I enjoyed reading Pitchfork's best albums of the decades lists when I first discovered the site, but I felt they omitted some albums that deserve a place on ANY top 100 list from the various decades. For instance:
Fishbone has no representation on either the 80's or 90's list. I think Truth and Soul belongs on any 80's list and The reality of my surroundings deserves a high placement on any 90's list.
RHCP - Blood Sugar sex magic - 90's
Jane's Addiction - Ritual De Lo Habitual - 90's (Are you Kidding me? How is this left off any 90's album list?)
Rage against the Machine - Either the first self titled or the Battle of Los Angeles - 90s
Supergrass - I should Coco - 90s
Pearl Jam - Ten - 90s
Fugazi - Repeater - 90s (While Red Medicine is on there; it's not as good as Repeater.)

I'll keep updating my list but I'd like to ask everyone if they also noticed some omissions from Pitchfork's lists that belong on any best 100 albums of decade lists?

Well, there was no Bruce Springsteen on their 1970s list which is just plain wrong. I understand you have to include all of the "important" artsy Eurostuff, but Springsteen guys, c'mon.

Also:

quote:

Originally posted by Abarry:
Fugazi - Repeater - 90s (While Red Medicine is on there; it's not as good as Repeater.)

Red Medicine is a much better album than Repeater. Repeater may have come earlier and may have been more influential, but RM has more interesting songs and showed a greater depth in what the band could do.

Wowee Zowee not on the 90's list is crazy, especially for an indie-based source like Pitchfork.

Uncle Tupelo's Anodyne should have made the 90's list.

Stereolab's Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements is better than Mars Audiac Quintet which they included.

From the 80's list, its a mystery why Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden didn't make the cut, especially when Laughing Stock was like #10 on the 90's list.
**EDIT** - Spirit of Eden was #34 on their 80's list. My bad.

From the 70's, Black Sabbath didn't make the list which doesn't seem right.

And lastly, I don't know what their criteria is with including live albums or not, but the Allman Brothers Live at the Fillmore unquestinably deserves to be on any best of the 70's list.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: hophead,

No "MTV Unplugged Nirvana" on the 90's list is kind of crazy. Its the best live album I've ever heard, with a pretty great performance from Kurt Cobain.

Also, on 80's list....where the hell is all the Springsteen? Nebraska wouldn't even be my pick for best Boss album of the 80's.

The lack of Springsteen on the 70's and 80's lists is outrageous. I love Nebraska, so it's nice to see them give it credit where it's due, but seriously, any list from the 70's that doesn't include at Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town is not complete, and any 80's list that doesn't include Born in the USA is extremely delusional. I mean, are they saying there was at least 10 albums from 1984 better than BitUSA? I'd like to hear them argue their way out of THAT one.

quote:

Originally posted by crob3888:
The lack of Springsteen on the 70's and 80's lists is outrageous. I love Nebraska, so it's nice to see them give it credit where it's due, but seriously, any list from the 70's that doesn't include at Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town is not complete, and any 80's list that doesn't include Born in the USA is extremely delusional. I mean, are they saying there was at least 10 albums from 1984 better than BitUSA? I'd like to hear them argue their way out of THAT one.

The first thing most people think of with Born in the USA is the horrible title track. The power synthesizers haven't aged that well. Born to Run is the more glaring omission.

quote:

Originally posted by crob3888:
are they saying there was at least 10 albums from 1984 better than BitUSA? I'd like to hear them argue their way out of THAT one.

Albums from '84 I personally think are better than Born in the USA:

The Pretenders - Learning to Crawl
The Smiths - S/T
REM - Reckoning
Prince - Purple Rain
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
The Replacements - Let it Be
Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime

Looking through the list of notable albums released in 1984 on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_in_music), I have to say that '84 was a pretty notable year for music. There were some pretty big albums released.

quote:

Originally posted by EricG75:

quote:

Originally posted by crob3888:
are they saying there was at least 10 albums from 1984 better than BitUSA? I'd like to hear them argue their way out of THAT one.

Albums from '84 I personally think are better than Born in the USA:

The Pretenders - Learning to Crawl
The Smiths - S/T
REM - Reckoning
Prince - Purple Rain
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
The Replacements - Let it Be
Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime

Looking through the list of notable albums released in 1984 on wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_in_music), I have to say that '84 was a pretty notable year for music. There were some pretty big albums released.

And let us not forget about:

Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade
Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II
Robyn Hitchcock - I Often Dream of Trains
Lloyd Cole and The Commotions - Rattlesnakes
Arvo Pärt - Tabula Rasa
Echo and the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain

1984 had it's fair share of great albums (even if I was but a wee toddler back then!), all of which I'd rate higher than Born in the USA. I'd agree with hophead that Born to Run is definitely the more glaring omission.

All but the first two albums above are missing from the P4k list, along with Felt, Rain Parade, the Dream Syndicate, Billy Bragg, Beat Happening, Camper Van Beethoven, Dexys Midnight Runners, Swans, The Go-Betweens, Dead Kennedys and Metallica (or any metal for that matter?!?).

But I love Springsteen.

Those are all pretty solid albums though. I don't think BitUSA is his best or the best of 1984, but I think I could make a solid argument for keeping it in the top 10 (if not top 5) of 1984.

quote:

Originally posted by crob3888:
But I love Springsteen.

Those are all pretty solid albums though. I don't think BitUSA is his best or the best of 1984, but I think I could make a solid argument for keeping it in the top 10 (if not top 5) of 1984.

The biggest problem I have with Born in the USA is how dated some of the production sounds. More than just about any other album recorded in 1984, it sounds like it was recorded in 1984. I'd be interested in hearing a mix of the album with no keyboards, because those keyboard sounds are awful. It sounds like they were using a Casio they bought at K-Mart.

I do admit that it's one of the Boss' better collection of songs though. Interestingly, I think the songs that became big hits from that album are the weakest tracks.

Of Bruce's four 80s albums, all but Nebraska are really dated by their production. Born In The U.S.A. is the most egregious example, but The River and particularly Tunnel Of Love suffer from dated 80s production techniques (mostly on the drums and keyboards).
As for Pitchfork, I think if Tunnel Of Love had a more organic production and not so much 80s gloss it would have been more likely to rank (and more deserving of) a spot on the list than Born in the U.S.A. as, conceptually and thematically, it was (a) a more interesting record than its predecessor; and (b) more the type of record Pitchfork would want to support, untainted by mega-sales, political co-option, cheesy video clips, etc.

Prepare to take notes again, Pitchfork is planning their top 500 tracks of the decade on Aug. 17.

Isn't that preemptive? I mean the decade doesn't end until December 31st.

quote:

Originally posted by jonathanbrisby:
Isn't that preemptive? I mean the decade doesn't end until December 31st.

that was my thought. also, 500 seems like a lot.

The Pitchfork 500 book should be a guide to what they thought were the 'best' songs of the decade. That was their attempt at compiling a canon of the best songs of 'our generation' (slight sarcasm in the quotation marks intended) so they can't really radically reshape the canon quite so soon after that book was published. Surely.

I got 10 dollars that says Outkast don't claim the number 1 spot on that list.

quote:

Originally posted by crob3888:
I got 10 dollars that says Outkast don't claim the number 1 spot on that list.

Hmmm. They had OutKast at 1 and 2 on their 2000-04 Singles list, but in the Pitchfork Universe OutKast rated about a 9.7 on the 'coolness' scale in 2005 (when that list was posted), but would have dropped a few points by 2009. And let's be honest, Pitchfork lists are mostly about what's hip and 'of the moment.'
That said, I think "Hey Ya" is a certainty to be in their top 10. They always throw in a few pop 'mega hits' (and "Hey Ya" was rooted in pop conventions, not hip hop) on their singles lists, so that, "Crazy In Love," "Umbrella" and whatever else aging hipsters/Pitchfork editors have endorsed as 'commercial pop hits it's cool to like' will be high on this list. You know, I think it's totally possible "Hey Ya" will be No.1.

quote:

Originally posted by HeyThatsMyShoe:
The Pitchfork 500 book should be a guide to what they thought were the 'best' songs of the decade. That was their attempt at compiling a canon of the best songs of 'our generation' (slight sarcasm in the quotation marks intended) so they can't really radically reshape the canon quite so soon after that book was published. Surely.

The Pitchfork 500 book was more or less chronological. Nothing was ranked. I think its very safe to say that the 100 or so songs in the book from this decade (up through 2006 that the book covered) will be towards the top of their decade-end list in whatever particular order they choose.

I have a feeling like their year-end and decade-end lists will be either completely what we expect from Pitchfork (notably, "Hey Ya!" and Kid A topping everything) or the lists will go a different route and try and be fresh and controversial. I could see both Funeral or Person Pitch taking the top spots, and I could see "My Love," "Crazy," or "Paper Planes" being a possible king of the singles list.

I would love for "Paper Planes" or "My Love" to be recognized ahead of "Hey Ya!" personally, but I fear many critical establishments will see it as the clear and easy choice for song-of-the-decade lists.