Spin’s choice for No. 1 is U2
TO MARK ITS 25th anniversary, Spin magazine posted the 125 best albums of the past 25 years. Even though it’s merely the opinion of the magazine’s editors and contributors, the reaction has been caustic in some cases, chiefly because the magazine named “Achtung Baby” by Dublin’s U2 as the top album. Of course, the whole point of any “best of” list is to generate discussion and debate. Some people take such debate way too seriously, especially in this instance, where many readers appear to be bitter, hostile and even threatening. I understand that people take music seriously. I know I do. But it’s just a list, and something needs on top of the list. Making threats seems to be a reach. People sometimes confuse passion and defiance with being vulgar and hateful. One New York reader, for example, calls the magazine’s editors “a bunch of freaking crackheads.” Another reader, a resident of Indiana, claims the magazine pulled the Top 125 list “out of a trash can.”
U2's "Actung Baby"
While I do not agree that “Achtung Baby” is the No. 1 album, I would place it at No. 3. And, in my mind, there’s not that much difference among my top three. Spin does make a compelling argument for”Achtung Baby” being ranked No. 1 by the magazine. Consider:
“Actung Baby” was an effort… to deconstruct the band and rewire it with jolts of beat-generated clutter and collage, nicked from industrial music, hip-hop, dance remixes and the Manchester scene. That method almost collapsed the band. Bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr., as well as coproducer Daniel Lanois, were left bewildered and cranky. But the frisson found expression in U2’s most immediately dynamic music since 1982’s “War,” and its most emotionally frank songs to date, capturing that particular early-’90s rub of boundless possibility and worn-down despair. Bono’s lyrical flights had a battered grit, like a defrocked cleric stirred to regain his flock without the usual trick bag of bullshit. “One” became an indelible anthem because it admitted “we’re not the same” but urged that we’ve gotta “carry each other” nonetheless. The squalling swagger of “The Fly” resonated due to the rock star at its center confessing he’s a liar and a thief. And for “Mysterious Ways,” the Edge somehow concocted a jubilantly snarling riff that transformed Bono’s gospel come-on so it didn’t feel gross the morning after. Unlike Radiohead with “OK Computer” and “Kid A,” U2 took their post-industrial, trad-rock disillusionment not as a symbol of overall cultural malaise, but as a challenge to buck up and transcend. Their confessions of frailty and blindness amid murky atmospherics (no doubt egged on by co-producer Brian Eno) had an air of cleansing rather than whining. That the album trails off introspectively is brave in its own quiet way. Though they continued to bumble through periods of bloat and self-delusion and irrelevance, U2 became the emblematic band of the alternative-rock era with “Achtung Baby.” Struggling to simultaneously embrace and blow up the world, they were never more inspirational.
I agree with the central idea of the analysis—especially the belief that U2 ripped apart its easily identifiable sound and started over from the scratch. That’s huge. Very few artists are willing to set aside what has resulted in their success and then create something new, something experimental. It’s a giant leap, and it’s a risk. It can end a career if poorly executed. Very few have attempted it and fewer have been a success. In U2’s case, the success was significant. The selection at No. 1 makes sense, from that angle.
For me, however, there are two other albums that topped U2’s accomplishment. Oddly enough, the sound of the both albums in question are not entirely different from U2’s breakthrough effort. And, as much as I find “Achtung Baby” extraordinary, I think my top two are more successful.
Pavement's "Crooked Rain Crooked Rain"
At No. 2, I would place “Loveless,” the stunning, game-changing collection produced by another Dublin band, My Bloody Valentine. With guitarist-singer-production whiz Kevin Shields at the helm, the 1991 album was a remarkable set of songs in which dramatic musical textures—layers of distortion, feedback and note-bending—are juxtaposed with luminescent melodies. The lyrics are about heartbreak, disillusionment and betrayal. The result is something pop music critic Dele Fadele called “a silver-coated bullet into the future.” Another writer, Heather Phrases praised “Loveless” for its “complexity and immediately memorable pop melodies (and) remarkable self-assurance.” It has spawned a generation of bands that have either copied the sound or found ways to incorporated aspects of it into the work. One notable example is Best Coast, the best new band of past 12 months.
Still, my No. 1 choice would be “Crooked Rain Crooked Rain” by California’s Pavement. The album is everything a rock record should be—weedy, fierce, blithe, gravid, abstract. The lyrics are not cunning by any standard, since they’re not really about anything other than haircuts, skateboarding, smart-ass remarks about the Smashing Pumpkins and oil lamps. But it’s the absence of such calculation that gives the songs power and warmth. Steven Malkmus’ unorthodox phrasing allows the lyrics to sound profound and insightful. The performances are urgent, confident and, at times, striking. Moreover, it’s a great pop record.
Here is my top 25 albums of the past 25 years, which is what contributors were asked to submit:
- (25) Brighten the Corners/Pavement
- (24) Time out of Mind/Bob Dylan
- (23) You and Me/Open Hand
- (22) Forever Hasn’t Happened Yet/John Doe
- (21) Love and Theft/Bob Dylan
- (20) Psychocandy/Jesus and the Mary Chain
- (19) New Day Rising/Husker Du
- (18) Bachelor No. 2/Aimee Mann
- (17) The Queen is Dead/The Smiths
- (16) Neurotica/Redd Kross
- (15) Exile in Guyville/Liz Phair
- (14) Joshua Tree/U2
- (13) Elephant/White Stripes
- (12) Live Through This/Hole
- (11) Surfer Rosa/The Pixies
- (10) Nevermind/Nirvana
- (9) Third Eye/Redd Kross
- (8) In Utero/Nirvana
- (7) Doolittle/The Pixies
- (6) White Blood Cell/White Stripes
- (5) Smile/Brian Wilson
- (4) Daydream Nation/Sonic Youth
- (3) Actung Baby/U2
- (2) Loveless/My Blood Valentine
- (1) Crooked Rain Crooked Rain/Pavement
Great post, as usual.
Thanks for putting “Time Out of Mind” up there, Dave. No doubt about that one in my mind. Transcendent. “Love and Theft” is enjoyable, but I wouldn’t go so far as to rank that one so high, with all the innovation that deserves to get appreciated in the last 25 years.
“Achtung Baby” does not make my top 25. I almost don’t believe that they really believed it should be number one. And I think Tom Waits’ “The Bone Machine” kicks ass over “Rain Dogs” (which SPIN included, but you didn’t).
I also think of Alice in Chains’ “Dirt” and Oingo Boingo’s final “Boingo.”
And, most importantly, I have a few things to go listen to now that I haven’t heard, which is the best reason to do these kinds of lists! Thanks for that, my friend!
Thanks for putting “Time Out of Mind” up there, Dave. No doubt about that one in my mind. Transcendent. “Love and Theft” is enjoyable, but I wouldn’t go so far as to rank that one so high, with all the innovation that deserves to get appreciated in the last 25 years.
“Achtung Baby” does not make my top 25. I almost don’t believe that they really believed it should be number one. And I think Tom Waits’ “The Bone Machine” kicks ass over “Rain Dogs” (which SPIN included, but you didn’t).
I also think of Alice in Chains’ “Dirt” and Oingo Boingo’s final “Boingo.”
And, most importantly, I have a few things to go listen to now that I haven’t heard, which is the best reason to do these kinds of lists! Thanks for that, my friend!