Ok Computer?!?!..has the world gone mad?

It was the most popular album of the demographic who tend to vote in these polls. It was released in 1997 when they were all 25. In three years it'll be another album -one that was released in 1999?

Any predictions?



Regards

Stephen

Polls always tell you more about the people that voted than what they voted on, imho. I don't think ok computer is their best album. The bends, for me, walks all over it,& pablo honey is more coherent.
As far as the beatles go,for me, revolver isthe seminal beatles album. yeah,I know its got yellow bloody submarine on it, but sgt peppers lumbered with when I'm 64.Without revolver, there could not have been pepper.So for me, pet sounds, & revolver would be the starting point for todays music.And HOW MANY albums were there rated better than "whats going on"??
matt.

quote:

It was the most popular album of the demographic who tend to vote in these polls

Given the volume of 60's and 70's records in the results I'd assumed that the "average" demographic for the poll was in their 40's at least.

This is the problem with democracy. Having said that most of the key albums were somewhere in the list, if sometimes shockingly far down. Pet Sounds in the 30s, Velvet Underground and Nico in the 40s, Graceland in the 90s! And so on. But, as manicatel rightly points out, these things always tell you more about who voted, as the albums I've listed say more about me. The short list was somewhat odd - i.e. why coltrane but no miles davis, why only one pink floyd album, why no Physical Graffiti?

For me, the definitive Beatles album is Abbey Road. Sgt Pepper has some great stuff (Lucy in the Sky and A Day in the Life), but as mentioned, it also has some absolute junk. The first disc of the white album is great, but come the second it seems to be on a mission to be as absurdly weird as possible, and I get on with it less and less well. Don't know revolver well enough to comment (so perhaps I should listen to it some more).



regards,

Tam

quote:

Originally posted by manicatel:
I don't think ok computer is their best album. The bends, for me, walks all over it,& pablo honey is more coherent.
As far as the beatles go,for me, revolver isthe seminal beatles album. yeah,I know its got yellow bloody submarine on it, but sgt peppers lumbered with when I'm 64.Without revolver, there could not have been pepper.

We park our cars in the same garage, although "'64" always has a place for me due to some great memories (cheesy as hell track though!).

Never got "Pet sounds", but "Good vibrations" is great...

The day RnB (new style) gets on one of these lists is the day we need to worry!

As for "The white album", I prefer the second disc by miles - especially "Savoy Truffle". Everyone disses me for that, but I love it. For some odd reason it always reminds me of that David Hockney painting, "Mr and Mrs Parke and Percy", but I don't know why!

Hey, why not put these comments in the main 'Top 100' Thread.

Mainman. I disagree. 'OK Computer' is a superb album and whilst it wouldn't be my no 1 it would be up there. I think it is Radioheads best just ahead of the superb 'Bends'. Obviously those who voted agree with me. I can't believe that anyone that put OK computer high in their list hasn't also go the bends.

There were more 70s albums in the list than any other decade so that doesn't tally with the 25year old demagraphic argument.

I agree with Tam on the Beatles. Abbey Road could well be my all time favourite album (vieing with Forever Changes and The Stone Roses). Sgt Pepper could certainly be counted as the most influential album ever but for me, Abbey Road, The White album and Revolver are all better.

I listened to OK Computer back to back with Pet Sounds last night, the latter rendered the concept that OK Computer is the best album ever completely and utterly ludicrous on every level - not that it's a bad album.

Hate to state the obvious, but comparing The Beach Boys to Radiohead is a tad silly. The music is completely different.

The Beach Boys made sissy rock, if you even want to call it that. Was is it influential? Sure, but then so again was what happened in the 90's with Radiohead.

The 90's saw the technique of guitar distortion used at a higher level. Whether you like the sound or not reflects on the tallied votes.

Personally, I'd have to vote for a Beatles album at number 1 - probably Revolver too, but I really like Rubber Soul - and OK would be somewhere around 7 or 8.

This coming from someone who fits your "young demographic."

"Hate to state the obvious, but comparing The Beach Boys to Radiohead is a tad silly. The music is completely different.

The Beach Boys made sissy rock, if you even want to call it that."

By definition, if you want to rank things then there must be comparison - it is a tad silly I'll grant you but the point of debate here is whether 'OK' deserved top slot - my point is that listening to OK and Pet Sounds back to back is a bit like comparing a thoroughbred stallion and an old carthorse by any level of analysis - in my opinion. If 'sissy rock' was a derisory comment then that's your loss.

OK Computer being the #1 choice reflects the fact that the older demographic born after WWII are participating less in polls, not to mention buying far less albums theses days. If my cohort (the "Boomers") were still paying attention to these polls instead of maybe buying 1 CD a year (probably a Springsteen box set or something), the top album would likely be Dark Side of the Moon, a direct antecedent to OK Computer!

Apparently this 100 best thing is not all it first appears. 125 albums are chosen by a group of “experts” at channel 4; the public then gets to choose from this list. So it’s more a case of put the “expert’s choice” in order and we will make a top 100 show from it.

John.

I think it's just pointless to compare albums from different genres. How can you say a jazz album is better than a rock album or vice versa?

It's like saying that orange is better than that apple.

Depends entirely what mood you are in.

For me, Pet Sounds just doesn't qualify as rock.