidental Evolution of Rock and Roll.

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:07 (twenty-two years ago)

oh yeah and if Silk Degrees doesn't make the list I will tell this nice little boy that there is no Santa Claus

http://www.tutuguy.com/cute%20little%20boy.jpg

xpost Beta OTM, but there might be somebody at P-fork who'll represent for East of the River Nile

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Here's betting that Claude Bolling gets robbed as well.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Where will C'est Chic place?

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:15 (twenty-two years ago)

as far as jamaican i'd be surprised if the congos "heart of the congos" does not make it.. they can tie it in with lee perry thereby cut and pasting the story about the ark burning down and scratch going nuts... (actually heart of the congos should be on the list as should king tubby meets the rockers uptown)... i'd love to see toots get in there for funky kingston but he probably won't......

will london calling be considered a 1979 album or a 1980 album??? if its 1979 i'd be surprised if its not top 5...

given their krautrock predilection i'd say its 50-50 that we get 4 more: two by krafterwerk and one by neu and one by can (probably tago)

― serge, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:15 (twenty-two years ago)

c'est chic will not make it! risque will! (natural tie in with hip hop through good times/sugarhill)

― serge, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:16 (twenty-two years ago)

is there an order in which the records you cite could be placed, that was more meaningful?

no, there is not.

what, exactly, is the meaning, or context, you are looking for, that is missing?

claiming something is meaningless hardly means you are 'looking for' something meaningful to replace it. why is it only you who can occupy a dialectical, ambiguous position? why are you casting everyone else as binary obsessed rockists?

― dave amos, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

don't look on this list for any Skynyrd, I'd guess. If the Allman Brothers' Eat a Peach is not listed, God will be so angry that He'll give Bush the election just to punish Pitchfork's countrymen.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

the thrust of the comments implied that the 'meaningnlessness' of the list was problematic, ie, that it suffers from this. i was trying to get at what meaning would improve it, or how tim thought it could be better presented. perhaps, no meaning at all is necessary, but, in that case, why is the criticism of meaninglessness levelled?

― charltonlido (gareth), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:29 (twenty-two years ago)

the queen will have a heart-attack if never mind the bollocks makes number one.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:29 (twenty-two years ago)

not 'criticism', observation (in my case anyway).

― dave amos, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:33 (twenty-two years ago)

the queen will have a heart-attack if never mind the bollocks makes number one.

She won't be alone.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:34 (twenty-two years ago)

What do you mean by "perhaps no meaning at all is necessary?" Are you suggesting that it's just a flippant gesture, whatever, don't bother criticizing it?

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:37 (twenty-two years ago)

all this meta discussion about the ranking is quite meaningless without knowing exactly how pitchfork established the ranking. they could e.g. have gone for something like the olympic medal ranking table which wouldn't give albums cited by many contributors as also-rans a lot of points. though i doubt they did.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I had Eat a Peach on my list, but I doubt it'll be on there (only the editors have seen the final list, so I can't be sure).

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Never Mind won't be #1; I think if they're looking to honor a band for "inventing/popularizing punk," then they'll give it to the Ramones, who've been more in fashion lately.

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:50 (twenty-two years ago)

The list so far is suspiciously devoid of Cheap Trick, I just noticed.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 14:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, no Anthony Braxton as of yet.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex, the original criticism was just the fact that the albums are ranked at all without any sense being given of why they were in their particular order.

― Tim Ellison, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex, the original criticism was just the fact that the albums are ranked at all without any sense being given of why they were in their particular order.

enough with the fucking order

― nothingleft (nothingleft), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:14 (twenty-two years ago)

The '70s weren't good to Dylan and Dylan wasn't good to the '70s (BotT excepted).

"New Morning" was 1970, wasn't it? So that should count. I would also add "Slow Train Coming" though some might not.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:14 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd really like to see you guys come up with a "real awesome" list that everyone will like.

I like all these albums they've listed so far. But why nit pick on pitchfork? That's a bit to boring and predictable. i mean, as i said, can you guys make a better one?

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:18 (twenty-two years ago)

saturday night fever will make it.
c'est chic will make it.
risque will not.
abba's arrival MIGHT make it.

im hoping for
two black sabbaths at least.
two marvin gayes.
two funkadelics.
one parliament.
two pere ubus.
two cans.
one neu!.
one thin lizzy.
two t. rexs.
one more joni mitchell.
"no new york" in the top 5.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

If Machine Head is not listed the Great God Thor shall smite the earth with a mighty hammer-blow to the state of Minnesota.

― briania (briania), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

will there be stevie wonder? probably innervisions, i guess.

If Stevie ends up with only one album on this list, then we can be assured that there is injustice in the world.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

which braxton should go? creative orch music? i love 5 pieces (1975) and the montreaux/berlin concerts...

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

should talking book make it? for my money, its tons better than songs in the key, but innervisions should def be the highest stevie (or only, if theres only one...)

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:21 (twenty-two years ago)

preach it briania!

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, for Braxton, I would put "Creative Orch Music", "Time Zones" (with Richard Teitelbaum), "Birth & Rebirth" (with Max Roach), maybe "For Trio". I'd have to look through my records to see if I'm forgetting any others.

For Stevie, I would definitely include "Talking Book" (even over "Innervisions") also "Fullfillingness' First Finale" and "Songs in the Key of Life" - which if it was condensed down to a single album could probably beat any others on this list.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:29 (twenty-two years ago)

LEE PERRY CAN't DIE

― hexxyPrancer, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Coney Island Baby, Lou's best '70s album by a mile, won't make it; Transformer's a shoo-in

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:34 (twenty-two years ago)

time zones is greeeeeeeeeeeeeaat. (pretty sure that only creative orch music would make this list, though.)

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:35 (twenty-two years ago)

metalmachinemusic?

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, if they're making room for multiple King Crimson (?!), Pink Floyd, and Iggy Pop's lesser works, then they could at least squeeze in a few of Braxton and Wonder.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:39 (twenty-two years ago)

the world needs more Boz Scaggs.

― Velveteen Bingo (Chris V), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 15:43 (twenty-two years ago)

king crimson should have one more, larks tounges in aspic, although i mightve made that their only entry. i havent spent too much time with S&BB, and i think red is ok, but not great...

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, if they're making room for multiple King Crimson (?!),

Uh oh. Good point. Frightening prospect. Or were you implying that that would be a good thing?

I wonder how they plan to work Donna Summer into this. Maybe that Giorgio Morodor solo album and the nod toward her in the review "make up" for it.

― Atnevon (Atnevon), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Peter, I would only be mildly shocked if "Metal Machine Music" does make it, along with comments like "it's the 70's most infamous portrait of career suicide, nevertheless, Lou Reed's chaotic noise opus anticipates much of more adventurous and experimental music of the 80's and 90's".

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:13 (twenty-two years ago)

love to love you might make it, although its basically just that one song with a few filler songs in my opinions

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:13 (twenty-two years ago)

exactly. i say mmm WILL make it, WILL NOT be tomorrow, and the review WILL mention lester bangs' championing of it.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:14 (twenty-two years ago)

` Lou Reed's chaotic noise opus anticipates much of more adventurous and experimental music of the 80's and 90's".'

Very true!

― Ds (ikue mori), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:16 (twenty-two years ago)

What I wrote is true, or is it true that PFM would write that sort of comment (I was aiming for the latter).
I do think it will show up tomorrow, around #35.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:20 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah - i mean, maybe it will be tomorrow...

whaddaya think about noNY in the top 5?

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I predict both Street Hassle and Curtis Mayfield's Live album will make it, or so I hope. that's all I have to say about this list.

― Gear! (Gear!), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

No NY in the top 5? I can't see it being nearly that high. I think top 30 is realistic, though.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:27 (twenty-two years ago)

This is hilarious. It's funny how upset people get about other people's lists. You know you're allowed to make your own Top whatever of whatever list and that Pitchfork never claimed that their list represented your taste.

I think there are secret rules to lists:
1) The more you care about a list, the more likely your favorite pet album is not going to make it on there (or at least not nearly high enough in the rankings, outranked by an album you cannot stand).
2) The more you care about an obscure genre being "represented" on a list, the more likely the authors haven't heard any, or don't like said genre
3) The more you care about list rules, the more likely they will be broken.

That said I will hypocritally go to pitchfork's evil headquarters and squeeze the life out of every staffer, their firstborn child, and slap their mammy around in reverse order if at least 2 out of the first 3 Cheap Trick albums do not make this list.

― Mike Salmo (salmo), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:33 (twenty-two years ago)

i say heaven tonight and maybe budokan.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:35 (twenty-two years ago)

additionally, you might be right about those rules, esp #2.

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, Machine Head and Eat a Peach would make my list, John. At the moment I think the top 15 would be something like

Ornette Coleman - Dancing In Your Head
Brian Eno - Music for Airports
Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians
Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda
James 'Blood' Ulmer - Tales of Captain Black
Herbie Hancock - Sextant
Pandit Bhimsen Joshi - Classical Vocal
Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys
Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
Derek Bailey - Domestic and Public Pieces
Yes - Close to the Edge
Philip Glass - Einstein On the Beach
Kraftwerk - Autobahn

Mind you, it's complicated by the way classical compositions tend not to be albums as such.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, Eat a Peach may place higher than Autobahn. Probably.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:00 (twenty-two years ago)

it would be pretty cool if reich made it with 18 musicians (debt owed it by postrock/krautrock/rock-minimalism/IDM)

― peter smith (plsmith), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Mind you, it's complicated by the way classical compositions tend not to be albums as such.

Because Leo Brouwer really does deserve a mention.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Good to see the ol' "Kraftwerk are emotionless robots and their music reflects this" line being thrown about with such originality.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:26 (twenty-two years ago)

While the fast-paced world of Ralf Hütter quotes knows no limits of pretension, this is the only album that conceivably expresses his ideal music: No emotions, no philosophies, no performances, and virtually no humor.

I mean, really, for fuck's sake.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Did the fact that the album contains all four of those things in spades just manage to escape the reviewer?

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:29 (twenty-two years ago)

"The Model" is hilarious!

― jaymc (jaymc), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:32 (twenty-two years ago)

"No performances" = "they just hit them there buttons on their drum machines and let 'er rip, what with their preprogrammed techno beats and stuff"

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Or were you implying that that would be a good thing?

No I most definitely was not.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 18:19 (twenty-two years ago)

My top 20 (observing a 1 per artist rule) would probably look something like this (not in order):

Claude Bolling Suite For Flute and Jazz Piano
Can Future Days
Stevie Wonder Talking Book
Faust Tapes
Steely Dan Countdown to Ecstasy
Willie Nelson Stardust
Chick Corea Light as a Feather
Max Roach feat. Anthony Braxton Birth & Rebirth
Richard Teitelbaum feat. Anthony Braxton Time Zones
Slapp Happy Acnalbasac Noom
Art Bears Winter Songs
Amon Duul II Wolf City
Magma 1001 Centigrade
Led Zeppelin IV
Bob Dylan New Morning
Ramones Ramones
Capt. Beefheart Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)
David Bowie Lodger
Miles Davis Live Evil
Lynyrd Skynyrd Pronounced "Leh-nerd Skin-nerd"
Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 18:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Mark Pitchfork is there anyway you could post your personal list? Also J0hn D@rn13ll3 can you make a list and post it. k-thanks!

― artdamages (artdamages), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 18:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Each writer's list will be printed at the end of the week as an appendix to the results.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 19:02 (twenty-two years ago)

you guys like David Bowie. Fags.

― BRRRRR (ex machina), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 19:04 (twenty-two years ago)

fair enough.

― artdamages (artdamages), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 19:04 (twenty-two years ago)

ha, i meant that to chris ott, but either way. x post

― artdamages (artdamages), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 19:04 (twenty-two years ago)

you guys like David Bowie. Fags

Suck it!

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 19:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Regarding Bowie...I'm all for multiple chart entries, but if they try to put Diamond Dogs above Ziggy and Aladdin Sane on the basis of it predating goth-rock and whatever else, I'll be rolling my eyes to say the least.

I do, however, still hope to see at least Station To Station and maybe even Low and/or Heroes. Which will mean that six Bowie albums made the list.

Is anyone else curious as to what other Roxy Music album is to be deemed better than For Your Pleasure? I'm assuming that Eno's presence leans toward the debut, but there's been some love for Siren lately. For Your Pleasure's text implies that there's one more album in the top 100.

― Atnevon (Atnevon), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

"Is anyone else curious as to what other Roxy Music album is to be deemed better than For Your Pleasure?"

Their debut album is pretty strong.

I kinda grew cold on Bowie, but I would like to see Heroes up there and maybe Lodger.

― Ds (ikue mori), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 20:07 (twenty-two years ago)

I keep meaning to check out Braxton. I forgot Egberto Gismonti's Solo, which would come in above Hancock.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 20:13 (twenty-two years ago)

If Can's Future Days or Funkadelic's Funkadelic or Miles Davis' On the Corner or Love Cry Want's Love Cry Want don't make this list, I'm going to shrug my shoulders and get on with my life. And I mean it.

― Dave Segal (Da ve Segal), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 20:34 (twenty-two years ago)

reminder of this thread, last week:

Predict Pitchfork's Top 100 of the 70s List

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 20:41 (twenty-two years ago)

At least two of these deserve to be on there:

1971 Gets Next to You
1972 Let's Stay Together
1972 I'm Still in Love With You
1973 Call Me
1973 Livin' for You
1974 Al Green Explores Your Mind
1975 Al Green Is Love
1976 Full of Fire
1976 Have a Good Time
1977 The Belle Album
1978 Truth N' Time

― frankE (frankE), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 21:09 (twenty-two years ago)

the absence of the Bay City Rollers' Rock and Roll Love Letter will result in my wife losing yet another night's sleep

It's no It's A Game - the mature, experimental Rollers' LP etc.

― Kent Burt (lingereffect), Thursday, 24 June 2004 03:20 (twenty-one years ago)

So the Pop Group's Y is after the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack and The Beatles' Let It Be. Do I need any other reason for not reading Pitchfork.

― Ds (ikue mori), Thursday, 24 June 2004 04:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmm. May mean having to find some other site to continually refresh in anticipation for its next update. ;)

― Ryan Pitchfork, Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:17 (twenty-one years ago)

"I consider Pink Floyd's The Wall the best album of the 1970s." - Chris Ott

― Michael Dubsky, Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Also The Ramones allowe dus all to enjoy songs w/3 chords (apparently sometime after the platic ono band we stopped appreciating such simplicity)

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:26 (twenty-one years ago)

and is ILM the first thing ryan pitchfork refreshes after updating the site?

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/top/70s/index5.shtml

― andrew s (andrew s), Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:46 (twenty-one years ago)

hey - i've got most of these. is that a good thing or a bad thing?

― phil turnbull (philT), Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I think the answer to that is sadly obvious.

― Ryan Pitchfork, Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually the list so far is pretty good. At least you guys gave Wire props, that's all I needed.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Definitely glad to see Serge Gainsbourg so high...

― lemin (lemin), Thursday, 24 June 2004 05:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Editorial note:

Following its release, the Godfather of Soul suffered to overcome both the disco bug eating away his audience

I think the writer meant to use "struggled"

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 24 June 2004 06:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Time to bring up the obvious cliche. Tons of people here hate on pitchfork, but i'm sure you go there more often then not to check things out to just to exclaim how horrible it is.

Once again, people are saying "oh they don't know anything because x album is lower/higher then album y". Once again, this was taken on a poll so no matter what, you'll get some wonky results that some will totally agree with, and others will rant on internet msgboards about.

On a note, so far George and John have made it, will Paul? i'm guessing no.

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 10:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, Michael. I am emo incarnate.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Thursday, 24 June 2004 11:00 (twenty-one years ago)

it's an okay list. i mean, it's pretty close to what a consensus/poll ilm list would end up looking like.

the pop group write up sounds more like it's about how much longer will we tolerate mass murder and late pizza deliveries than y, and scott is WRONG WRONG WRONG about heart of the congos being the only fully realized black ark album.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 24 June 2004 11:03 (twenty-one years ago)

here are 21 albums:
london calling
fun house
pink moon
another green world
music for airports
entertainment
no new york
loaded
transformer
paranoid
trans europe express
marquee moon
roxy music
theres a riot goin on
blank generation
unknown pleasures
fragile
station to station
low
exile on main street
blood on the tracks

which one doesnt make it?

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:13 (twenty-one years ago)

additionally, seems like no pere ubu. laaaaaaame.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:15 (twenty-one years ago)

re: wrong wrong wrong, I like me some super ape, blackboard jungle, war inna babylon, police and thieves (I voted for three of those in this poll thing), but they still all seem to be lacking in some way or another.

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

peter smith has 13 of the top 14, but none of 15-20.

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:19 (twenty-one years ago)

also. the fact that before and after science was on the list, shouldnt we expect taking tiger mtn to be on the list, too?

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:22 (twenty-one years ago)

i bet i have 14 of the top 14 now...

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:23 (twenty-one years ago)

no, B&AS is a better album ;)

(I agree with you re: pere ubu, that surprised me)

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:23 (twenty-one years ago)

oh and the new york dolls s/t

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

btw, whatever problems there are with this list, its so goddamn fun to guess and argue about all this stuff...

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:25 (twenty-one years ago)

something's seriously amiss if riot doesn't make the top 5!

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:32 (twenty-one years ago)

a useful summary so far:
Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 70s

from: Alex @ Close Your Eyes
http://musik.antville.org/stories/829586/

100 Brian Eno - Before and After Science
099 Neil Young - After the Goldrush
098 Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom
097 Various Artists - The Harder They Come
096 Iggy Pop - The Idiot
095 Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
094 King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black
093 Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys
092 Kraftwerk - The Man-Machine
091 Throbbing Gristle - 20 Jazz Funk Greats
090 Fela Anikulapo Kuti & Africa '70 - Zombie
089 Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo!
088 Giorgio Moroder - From Here to Eternity
087 Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
086 Joni Mitchell - Blue
085 Wire - 154
084 Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
083 Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power
082 George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
081 David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders from Mars
080 David Bowie - Hunky Dory
079 Randy Newman - Sail Away
078 Anikulapo Kuti & Africa '70 - Expensive Shit
077 David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
076 Blondie - Parallel Lines
075 Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
074 Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate
073 Van Halen - Van Halen
072 King Crimson - Red
071 James Brown - The Payback
070 Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
069 Faust - IV
068 Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters
067 Pink Floyd - Meddle
066 Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers
065 Neil Young - On the Beach
064 Iggy Pop - Lust for Life
063 Cluster - Zuckerzeit
062 The Cars - The Cars
061 Beach Boys - Surf's Up
060 John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band
059 Ramones - Rocket to Russia
058 Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson
057 Paul Simon - Paul Simon
056 Can - Future Days
055 Nick Drake - Bryter Later
054 Creedence Clearwater Revival - Cosmo's Factory
053 Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians
052 Elvis Costello - This Year's Modeö
051 Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks
050 Tim Buckley - Starsailor
049 Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
048 Miles Davis - Live-Evil
047 Al Green - Call Me
046 Th Congos - Heart of the Congos
045 Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
044 The Clash - The Clash
043 Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
042 The Specials - The Specials
041 Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
040 The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
039 Suicide - Suicide
038 XTC - Drums and Wires
037 Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
036 Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
035 The Pop Group - Y
034 Various Artists - Saturday Night Fever
033 Wire - Chairs Missing
032 Pink Floyd - The Wall
031 Talking Heads - Fear of Music
030 Miles Davis - On the Corner
029 Can - Tago Mago
028 The Beatles - Let It Be
027 Led Zeppelin - III
026 Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
025 Neu! - Neu!
024 Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets
023 Ramones - Ramones
022 Wire - Pink Flag
021 Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually the list so far is pretty good. At least you guys gave Wire props, that's all I needed.
-- latebloomer (posercore24...) (webmail), June 24th, 2004 2:58 AM. (latebloomer) (later) (link)

Fuck you! As if Wire hasn't been given enough critical nods.

― BRRRRR (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:41 (twenty-one years ago)

whatever - they deserve all their critical nods.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I have no idea what the Top 20 will be, as I didn't write any of the blurbs. It is kind of exciting.

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Wire were the Franz Ferdinand of the 70s

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 12:56 (twenty-one years ago)

i predict this will be in the top 20:

PIL - Metal Box

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:14 (twenty-one years ago)

also, Miles Davis - Bitches Brew

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:24 (twenty-one years ago)

and this: Led Zeppelin IV

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:25 (twenty-one years ago)

i mean, second edition was on the 80's list. if metal box makes this list, thatd be lame...

i will admit, i think second edition shouldve come up much higher on the 80s list.

bitches brew, maybe...

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:26 (twenty-one years ago)

no genesis or yes so far? what happened to the newfound pitchfork prog love? Maybe they'll crowd the top 20. (on the other hand, thank god, no Rush).

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:28 (twenty-one years ago)

and possibly: Yes: Fragile and/or Yes: Close to the Edge

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:30 (twenty-one years ago)

and as This Heat: Deceit made the top 20 80s list, possibly This - This Heat - will make the 70s top 20

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:34 (twenty-one years ago)

This Heat - This Heat

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:35 (twenty-one years ago)

for top 20 ?
Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:39 (twenty-one years ago)

"Rumours" was robbed at #41 -- should have been top 10, easy.
Still no "Metal Machine Music"!
In what parallel universe is "The Wall" better than "Wish You Were Here"?

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:41 (twenty-one years ago)

will this album be in the top 20:
The Stranglers - Rattus Norvegicus

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:44 (twenty-one years ago)

nah

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

metal box was considered during the voting - and will therefore appear on the individual lists - but ryan decided that because they had counted SE on their 80s list that it was silly to include it on both. It surely would have placed in the top 20 had its votes been counted.

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

and this:
Public Image ltd - Public Image

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:46 (twenty-one years ago)

this heat may get in, seems like metal machine music will not.

i, for one, am shocked that either of those two pink floyd albums appeared. i expected dark side and meddle, but no more.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

In what parallel universe is "The Wall" better than "Wish You Were Here"?

wormhole

i liked Chris Ott's blurb on The Wall

and that's all I have (and prob will have) to say about the 100

― zebedee (zebedee), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I predict the Red Balune's "Maximum Penalty" 7-inch.

― dleone (dleone), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

In what parallel universe is "The Wall" better than "Wish You Were Here"?

It must be the same fucked universe where either of them are better than Meddle.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

this album will make it to the top 20:

Talking Heads - Talking Heads 77

[it's got the big anthem: Psycho Killer]

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

possible top 20?
David Bowie - Heroes

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Still no Who, huh?

― TheRealJMod (TheRealJMod), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:05 (twenty-one years ago)

can scott confirm, if there are any albums in the pitchfork top 20 not mentioned yet on this thread?

say yes: all albums mentioned
say no: keep guessing

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:07 (twenty-one years ago)

London Calling is top 5, yeah?

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Will Born to Run or The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle make the top twenty? Just cuz it's unfashionable to like Bruce, it'd be foolish him not to place.

― frankE (frankE), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

if joy division's unknown pleasures is not in the top 20 i'll take a rope and ...

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I imagine Born to Run will be in there.

Also: Patti Smith, Horses

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

what about the buzzcocks? only one uk punk album yet (most predictible album on the list). are comps like singles going steady allowed?

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:22 (twenty-one years ago)

clash and sex pistols were there

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Re. Pere Ubu: Which album do you want on there? The Modern Dance? It's not as good as their first couple of singles. Even though I like it, I think I'd actually be glad if it DIDN'T make the list. In the same sense, I'm a Fall-head, but I don't think I want to see Live at the Witch Trials (not one of their best albums IMO) on a list of the best 100 albums of the whole decade (much less in the top 20).

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I would be mildly surprised if I wasn't asked to write the blurb for Born to Run. First album I paid money for, back when Ryan was just a twinkle in Mr. Schrieber's eye.

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:28 (twenty-one years ago)

singles going steady wuz allowed.

― Beta (abeta), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I was just trying to draw up a potential Top 20, and I considered the Buzzcocks, too.

Other candidates not yet mentioned:

Gram Parsons, Grievous Angel
Willie Nelson, Red-Headed Stranger
Captain Beefheart, Trout Mask Replica
The B-52s, The B-52s

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Like someone mentioned above, I'm really surprised Who's Next hasn't made an appearance yet. Top 20? On my list for sure, but probably not Pitchfork's.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:33 (twenty-one years ago)

The entirety of Sam Ubl's comments on the MUSIC (not the lyrics) on the first Modern Lovers album:

"The honky-tonk piano pop of "Hospital" or the hand-clapped hustle and bustle of "Someone I Care About."

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Trout Mask is from the 60s.

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:36 (twenty-one years ago)

dub housing is from the 70s (78? 79?)

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Here's a quick possible Pfork Top 20 list. At the bottom are a few other options I had but had to cut. This isn't my list, but many of my personal favorites have already been used or I doubt will show (Blue Oyster Cult, Tonights the Night, or Bulent for example).

20) Layla
19) Who’s Next
18) Sticky Fingers
17) Bitches Brew
16) Horses
15) There’s A Riot Going On
14) Singles Going Steady
13) No New York
12) Unknown Pleasures
11) Low
10) Entertainment
9) Moondance
8) Exile On Main Street
7) Blood on the Tracks
6) Pink Moon
5) Fun House
4) Led Zeppelin IV
3) Loaded
2) Marquee Moon
1) London Calling

SOME OTHER POSSIBILITIES
Public Image
Grievous Angel
Talking Heads 77
A Bob Marley
Music For Airports (or a Fripp & Eno)
At Budoken
Bat Out of Hell
Running On Empty

― Nick Perich (drpenguin5), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Am I correct that there isn't a single country record on the list yet? CCR and Neil Young are as close as it gets.

― Derek Krissoff (Derek), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:49 (twenty-one years ago)

no country (prob'ly no gram parsons or gene clark either), although Red Headed Stranger was in my top ten, as well as Amanda's. those were its only two votes.

― Beta (abeta), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, Dub Housing is from the 70s, but I expect to see Modern Dance in the top 10. Datapanik in the Year Zero EP would be an interesting choice. If you were going to include something by the Fall, then I would have done it by now. And I would really like to see something by Amon Duul II or Popol Vuh in the top 20.

ps Autobahn hasn't appeared yet.

― Ds (ikue mori), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:54 (twenty-one years ago)

what about hejira? it really should be in the top 20. it's joni's masterpiece.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 24 June 2004 14:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Why the suggestion of London Calling at number one? Just because a lot of people voted for it? Are people really putting that amongst their top few albums of the whole decade?

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:00 (twenty-one years ago)

1. I can't imagine ANY of Joni's albums appearing on a list ahead of Blue EVER.

2. Jeez, you're right about Beefheart. Why have I always had it in my head that that album came out in '72?

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

It is interesting that there's no Beefheart on the list, unless somehow Lick My Decals or Doc at the Radar Station makes the top 20.

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:03 (twenty-one years ago)

London Calling seems a perfectly sensible #1 to me. It's totally canonical, while still maintaining hipster cred. And it's an album a lot of people can agree upon, I think. I don't love it, but I'll concede it has a handful of really great songs.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:03 (twenty-one years ago)

"what about hejira? it really should be in the top 20. it's joni's masterpiece."

Yes, I like that too. But I don't think it will make the top 20 now.

― Ds (ikue mori), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:06 (twenty-one years ago)

critic, Scaruffi does a top 70s list:
http://www.scaruffi.com/ratings/70.html

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:06 (twenty-one years ago)

the only drawback about putting london calling on a 70s list is that it came out the last week of 1979.
doc at radar station is 1980, and while i voted for lick my decals off, baby, there's no way it made the list. no zappa, either, which is fine by me.

― Beta (abeta), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm actually fairly confident that London Calling will get #1 or #2. The reason is that it seems like an album that nearly everyone can agree on. I can see most of the staff including it in their Top 15, and probably all of them have it on the list somewhere. There's no other album from the 70s I can think of that can reach LC's level of consensus. As far as the Pfork crowd goes, it was obvious Daydream Nation would be 1 for the 80s and that OK Computer and Loveless would top the 90s. I think London Calling has the same status. In fact, I think that, on this particular list, it's only competition might be Marquee Moon, which I placed at a possible #2. Of course, I could be wrong...but it's my guess for #1.

As for the last week of 79, well, true, but it was 79 when it was released and Pfork never included it on their 80s list, so it's a given here.

― Nick Perich (drpenguin5), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I find myself agreeing with Scaruffi a lot more than Pitchfork. Scaruffi is a lot harder on the artists too.

― Ds (ikue mori), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Scaruffi's also just one dude.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

after faust and neu debuts, Scaruffi rates this the 3rd best krautrock album:

Popol Vuh: Hosianna Mantra

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Ooh! I completely forgot about Desertshore! I haven't listened to it forever even though it's one of my favorites. I doubt Pfork will have it in the top twenty though...:(

― Nick Perich (drpenguin5), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

he also leaves out almost all forms of African-American music.

― Beta (abeta), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

"The Best Rock Albums of the 1970's"

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)

scaruffi, does a separate list for jazz

http://www.scaruffi.com/jazz/70.html

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:22 (twenty-one years ago)

nick, The End got more votes than Desertshore

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Tne only soul music covered by Scaruffi is Marvin Gaye, which isn't very helpful. But he is one gut. Pitchfork hasn't listed a Tangerine Dream album yet. I expect at least one.

― Ds (ikue mori), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I wonder if Nuggets is allowed. It was released in '72 but all fo the tracks are from the previous decade. I think if it were allowed it would surely have shown up by now.

― Thor, Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Oops some typos there. He does a separate list for classical

http://www.scaruffi.com/music/classica.html

― Ds (ikue mori), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:27 (twenty-one years ago)

scott is WRONG WRONG WRONG about heart of the congos being the only fully realized black ark album.

Which others do you think are?

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Also Mr. Gainsbourg's placement is thrilling/funny.

― Thor, Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:27 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.users.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/jpg/OSayCanUSee3.jpg

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Okay, obv a 100 album list isn't going to please everyone. However, I think we can test the validity of this list by seeing if the albums that did make it are touchstones for others. See if you can describe your fave album that didn't (yet) make the list using only albums that did.

For example:
Magma's Live/Hhai = Future Days + Tribute to Jack Johnson + Starless and Bible Black + Music for 18 Musicians

― dleone (dleone), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.onlineathens.com/images/111800/sore_loserman.jpg

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:33 (twenty-one years ago)

"Wire were the Franz Ferdinand of the 70s."

Somewhat true. Both pretty good in a perhaps somewhat similar way.

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 24 June 2004 15:59 (twenty-one years ago)

wrong.

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 16:07 (twenty-one years ago)

You're goofy.

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 24 June 2004 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I would like to state that this list has already given me a little help, since I've always wanted to pick up a Fela Kuti CD and never knew which one to get because his catalog is so vast. I could have researched a little and there was probably a thread on here about him, but...anyway, Expensive Shit is some good stuff.

― Gear! (Gear!), Thursday, 24 June 2004 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

wire were definitely not the franz ferdinand of the 70s. franz ferdinand is even less the wire of the 00s. wire had a very original and unique style. franz ferdinand hasn't got any style. they are not even the oasis of the 00s. they are just dud. what i heard of them was at least.

london calling is a consensus choice. and like every consensus choice (daydream nation, ok computer) it is not an album to love. that's why i think these polls should be organized differently. the number one album should be the album most contributors have put as number one (there have to be a lot of contributors to do this kind of thing though). everything else is silly. as it gives an advantage to mediocre albums everyone finds ok.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 24 June 2004 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

True because I think on lists such as this people feel reluctant to leave off canonized albums completely and therefore will put them in (although on a lower level). I mean does anyone really think Odelay is one of the best albums from the past ten years, or is it just an album that everyone likes just well enough.

― Gear! (Gear!), Thursday, 24 June 2004 16:39 (twenty-one years ago)

The Wall came out in '79, not '77.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 16:40 (twenty-one years ago)

London Calling seems a perfectly sensible #1 to me. It's totally canonical, while still maintaining hipster cred. And it's an album a lot of people can agree upon, I think. I don't love it, but I'll concede it has a handful of really great songs.

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0521000483.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

FIRST THING THAT CAME TO MIND.

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

THE WALL IS TERRIBLE. THE MOVIE IS WORSE.

― Thor, Thursday, 24 June 2004 16:53 (twenty-one years ago)

"the number one album should be the album most contributors have put as number one (there have to be a lot of contributors to do this kind of thing though). everything else is silly. as it gives an advantage to mediocre albums everyone finds ok."

This would be a pretty interesting way of doing it. But I'm curious, under your system, how would the rest of the list be organized. Would the #2 be the one the most put at #2 and so on?
Is there a board around here to discuss the finer points of list making?

― Nick Perich (drpenguin5), Thursday, 24 June 2004 16:58 (twenty-one years ago)

You could achieve a similar result by weighting the top picks significantly higher than subsequent picks. For example: using some kind of exponential decay function for the weights.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Or, like Pazz and Jop, allowing voters to distribute a certain amount of points (of their own choice) amongst their choices.

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:03 (twenty-one years ago)

In my mind "A lot of people like it" is more powerful than "one guy loves it and everyone else hates it" especially when you're talking about "_____ Publication Favorites".

― Mark (MarkR), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:07 (twenty-one years ago)

artists with more than 2 albums in #100-#21:

4:
pink floyd

3:
david bowie
miles davis
led zeppelin
iggy pop (+-stooges)
wire

1st observation: england was the centre of rock in the 70s.
2nd observation: in this scenario roxy music should also get 3 albums (only 1 yet)
3rd observation: i think no artist should have more than two albums in a top 100 of a decade.

x-post: But I'm curious, under your system, how would the rest of the list be organized.
similar to the olympic medal stats. first the number of gold medals, then silver, then bronze and then as a refinement 4th , 5th and so on places.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Pitchfork should use this: Lewis Carrol's 1876 Election System

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I predict the #1 album will be Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

i can't see entertainment! not making the top 5

― andrew s (andrew s), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

alex in mainhattan, Why no more than 2 per decade? Neil Young pretty much owned the 70's.

― danh (danh), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

@danh: because there is so much varied excellent music out there.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:13 (twenty-one years ago)

4:
pink floyd

This should be a very troubling statistic for any list-maker.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:13 (twenty-one years ago)

"3rd observation: i think no artist should have more than two albums in a top 100 of a decade"

Personally, I don't think there should be a set cap for number of albums by one artist on a list like this. You should put the albums that you like the most. Now, if it's a close call, I'd choose the artist that hasn't been included yet. I'll admit that on my lists, if I've included one album by an artist the rest will be much harder to earn, but I don't like to set caps. As long as you listen to a broad range of music only a small handful of favorites should be much of a problem.

As for Pink Floyd getting 4, they'd have 2 for me: DSotM and WYWH. Certainly no Wall and I've yet to hear Meddle (I think that was the other included). The only person who would get 4 from me in the 70s is Bowie. These would probably be (in order from best to worst) Station to Station, Ziggy Stardust, Low, and one more depending on my mood.

― Nick Perich (drpenguin5), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think any 70s Pink Floyd albums belong anywhere near this list.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)

"This should be a very troubling statistic for any list-maker."

Especially when you consider that their most influential work was in the late 60s.

― Ds (ikue mori), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Exactly.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:21 (twenty-one years ago)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually the list so far is pretty good. At least you guys gave Wire props, that's all I needed.
-- latebloomer (posercore24...) (webmail), June 24th, 2004 2:58 AM. (latebloomer) (later) (link)

Fuck you! As if Wire hasn't been given enough critical nods.
-- BRRRRR (Jonathan(dot)Williams@Google's_Amazing_New_Free_Email_Service(dot)com), June 24th, 2004.

i didn't mean it like, "Wire are underrated" or anything like that. i'm just glad pitchfork put all three of their albums in the list.

"Wire were the Franz Ferdinand of the 70s
-- People love Gravity and Ebullition! (Jonathan(dot)Williams@Google's_Amazing_New_Free_Email_Service(dot)com), June 24th, 2004."

well, now you're just being an asshole.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:26 (twenty-one years ago)

*golf clap*

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

franz ferdinand is the blur of the aughts.

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Franz Ferdinand have a long way to go to becoming the anything of anything.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Chris Ott, can you make Pitchfork stop mentioning bad bands in the news section without a disclaimer about how awful they are?

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Jon's Wire/Franz Ferdinand comparison was obviously a musical comparison (i.e. not a comparison of their lyrics). I think it's accurate to say that the songwriting and playing in the two groups is/was on about an equivalent level of pretty goodness. Wire were not the fucking greatest songwriters and players ever.

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Franz Ferdinand are either the Menswear of the aughts or the Stills of Scotland: pick one.

― nabiscothingy, Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I have absolutely nothing to do with Pitchforkmedia.com's News section. Sorry Jon.

Tim, you are insane.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought the Stills were the Interpol of Canada?

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Where the fucking-hell are the William Shatner records!!!

― Gilles Meloche (Gilles Meloche), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I like Wire, but they weren't as good as the Fall, the Homosexuals, the Swell Maps, etc., etc. The idea of canonizing Wire, Gang of Four, and Pop Group as top 20 albums of the seventies or whatever strikes me as banal.

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Steven Stills is the asshole of the world.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:10 (twenty-one years ago)

waitwaitwait Yeti doesn't appear on the list?!?!?

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:14 (twenty-one years ago)

why banal? i mean, i think its an overstatement to say that the pop group have one of the 20 best albums of the 70's, but i think, among a fairly rockist crowd, its fairly accurate to put entertainment! and either pink flag or chairs missing on a top 20. maybe not top 5, but i mean, Go4 are one of the universally cribbed bands these days, and wire seems to me to be THE canonical example of the evolution of punk into postpunk experimentalism. i LIKE those other bands, especially the fall, but i dont see how its banal to have bands who are probably of more universal acclaim on a top 20...

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

no Amon Duul II anywhere on it? And Faust IV picked?

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

i think the tapes would have been better in place of IV - interesting story, what with the relatively good sales from the lowlowlow sticker, and certainly a good example of the pastiche esthetic. i mean, when the tapes are sequenced and indexed, i dont think theyre all that much "out-er" than faust, or faust so far.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I think Faust was hurt by split votes, especially between IV, So Far and Tapes.

― dleone (dleone), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

fair enough. whatre your thoughts about faust, dom? how would you rank the albums?

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:22 (twenty-one years ago)

amon duul features in Julian Cope's Top 50 Krautrock Albums
http://www.midsuffolk.unisonplus.net/Top%2050.htm

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Personally, I don't think there should be a set cap for number of albums by one artist on a list like this.
you are absolutely right. but as you said there should be a kind of mechanism punishing lower rated second, third albums etc. four pink floyd albums for the 70s is definitely three too much. and the wall shouldn't be the one.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

also: I'm sure that Reich's "Music for 18 Musicians" is the only Steve Reich these corny fuqz know. HELLO "DRUMMING"

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

that's really hard. When we made our individual lists, I limited mine to 2 per artist, but if I did it just straight out faves, I would have all of their 70s studio stuff in there (including 71 minutes). It's very difficult to choose a favorite. I will say that of all the studio albums, I like their debut the least (but I would still rate a 9 on the pfork scale).

― dleone (dleone), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

DJ Martian, I would hope fucking so! I doubt I can *name* even 25 Krautrock albums!

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Peter, the fact that a band is "universally cribbed" doesn't mean that I don't find them to be kind of ordinary. And, why SHOULD Wire be "THE canonical example of the evolution of punk into postpunk experimentalism?" Why not the Urinals? Why not the Red Transistor? Why not Metal Urbain? (Etc., etc.)

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I doubt I can *name* even 25 Krautrock albums!

do you write for Pitchfork?

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Tim, I'll tell you why not - because these Pitchdorks have never heard the Urinals or Red Transistor or Metal Urbain (maybe that's why they ignored Selzer's reissue).

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

this is a stunning kosmiche album:

Michael Hoenig
Departure From the Northern Wasteland
March 1978
Warner

as listed:
http://www.progressiverock.com/timeline.asp?sYear=1978

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Right, Pitchdorks prefer the first Cardiacs 7-inch or Voigt/465.

x-post
yeah, that Hoenig record is pretty cool, in a Tangerine Dream vein

― dleone (dleone), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:43 (twenty-one years ago)

i mean, ive never heard the urinals or red transistor. i have heard and quite enjoy metal urbain...

that said, i guess its not an extremely tenable argument, but shouldnt there be SOME statute of limitations on obscurity? most people here have heard and appreciate wire. is there a large population who has heard and appreciate bands like the urinals and red transistor? i dont know. i certainly dont want to carry this argument very far, of course, because EVERYBODY knows pearl jam (an i like a couple of their things ok...), but i certainly wouldnt want them to made to represent more than they really do, simply because people dont know about mudhoney or green river or the melvins or whomever. but i think, for the readership PFM serves, wire is the best example. i know this may be wrought with contradiction, but i think the list is good, and thought-provoking. and now i can go look up the urinals.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

actually, I bet Ryan just hasn't checked out the Metal Urbain, or it's in a pile of a hundred other CDs, because it probably would be something some of the writers would like.

― dleone (dleone), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

yep, Hoenig part of "Berlin School" Kosmiche German electronic music

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Urinals, represent. I need to find a copy of that 100 Flowers disc.

Who is this Red Transistor?

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:51 (twenty-one years ago)

will this make it into pitchfork's top 20:

Fripp & Eno - No Pussyfooting

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:51 (twenty-one years ago)

lemme field this one guys.

they were an early no-wave band (one of the first!) from brooklyn, but lydia lunch and all convinced eno to record the geographically/membership-ly linked dna/mars/tj&tj/contortions, red transistor fell into the cracks of semi-obscurity.

also, they are probably the best example of the evolution from punk to postpunk experimentalism.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:55 (twenty-one years ago)

peter smith, your argument only holds water if it was "Pitchfork's Top 100 Well-Known Albums of the 70s" (which it is already).

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:56 (twenty-one years ago)

let's face it: a lot was going on in the 70s.

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Red Transistor were also a lot closer to Sightings and the ilk than any of the No New York bands.

― dleone (dleone), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

kosmische Musik, DJ, please!

x-post: the only collaboration of eno outside of roxy music i can think of which should make it is eno & byrne's my life in the bush of ghosts. but that was from 81 and already on the 80s list, i think.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Re Reich: Is 18 Musicians not his best work of the 70s, though? (I mean, do you prefer Drumming?)

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

haha i am really amazed no one has posted their own list yet

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Does Red Transistor have an album or anything? I casually searched and saw something abouot them just havign a single.

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I could list every album from the 70s I've heard. That might make it to 100.

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

time to get started on Strongo's Top 100 Jungle Albums of the mid-1990s

(actually I'd like to see that)

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

but if its not, and its "best albums", then how could we possibly hope to create a good list, with an infinite regress of obscure bands, each of whom could be better than their better-known counterparts? i say we cant, and so we agree (implicitly) to some sort of "obscurity cap", whereby "jack johnson" makes it, but anthony braxton does not, and "future days" makes it, but "cottonwoodhill" does not. i mean, there HAS to be a cap somewhere, and i think PFM's is pretty fair. i think a lot of people will be buying a lot of these great albums this week based on this list. then, they can come on ILM and learn even more, and read our lists. and so forth. (or are we the be-all and end-all? we might be, seriously.)

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:02 (twenty-one years ago)

and yeah, I think Red Transistor only did a single. In which case you could pick Blue Humans (for Grey connection) or Von Lmo or maybe Circle X.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:02 (twenty-one years ago)

i could do a singles list for sure. perhaps when i am not so tired.

these lists always make me feel like less of a tokenist for eras i'm generally not interested in when i really love something that doesn't make it

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

i think a lot of people will be buying a lot of these great albums this week based on this list...

if they don't already own them they are either 18 or just really really stupid.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

but yeah, no pere ubu = crazy talk

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

if they don't already own them they are either 18 or just really really stupid.

i mean, thats a bad point.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:07 (twenty-one years ago)

hstencil is crazy talkin x post

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:08 (twenty-one years ago)

you must everything that could possibly be canonical and everything that is better and more obscure than those albums

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:10 (twenty-one years ago)

say what now, Mr. Crazy Talk?

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:11 (twenty-one years ago)

a propos pere ubu. has anyone listened to the new david thomas & two pale boys? 18 monkeys... i have the feeling david thomas gets better and better with age. surf's up was awesome.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:12 (twenty-one years ago)

also, if they're gonna include London Calling, include this too (for crazy talkin'):

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:13 (twenty-one years ago)

so much better that a reformed ubu with thomas would be worth my while?

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:13 (twenty-one years ago)

thats from 1980, stencil.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:14 (twenty-one years ago)

there was supposed to be an 'own' in there somewhere, you get the idea. i will make a concerted effort to check my typos from now on, it really is getting out of hand.

(hstencil otm re:feelies)

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:14 (twenty-one years ago)

i see. you knew that.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:15 (twenty-one years ago)

"but yeah, no pere ubu = crazy talk"

there's still 20 more to go aren't there?

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:15 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah but i would really be surprised considering how many BIG CANONICAL CHOICES are yet to be filled

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:17 (twenty-one years ago)

It is odd considering how much pitcfork loves their Pixies, you'd think they give Pere Ubu some props.

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Q: what 5 key albums released by ECM in the 70s deserve to recognized on a best of 70s albums list?

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

dub housing got a 9.4 in the review section. so there is a slight chance.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:23 (twenty-one years ago)

but ecm is jazz. or sort of jazz. whereas miles davis embraced rock from the late 60s on.

and still keith jarrett's sun bear concerts are the best album(s) of all time.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:26 (twenty-one years ago)

release dates aren't always the year shit was recorded, either.

xpost - Q: what 5 key albums released by ECM in the 70s deserve to recognized on a best of 70s albums list?

ECM has never released 5 key albums in any decade.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 20:27 (twenty-one years ago)

if they don't already own them they are either 18 or just really really stupid.

That was pretty diplomatic. Maybe they just aren't interested in some of these albums or don't like them? (I'm not actually offended.)

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Thursday, 24 June 2004 21:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Dom, I dug out my copy of a tape of the Can't Stop It compilation and listened to the Voigt 465 track. Sounds like bad Kleenex. Maybe I'll listen to the tracks on No Night Sweats (if there are any) and see if I'm missing something.

Also, I don't think Red Transistor were outside of the No New York aesthetic context. All of those bands were different, for one thing. The organ playing in RT is maybe comparable to Robin Crutchfield's in DNA. I think there's some aesthetic commonality with Mars, too (Rudolph played with them)--more so than with Sightings.

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 24 June 2004 21:47 (twenty-one years ago)

If Pink Moon is anywhere other than #1 I'm gonna tear shit up

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 24 June 2004 21:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Tim, I don't know what track that is - but I have their complete recorded works (I think) on a CD that came out a few years ago. It's very good stuff, kind of a This Heat/Homosexuals/Drums and Wires-era XTC combo. Not all of it is greatness, but a lot of it is.

― dleone (dleone), Thursday, 24 June 2004 22:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Cool. I'm going to see if there's anything to download on that No Night Sweats site. (The track on that comp is "Voices, a Drama.")

― Tim Ellison, Friday, 25 June 2004 00:42 (twenty-one years ago)

"I could list every album from the 70s I've heard. That might make it to 100."

would the same apply to any pitchfork writers? i'm wondering just how many of them are experts on the 1970s. how many albums would one need to know from a decade to make a meaningful top 100?

― Michael Dubsky, Friday, 25 June 2004 01:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I like the list thus far.

― David Allen (David Allen), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:12 (twenty-one years ago)

everyone who listened to Histoire started a Pedophiles Anonymous chapter.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:17 (twenty-one years ago)

094 King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black

090 Fela Anikulapo Kuti & Africa '70 - Zombie

087 Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure

082 George Harrison - All Things Must Pass

079 Randy Newman - Sail Away
078 Anikulapo Kuti & Africa '70 - Expensive Shit

074 Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate
073 Van Halen - Van Halen
072 King Crimson - Red

068 Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters
067 Pink Floyd - Meddle
066 Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers

062 The Cars - The Cars
061 Beach Boys - Surf's Up

050 Tim Buckley - Starsailor
049 Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

039 Suicide - Suicide

035 The Pop Group - Y

028 The Beatles - Let It Be

--the above are the ones I have a big problem with. No "12 Songs" instead of "Sail Away." The Pop Group but not "Lick My Decals Off" or "Clear Spot"? The Beatles??! George Harrison? Fela, who is overrated, instead of "Sex Machine." "Surf's Up" instead of "Love You." No "Here, My Dear." No Funkadelic. Van Halen. Sure, have fun...

No "Radio City." No "Elis & Tom." Or the white "João Gilberto" album. Headhunters? Why not Roy Ayers and Ubiquity, then? TWO King Crimson albums. "For Your Pleasure" and not "Stranded"? Leonard fuckin' Cohen. Tim fuckin' Buckley, almost as overrated as his son. The Cars, then why not Cheap Trick or the Raspberries? Where's the Meters? Lee Dorsey? Wild Magnolias? Earth, Wind and Fire? Where for that matter is Sly's "Riot" (maybe it'll make the top ten?). Weird list, maan.

― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I highly doubt they'll miss There's a Riot Goin' On.

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Friday, 25 June 2004 01:46 (twenty-one years ago)

The Cars definitley deserve to be there.

― David Allen (David Allen), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Even my close personal friend Ringo and I realize the selection of the barely-qualified "Let It Be" is a sop. I'm beginning to lose hope for "Montrose." "Machine Head" is gonna be top five, though, right? Right?

― briania (briania), Friday, 25 June 2004 01:51 (twenty-one years ago)

I agree, Eddie, there should be THREE King Crimson albums on there!

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Friday, 25 June 2004 02:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I would really like to see what 101-200 were. Would any Pforker be able to post that here?
It would also be neat to read how many points each album earned to see how big the differences are.

― Nick Perich (drpenguin5), Friday, 25 June 2004 02:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Nick, I think Scott has access to all those stats and would be amenable to posting them here when all's said and done.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Friday, 25 June 2004 02:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Cool. I do like the list so far, accepting that it's not my list of course, but since most of the canonical albums will be already covered 101-200 might be a little more interesting and I might even find some new music to check out. If anything, that's my biggest dissapointment of this list so far. I've heard of (if not heard) everything. Your 80s list had a lot of fresh stuff for me, and the 90s had a small handful. Now some of those are favorites I don't know how I missed.

― Nick Perich (drpenguin5), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:11 (twenty-one years ago)

WTF?! No Pierrot Lunaire? No Heldon? No Lard Free? No Birge Gorge Shiroc? No Franco Battiato? It's as if these neophytes never perused the Nurse With Wound list. What a travesty.

― Dave Segal (Da ve Segal), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Speaking of Nurse With Wound, I did expect to see their debut somewhere on this list. That was 79 right? I don't think it would make Top 20 though...

― Nick Perich (drpenguin5), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, NWW's debut came out in '79. It has as much chance of making PFM's list as does Conrad Schnitzler's Ballet Statique.

― Dave Segal (Da ve Segal), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Or Hosono and Yokoo's magnificent Cochin Moon.

― Dave Segal (Da ve Segal), Friday, 25 June 2004 03:49 (twenty-one years ago)

No, I think that Nurse With Wound did have a chance, though certainly not now that just the top twenty remains. They're canonical, cool, and relatively well known, but the main reason I thought their debut had a bit of hope was because of the list. Yes, it may be a silly reason, but the list is what that album is known for. And a fine list it is.

By the way, no Nurse With Wound I've heard would make a personal Best of the Decade list. Granted, I haven't heard much... The one with Yagga Blues has a chance if the rest of the album is half as good as that phenomonal song.

― Nick Perich (drpenguin5), Friday, 25 June 2004 04:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Fela, who is overrated...

Now none of that.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Friday, 25 June 2004 05:48 (twenty-one years ago)

No Metal Box? has PiL's stock fallen that much?

― daria g (daria g), Friday, 25 June 2004 07:43 (twenty-one years ago)

as mentioned earlier, it was disqualified because "second edition" already placed in the '80s list.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Friday, 25 June 2004 07:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"haha i am really amazed no one has posted their own list yet"

i'm a bit surprised too. is anyone game enough to post theirs? i'd love to see individuals lists..

― Michael Dubsky, Friday, 25 June 2004 08:21 (twenty-one years ago)

if they don't already own them they are either 18 or just really really stupid.

i'm not really sure i understand this, stencil. certainly, by this criteria, i would qualify as really stupid, owning 7 of the 80 records in the list so far.

of course, an alternative reading of this would be that my music taste is divergent from 70s album rock music, which might also hold some validity.

i am also surprised by the annoyance at the lack of very obscure material in this list, especially as it is a multi-contributor poll, which by definition removes idiosyncratic choices, but even if it was a single-critic list, i don't know why anybody would be expecting something like metal urbain to show up. i like francois de roubaix better than any of the artists on this list, but i am neither surprised or disappointed by his non-inclusion.

the only omission so far that is potentially interesting, for me at least, is that of Tom Waits. again, i think this goes back to the fashions of different times, and that, perhaps from a us-indie perspective right now, the swordfishtrombones/frankswildyears era of waits is deemed better, certainly more in tune with the times. but, what i do wonder is, was 70s waits ever in tune with the pitchfork aesthetic, i have no idea, perhaps that will be illuminated by further responses...

― charltonlido (gareth), Friday, 25 June 2004 08:52 (twenty-one years ago)

the top 20 is up

― zebedee (zebedee), Friday, 25 June 2004 09:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I find the list to be very niche. There's no way a Best of the 70s list should have two albums by Can and two by King Crimson. Sure, both bands produced innovative and interesting music, but they hardly need more than one album on the list. There are too many important bands excluded to warrant it. And I see that general tendency on the list- it's obviously just a bunch of indie niche favorites. It refects a fashionable exalting of scene favorites.

Not that I really give a fuck.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Friday, 25 June 2004 10:08 (twenty-one years ago)

The Top 20 confirms it. This is just a comfortable list that predictably reflects contemporary tastes. But that's how it always goes, isn't it?

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Friday, 25 June 2004 10:11 (twenty-one years ago)

how many bowie albums were there in the end, 5?

― Michael Dubsky, Friday, 25 June 2004 10:13 (twenty-one years ago)

in the UK, Gang of four - Entertainment was released by EMI

why do Pitchfork say Warner Bros? was this album released by Warner Bros in US

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Friday, 25 June 2004 10:39 (twenty-one years ago)

this list has inspired me to listen to Low again

― Michael Dubsky, Friday, 25 June 2004 10:44 (twenty-one years ago)

yep. as painful as i remember

― Michael Dubsky, Friday, 25 June 2004 10:50 (twenty-one years ago)

why do Pitchfork say Warner Bros? was [Entertainment!] released by Warner Bros in US

Yes.

― Vic Funk, Friday, 25 June 2004 10:56 (twenty-one years ago)

two albums by Can

I think there are three Can albums in there - all pretty high, too

martian: yes, Go4 was released on EMI in the UK, Warners in the U.S.

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Friday, 25 June 2004 10:57 (twenty-one years ago)

#1 is the worst album in the whole list...

― Michael Dubsky, Friday, 25 June 2004 11:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow, Low huh? I gotta give 'em credit for delivering a totally left-field #1, I don't think anybody called that one. Great album, but it just doesn't seem to have that kind of "Best of the Decade" sheen about it, does it? Not quite like There's a Riot Goin' On, London Calling, Marquee Moon, Zoso, What's Goin' On, Exile, Who's Next or several others. Still, much respect to Pfork for pulling that one out of their collective asses ;)

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Still though, that's so NOT the best album of the 70s, probably the case of it showing up midway down almost everybody's list and winding up the consensus #1, much in the same way I think they ended up with Rapture at #1 for 2003.

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:06 (twenty-one years ago)

josh, I do think it sort of crowns this particular list pretty well and carries traces of a lot of different elements and sounds from throughout the decade - certainly more than London Calling or Marquee Moon, either of which would have just been a boring no. 1 anyway.

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:09 (twenty-one years ago)

is there anything even remotely resembling country on the list? alt-country backlash means no Parsons, Townes Van Zandt, Willie Nelson, Terry Allen shockah!

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Re: NWW list - I think you're expecting a bit much from a basically mainstream publication. That list hasn't yet infiltrated the canon of records most pop/rock/indie critics are familiar with, though some of the bands on it (Can, Faust, King Crimson, et al) are pretty well known. I would love to see the day when Heldon is placed along side Can as a great 70s band by the mainstream music press, but before that happens, a lot more places are going to have to write about them. It's no mystery - you can't vote for what you haven't heard or what you don't know anything about.

― dleone (dleone), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:22 (twenty-one years ago)

again though scott, i definitely agree that Low is a provocative choice, kudos for that, i was just saying i doubt it was too many people's #1.

― Josh Love (screamapillar), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I like Andy Beta's and dominique's personal 100s: I've only heard about 20 per cent of those records in each case, but the other 80 per cent is all stuff I feel I ought to hear.

― zebedee (zebedee), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:29 (twenty-one years ago)

No AC/DC?
No Abba?
No Black Sabbath?
No Deep Purple?
(no deep or sabbath but we have Van Halen?)
No Pere Ubu?
No Bob Marley?

Singles going steady should not be on the list due to a compilation rule! If that rule was taking place, how did "Substance" from either New Order or Joy Division not make the 80's list? grr.

oh by the way, it's funny that "Monty Python: Live at City Center" made Jonathan Zwickel's list

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:32 (twenty-one years ago)

oh, and this list need Gary Numan!

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:33 (twenty-one years ago)

but i guess not since Human League didn't even chart last year...

― Andrzej B. (Andrzej B.), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:33 (twenty-one years ago)

joy division's substance (and abba gold) both have things from the 70s and the 80s. new order's substance didn't qualify for that 80s list because I wasn't on staff yet (see also: no human league ;) ) to insist that 'no singles comps' was a stupid rule. (dunno if anyone would've listened to me or not...but I would have tried.)

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I was most disappointed by the ommissions of Queen and Abba. I really thought they would place something in this list, and I also think they mean *a lot* to the 70s.

― dleone (dleone), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Ryan even cut ABBA from the 'what else didn't make the list' thing! (along with Donna Summer and Steely Dan...does Ryan dislike the Dan?)

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Complaining about 2 Can albums when there are 5 fucking Bowie albums = mental

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:50 (twenty-one years ago)

(jon, there are three can albums and four bowie albums - sadly, none of which is station to station)

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:53 (twenty-one years ago)

HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES DO I HAVE TO READ THE WORDS "ARGUABLY" AND "CONTENTIOUS"???

agh it kills me

― antexit (antexit), Friday, 25 June 2004 11:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Marquee Moon at #3?

bah. a great record but... it's like the rotted condom in the wallet of music critics everywhere. everyone's way too eager to want to use it and when they finally do it's kinda iffy.
m.

― msp, Friday, 25 June 2004 12:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Really really surprised that neither Radio City nor #1 Record made the cut. Those are two of my all-time favorites.

― Mr. Snrub, Friday, 25 June 2004 12:21 (twenty-one years ago)

i am very surprised that NoNY and blank generation didnt make it.

im really disappointed that sabbath didnt make it. that seems to be the major failing of this list...

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 12:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Is that the first time Low topped a list like this? I can't remember seeing that before.

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 25 June 2004 12:40 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, no sabbath is pretty weak. no queen either...
m.

― msp, Friday, 25 June 2004 12:41 (twenty-one years ago)

fuck, no queen? CORNY INDIE FUCKS I HATE YOU FAGTOGS

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Friday, 25 June 2004 12:43 (twenty-one years ago)

which queen album do you think should have made it?

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 12:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm impressed by how accurate some people's guess about what would be in the top 20 were. This isn't quite my world, so in many cases I don't know what is obviously likely to be included.

x-post: in fact it was you, peter smith, I was thinking of in particular.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 25 June 2004 12:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Sheer Heart Attack

x-post

― dleone (dleone), Friday, 25 June 2004 12:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Sheer Heart Attack ... although I do have a soft spot for II and Jazz. Corny fucks, eat shit Bowie felchers!!!!!!!@!

xpost

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Friday, 25 June 2004 12:52 (twenty-one years ago)

thank you, rockist.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 12:53 (twenty-one years ago)

which album has killer queen?

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 12:53 (twenty-one years ago)

exactly, SHA, II and Jazz are my faves

killer queen is on SHA

― dleone (dleone), Friday, 25 June 2004 12:54 (twenty-one years ago)

II is the secret favorite album of all tech-noise metal bands

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Friday, 25 June 2004 12:56 (twenty-one years ago)

oh man i love killer queen.

JUSTlike marieANtoinette

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 12:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I might use this as an excuse to go buy Low. It's on my list already and oddly I'm not sure I've ever heard the whole thing.

I don't any Can albums, and I feel pretty good about that. Even though I've been watching Krautrock's reputation grow, I'm still a little surprised by just how much of it made it onto this list.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:07 (twenty-one years ago)

hey guys not to get off the 70s rant
but read this... a glorious i hate pitchfork rant
http://www.bossflicksnpicks.blogspot.com/

― emmmmm, Friday, 25 June 2004 13:08 (twenty-one years ago)

once you get by the !!! part it gets interesting...

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I haven't read all the blurbs (and I'm not planning on doing so), but there seems to be a really strong sense of a narrative in which certain bands are on the list at least partly because they led to punk, which begat indie; or because they were doing post-rock before in the 70s, or what have you.

(I think I'll save Low for the fall. It seem more like autumn listening.)

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:10 (twenty-one years ago)

that guy makes me wanna puke.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:14 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, rockist. id save it. i think its winter, really. theres this really pervasive sense of hibernation, i guess owing to what we know about the circumstances of the album. the second side is one of these things that rides the apocalyptic/serene line really deftly.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:16 (twenty-one years ago)

and thats not what summer is all about.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Rockist guy, Low isn't all that great. "Sound & Vision"'s nice and everything, but you may be in for some big disappointment. Tago Mago might be more worth your while.

No Sabbath, no Townes Van Zandt, no Gram Parsons, no Crosby Stills or Nash, no Earth, Wind or Fire, no Tull, no Yes, no Queen, no Pere Ubu, no Bob Marley, no Willie, no Cars? But FIVE Bowie albums? There's revisionary, and then there's retarded.

― Cint, Friday, 25 June 2004 13:17 (twenty-one years ago)

4 bowie albums...

tago mago is totally worth your while, its true.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:19 (twenty-one years ago)

again, there are "only" four bowie albums (and there is a cars lp)

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:19 (twenty-one years ago)

including a Cars LP is retarded enough.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:21 (twenty-one years ago)

emmmmmmmm, you pal's blog conveniently - no, intentionally - disregards my Giuliani review to further his thin premise. Disregarded.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Chris, how many pavement albums do you own?

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I think the point was that the attitude toward the album (falsely)disregards the preceding hype, including the appropriately glowing single review.

― dave g (nameom), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:28 (twenty-one years ago)

i am still confused by the assertion that owning a small number of these records marks you out as really stupid. it seems to me, at least, that this is culturally specific? obviously you dont mean everyone should own a large number of these records (minsk labourers, ankara businessmen etc), but then, its not clear who? ILM readers, i guess, but i can only construe that as reasserting the primacy of punk/prog/rock/indie/guitars as central to music, but i'm unclear as to why this should be so. or perhaps there are mitigating factors to not having very many of this type of record, that you haven't outlined yet?

― charltonlido (gareth), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:31 (twenty-one years ago)

although, now that i have seen the full 100, i do creep into double figures in the number that i have, so perhaps i'm not so bad after all:)

― charltonlido (gareth), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I own 14.

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:36 (twenty-one years ago)

you are less stupid than i. perhaps this explains your sunny demeanour?

― charltonlido (gareth), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I was joking, gareth.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:40 (twenty-one years ago)

"a poor perfomance from lido there clive"

"yes ron, he allowed himself to be nutmegged by the persistant noisedude stencil, he'll be embarrassed by that"

"indeed clive, i've said this all match, a lack of a sense of humour and some poor positional play means lido will have to take the blame there, i think he'll probably lose his place in the starting xi for the next match against the matador board"

"got to cut you short there ron, we have lido in the tunnel for a quick interview...

lido, so what happened with the goal"

"i dont know, clive, one of the noise dudes hit a crossfield ball, and all of a sudden stencil was running at me, i thought he was going to go left, so i went outside, but then he cut back inside with some metal urbain talk, and i was always going to be struggling from there, i hold my hands up, ive apologised to the rest of the lads, it was a good piece of teamwork by them, though, and the goal was well taken"

"thanks lido"

and there you have it, a close game, but, the humour frailties of the electrogabbajungle cru exposed by the noisedudes, and they'll have to toughen up at the back, if they are to stand any chance against the neo-folk boys next week at goodison park.

― charltonlido (gareth), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I am dissapointed Bat out of Hell didn't make this list.

― Anonymous, Please, Friday, 25 June 2004 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Unless I missed it no Springsteen. He's kind of in an interesting position because there is no other way to appreciate his music other than at face value. His perceived sincerity works against him for post Gen-Xers. 20 year old kids who watch That 70s Show can get into Boston or Aerosmith easy enough, for example, because there is something fun about the anti-punk pomp in addition to the merits of the music. But Springsteen never had that or experimented enough to build a cult like, say, Neil Young. I expect that Nebraska will always be the only record of his the indie crowd has use for.

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:52 (twenty-one years ago)

"well, we have alan, ian and peter reid here with us in the studio, what did you make of that alan?"

"well, against that type of opposition you cant do that gary, lido was nutmegged by stencil pure and simple, and all across the back of the park, the electrogabbajungle cru just weren't at the races, hulkingont didnt have a good game on the right, fitzgerald out injured at glastonbury, and hoofing it forward to finney and siegbran just hasnt been working for them. personally i think hulkington, lido and grossman to start working harder at getting the ball forward to chow, dog latin and vahid, who frankly, weren't helping much."

"well, thats exactly it alan, i feel lido was left exposed in the heart of defence by his teammates, it looked like he was the only one out there prepared to go head to head against what seemed like a tidal wave of indie and noise, sooner or later, he was bound to slip up"

― charltonlido (gareth), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

With the exception of #1, that's a pretty good top 20.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:55 (twenty-one years ago)

"but, looking on the bright side peter, at least they trounced the sinister boys, last week"

"oh, definitely, those twee motherfuckers got caned"

― charltonlido (gareth), Friday, 25 June 2004 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

hmmm. somehow london calling got paranoid's spot. and t. rex and bowie got switched. and where did saturday nite fever go???

― vahid (vahid), Friday, 25 June 2004 14:14 (twenty-one years ago)

charltonlido, maybe if you owned more of these albums, you'd have a better sense of humor? I'm sure I would.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 25 June 2004 14:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Four writers chose Pink Floyd albums as #1. They are whacks.

― dathompson, Friday, 25 June 2004 14:25 (twenty-one years ago)

It is interesting that Low wasn't even close to finishing at #1 on anybody's list. (I think it was #3 on one list)

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 25 June 2004 14:26 (twenty-one years ago)

how can anyone think Electric Warrior is better than The Slider? I mean I love the former, but compared with the latter there's no contest.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 25 June 2004 14:28 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah! exACTly. the slider is so much better. damn, i wanna hear that right now.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 14:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I own three Pavement albums and more to the point, six from R.E.M. God, what's wrong with me.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Friday, 25 June 2004 14:40 (twenty-one years ago)

YOU SHOW FEELINGS OF AN ALMOST HUMAN NATURE

― GOD, Friday, 25 June 2004 14:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Jon, I challenge you.

― Thor, Friday, 25 June 2004 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

charltonlido! Was not arguing that MORE OBSCURE ALBUMS SHOULD BE ON THERE. Just questioning the canonization of Wire, Gang of 4, Pop Group, etc. IN AND OF ITSELF. There was a time when Wire and Pop Group WERE fairly obscure.

CHRIS OTT! Every time you call me "insane," I'm going to respond sarcastically. Here's my response this time:

"Oh, yeah, no, of course, 'Ex-Lion Tamer' is one of the GREATEST SONGS EVVAAAHH."

― Tim Ellison, Friday, 25 June 2004 15:04 (twenty-one years ago)

The real fault of that senseless rant, Chris, is that the guy unyieldingly praises "Dance-Punk."

― Thor, Friday, 25 June 2004 15:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I have my yields. What's wrong with dancepunk?

― nameom (nameom), Friday, 25 June 2004 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa DAHLING oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Friday, 25 June 2004 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)

No Slayer? THIS LIST IS BULLSHIT!!!!!

(But seriously, no Sabbath?)

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Friday, 25 June 2004 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

a far cry from its origins of oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa MARXISM oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa oompa

― dleone (dleone), Friday, 25 June 2004 15:18 (twenty-one years ago)

blahblahblahPOST-ALTAMONTblahblahblahVIETNAMblahblahblahEXPERIMENTALblahblahblahENOBOWIECANetcetc

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 25 June 2004 15:18 (twenty-one years ago)

television sucks btw

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Friday, 25 June 2004 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I would think for your average ILM reader/record nurd, any of these generalized lists of records are usually not going to help much. Start a list with a bunch of truly obscure knowledge on psych, free jazz, 70s metal, minimal techno, shoegazer, etc. then you will find some people discovering some new records and artists.

The only obscure artists on the list are mostly that way because their records are not or have not been in print as often like Tim Buckley, Cluster, The Congos, and The Pop Group. One may be able to state that "Starsailor" is better than "Highway to Hell", but try finding ten people in a room that have heard the Buckley record, let alone owning a copy.

― earlnash, Friday, 25 June 2004 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

THere should be a top 100 list that disallows records by certain canonized, predictable bands. Not because they're bad at all, but because they're obvious choices.

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 25 June 2004 15:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Dom's got it - actualization through recontextualization! HEADY WORDS IN THE GUTTER YOU READ IT HERE.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Friday, 25 June 2004 15:48 (twenty-one years ago)

That list is bullshit. Hall of the Mountain Grill is a way better record than Low. Anyone who doesn't think so can suck a fart.

― arthur gordon pym, Friday, 25 June 2004 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)

What's wrong with dancepunk?
TT hates it, that's what!

― Thor, Friday, 25 June 2004 15:59 (twenty-one years ago)

The idea of polling is odd when there are only, what, fifteen voters?

― Tim Ellison, Friday, 25 June 2004 16:14 (twenty-one years ago)

That's pretty numericist.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 25 June 2004 16:38 (twenty-one years ago)

completely agree with low! great pick... great album because even though recorded in 76 it still sounds modern (why was station to station not on list).. very modern (as opposed to say a who's next)... my favorite bowie record too....i love the way it takes krautrock and synthesizes it into something more palatable/listenable...i also think its great to pick an album from 76 rather than say london calling right from the end... you can see how low influenced bands like joy division later on....

― serge, Friday, 25 June 2004 16:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Fact fans:

12 of the 15 writers listed Low but none higher than 3rd (that was ol' Schreiber himself.)

Blood on the Tracks and Dark Side of the Moon were #1 on TWO separate writers' lists. The former appeared on 10 lists and finished #5 overall. The latter appeared on only 4 lists and finished #70 overall.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 25 June 2004 16:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Steely Dan's highest-ranking album (while still below the Top 100) would've been Katy Lied (individual votes at #11, #40, and #72), but very closely followed by Aja (#19, #54, and #87). The Royal Scam got one vote (#19).

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 25 June 2004 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

(Also Countdown to Ecstasy one vote at #78.)

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 25 June 2004 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

How a few albums I was curious about fared:

Nurse with Wound: Chance Meeting on a Dissecting Table (Schrieber 82)

Van Morrison: Moondance [the biggest ommision in my opinion] (55, 57, 58)

Station to Station (13, 66, 27)

Sticky Fingers (46, 49, 62)

Gram Parsons - S/T or GA (NO VOTES!)

Layla (26, 65)

#1 Record (84, 36, 100, 9)

anything by Magma (1, 38, 68, 89 53)

Jaco Pastorius (62, 90)

Bat Out of Hell (no votes)

Bulent (no votes)

Blue Oyster Cult (no votes)

Antonio Carlos Jobim (no votes)

Niel Young - Tonight's the Night (NO VOTES!!)

― Nick Perich (drpenguin5), Friday, 25 June 2004 17:26 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah - thats amazing that tonights the night got no votes and on the beach ended up on the list... shows you what a high profile reissue does...

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I cant link to the individual lists page. What about Rusrt Never Sleeps or Live Rust? Any votes? Wierd.

― danh (danh), Friday, 25 June 2004 17:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Apart from the two on the list, these are the only albums to get mentions:

Rust Never Sleeps: 48, 67, 68
Harvest: 24, 47
American Stars and Bars: 45

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:04 (twenty-one years ago)

There were more Magma votes than I thought there would be - too bad they're a little split between albums, because had more of them been for Live/Hhai, it actually might have stood a chance of making the final list. And then the world would have exploded.

― dleone (dleone), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:15 (twenty-one years ago)

shows you what a high profile reissue does

I don't think that matters. On the Beach has had the reputation for being among his better albums for years. I bet it would've charted the nearly the same had it not been reissued (Tim Buckley certainly wasn't heard by being unavailable on CD).

― Vic Funk, Friday, 25 June 2004 18:25 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah - but tonight's the night seems to enjoy the exact same reputation among the same crowds (except PFM writers, apparently). i dont have any problem with OTB making the list, i love that album. it does seem like OTB finally being released on cd has led to it being in fairly high fashion these days. im not sure thats undeserved, but tonights the night shouldve at least made a few lists...

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)

*TEARS SHIT UP*

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Friday, 25 June 2004 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)

NO EINSTIEIN ON THE BEACH

― People love Gravity and Ebullition! (ex machina), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:32 (twenty-one years ago)

dude, that song is from the 90s.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Tim Buckley certainly wasn't heard by being unavailable on CD

Um, "...certainly wasn't hurt..." was what I meant to type.

Is there a link for the individual lists? I didn't see them when I looked this morning.

― Vic Funk, Friday, 25 June 2004 18:36 (twenty-one years ago)

vic: http://pitchforkmedia.com/top/70s/lists.shtml

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah - its on the opening page

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:38 (twenty-one years ago)

i am very surprised that NoNY and blank generation didnt make it.

NoNY, now there's an album I can't fucking STAND. Crazy unlistenable noisy tosh with no melodies at all.

― Mr. Snrub, Friday, 25 June 2004 18:38 (twenty-one years ago)

hey - when i click between the PFM page and this one, the browser heading changes sooo little.

sloooooow day.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:39 (twenty-one years ago)

and arent you surprised it didnt make it?

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:40 (twenty-one years ago)

"I don't any Can albums, and I feel pretty good about that."

It's like boasting about how you like sitting around in your own excrement.

― Blightersrock (Da ve Segal), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:58 (twenty-one years ago)

The world is seriously messed up when 15 people pick 100 albums each and none of those 1500 is called "Bat Out of Hell".
I'm not even saying that it deserved to be in the top 100 ... but ZERO votes? Whoa.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Like a bat outta hell, that album will be turned off if I am in the room.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

hey scott pl, what is the exact procedure for the list? is it 100 points for a #1 vote, 99 points for a #2 vote,...,1 point for a #100 vote? and then just take the sum of each album?

if not, it might be interesting to see how that tally stacks up.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:14 (twenty-one years ago)

There's no Chrome you buncha queer boobies!

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Peter, that's what I assumed it was (although of course I have no idea). Under that system, album #99 (After the Gold Rush) beats out #100 (Before and After Science) 227 points to 220 points.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:18 (twenty-one years ago)

(And Low beats London Calling 985 points to 903 points.)

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

that seems about right, then.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Let It Be's presence on this list pretty much invalidates the entire enterprise.

― Blightersrock (Da ve Segal), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Chris, despite mixing up Tonights the Night with the Wall, you're list is really quite good. Better than the final, I'd say. Toys in the Attic is important to have on there.

― danh (danh), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

It's like boasting about how you like sitting around in your own excrement.

Has the average age of ILM posters dropped to down to 12 recently?

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:25 (twenty-one years ago)

And come to think about it, that's about the age I was most excited about Krautrock.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:26 (twenty-one years ago)

"your" list, "your" list

― danh (danh), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:27 (twenty-one years ago)

In terms of grammar and spelling, I'm down at about the 7 year old level

― danh (danh), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Did I overlook Tusk, Sticky Fingers (or Some Girls, even)???

If not, then you've gotta be fucking kidding me.

― T-roy, Friday, 25 June 2004 19:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Did I overlook Tusk, Sticky Fingers (or Some Girls, even)???

Didn't Tusk come out in 1980 or so?

― Salmon Pink (Salmon Pink), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:47 (twenty-one years ago)

i am glad neither london calling nor marquee moon made #1. because they are so fucking tedious. low is all right. another consensus choice but a good one. my #1 would have been keith jarrett's sapporo concert, am i the only person on ilm to care about keith?

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Friday, 25 June 2004 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

No, Tusk is 1979.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 25 June 2004 20:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Tusk: 1 vote (46)
Sticky Fingers: 3 votes (46, 49, 62)
Some Girls: 2 votes (22, 85)

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 25 June 2004 20:14 (twenty-one years ago)

although, now that i have seen the full 100, i do creep into double figures in the number that i have, so perhaps i'm not so bad after all:)
-- charltonlido (charltonlid...), June 25th, 2004.

I own 14.

-- People love Gravity and Ebullition! (Jonathan(dot)Williams@Google's_Amazing_New_Free_Email_Service(dot)com), June 25th, 2004.

I just counted and I've got 44 of these...

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Friday, 25 June 2004 20:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Ihave17.

― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Friday, 25 June 2004 20:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I have heard about 30 in their entirety (this doesn't count Led Zep and The Who and Pink Floyd and shit which I probably have heard accidently or piecemeal or something). There is a lot of stuff I plan on hearing in there, but the list didn't clue me into anything (yeah no one else either, i know). The individual lists, though, are pretty cool. esp. dlleone's.

― artdamages (artdamages), Friday, 25 June 2004 20:49 (twenty-one years ago)

but the list didn't clue me into anything (yeah no one else either, i know)

I guess the thing that some people want from these lists is like their first time reading the NWW list. Like "whoa, I've only heard of like 10 of these guys. Look at all this cool previously unknown shit for me to check out!" That never happens, and I don't see how it could with a list of this type, so I'm over it. Overall I think the list is pretty good for what it is. I feel the same way about PF in general.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Friday, 25 June 2004 21:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Typically*, I only own 9 of these albums (Clash, Television, Gang of Four, Stooges, both Nick Drakes, Modern Lovers, Steve Reich, Joni Mitchell).

*in the sense that I'm always the music geek who owns the least amount of music

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 25 June 2004 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

it would have happened to me 3 years ago w/this list. i am sure a lot of pfm's readers will discover cool stuff from it (as someone said way upthread). so for that its really great.

the nurse w/wound list hurts my head just reading it.

― artdamages (artdamages), Friday, 25 June 2004 21:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I've got 38 of the top 100. not bad.

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 25 June 2004 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Ned has 127 of them.

― artdamages (artdamages), Friday, 25 June 2004 21:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Has the average age of ILM posters dropped to down to 12 recently?

And come to think about it, that's about the age I was most excited about Krautrock.
-- Rockist Scientist (heterophoni...), June 25th, 2004.

Sure you did. Then you embarked upon your Xenakis and Barry Truax phases.
Because any mature individual knows that krautrock is merely part of youth's folly.

― Dave Segal (Da ve Segal), Friday, 25 June 2004 23:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I've got 22 of them. But there are loads more than I'm very familiar with but have never gotten around to owning. You know, stuff that's always just *there* ... i.e. "The Wall", "Zeppelin III", "London Calling", "Saturday Night Fever", etc. I guess I'm just not a big 70's collector.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 26 June 2004 00:20 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't want 21 of them, i don't have 15 of the rest so that makes 64 i own.

like many have commented, pere ubu's 1st is a noteable miss.

others i would have included are:

fripp and eno - (no pussyfooting) or evening star
henry cow - unrest or legend
neu! - neu! 2 or 64
slapp happy - slappy happy or desperate straights
patti smith - horses (where the hell is this?)
art bears - hopes and fears
captain beefheart - any
faust - s/t
philip glass - music with changing parts (his best piece for sure)
lou reed - transformer or berlin
steely dan - any
this heat - s/t
bill withers (maybe)
stevie wonder - talking book (better than innervisions)

― phil turnbull (philT), Saturday, 26 June 2004 01:10 (twenty-one years ago)

And no Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. That's some kind of shitty list.

― BanjoMania (Brilhante), Saturday, 26 June 2004 05:52 (twenty-one years ago)

That's a pretty hot list Phil!

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Saturday, 26 June 2004 06:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Holy Crap! i own 57 of these

― My Underwear Is Melting (My Underwear Is Melting), Saturday, 26 June 2004 07:06 (twenty-one years ago)

This fucking top 100 list only has 100 albums, la-ame.

― David Allen (David Allen), Saturday, 26 June 2004 07:16 (twenty-one years ago)

There's about 7 of these i don't have, including 2 Kuti and 2 Miles Davis. I guess i shouldn't criticize their tastes ..

― Michael Dubsky, Saturday, 26 June 2004 07:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I have 25, which is higher than I expected. I listen to at least 10 of those, I think.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Saturday, 26 June 2004 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

eight months pass...

With our 70's poll imminent, here's the rest of this poll's results for comparison:

101 Gene Clark - No Other
102 Roxy Music - Country Life
103 Roxy Music - Siren
104 Talking Heads - 77
105 David Bowie - Heroes
106 Neu - ‘75
107 Black Sabbath - Paranoid
108 The Meters - Rejeuvenation
109 John Cale - Paris 1919
110 Randy Newman - Good Old Boys
111 Brian Eno - Discreet Music
112 Igor Wakhevitch - Docteur Faust
113 Lou Reed - Transformer
114 Pharoah Sanders - Black Unity
115 David Bowie - Station to Station
116 Pere Ubu - The Modern Dance
117 Yes - Close to the Edge
118 James Brown - Sex Machine
119 New York Dolls - New York Dolls
120 This Heat - This Heat
121 Sparks - Kimono My House
122 Curtis Mayfield - Curtis
123 Mahavishnu Orchestra - Inner Mounting Flame
124 Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger
125 John Lennon - Imagine
126 Magma - Live/Hhai
127 Steely Dan - Katy Lied
128 Big Star - #1 Record
129 Julius Hemphill - Dogon A.D.
130 Manuel Gottsching - Inventions for Electric Guitar
131 PIL - Public Image
132 ABBA - Arrival
133 Billy Joel - The Stranger
134 David Bowie - Lodger
135 Scritti Politti: 4 A-Sides
136 John Fahey - America
137 Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
138 Jimi Hendrix - Band of Gypsys
139 T Rex - The Slider
140 Brian Eno - Ambient Music For Airports
141 Tom Waits - Closing Time
142 Art Bears - Winter Songs
143 Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey
144 Philip Glass - Einstein on the Beach
145 Smokey Robinson - A Quiet Storm
146 The Allman Brothers - Eat a Peach
147 The Doors - L.A Woman
148 Richard Hell - Blank Generation
149 Cluster - II
150 Germs - GI
151 Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
152 Stevie Wonder - Songs In The Key Of Life
153 Grateful Dead - American Beauty
154 Steely Dan - Aja
155 Bob Marley - Catch a Fire
156 Durutti Column - The Return of the Durutti Column
157 The Kinks - Muswell Hillbillies
158 Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchadananda
159 Kraftwerk - Autobahn
160 Van Morrison - Moondance
161 Junior Murvin - Police & Thieves
162 Neil Young - Harvest
163 Pere Ubu - Dub Housing
164 Queen - Sheer Heart Attack
165 Yes - Fragile
166 The Damned - Damned Damned Damned
167 Elvis Costello - Armed Forces
168 Pink Floyd - Animals
169 Big Star - Radio City
170 King Crimson - Larks Tongues in Aspic
171 The Meters - Look-Ka Py Py
172 Brian Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
173 The Upsetters - Super Ape
174 Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue
175 Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps
176 Harmonia - Deluxe
177 The Who - Quadrophenia
178 Bob Dylan - Self-Portrait
179 Patti Smith - Horses
180 Magazine - Real Life
181 Derek and the Dominoes - Layla and Assorted Love Songs
182 Gavin Bryars - The Sinking of the Titanic
183 Jam - All Mod Cons
184 Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
185 Bruce Haack - Electric Lucifer
186 Sly & The Family Stone - Fresh
187 Chic - C’est Chic
188 Vashti Bunyan - Another Diamond Day
189 Genesis - Selling England by the Pound
190 Fripp & Eno - Evening Star
191 Grateful Dead - Workingman’s Dead
192 Parliament - Mothership Connection
193 Faust - Tapes
194 Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story
195 Funkadelic - America Eats its Young
196 Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
197 Pere Ubu - New Picnic Time
198 Van Morrison - St Dominic’s Preview
199 Frank Zappa - Joe’s Garage Acts 2 & 3
200 Ornette Coleman - Skies of America

― Keith C (kcraw916), Saturday, 19 March 2005 20:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Superfly got pwned

― a banana (alanbanana), Saturday, 19 March 2005 21:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Right, it should have been #92, Hendrix somehow made it in there instead

― Keith C (kcraw916), Saturday, 19 March 2005 22:48 (twenty-one years ago)

The severe lack of dub makes me further question the relevence of P-Fork.

And guys, c'mon, "Docteur Faust" above "Transformer"....?

― Nic de Teardrop (Nicholas), Sunday, 20 March 2005 03:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow. That's great. Do you happen to have a list like this for their 80s or 90s list?

I mean....uh... fuck this.

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Sunday, 20 March 2005 04:22 (twenty-one years ago)

No, I don't have that. Their 90's redux poll would be possible to do but it's much less interesting to me. And they never posted the indiv. writer's lists for the 80's poll, so that'd be impossible.

― Keith C (kcraw916), Sunday, 20 March 2005 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

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