Comments

Yeah congrats on no snarky comments about the album in one of your post SG(finally). For the last few years I've heard Rick Rubin was offered the gig but he didn't have the time. I can understand him doing the Sabbath record(which was just a rehash) but when he puts the rest of his time into a Kanye flop album and mediocre Eminem tracks it's disappointing. I think SOI was better than I thought it would be, but I didn't think Danger Mouse was really qualified to produce them. The guy has talent but he's pretty much just a DJ who got lucky. Tedder is more of a songwriter(whose songs all sound the same). I assume the band pretty much produced it themselves. They need someone like Rubin or even Brendan O'Brien to bring them back to reality.

Once again, way to make it obvious you're on the Sony/BMG/Viacom payroll with the hype on this caterwauling waif. U2(a real band who writes and performs their own material) gets slagged off by this site every other day, but this pro tools manufactured product gets positive reviews on music not fit for a Hardee's commercial.

After all the trash talking of U2, you insist on playing every track off this horrible album. Someone is obviously on the payroll. Very edgy Stereogum.

Bono will never have the "weird charisma" Young Thug & Rich Homie Quan. Right Tom?

If only a band that's been around almost 40 years and became popular for playing live gigs all over the world and putting out timeless music could be as "extremely likable" as Nude Beach. The Black Keys are the Tom Breihan of music BTW...

He also performed in 1989 at one of their anniversary shows. It was on (not ready for) primetime. http://www.mojvideo.com/video-prince-electric-chair-snl-1989/a528943aaed639b51cba

Nice performance. Thanks for posting.

It's a good thing she's not U2. That would never get such a positive endorsement from you guys. She's so talented. Such a well rounded artist who sings songs where she had zero input on the creative process.

"The Preceding Article Was A Paid Advertisement."

"There They Go Again!" What's the big deal? It's a good song. I'm sure U2 forced Sony/AMC to play their song even though they're label is Interscope/Universal.

Actually tons of great songs, which is the only reason anyone cares about them 40 years later. "Lick It Up" is pretty bad IMO, but "Cold Gin" is definitely one that needs to be in your list.

It's the hip thing to do. Bash the latest U2 album and praise the horsesh*t flavor of the month. So edgy Stereogum/Pitchfork/Internet Trolls.

I love "Pop" as well and it deserves to be up there with "Achtung Baby" but this cover is not going to go over well. It's just too damn creepy. Why not have a picture with Larry and his son when he was young? Who's going to even know that's his son unless they are diehard fans? All the crap they received from the Apple thing is not going to compare to this backlash. I'm a Prince fan and I know a dumb album cover can almost sink a career. After the "Lovesexy" cover it took the miracle of the "Batman" soundtrack to resurrect his stature. U2 are going to destroy the otherwise positive fan response of this LP by putting out this polarizing photo.

I hate when they try to cross promote acts that normally would have nothing to do with each other. Miguel is for teeny boppers and that obviously isn't her audience.

White Album

Chiming in late but like almost every other commentator, HTH is the best album and obviously set up the overplayed success of BIB. And yes, every Bon album is better than the Johnson led albums. Especially since he probably wrote most of BIB anyway. Respect for putting "If You Want Blood..." at 3 though.

I think the "Uptown Avondale" EP should also be included in this list. I agree that "Black Love" is their real masterpiece. "Gentlemen" is just slightly behind that and then "Congregation". "1965" has always been weak to me. A scattered bunch of demos with one or two decent tracks. "Do The Beast" is a dud. No Rick McCollum, no Whigs. That's why no one gives a sh*t about it. Bringing Van Hunt into the mix as opposed to Shawn Smith is just dumb also. What's especially disappointing is the last Twilight Singers album("Dynamite Steps) was great. You should rank the Dulli side projects like Twilighters, Gutter Twins, etc... The original demo for the first TS album(which is floating around the web) is one of the best things Dulli has ever been associated with. The commercial release was watered down. "Blackberry Belle" is also fantastic.

I love it! Anyone who tries to deny their past(like most writers) is full of sh*t. I'll take a hair metal band from the mid to late 80's over f*cking Passion Pit(or any other supposed indie hacks) any day! At least they can play their instruments.

Putting Jawbox and Sunny Day on the same list as some of these whiny hacks doesn't make any sense. If you're going to go sort of old school, where's Quicksand/Gorilla Biscuits? I have no idea why Weezer would be on here either.

This desperate video isn't going to save this disappointing album. I'm a fan but Dulli screwed up when he fired Rick McCollum.

Horrible picks. Queens came out last year and the Beck is okay. That's it. No wonder these artists suck.

Like a lot of commentators have said, I'll give you credit for even reviewing this criminally underrated band. However, putting "Screaming..." at 9 is really odd. Also "Painkiller" & "British Steel" have to be top 5.

Like others have stated, this was a huge undertaking and you deserve a lot of credit for going through all these releases. That being said, no offense, but I grew up around the time these album were hitting, and I'm a big Bruce fan, but no way did BITUSA eclipse Prince at the time. People forget "Purple Rain" was a number one album for 6 months straight. BITUSA wasn't close to that domination. I will also say that are some true head scratchers in your personal chart. Almost all the comments mention "!999", and I will too. It's an incredible album. Also, "The Black Album" and the "The Gold Experience" are great LP's that are in line with his best work. "Lovesexy" was an incredible tour(better than PR Tour) but you have it rated a little too high for me. Anyway, here's my picks based on the albums you have listed: 01. SOTT 02. PR 03.1999 04. Dirty Mind 05. Controversy 06. Prince 07. Black Album 08. ATWIAD 09. Diamonds & Pearls 10. Gold Experience 11. Parade 12. Batman OST 13. Lovesexy 14. 3121 15. Come 16. Symbol Album 17. For You 18. Graffiti Bridge 19. Musicology 20. Chaos & Disorder 21. 20ten 22. Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic 23. Emancipation(probably his most overrated IMO) 24. Rainbow Children 25. The Truth 26. Planet Earth 27. Lotusflow3r 28. Xpectation 29. N.E.W.S.

Yeah the crowd is really going crazy for him. People are exhausted with all the hype on this guy who's lost his relevance in the music world and has his management scrambling around to bring the tabloid crowd in. His last album was a flop even with the biggest producer in music working on it. Half the media is reporting what really happened at Bonnaroo(like all the booing) and the rest, like Stereogum, is on the payroll. Triumphant? What a f*ckin' joke.

That last guy knows his sh*t. I saw Gruntruck blow Alice In Chains & Screaming Trees off stage. Seaweed were a solid band also.

I'm glad this site has these articles and that the author doesn't consider himself too cool to represent his past. Anyway, I would say the comment about STP being better than PJ is not off base. I've seen both bands several times each and there is no doubt when Weiland is on, he's a hell of a lot better than Vedder standing around hugging a wine bottle and a mic stand(which is what he was doing in the mid 90's). Just like their live show, STP's catalog of music is not afraid to have some fun and their lead singer usually welcomes the rockstar thing. Even their reunion album from a couple of years ago had some nice songs on it that were a lot more accessible than what their peers have delivered the last couple of years(AIC being the exception. Hopefully they can quit fighting and at least get back on the road.

Nice article. I've also taken a lot of crap over the decades for being a fan, and I believe it is because of the success of this album and primarily the title track. Detractors always use that one to crack on The Boss without ever witnessing one of his live shows(which made me a lifelong fan since high school). I have a theory about that time period in music. CBS Records in the mid 80's milked the hell out of "Thriller". The success of that album made them rethink their marketing strategy to continually shove their popular artists down everyone's throat ad nauseam. They did a similar thing with "Faith". I think that's when the real backlash started and probably why he rarely performed the title track for years.

Granted he's been performing for 40 years and that song is from the 90's garbage that most of the longtime fans loathe.

Not to sound cliche', but I really liked R.E.M.'s old stuff but "Out Of Time" kind of ruined them. In particular, "Losing My Religion". That seems to be the song that people who hate the band remember by them. Buck and Mike Mills are kind of jerks anyway. They were at a radio function one time and showed up late and stood in the corner talking to each other while Stipe(who was cool) signed autographs and talked to the fans who were mostly kids from a local school. And like I said in the Top Ten Verve Songs comments, Ashcroft is a great front man and the band's musicianship is way more impressive than Pete's ukulele strumming.

Like some others have said, I give you credit for knowing your sh*t. I met Ashcroft once and the guy was very cool and down to earth. I've never really heard much about him being a jerk to anyone. His solo stuff seems to have a more spiritual lean to it also, so I don't know where the arrogant stories are coming from. Regardless, his solo material is just okay but he needs Nick McCabe to bring out the truly stellar material. Anyway, I was fortunate enough to see the band live twice. At the beginning of the "Storm..." tour with about 30 people and then at a larger sold out venue after "Urban Hymns" came out. They blew me away both times but for different reasons. The first time was just an incredible whirlwind of brilliant musicianship by McCabe and the rhythm section. Richard was good but seemed a little introverted on stage. The second time he had become a full blown rock star with incredible stage presence. I remember thinking at the time that none of the band's peers had anything like him and that's why they were so great. I saw most of those bands back then: Oasis, Blur, Spiritualized, Catherine Wheel, even the Stone Roses(who according to Ashcroft, inspired him to start a band after one of their live gigs). None of them came close to what The Verve had. Musicianship and a front man who wasn't competing with those groups but more against Jagger and Daltrey. The thing is, they had a really nice run in the UK. I remember looking every week in Billboard and seeing that "Urban Hymns" was number 1 for 2 months straight. Keeping the Spice Girls follow up album out of the top spot. That's pretty impressive. As far as your list goes, I'm partial to the "Storm..." because of the overall sound and the fact that they recruited John Leckie(Stone Roses) to produce it makes me like it even more. I also think "Forth" is a solid release. It did okay in England but without major label marketing in the U.S., it pretty much faded quickly. David Fricke gave it a 4 star review in Rolling Stone, but that doesn't mean much in this age. 10. Blue 9. Valium Skies 8. One Way To Go(Live from "Voyager 1") 7. Come On 6. Rolling People 5. Appalachian Springs 4. This Is Music 3. No Knock On My Door 2. Slide Away 1. Gravity Grave(Live from "Voyager 1" also. A lot better than the "No Come Down" version)

I think the Stone Roses kicked off the whole Britpop thing. If you read the interviews with Blur(whose debut album borrowed heavily from the Roses) & Oasis they all cite them as a big influence. Sure there were a few groups before but nothing really made that kind of music popular like them. Happy Mondays could be in that mix to a lesser degree.

This album was way beyond all the clone bands of the 90's. It was a huge leap from their debut album. This is a solid LP with a lot of great songs that flow together, even though I got really sick of hearing "Lightening Crashes". Unfortunately they never really got better than this. One of the best shows I saw back then was Live and Weezer(both albums had only been out a few weeks) playing this large club on a freezing November night. It was packed and hot as crap in the venue but they both really delivered.

This horrible video(which really isn't her fault) is probably going to bury this great album. Her new management should be fired for this horsesh*t.

Geez. I think you need to go to Youtube and check out some real performances. What's lame is you guys only go and see whatever you think people want to read about and have no idea about any of the other acts playing.

Her album is definitely a great piece of work. It's going to be hard to break it now because of the mismanagement and Capitol being bought by Universal.

Lorde being onstage with these legends is a f*cking joke. Even though Krist is friendly with her I think someone from the Hall must have suggested it. Joan was a decent pick and Kim was perfect. St. Vincent doesn't really do it for me but I don't hate her. I agree that Chad Channing should have been inducted and able to perform as well.

Sorry, this is just lame. I know he wants to be a singer and can kind of hide behind the humor aspect of it to protect his ego(Colbert does it too but not this degree) but It's not funny anymore. Since he's taken over the Tonight Show the fresh comedy he had at 12:35 has taken a nose dive while his butt kissing has been amped up to 11.

The RSD thing was started by some cool retail guys but it has absolutely become something the labels exploit and Ebay fiends make money off of. At least half of the 180 LP's are way overpriced. Some stores even charge 60 dollars plus for one album. And most indie stores can't return the vinyl if it doesn't sell either. You're stuck with it. The distributors will take back the CD's. So you can't blame them for not carrying a lot of these specialized items.

Probably the best piece I've ever read on this site. You're dead on about the fact that the band gets lumped in with a lot of the radio garbage we hear now. I always thought "Badmotorfinger" was a better album and I was slightly disappointed when "Superunknown" came out but after I listened to it for a week or two I became totally immersed in it. "The Day I Tried To Live" is still brilliant after all these years and "Mailman" and the title track are about as good as the band ever got. IMO, Soundgarden were the best band from Seattle and never really got the respect their peers got. And your article made me realize that's still the case.

Nice piece about Aloe Blacc. "Good Things" was a great modern soul album. I loved the guy's voice and his attitude. There are a lot of excellent Youtube clips of him doing material from that era. I thought he was going to be one my new favorite artists. I also told a lot of friends to check him out. Then when the "Wake Me Up" EP came out I was kind of stunned. It was lame and I just assumed that it was some kind of one off soundtrack thing. A little while after that he was on Dancing With The Stars singing it and I knew something had to be up. Now that this latest piece of garbage came out I'm going to have to bail. That stupid "The Man" song played nonstop during the NFL playoffs. It's a real shame that a unique talent has disappeared into commercial purgatory.