# Best Pazz & Jop Critics Poll Album 1978 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 19, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096 "2014-11-19T19:15:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/1 "2014-11-19T19:15:37Z")
Another banner year for albums. Pure pop to punk to new wave to classic rock - you can’t really make a bad choice here. To tip my hand, I agree with their pick for #1. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/2 "2014-11-19T19:28:46Z")
Elvis Costello, despite some stiff competition - that’s a near perfect album. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/3 "2014-11-19T19:33:02Z")
I voted for Jesus of Cool. Not on the list for some reason: Who Are You. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/4 "2014-11-19T19:47:50Z")
I voted for Zevon. But there were about five different albums I considered. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/5 "2014-11-19T20:05:01Z")
I’m sure I could find many 1978 albums I liked better than anything on this list, with minimal effort… but I voted for The Cars. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/6 "2014-11-19T20:23:47Z")
I only really like two Springsteen albums in their entirety (and bits from lots of others), and _Darkness_ is one of them. It’s a wonderful album, so gets my vote from this list. This list doesn’t seem to have either _Parallel Lines_ or _The Man-Machine_ on it for some reason though. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/7 "2014-11-19T21:22:21Z")
I’m afraid I can’t say I’ve ever heard any of these albums all the way through, so I cannot in good conscience vote here. Albums from 1978 I _have_ heard and would nominate include the above-mentioned “Who Are You”?, “Some Enchanted Evening” by Blue Öyster Cult, “Hemispheres” by Rush, and my personal favorite of the year, “Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of _War of the Worlds_”, which has to rate as one of the greatest rock operas of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2014, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/8 "2014-11-19T22:12:28Z")
Ian Dury it is. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/9 "2014-11-20T01:33:48Z")
This year, the critics got the best album absolutely right. Declan Patrick MacManus it is. (Talking Heads would be a very close second place, and Warren Zevon would be a very, very close third.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/10 "2014-11-20T02:51:30Z")
Oh, wow. These are difficult. Rather than try to objectively decide which is the best record, I’m going to go with the one I listen to the most of all these, and that’s The Clash’s _Give 'Em Enough Rope_. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/11 "2014-11-20T02:54:20Z")
Several good choices here. I went with Warren Zevon. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/12 "2014-11-20T02:57:19Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I’m sure I could find many 1978 albums I liked better than anything on this list, with minimal effort… but I voted for The Cars. Yeah, this is starting to hit my sweet spot for rock music. _Chairs Missing_ would be my vote. But there’s also The Police’s _Outlandos d’Amour_, The Jam’s _All Mod Cons_, Big Star’s _Third/Sister Lovers_, Cheap Trick’s _Heaven Tonight_. Solid year for rock. ETA: Oh, and how can I forget, X-Ray Spex _Germ Free Adolescents_. ETA2: Oh, and damn, two Pere Ubu albums: _The Modern Dance_ and _Dub Housing_. What a year indeed! ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/13 "2014-11-20T05:24:54Z")
Holy shit this is ridiculous. Each of the following was the favorite album at some point in time: 1. Elvis Costello: This Year’s Model 2. The Rolling Stones: Some Girls 3. The Clash: Give 'Em Enough Rope 4. Talking Heads: More Songs About Buildings and Food 5. Warren Zevon: Excitable Boy 6. Brian Eno: Before and After Science Elvis Costello I suppose… ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/14 "2014-11-20T06:40:57Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, this is starting to hit my sweet spot for rock music. _Chairs Missing_ would be my vote. But there’s also The Police’s _Outlandos d’Amour_, The Jam’s _All Mod Cons_, Big Star’s _Third/Sister Lovers_, Cheap Trick’s _Heaven Tonight_. Solid year for rock. > > ETA: Oh, and how can I forget, X-Ray Spex _Germ Free Adolescents_. ETA2: Oh, and damn, two Pere Ubu albums: _The Modern Dance_ and _Dub Housing_. What a year indeed! Pere Ubu, Cheap Trick and Wire (and Blondie and The Who) all made the list, just not the top 15. I figured when I started these polls 15 choices would be more than enough, even though it will end up leaving great albums off. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/15 "2014-11-20T06:43:27Z")
Great list. It hurts to vote against Beefheart, and it’ll probably be my only chance, but I had to pick Nick Lowe. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/16 "2014-11-20T06:45:57Z")
It won’t be your only chance, so you can feel happy with casting your vote for Nick. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/17 "2014-11-20T07:29:08Z")
Brian Eno by far for me. One of my desert island discs. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/18 "2014-11-20T08:35:23Z")
**Bruce Springsteen** : _Darkness on the Edge of Town_ Such an evocative title by the way. But I guess you could say the same of _More Songs About Buildings and Food_… ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/19 "2014-11-21T12:30:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Oh, wow. These are difficult. Rather than try to objectively decide which is the best record, I’m going to go with the one I listen to the most of all these, and that’s The Clash’s _Give 'Em Enough Rope_. Yeah, I really don’t want to vote because of such a great list, but I will go with Some Girls simply because I listen to it the most. Their last great album - Tattoo You is decent, but it’s not close to SG. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096/20 "2014-11-21T22:01:20Z")
I couldn’t decide between Zevon and Springateen, so I voted for Captain Beefheart. This is the year I started listening to our local AOR station. I still mourn the death of that format. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1978/705096.md?page=2)