SPIN's 40 Most Important Artists In YOUR order

1) white stripes

the end

I'm gonna be all SORTS of upset if people don't do this. :(

Didn't read closely and thought that was the Spin one. Then again, I should have guessed that they wouldn't pick Bright Eyes as number one. Yet.

1) Eminem
2) Radiohead
3) White Stripes
4) Strokes
5) Outkast
6) Linkin Park
7) Weezer
8) Missy Elliott
9) Dashboard Confessional
10) The Neptunes
11) Coldplay
12) Wilco
13) Roots
14) Hives
15) Queens Of The Stone Age
16) Bright Eyes
17) Beck
18) No Doubt
19) Jay-Z
20) Le Tigre
21) The Streets
22) Interpol
23) Nas
24) The Donnas
25) System Of A Down
26) Foo Fighters
27) Flaming Lips
28) Lucinda Williams
29) Ryan Adams
30) Audioslave
31) Avril Lavigne
32) Vines
33) Felix Da Housecat
34) Sigur Ros
35) The Used
36) Dave Matthews Band
37) Zwan
38) 50 Cent
39) Jimmy Eat World
40) Sleater-Kinney

good choices (by my lights): Outkast; Eminem; Missy Elliott; The Roots; Radiohead; Neptunes; Interpol; Flaming Lips; No Doubt; Nas; Jay-Z; The Streets; Zwan; Felix da Housecat

i fear for the future of music: Queens Of The Stone Age; Weezer; Vines; Linkin Park; Le Tigre; Wilco; Sleater-Kinney; System of a Down; Audioslave; Strokes; Jimmy Eat World; Dashboard Confessional; Coldplay; Sigur Ros; Dave Mathews Band; 50 Cent

i don't care one way or another: Bright Eyes; The Donnas; The Hives; Avril Lavigne; White Stripes; Foo Fighters; The Used (who the fuck are "the Used"?); Beck; Ryan Adams; Lucinda Williams

I'M NOT KIDDING. I fuckin' love those video montage ads.

1 Radiohead
2 Beck
3 Flaming Lips
4 Bright Eyes
5 The Streets
6 Wilco
7 Interpol
8 Avril Lavigne
" Eminem
" Queens Of The Stone Age
" Sleater-Kinney
" Strokes
" Weezer
" White Stripes
15 50 Cent
" Felix Da Housecat
" Foo Fighters
" Hives
" Jay-Z
" LeTigre
" Missy Elliott
" Neptunes
" Sigur Ros
" The Donnas
" The Roots
" Vines
" Zwan
28 Audioslave
" Coldplay
" Dashboard Confessional
" Dave Matthews Band
" Jimmy Eat World
" Linkin Park
" Lucinda Williams
" Nas
" No Doubt
" Outkast
" Ryan Adams
" System Of A Down
" The Used

tier 1:

Neptunes
Missy Elliott
The Streets

tier 2:

Felix Da Housecat
Queens Of The Stone Age
LeTigre
No Doubt
Sleater-Kinney
Nas
Jay-Z
Eminem
Outkast
50 Cent
Strokes

tier 3:

White Stripes
The Donnas
Avril Lavigne

suspect I'd like 'em:

Lucinda Williams
Flaming Lips
Linkin Park
Foo Fighters

major artists I've lost interest in:

Beck
The Roots
Radiohead
Coldplay

don't know their music well enough to comment:

Interpol
Sigur Ros
Bright Eyes
Wilco
Ryan Adams
Weezer
Hives
The Used
System Of A Down
Audioslave
Dave Matthews Band
Vines
Dashboard Confessional
Zwan
Jimmy Eat World

but given access to them I'd rather hear the ones I don't know

I bagsy this name

Le Tigre
Missy Elliot
Eminem
Sleater-Kinney

and forget the rest.

The Streets
Felix Da Housecat
Neptunes
Radiohead
Missy Elliott
Eminem
Beck
Outkast
Strokes
Foo Fighters
Flaming Lips
The Roots
Nas
LeTigre
White Stripes
Audioslave
Hives
System Of A Down
Weezer
Queens Of The Stone Age
No Doubt
Sigur Ros
Wilco
Linkin Park
Interpol
Jay-Z
Sleater-Kinney
50 Cent
Zwan
Coldplay
Ryan Adams
Dave Matthews Band
Vines
Jimmy Eat World
Avril Lavigne

have not heard anything by the following so unclassified...
Lucinda Williams
The Donnas
Bright Eyes
The Used
Dashboard Confessional

Eminem? Number One?

My sides ache as I laugh so hard.

That's it for me.

Um...yeah. Stick Ani DiFranco, Blackalicious, Les Claypool, Cee-Lo, and Mike Patton up on there too. As well as Skerik and Buckethead, although I'm beginning to wonder if anybody knows who they are.

1. Travis
2. Doves
3. Coldplay
4. Electric Soft Parade
5. Radiohead
6. XTC
7. Neil Finn
8. Kent
9. The Margarets
10.Depeche Mode
11.Flaming Lips
12.Peter Gabriel
13.Morten Abel
14.Beck
15.Popium
16.Super Furry Animals
17.Supergrass
18.Oasis
19.David Bowie
20.Soviet
21.Röyksopp
22.Erlend Øye
23.Wilco
24.Sondre Lerche
25.Number Seven Deli
26.Tweeterfriendly Music
27.a-ha
28.Ash
29.Suede
30.R.E.M.
31.Jessica Fletchers
32.Madonna
33.The Vines
34.U2
35.Ladytron
36.Briskeby
37.Grandaddy
38.Teenage Fanclub
39.Muse
40.Paul McCartney

Btw. The large percentage of Norwegian acts is quite surprising, but I guess it proves the current international hype regarding Norwegian music is no coincidence...

(Despite an excellent album last year, George Harrison has been left off the list for obvious reasons)

Beck placed so high because it's about what *artists* are important to you- had it been whose current records are most important, he'd be pretty far down...

The Hives
The White Stripes

Artists that I like, but think are overrated, that Spin have listed

The Strokes

Artists that have made at least one great album that Spin have listed

Radiohead

Artists that I respect but just don't like that Spin have listed:

Beck
Flaming Lips

Artists that I really (as in REALLY) cannot fucking stand and would love to see contract a seriously evil bum rash that Spin have listed:

Ryan Adams
Coldplay
Eminem
The Foo Fighters
Interpol
Jimmy Eat World
Linkin Park
Missy Elliot
No Doubt
Queens of the Stone Age
The Steets
System of a Down
The Vines
Weezer

Artists listed in Spin that I won't get into because I think pathetic bickering that leads to violent threats that leads to violence should have been left in the playground when you were 10 and fueds between homeboys are soooooooo silly from where I'm sitting:

50 Cent

Artists listed in the Spin 50 that I could end up liking, but not from what I've heard so far...

Zwan

Artists listed in the Spin 50 that I'd shag

Avril Lavigne

Artists listed that I just don't know enough stuff by to pass comment...

Bright Eyes
The Donnas
Outkast
The Roots
LeTigre
Wilco
Sleater-Kinney
Neptunes
Audioslave
Nas
The Used
Dashboard Confessional
Jay-Z
Sigur Ros
Dave Matthews Band
Lucinda Williams
Felix Da Housecat

7) Eminem
15) Radiohead
16) The Roots
17) Missy Elliott
29) Beck
30) LeTigre
32) Jay-Z
34) Felix Da Housecat
38) White Stripes
47) Interpol
48) Flaming Lips
49) Foo Fighters
50) No Doubt
51) Queens Of The Stone Age
54) Weezer
55) Outkast
56) The Streets
57) 50 Cent
73) Zwan
74) Wilco
75) Sleater-Kinney
76) Coldplay
223) Strokes
224) Hives
225) Vines
226) The Donnas
270) Linkin Park
390) Avril Lavigne
417) System Of A Down
419) Neptunes
426) Nas
721) Audioslave
903) Ryan Adams
970) Sigur Ros
1020) Lucinda Williams
5000) Dave Matthews Band
7029) Jimmy Eat World
7030) Dashboard Confessional
7031) Bright Eyes
10027) The Used

not an exact science really... but...
m.

Don't really care for, or have heard the rest.

In case you're wondering: the answer to both questions are NO.
So as Thumper from Bambi once said "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

(Despite an excellent album last year, George Harrison has been left off the list for obvious reasons)

George is comin' back, never count the man out!

I dunno, the only people I really think are doing anything cool that are even remotely pop are Squarepusher and Amon Tobin, so what do I know? Meg White is cute, I hear Detroit is comin' back.

Ulver are definitely metal, same about 3rd & The Mortal. Nils Petter Moldvær I know is more like a jazz musician mixing jazz with electronics. The rest I haven't heard, but the metal content in your list was frighteningly high anyway.

If your teacher and your parents hate it, it probably sucks!

01) OutKast
02) Bright Eyes
03) Interpol
04) White Stripes
05) Queens Of The Stone Age
06) Missy Elliot
07) Flaming Lips
08) The Hives
09) The Roots
10) Beck
11) The Streets
12) The Strokes
13) Wilco
14) Dave Matthews Band
15) Nas
16) Lucinda Williams
17) Jimmy Eat World
18) Sleater-Kinney
19) Eminem
20) No Doubt
21) Weezer
22) Sigur Ros
23) Vines
24) Neptunes
25) 50 Cent
26) Felix Da Housecat
27) Radiohead
28) The Donnas
29) Coldplay
30) System of a Down
31) Le Tigre
32) Foo Fighters
33) Zwan
34) Jay-Z
35) Audioslave
36) Linkin Park
37) Avril Lavigne
38) Ryan Adams
39) The Used
40) Dashboard Confessional

music shouldn't be about competition. a good song is a good song, plain and simple.

1) Eminem

I guess he is important. For me, I just hope the fact that he is a white guy will make him an important figure in the death of hip-hop. Most genres originated by African Americans have died - at least in R&B markets - once the most popular acts have been white guys.

2) Radiohead

They were a lot more important around 1997, but if they accept themselves that they are huge and stop alienating their fans on purpose, then they will surely become just as important again.

3) White Stripes

On overrated bunch of Stooges copycats. Not that there's anything wrong about rehashing the style of old acts, but the trouble is that Stooges weren't any good either.

4) Strokes

See White Stripes, but replace Stooges with Velvets.

5) Outkast

Will hopefully die (musically, that is...) along with the rest of the hip-hop genre in not too long.

6) Linkin Park

Absolutely rubbish for puberty-obsessed 14-year-old white American male teenagers who think that pissing off parents and teachers is the coolest thing you could possibly do.

7) Weezer

Kind of cool, but not that important by any means

8) Missy Elliott

At least she sings. WIll possibly become a great soul singer when hip-hop dies.

9) Dashboard Confessional

Quite surprised that an act I have never heard of is ranked as high as #9

10) The Neptunes

Overrated "super producers".

11) Coldplay

Out of the current acts that have actually received any popularity in the US at all, Coldplay are the best. As long as there is no Doves or Travis around, Coldplay should be #1.

12) Wilco

Great 2002 album. Surely a deserved mention.

13) Roots

See hip-hop in general.

14) Hives

Another overrated garage rehasher band. Garage rock sucked and doesn't need a revival. Revive "British Invasion" instead.

15) Queens Of The Stone Age

At least better than White Stripes and Hives, but still overrated. Dave Grohl should stick with Foo Fighters.

16) Bright Eyes

Never heard of.

17) Beck

A great artists that does actually deserve being mentioned.

18) No Doubt

I thought they were forgotten now?
Anyway, as they are completely unlikely ever to come up with another "Don't Speak", it is about time the world start viewing them as a one hit wonder from the past now.

19) Jay-Z

See hip-hop in general.

20) Le Tigre

Never heard of.

21) The Streets

A Norwegian reviewer described The Streets as "sounding like The Naked Chef with cool beats in the background". I thought that was a good description. :-)

22) Interpol

Listened to some of their stuff, partly because of Amazon recommending them very warmly to me, and I was not impressed. Guitar based rock needs good songs, and they didn't seem to have any.

23) Nas

See hip-hop in general.

24) The Donnas

Never heard of

25) System Of A Down

Heard of (cool album cover), but never heard

26) Foo Fighters

One of very few American "alternative" bands that do actually write good songs. While they could have done without the "grunge" aestethics still evident in their music, not that bad, really.

27) Flaming Lips

Apart from Cotton Mather, this is the best American act right now. Would deserve a higher place.

28) Lucinda Williams
29) Ryan Adams

Both are good examples of a completely OK genre. But no more than that, really.

30) Audioslave

Not sure whether I've heard them

31) Avril Lavigne

At least better than most of those manufactured "singing girls" that have occured lately, but she is still one of them. Rock Britney.

32) Vines

The fact that they write good songs that are sometimes remiscent of Supergrass make them considerably better than the rest of the "new rock" bunch.

33) Felix Da Housecat

Interesting choice, although there are better Electroclash acts out there (Soviet, for instance)...

34) Sigur Ros

Nice mood music. But not Top 40 material.

35) The Used

Never heard of.

36) Dave Matthews Band

Yawn...
(American 30-somethings should check out what English 30-somethings are listening to. Travis are sooooo much better than Dave Matthews Band)

37) Zwan
38) 50 Cent
39) Jimmy Eat World
40) Sleater-Kinney

Never heard anything by any of these (OK, I think I have maybe heard something by Sleater-Kinney, but not really taken notice).

*sigh*
Yes, I know...I fed the troll...but I just can't stand to see a starving troll laying on the sidewalk looking all saaaad and shit.

"I despise", by definition, is a way to state that this is a subjective feeling anyway.