# Best Pazz & Jop Critics Poll Album 1997 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1997/707854 "2014-12-21T22:13:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **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:** [December 21, 2014, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1997/707854/1 "2014-12-21T22:13:43Z")
As always, some great albums and some that haven’t held up so well, as well as some utter lack of perspective that’s to be expected of Boomer rock critics - no way is '90s Dylan “great” to anybody not blinded by hero worship. For me, it was a tough race between Sleater-Kinney, Yo La Tengo and Belle and Sebastian - since I’m pretty sure I’ll have more chances to vote for S-K and B&S, I’m going with Yo La Tengo this year, even though I probably listen to the other two a lot more often. Still, “Autumn Sweater” is a classic, so I don’t feel too bad. ---
**Author:** ![gladtobeblazed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@gladtobeblazed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gladtobeblazed)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1997/707854/2 "2014-12-22T02:01:20Z")
That’s a tough call for me, I honestly believe OK Computer is one of the greatest rock albums. I have to go with Homogenic though, it’s Bjork’s best record, and just barely comes out ahead of Radiohead for me. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1997/707854/3 "2014-12-22T02:07:28Z")
Gave it to Notorious BIG, time I voted for a hip hop/rap album. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1997/707854/4 "2014-12-22T03:03:39Z")
Damn, I can’t believe I’m doing this, but I voted Radiohead over S-K. I just can’t deny how great that Radiohead album was (plus I gave S-K the vote for last 1996, so I don’t feel too bad.) It brings me right back to 1997-1998 and my roommate who overplayed the shit out if that album, but at the time, and probably now, it ranks as one of the greatest rock albums of the 90s. Probably in my top three. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1997/707854/5 "2014-12-22T03:45:17Z")
_Brighten the Corners_. My freshman year in college (1998) I had a roommate, James Taylor (no, not that James Taylor), who was into tons of music I had never heard of. This is one of the albums he would play that I really gravitated towards. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2014, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1997/707854/6 "2014-12-22T04:37:41Z")
Oh dear, did **Brighten the Corners** really need to show up the same year as **OK Computer**? That’s patently unfair. Looking over the tracklist for the Pavement album, there isn’t a song there I don’t love… I think that’s what I’ll go with. Yo La Tengo for nearly-ran. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2014, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1997/707854/7 "2014-12-22T10:41:50Z")
**Radiohead** runs away with the poll. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2014, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1997/707854/8 "2014-12-22T11:44:21Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > **Radiohead** runs away with the poll. Yep, no surprise… ---
**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:** [December 22, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-1997/707854/9 "2014-12-22T12:38:32Z")
> [@gladtobeblazed](#): > > I have to go with Homogenic though, it’s Bjork’s best record, and just barely comes out ahead of Radiohead for me. It’s the other way round as far as I’m concerned but yeah, _Homogenic_’s wonderful and _Bachelorette_ may well be **Björk** ’s best song. _Debut_’s my favourite album of hers however but that’s partly for extramusical reasons: it was the soundtrack of my stay in London in the mid-90s. I listened to it every night before sleeping.