The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Spin magazine named Radiohead's "OK Computer" the top album of the past 20 years, praising a futuristic sound that manages to feel alive "even when its words are spoken by a robot."

The British band's album edged out Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" and Nirvana's "Nevermind" on a list in Spin's 20th anniversary issue, currently on newsstands.

"Between Thom Yorke's orange-alert worldview and the band's meld of epic guitar rock and electronic glitch, (`OK Computer') not only forecast a decade of music but uncannily predicted our global culture of communal distress," reads the editorial note on what separated the 1997 disc from the other 99 ranked albums.

Sandwiched between Radiohead's straight-ahead rock disc "The Bends" and the more experimental, electronic "Kid A," "OK Computer" was the album that propelled Radiohead to worldwide, stadium-sized popularity. Though it never went higher than No. 21 on the Billboard charts, it won critical raves and a Grammy for best alternative music performance.

Spin's Chuck Klosterman says the album "manages to sound how the future will feel. ... It's a mechanical album that always feels alive, even when its words are spoken by a robot."

Years earlier, Spin ranked Nirvana's "Nevermind" the greatest album of the nineties. In the time since, however, editor-in-chief Sia Michel and others simply found they were reaching for "OK Computer" more than the slightly less relevant "Nevermind."

"Whereas when Nirvana came out, everybody was talking about negation and slackers and everything like that — seven years later, it was the dot-com boom and 22-year-olds were making $80,000 on Web sites," Michel recently told The Associated Press.

Also in the top 10, in order, are Pavement's "Slanted and Enchanted," The Smiths' "The Queen is Dead," Pixies' "Surfer Rosa," De La Soul's "3 Feet High and Rising," Prince's "Sign `o' the Times," PJ Harvey's "Rid of Me" and N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton."

The entire list of 100 is just as eclectic; a photograph of an atypical trio of Dr. Dre, Bono and Beck dons the issue's cover.

The amount of hip-hop on the list may surprise some (25 albums in all — 26 if you count Rage Against the Machine), given that Spin is predominantly a rock magazine. Michel, however, points out that Spin started several years before hip-hop mag Source was founded: "We put hip-hop on the cover before anyone else did."

"Because we started this list in 1985, we pretty much hit hip-hop in its golden age," she says. "There were so many important, groundbreaking albums coming out right about that time."

After gathering suggestions from everyone at the magazine, a tribunal of Michel and editors Jon Dolan and Charles Aaron sorted out the ultimate records of "the Spin era." Their criteria, Michel says, was the basic brilliance of the record, its innovation and its overall relevance.

"Relevance doesn't have to mean it sold 10 million copies," she says. "Someone like the Pixies never really sold records, but Nirvana has said it wouldn't exist without the Pixies."

Both the approach and content stands in stark contrast to fellow rock magazine Rolling Stone's 2003 issue on the top 500 albums of all time. Topping that collection was the more hallowed (and less surprising) like of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones.

Some of the most recent entries to Spin's list are 2004's "College Dropout" by Kanye West, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 2003 "Fever to Tell" and Wilco's 2002 "Yankee Foxtrot Hotel."

Of course, judgments of these kind are always subject to debate.

"The art department was just railing against us all the time and campaigning against things," says Michel. The lack of inclusion of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, she says, pushed them to the brink: "That was a band that the art department was like, `You guys are crazy! Don't even talk to us!'"

can I just see a numbered list, stephen?

It could have been worse.

CinisterCee said:

BEST ALBUMS 1985-2005
1 Radiohead - OK Computer
2 Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back
3 Nirvana - Nevermind
4 Pavement - Slanted And Enchanted
5 The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
6 Pixies - Surfer Rosa
7 De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising
8 Prince - Sign O' The Times
9 PJ Harvey - Rid Of Me
10 NWA - Straight Outta Compton

DiamondGirl said:

Thank you, Diamond Girl. you sure do shine.

see I don't think I've heard that Pavement album.


That's one thing these lists are good for... discuss whether I should bother.

CinisterCee said:

That inclusion is the one I have issue with.

might I add, it is nice to see a list focus on the last twenty years, and gets rid of the obligatory nods to albums we already know about.

Sdldawn said:

Good call! See what I mean?



I've been listening to a live set by Diplo (half of Hollertronix) where he segues Ciara "Oh" with Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Maps" via an electro beat.

I thought this list would be NME for having Radiohead at #1, but it's Spin!

I like their larger lists.

I wonder how much of this list is gonna read like SDLDAWN's favorites (Wilco).

yer darn right.

very
but no RHCP and Jeff Buckley ?!
they definitely deserve to be on that list imo
[Edited 6/20/05 11:29am]

Dewrede said:

Top ten?

U get 2 types of lists

One which is very commerical and popular at the masses

Or like this one, where music snobs list acts that were cool because they were unpopular with the masses

(replying to Diamondgirl)
[Edited 6/20/05 11:32am]

thesexofit said:

Um. Every cd listed on this list was popular with the masses.

DiamondGirl said:

yeah, what are you getting at thesexofit?

I don't read Spin to get snobby lists.

thesexofit said:

OK Computer sold milions , it was a hype !

DiamondGirl said:

I shoulda rephrased that I guess. But u know what I mean. No way would they put "thriller" in there for example, too commercial thus gets labelled as dumb crap.

Dewrede said:

Not that it matters, but those two dont deserve top ten accolades imo. Top 25-50? Ok, yeah maybe.

thesexofit said:

Ah, gotcha.

that's because 'Thriller' was released in 82

just kidding , i see what you mean
[Edited 6/20/05 11:39am]

Dewrede said:

Oh yeah I never read through anything properly. I always do bad on exams and thats why.

Anyway, I guess spin magazine is aimed at "music snobs" mainly. As NME is over in UK.

Polls for albums open to the general public, off VH1 or whomever are very different obviously. Different audience.

thesexofit said:

Ditto lol.

thesexofit said:

I totally don't see them the same way

CinisterCee said:

? Just guessing. i bet if NME did a list, it would onyl include rock for starters and about 8 smiths albums. But maybe spin is more diverse.

Q magazine over here is now a bit better. Though they love kylie minogue now? How much do they get paid for that?

thesexofit said:

DiamondGirl said: