| Pitchfork are about independent music, first and foremost, so unless a mainstream album was so big (and quality) they couldn't justifiably ignore it, or was so influential it had to be included, they're going to leave it off.
And I can't believe you haven't heard of The Pixies Prodigious. You've probably heard of The Breeders though, sadly. And The Pixies were more influential than The Smiths and REM combined. The Smiths, while amazing, failed to inspire any other great bands until Suede, over 6 years later. REM have been an important source for many great artists, but I can't think of any bands that owe their existence to REM, not any notable ones, anyways. The Pixies, on the other hand, gave us Pavement, Modest Mouse, Nirvana, Weezer, Guided By Voices, Built To Spill, Mudhoney, Jane's Addiction, Yo La Tengo and hundreds more bands. In short, The Pixies changed American independent music.
Talking Heads got #2 on the list, and their other great albums were all late 70s, so I'm pretty sure they got what they deserved. |