BARBELITH underground
 

Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.


Underground > Radio & Music >

Just to piss us all off: the NMEs top 10 albums of "all time" list..

  
  

Page: (1)2

 
 
rizla mission
14:22 / 06.03.03
..is as follows:

1. The Stone Roses "The Stone Roses'
2. Pixies 'Doolittle'
3. The Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds'
4. Television 'Marquee Moon'
5. The Beatles 'Revolver'
6. Love 'Forever Changes'
7. The Strokes 'Is This it'
8. The Smiths 'The Queen Is Dead'
9.The Velvet Underground 'The Velvet Underground & Nico'
10. The Sex Pistols 'Never Mind The Bollocks...'

To my mind, actively criticising this would be akin to throwing bricks at a wall covered in tiny, ugly lizards, so instead let's just laugh.

a-ha-ha-ha-haah.
 
 
Bear
14:35 / 06.03.03
Best ever, as in best ever or best ever this week?

I'll probably be bannished from the music forum but who are Television?
 
 
Matthew Fluxington
14:35 / 06.03.03
Wow. Not even one token non-rock record. At least they have Love there so folks can't say it's an all-white list.

It's odd to see how the mood of UK publications change - no Radiohead or Nirvana this time, but The Strokes is somehow on the list.

The Stones Roses is just silly. Almost no one outside of the UK gives a fuck about that album.
 
 
No star here laces
15:07 / 06.03.03
aaaaaaaaah-ha-ha-ha

*cries*

I weep for our musical future.
 
 
Jack Denfeld
15:18 / 06.03.03
I believe Television was Richard Hell's band from the early 70's. Supposedly Hell was an influence on Malcolm McLaren, who tried to make the Pistols look kind of like Hell who supposedly pioneered the tattered clothes punk look. Lydon of course denies this.

Television had a song called "Blank Generation" and when Malcolm told Rotten to write his own version of "Blank Generation" the song "Pretty Vacant" was made. Lydon of course denies this.

As far as the scene goes I believe Television was one of those arty NY bands that was playing before the Ramones hit the scene. And for the life of me I can't remember what they sound like.
 
 
rizla mission
15:22 / 06.03.03
I'll probably be bannished from the music forum but who are Television?

Breathtakingly awesome '70s New York art-rock band fronted by Tom Verlaine. Link.

The worst thing about this fucking list is it makes me embarrassed that I actually really, really like about half of the albums on it.. but the fact that they're singled out and itemised in such a bizarre yet utterly predictable way is just .. fucking obscene..

Oh, and in addition to forgetting the token non-rock record, they've also failed to stick in a token female fronted band / artist to prove they're not all chauvinist wankers. Honestly, they're not even trying anymore..

heh heh heh heh
 
 
Babooshka
15:27 / 06.03.03
I guess Nico & Mo are the token chicks then, eh?

Bloody hell...
 
 
Jack Fear
15:28 / 06.03.03
Denfeld: Hell was gone from Television long before they (or he) ever recorded anything. Television were never really accepted by the punk scene as such, because they could play really, really well. And they sometimes played long, dreamy songs with eight-minute guitar solos. Only they were really fucking good.

If you want to know what Television sounded like, listen to Sonic Youth's "The Diamond Sea" on the one hand, and Interpol's "Obstacle 1" on the other.
 
 
Jack Denfeld
15:29 / 06.03.03
Television was also the 1st rock band to play CBGB's in 1974.
 
 
Ethan Hawke
15:40 / 06.03.03
ridiculous. How could one possibly begin to choose one Strokes records over one of their others?
 
 
rizla mission
15:41 / 06.03.03
If you want to know what Television sounded like, listen to Sonic Youth's "The Diamond Sea" on the one hand, and Interpol's "Obstacle 1" on the other.

Or just buy 'Marquee Moon', cos it's available quite cheaply, and it's freakin' amazing.
 
 
Jack Fear
15:44 / 06.03.03
True dat. Just trying to couch it in terms of stuff the neophyte might've already heard.

(and I actually started with the live recording The Blow-Up, and was so taken with the stonking performance therein that I was undeterred by its two-tin-cans-and-a-string sound quality.)
 
 
Bear
15:48 / 06.03.03
Cool it's just my music knowledge isn't as large (understatement) as most Barbeloids and I really hadn't heard of them...

It really is a strange list though, where's the Britney?
 
 
videodrome
16:01 / 06.03.03
Kinda off-topic, but in the vein of The Strokes/current state of music. (Well not in the vein of The Strokes - I'm not heroin, you know!) But I'd seen this in a user review of a White Stripes rekkid on Amazon and thought it was quite funny:

"...although the album's real hit, "Fell In Love with a Girl," was one of the biggest rock hits of the year. Don't let that song's blatant Strokes rip-off turn you away: That's what almost made me miss the best album of the year."

Whee!
 
 
Matthew Fluxington
16:26 / 06.03.03
Back when Sonic Youth's Murray Street came out last summer, one of the local Gannett papers ran a review which suggested that Sonic Youth were part of the Strokes/Hives/Stripes 'rock revival'.

Yeee.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
18:38 / 06.03.03
I'm now convinced that the NME is a very, very clever parody of UK indiedom. Other notable inclusions:

Oasis at #13 and #37
Eminem at #33 and #71
Coldplay at #40
The Streets at #46
The White Stripes at #20 and #74
Andrew WK at #69
The Verve at #70
The Coral at #77
The Vines at #96

So funny I almost puked. Really!
 
 
jeff
00:45 / 07.03.03

Is it worth slagging off the NME? Record label whore? Good enough for me. Suffice to say, I hope they go bankrupt.
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
08:40 / 07.03.03
I wait for the day when they actually include the legend "Still scared of girls and black people after all these years!" as part of their masthead.
 
 
that
09:45 / 07.03.03
Mummy, I'm frightened.
 
 
Shrug
09:53 / 07.03.03
Yeah, you can't knock the bands seperately (I mean The Pixies, Velvet Underground, Television) but I don't see why the Strokes included. But at the end of the day crap mainstream mag it could've been a lot worse.
 
 
Shrug
09:54 / 07.03.03
Well ok I could easily knock The Stone Roses, Beatles.
 
 
Poke it with a stick
14:54 / 07.03.03
The Coral = Jerry and the Pacemakers.
I mean, I know it's the NME and all, but... really?
Linking back to the comment about flavour of the week bands, though - the one thing a lot of these lists are criticised for is having new stuff in them. We can't say - oh, give it 20 years and we'll see if it's still good.
But - the Coral? Fuck's sake.
 
 
_pin
21:36 / 07.03.03
Can someone actually tell me where the Stone Roses even came from for this list? NUMBER ONE?? How was this voted for? I found a copy on the floor of my common room. The stereo was playing Nickleback. It all seemed oddly appropriate...

But still... Stone Roses? Just... what? They're shit. Given the distance of time and soberiety and maturity and Justin Timberlake and Clearasil and the ability to pull girls, who is it that people are STILL listening to them and liking them?

Do the NME never wonder why Karen O doesn't talk to them at interviews, and the other two members of YYY's tell them to wear pastel colours as fashion advice??
 
 
Strange Machine Vs The Virus with Shoes
21:54 / 07.03.03

And where are Public Enemy? They were the NME’s token black group since 1989.
Maybe they are just jumping on the “we’re not going to pick a token black group, just in case we are perceived to be choosing a token black group, no matter how good they are” bandwagon.
 
 
Spatula Clarke
21:55 / 07.03.03
Mm. I think the only reason the YYYs weren't on the list is because they haven't released an album yet (or have they? Got to admit I'm not a fan). It sums up the NME perfectly; notice how all the groups they've been championing are included here? They do exactly the same thing at their awards, with the reader-voted ones being surprisingly spread out, ensuring that everyone they've had on the cover in the previous twelve months goes home with at least one trophy.

It seems that they've finally realised that they tend to back the three-legged horses.

Still, like Riz says, taking the piss out of the NME is like kicking yr granny. Too easy. Let's just ignore 'em in future. They can't be long for this world, anyway.
 
 
_pin
22:47 / 07.03.03
I wasn't saying that didn't get a placeing, and you're right- they haven't relelased an album. I'm just comenting on how they got a two page feature out of the fact that none of them would talk to the NME when they tried to interview them.

It runs in the same issue as the list- I suggest you don't even bend over to pick it up. It's actually not worth the calories.
 
 
A
03:40 / 08.03.03
Full list:

1. The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
2. Pixies - Doolittle
3. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
4. Television - Marquee Moon
5. The Beatles - Revolver
6. Love - Forever Changes
7. The Strokes - Is This It
8. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
9. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
10. The Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks
11. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
12. The Clash - London Calling
13. Oasis - Definitely Maybe
14. Joy Division - Closer
15. Nirvana - In Utero
16. Radiohead - OK Computer
17. Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space
18. Blondie - Parallel Lines
19. Nirvana - Nevermind
20. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells
21. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground
22. New Order - Technique
23. Primal Scream - Screamadelica
24. The Beatles - The Beatles (AKA The White Album)
25. The Smiths - Strangeways, Here We Come
26. David Bowie - Low
27. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
28. The Verve - A Northern Soul
29. Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions to Hold Us Back
30. Massive Attack - Blue Lines
31. Pixies - Surfer Rosa
32. The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers
33. Eminem - The Marshall Mathers LP
34. Patti Smith - Horses
35. Jeff Buckley - Grace
36. Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express
37. Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory
38. Scott Walker - Scott 4
39. Ramones - Ramones
40. Coldplay - A Rush Of Blood To The Head
41. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
42. The Stooges - Fun House
43. David Bowie - Hunky Dory
44. Radiohead - The Bends
45. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
46. The Streets - Original Pirate Material
47. Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks
48. REM - Automatic For The People
49. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
50. Blur - Parklife
51. The Smiths - Hatful Of Hollow
52. The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main St
53. Slint - Spiderland
54. The Smiths - The Smiths
55. Aphex Twin - Richard D James Album
56. Jay-Z - The Blueprint
57. Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
58. The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
59. The Specials - The Specials
60. Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers
61. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
62. Pulp - His 'N' Hers
63. Dusty Springfield - Dusty In Memphis
64. Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
65. Duran Duran - Rio
66. The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Gilded Palace Of Sin
67. Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman
68. Dexys Midnight Runners - Searching For The Young Soul Rebels
69. Andrew WK - I Get Wet
70. The Verve - Urban Hymns
71. Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
72. AC/DC - Back In Black
73. Michael Jackson - Off The Wall
74. The White Stripes - Elephant
75. Lou Reed - Transformer
76. Pulp - This Is Hardcore
77. The Coral - The Coral
78. Suede - Dog Man Star
79. The Clash - The Clash
80. Neil Young - After The Gold Rush
81. The Jesus And Mary Chain - Psychocandy
82. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
83. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
84. De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising
85. The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
86. David Bowie - Heroes
87. The Slits - Cut
88. Primal Scream - Exterminator
89. Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
90. Leonard Cohen - Songs Of Love And Hate
91. Queens Of The Stone Age - Rated R
92. Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92
93. Joni Mitchell - Hejira
94. Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
95. Pink Floyd - Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
96. The Vines - Highly Evolved
97. PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories from The Sea
98. Madonna - Like A Prayer
99. The Congos - Heart Of The Congos
100. The Beach Boys - Surf's Up
 
 
A
04:03 / 08.03.03
I think what really gets me about that list is that it's just so musically correct. You know, like PC, but with music. Liking the music you're supposed to like.

If only there was just one single downright uncool artist in there- Meatloaf, or ELO, or Herman's Hermits, or something, to show that it was put together by actual people, and not robot hipsters, then the list might actually mean something, but, as it is, everything there is either-

Established Classic- "See how I respect the greats!"

Seminal Obscurity- "Behold my hipness. Unlike the masses. I appreciate the importance of the Slits and Slint!"

Bold New Selection- "Look at me! I'm so comfortable with my coolness, I can select records that came out last year. I am not enslaved by the past. I am now!"

Token Non-Rock Record- "Marvel at the diversity of my musical taste! I like negro music! I am funky!"

Anyway, there's Coldplay, but not Sgt Peppers, no Run DMC or NWA, nothing in the way of underground US punk/hardcore like Black Flag, Descendents, Operation Ivy, etc. and maybe 2 records that aren't from North America or the British Isles (I counted AC/DC and Kraftwerk in a brief skim). Hooray!
 
 
Shrug
04:47 / 08.03.03
Where is Portishead Dummy? Why isn't Elvis on the list? Is hardrock represented? I'm glad to see Aphex Twin mentioned though.
 
 
straylight
06:25 / 08.03.03
I'm sorry, I can't possibly post about this, as I can't stop fucking laughing.
 
 
Jack Denfeld
06:36 / 08.03.03
I dare any of you to post your top 100 bands. Not so easy is it? Oh, what's that? I just caught you thinking about how we'd respond to your number 4 pick! And that's just number 4! You've got 96 to go!
 
 
uncle retrospective
09:46 / 08.03.03
I think people are being a little harsh here, yes NME is more boring than a boring thing, but Jesus, The Pixies are higher than the Beatles. This is a great thing, although I fear the Pixies are the new Beatles.
But I'm left stunned by the Stone Roses and the god damn Strokes.
And why does no one else seem to understand that Unknown Pleasures is a better album than Closer?
 
 
Spatula Clarke
10:43 / 08.03.03
I'm sure it's a lot easier when you're being paid for it, Jack. I'd also like to think that nobody here's arrogant enough to think that producing a list of their top 100 albums would be of any importance to anyone other than themselves.
 
 
Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!
13:16 / 08.03.03
Lists are pointless and silly, we all know this. (Unless they're shopping lists, or "to do" lists. Although in the case of the latter they generally take on a life on their own and become "completely forget about doing, but feel like you've made an effort somewhere, somehow" lists.)

I like the Stones Roses though. Am I not cool anymore?
 
 
The Natural Way
13:53 / 08.03.03
Rizla: yes. All over.

Denfield: why are you going on about a band you've never heard? Is it because you want us to know yr still clued in? Don't be sad.

NME: cunce.
 
  

Page: (1)2

 
  
Add Your Reply