Thanks for this news, OP. As mentioned above, I think it’s kind of neat to look back just at the ads from those time periods. Regarding Spin itself, back in the late 90s and early 00s, when I was in my teens/early 20s, I thought of Spin as being really with it, right along with the cutting edge stuff, and far superior to Rolling Stone. Looking back now, it’s not nearly what I thought. It wasn’t well behind, but it wasn’t at the forefront, and it was and still is just going with the current big act for its cover story. I’m a big Modest Mouse fan, but didn’t become one until 2003. I’d have guessed MM would have been on the cover in the late 90s or 2000 when they released their best records, but it wasn’t until the end of 2004 that they were there, and then again in '07. I’m not disappointed with Spin. I’m disappointed with myself for being behind the cutting edge, too.
ETA: I did like going through the top records of each year, and finding gems that, having stated what I have above, are a surprise to see as top 20 or 40, such as some Ted Leo and Animal Collective records. Same holds for record reviews; one that stands out is Boredoms’ “Vision Creation Newsun.”