Robert Christgau: Dean of American Rock Critics

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The 1993 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll

Albums

1. Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville (Matador) 1383 (108)
2. Nirvana: In Utero (DGC) 1106 (91)
3. PJ Harvey: Rid of Me (Island) 708 (63)
4. The Breeders: Last Splash (4AD/Elektra) 607 (59)
5. Pet Shop Boys: Very (EMI) 538 (34)
6. Dr. Dre: The Chronic (Interscope) 524 (47) *
7. Jimmie Dale Gilmore: Spinning Around the Sun (Elektra) 427 (39)
8. De La Soul: Buhloone Mindstate (Tommy Boy) 396 (35)
9. U2: Zooropa (Island) 390 (41)
10. Digable Planets: Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space) (Pendulum) 358 (43)
11. Smashing Pumpkins: Siamese Dream (Virgin) 330 (32)
12. P.M. Dawn: The Bliss Album . . . ? (Gee Street) 325 (29)
13. Paul Westerberg: 14 Songs (Sire/Reprise) 299 (36)
14. Pearl Jam: Vs. (Epic Associated) 298 (32)
15. Bettie Serveert: Palomine (Matador) 289 (26) *
16. Urge Overkill: Saturation (Geffen) 275 (29)
17. The Afghan Whigs: Gentlemen (Elektra) 260 (24)
18. American Music Club: Mercury (Reprise) 255 (24)
19. Tony Toni Toné: Sons of Soul (Wing) 254 (23)
20. Yo La Tengo: Painful (Matador) 243 (24)
21. A Tribe Called Quest: Midnight Marauders (Jive) 231 (20)
22. Willie Nelson: Across the Borderline (Columbia) 215 (20)
23. Bob Dylan: World Gone Wrong (Columbia) 209 (24)
24. Stereolab: Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements (Elektra) 204 (19)
25. Jane Siberry: When I Was a Boy (Reprise) 193 (17)
26. Dwight Yoakam: This Time (Reprise) 192 (26)
27. Me'Shell NdegéOcello: Plantation Lullabies (Maverick/Sire/Reprise) 188 (19)
28. Uncle Tupelo: Anodyne (Sire/Reprise) 186 (18)
29. Cypress Hill: Black Sunday (Ruffhouse/Columbia) 184 (18)
30. Terence Trent D'Arby: Symphony or Damn (Columbia) 182 (21)
31. Sade: Love Deluxe (Epic) 181 (19) *
32. Arthur Alexander: Lonely Just Like Me (Elektra Nonesuch/American Explorer Series) 178 (17)
33. Aimee Mann: Whatever (Imago) 175 (18)
34. Cassandra Wilson: Blue Light 'Til Dawn (Blue Note) 170 (15)
35. PJ Harvey: 4-Track Demos (Island) 169 (16)
36. Rosanne Cash: The Wheel (Columbia) 167 (15)
37. Belly: Star (Sire/Reprise) 165 (16)
38. John Hiatt: Perfectly Good Guitar (A&M) 162 (15)
Shaver: Tramp on Your Street (Zoo/Praxis International) 162 (15)
40. Dinosaur Jr.: Where You Been (Sire/Warner Bros.) 157 (19)

This poll compiles ballots from 308 critics, who divided 100 points among 10 1993 albums. Points determined placement, with total mentions (indicated in parentheses) used for tie-breaking. Maximum per album: 30. Minimum: 5.

*Includes 1992 votes: Dr. Dre 10 (1), Bettie Serveert 40 (4), Sade 91 (10).

Singles

1. The Breeders: "Cannonball" (4AD/Elektra) 78
2. Digable Planets: "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" (Pendulum) 50
Nirvana: "Heart-Shaped Box" (DGC) 50
4. Dr. Dre: "Nuthin' but a `G' Thang" (Interscope) 44
5. Salt-n-Pepa: "Shoop" (Next Plateau) 32
6. Radiohead: "Creep" (Capitol) 29
Soul Asylum: "Runaway Train" (Columbia) 29
8. The Juliana Hatfield 3: "My Sister" (Mammoth/Atlantic) 27
9. Urge Overkill: "Sister Havana" (Geffen) 26
10. Ice Cube: "It Was a Good Day"/"Check Yo Self" (Priority) 23
Tony Toni Toné: "If I Had No Loot" (Wing) 23
12. US3: "Cantaloop" (Blue Note) 22
13. Janet Jackson: "That's the Way Love Goes" (Virgin) 20
Naughty by Nature: "Hip Hop Hooray" (Tommy Boy) 20
Shaggy: "Oh Carolina" (Virgin) 20
16. Cypress Hill: "Insane in the Brain" (Ruffhouse/Columbia) 19
Porno for Pyros: "Pets" (Warner Bros.) 19
18. Robin S: "Show Me Love" (Big Beat/Atlantic) 18
19. Belly: "Feed the Tree" (Sire/Reprise) 17
R.E.M.: "Man on the Moon" (Warner Bros.) 17
21. Gin Blossoms: "Hey Jealousy" (A&M) 15
Pet Shop Boys: "Go West" (EMI) 15
RuPaul: "Supermodel" (Tommy Boy) 15 *
24. Tag Team: "Whoomp! There It Is" (Life) 13
Janet Jackson: "If" (Virgin) 13
Snow: "Informer" (EastWest) 13
R.E.M.: "Everybody Hurts" (Warner Bros.) 13

*Includes 1992 votes: 5.

EPs

1. Luscious Jackson: In Search of Manny (Grand Royal) 31
2. Sugar: Beaster (Rykodisc) 24
3. Moby: Move (Elektra) 20
4. Heavenly: P.U.N.K. Girl (K) 16
5. Jeff Buckley: Live at Siné (Columbia) 11
Freedy Johnston: Unlucky (Bar/None) 11
7. En Vogue: Runaway Love (Atlantic) 10
8. The Shams: Sedusia (Matador) 8
Versus: Let's Electrify (Remora) 8
10. Babes in Toyland: Painkillers (Reprise) 7

Reissues

1. The Beach Boys: Good Vibrations (Capitol) 42
2. Elvis Costello: 2½ Years (Rykodisc) 34
Otis Redding: Otis! (Rhino) 34
4. Ornette Coleman: Beauty Is a Rare Thing: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (Atlantic) 33
5. Richard Thompson: The History of Richard Thompson: Watching the Dark (Hannibal) 30
6. Tougher Than Tough: The Story of Jamaican Music (Mango) 29
7. Janis Joplin: Janis (Columbia/Legacy) 25
8. Prince: The Hits/The B-Sides (Paisley Park/Warner Bros.) 23
9. Moby Grape: Vintage (Columbia/Legacy) 19
10. John Prine: The John Prine Anthology: Great Days (Rhino) 16

Videos

1. Nirvana: "Heart-Shaped Box" (Anton Corbijn) 34
2. Bjork: "Human Behavior" (Michelle Gondry) 32
3. R.E.M.: "Everybody Hurts" (Jake Scott) 28
4. The Breeders: "Cannonball" (Kim Gordon and Spike Jonze) 21
U2: "Numb" (Kevin Godley) 21
6. R.E.M.: "Man on the Moon" (Peter Care) 19
7. Soul Asylum: "Runaway Train" (Tony Kaye) 18
8. Beavis and Butt-head Featuring Cher: "I Got You Babe" (Tamra Davis) 15
Blind Melon: "No Rain" (Sam Bayer) 15
10. Aerosmith: "Crying" (Marty Callner) 12

Village Voice, Mar. 1, 1994


1992 Essay | Dean's List 1994