Blender released their list of the 50 greatest albums (of their choosing, mind you) in 2003.

It's rather interesting, but the #1 is easy to see (White Stripes' Elephant)

50. Aesop Rock - Bazooka Tooth
49. Gary Allan - See If I Care
48. Coldplay - Live 2003
47. Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash
46. Thursday - War All The Time
45. Steely Dan - Everything Must Go
44. The Strokes - Room on Fire
43. Pink - Try This
42. Macy Gray - The Trouble With Being Myself
41. Lighting Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow
40. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
39. Amy Rigby - Till the Wheels Fall Off
38. Cafe Tacuba - Cuatro Camino's
37. Damien Rice - O
36. Liz Phair - Liz Phair
35. Electric Six - Fire
34. Aretha Franklin - So Damn Happy
33. Kathleen Edwards - Failer
32. LifeSavas - Spirit in Stone
31. Fanny Pack - So Stylistic
30. T.A.T.U - 200 KM/H in the Wrong Lane
29. Obie Trice - Cheers
28. Warren Zevon - The Wind
27. The Distillers - Coral Fang
26. Grandaddy - Sumday
25. Metallica - St. Anger
24. Jack Johnson - On and On
23. The New Pronographers - Electric Version
22. Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner
21. Lucina Williams - World Without Tears
20. Cursive - The Ugly Organ
19. Drive-By Truckers - Decoration Day
18. The Neptunes - ...Clones
17. The Raveonetts - Chain Gang of Love
16. Kings of Leon - Youth and Young Manhood
15. The Darkness - Permission to Land
14. Bubba Sparxxx - Delieverance
13. Dashboard Confessional - A Mark, A Mission, a Brand, A Scar
12. R. Kelly - Chocolate Factory
11. Junior Senior - D-D-Don't Don't Stop the Beat
10. Evanescence - Fallen
9. 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell
7. Beyonce - Dangerously in Love
6. The Libertines - Up the Bracket
5. Justin Timberlake - Justified
4. Ryan Adams - Rock N Roll
3. Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers
2. Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
1. The White Stripes - Elephant

Fountains of Wayne #3 really, hmm, guess I should give it a listen (haven't bought it)... have to agree that I like the New Pornagraphers album.

No Weird Al? Bastards.

40. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief

Personally id move that one up about 38 or 39 spots.

I would agree with #1. However looking at that list 2003 was not a very good year to for the music industry.... And they wonder why sales are down!

What's the point of releasing a Year's Best list when there are still 6 weeks left in the year?

I guess not too much is released in December, but I still like the idea of taking the entire year to figure out what I liked best. Needless to say, this list only confirms that I don't need to feel bad about not reading Blender.

didnt' the tatu album come out last year?

I only have two of these:

3. Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers
23. The New Pornographers - Electric Version

Steve, it's fine to do a best-of list at this point because:

1) The big Christmas releases have already come out (for the most part)
2) Music journos get discs far in advance, so it's doubtful that something will slip out in those last six weeks

I like this list though, especially Bubba Sparxxx, Dizzee, Beyonce and Timberlake so high. And mentioning TATU -> smart.

Happy to say I don't have a single CD from that list.

The Justin Timberlake and TATU cds came out in Nov. and Dec. 2002 respectively, why are they even on this list?

The Shins: Chutes too Narrow
British Sea Power: BSP

Both should be on this list.

Neither the Timberlake or the TATU discs really broke until 2003. In a case like that, mags generally aren't too stringent with the release date.

Here is Spin's top 40

40. Electric Six - Fire
39. The Jealous Sound - Kill Them with Kindness
38. Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash
37. The Raveonettes - Chain Gang of Love
36. The Thrills - So Much for the City
35. Brand New - Deja Entendu
34. My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves
33. Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears
32. Kings of Leon - Youth & Mandhood
31. Spiritualized - Amazing Grace
30. Cat Power - You Are Free
29. Joe Budden - Joe Budden
28. Drive - By Truckers - Decoration Day
27. Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance
26. Postal Service - Give Up
25. The Darkness - Permission to Land
24. The Rapture - Echoes
23. Ms. Dynamite - A Little Deeper
22. Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance
21. The Mars Volta - De-Loused in the Comatorium
20. The Libertines - Up the Bracket
19. Atmosphere - Seven's Travels
18. Ryan Adams - Rock N Roll
17. Dashboard Confessional - A Mar, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar
16. Blur - Think Tank
15. AFI -Sing the Sorrow
14. Ted Leo/Phamacists - Hearts of Oak
13. Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catstrophe Waitress
12. Dizzee Rascal - Boy in Da Corner
11. Metallica - St. Anger
10. Radiohead - Hail to the Theif
09. Missy Elliott - This is Not a Test
08. The New Pornographers - Electrcic Version
07. Thursday - War All the Time
06. Jay-Z - The Black Album
05. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever to Tell
04. 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
03. The Strokes - Room on Fire
02. Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
01. The White Stripes - Elephant

Nice to see AFI get due on Spin's list

St. Anger one of the top albums of the year?

Did anyone at these magazines actually try and listen to it?

Damien Rice - O is probably the best thing I've gotten this year. I wouldn't really pay TOO much attention to these top albums lists because they're incredibly pop biased. I don't think The White Stripes are anything special, but I guess it's really not my style of music either.

Not everything on these lists are pop sound, but they're all popular groups that whore themselves out commercially.

Radiohead ranked below ****ing T.A.T.U?

Hail to the Thief is the best album of the year! followed by SpeakerBoxx/The Love Below...

I guess their lists were compiled before Sarah McLachlan's new album was released. At least, I hope that's what happened.

The Mars Volta was the best album I heard this year.

Yeah that is a joke, but at least they made the list.

A Perfect Circle doesnt even get a nod that they even made an album (which is amazing imo)

But I guess I should be used to that by now...

I can't argue a lot with this list (although I agree the Shins album should be on there, but they didn't like it much in their first review) -- I own the top three and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and love them all, and I'm waiting for a chance to pick up the new Ryan Adams. I'm psyched, I think the White Stripes will be on a lot of top 10 lists -- as they well deserve.

no deftones either?

Shins should easily be on the list

Glad to see Speakerboxxx/The Love Below at #2.

50 Cent shouldn't be in the top 50.