RSSRolling Stone Ballot: The 00's Best Songs & Albums
Rolling Stone polled a number of musicians and critics for their December 24, 2009-January 7,2010 issue, where they counted up the votes for "50 Best Albums of the Decade" and "50 Best Songs of the Decade." Robert Christgau's ballot follows:
Best Albums
- M.I.A.: Kala (Interscope '07)
- Kanye West: Late Registration (Roc-A-Fella '05)
- Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III (Universal/Motown/Cash Money '08)
- Wussy: Funeral Dress (Shake It '05)
- Kanye West: The Collge Dropout (Roc-A-Fella '04)
- Bob Dylan: "Love and Theft" (Columbia '01)
- Drive-By Truckers: Brighter Than Creation's Dark (New West '08)
- Orchestra Baobab: Specialist in All Styles (Nonesuch '02)
- New York Dolls: Some Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (RoadRunner)
- Bob Dylan: Modern Times (Columbia '06)
- The Moldy Peaches: The Moldy Peaches (Rough Trade '01)
- various: The Rough Guide to the Music of the Sahara (World Music Network '05)
- Brad Paisley: American Saturday Night (Arista Nashville '09)
- Wussy: Left for Dead (Shake It '07)
- The Go-Betweens: The Friends of Rachel Worth (Jetset '00)
- Gogol Bordello: Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike (Side One Dummy '05)
- Leonard Cohen: Live in London (Columbia '09)
- Youssou N'Dour: Egypt (Nonesuch '04)
- Loudon Wainwright III: High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project (161 '09)
- Brian Wilson: SMiLE (Nonesuch '04)
- PJ Harvey: Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (Island/Def Jam '00)
- Gogol Bordello: Super Taranta! (Side One Dummy '07)
- OutKast: Stankonia (LaFace/Arista '00)
- Rilo Kiley: More Adventurous (Brute/Beaute '04)
- Mekons: OOOH! (Quarterstick '02)
- DJ Shadow: The Private Press (MCA '02)
- Eminem: The Marshall Mathers LP (Aftermath/Interscope '00)
- Lil Wayne: Da Drought 3 (no label '07)
- Old 97's: Satellite Rides (Elektra '01)
- Youssou N'Dour: Nothing's in Vain (Coono du réér) (Nonesuch '02)
Best Songs
- James McMurtry: "We Can't Make It Here" (Compadre)
- Eminem: "Stan" (Aftermath/Interscope)
- M.I.A.: "Paper Planes" (Interscope)
- Missy Elliott: "Work It" (Elektra)
- Kanye West Featuring Jamie Foxx: "Gold Digger" (Roc-A-Fella)
- Randy Newman: "A Few Words in Defense of Our Country" (Nonesuch)
- Todd Snider: "You Got Away With It" (New Door)
- Rilo Kiley: "It's a Hit" (Brute/Beaute)
- Gogol Bordello: "Ultimate" (Side One Dummy)
- Freelance Hellraiser: "Smells Like Booty" (no label)
- M.O.P: "Ante Up" (Loud)
- Brad Paisley: "Then" (Arista)
- Youssou N'Dour: "Birima" (Nonesuch)
- Panjabi MC featuring Jay-Z: "Beware of the Boys (Mundian To Bach Ke)" (Sequence)
- Pink: "Get the Party Started" (Arista)
- Conor Oberst: "I Don't Want To Die (In the Hospital)" (Merge)
- Eminem: "Kim" (Aftermath/Interscope)
- Mystikal: "Bouncin' Back, (Bumpin' Me Up Against the Wall)" (Jive)
- Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz: "Get Low Remix" (TVT)
- Paul Nabor: "Naguya Nei" (Cumbancha)
- Lil Wayne: "I Feel Like Dying" (no label)
- OutKast: "Ms. Jackson" (LaFace)
- Eminem: "My Dad's Gone Crazy" (Aftermath/Interscope)
- Rihanna: "Umbrella" (Def Jam)
- Amerie: "1 Thing" (Sony Urban Music/Columbia)
Postscript Notes:
Further notes by Robert Christgau:
The albums were carefully weighed--played every one except the long-decided top two at least once, many more than once. The top 25 singles I spend less time on. I'm sure there are several I didn't even think of (how about TVOTR's "Red Dress," I'm wondering) that would have made the top 25. I did, however, construct a Rhapsody playlist of the available contenders (no "Get Low" or "Smells Like Booty") and play it bottom (around 50) to top, resulting in much shifting about.
Dec. 24, 2009