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The Top 40 By 40

Well, here it is. A Top 40 of records compiled by myself and my friends on the cusp of my 40th birthday. Points were assigned to ranks in a simple linear fashion (1st = 40 points, 2nd = 39 etc.) and then totalled up for all records. All records with 2 or more votes were eligible for the Top 40. I also weighted the scores by popularity, so records with 3 voters had their score boosted a bit more than those with 2.

More posts dissecting this project will follow in due course. After that, it's back to listening to records (without over analysing them!) and perhaps pondering an updated Top 50 by 50 in ten years time...

Enough of that. Here's the list and voting data. Thanks to everyone who contributed.


40 - Sonic Youth - Sister (1987)

(2 voters, 36 points)

39 - The Verve - Urban Hymns (1997)

(2 voters, 37 points)

38 - Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks (1975)

(2 voters, 39 points)

37 - The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses (1989)

(2 voters, 39 points)

36 - Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump (2000)

(2 voters, 40 points)

35 - The Clash - London Calling (1979)

(2 voters, 41 points)

34 - Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted (1992)

(2 voters, 41 points)

33 - Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (1979)

(2 voters, 43 points)

32 - Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)

(2 voters, 44 points)

31 - Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast (2000)

(2 voters, 46 points)

30 - The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2004)

(2 voters, 46 points)

29 - The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin (1999)

(2 voters, 47 points)

28 - Sonic Youth - Dirty (1992)

(2 voters, 47 points)

27 - Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols (1977)

(3 voters, 48.75 points)

26 - Beck - Odelay (1996)

(2 voters, 50 points)

25 - The Beatles - Revolver (1966)

(2 voters, 53 points)

24 - Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (1988)

(2 voters, 55 points)

23 - Sonic Youth - Goo (1990)

(2 voters, 56 points)

22 - Nirvana - In Utero (1993)

(2 voters, 57 points)

21 - Hole - Live Through This (1994)

(2 voters, 58 points)

20 - The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

(3 voters, 58.75 points)

19 - Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (2006)

(2 voters, 59 points)

18 - Frank Black - Teenager of the Year (1994)

(2 voters, 59 points)

17 - Mogwai - Come On Die Young (1999)

(2 voters, 60 points)

16 - Jeff Buckley - Grace (1994)

(2 voters, 63 points)

15 - Pixies - Trompe Le Monde (1991)

(2 voters, 68 points)

14 - Suede - Dog Man Star (1994)

(2 voters, 68 points)

13 - Mogwai - Young Team (1997)

(2 voters, 72 points)

12 - Mercury Rev - Deserter's Songs (1998)

(3 voters, 77.5 points)

11 - Pixies - Doolittle (1989)

(2 voters, 78 points)

10 - The Beatles - Rubber Soul (1965)

(3 voters, 93.75 points)

9 - The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)

(3 voters, 97.5 points)

8 - Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister (1996)

(3 voters, 98.75 points)

7 - The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)

(3 voters, 98.75 points)

6 - Pulp - Different Class (1995)

(4 voters, 99 points)

5 - Pixies - Surfer Rosa & Come On Pilgrim (1989)

(3 voters, 102.5 points)

4 - The Smiths - The Queen is Dead (1986)

(3 voters, 102.5 points)

3 - Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)

(3 voters, 103.75 points)

2 - The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

(3 voters, 121.25 points)

1 - Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)

(4 voters, 171 points)

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