Say, say 2010 thread is over
Oops, out of time
So tonight we’re gonna hgwty like it’s 1999
A reminder of the premise of the thread
After a number of days of posting and reminiscing, we’ll be rating the music of the year out of ten, based on the albums, singles, gigs, whatever that stand out for you that year, and voting for our favourite nominated albums and songs.
Everyone can nominate one album and one song from the year which will then be collated into side-polls two days before the thread closes - please make it clear when you post a nomination for the poll (as opposed to just posting clips or lists of songs and albums you like, which are very welcome).
Leaderboard
Rank
Year
Rating
Top Album
Top Song
1
1991
8.98
Slint - Spiderland
Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
2
1997
8.6
Radiohead - OK Computer
The Beta Band - Dry The Rain
3
1967
8.48
Love - Forever Changes
Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Some Velvet Morning
4
1992
8.29
Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
Pulp - Babies
4
2013
8.29
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Jubilee Street
6
2019
8.14
Self Esteem - Compliments Please
Big Thief - Not
7
1975
8.13
Neil Young - Tonight’s the Night / Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks
Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Cortez the Killer
7
2007
8.13
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver / Radiohead - In Rainbows
LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends / M.I.A. - Paper Planes
9
2004
8.1
Madvillain - Madvillainy / Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Walkmen - The Rat
10
1981
8.06
The Cure - Faith
New Order - Ceremony
11
1982
7.76
The Cure - Pornography / Kate Bush - The Dreaming
Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding / The Associates - Party Fears Two
12
2014
7.69
FKA Twigs - LP1
FKA Twigs - Two Weeks
13
2010
7.66
Kanye West - MBDTF / Joanna Newsom - Have One One Me / Beach House - Teen Dream
1999 was the year the Euro currency launched, US President Bill Clinton survived an impeachment trial over the sexual relations he may or may not have had with that woman, England football manager Glenn Hoddle was sacked over highly offensive comments made around reincarnation and disability, thirteen people died during the Columbine school massacre in Colorado, The Sopranos debuted on TVs and the Matrix opened at cinemas, and Manchester United came back from 1-0 down at 90 minutes to win the Champions’ League with two stoppage time goals against Bayern Munich.
We said goodbye to Jill Dando, Stanley Kubrick, Oliver Reed, Joe DiMaggio, Dusty Springfield, Curtis Mayfield and Joseph Heller, and hello to Lil Nas X, Declan Rice and a whole raft of Tik Tokkers.
How good was the music?
You have until Friday 23rd September to nominate one album and one song which will then go into a poll along with a number rating poll for year overall out of 10, which will close on Monday 26th.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Stone Temple Pilots - No. 4
Counting Crows - This Desert Life
Foo Fighters - There Is Nothing Left to Lose
Chris Cornell - Euphoria Morning
Bush - The Science of Things
Fenix TX - S/T
Blink 182 - Enema of the State
311 - Soundsystem
Live - The Distance to Here
RATM - The Battle of Los Angeles
Also not really an album, but NOFX’s The Decline is essential.
I’ll still back all of these, pretty enthusiastically even. Cautiously with Live maybe, that was the beginning of the decline but there was still good stuff on there.
Great / good 1999 albums I discovered later
Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
Mogwai - Come On Die Young
Sigur Ros - Ágætis byrjun
Built to Spill - Keep It Like a Secret
Our Lady Peace - Happiness Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch
Wilco - Summer Teeth
At the Drive-In - Vaya EP
Trail of the Dead - Madonna
Getup Kids - Something to Write Home About
Blur - 13
Sleater-Kinney - The Hot Rock
NIN - The Fragile
Godspeed - Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada
Pavement - Terror Twilight
No idea about nominations yet. Lots of classics that everyone here loves, and lots of classics very overlooked by DiS that I have a chip on my shoulder about.
The definitive thing about music in 1999 for me was the optimism surrounding The Smashing Pumpkins, fueled by the surprise return of Jimmy Chamberlin for The Arising Tour.
It’s hard to convey to non-super fans what an exciting and hopeful time this was. On top of the infamous commercial backlash to Adore, the Pumpkins had experienced multiple tragedies (both band-related and personal) and there were a lot of questions about what was going to happen next (or if anything was going to happen at all). And then all of a sudden Jimmy was back and the band was firing off amazing, propulsive new songs every night.
Billy has listed this moment as the happiest of his entire career, and thankfully it’s been captured on video. Look how much fun he’s having, especially during the solos. It’s just pure unfiltered joy from someone who was put through the wringer and managed to come out the other side.
And imagine being a fan, buying tickets for the show and not knowing what to expect, and suddenly there’s Jimmy Chamberlin back on the drums launching into the iconic I Am One drum beat. What a thing to experience.
And those new songs were seriously incredible. I remember downloading those shows on a shitty modem and it taking forever, and then almost immediately Wound became one of my all-time favorite Pumpkins songs, possibly even my very favorite.
Just such a positive time in the the history of a band that’s not exactly known for positive times, It was amazing to experience, even from home.
1999, what a year. I’ve just gone through my RYM catalog, updated my Spotify playlist, and what I thought was a good year when I got started just kept revealing amazing things I haven’t listened to in years. Incredible albums across hip-hop, electronic, indie, punk, etc. and lots from each category. I’ll share more later but I’m jumping right into a nomination this time.
Album nomination: Built to Spill - Keep It Like a Secret
1999 was an absolutely insane year for hip hop. Any one of these could be my nomination…
The Roots - Things Fall Apart
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
Pharoahe Monch - Internal Affairs
Soundbombing 2
Dr Dre - 2001
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Lootpack - Soundpieces: Da Antidote
Ol’ Dirty Bastard - N***a Please
Method Man & Redman - Blackout!
Q-Tip - Amplified
Even had two of the best hip hop Best Of’s in Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds of Science & Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr. Plus numerous other albums that, whilst I don’t like myself, I know others are big fans of.
