Q Top 50 2003

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This list is kind of historical, in that for the first time since they started in 1986, Q have chosen to rank all their 50 picks. Other than that, the list is very much as usual, i.e. like the other mags:

1. The White Stripes – Elephant
2. Blur – Think Tank
3. The Mars Volta – De-Loused In The Comatorium
4. Kings Of Leon – Youth And Young Manhood
5. Justin Timberlake – Justified
6. 50 Cent – Get Rich Or Die Tryin’
7. The Strokes – Room On Fire
8. Outkast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
9. The Darkness – Permission To Land
10. Janes’s Addiction – Strays
11. Radiohead – Hail To The Thief
12. Elbow – Cast Of Thousand
13. Dizzee Rascal – Boy In Da Corner
14. Muse – Absolution
15. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell
16. Johnny Cash – The Man Comes Around
17. Sean Paul – Dutty Rock
18. The Thrills – So Much For The City
19. The Roots – Phrenology
20. The Distillers – Coral Fang
21. The Coral – Magic And Medicine
22. Zwan – Mary Star Of The Sea
23. Afi – Sing The Sorrow
24. Super Furry Animals – Phantom Power
25. Basement Jaxx – Kish Kash
26. The Sleepy Jackson – Lovers
27. The Rapture - Echoes
28. Audioslave – Audioslave
29. Beth Gibbons & Rustin’ Man – Out Of Season
30. Electric Six – Fire
31. The Black Keys – Thickfreakness
32. Athlete – Vehicles & Animals
33. Dave Gahn – Paper Monsters
34. The Dandy Wahols – Welcome To The Monkey House
35. Goldfrapp – Black Cherry
36. Iggy Pop – Skull Rising
37. Four Tet – Rounds
38. My Morning Jacket – It Still Moves
39. Tom McRae – Just Like Blood
40. Hot Hot Heat – Make Up The Breakdown
41. Stereophonics – You Gotta Go There To Come Back
42. Bubba Sparxxx – Deliverance
43. Fountains Of Wayne – Welcome Interstate Managers
44. Pink – Try This
45. Audio Bullys – Ego War
46. Ryan Adams – Rock N’ Roll
47. British Sea Power – The Decline Of British Sea Power
48. Calexico – Feast Of Wine
49. Peaches – Fatherfucker
50. Kylie Minogue – Body Language

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

wow...Jane's Addiction finishes high in both Q and NME! I got the impression that everybody thought (correctly) that it was just sort of professional and boring....was it received better in the UK than in the States, or am I out of touch?

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:04 (twenty-two years ago)

"I can't think of 50. What else came out? Jane's Addiction!"

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Wow. Blur has some very loyal record critic fans in the UK! I mean, I like that record and all, but jeezy creezy, rating it that high is just nutty.

Q really likes the rock n' roll, huh?

Re: Kings Of Leon - I just don't fucking get it.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Kind of agree regarding Blur. "Think Tank" was a huge step in the right direction after the disaster that was "13", but it certainly wasn't that good!

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Re: Kings Of Leon - I just don't fucking get it

I thought I hated them, then heard them being played at a party while drunk on Saturday and I was digging it....

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:09 (twenty-two years ago)

The Thrills - bahaahahahahaahha!

― jed (jed_e_3), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:38 (twenty-two years ago)

i mean there's lots more to laugh at but thats what lept out!

― jed (jed_e_3), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:39 (twenty-two years ago)

The Thrills are great. Definitely one of the albums of the year!

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:41 (twenty-two years ago)

i knew that - Geir would like that poxy melodic band ! ...pass the bucket i want to be sick everytime I hear The Thrills on radio. A Ghastly cliched band.

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:47 (twenty-two years ago)

The Thrills sound exactly the way all music sounded in the past, and the way all music should still sound.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:48 (twenty-two years ago)

...not around me thanks !

― DJ Martian (djmartian), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Geir, I love melody and all, but you freak me out.

― Matthew Perpetua (Matthew Perpetua), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 00:52 (twenty-two years ago)

nice to see phrenology in there...

― stevie (stevie), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 01:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, it was one of the best albums of 2002.

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 01:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Phrenology, Elbow and The White Stripes are the ones that got me excited.

― pete s, Wednesday, 17 December 2003 01:20 (twenty-two years ago)

They're definitely very innovative, yes.

― man, Wednesday, 17 December 2003 01:21 (twenty-two years ago)

And an honourable mention for the Coral, they're good lads.

― pete s, Wednesday, 17 December 2003 01:21 (twenty-two years ago)

good at being shithouse second-rate Shack ripoffs yeah

― the surface noise (electricsound), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 01:43 (twenty-two years ago)

i like em so nyeh

― pete s, Wednesday, 17 December 2003 02:02 (twenty-two years ago)

So far, every single year-end best of I've read has Elephant at number one.

― Christian Rawk (Christian Rawk), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 02:05 (twenty-two years ago)

This is, however, the first list I've read that has Blur at number two. I thought that Blur album, while ambitious, was a bloated mess.

― Christian Rawk (Christian Rawk), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 02:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Out of Season was 2002, surely?

― bham, Wednesday, 17 December 2003 10:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes

― man, Wednesday, 17 December 2003 10:54 (twenty-two years ago)

that is just such an old timer's list. outkast and dizzee are merely alibies. they hate hip hop. i mean, 50 Cent, WTF???

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 12:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Old timers who hate hip hop = the key demographic of Q's readership?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 12:20 (twenty-two years ago)

right, exactly: it's no surprise, so why are they even trying???

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 12:21 (twenty-two years ago)

The key demographic of Q's readership != the tastes of the entire writing / editorial staff?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 12:23 (twenty-two years ago)

+ tokenism, obv.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 12:24 (twenty-two years ago)

hmmmm, I have three from this one. does this make me a Q demographic?

― chris (chris), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 12:25 (twenty-two years ago)

trudat, but maybe i'm just reding my own faith into this. the paper where i work is dominated by old rockist reviewers, and i am still considered 'the young & crazy one' even though i am 31 and have been with the paper for almost six years.

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 12:26 (twenty-two years ago)

reAding with an A, that should of course have said...

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 12:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not sure what to say about a list which completely ignores the concept of a calendar year. Beth Gibbons and Justin Timberlake weren't even released that late in 2002.

― The Lex (The Lex), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 13:24 (twenty-two years ago)

all these lists confirm my point of not doing end of year lists anymore... i always fear that i'll leave something really good outside, and then when i see these lists i realize that not even a 5% of it got me excited enough as to vote them. most of these records are ok, but... best of the year?

― joan vich (joan vich), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 13:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Jay Kid what's yr point?

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

About 50 Cent, I mean.

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

My Haul..

1. The White Stripes – Elephant

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 14:04 (twenty-two years ago)

The good thoughts amongst the dark ones I had when reading this included vague gratification at Kish Kash even going top 25 and Deliverance making it at all. But my other personal top 3 choice, Richard X, was of course, nowhere!

― Barima (Barima), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

>andrew,
i think that the 50 cent record is averagely distasteful dre exploitment of the gangsta myth, nothing more. and yes, 'in da club' is a banger. SFW? i can name at least ten hip hop records from 2003 that deserve to be rated higher. not because i find them more sympathetic, but because i find the music MUCH BETTER!

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 16:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Forgot to mention Calexico, that's a good record.

― pete s, Wednesday, 17 December 2003 19:42 (twenty-two years ago)

And Orchestra Baobab - Specialists in all Styles.
Cracking album.

― pete s, Wednesday, 17 December 2003 19:46 (twenty-two years ago)

::::sigh::::

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 20:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Beth Gibbons was reissued in 2003, so I don't have a problem including it in a 2003 list. It would make more sense for a US magazine, though.

― dlp9001, Wednesday, 17 December 2003 20:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Just to follow up Christian Rawk's point upthread about Elephant being #1 in all the magazine lists - it isn't in Uncut. It's at 23.

UNCUT albums of 2003

1 Warren Zevon - The Wind
2 Emmylou Harris - Stumble into Grace
3 John Cale - Hobo Sapiens
4 Willard Grant Conspiracy - Regard the end
5 Robert Wyatt - Cuckooland
6 Josh Rouse - 1972
7 Hamell on Trial - Tough Love
8 Four Tet - Rounds
9 Paul Westerburg - Come feel me tremble
10 Tahiti 80 - Wallpaper for the soul
11 Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros - Streetcore
12 Kraftwerk - Tour de France: Soundtracks
13 The Feiry Furnaces - Gallowsbird's Bark
14 The Handsome Family - Singing Bones
15 The Waterboys - Universal Hall
16 Dizee Rascal - Boy in da corner
17 Gillian Welch - Soul Journey
18 Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
19 Lucinda Williams - World without Tears
20 Fleetwood Mac - Say you Will
21 My Morning Jacket - It still moves
22 Paddy MacAloon - I trawl the Megahertz
23 The White Stripes - Elephant
24 Bonnie 'prince' Billy - Master and Everyone
25 Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash
26 Radiohead - Hail to the thief
27 David Bowie - Reality
28 James Kirk - You can make it if you boogie
29 Yeah yeah yeahs - Fever to tell
30 Steely Dan - Everything must Go
31 Shack - Here's Tom with the Weather
32 Bic Runga - Beautiful Collision
33 David Sylvian - Blemish
34 Goldfrapp - Black Cherry
35 Neil Young - Greendale
36 Rufus Wainwright - Want one
38 Cody Chestnutt - The Headphone Masterpiece
39 Rabdy Newman - The Randy Newman Songbook vol.1
40 Cat Power - You are free
41 Ed Harcourt - From Every Sphere
42 Evan Dando - Baby i'm Bored
43 Johnny Cash - The Man Comes Around
44 Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
45 The Strokes - Room on Fire
46 The Sleepy Jackson - Lovers
47 Grandaddy - Sumday
48 The Pernice Brothers - Yours, mine and ours
49 Calexico - Feast of Wire
50 The Rapture - Echoes
51 Broadcast - Haha Sound
52 Spiritualized - Amazing Grace
53 Colder - Again
54 The National - Sad songs for Dirty Lovers
55 The Mars Volta - Deloused in the comatorium
56 Rickie Lee Jones - The Evening of my Best Day
57 Hawksley Workman - Lover/fighter
58 Elbow - Cast of Thousands
59 Thea Gilmore - Avalanche
60 Adam Masterson - One Tale too many

No Thrills, Blur, Kings of Leon, Darkness, Jane's Addiction, Ryan Adams, Bubba Sparxx, Super Furries, 50 Cent, Hot Hot Heat, Black Keys, Fountains of Wayne.

― pete s, Wednesday, 17 December 2003 23:54 (twenty-two years ago)

And again, most importantly, no Killing Joke. Damn them all to hell.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 18 December 2003 02:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Plus - Fleetwood Mac's latest better than Elephant??!!
I like the Mac and all but come_on

― pete s, Thursday, 18 December 2003 03:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Jay Kid cool, I got the idea maybe you really liked the 50 record so I was a bit puzzled by yr post, but that clears it right up. I agree about the gangsta thing, all those poses w/vests/bats etc and the same blank "grr I'm real tough" face are making me kinda sick

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Thursday, 18 December 2003 03:46 (twenty-two years ago)

That Uncut list looks like it was put together by a 22 year old and his dad.

― may pang (maypang), Thursday, 18 December 2003 03:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Who would've thunk Captain Kirk would put out an album in 2003, although his Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds rules!

― Jim Reckling (Jim Reckling), Thursday, 18 December 2003 03:55 (twenty-two years ago)

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