# Best Pazz & Jop Critics Poll Album of the '90s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 27, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016 "2015-01-27T16:43:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **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:** [January 27, 2015, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/1 "2015-01-27T16:43:25Z")
Ties for top spot in '90, '93, '95 and '96, so 14 options for this one. I’m going with R.E.M., though I don’t think they’ll win this one. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/2 "2015-01-27T17:17:45Z")
Why Oasis of course. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2015, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/3 "2015-01-27T17:29:35Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > I’m going with R.E.M., though I don’t think they’ll win this one. They damn well deserve to win. And if they don’t, well, I’ll certainly say they got a raw deal. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/4 "2015-01-27T17:31:46Z")
> [@Eddie\_F](#): > > They damn well deserve to win. And if they don’t, well, I’ll certainly say they got a raw deal. Anything but Nirvana, I suspect they will win but it is tiresome. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/5 "2015-01-27T17:38:18Z")
I can vote for almost any of these. My assumption is that _Nevermind_ will win. While I think it’s perhaps the iconic rock album of the 90s, and I do like it a lot, I prefer _In Utero_. That said, I’m going to end up voting for a band I don’t really much listen to except for one single album: Radiohead with _OK Computer_. Smashing Pumpkins are my favorite band of the 90s, but that album isn’t cohesive enough for me. Pulp’s _Different Class_ is probably my runner-up. But, really, there’s any of five or six albums here I could have picked. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/6 "2015-01-27T17:54:51Z")
I will go with Neutral Milk Hotel, by virtue of never having seen those words together in the same sentence. Can I nominate some obscure music that maybe 2% of the listening public has heard mention of? ---
**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:** [January 27, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/7 "2015-01-27T18:37:04Z")
Half of this list is in my collection, and _Odelay_ almost won, but I had to go with _Goo_. I’m more likely to pick it on Sunday morning for a full listen than the others. It’s a poppy record, but has plenty of SY noisy goodness to round it out. > [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > Can I nominate some obscure music that maybe 2% of the listening public has heard mention of? I can’t speak for everyone, but I’d love you to. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/8 "2015-01-27T18:56:10Z")
\*\*Radiohead \*\*- \*OK Computer \* because it succeeded in being both musically ambitious _and_ catchy. **Portishead** ’s _Dummy_ is a very close second, for similar reasons. **Nirvana** ’s _Nevermind_ comes third. It’s a milestone in rock history but it’s a bit one-dimensional IMHO. Very honourable mentions to _Automatic for the People_ and _Different Class_ - the latter being the only good thing to come out of the Britpop scene. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/9 "2015-01-27T19:16:02Z")
So many good choices. I voted for OKC, but In Utero and Different Class are really worthy as well. I’m a huge fan of REM through their first 4 albums, but I never felt the love for AFTP. Edited to also say that I don’t understand why they would pick Goo above Dirty. Goo has some great songs, but Dirty’s much better overall IMO. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/10 "2015-01-27T19:48:03Z")
> [@Purd\_Werfect](#): > > Edited to also say that I don’t understand why they would pick Goo above Dirty. Goo has some great songs, but Dirty’s much better overall IMO. Well, to be honest, _Dirty_ sounds like a classic rock record next to most SY records. It took me years to be comfortable with _Dirty_, I considered it to be their first “bad” record for years. Eventually I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb, but I still like _Goo_’s pop and soundscapes better than _Dirty_’s rawk. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/11 "2015-01-27T20:03:45Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Well, to be honest, _Dirty_ sounds like a classic rock record next to most SY records. It took me years to be comfortable with _Dirty_, I considered it to be their first “bad” record for years. Eventually I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb, but I still like _Goo_’s pop and soundscapes better than _Dirty_’s rawk. _Dirty_ was the first Sonic Youth record I heard, and I was smitten by it. However, if I came to know Sonic Youth from _EVOL_ onward, I could see _Dirty_ throwing me for a curveball. It’s much more “pop” and accessible (IMHO) than their other albums, and it was perfect for me at the time, because I wasn’t ready for their more typical soundscape work at the time. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/12 "2015-01-27T20:14:12Z")
Neutral Milk Hotel, though OK Computer comes close. ---
**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:** [January 27, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/13 "2015-01-27T20:15:43Z")
> [@Purd\_Werfect](#): > > So many good choices. I voted for OKC, but In Utero and Different Class are really worthy as well. I’m a huge fan of REM through their first 4 albums, but I never felt the love for AFTP. > > Edited to also say that I don’t understand why they would pick Goo above Dirty. Goo has some great songs, but Dirty’s much better overall IMO. I also prefer Dirty to Goo, but I think they’re both reasonable choices. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2015, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/14 "2015-01-27T22:23:00Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Well, to be honest, _Dirty_ sounds like a classic rock record next to most SY records. It took me years to be comfortable with _Dirty_, I considered it to be their first “bad” record for years. Eventually I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb, but I still like _Goo_’s pop and soundscapes better than _Dirty_’s rawk. Yeah, that makes sense. When I think of Goo though, I think of Kool Thing, which I almost consider a novelty song contrasted against their broader catalog, and Dirty Boots, which is probably their best known song to those who don’t follow the band. But overall, Dirty is indeed more sonically pretty. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-pazz-jop-critics-poll-album-of-the-90s/711016/15 "2015-01-28T06:37:23Z")
What a great list! I love all these albums except for Sinead’s and Oasis’ (though I appreciate the cultural relevance of even these two), and I’ve never heard of Pulp in my life until now (guess I should check them – him? her? it? – out). I went with Radiohead’s OK Computer, after considering Nirvana and R.E.M. (and maybe Beck) as well.