Critics' Best 100 Albums of 2000

The fabulous Nineties are over, but the polls go on!! The first year of  this century saw some damn fine records released. The question, however, is were they heard and more importantly acknowledged by the world's print and internet music critics? See the 100 albums below and decide for yourself. Additionally or alternatively, click here for Jumping Fences' own, far more astute (ha, ha, ha!!) choices of the best records of 2000.

By the way, what is it with Radiohead? What are we missing?  JF's thoughts towards Radiohead were once mirrored in the head of the widely-respected Village Voice critic Robert Christgau, who said the following in a old CNN interview "I dislike Radiohead quite a bit. It's art rock. It's stupid. And I will be vindicated".

1.  Radiohead - Kid A

2.  Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour Of Bewilderbeast

3.  Primal Scream - Xtrmntr

4.  Pj Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea

5.  Eminem - The Marshall Mathers Lp

6.  Grandaddy - The Sophtware Slump

7.  Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun

8.  Coldplay - Parachutes

9.  Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out

10.  D'Angelo - Voodoo

11.  Outkast - Stankonia

12.  At The Drive-In - Relationship Of Command

13.  Johnny Cash - American Iii: Solitary Man

14.  Lambchop - Nixon

15.  Queens Of The Stone Age - Rated R

16.  Madonna - Music

17.  Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain

18.  Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven

19.  Jill Scott - Who Is Jill Scott? Words And Sounds Vol 1

20.  Doves - Lost Souls

21.  U2 - All That You Can'T Leave Behind

22.  Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker

23.  The Dandy Warhols - Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia

24.  Belle & Sebastian - Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant

25.  The Eels - Daisies Of The Galaxy

26.  Common - Like Water For Chocolate

27.  Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl

28.  The Delgados - The Great Eastern

29.  Aimee Mann - Bachelor No. 2

30.  Elliott Smith - Figure 8

31.  The Go-Betweens - The Friends Of Rachel Worth

32.  Steve Earle - Transcendental Blues

33.  Deftones - White Pony

34.  Craig David - Born To Do It

35.  David Holmes - Bow Down To The Exit Sign

36.  Kelis - Kaleidoscope

37.  Broadcast - The Noise Made By People

38.  Jurassic 5 - Quality Control

39.  Phoenix - United

40.  Black Box Recorder - The Facts Of Life

41.  Calexico - Hot Rail

42.  Richard Ashcroft - Alone With Everybody

43.  Bjork - Selmasongs

44.  Roni Size & Reprazent - In The Mode

45.  Billy Bragg & Wilco - Mermaid Avenue Vol Ii

46.  The Jayhawks - Smile

47.  Teenage Fanclub - Howdy!

48.  Erykah Badu - Mama'S Gun

49.  Asian Dub Foundation - Community Music

50.  Smog - Dongs Of Sevotion

51.  Modest Mouse - The Moon And Antarctica

52.  Air - The Virgin Suicides

53.  Steely Dan - Two Against Nature

54.  Dead Prez - Let'S Get Free

55.  Leila - Courtesy Of Choice

56.  Blonde Redhead - Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons

57.  A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms

58.  De La Soul - Art Official Intelligence

59.  Mojave 3 - Excuses For Travellers

60.  Placebo - Black Market Music

61.  Giant Sand - Chore Of Enchantment

62.  David Gray - White Ladder

63.  Thievery Corporation - The Mirror Conspiracy

64.  Wu-Tang Clan - The W

65.  Fatboy Slim - Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars

66.  Neil Young - Silver And Gold

67.  Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele

68.  Jj72 - Jj72

69.  The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic

70.  Shellac - 1000 Hurts

71.  Talib Kweli & Dj Hi-Tek - Reflection Eternal

72.  Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030

73.  Photek - Solaris

74.  Clinic - Internal Wrangler

75.  Motorpsycho - Let Them Eat Cake

76.  16 Horsepower - Secret South

77.  Paul Simon - You'Re The One

78.  The Cure - Bloodflowers

79.  The Webb Brothers - Maroon

80.  Mirwais - Production

81.  Etienne De Crecy - Tempovision

82.  Quasimoto - The Unseen

83.  Bright Eyes - Fevers And Mirrors

84.  Sleater-Kinney - All Hands On The Bad One

85.  Marilyn Manson - Holy Wood (In The Valley Of The Shadow Of Death)

86.  Cat Power - The Covers Record

87.  Bebel Gilberto - Tanto Tempo

88.  John Hiatt - Crossing Muddy Waters

89.  Wookie - Wookie

90.  Sade - Lovers Rock

91.  Jimi Tenor - Out Of Nowhere

92.  Moloko - Things To Make And Do

93.  Marah - Kids In Philly

94.  Programme - Mon Cerveau Dans Ma Bouche

95.  Day One - Ordinary Man

96.  Embrace - Drawn From Memory

97.  Super Furry Animals - Mwng

98.  Robbie Williams - Sing When You'Re Winning

99.  Trans Am - The Red Line

100.  Nelly - Country Grammar

The above list was compiled from the 2000 critics' polls of the following 61 magazines/web-zines > Q, Uncut, Pitchfork, Spin, OOR, Wall of Sound (now defunct), Mojo, Select (now defunct), The Face, Les Inrockuptibles, Technikart, College Music Journal, NME, Melody Maker (now defunct), Musik Express, Spex, Visions, InkBlot, RockSound, Music365 (now defunct), Le Soir, Humo, The Times, Intro, Rock De Lux, Iguana, Alternative Press, Magnet, Magic!, Buscadero, Playlist, Blow Up, Rockerilla, Rolling Stone, Eye, Village Voice, Rock and Rap Confidential, Record Collector, Nojesguiden, The Los Angeles Times, German Rolling Stone, Pop News, Panorama, Mondo Sonoro, Mofo, Dot Music, Dagsavisen, Babylon, Aftenposten, Aftonbladet, Play Louder, E Online, Pop Matters, Audiogalaxy, Music-Critic,Lost at Sea, Liberation, Mucchio Selvaggio, Planet Sound, Heaven & Natt & Dag. In summary, 15 polls came from the USA, 13 from Britain, 5 from Germany, 6 from France, 5 from Italy, 4 from Norway, 3 from Spain, 3 from Belgium, 2 from Sweden, 2 from the Netherlands, 1 from Canada, 1 from Greece and 1 from all-over-the-place (The Rock and Rap Confidential Fourth Annual International Music Writers Poll).

Please visit Julian's Rocklist Site for most of the above magazines' full end-of-year lists. Additionally go here for the full German lists and here for the French ones. Also, check out the Acclaimed Music site for more lists.