LUDIC LISTS

THE DIRTY DOZENS: My top 12 albums of the year for each year since 1988.

1988
1.  Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Def Jam)
2.  Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation (Blast First!)
3.  The Pixies, Surfer Rosa (Rough Trade)
4.  Eric B. & Rakim, Follow the Leader (UNI)
5.  Ultramagnetic MCs, Critical Beatdown (Next Plateau)
6.  Galaxie 500, Today (Rykodisc)
7.  EPMD, Strictly Business (Priority)
8.  Slick Rick, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (Def Jam)
9.  The Residents, God in Three Persons (Rykodisc)
10.  American Music Club, California (Frontier)
11.  R.E.M., Green (Warner Brothers)
12.  Too $hort, Life isToo $hort (Jive)

1989
1.  Boogie Down Productions, Ghetto Music:  the Blueprint of Hip-Hop (Jive)
2.  De la Soul, 3 Feet High and Rising (Tommy Boy)
3.  Sebadoh, The Freed Man (Homestead)
4.  The Sugarcubes, Here Today Tomorrow Next Week! (Elektra)
5.  The Pixies, Doolittle (4AD)
6.  3rd Bass, The Cactus Album (Def Jam)
7.  Beastie Boys, Paul's Boutique (Capitol)
8.  They Might Be Giants, Lincoln (Enigma)
9.  Pere Ubu, Cloudland (Fontana)
10.  k.d. lang & the Reclines, Absolute Torch and Twang (Sire)
11.  Ministry, The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste (Sire)
12.  Queen Latifah, All Hail the Queen (Tommy Boy)

1990
1.  Sinéad O'Connor, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (Chrysalis)
2.  Robyn Hitchcock, Eye (Rhino)
3.  Public Enemy, Fear of a Black Planet (Def Jam)
4.  Ass Ponys, Mr. Superlove (Okra)
5.  The Breeders, Pod (4AD)
6.  The Fall, Extricate (Resurgent)
7.  L.L. Cool J, Mama Said Knock You Out (Def Jam)
8.  Shonen Knife, Shonen Knife (Positive)
9.  Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, Wanted:  Dead or Alive (Cold Chillin')
10.  A Tribe Called Quest, People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (Tommy Boy)
11.  Bob Mould, Black Sheets of Rain (Virgin)
12.  Digital Underground, Sex Packets (Tommy Boy)

1991
1.  Bongwater, The Power of Pussy (Shimmy-Disc)
2.  Basehead, Play with Toys (Émigré)
3.  Public Enemy, Apocalypse 91:  The Enemy Strikes Black (Def Jam)
4.  Del tha Funkee Homosapien, I Wish My Brother George was Here (Asylum)
5.  Matthew Sweet, Girlfriend (Zoo)
6.  Fishbone, The Reality of My Surroundings (Columbia)
7.  Eleventh Dream Day, Lived to Tell (Collector's Choice)
8.  De la Soul, De la Soul is Dead (Tommy Boy)
9.  A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory (Jive)
10.  nomeansno, 0+2=1 (Virus)
11.  Muslimgauze, United States of Islam (Extreme)
12.  DJ Quik, Quik is the Name (Profile)

1992
1.  Nirvana, Nevermind (DGC)
2.  Pavement, Slanted & Enchanted (Matador)
3.  Dr. Dre, The Chronic (Death Row)
4.  Uncle Tupelo, March 16-20, 1992 (Rockville)
5.  Sonic Youth, Dirty (DGC)
6.  PJ Harvey, Dry (Too Pure)
7.  Gang Starr, Daily Operation (Chrysalis)
8.  Tom Waits, Bone Machine (Island)
9.  Compton's Most Wanted, Music to Driveby (Orpheus)
10.  Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury (4th & Broadway)
11.  Das EFX, Dead Serious (East West)
12.  Vulgar Boatmen, Please Panic (Safe House)

1993
1.  Guided By Voices, Bee Thousand (Matador)
2.  Wu-Tang Clan, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (BMG)
3.  PJ Harvey, Rid of Me (Island)
4.  Boredoms, Pop Tatari (Reprise)
5.  Souls of Mischief, 93 'til Infinity (Jive)
6.  Bikini Kill, Pussywhipped (Kill Rock Stars)
7.  Uncle Tupelo, Anodyne (Sire)
8.  Snoop Doggy Dogg, Doggystyle (Death Row)
9.  KRS-One, Return of the Boom Bap (Jive)
10.  Unrest, Perfect Teeth (Teebeat)
11.  Digable Planets, Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) (Pendulum)
12.  New Radiant Storm King, Rival Time (Positive)

1994
1.  Pavement, Crooked Rain Crooked Rain (Matador)
2.  Palace Brothers, Days in the Wake (Drag City)
3.  Silver Jews, Starlite Walker (Drag City)
4.  Antietam, Rope-a-Dope (Homestead)
5.  Gravediggaz, 6 Feet Deep (V2)
6.  Method Man, Tical (Def Jam)
7.  Organized Konfusion, Stress:  the Extinction Agenda (Hollywood)
8.  The Cannanes, Witchetty Pole (Feel Good All Over)
9.  Nas, Illmatic (Columbia)
10.  Red Red Meat, Jimmywine Majestic (Subpop)
11.  The Grifters, Crappin' You Negative (Shangri-La)
12.  Team Dresch, Personal Best (Chainsaw Kitten)

1995
1.  P.J. Harvey, To Bring You My Love (Island)
2.  Raekwon the Chef, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (Loud)
3.  Mobb Deep, Hell on Earth (Loud)
4.  Mermen, A Glorious Lethal Euphoria (Mesa)
5.  Archers of Loaf, Vee Vee (Alias)
6.  Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, Bait and Switch (American)
7.  GZA, Liquid Swords (Geffen)
8.  Ol' Dirty Bastard, Return to the 36 Chambers (Elektra)
9.  BR5-49, BR5-49 (Arista)
10.  Freakwater, Old Paint (Thrill Jockey)
11.  Goodie Mob, Soul Food (La Face)
12.  Flat Duo Jets, Introducing the Flat Duo Jets (Norton)

1996
1.  DJ Shadow, Endtroducing (Mo'Wax)
2.  Belle & Sebastian, If You're Feeling Sinister (Matador)
3.  The Scud Mountain Boys, Massachusetts (Subpop)
4.  Shellac, At Action Park (Touch and Go)
5.  Dr. Octagon, Dr. Octagynecologist (DreamWorks)
6.  Palace Music, Arise Therefore (Drag City)
7.  Dirty Three, Horse Stories (Touch and Go)
8.  Cypress Hill, Cypress Hill III (Temples of Boom) (Ruffhouse)
9.  Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Now I Got Worry (Matador)
10.  Keiji Haino, Execration That to Accept to Acknowledge (Forced Exposure)
11.  Jawbox, Jawbox (Roc-a-Fella)
12.  Cibo Matto, Viva!  La Woman (Warner Brothers)

1997
1.  Sleater-Kinney, Dig Me Out (Kill Rock Stars)
2.  Mike Watt, Contemplating the Engine Room (Columbia)
3.  Capone 'n' Noreaga, The War Report (Penalty)
4.  Yo la Tengo, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One (Matador)
5.  Polvo, Exploded Diagram (Touch and Go)
6.  Common, One Day It'll All Make Sense (Relativity)
7.  Company Flow, Funcrusher Plus (Rawkus)
8.  Missy Elliott, Supa Dupa Fly (Elektra)
9.  Blur, Blur (Virgin)
10.  Wu-Tang Clan, Wu-Tang Forever (Loud)
11.  Vic Chesnutt, About to Choke (Capitol)
12.  Jay-Z, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 (Roc-a-Fella)

1998
1.  Boredoms, Super  Ae (Birdman)
2.  Silver Jews, American Water (Drag City)
3.  The Handsome Family, Through the Trees (Carrot Top)
4.  Hieroglyphics, Third Eye Vision (Hieroglyphics)
5.  Varnaline, Sweet Life (Zero Hour)
6.  DMX, It's Dark and Hell is Hot (Def Jam)
7.  Mos Def & Talib Kweli, Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star (Rawkus)
8.  The Coup, Steal This Album (Dogday)
9.  The Loud Family, Days for Days (Alias)
10.  Cypress Hill, Cypress Hill IV (Ruffhouse)
11.  Goodie Mob, Still Standing (La Face)
12.  Freakwater, Springtime (Thrill Jockey)

1999
1.  MF Doom, Operation:  Doomsday (Fondle 'Em)
2.  The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs (Merge)
3.  Built to Spill, Keep It Like a Secret (Warner Brothers) 
4.  The Roots, Things Fall Apart (MCA)
5.  Mos Def, Black on Both Sides (Rawkus)
6.  Low, Secret Name (Kranky)
7.  Eminem, The Slim Shady LP (Interscope)
8.  Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin (Warner Brothers)
9.  Bonnie "Prince" Billie, I See a Darkness (Palace)
10.  Method Man & Redman, Blackout! (Def Jam)
11.  Kool Keith, Black Elvis/Lost in Space (Ruffhouse)
12.  Marduk, Panzer Division Marduk (Osmose)

2000
1.  Jurassic 5, Quality Control (Interscope)
2.  Radiohead, Kid A (Capitol)
3.  Quasimoto, The Unseen (Stones Throw)
4.  Deltron 3030, Deltron 3030 (75 Ark)
5.  P.J. Harvey, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (Island)
6.  Grandaddy, The Sophtware Slump (V2)
7.  Yo la Tengo, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out (Matador)
8.  Common, Like Water for Chocolate (MCA)
9.  Kid Koala, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (Ninja Tune)
10.  The Avalanches, Since I Left You (Modular)
11.  Blackalicious, NIA (Quannum)
12.  M.O.P., Warriorz (Loud)

2001
1.  The White Stripes, White Blood Cells (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
2.  Cannibal Ox, The Cold Vein (Def Jux)
3.  Spoon, Girls Can Tell (Merge)
4.  Aesop Rock, Labor Days (Def Jux)
5.  The New Year, Newness Ends (Touch and Go)
6.  Aceyalone, Accepted Eclectic (GroundControl)
7.  Low, Things We Lost in the Fire (Kranky)
8.  Missy Elliott, Miss ESo Addictive (Elektra)
9.  Clem Snide, The Ghost of Fashion (spinART)
10.  Jay-Z, The Blueprint (Universal)
11.  The Shins, Oh, Inverted World (Subpop)
12.  System of a Down, Toxicity (Sony)

2002
1.  And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Source Tags & Codes (Interscope)
2.  El-P, Fantastic Damage (Def Jux)
3.  Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (Warner Brothers)
4.  Neko Case, Blacklisted (Bloodshot)
5.  Pedro the Lion, Control (Jade Tree)
6.  Blackalicious, Blazing Arrow (MCA)
7.  People Under the Stairs, O.S.T. (OM)
8.  Eminem, The Eminem Show (Interscope)
9.  McLusky, McLusky Do Dallas (Too Pure)
10.  Count Bass D, Dwight Spitz (High Times)
11.  DJ Shadow, The Private Press (MCA)
12.  Interpol, Turn on the Bright Lights (Matador)